text:
Celtics Blog
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Boston Sports Blog
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Globe SportsWire
Gasper
Skiing news
Film on Johnson filled with swagger, sadness
Bill Johnson backed up his bluster at the 1984 Olympics in Sarajevo, winning the gold medal in downhill skiing. (1984 File/AFP/Getty Images)
By Tony Chamberlain
Globe Correspondent / February 17, 2011
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Anybody remotely connected with ski racing and/or the Winter Olympics knows the Bill Johnson story, and in fact may have some confusion about where the real racer begins and the fictitious character in "Downhill Racer'' ends.
To straighten the timeline, "Downhill Racer,'' the story of a brash American skier who often snarls at his coach because he doesn't race for a team but for himself, was made in 1969, well before Johnson showed up at the 1984 Games in Sarajevo and told competitors they were "all racing for second place because the gold medal belongs to me.'' Clearly Johnson had designed his life after the film.
In this age of trash talking jocks, that does not sound as outrageous as it did 27 years ago to Austrian downhiller Franz Klammer or even to US champion Phil Mahre. And after the antics of Muhammad Ali (then Cassius Clay) and Joe Namath, how could a kid ski racer predicting victory sound brash? As a matter of fact, it sounded downright American.
In covering the 1984 Games, I talked to Johnson many times then and afterward. I can't recall exactly what I thought of him before Feb. 16, 1984. But as he glided seamlessly over the downhill course to beat Swiss champion Peter Mueller by .27 seconds, I was delighted and inspired, as were most of my American colleagues. Were we homers? You bet. This was the first time an American man won Olympic gold in Alpine skiing.
Just imagine some Austrian coming to the US and pitching a no-hitter in the World Series — beating us at our own game in our own country! Johnson's win was that stunning.
Gracious in defeat? When it was repeated to him that Europeans said he won because the course was too easy, Johnson responded with a simple truth that landed like a knee in the gut: "If it was so easy, why didn't they win it?''
And the smirk. Oh, that smirk. If you went to central casting to find a schoolboy to get caned by the master for general troublemaking, gave him acting lessons to get a perfect expression of youthful haughtiness, you could not improve on the smirk that so often lit up Johnson's face like irreverent sunshine.
Then, as life after ski racing crumbled fast, Johnson was driven to an amazing delusion that if he could just put the genie back in the bottle and win one more major medal at age 40, his life would be suddenly fixed. His wife, Gina, would come back, the family come together again, and the money he so badly needed would roll in. In that attempt in March 2001, skiing a downhill at Big Mountain Montana to try to qualify for the 2002 Olympics, Johnson nearly killed himself in a crash, and suffered severe brain damage.
If that sounds like the stuff of a movie, you're not alone. California filmmaker Zeke Piestrup was amazed the subject had not been touched except in one TV special. What appealed to Piestrup — aside from the obvious glamour of high stakes ski racing — is that Johnson's story follows a nearly perfect arc of Greek tragedy.
Piestrup's film, "Downhill: The Bill Johnson Story,'' doesn't just replow old, familiar grounds. We get a portrait of Gina, who retells the story of their 13-month-old son's drowning in a hot tub, and makes it resoundingly clear that even had Johnson won a gold medal at the 2002 Salt Lake Olympics, nothing would change. She is astounded at the depth of Johnson's delusion that skiing could "fix'' his life or bring her back with two other sons the couple had before they divorced.
Of those two boys, Taylor and Nick, now teenagers, we see just enough interaction with their father to make an obvious comparison — they had reached a level of maturity and civility their father never did, and that ironically crowned them as the real high point of his life, even if Johnson is not quite aware of it. An especially moving scene of Taylor playing cribbage with his father, then hugging him as they part, makes this point powerfully.
Piestrup's film does not overwhelm with ski footage because Johnson's entire meteoric career rests on less than eight minutes of downhill action. But the repeated video of the Olympic run and other wins are certainly an uplifting contrast to the rest of the tale. The repetition of them throughout the movie does not feel repetitive.
The interviews pull together some of Johnson's early critics and fellow skiers. There's Klammer explaining why he was so dismissive of the kid he called a "nose picker'' at the Games. And Mahre, who never approved of Johnson's brashness, even becomes emotional, tearing up when talking about Johnson, who he says belongs to a most exclusive club of just 21 ski racers who ever won the Olympic downhill gold medal. Mahre's attitude now: Nothing can take that away from him.
We hear a fascinating technical theory (with much graphic evidence) for Johnson's performance in a downhill tuck, and word from the most famous ski tech of his day, Blake Lewis, who was suspected of having found some breakthrough wax formula that made Johnson's skis faster than anyone else's in Sarajevo.
This compelling film has been shown at selected venues in the West, but, said Piestrup, should be available in the months ahead.
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Organic farms in Denmark released cows from barns at 12pm on Sunday, with the animals roaming enthusiastically onto the fields as tens of thousands of spectators looked on.
The annual tradition of celebrating the end of cows' winter enclosure took place at midday on Sunday, when cows were released on to the grass at 59 organic farms across the country.
The event gives the public an important chance to see agriculture at first-hand, said Per Kølster, chairperson of interest organisation Økologisk Landsforening (National Organic Association).
"This is about being open, trustworthy and about the good feeling that can come from seeing these wonderful animals when they jump around on the grass," Kølster told Ritzau.
"The trust upon which organic is built can be seen with your own eyes," he added.
Last year, over 200,000 people in Denmark went to see the release of the cows at farms around the country.
Kølster said his assessment was that just as many had turned out this year to see the event sometimes referred to as the 'cows' spring break'.
"Interest is actually huge. That's down to the animals. And this is because their joy is so clear," he said.
The head of Økologisk Landsforening said he was in no doubt as to why the cows reacted as they did, running out on to the grass and jumping up and down to the delight of spectators.
"It can only be explained by one thing, and that's excitement. They know that spring is coming. It's just like a racing horse flying out of the traps," he said.
"They only have one thing on their minds, and that's to get out there and experience the grass. It's very energetic," he added.
Not everyone shares Kølster's enthusiasm for the event. Local media TV2 Østjylland reported that vegans attended events in protest, while activist organisation Vegan Change was critical of what it likened to a 'Disneyfication' of agriculture.
"(Visitors) don't see that cows walk around in cow dung for the rest of the year, or that they are damaged by all of the milk they are forced to produce. They don't see calves and mothers being separated after 24 hours, or when cows are sent to the slaughter and are killed by a bolt pistol to the head and a knife to the throat," Sophia Nox, a spokesperson for the group, told TV2 Østjylland.
Kølster told the media that it was the "clear democratic right" of vegans to demonstrate.
"The vegans' project is very respectable. It's fine for them to take a critical view of agriculture. But I can't imagine farmers would show up to demonstrate at a day of celebration for vegans," he said.


text:
AlgoSev™
What is AlgoSev™
Why AlgoSev™
Life First!
KELONY®-Assured
KELONY® Risk-Rating
KELONY® RISK NEUTRALISATION™
RISK-CULTURE™
Risk is not about fate
Risk is not UNAVOIDABLE, not UNEXORABLE not INEVITABLE
KELONY® Solutions
The scientific and independent Risk measurement is a key element in decision-making processes as it has a significant impact on the organizational choices, on strategic decisions and, in general, on everything that affects the life of the company, of humankind and of our planet
The probability-based conceptual and methodological shortcomings hitherto applied to Risk measurement explain the increasing number of failures in governance and Risk defense strategies
Addressing Risk today requires a far-sighted strategic approach based on Cindynics, the new Science of Risk, which considers Risk as a whole, in its entirety, and no longer on the basis of a symptomatic and fragmented approach based on probability
The use of particularly advanced mathematics has allowed KELONY® to revolutionize Risk calculation, introducing post-probabilistic techniques, thanks to which Risk is no longer simply "assessed" but calculated and measured
The precision of Risk measurement determines the efficiency in neutralising Risks.
This is an essential condition for the success of any enterprise
KELONY® RISK CULTURE™
KELONY® invented both the Risk-Rating index and a unit of measure to calculate Risk. to better understand this new measuring system, let's compare it with the invention of the thermometer, which measures temperature in degrees.
Before this invention, anyone had his own method to "value" and "define" whether it was hot or cold. The thermometer introduced a scientific method to define temperature objectively.
Similarly, thanks to the new Risk measurement unit introduced by KELONY®, the Risk thermometer is no longer subjective. Risk assessment is carried out through the application of advanced mathematical formulae which consider all the Risks to which one has been exposed.
KELONY® Risk-Rating provides an analysis of the overall health and life expectancy of the Organization and its Assets, thus defining the value of the Company, or of any organization
KELONY® Risk-Rating is also used as a decision-making tool for investors and policymakers.
The development of the Risk-Rating gives a clear picture of the level of homeostasis of the reality examined according to the 3R™ – Resistance, Resilience, Redundancy – rule.
Once the Risk-Rating is defined, it is possible to develop the best defense strategies to neutralize the Risks arising from the gap between what an organization does (and says) and what it really needs to protect its People and its Business.
Following the definition of Risk-Rating, the new Science of Risk finds its practical application through the new discipline of Risk Neutralisation™.
Risk Neutralisation™ includes both a proprietary protocol – VeVa™ – and decision supporting tools, including AlgoSev™.
VeVa™ provides us with a simplified vision of Risk, just as a musical score allows us to reduce any melody to a series of dots and lines.
VeVa™ is an Operative Protocol based on the new Cindynics and on Biosuronomics™ (the science of safeguarding life), which allow us:
To detect all Risks, including unknown ones
To map the topology of Risks and the relationships among them based on dynamic graphics
To predict the effects of chain reactions in Risk
This analysis highlights the Apex-Risk™, which generates other Risks, and the Intercorrelated-Risk, or elements of propagation of the Risk, which often go unseen and are therefore not taken into consideration.
Thanks to AlgoSev™, it is possible to identify the actions that must be prioritized to avoid the domino effect of Risk.
The result of the domino effect of Risk is not the sum of individual Risks, just as a meal is more than just the sum of the ingredients that go into it: the important thing is the recipe, that is the quality of the ingredients and the way they are assembled.
VeVa™ allows you to see beyond the ingredients and to observe the correct sequence of steps in making the recipe of Risk, thus allowing you to protect yourself more effectively.
AlgoSev™ is an algorithmic Augmented Intelligence tool capable of identifying the best strategies for neutralising Risk. It includes an inductive inferential engine programmed in Hyperfarsight™ Dynamic Programming, which performs better than the existing predictive tools because it uses new Boolean operators.
It allows to identify the the most effective sequences for reducing Risk of any kind and to combat its effects before they even appear
For the new Science of Risk to be understood and applied, a new culture of Risk needs to be diffused.
Reinforcing the Risk Culture throughout an organization means becoming a Life First Company ™, a company that puts the protection of people and life before mere performance and profit.
Protecting employees, customers, and their digital and natural environment means protecting the company itself; it means protecting the benefits of the company as a lever for social and economic growth. It's a virtuous circle!
World Protection Forum™
KELONY® promotes the culture of Risk throughout the World Protection Forum™, an open and permanent forum aimed at developing a current of thought with the main objective of building a safer and more protected world through the diffusion of the Culture of Risk. The World Protection Forum™ brings together the Life First Company ™ – companies committed to protecting life, people, and our natural and digital ecosystems
Life First is the founding principle of KELONY®'s mission
©KELONY® All rights reserved - Made by Aleph Zero

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
__author__ = 'Xezz'
__version__ = '0.3'

import sys
import time
import logging
from datetime import datetime

import requests

from RPi import GPIO

# This is the user agent shown to reddit
user_agent = '%s Loomax RPi mail notifier /u/Loomax' % __version__
# credentials to login, reddit username and password
user_name = ''
password = ''
# Which pin to toggle when new mail arrives, or mail has been read
pin_id = 11
# 60s is 1 minute :P
minutes_to_seconds = 60
# wait 5 minutes
default_wait_time = 5 * minutes_to_seconds
# Start throttle at 2 am
__throttle_start = {'hour': 2, 'minute': 0}
# stop throttle at 9:30
__throttle_end = {'hour': 9, 'minute': 30}
throttle_start = __throttle_start['hour'] * 60 + __throttle_start['minute']
throttle_end = __throttle_end['hour'] * 60 + __throttle_end['minute']
# not throttled then wait for 5 minutes
speed_normal = 5 * minutes_to_seconds
#  throttled then don't refresh for the difference / 2
throttled_wait_time = (throttle_end - throttle_start) * 30
if throttled_wait_time < default_wait_time:
    throttled_wait_time = default_wait_time

def getSleepTime():
    """Check what kind of throttle in seconds we have ot return

    Checks if the current time is within the sleep time and returns the correct sleep time
    """
    right_now = datetime.now()
    minutes_now = right_now.hour * 60 + right_now.minute
    if minutes_now >= throttle_start and minutes_now < throttle_end:
        return throttled_wait_time
    else:
        return default_wait_time

def switchLight(has_new_mail):
    GPIO.output(pin_id, has_new_mail)

def main():
    # Enable logging
    logging.basicConfig(filename='checkerr.log', format='[%(levelname)s]:%(name)s %(asctime)s %(message)s',
                        datefmt='%m/%d/%Y %I:%M:%S %p', level=logging.INFO)
    logging.info('Starting mailchecker on pin %d' % pin_id)
    logger = logging.getLogger(__name__)
    # Using board layout
    GPIO.setmode(GPIO.BOARD)
    # set the pin to output
    GPIO.setup(pin_id, GPIO.OUT)

    session = requests.Session()
    session.headers.update({'User-Agent': user_agent})
    first_run = True
    try:
        session.post('https://ssl.reddit.com/api/login',
                     data={'user': user_name, 'passwd': password, 'api_type': 'json'})
    except requests.exceptions.RequestException as re:
        logger.warn('Failed to connect to reddit. Message: %s' % re.message)
        sys.exit(1)
    while True:
        try:
            # Reddit is caching pages for 30s, so no need to request more often than that
            # First request is fine to run tho!
            if not first_run:
                time.sleep(getSleepTime())
            else:
                first_run = False
            logger.debug('Fetching data about myself')
            try:
                r = session.get('https://ssl.reddit.com/api/me.json')
            except requests.exceptions.RequestException as re:
                logger.warn('Failed to fetch me.json. error: %s' % re.message)
                continue

            if r.status_code == 200:
                try:
                    request_as_json = r.json()
                    has_mail = request_as_json['data']['has_mail']
                    switchLight(has_mail)
                    if has_mail:
                        logger.info('New mail arrived!')
                except Exception as e:
                    logger.warn('Unexpected error while trying to parse json. Type: %s, Message: %s' % e.__class__,
                                e.message)
            else:
                logger.warn('Status code was not 200 it was [%s]' % r.status_code)
        except (KeyboardInterrupt, SystemExit):
            # Clean up (resetting those GPIO's that got used in this script)
            GPIO.cleanup()
            break

if __name__ == "__main__":
    main()

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


As a leading network and IT equipment reseller, Vnetek offers you products from the most respected and innovative companies in the world. We help our customers source the best networking equipment from all major manufacturers. We have been providing our global customers with exceptional products, services, and customer care since 1996.
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Visit our logistics business segment Northeast 3PL for more information.


text:
This crash-tastic video shows why rocket launches aren't easy
By Trevor Mogg	 July 6, 2018
Having witnessed the rise of SpaceX, Blue Origin, and other private space companies, Japan's Interstellar Technologies decided it wanted to have a bit of that, and set about building their own rocket system.
The trouble is, it's not very good. Not yet, anyway.
Highlighting just how challenging it is to develop such technology, Interstellar Technologies has so far suffered two rocket launch failures. Out of two rocket launches.
Fortunately, the rockets were unmanned and no one has been injured during the failed efforts.
The latest disaster occurred at the end of last month when its Momo-2 rocket ran out of puff just a few seconds after launch, leaving gravity to do what gravity does so well. Yes, it all ended in a spectacular fireball.
But at least the private space company — founded by Japanese internet entrepreneur Takafumi Horie — can't be accused of trying to sweep the whole thing under the carpet, as it has just released a video showing the fiery event from pretty much every conceivable angle.
The edited footage shows Momo-2's short-lived test flight from far away, close up, low down, and high up. There's even a rocket's-eye view of the incident, though the video cuts out just before it hits the deck.
Curiously, about halfway through, a dance track fades in, so you might even find yourself tapping your feet during the final couple of explosions.
Not giving up
Interstellar Technologies' first rocket launch took place in 2017, but engineers lost contact with it after about a minute, prompting them to shut down its engine at an altitude of around 12.5 miles (20 km). It came down in the sea.
The company's goal is to build a rocket system capable of deploying small satellites in low Earth orbit, a growing market that similar outfits around the world are also exploring.
Interstellar Technologies is the first private space company in Japan to attempt the feat, and despite the setbacks, appears determined to get it right.
"I feel that I would like to keep giving it a shot," Interstellar Technologies president Takahiro Inagawa told reporters shortly after the early-morning, June 30 accident. Horie also said he was reluctant to throw the towel in, but added, "We have to find ways to improve."
Watch Virgin Orbit's cinematic recap of its groundbreaking rocket flight
Virgin Orbit gears up for second attempt at unique rocket launch
Scientists who sent spiders to the ISS have discovered something truly strange
Why are we going to the moon again? NASA astronaut Kjell Lindgren explains
Boeing clears way for second test flight of its Starliner spacecraft
How to watch SpaceX launch its first Starlink mission of 2021


text:
Valdosta State
Quick links... Florida State Florida A&M Valdosta State Tallahassee Community College
SportsCollege SportsTCC
Fifth ranked Tallahassee Community College men to host #1 Chipola Saturday
An overall record of 20-1 on the year. Winners of 19 straight games. Ranked 5th in the country. That's the Tallahassee Community College men's basketball team we're talking about. Chipola at TCC, #1 vs. #5, is set for a 4:30 tip-off Saturday, Jan. 21 inside the Eagledome.
By: Alison Posey
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) — An overall record of 20-1 on the year. Winners of 19 straight games. Ranked 5th in the country.
That's the Tallahassee Community College men's basketball team we're talking about.
If you ask head coach Rick Cabrera, he said his guys are kind of monotone about it. This team knows their end goal, which is why they're taking Saturday's game against Chipola, the number one team in the country, in stride.
The Indians are number one for a reason. They're a good team, but with the mindset his team has, coach knows they're ready for it.
"They do have a swag about them that they know they're good. I like that," said Eagles head coach Rick Cabrera. We're most definitely ready. It's just a basketball game. We're not going to change too much in our preparation. It's what we've always been doing. We're excited. It's five on five, a coach and another coach, a coaching staff and another coaching staff, it is what it is. It's just part of it."
Chipola at TCC, #1 vs. #5, is set for a 4:30 tip-off inside the Eagledome. It will also air on ESPN+.


Thomas P. Hamilton, age 48, of River Forest, beloved husband of Margaret, nee Shanahan; loving father of Mary Martin and Kathleen Joan Hamilton; devoted son of Mary Ellen, nee Mulvihill, and the late Raymond P. Hamilton; dear brother of Maureen, Raymond, James (Jennifer), Eileen (Michael) Dillon, Elizabeth (Charles) Corbisiero, Mary (Stefano) Robertson, Meghan Hamilton and the late Joan Hamilton; fond uncle of many. Visitation Friday 4 p.m. until time of Mass 7 p.m. at St. Luke Church, Lathrop & Lake St., River Forest. Private interment Queen of Heaven Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorials to Mercy Home for Boys and Girls, 1140 W. Jackson Blvd., Chicago, IL 60607 are appreciated. Funeral info 708-383-3191.


Shir Chadash is a vibrant Conservative Jewish community in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan Canada. While our numbers are small, our warmth and welcoming spirit is huge.
Shir Chadash means "New Song". You are welcome to come and enjoy sharing Shabbatot, weekly onegs, Jewish holidays, mitzvot, and social events with our family of members and friends. Every week we joyously hold Shabbat on Friday evening starting at 8:00 p.m. and Saturday morning starting at 10:00 a.m. Check the links on this website to learn more about us. Check the Events link on this website for details about other upcoming events.
Click the download button or full screen below to read our latest newsletter.


text:
Three Old Faithful Geysers In The World
Non Denominational Churches In Joplin Mo The group was put on standby during the tornadoes in Joplin, Mo., and just last week assisted the Angelina County Sheriff's Office in tracking down a runaway. Burns said the explorers program helps. For over 150 years, Milligan has educated men and women to lead and to serve. Our commitment to Christ-centered liberal arts education
Sep 12, 2017 · Unusual and historic miniature golf spots around the US. Get a hole-in-one at some of the oddest, weirdest, and most fun spots to play mini golf in the US.
Yellowstone's Steamboat Geyser, the largest in the world, has now erupted eight times in less than. With the notable exception of Old Faithful's solid predictability, geysers usually erupt at.
Two Perfect Days in Yellowstone. One Watching Wildlife, and One Geysers
Christian Gospel Music Mp3 Download Free Shop for Christian Music on CD, MP3, and vinyl, with the latest new releases and future favorites, plus bargains, bestsellers and more. Browse our huge selection of Worship, Gospel, contemporary Christian, kids' and Classical music, plus find this year's award winners, featured artists, and WOW collections. Part 5: Top 50 Free Gospel Music Downloads Free(41-50)
Steamboat has the accolade as the world's largest geyser but is somewhat overshadowed by the fame and popularity of Old Faithful in the national park. Despite the fact that the mission would cost.
Visitors watch and photograph the Old Faithful Geyser erupt from the Old Faithful porch. Boardwalks throughout the basins provide places to view geysers and other thermal features.
Jul 21, 2015 · Photo by iStock. Design by Erik Mace for Yahoo Travel. The U.S. has many iconic road trips. You could even say that the U.S. invented the road trip as a form of vacation. Which makes sense.
May 10, 2019 · Old Faithful geyser, Upper Geyser Basin, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, U.S. George Marler/National Park Service The word Wyoming is derived from a Delaware word meaning "land of vast plains," an apt description of the state's spacious natural environment, which is home to nearly as many pronghorn as people.Wyoming's residents are spread across the land in small ranching and.
After deploying hundreds of seismometers around the Old Faithful Geyser in. times for unpredictable geysers like Steamboat Geyser in Yellowstone's Norris Geyser Basin, which is the tallest active.
Here, you can see the same types of thermal features — some would say better — as around Old Faithful, enjoy some personal space and maybe catch an eruption of the unusually explosive Steamboat Geyser.
Faith Based Addiction Recovery Meetings When people first join Alcoholics Anonymous, they may raise their eyebrows at some of the common AA slogans. But the most well-known AA slogans exist for a reason. With just a bit of understanding, every newcomer can come to appreciate this. They all nod knowingly. Addiction is a path to self-destruction. These three women and
Here are some of the best and most visited US national parks that are the epitome of wild expanses and colossal features: Yellowstone National Park : The very first national park in the world, Yellowstone National Park was established in 1872 and is spread in three states: Wyoming, Idaho, and Montana.The park is one of the most visited natural attractions in the country and is most famous for.
Click for a larger image: Click for a larger image Sawmill Geyser taken by Jared Moulding. Note Old Faithful Geyser erupting in the background. Click for a larger image
(Reuters) – The world's largest active geyser has erupted three times. but the two in April were about 10 times larger than an eruption at the park's famed Old Faithful Geyser in terms on the.
Yellowstone National Park sits atop a supervolcano that's considered one of the greatest volcano threats. But NASA has an idea to stop an eruption.
"Most geysers erupt infrequently, unlike Old Faithful, so Steamboat is not enigmatic in that regard. But Steamboat has a mystique about it because it is the tallest active geyser in the world.
The Center For Studies On New Religions This year, a group of faculty members working under the dean of arts and humanities and the Berkeley Center for the Study of Religion has worked to design a new major in religion, which the faculty. ISJP Study Program. Providing a solid basis for cross-cultural communication and interreligious understanding among young people. In response to
The Steamboat Geyser holds the record for the tallest active geyser in the world, so when it starts acting unusually. water each – about 10 times the volume of water released by Old Faithful when.
The Steamboat Geyser at Yellowstone National Park has erupted three times in the last two months, perplexing scientists. The geyser, which is the world's tallest. releases about 10 times more water.
3, 2014. Geysers are constricted hot springs that erupt as the water heats up. Steamboat's major eruptions can shoot steam to heights of 300 to 400 feet. By comparison, steam from Yellowstone's.
Three. 500 geysers, more than anywhere on Earth, thanks to the underlying Yellowstone supervolcano. Like most geysers,
There are many volcanic areas in the world that have hot springs, mud pots and fumaroles, but very few have erupting geysers.The main reason for their rarity is because multiple intense transient forces must occur simultaneously for a geyser to exist.
Grant signed into law the Yellowstone National Park Protection Act, Yellowstone was the world. by geysers and mud baths,
Old Faithful is a cone-type geyser. Since 2000 its intervals have varied from 44 to 125 minutes, with an average of about 90-92 minutes, its duration is 1 1/2 to 5 minutes and its height is 90 to 184 feet.
Location: Inside of Park Starting Rate: $148.00 The Old Faithful Inn is one of the largest log-built structures in the world. The rooms here provide a comfortable and convenient home base for your Yellowstone Nation.
About half of the world's geysers are in Yellowstone. At its best, Steamboat's blasts are known to go roughly three times Old Faithful's average height. According to a park document, only two other.
First Presbyterian Church Newport Oregon Before closing, First Presbyterian plans to hold a special service celebrating its history. With all of the congregations and community organizations that it has helped create, members say their. Faith Based Addiction Recovery Meetings When people first join Alcoholics Anonymous, they may raise their eyebrows at some of the common AA slogans. But the most
Three evenly spaced dots forming an ellipsis. but the two in April were about 10 times larger than an eruption at the park's famed Old Faithful Geyser in terms on the amount of water discharged, he.
"Most geysers erupt infrequently, unlike Old Faithful, so Steamboat is not enigmatic in that regard," Poland told CNN. "But Steamboat has a mystique about it because it is the tallest active geyser in.
The tallest active geyser in the world, Steamboat Geyser, is located in Norris Basin.Unlike the slightly smaller but much more famous Old Faithful Geyser located in Upper Geyser Basin, Steamboat has an erratic and lengthy timetable between major eruptions. During major eruptions, which may be separated by intervals of more than a year (the longest recorded span between major eruptions was 50.
Lo He Comes With Clouds Descending Hymn Eighth lesson: John 3 vv.1-8. Sentence and Christmas Collect. Carol: Noe, noe (David Bednall). Hymn: Lo! he comes with clouds descending (Helmsley) (descant: Christopher Robinson). College Prayer and. As Christians, we believe in a direction. It will end. It will come to a finish. In a few moments we will sing, 'Lo He Comes With
"Most geysers erupt infrequently, unlike Old Faithful, so Steamboat is not enigmatic in that regard. But Steamboat has a mystique about it because it is the tallest active geyser in the world.
Oct 24, 2018 · Photo credit: Source The Great Barrier Reef is the largest collection of coral reefs in the world, spanning over 1,400 miles. It's so large that it can be seen from space, and it's among one of the Seven Wonders of the Natural World.
A Swainson's hawk soars over tree-lined mountains, gushing waterfalls, and hot springs called geysers. The land below is part of Yellowstone National Park.
The San Francisco Bay Area at Your Fingertips VisitSFBayArea.com is your insider's guide to San Francisco, plus the surrounding Bay Area.
The Old Faithful geyser in Wyoming's Yellowstone National Park erupts about once every 65 minutes, much to the delight of tourists. The water ejected during each eruption is at or near the boiling point, often reaches a height of 50 meters (approximately 170 feet), and has an estimated volume of 45,000 liters (12,000 gallons).
Our Old Faithful tour focuses on wildlife and thermal features as we travel through the Lower, Midway, and Upper Geyser Basins. On the way to Old Faithful, we offer the option of stopping at Biscuit Basin so you can ski or snowshoe approximately 2.5 miles through the Upper Geyser Basin, home to one-quarter of the world's geysers.
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text:
package parser_test

import "github.com/jstesta/gomidi/midi"

func setupTrack1Event(d int, t byte, l int, data []byte) *midi.Track {

	return midi.NewTrack([]midi.Event{midi.NewMetaEvent(d, t, l, data)})
}


text:
Cinéma
 Le Passager clandestin, film français réalisé par Henri Diamant-Berger en 1934 ;
 Le Passager clandestin (The Stowaway), film franco-australien réalisé par Ralph Habib et Lee Robinson en 1958.

Édition
 Le Passager clandestin, maison d'édition indépendante créée en 2007.

Littérature
 Le Passager clandestin, roman policier de Georges Simenon, paru en 1947.

Télévision
 Le Passager clandestin (du roman d'Ana Maria Matute), téléfilm de Colette Djidou diffusé en 1975 ;
 Le Passager clandestin, épisode de la série Les Sentinelles de l'air ;
 Le Passager clandestin, téléfilm franco-espagnol réalisé par Agustí Villaronga en 1995.

Théâtre
 Le Passager clandestin, pièce de théâtre de Jérôme Touzalin.

Voir aussi

 Les Passagers clandestins, album de bande dessinée de la série Le Scrameustache

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
Halting Human Trafficking Requires Public To "See The Unseen"
April 7, 2019 by Capital News Service Leave a Comment
Bringing a halt to human trafficking needs help from the public, which must learn to "see the unseen," an anti-trafficking advocate recently told church members here.
Civilian training is the first step, said Rebecca McDonald, founder and president of Women at Risk, International (WAR), a Michigan-based non-profit organization that works to provide protection to those at risk, for the event.
"Until you take this personally, nothing is going to change," McDonald told members of the First Baptist Church in Waldorf.
The church partnered with WAR for a seven-hour Civilian First Responder program for 250 attending members, teaching them about what human trafficking is, the horrors of victims' experience, how they can detect signs of the crime in their community and resources they can contact to get help.
Human trafficking, often considered a forgotten crime, is modern day slavery. An umbrella term, human trafficking encompasses a number of crimes like sex trafficking, forced labor and debt bondage.
The International Labour Organization estimates that 40.3 million people are trafficked globally, according to Polaris, an organization dedicated to eradicating modern slavery.
In 2014, 396 survivors of human trafficking were identified and provided assistance in Maryland according to the Maryland Human Trafficking Task Force. As most victims are not identified or reported to an agency, this number is only a fraction of the actual number of people being trafficked in the state.
WAR provided pamphlets and documents that had further information about human trafficking and ways to see its signs. In a booklet specifically aimed at the general public, the organization lists 15 demographic characteristics that make an area more prone to human trafficking.
Tourism, for example, invites people to come in and out of an area for short periods of time. These tourists, primarily men, are more likely to partake in human trafficking activities, like sex trafficking, and leave the area before there are any repercussions. Sex tourism "treats sex as just another visitor attraction," according the WAR's website.
Because of Maryland's close proximity to cities like Washington and Baltimore, the state is vulnerable to sex tourism.
Six men, including two from Anne Arundel County, were arrested by county police in a prostitution sting operation at the Extended Stay America hotel in Linthicum, only a 10-minute drive from the Baltimore Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport, according to an article by the Annapolis Capital.
Maryland has about 12 or 13 of these 15 demographic characteristics, according to McDonald.
McDonald said the real problem of human trafficking is that it is "good business." Traffickers can sell a human over and over again and still have deniability, according to McDonald.
The church event also had separate break-out sessions for parents and educators, hospitality workers, teens and young adults and homeland security and local law enforcement to learn how to detect human trafficking in these specific groups.
Speakers for these sessions included representatives of Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan's office, the Charles County Sheriff's Office and an advocate for Human Security Investigations.
Two human trafficking victims, Jill Short and Wendy Schoonmaker, spoke about their experiences during the lunch break. Short, a mother of 10 and grandmother of six, uses beauty pageants to talk about her personal story and won the position of 2019 Mrs. Downtown DC America, the official Washington preliminary pageants to Miss for America and Mrs. America.
Schoonmaker said people are sometimes taught to mistrust themselves and ignore or shutdown their own feelings, which can be passed on to children, creating a major source of vulnerability.
"If you don't acknowledge someone else's feelings, someone else will," she said. "And often times it's someone who will exploit them."
Schoonmaker said she was able to walk away from the first 16 years of her life by having people, either mentors or volunteers, who spoke about positive things in her life.
Both survivors urged attendees to be vigilant about signs of trafficking.
Church member Charlotte Vass organized the training session with help from other members. Having previously worked with domestic violence victims and then with WAR, Vass said the sinfulness of human trafficking "struck her" and made her want to make a difference.
A group of women at the church have been praying about this problem for years and started planning the event about eight months ago, according to Vass.
"It just became apparent that people are really uninformed about the human trafficking situation in general," Vass said. "Most people seem to think it's over there, they don't realize it's in your own backyard."
By Sanchali Singh
Filed Under: Maryland Politics & Policy
Maryland may Expand Electric Vehicle Tax Credits
March 30, 2019 by Capital News Service 1 Comment
Maryland state legislation could increase the tax credit received for electric cars to $3,000 per vehicle.
Marylander's currently receive $100 times the number of kilowatt-hours of the battery capacity of their electric vehicle with a maximum of $3,000. With this bill, each new electric vehicle purchased will count for $3,000 regardless of battery size.
While plug-in electric and fuel cell vehicles are both currently covered, this tax credit would only apply to fully electric vehicles and would not cover hybrid cars, according to the bill's lead sponsor, Delegate David Fraser-Hidalgo, D-Montgomery.
House bill 1246, named the Clean Cars Act of 2019, would also increase the maximum price of qualified electric vehicles from $60,000 to $63,000 to adjust for inflation from when the initial limit was set by the Clean Cars Act of 2017, according to Fraser-Hidalgo.
Due to of a shortage of funding for electric vehicle tax credits in 2017, this legislation is intended to provide enough money to incentivize more Marylanders to purchase zero-emission vehicles, Fraser-Hidalgo said.
This bill would allow the Maryland Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Administration to raise the total amount of tax credits to be awarded in total for fiscal year 2020 to $6 million, an increase from the $3 million set aside annually for tax credits by the Clean Cars Act of 2017.
The U.S. also offers a federal tax credit of up to $7,500 for owning an electric vehicle, according to the Internal Revenue Service.
"That $3,000 tax credit, coupled with the federal $7,500 tax credit…is extremely important to getting the new vehicles in a budget range in which Marylanders can afford," Fraser-Hidalgo said. "The electric cars, they're just better in pretty much every way," he said.
A separate Clean Cars Act of 2019–Senate bill 168–was proposed by Gov. Larry Hogan, R, with the primary difference being that Fraser-Hidalgo's bill would also provide a $1,500 tax credit to people purchasing used electric vehicles, Fraser-Hidalgo said. Senate bill 168 was heard by a Maryland Senate committee Feb. 12.
While Fraser-Hidalgo's bill would rename the Maryland Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Council to the Maryland Zero Emission Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Council, Hogan's bill would change the name to the Maryland Zero Emission Vehicle Infrastructure Council. Both measures would focus the organization on promoting fuel cell vehicles.
In 2007, Maryland became one of eight states that adopted California's Zero Emission Vehicles program, according to the Maryland Department of the Environment. Adhering to the standards of the program—later enforced through Maryland legislation in 2011—Maryland must have 60,000 registered zero emission vehicles by 2020 and 300,000 registered by 2025.
The number of electric vehicles registered in Maryland doubled between 2017 and 2018. As of February, there are over 18,000 electric vehicles registered in Maryland, according to the Maryland Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Administration.
Members of the petroleum industry argued that the tax credits outlined in the Clean Cars Acts disproportionately benefit the wealthy and educated. Mid-Atlantic Petroleum Distributors Association Inc. Executive Vice President Ellen Valentino said this bill and its 2017 predecessor are "talking to a very narrow segment" of the population.
"This has not been a successful program," Valentino said. "Six million dollars is a lot of money for people shopping for a $63,000 new vehicle," she told legislators on Tuesday.
House bill 1246 passed through the Maryland House of Delegates March 18 and was heard by a Maryland Senate committee on Tuesday.
By Charlie Youngmann
Md. House overrides Hogan Veto: Schools Can Now Start Before Labor Day
March 29, 2019 by Capital News Service Leave a Comment
Maryland school districts will now have the ability to again start their school year before Labor Day, overturning a previous executive order by Republican Gov. Larry Hogan.
One day after the Maryland Senate voted to override Hogan's veto of a bill that would give power to local school boards to determine their respective calendars, the House of Delegates voted Friday to override the measure as well.
The House voted 93-43 to join the Senate in overriding Hogan's veto.
Delegate Anne Healey, D-Prince George's, who served on a year-long task force to study a post-Labor Day start for Maryland public schools, said Hogan's veto "short circuited" the work of the task force.
Healey said more flexibility was required for schools that needed to account for additional religious holidays and athletics.
Delegate Haven Shoemaker, R-Carroll, argued against overriding the veto, pointing to numerous businesses that would benefit from the additional week of summer vacation.
On Thursday, the Senate voted 32-15 along party lines to override Hogan's veto.
Hogan on Wednesday vetoed Senate bill 128, saying that the legislation "unravels years of bipartisan work and study" and citing polls revealing that the bill runs counter to the wishes of most Marylanders.
The bill, sponsored by Sen. Paul Pinsky, D-Prince George's, overturns Hogan's 2016 executive order mandating schools start after Labor Day.
"The executive order does not respect the diversity of our state," said Delegate Eric Luedtke, D-Montgomery.
This was the last of three veto overrides to occur this week. Both chambers also voted Thursday to override Hogan's veto of a bill to strip alcohol and tobacco regulation from the state comptroller, and a bill to gradually increase the minimum wage to $15.
By Daniel Oyefusi
CNS reporter Natalie Jones contributed to this story
Filed Under: Homepage Highlights, Portal Highlights
Supreme Court Hears Arguments on Maryland, North Carolina Redistrict Challenges
For the second time in as many years, the Supreme Court heard arguments on partisan redistricting cases from Maryland and North Carolina Tuesday, but it remains unclear whether a constitutional standard for regulating the practice will be issued.
North Carolina's entire congressional map is being contested, which is currently made up of 10 Republicans and three Democrats despite the state being almost evenly split politically.
At issue in Maryland is the state's 6th Congressional District. Democratic lawmakers are accused of moving Republican voters out of the district that covers most of the state's rural Northwest and putting in large numbers of Democratic voters from the Washington suburbs in order to turn the district blue.
The justices seemed to be split evenly down philosophical lines, with the more liberal wing of the court encouraging the deliberation of a manageable standard to apply to future questions of gerrymandering, while the conservative wing seeming wary of intervening in a process left largely to the states.
The question, said Chief Justice John Roberts, is whether "any partisanship that has a consequence is impermissible."
The conservative justices pointed out dozens of times that the Constitution does not require proportional representation — the idea that the percentage of seats awarded to any party should correspond with the percentage of votes it won in the states.
Michael A. Kimberly, attorney for the voters challenging Maryland's 6th District, said that proportional consideration should be considered when debating a possible constitutional standard. He argued that "it is a legitimate state interest to pursue proportional representation in redistricting."
Justice Samuel Alito wondered whether "the First Amendment might require or even tolerate the regulation of speech, and in this instance, the speech is the votes, for the purpose of providing a proportional representation of viewpoints."
The justices repeatedly asked counsel for the appellees for a test that would appropriately determine which cases of gerrymandering were so extremely partisan that they crossed a constitutional line.
The conservative justices, however, did not seem to find a suitable measure that could determine when an innately political process became too political.
"Is another way…of putting the test: I know it when I see it?" Justice Neil Gorsuch asked derisively.
The court's liberal justices pushed back, saying the problem of extreme partisan gerrymandering had gotten out of control and seemed willing to conceive of some sort of regulatory measure.
Justice Elena Kagan characterized "the court leaving this all to professional politicians who have an interest in redistricting according to their own partisan interests" as "dramatically wrong."
Another concern expressed by the conservative justices was the possibility that the judicial branch would essentially become the arbiter of elections should the court get involved in setting a standard for redistricting.
The gerrymandering of Maryland's 6th District, which was at issue in Lamone v. Benisek, was unique in that the map in question had been put to a referendum and was approved by 64 percent of voters.
Gorsuch still seemed hesitant to judicially intervene.
"So, in effect, you are asking the court, no matter how good the referendum might be, no matter how much the people themselves might approve these lines, this court has to tell them it — it's unconstitutional?" Gorsuch asked counsel for the appellees.
Justice Stephen Breyer proposed a standard that would only catch the "extreme outliers," so that not every single election would be judicially contested.
"What I'm trying to do is to figure out if there's a way to catch real outliers," he said, so that it would not "lead to every election contested and throw it all to the judges instead of the people."
Breyer said he considers a scenario where a party wins a majority of the statewide vote but the minority party wins two-thirds of the state's congressional seats to be "pretty extreme."
Breyer thus proposed a mathematical standard whereby congressional election results would be re-examined if one party won a majority of the statewide vote but one-third or less of the congressional seats.
Steven M. Sullivan, the solicitor general of Maryland and representative of the appellant, seemed doubtful that a formula that would only catch extreme outliers for review is unrealistic.
"If you're concerned about limiting the Court's intervention to the extreme circumstance," he said, "you would not be limiting it to extreme. You would be saying 'get ready, Arkansas, Kansas, Massachusetts, Oklahoma, Alabama, Kentucky, Tennessee.'"
The court is expected to issue a decision on whether to keep the drawing of congressional district maps in the hands of the states by July.
By Carolina Velloso
Maryland Voters Tally to Support fairer Redistricting Process
Maryland voters, political groups and state elected officials all rallied together outside the Supreme Court Tuesday morning to support a case being heard on partisan gerrymandering in the state's congressional districts.
Held on the steps of the Supreme Court, the Fair Maps Rally, sponsored by Common Cause and the League of Women Voters, drew hundreds of supporters to raise public awareness of transparent redistricting and to protest against unfair congressional districts in states across the country.
While supporters chanted and spoke outside for several hours, oral arguments for two Supreme Court cases on gerrymandering were heard inside.
The Maryland case, Benisek v. Lamone, focused on whether the redistricting of the state's 6th Congressional District was constitutional after the district map was redrawn in 2011 following the release of 2010 political census data, flipping it from being a solid Republican district to majority Democratic in the 2012 election.
Maryland now has seven Democratic representatives and one Republican in the House.
The case from North Carolina, Rucho v. Common Cause, dealt with the redrawing of the entire state's congressional map after it was found to be racially gerrymandered in 2016.
Although a new map drawing was ordered, the mapmaker created a 10-3 Republican majority in the House.
While both cases involve districts being drawn to favor one party over another, some who oppose gerrymandering say that it's not a partisan issue.
"This is not a fight between right and left; this is a fight between right and wrong," said Maryland Republican Gov. Larry Hogan, who was elected in a heavily Democratic state.
Agreeing with Hogan was former Republican California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who jointly filed an amicus brief with him to the Supreme Court supporting O. John Benisek, the plaintiff of the case who argued against the constitutionality of gerrymandering.
"The villain is not the party; it's the politician," Schwarzenegger said. "We must terminate gerrymandering."
Free and fair elections are the basis of democracy, Hogan continued, and both parties are guilty of unfairly drawing districts to ensure more representation.
"Representatives shouldn't be picking their citizens, citizens should be picking their representatives," Hogan added.
Lone Republican Rep. Andrew Harris of Maryland's 1st District represents the whole Eastern Shore, as well as parts of Baltimore, Harford and Carroll counties.
Constituents at the farthest points of the 1st District are geographically more than four hours' drive from the other end of the district, but are still represented only by Harris.
"I benefited from gerrymandering, but it's about time that it ends," Harris said. "It disenfranchises people."
Karen Hobert Flynn, president of Common Cause, argued that gerrymandering takes power from the people and gives it to politicians.
"That is not democracy," Flynn said. "Voting is sacred … and no liberty is more important than our right to vote."
Without fairness in the electoral system, democracy doesn't work, Montgomery County resident Steve Daubresse, protesting with the League of Women Voters, told Capital News Service.
The problem is a power issue that won't fix itself, said Virginia Kase, CEO of the League of Women Voters, adding that justice can be found in the form of fair district maps.
To create a more fair redistricting process, Hogan said that he's been pushing for the establishment of a nonpartisan redistricting commission to be signed into law this session of the Maryland General Assembly, but the legislature has not brought it to a vote yet.
Without action from the state legislature, Maryland can only rely on the Supreme Court's decision to bring gerrymandering to an end, Hogan said.
By Natalie Jones
Maryland May Raise Smoking Age to 21, Limit Vape Marketing
Several bills in the Maryland General Assembly could raise the age to purchase tobacco and vape products from 18 to 21 as well as prohibit certain types of "vape" packaging that target minors.
Usage of electronic nicotine delivery systems—known as vapes—has increased among among high school students nationwide from over 11 percent in 2017 to nearly 21 percent in 2018, according to the United States Surgeon General.
In addition to raising the legal age, House bill 1169—sponsored by Delegate Dereck E. Davis, D-Prince George's—would change the definition of tobacco products to include vapor devices, parts and juices.
Nearly 9 out of 10 cigarette smokers had tried smoking by the age of 18, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This bill is intended to prevent more minors from trying cigarettes before they are of legal age, Davis said.
"The information about smoking is irrefutable. You can drink responsibly, you can gamble responsibly but you can't smoke responsibly," Davis said. "Those are carcinogens and anything else is just hype," he said.
Another bill would prohibit the sale of vape products that feature cartoons, teen celebrities or the likeness of a person who appears to be younger than 27 on their packaging. Sponsored by Delegate Ned Carey, D-Anne Arundel, House bill 1185 would also require products to be sold in child-safe, tamper-evident packaging.
This bill was proposed by members of the vapor industry as a means of self-regulation, Carey said.
Lawmakers and industry professionals have criticized certain types of vape packaging as marketing targeted at minors. Various vape juices emulate the flavors of candies and breakfast cereals, and their labeling often bears a striking resemblance to their edible counterparts, according to Vapor Technology Association representative Rob Garagiola.
"There should not be Cocoa Puffs or Tony the Tiger-type marketing," Garagiola said.
This bill would also require retailers to keep all vape products behind the counter and display signs that prohibit minors, as well as increase the maximum fine for the sale of these products to a minor from $1,000 to $2,500 for a second offense within two years of the first, according to Garagiola.
"Vape shops and vape shop owners like myself are in this business to get people off combustible cigarettes," Maryland Vapor Alliance member Mary Yaeger said. "I don't want (vapes) in the hands of children, not my grandchildren, not my friends' children, not my own children," she said.
Both measures have corresponding legislation in the Maryland Senate. On Thursday, Senate bill 708 was heard by a Senate committee; Senate bill 895 advanced with amendments in the chamber. House bills 1169 and 1185 were heard by a House of Delegates committee Feb. 27.
Bill would Give Some Md. Students Free Eyeglasses and Exams
March 14, 2019 by Capital News Service 2 Comments
Students in Maryland public schools who fail required vision screenings and do not receive recommended services would be provided free eye examinations and eyeglasses by a new Maryland Department of Health program, under legislation expected to be heard by a Senate committee on Wednesday.
Senate bill 915 and House bill 1242 would create the Vision for Maryland Program, which would coordinate with Johns Hopkins University, local boards of education and local health departments to carry out the eye exams for students and give glasses to them if necessary.
The Ways and Means committee had a hearing for the House bill on March 7, but it has yet to receive a committee vote.
Local boards of education or local health departments are mandated to screen vision and hearing for all public school students when they enter the school system, in first grade and in eighth or ninth grade under current law. This would remain largely unchanged under the legislation.
Students who have behavioral or learning problems would be given eye exams — regardless of their grade — when documentation of the problem begins, or when the school is notified of a medical change, according to a legislative analysis of the bill.
Parents and guardians of students are required to receive results of the screenings, and if a student fails, would be given additional information on how to follow up with an eye exam, under a 2017 state law.
The bill ensures students in the state who otherwise could not see the blackboard have access to success, lead sponsor Sen. Clarence Lam, D-Howard and Baltimore counties, told Capital News Service last week.
"Where learning is concerned … the ability to read and see is critical," Delegate Terri Hill, D-Howard and Baltimore counties, also a lead sponsor, told legislators at a committee hearing on March 7.
Before passage of the 2017 legislation, 50 percent of students who failed the screening never got an eye exam, and a significant portion never got the glasses, Hill told legislators.
"Early diagnosis and treatment of children's vision problems is a necessary component to school readiness and academic learning," Latisha Corey, president of the Maryland Parent Teacher Association, said in written testimony to a House committee. "Vision screening is not a substitute for a complete eye and vision evaluation by an eye doctor."
However, the government organization tasked with operating the program opposed the bill, because it would place a "substantial fiscal burden" on the Maryland Department of Health, and would put "logistical burdens" on school systems, according to written testimony from Robert Neall, secretary of the Maryland Department of Health.
"During the 2017-2018 school year, 38,638 students received a referral after vision screening," Neall wrote. "The cost for the provision of an eye examination and glasses for these students could be approximately $5,449,688 annually."
An estimated 9,349 students in special education programs and 5,000 students in different learning environments were reported by Anne Arundel County Public Schools, the Maryland Association of County Health Officers said in a written statement on March 7. "Extrapolating this to the population of the state, the annual cost to the local Board and Health Departments is estimated at over $20,000,000."
But according to a legislative analysis, the bill would cost the Maryland Department of Health an estimated $231,889 to hire employees to coordinate the program.
The same analysis said it would cost local boards of education and local health departments an estimated $900,000 a year to provide eye exams to students who begin a special education program or notify their schools of a change in medical history. This estimate did not include local costs for students who need behavior or learning intervention, who would also be covered under the bill.
Some local boards of education and local health departments opposed the measure, saying it is overreaching and questioning the practicality of its mandates.
The "unfunded mandate," would require "the hiring of ophthalmologists and a mobile van to travel between schools to provide services required by the bill," the Montgomery Department of Health and Human Services said in a written statement on March 7.
"While this legislation is well-intentioned, (Anne Arundel County Public Schools) has concerns with the requirement that county boards of education coordinate with the Vision for Maryland Program," Anne Arundel County schools attorney Jeanette Ortiz said in a written statement on March 7. "Such a responsibility does not fall on a county board of education."
Maryland House passes Drug-aided Death Bill
March 8, 2019 by Capital News Service Leave a Comment
The Maryland House on Thursday passed a measure that would give terminally ill patients six months from death the option to end their lives by taking prescribed lethal medication.
House bill 399, or the End-of-Life Option Act, received 74 votes for and 66 against in an impassioned chamber session.
Individuals are required to consent three times to death. "Lethal injection, mercy killing or euthanasia," would not be legal under the legislation, according to the bill's analysis. There would be criminal penalties for people who coerce others into ending their lives.
The debate began with some tension, but soon cooled off, as personal anecdotes of experiences with death or near-death brought tears to the eyes of members of the chamber.
Democratic and Republican delegates opposed the bill, saying they had religious and moral objections, and detailing how important each day alive was to many of their relatives who died from terminal illnesses.
"Because I am a believer," God should be answered to, not nurses or doctors, Delegate Jay Walker, D-Prince George's, said. "Give my Lord the opportunity of a miracle."
"Doctors take an oath, the Hippocratic oath, to do no harm," Delegate Haven Shoemaker, R-Carroll, told Capital News Service.
"We're encouraging (physicians) to contravene that oath," Shoemaker said.
"Think about vulnerable populations" who could be taken advantage of by this legislation, said House Minority Leader Nicholaus Kipke, R-Anne Arundel. "Less than 5 percent of the poor receive hospice care at the end of life."
If many people begin ending their lives prematurely, "we wouldn't look for a cure," to their diseases, said Minority Whip Kathy Szeliga, R-Baltimore and Harford counties.
Delegate Cheryl Glenn, D-Baltimore, spoke of her sister who died of a terminal illness.
She would not have made peace with her only son if she had ended her life early, Glenn said. "We don't know what tomorrow will hold."
Democratic supporters argued that individuals deserve the right and option to choose when they die.
Delegate Shane Pendergrass, D-Howard, lead sponsor of the legislation, told the stories of two people who fought breast and brain cancer.
Knowing the medication to end your life is there gives comfort and control to an individual who is suffering, Pendergrass said.
Delegate Eric Luedtke, D-Montgomery, said he had three family members attempt suicide, and spoke of his mother who tried to end her life from the pain of her cancer.
"Despite my personal hatred for suicide, I began to ask myself what right I had as a government official, and even as her son, to dictate to her how her life should end," Luedtke said.
Individuals can already choose to not be resuscitated and be taken off a feeding tube, Delegate Elizabeth Proctor, D-Charles and Prince George's, said. The bill just gives people at the end of life another option, Proctor said.
Delegate Sandy Bartlett, D-Anne Arundel, told her story of anguish following mastectomies for breast cancer.
Deciding to end one's life is up to "her, and her choice only," Bartlett said, speaking of herself.
The bill "does not impose beliefs on anyone," said Delegate Terri Hill, D-Baltimore and Howard counties, a physician. "I expect that the positions we've taken have been thoughtful and spiritually guided."
The chamber was silent following the final vote.
Now that the legislation has passed the House, an identical bill must pass the Senate, and then must not be vetoed by Gov. Larry Hogan, R, to become law.
"I'm going to give a lot of heartful and thoughtful consideration," to the act, Hogan said in February.
California, Colorado, Hawaii, Oregon, Vermont and Washington, as well as the District of Columbia, have legalized physician-assisted suicide, and Montana has no law prohibiting it.
Seventy-two percent of Americans would support ending a terminally ill patient's life, according to a 2018 Gallup poll.
The legislation, originally titled the "Richard E. Israel and Roger 'Pip" Moyer Death with Dignity Act," was first presented to the General Assembly in 2015.
Israel and Moyer were former members of Annapolis government, and both died in 2015 from Parkinson's disease.
Pendergrass said after years of supporting the bill, it is "just a remarkable moment" to see the vote of passage for this legislation.
She attributed the bills' success to testimony she heard and has repeated many times: "Everyone is one bad death away from supporting this bill."
By David Jahng
Maryland Leaders Announce School-funding Plans Based on Kirwan Report
March 6, 2019 by Capital News Service 1 Comment
Maryland Democratic legislators announced Tuesday "The Blueprint for Maryland's Future," a bill that would provide funding for increased teacher salaries, improved teacher training and free, full-day prekindergarten for 3- and 4-year-old children in poverty.
Introduced by House Speaker Michael Busch, D-Anne Arundel, this bill — along with an identical counterpart in the Maryland Senate — would allocate $325 million in fiscal year 2020 and $750 million in fiscal year 2021 toward funding the five main policy areas outlined by the Commission on Innovation and Excellence in Education.
The panel — nicknamed the "Kirwan Commission" — has been working since 2016 to come up with recommendations for education improvements across the state, Chair William "Brit" Kirwan said Tuesday.
Kirwan called his experience with the commission the "most important thing I have ever worked on in my life," citing the shortage of teachers in the state of Maryland as a major contributor to a lack of academic success.
House bill 1413 would establish more opportunities for career growth among educators and provide them with salary increases in order to avoid the "revolving door" of teachers that some schools are suffering from, Kirwan said. The bill will also heighten the rigor of state certification standards for teachers, Kirwan said.
This bill would provide early support and intervention for low-income families, including full-day prekindergarten for children ages 3 and 4, according to Kirwan.
The blueprint will set a "college and career readiness standard," one that is aimed to ensure that by the time a student completes the 10th grade (if not, by the time of high school graduation), they will have the English and mathematical literacy necessary to succeed in the first year of a community college program, according to Kirwan.
The "blueprint" will also provide pathways to free early college programs that would allow students who have met these standards to earn an associate's degree while still in high school. The bill will also provide access to career and technical education for those who have met the college and career readiness standards.
The measure would provide additional support and services for English learners, students with disabilities and students from low-income families who have not met their college and career readiness standards.
The bill would also provide an accountability system to ensure that school districts are implementing the improvements identified by the commission, according to Sen. Paul Pinsky, D-Prince George's.
Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, R, underlined the importance of making sure the bill's accountability system is air-tight in a letter he sent to legislative leaders Nov. 27.
"Increased funding and strong accountability are not mutually exclusive; in fact, they must be aligned to ensure that Marylanders are receiving a world class education and good value for the state tax dollars invested," Hogan said in the letter.
Students and educators, clad in red Strong Schools Maryland T-shirts, came to Annapolis to show their support.
Eleven-year-old City Neighbors Charter School student Mallory Lerch said increased funding and access to teachers would make for a better, more creative classroom environment at her school in Baltimore.
"I think our schools are really underfunded and we deserve more," Mallory said.
The Maryland State Education Association said they are in support of the bill and the school improvements and teacher salary increases it addresses, according to the president, Cheryl Bost.
Though no hearing date has been set, identical legislation, Senate bill 1030, is scheduled to be heard by a Maryland Senate committee Wednesday.
Filed Under: Homepage Highlights, Maryland Politics & Policy, Portal Highlights


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Adventure Smart BC is asking all British Columbians to explore within their own community, instead of venturing to other regions, as well as create space for users on trails in order to practise physical distancing and wear personal protective equipment – such as masks – when necessary. (BC SAR photo)
B.C. sees spike in search and rescue calls ahead of COVID-19 restrictions easing
Search and rescue groups, made up of volunteers, risk contracting COVID-19 when they rescue strangers
The province's top doctor is constantly urging British Columbians to "be kind, be calm and be safe," but one safety organization is also asking outdoor enthusiasts to "be adventure smart."
According to BC AdventureSmart, the province recorded a 35 per cent spike in search and rescue incidents in the first week of May, compared to the same time last year.
The ongoing pandemic is bringing an extra layer of concern for search and rescue groups across the province, made up of volunteers who put themselves at risk during each call they attend.
As the weather gets warmer and COVID-19 restrictions are relaxed, Adventure Smart BC is urging that those who venture into nature do so while prepared, to avoid the need for rescue teams to get involved.
"Weekends with warmer weather, sunny skies and time to play outside are all about hiking, cycling, paddling, trail running and mountain biking, and incidentally mishaps occur that can be prevented," the group said in a news release.
ALSO READ: Here's a phase-by-phase look at how B.C. hopes to re-open parts of society
Adventure Smart BC is asking all British Columbians to explore within their own community, instead of venturing to other regions, as well as create space for users on trails in order to practise physical distancing and wear personal protective equipment – such as masks – when necessary.
In B.C., there are 79 ground search and rescue groups across the province with 2,500 volunteers.
Since social distancing protocols were implemented by provincial health officials, they have all been heeding the advice, the BC Search and Rescue Association said in statement in April.
Groups have halted training to avoid the risk of spreading COVID-19 and are conducting online training and meetings to ensure they are ready should they receive a call for assistance. But the association's senior manager, Dwight Yochim, said that self-imposed isolation is lost when these volunteers answer the call for help and 20 to 30 members come together to assist in the rescue of someone they do not know.
"Those individuals put on personal protective equipment, they mask the subject and when the task is over, they have to disinfect their equipment," Yochim said at the time. "Every step of the way they have been placed at risk of exposure to COVID-19 and now so have their families."
Some provincial parks are set to reopen on May 14, ahead of Victoria Day long weekend.
"Let's enjoy that, but let's stay close to home," Premier John Horgan said during an announcement on May 6.
"This is not the time for a road trip to another community for a hike or a holiday. If you have a provincial park in your area, by all means, visit it. Do not travel great distances. We need to stay close to home. That is a key part of our recovery."
Meanwhile, overnight camping is expected to reopen on June 1, with the Discovery Camping portal opening reservations on May 25.
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Le centre culturel franco-allemand de Ramallah réunit l'antenne de Ramallah de l'Institut français de Jérusalem et de l'Institut Goethe des Territoires palestiniens.

Historique
Inaugurée officiellement le , cette « maison commune » de l'Institut français et de l'Institut Goethe propose des cours de français et d'allemand, un ciné-club ainsi qu'une médiathèque trilingue (français, allemand, arabe) au cœur de Ramallah, le siège de l'Autorité palestinienne :
« Nous espérons que cet exemple de coopération franco-allemande dans une région frappée par les crises et la violence pourra avoir une influence positive », a déclaré Andreas Schlüter, le secrétaire général de l'Institut Goethe.

La chaîne de télévision franco-allemande Arte est un important mécène du centre-culturel de Ramallah.

Un centre culturel français (CCF) existait déjà depuis 1993, dans une galerie commerçante de Ramallah. En 2003, l'armée israélienne a occupé la ville pendant l'opération Rempart et a détruit toutes les boutiques du bâtiment ainsi que le CCF. L'Institut Goethe était à cette période dans un appartement trop exigu. Les acteurs français et allemand sur place ont alors décidé de travailler ensemble et de s'installer dans un bâtiment de trois étages.

La réussite du centre culturel franco-allemand de Ramallah a inspiré la France et l'Allemagne à ouvrir d'autres centres culturels communs à l'étranger.

En 2022 le Centre Culturel Franco-Allemand de Ramallah évolue vers un concept de Tiers Lieu, et accueille au sein de sa nouvelle médiathèque un espace scénique accueillant une programmation régulière (concerts, ciné-club, débat d'idées).

Description

Rôle éducatif
Son but premier est de proposer des cours, formations et examens de français et d'allemand. L'Institut est accrédité pour faire passer et délivrer différentes certifications internationales, comme le DELF, le DALF ou le TCF.

La médiathèque

La médiathèque Robert Schuman met à disposition une collection comprenant plus de  (livres et documents audiovisuels). Une partie des fonds voyage régulièrement dans le bibliobus franco-allemand créé en 2011. L'objectif est de rendre visite aux écoles publiques de Cisjordanie qui enseignent la langue française et/ou allemande.

Événements
Le centre culturel participe à la scène culturelle locale, en créant des dizaines d'événements annuels dans les domaines des arts visuels, du cinéma, du spectacle vivant, de la musique, du théâtre et du débat d'idées. Il accueille également des débats, des salons et des conférences

Notes et références

Voir aussi
Relations entre la Palestine et l'Union européenne
Relations entre l'Allemagne et la France
Culture française
Culture allemande
Culture palestinienne

Liens externes
 Centre Culturel Franco-Allemand de Ramallah, site officiel
 Institut français de Ramallah, site de l'Institut français
 Institut français de Jérusalem, antenne de Ramallah, site du consulat général de France à Jérusalem

Palestine
Cisjordanie
Consulat général de France à Jérusalem


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God of War: Ragnarök: First Look and New Trailer
Designed by Dell, the Concept Luna intends to make its laptops more environmentally friendly while also making them more repairable in the process.
Gadget manufacturers are gradually coming to terms with the electronic trash generated by their goods, and it now appears that a more environmentally friendly future is on the horizon. Dell has not stated when Luna will come to life, but it has stated that it is working on it. This is a positive development.
Also Read: What We Know About the Apple AR/VR Headset So Far – 2nd-Gen Already in the Works
Nowadays, laptops are made of ultra-thin materials and feature specialized motherboards with many of their components soldered to them. This includes RAM, processors, and even storage. As a result, repairing some components becomes difficult, if not impossible, in some cases.
Although Dell is stealing an idea from Framework with Concept Luna, the concept laptop is still quite streamlined while also featuring elements that are easy to replace and recycle.
However, while the Concept Luna resembles an existing Dell laptop in many ways, the company asserts that the changes it incorporates could help the company reduce its carbon footprint by up to 50% while also making the company's goal of achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 more realistic.
Dell collaborated with Intel on Concept Luna, and the most significant difference is a reduction in the total size of the motherboard, which is now 75 percent less in overall size.
The firms also decreased the overall component count of the system by 20%, resulting in smaller printed circuit boards (PCBs), less time spent assembling and repairing the system, and fewer parts overall.
The aluminum chassis for Concept Luna was manufactured in a facility that employs hydroelectric power, substantially decreasing the carbon footprint associated with the system's production.
Dell is reconsidering the entire lifecycle of the laptop and all of the components contained therein to achieve greater efficiency.
As an example, the company stated that it envisions an environment where components such as a laptop's keyboard are designed to be recycled multiple times to create new keyboards for future devices.
Using only four outside screws, Dell claims to have decreased the total number of screws necessary to keep the Concept Luna together by a factor of ten, making it possible to access the inside components with relative ease.
Also Read: Google is Planning to Release its First Pixel Smartwatch by 2022
In addition, the business changed the glue it uses to keep the laptop's PCBs together to a new flax fiber-based substance that can be dissolved with water, making it easier to disassemble and recycle the laptop's components.
Concept Luna is still only a prototype, and it's unknown when Dell will begin incorporating Luna's design into products that customers can buy on the market.
With a growing demand for longer-lasting, more environmentally friendly electronics, as well as growing support for the right to repair, Dell's notion demonstrates that laptop manufacturers are, at the very least, rethinking their product designs. After that, it's merely a matter of putting the pieces in place.
Concept LunaDelllaptop
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