We're not big gift givers or traditionally romantic people. Our marriage isn't about stuff or fluff. We prefer to simply spend time together enjoying our favorite foods and activities. For my birthday weekend, we decided to implement a fun date idea for busy parents – an overnight weekend in Fort Wayne, IN.
The idea for an overnight weekend to Fort Wayne, IN, started when we found out one of my husband's favorite bands, Newsboys, was going to be having a "reunion tour," with the closest concert being at the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum.
Having been over fifteen years since either of us had seen the Newsboy in concert (before we started dating), we were both eager to snag tickets. And the fact that the concert date coincided with my birthday weekend? Perfection!
We decided to use some of the money we received as a gift at Christmas time to upgrade from general admission tickets to VIP Premium tickets. This not only allowed us to get into the concert an hour earlier than the general public, but we scored amazing seats (row 12 on the inside aisle) and got to sit in on a Q&A with all the members of the Newsboys (past & present) who were participating in the concert tour. It was definitely worth the extra money!
Pulling off this birthday weekend getaway wasn't as easy as some of our weekend getaways. Because the concert was on a Sunday evening in a city close to two hours away, we had some extra logistics to consider… child care, transportation, and lodging.
Normally when we go away overnight, we're able to leave the kids with one of their sets of grandparents. (We're blessed to have both of our sets of parents living within an hour's drive from our home.) However, with our anticipated late arrival home on Sunday evening, and all four grandparents needing to be at work on Monday morning, we felt it would be best not to ask them this time.
I put out a general request on Facebook for recommendations for a babysitter, and I was immediately blessed with a solid lead. It was a college-aged girl whose family we've both known for years, and I had forgotten she was living in the same town due to attending college locally. I reached out to her, and she was free that weekend and willing to babysit. Knowing she was the middle of seven kids, I knew she'd be able to handle our four just fine.
As the weekend got closer, I had her come over one weeknight to meet the kids and get a good feel for how they would all interact. That was probably one of my better ideas – it gave me such a peace about leaving my kids with her for the weekend. She spent close to two hours talking to and playing with all four of them, and I could immediately sense she was going to be a good fit.
Since we were leaving the kids behind with a babysitter, I also wanted to be able to leave our main vehicle behind for her use. (When you have four kids, two of whom are in car seats, it's just easier to leave your vehicle behind for the babysitter to use if needed.) Not wanting to drive my husband's work vehicle, I decided we should get a fun car to drive for the weekend.
We chose a 2017 Mazda6 Grand Touring.
It was a bit of an adjustment for us to drive a four-door sedan (we're used to driving a crossover SUV and minivan), but we loved the fun ride. The heated seats and steering wheel were definitely appreciated on the drive to/from Fort Wayne as the morning and evening were on the cooler side. And we got amazing gas mileage (we averaged 32 mpg), meaning we didn't even have to stop to fill up once!
Thanks to Mazda for providing us with such a fun ride for our overnight weekend to Fort Wayne!
Even though the concert wasn't until Sunday night, we decided to make our trip to Fort Wayne an overnight. There is something refreshing about getting away overnight without the kids, and we try to take advantage of those opportunities when they arise. Since my husband had to work on Monday (and I had to get the kids out the door for school), we decided to stay overnight in Fort Wayne on Saturday night.
As we always do, we started our search for a hotel at Swagbucks, using Expedia as our hotel search engine.
When you access Expedia through Swagbucks, you earn points that you can redeem for cash or other awesome swag. This particular trip earned me approximately $3 in Amazon.com gift cards via Swagbucks, plus Expedia reward points. Sign up to start earning Swagbucks for free –> Swagbucks.com.
My husband found a Hyatt Place less than two miles from the concert venue, and having had a great experience with Hyatt Place in the past, we decided to book a room. We like staying at the Hyatt Place chain of hotels due to the spacious rooms (mini-suites) and the amazing hot breakfast (best "free" hotel breakfast I've ever had).
While this particular hotel wasn't as great as our previous experience with Hyatt Place, we still enjoyed our stay and plan to visit their chain again. We'd rate our stay 3.5 stars (as opposed to the 5 star experience we had previously).
As I said previously, our main reason for choosing Fort Wayne for our overnight trip was due to the Newsboys concert. But seeing as that wasn't until Sunday night, we had 24 hours in Fort Wayne to find other means of entertainment.
Since we aren't big "stuff" people, we don't often go shopping beyond food and household supplies. It's a fun change of pace when we're able to walk the mall or visit our favorite clothing stores, especially when we don't have the kids in tow!
Knowing that we were going to be near Glenbrook Square Mall, I wanted to be sure to make a visit to Motherhood Maternity. Baby #5 is due in early September, and it's been 10 years since I was pregnant during the summer. My summer maternity wardrobe needed a major overhaul. My husband was a good sport and allowed me to spend 30-45 minutes picking up some new summer maternity basics.
We also made a stop at Barnes and Noble – one of our favorite date locations when we're in a city with one. We love to browse the books (adding lots of titles to our Amazon wishlist and/or library queue) and we often pick up a puzzle or game to bring home and enjoy on our next family game night.
Since Target was just across the parking lot from the mall, we had to stop there as well (even though we do have one in our town). We ended up picking up some snacks for the hotel room (popcorn and pop for after dinner while watching the NCAA Basketball tournament games) and some other random items.
Sunday, we had time to kill, so spent an hour or so in Kohl's. It was fun to pick out Easter outfits for the kids as well as some birthday gifts for our youngest. Since we don't often go shopping, let alone together without kids, it was fun to see what each of us picked out.
Our final shopping excursion included a trip into Best Buy. While we love to browse the electronics in the store, we find that we gravitate to the DVDs. We found several favorite movies on sale, and brought home four new discs to add to our kids' movie collection. They were beyond excited!
Whenever we go to a bigger city, we try to eat at restaurants we don't have at home. My one food request in Fort Wayne was that we eat Chik-Fil-A for lunch on Saturday afternoon. Thankfully, there was one in the food court at the mall!
We had planned on doing a steak dinner on Saturday night, but when we arrived at our hotel, we saw a Mexican grill across the parking lot. I'm a big fan of Mexican food, especially during this pregnancy, so we changed our plans and were glad we did.
Agaves Mexican Grill was the perfect choice for a Mexican meal in Fort Wayne. I had an amazing steak fajita quesadilla and my husband enjoyed steak fajitas. We were both completely satisfied when we left the restaurant, and it had cost us a fraction of what a steak dinner would have.
Sunday afternoon, we stopped at Five Guys for milkshakes before the Newsboys concert. It was in the same parking lot as Kohl's, and it's another of our favorite places to eat that we don't have in our town.
Sunday morning, after eating breakfast at our hotel and checking out, we drove across the parking lot to the Regal 14 movie theater. We decided to see I Can Only Imagine as it had just come out. I was very impressed with how well done the movie was – not cheesy at all!
We enjoyed the newly refurbished theater, complete with reclining seats. I decided if I could watch movies in that much comfort every time I went to the theater, I wouldn't mind going more often.
And as our weekend in Fort Wayne came to an end, we found ourselves at the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum for the Newsboys United Tour. To say it was worth all the anticipation is an understatement. It was probably one of, if not the best, concerts we have either one attended.
Having the opportunity to see one of our favorite bands up close was such a fun time. We enjoyed seeing the "current" band (with lead singer, Michael Tait), but portion of the concert that included past band members Phil Joel and Peter Furler was our favorite.
Hearing the songs from their early years as a band took us back to high school. What a fun experience to be able to share together, as we had never seen the band in concert together before.
Not only was it the perfect date idea, it was an awesome way to cap off a great weekend away in Fort Wayne.


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Q: How to properly display a new view and how to go back to the previous view I'm very new to iPhone development and Objective-C. Today, I figured out how to open a new ViewController and how to return to the previous one.
Here's how I currently do this:
// In the main view controller I have a method called openSecondView that is defined like this:
- (void) openSecondView:(id)sender {
    SecondViewController *secondView = [[SecondViewController alloc] initWithNibName:nil bundle:nil];
    [self presentModalViewController:secondView animated:YES];
}

// In the SecondViewController I have a back button that calls a method called closeView that is defined like this:
- (void)closeView:(id)sender {
    [self dismissModalViewControllerAnimated:YES];
}

My question is, how do you do properly accomplish this?
Should I call [secondView release] after calling presentModalViewController or is this done some what behind the scenes? I ask this because when I was debugging I noticed that presentModalViewController doesn't seem to be a blocking code, the next few lines of code I added seem to execute immediately, without calling dismissModalViewControllerAnimated. Are there any consequences of calling [secondView release] after presentModalViewController?
Any help/advise would be much appreciated.

A: Just call [secondView release] after calling presentModalViewController. The view controller will be retained until it is dismissed.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


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Kokomo wins defensive duel with Harrison
Mark Saluke
Kokomo Tribune
KOKOMO - Kokomo's football squad turned the tables on Harrison at Walter Cross Field Friday night, avenging a 24-7 loss on Oct. 6 with a 13-8 win over the Raiders in the squads Class 5A Sectional 11 opener.
The Wildkat seniors came up big, with Kyle Wade breaking the all-time school passing record, Noah Hurlock making big plays on both sides of the ball in the stretch run, and Luke Camereon snagging the interception that slammed the door on the Raiders season as Kokomo prevailed 13-8.
"The first time we played they turned the ball over a couple of times and we won," Harrison coach Terry Peebles said. "This time, we turned the ball over a couple times, they didn't, and they won. It really comes down to that.
"You deal with two very equal teams. Both of us have very good defenses, both run the ball really well, it's really a mirror image and so it just comes down to who made more mistakes and we made more mistakes."
After Harrison (6-4) took advantage of Kokomo (6-4) miscues the first time the teams met, it was the Raiders handing over the ball this time around. Harrison committed turnovers on three of its four second-half possessions, punting on its other drive.
Up 8-7 at the half, the Raiders strung marched 48 yards downfield on their opening possession of the second half only to cough the ball up on a 2nd-and-1 at the Kokomo 23.
"We were moving the ball down the field, we were in rhythm and they got a good helmet on the ball and forced the fumble," Peebles said. "Great play on their part."
After punting on their next possession, which led to Kokomo scoring what would be the game winner and going up 13-8 on its next possession, the Raiders turned the ball over on downs and Kokomo chewed up most of the fourth quarter on a big drive before turning over on downs.
With 1:10 remaining, Raider quarterback Jonathon LeGuire threw for an incomplete pass on 1st-and-10. Cameron picked off the next pass and immediately went down, allowing the Kats to kneel down twice to run out the clock.
"Just our inability to complete a forward pass all year has really hurt us," Peebles said. " It's tough when you can't advance the ball through the air. But our defense played great, kept us in it, our running game was solid."
Kokomo found paydirt on its opening possession as Wade capped an 84-yard Kat drive with a one-yard push as the Kats opened a 7-0 lead. Harrison punted on a quick three-and-out but capitalized on pinning Kokomo deep when Butch Knox took down Wade in the end zone for a safety to make it 7-2.
Harrison went up 8-7 with 9:23 to play in the half when Giovanni Zappala returned a Kokomo punt 24 yards to the 18 and Dawson Dahnke ran the next play in for a score.
Dahnke finished with 87 yards on 21 carries and also hauled in two passes for 25 yards. LaGuire picked up 44 yards on 10 carries.
With a chance to build on the lead late in the half, Kokomo's 'D' held Harrison in check as the Raiders settled for the one-point edge at the half. Kokomo looked to slowly steal momentum away from that moment on.
"We got ourselves in a whole that first half, couldn't dig ourselves out position-wise," Kokomo coach Brett Colby said. "That was a big stop for us right before halftime, that defensive stand we made at the end of the half there was a big momentum builder for us. I thought that played well into our hands."

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Q: File upload in joomla module I have been searching this for quite a while but couldn't find a solution to match my need. I am developing a module for Joomla 2.5 . I need functionality to allow users to upload images/any file type from the backend in module configuration.
Question : How can I add field for file upload in joomla module.
Thanks!

A: Just a sample from the joomla docs:
<?php

//Retrieve file details from uploaded file, sent from upload form
$file = JRequest::getVar('file_upload', null, 'files', 'array');

//Import filesystem libraries. Perhaps not necessary, but does not hurt
jimport('joomla.filesystem.file');

//Clean up filename to get rid of strange characters like spaces etc
$filename = JFile::makeSafe($file['name']);

//Set up the source and destination of the file
$src = $file['tmp_name'];
$dest = JPATH_COMPONENT . DS . "uploads" . DS . $filename;

//First check if the file has the right extension, we need jpg only
if ( strtolower(JFile::getExt($filename) ) == 'jpg') {
   if ( JFile::upload($src, $dest) ) {
      header("Location: http://".$_SERVER["HTTP_HOST"]."/administrator"); Redirect to a page of your choice
   } else {
     echo "error !"; //Redirect and throw an error message
   }
} else {
   echo "Wrong extension !"; //Redirect and notify user file is not right extension
}

?>

For more detailed information and full example(s): http://docs.joomla.org/How_to_use_the_filesystem_package

A: Keep in mind that your HTML form must include
enctype="multipart/form-data"
otherwise you will not get any result with the joomla function!


HECTIC... Which has you frantically moving about the screen... DODGING THESE WEIRD LOOKING MISSILES.
As you can see, this game is very HECTIC.
Check out the github page! GITHUB!
THE GAME HAS MOVED OUT OF ALPHA!
Added a title screen and more!


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 [email protected]
Mind Performance
Beautiful Life Quotes
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Home/Business/Serena Williams' Estranged Sister Writing Tell-All About Their Father
Serena Williams' Estranged Sister Writing Tell-All About Their Father
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In the wake of her sisters' tribute to their father, Richard Williams' eldest daughter Sabrina Williams is penning a tell-all telling a much different story than Venus and Serena's film.
The 57-year-old was the first born child from Richard's first marriage to Betty Johnson. Sabrina has been very vocal and open about how her mother struggled to provide for her and her four younger siblings – Richard III, 56, Ronner, 55, Reluss, 54, and Reneeka, 49 – after their father left.
"Truth be told, [Venus and Serena] rose to the top while his other children had to suffer because of the choices my dad made," Sabrina tells The Sun, "we were raised in poverty after he left."
Upon marrying the tennis megastars' mother Oracene Price, Richard became an active father to his second wife's three daughters from a previous relationship.
One of those daughters, Isha Price, also served as an executive producer on King Richard along with Venus and Serena, and is credited with getting the family to greenlight the project.
Sabrina previously criticized the movie for failing to even mention Richard's first marriage or his eldest children. She remains reluctant to watch the film.
"There's a part of me scared to watch it because it may make me angry, upset or sad," she says. "To be truthful, I don't want to re-live what's been happening for the last 40 years and see it flashing on the screen, even if it's just for a second.
"I don't want any of that, I don't want to get sad," she adds. "I've dealt with those emotions. Why am I going to torment myself by trying to do that, again? I've already been tormented in my mind. It's now just time for me to keep moving. I don't need to entertain it."
The eldest Williams has written about 30-pages of her memoir so far. Her goal is to finish the book by June 2022 so she can begin the search for a publisher to get her story to readers.
"I dare anybody to come up and tell me that I'm taking the light away from this movie when, all I'm trying to do, is find good from a deadbeat dad," she says of her literary debut.
Makes Noise is a blog where you can find all the juicy details on a variety of topics including health and fitness, technology, lifestyle, entertainment, love and relationships, beauty and makeup, sports and so much more. The blog is updated regularly to make sure you have all the latest and greatest information on the topics that matter most to you.
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Kylie Jenner's Cuddle Time With Son Aire Will Make Your Heart Flutter
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Pew Research work on global restrictions to continue
Global Religious Restrictions Project Transition
Since 2006, the Pew Research Center has analyzed the extent to which governments and societies around the world impinge on religious beliefs and practices. This work has gained a large, international audience and will continue as part of the Center's Religion & Public Life Project.
The methods used by Pew Research to measure restrictions on religion evolved from a study that Brian J. Grim, Ph.D., and Roger Finke, Ph.D., previously conducted at Penn State University's Association of Religion Data Archives. From 2006 through January 2014, Dr. Grim was a senior researcher in religion and world affairs and director of cross-national data at the Pew Research Center. In that capacity, he and other members of the Pew Research staff refined the methodology and published five major research reports on global religious restrictions and hostilities.
On February 1, 2014, Dr. Grim is leaving the Pew Research Center to become the founding president of the Religious Freedom & Business Foundation, where he encourages businesses to consider religious freedom issues as they choose and make investments. While Dr. Grim may cite the Center's research, any commentaries or analyses produced by him in his new capacity are his own. The Pew Research Center does not take positions on policy issues.
Starting in March 2014, Peter S. Henne, Ph.D., will return to the Pew Research Center to lead the study of global religious restrictions and hostilities. From 2009 to 2012, Dr. Henne was a research analyst at the Pew Research Center, working closely with Dr. Grim on the religious restrictions study. For the past year, he has run a data coding and analysis project at the National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism (START) at the University of Maryland. Dr. Henne is a graduate of Vassar College and received his doctorate in government from Georgetown University.
Press Release: Brian Grim becomes Foundation president →


Go ahead. Take a moment. Look at the picture. Soak it in. It's real.
1. I knew why the service sucked so bad at this joint and felt great that it wasn't me just being judgmental.
2. I will make it a point to visit this place every time I go visit family in that side of the world. Ever.
His business, specifically, his staff were so bad at their job that Herod placed up this marquee. Someone photojournalist with KTAB was driving by, jonesin' for a Classic regular with salt & vinegar chips (just saying), and the photo went viral faster than you can get your order at the franchise.
So, he cleans house in the name of customer service. And the PR this guy is getting for his business is well-deserved. According to the story, his staff (the ones that survived his onslaught) need time to reflect, hence the closed sign.
Herod will have a grand re-opening sans attitudinal dunderheads working the cash register. Evidently, there's a little more "adjustments" going on as Herod pushed back the big day to December 9. Either way, I'll be in route in a couple of weeks. Bon appetit.


We regularly mention how amazing the nVidia GPU Boost technology is, and you rarely get such a clear demonstration of it. The ASUS is already pretty nippy with a 1317MHz Boost clock. We managed, with the easy-to-use ASUS software, to push this to 1455MHz. A barely believable number we're sure you'll agree. The excellence of the DirectCU II cooler gave enough thermal headroom that the nVidia GPU Boost was able to push even further to a stratospheric 1545MHz.
Talk about fun for overclockers. Crikey.


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Election Archive
2016 U.S. Presidential General Election Polls (Moderators: AndrewTX, Likely Voter)
AK-PPP - Clinton competitive « previous next »
Author Topic: AK-PPP - Clinton competitive (Read 5427 times)
barfbag
Re: AK-PPP - Clinton competitive
Quote from: Scott on July 17, 2013, 08:43:26 pm
Quote from: Fuzzy Bear on July 17, 2013, 08:39:25 pm
Alaska is moving toward the Democrats. It's a ways away from being a swing state, but enough liberal environmental types have moved in to re-elect Begich.
Do you know that for a fact, and if so, do you have a source? I'd be curious to know how the voting demographics of Alaska are changing.
It's hard to believe Alaska would see a wave of people migrating to live there. It's days in the safe GOP column may be numbered though.
Pessimistic Antineutrino
Quote from: barfbag on July 17, 2013, 08:47:49 pm
For whatever reason Alaska is shifting D, fast. This isn't just due to Palin- it's been trending D since 1992, and it's really begun to accelerate. It went from R+30 in 2000 to R+16 now. At this rate it will be Democratic by 2028. It could easily be the next Vermont.
Quote from: Pessimistic Antineutrino on August 04, 2013, 05:12:21 pm
I don't think it's possible for a state to become as blue as Vermont. I have to admit though, Alaska's averages for recent election will severely change when 2000 is replaced with 2016 in discussions.
intermoderate
Alaska's not taking kindly to this new "no government assistance for states" brand of Republican.
Smash255
Quote from: King on August 05, 2013, 02:08:32 pm
That combined with RELIGION RELIGION RELIGION out of the GOP doesn't sit well. With that being said I don't see Alaska becoming a swing state on the Presidential level anytime soon, but more Begich's are certainly possible.
Quote from: Smash255 on August 05, 2013, 03:51:53 pm
I can't blame them for not taking kindly to such things, but they're still far enough to the right to be reliably red for a few decades to come. One thing I don't like is when religion is used for political purposes. However, the claims of how often it happens is exaggerated.
So, they can be the new Montana.
Quote from: King on August 06, 2013, 01:56:15 am
It's not a bad comparison, but is either party going to spend time and money traveling to Alaska where hardly anyone lives?
illegaloperation
« Edited: August 08, 2013, 01:41:01 am by illegaloperation »
The state where President Obama most improved his performance from 2008 was Alaska. He lost it by "only" 14 percentage points this year, considerably less than his 22-point margin of defeat in 2008.
Part of the reason is that the former governor of Alaska, Sarah Palin, was on the Republican ticket in 2008 but was not this year. That probably doesn't explain all of the shift, however.
Consider that in 2000 — also without Ms. Palin on the ballot — the Democratic nominee, Al Gore, lost Alaska by 31 points.
There are reasons to think that Alaska could continue to become more competitive in the coming years.
One factor is that Alaska's vote is quite elastic, meaning that it can shift quite a bit from year to year. In 2008, 43 percent of voters in Alaska identified themselves as independents on the exit poll, among the highest percentages in the country. (There was no exit polling in Alaska in 2012.)
Of the remaining voters in the state, far more were Republicans (37 percent) than Democrats (20 percent), meaning that a Republican candidate will ordinarily have a clear advantage if the independent vote is split about evenly. But the right sort of Democrat, who wins the majority of independents, can be competitive there, and indeed some Democrats (like Alaska's Democratic senator, Mark Begich) can win statewide office there under the right conditions.
Alaska's population is also changing; between 2010 and 2011, Alaska had the third-highest population growth rate in the country, trailing only Texas and Utah.
Where are those new Alaskans coming from? Many are from liberal states on the West Coast. Between 2005 and 2009, about 4,300 Californians moved to Alaska per year, making it the top state for domestic emigration to Alaska. So did 4,200 residents per year from Washington and 2,200 from Oregon.
Texas, from which about 2,700 people emigrated to Alaska each year, also ranked high on the list, perhaps in part because of each state's ties to the fossil fuels industry (along with Texas' large population). But the new residents of Alaska are most likely considerably more liberal than the rest of the state's population, over all.
On cultural issues, Alaska already resembles other Pacific Coast states in certain respects. Only about half of Alaska's adults say that religion is an important part of their everyday lives, which is among the lowest rates in the country (and similar to those in Washington and Oregon).
On economic affairs, Alaska is considerably more conservative. And Democrats will encounter some friction in the state so long as they are perceived as opposing the interests of the oil and natural gas industries, which are essential to the economy there.
If the Democratic nominee in 2016 is someone like Hillary Rodham Clinton, who embraces a relatively traditional Democratic agenda, she will have better places to compete.
But a Democrat who was perceived as being of the center-left or the libertarian left, especially one from a western state like Colorado's governor, John W. Hickenlooper, could conceivably be competitive in Alaska. And if Alaska continues to add population from states like California and Washington, it could be competitive on a more regular basis in 2020 and going forward.
Well it sounds like you're ready to party over Alaska, but if people are leaving the left coast in such numbers then what does it say about their political structure? You can tell me all you want that they're not leaving simply because of liberalism, but if you look deeper, then it doesn't take long to come into contact with the effects of liberalism. I'm talking about the far left San Francisco radicals who infest California and the rest of the west coast with their NAMBLA loving ways. Liberalism is chasing people away. I don't see either party spending time or money to travel up to Alaska in order to win a measly 3 Electoral Votes. To most people, Alaska isn't even a real place.
Yes!!! This is exactly what I am thinking (even before you said it)!
Alaska will probably become the new Montana.
What I'll agree with is that it can become a likely Republican state and I'll agree with that. However, no state the size of Alaska with only 3 EV will ever be anything more than competitive when Democrats win by more than 5 and light-solid red when Republicans win. It's twice the size of Montana and still has the same number of electoral votes. Vermont and Delaware are very different because they're small states. If Alaska were only the size of Vermont and Delaware, then I'd say sure it could become battleground or even blue. There's too much elbow space for it to be a battleground state.
Quote from: barfbag on August 08, 2013, 01:42:16 am
Alaska is more elastic than Montana so Alaska might become a closer reach for Democratic presidential candidate than is Montana. That said, I do agree that that person would already have 270 EV without Alaska.
Elasticity scores:
Alaska might actually worth more than Montana in the future to Democratic presidential candidates since both have 3 EV, but Alaska may be a lower hanging fruit.
Quote from: illegaloperation on August 08, 2013, 10:09:56 am
It's still a far travel for 4 or 5 EV then. I don't see either party making a big deal over it.


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Sexual Assault and Teenagers
Sexual violence affects all communities, even ours. Recent events and conversations about sexual assault at East Chapel Hill High School remind us of this.
The increased attention on campus sexual assault in the past few years has been a crucial conversation for a university town like ours. Yet the story that has largely been missed is the enormous risk faced by high school teens.
Girls ages 16-19 face four times more risk of being sexually assaulted than the general population (RAINN.org). Boys, too, face an increased risk of sexual assault in childhood and adolescence.
When allegations of sexual assault involving teens surface in the news, it leaves parents, students and teachers scrambling for answers. How do we make sense of this? How can we respond? And what can be done to prevent this? Our community deserves an opportunity to come together for healing and learning.
The Orange County Rape Crisis Center partners with local middle and high schools to provide sexual assault prevention programs. We also offer community education programs, such as the upcoming Sexual Assault in Teen Lives: A Community Conversation about Response and Prevention. Parents, students and community members are welcome to join us on Thursday, December 17, from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at the Chapel Hill Public Library for this free event. We will discuss skills for responding to trauma and provide an opportunity to reflect on the role each of us plays in prevention.
Trained Companions will be available for crisis counseling and service referrals. And as always, if you or someone you know has been affected by sexual violence and could benefit from support or resources, please don't hesitate to call us at 866-WE-LISTEN.
Rachel Valentine is our Director of Community Education at the Center. She works with youth, parents, and professionals to prevent sexual violence in our community.
This originally appeared as a Letter to the Editor in the Chapel Hill News.
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We support survivors of all types of sexual violence, such as rape, assault, harassment, stalking, sex trafficking, incest, and child sexual abuse. We are also available to talk to those who feel negatively impacted by a sexual experience. Our services are available to all members of the community regardless of race, socioeconomic class, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, religion, disability, age, language, national origin, and immigration status.
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I thought I would share a little bit about myself for this blog. I know my bio is posted on the website but I wanted to go a little deeper.
Sometimes when people find out I am a third generation chiropractor they will ask if I felt pressured into becoming a chiropractor. My response to that is always "No". I was raised with a chiropractic philosophy and lifestyle. When we got sick, we would get an adjustment and then allow the body to heal. The health challenges we faced were addressed naturally. It wasn't until I was a freshman in college than I grasped how special and unique this approach was. While in undergrad, I started to work at my dad's office part-time, just to help me get through college. I was an education major at the time, planning to be an elementary teacher. I felt no pressure to become a chiropractor. However, that job changed my career path.
While working there, I saw so many miracles happen. I realized how much I loved chiropractic- the philosophy and results. I realized I wanted this for my kids the way I had it when I was growing up. I realized that so many people don't know about chiropractic and how amazing it is. I realized I needed to do this. It was part of MY purpose.
Fast forward 12 years. I am now married, have 4 kids and have been in practice for 6 years. I have been able to provide chiropractic care to my husband. One of the first things I did with my kids after their birth was adjust them. Such an amazing moment as a chiropractor and mom. I have also had several opportunities to help babies and other kids. Part of the dream has been realized, but there is more to it.
There are still so many kids who are not getting the benefit of regular chiropractic care. My goal is for this to become normal for everyone. I would love to see babies get a chiropractic exam before they leave the hospital, like they get their hearing checked before they leave. I believe we would see a dramatic change in the health of our kids.
When I have gone to register my kids for school, they require a dental exam as part of the enrollment process. My goal is that someday a chiropractic exam will be a part of this as well. I am all about having clean teeth, but really? They can get a new set a teeth. A child's spine will be the same one they have at 86. It needs to be taken care of early so they are not immobile and debilitated by pain at 55. I think it is great that more and more parents are taking their kids early to the dentist but I hope they will have the same approach and concern for their children's spine.
I feel blessed to be able to help my kids achieve a healthy life style and love to help other families on this journey as well.


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It's Only by a Yen or Two, But the Trend Seems Clear: Japan's Currency and Costs are Getting Cheaper by the Day
By Arthur Frommer
No sooner did the Yen decline to a rate of 100 to the U.S. dollar, than within a short while it fell to 101. And yesterday it dropped to 102 plus a fraction. With a rate of 103 and 104 to the dollar appearing inevitable, the fall in value of the Japanese currency seems destined not only to aid Japan's export of electronics and cars, but to give a dramatic boost to its incoming tourism. Already, waves of visitors from nearby Thailand are inundating the various Japanese cities, and sharply increased U.S. tourism is in the offing as well.
In all, the Japanese currency will have fallen by nearly 30% from its value of two years ago, making everything in Japan nearly 30% cheaper. While Japan was once regarded as more expensive to touring than Europe, it is now surely on a level with Europe and about to become cheaper. The lesson for U.S. vacationers--who can reach Japan from the U.S. west coast for about $1,000, round-trip--seems clear: if you have put off a trip to Japan in the past, you should re-consider that step now. Japan is a fascinating destination with much to entertain and edify both the senss and the brains of U.S. tourists.
What brought about this drop in the Japanese currency? It is a deliberate new policy of economic stimulus championed by Japan's new prime minister, Shinzo Abe. It is a program directly at odds with the economic austerity advocated by Angela Merkel of Germany, David Cameron of Great Britain, and certain politicians in the U.S. (a European approach that has cast much of the continent into recession and slowed economic recovery in the U.S.--the "sequester" being an example of American policy. Japan, by contrast, is now enjoying a 3.5% increase in its gross national product.
Anyway, putting political policies aside, the impact on tourism is clear: Japan has regained its one-time status as a moderately-priced vacation destination.
Tags: japan, Yen


And yet I am so alone.
And yet I so hate - for allowing me exist another day.
Once I craved life - immortality!
Now I long for death.
Relatives had me change the beneficiary when I was having a bad day.
I have forgotten what they are like.
Strangers treat my festering bed sores.
I could not push it if I wanted to.
What has happened to make me forfeit my ache for life?
I used to shiver with excitement.
Now all I do is ache.
How did I go from lust for life to wanting it to all be over?
It seems like it happened in such a short time.
Why was there not someone who understood me there when I needed them?
Where is a person I can call friend now?
As it has also become to me.
I don't remember changing my mind all at once.
No longer the person I used to be.
And the irony is that I no longer give a damn.
How much longer can these strangers keep the fluid in my lungs down?
How long until I suffocate in my own pus?
How much more pain and misery, and fear must I endure?
They will never again open.
I can no longer endure life.
Gee, maybe I should have retired in VentureVille.
used for conferences, vacations, business meetings, philosophal debates, etc.
The resort should be open in July of 2002.
drivers (You get to wear a cowboy hat and talk like you are from Texas).
them up), and whatever else can be done to help make cryonics work.
might say when waxing philosophic - a chance to change the world.


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Ahna Mee & Jackie Haney, Co-Founders and Managing Partners, UnionRock Partners
Recorded in July 2nd 2020
Jackie Haney and Ahna Mee join us from UnionRock Partners, an asset management firm that invests in both NonOp WI and Minerals & Royalties. Throughout the episode, Ahna & Jackie talk about the strategic rationale for having a blended NonOp and Royalties strategy, how they go about underwriting assets in the DJ Basin, and why they prefer building their portfolio through aggregated packages and corporate transactions vs. the ground game.
https://energycouncil.com/wp-content/uploads/Ahma-Mee-and-Jackie-Haney-PodCas.mp3
At UnionRock Jackie is responsible for investment strategy and execution of the Fund, including technical evaluation, reservoir analysis and portfolio management. Before the founding of UnionRock, Jackie was a founding member of Copper Trail Partners and Cobalt Oil & Gas, partnering with institutional and family office investors to directly invest in working interest and mineral rights for the past seven years. Jackie was Manager of Acquisitions & Divestitures for Venoco, an upstream oil and natural gas company from 2007 to 2011. While at Venoco, Jackie was involved with the sale of Venoco's Hasting Field to Denbury Resources for $200MM. Jackie began her career at ExxonMobil, followed by 5 years at Shell Corporation where she played a key role in designing, constructing and operating offshore and onshore oil and natural gas assets. Jackie received a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from the Colorado School of Mines. Jackie is the Co-Chair of the President's Council at the Colorado School of Mines and was recognized as one of the Top Women in Energy by the Denver Business Journal in 2019. She currently serves on the Board of the Laradon Hall Foundation and previously served as Corporate Chair for the Arthritis Foundation – Colorado.
At UnionRock, Ahna is responsible for business development with a focus on identifying and managing strategic partnerships with operating companies and facilitating the transition of acquired properties into the Fund portfolio. Before the founding of UnionRock, Ahna was a founding member of Copper Trail Partners, Cobalt Oil & Gas, and Versa Energy. Prior to founding Versa Energy, Ahna was a founding member at Meritage Midstream Services, an EnCap Flatrock Midstream and Tudor Pickering & Holt backed midstream company where she served as Business Development Manager and Corporate Secretary until Meritage divested its Eagle Ford Shale assets to Howard Energy Partners in 2012. Prior to Meritage, Ahna was the Business Development Manager for Arista Midstream Services (2007 – 2009). Ahna began her midstream career with Momentum Energy Group as part of the business development team, which successfully acquired and built out systems in the Powder River, Piceance and Bend Arch-Fort Worth Basins that were sold to DCP Midstream for $635MM in 2007. Ms. Mee graduated from the University of New Mexico with a BA, emphasis on Business. Ms. Mee is currently the Vice President of the Denver Petroleum Club and was recognized as one of the Top Women in Energy by the Denver Business Journal in 2019.
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"Sasaki is trying to engage the brain rather than going for a gut reaction."
In 2009, documentary The Cove had a massive impact on audiences around the world. Its vivid depiction of the hunting of dolphins and whales in the waters surrounding the small Japanese town of Taiji sparked international outrage and won it numerous awards, including an Oscar. Amidst this widespread acclaim, Eye For Film was actually one of the few publications to query its approach and point out the numerous problems with it as a supposedly objective piece of filmmaking. Now, almost a decade later, Megumi Sasaki's film revisits Taiji to look at the impact of the documentary, bringing both its methods and its effectiveness into question.
Nobody would question the fact that The Cove has had an impact on Taiji, but what kind of impact? Young journalist Jay Alabaster, who is American by birth but has spent half his life in Japan, explains that when he first visited the town for the purposes of this film he found that nobody would talk to him, something almost unheard of in a country with a strong tradition of hospitality where travellers usually receive a warm welcome. Before long we get a hint of why that might be as we see a fisherman being hectored by a group of Americans who question his honour and speculate on his feelings in a language he doesn't understand. It's bizarre to think that anyone would consider this a potentially useful approach in a culture where the greatest of virtues is politeness.
Whale and dolphin hunting still goes on here, along with annual festival where cute dolphin imagery welcomes children who will soon be eating dolphin stew. Whilst this might seem appalling to Westerners, it's completely consistent with Japanese values which see death as simply a part of the cycle of life. Similarly, the presence of American Sea Shepherd activists extolling the intelligence and friendliness of dolphins is lost on the locals, who fail to see significance in it not because they don't respect dolphins but, rather, because they respect all animals - including humans - equally, and consider all to have souls. Something they have taken to heart is the message that killing should be done quickly and humanely, and they have modified their technique as a result - yet they ask, quite reasonably, why their slaughter of dolphins is presented in the most horrific way possible by people who don't look at what goes on inside their native country's slaughterhouses in the same way.
Megumi Sasaki's film is not unsympathetic to the notion that whales and dolphins deserve special protection. Its focus is on the complete failure of those trying to promote that message to understand or communicate with the local people, and the lack of consideration given to the issues those people face. Taiji knows it can't carry on whaling forever - there simply isn't sufficient demand for its product now that the generation with a nostalgic attachment to whale meat (those whose lives were saved by it during the years or privation that followed the Second World War) is dying off. A shift into capturing dolphins alive for dolphinariums has led to a different set of accusations of cruelty. The local dolphinarium - another attempt to find an alternative - is much more spacious and better organised than many in the US, so it's possible that the local people simply don't know what kind of fate other captive dolphins face. At any rate, the visible absence of young people involved in the hunt speaks to its impending demise. The older fishermen talk of passing down their trade, but it's unclear who they would be passing it to.
Taiji is a town with limited economic options. Ironically the presence of whales and dolphins, together with its startling natural beauty, might make it a successful tourist destination, but The Cove has put paid to any hopes of that.
There are scenes of slaughter in this film which some viewers are likely to find distressing, though they're nowhere near as explicit as the scenes in that earlier documentary - Sasaki is trying to engage the brain rather than going for a gut reaction. Alabaster, meanwhile, tries to bring people together to talk about ways forward that can see everyone's concerns addressed. This focus on pragmatism and compromise makes for far less dramatic cinema than the dogmatism of The Cove, and in this regard the film's mission is emblematic of a much bigger cultural challenge. In a world where clickbait rules, this is real journalism. It's an invitation to viewers to invest in a deeper understanding of an inevitably complicated issue and set emotion aside in pursuit of real solutions.
A film about the impact of documentary The Cove on the small whaling town of Taiji.


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Psychoanalysing NATO: Schizophrenia
Authored by Patrick Armstrong via The Strategic Culture Foundation,
NATO sorrowfully explains its problems with Russia on its official website:
For more than two decades, NATO has worked to build a partnership with Russia, developing dialogue and practical cooperation in areas of common interest. Cooperation has been suspended since 2014 in response to Russia's military intervention in Ukraine but political and military channels of communication remain open. Concerns about Russia's continued destabilising pattern of military activities and aggressive rhetoric go well beyond Ukraine.
None of this – of course – is NATO's fault: on the contrary NATO is concerned that
Russia's military activities, particularly along NATO's borders, have increased and its behaviour continues to make the Euro-Atlantic security environment less stable and predictable, in particular its practice of calling snap exercises, deploying near NATO borders, conducting large-scale training and exercises and violating Allied airspace.
Suffice it to say that this statement would have a closer relationship with reality if the words "NATO's borders" were replaced with "inside Russia". And I would be interested to hear the details of "violating Allied airspace". Why even the Daily Telegraph in 2015 with its suggestive headline of Mapped: Just how many incursions into Nato airspace has Russian military made? had to admit "The Ministry of Defence says the Russian bombers have never violated Britain's sovereign airspace, which extends 12 nautical miles from the coast." Likewise Violated US Airspace 16 Times In Last 10 Days turns out to be Air Defence Identification Zones which is not the same thing at all. Or Most Russian Plane Intercepts over Baltics Due to Error: NATO General. So NATO's statement needs a further calibration so that "violating Allied airspace" becomes "flying in international airspace close to Allied countries' airspace".
Therefore, properly understood, NATO accuses Russia of 1) holding military exercises in its own territory, 2) flying in international airspace, 3) supporting secessionist movements in places that weren't part of Yugoslavia or aren't in the Middle East or North Africa. And they accuse it of invading countries that NATO didn't invade first. NATO projects its behaviour, gaslights its audience and confirms its initial assumption when Moscow objects. But that's NATOLand for you – the unicorns roam free and all is sunny until the bear smiles.
There is a striking schizophrenia among NATO's members: Russia is, at one and the same time, so weak it's "doomed" and so strong that it's demolishing NATOLand.
Russia is forever, eternally, endlessly, doomed. Always on the edge of collapse. (But Russia has always been doomed here's Time in 1927) and it was altogether finished in 2001. But doom dooms on. Has an 'open society' doomed Russia to fail? (September 2012); Russia Is Doomed (March 2014); Why Putin's Adventure in Ukraine Is Doomed (April 2014); Putin's Nationalism and Expansion Strategy Is Doomed to Fail (September 2014); Sorry, Putin. Russia's economy is doomed (December 2014); Remember Russia? It's still doomed (January 2015); Morgan Stanley thinks Russia's doomed (February 2015); Secretary of Defense: Russia 'Doomed to Fail' in Syria (September 2015); Is Russia's Economy Doomed to Collapse? (July 2016); Why The Saudi-Russian Oil Agreement Is Doomed To Fail (September 2016); Putin's Bridge to Crimea Is Doomed to Collapse (January 2017); Russia's Su-57 Stealth Fighter Is Doomed to Fail (December 2107); The Russian economy looks doomed (March 2018); Russia is doomed to steadily fall behind the rest of the world (August 2018); Why Putin's 5-100 project is doomed to fail (October 2018). And its soccer team too! Aging and Inexperienced: Why Russia Is Doomed to Fail (June 2018).
You'd think, with all this doom dooming away at Russia, that no one would be much worried about it. Except of course for the risk of getting bits of it spattered on you when it finally crashes down. Said collapse confidently predicted three years ago by Alexander Motyl, who, making his wish the father of his thought, declaimed that Russia might even "disappear":
As the new year begins, both Ukraine and Russia are making steady progress. The difference is that, while Ukraine is slowly, and more or less surely, adopting a raft of systemic reforms that will make it a normal Western market democracy, Russia is becoming a failed state. If current trends continue, as they probably will, Russia may even disappear.
But, amazingly, Russia has become more powerful than ever before. Not even Stalin in his wildest dreams imagined choosing the next US President. Yet, even as "weak and dying" Russia freefalls, Putin has done exactly that: "Vladimir Putin has a plan for destroying the West—and that plan looks a lot like Donald Trump" Trump being what Putin would design to "undermine American interests – and advance his own". "Trump is Putin's ally in Russia's war on the West". But even before he animated his Trumpenpuppet, his tendrils had slithered deep into Washington: "Putin's Got America Right Where He Wants It: And that's bad news for Obama". So Putin, although he's no genius, just another Brezhnev, has a puppet in the White House.
But not just there: Putin (Aspergers, "gunslingers' walk", lonely psychopath that he is), through his "useful idiots", affects everything, everywhere. Brexit. French election. Italian election. German election. Austrian election. Dutch election. Canada's next election. Catalonian separatism. Gilets jaunes. Hungary's Prime Minister is a Putinist. And it's more, so much more: Russia and the Threat to Liberal Democracy: How Vladimir Putin is making the world safe for autocracy. Moscow's unstoppable "Hybrid War" weaponising Information, Culture and Money. Separatism, migrants, left wing right wing.
Sounds as if we're the ones who are doomed.
In this race of the doomed: who will get to the FINAL DOOM first?
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S.G.VOMBATKERE | 3 JANUARY, 2017
India's Sovereignty: Shifting Sands
UPA-1 & UPA-2 PM Dr. Manmohan Singh staked his "kursi" on concluding two strategic agreements with USA: The New Framework Agreement for U.S-India Defence Relationship between the U.S Secretary of Defense and the Indian Defence Minister, on June 28, 2005; and The U.S-India Joint Agreement signed by U.S President George W. Bush and India's Prime Minister Dr.Manmohan Singh, on July 18, 2005.
The strategic agreements included civil nuclear co-operation, the Knowledge Initiative in Agriculture (KIA), and closer military ties. However, in India, public and media attention was focussed on the 123 Agreement pertaining to nuclear power, which was vociferously opposed in Parliament.
There were problems within USA too, for having signed a 123 Agreement with India, which was not a signatory to the NPT. In order to overcome the alarm at home, a legislation titled ''Henry J. Hyde United States-India Peaceful Atomic Energy Cooperation Act of 2006'' came into force in USA on January 3, 2006. Though this legislation was not binding on India, its stated India-specificity caused alarm in India, because even though USA had signed 123 Agreements with other countries very similar to that signed with India, there was no country-specific U.S legislation that laid down strategic conditionalities like the Hyde Act did. The Hyde Act, albeit concerning nuclear energy cooperation, widens the 123 Agreement subject to India having a foreign policy congruent with that of USA. [Note 1 for relevant text]. The nuclear agreement was the Trojan horse for defence arrangements to further USA's strategic interests.
In September 2010, Admiral Willard, U.S PACOM Commander, visited India and proposed expanding the existing defence engagement of co-operation and inter-operability between the U.S and Indian militaries to a "much richer dialogue" including the Logistics Support Agreement (LSA) and Communications Inter-operability and Security Memorandum of Agreement (CISMOA), to go "beyond bilateral exercises and sale of military hardware".
The United States government now projects what it calls "three foundational agreements" – CISMAO, LSA and Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement (BECA).
The NDA-2 government is reported to have signed the Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA) – an updated version of LSA – without tabling it in Parliament. It reportedly enables USA to use Indian seaports and Army and Air Force airports for refuelling, revictualling, deployment and actual warfare, and as rest and recoupment staging camps for US soldiers injured in USA's military adventures. Even though RM Parrikar says that LEMOA does not allow stationing US troops and logistics on Indian territory, USA has made its own rules in Sec.1292 "Enhancing defense and security cooperation with India", of the National Defence Authorisation (NDA) Act 2017. [Note 2 for relevant text].
The NDA Act text spells out several aspects of cooperation, but those specifically relating to India's foreign policy are to"recognize India's status as a major defense partner of the United States" and "continue to enhance defense and security cooperation with India in order to advance United States interests in the South Asia and greater Indo-Asia-Pacific regions". Thus, it is clear that India is a mere tool, a political pawn in the big power game of a declining power, and an abettor of USA's foreign policy, its politicians were thrilled at being named as USA's "major defense partner".
The US clearly intends to use India as a base for its "China pivot", and India's tilt towards USA & Israel (and therefore USA's "four eyes" UK-Canada-Australia-New Zealand camp) is shown by the appreciation of Israeli envoy Daniel Carmon, of India abstaining from votes critical of Tel Aviv at the United Nations since 2015. ["Grateful for shift in India's position, says Israel envoy"; The Hindu, Bangalore; January 1, 2017; p.10].
India, which traditionally voted in UN fora in favour of justice for Palestinians, has shown a shift away from justice, drawing appreciation from Israel. This shift away from the principles of justice is clearly because of the NDA-2 government's hate for muslims (in this case Palestinians). But more significantly, it shows a lurch of India's foreign policy towards congruence with that of USA, an abject acceptance of playing "chela" to a "guru" with dubious credentials.
True, this was started by PM Dr.Manmohan Singh, but PM Narendra Modi is pushing it with vigour and outstanding oratory. It is apt to recall that during an interview by Karan Thapar, when asked what was the difference between UPA and NDA, Arun Shourie said words to the effect that "NDA equals UPA scaled-up plus cow". Dr.Manmohan Singh mortgaged India's sovereignty and Mr.Narendra Modi has taken a second mortgage on it.
India's neighbours
Pakistan has always been hostile to India, but India's shift towards USA has strengthened the China-Pakistan bond to India's disadvantage. Recall that after Pakistan responded to India's post-Uri "surgical strike" with more attacks, with amazing ignorance some NDA-2 politicians bravely spoke of retaliation by abrogating the Indus water treaty and "stopping" Indus water so that Pakistan would suffer. China's quiet threat that it could stop Brahmaputra water into India killed the brave words.
Indeed, precisely because the post-Uri surgical strike was followed by brave "we-dun-it" declarations of having put an end to Pakistan's terror attacks, there has been unprecedented loss of Indian soldiers killed by Pakistan-sponsored attacks. And now Pakistan is carrying out joint military exercises with Russia, drawing clear battle lines. A Pakistani general's cheeky "invitation" to India to join in the China-Pakistan economic corridor shows the disdain with which it treats India.
No doubt the Pakistani Army knows that the Indian Army is gradually but surely being emasculated by its own politician-bureaucrat nexus which has heaped humiliation on it. More brave words by clueless politicians of India's capability and willingness to carry out a nuclear strike on Pakistan, have only served to heighten tension.
After a terror raid on an army camp in India's northeast, the Indian Army pursued the terrorists and eliminated them. But a NDA-2 minister boasted that the army had killed the terrorists after "hot pursuit" across the border into Myanmar. This was an inexcusable faux pas in diplomatic relations with Myanmar. Today, Myanmar is cosying up with China militarily and economically.
When Nepal had an internal problem with its Madeshi population regarding its draft Constitution, India's NDA-2 government orchestrated a blockade of essential commodities into Nepal, causing immense suffering among the Nepali population. Now we read that Nepal's army is carrying out joint military exercises with China.
In short, India is being out-manoevred mainly because of a combination of its own diplomatic ineptness and its falling into bed with USA as its subordinate partner. The "NDA" in USA's NDA Act could well be mistaken for National Democratic Alliance!
India's sovereignty
India's strength in the international arena, and especially in the South Asia region, is predicated upon its diplomatic competence and its military capability. When the first is apparently being handled almost solely by PM Modi, and the second is being weakened by neglecting its weapons, ammunition and equipment supplies combined with an (albeit unintended) assault on the morale of its soldiers, one wonders how and whether India's sovereignty will survive.
Note 1. The following are quotes from the Hyde Act: "It is the sense of Congress that ... (6) it is in the interest of the United States to enter into an agreement for nuclear cooperation arranged pursuant to section 123 of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954 (42 of U.S.C 2153) with a country that has never been a State Party to the NPT if ... (B) the country has a functioning and uninterrupted democratic system of government, has a foreign policy that is congruent to that of the United States, and is working with the United States on key foreign policy initiatives related to non-proliferation." The Hyde Act also states in Section 103, Statements of Policy, "The following shall be the policies with respect to South Asia: ... (4) Secure India's full and active participation in United States efforts to dissuade, isolate, and, if necessary, sanction and contain Iran for its efforts to acquire weapons of mass destruction, including a nuclear weapons capability and the capability to enrich uranium or reprocess nuclear fuel, and the means to deliver weapons of mass destruction." [Emphases added].
Note 2. USA's National Defense Authorization (NDA) Act 2017.
SEC. 1292. Enhancing defense and security cooperation with India.
(a) Actions.—
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Defense and Secretary of State should jointly take such actions as may be necessary to—
(A) recognize India's status as a major defense partner of the United States;
(B) designate an individual within the executive branch who has experience in defense acquisition and technology—
(i) to reinforce and ensure, through interagency policy coordination, the success of the Framework for the United States-India Defense Relationship; and
(ii) to help resolve remaining issues impeding United States-India defense trade, security cooperation, and co-production and co-development opportunities;
(C) approve and facilitate the transfer of advanced technology, consistent with United States conventional arms transfer policy, to support combined military planning with India's military for missions such as humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, counter piracy, freedom of navigation, and maritime domain awareness missions, and to promote weapons systems interoperability;
(D) strengthen the effectiveness of the U.S.-India Defense Trade and Technology Initiative and the durability of the Department of Defense's "India Rapid Reaction Cell";
(E) collaborate with the Government of India to develop mutually agreeable mechanisms to verify the security of defense articles, defense services, and related technology, such as appropriate cyber security and end use monitoring arrangements, consistent with United States export control laws and policy;
(F) promote policies that will encourage the efficient review and authorization of defense sales and exports to India;
(G) encourage greater government-to-government and commercial military transactions between the United States and India;
(H) support the development and alignment of India's export control and procurement regimes with those of the United States and multilateral control regimes; and
(I) continue to enhance defense and security cooperation with India in order to advance United States interests in the South Asia and greater Indo-Asia-Pacific regions.
(2) REPORT.—Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter, the Secretary of Defense and Secretary of State shall jointly submit to the congressional defense committees and the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate and the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives a report on how the United States is supporting its defense relationship with India in relation to the actions described in paragraph (1).
(b) Bilateral Coordination.—To enhance cooperation and encourage military-to-military engagement between the United States and India, the Secretary of Defense should take appropriate actions to ensure that exchanges between senior military officers and senior civilian defense officials of the United States Government and the Government of India—
(1) are at a level appropriate to enhance engagement between the militaries of the two countries for threat analysis, military doctrine, force planning, mutual security interests, logistical support, intelligence, tactics, techniques and procedures, humanitarian assistance, and disaster relief;
(2) include exchanges of general and flag officers between the two countries;
(3) enhance cooperative military operations, including maritime security, counter-piracy, counter-terror cooperation, and domain awareness, in the Indo-Asia-Pacific region;
(4) accelerate the development of combined military planning for missions such as those identified in subsection (a)(1)(C) or in paragraph (1) of this subsection, or other missions in the national security interests of both countries; and
(5) solicit and recognize actions and efforts by India that would allow the United States to treat India as a major defense partner.
(c) Assessment required.—
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Defense and Secretary of State shall jointly, on an ongoing basis, conduct an assessment of the extent to which India possesses capabilities to support and carry out military operations of mutual interest to the United States and India, including an assessment of the defense export control regulations and policies that need appropriate modification, in recognition of India's capabilities and its status as a major defense partner.
(2) USE OF ASSESSMENT.—The President shall ensure that the assessment described in paragraph (1) is used, consistent with United States conventional arms transfer policy, to inform the review by the United States of requests to export defense articles, defense services, or related technology to India under the Arms Export Control Act (22 U.S.C. 2751 et seq.), and to inform any regulatory and policy adjustments that may be appropriate.
(Major General S.G. Vombatkere, VSM, retired as Additional DG Discipline & Vigilance in Army HQ AG's Branch).


Returns an affine transformation matrix.
One of the IMG_AFFINE_* constants.
If type is IMG_AFFINE_TRANSLATE or IMG_AFFINE_SCALE, options has to be an array with keys x and y, both having float values.
If type is IMG_AFFINE_ROTATE, IMG_AFFINE_SHEAR_HORIZONTAL or IMG_AFFINE_SHEAR_VERTICAL, options has to be a float specifying the angle.
An affine transformation matrix (an array with keys 0 to 5 and float values) or FALSE on failure.


text:
<?php

namespace AuthBucket\OAuth2\Tests\GrantType;

class FooGrantTypeHandler
{
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


In an electric mixer on high speed, cream together the 6 tablespoons Kemps Sour Cream, butter, sugar, and salt. Turn the mixer off.
Scrape down the bowl, and return the mixer to high speed.
Add the vanilla and the egg and combine thoroughly. Scrape down the bowl again.
Sift the flour and baking soda together into a separate bowl. Turn the mixer to low speed and gradually add the flour mixture until just combined.
Wrap dough in wax paper and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 375F.
Using a one-ounce ice cream scoop, place the dough balls onto an un-greased cookie sheets, spacing them approximately two inches apart.
Place the cookie sheets into the center of the oven and bake for 18-20 minutes or until cookies are golden brown.
Immediately place the cookies on a cooling rack. Allow them to cool completely before storing.
Serving Suggestion: For additional flavor, replace vanilla extract with almond or mint, add citrus zest to the dough. Sugar the tops of the cookies before baking for extra crunch.


This new DigiLink option card for the Pro Tools MTRX will provide 2 more primary mini DigILink ports to the Avid Pro Tools MTRX modular interface. This will enable an MTRX to become the single hub for a multi Pro Tools room or a single interface for an HDX 3 Pro Tools system.
As standard, MTRX's base unit comes equipped with dual DigiLink ports, enabling 64 channels of I/O, which is enough for an HDX1 system. However, if you have either multi-HDX or multi-workstation configurations, you require more than 64 channels of DigiLink I/O and until now these larger systems have had to rely on multiple I/O devices to provide enough DigiLink based I/O for all the HDX cards.
The 64-Channel DigiLink Option Card does away with this 64 channel DigiLink I/O limitation on the Pro Tools MTRX. Pro Tools Ultimate can now enable a single MTRX to interface with multiple HDX cards. You will be able to install up to 6 DigiLink option cards in one Pro Tools MTRX and be able to connect multiple Pro Tools workstations to just one MTRX. This finally enables the MTRX to be the workflow centerpiece for all your audio I/O, routing, monitoring, and speaker profile processing, in one unit.
Pro Audio Application Specialist Sreejesh Nair talks about the new Digilink Option Card that lets you easily connect multiple Pro Tools systems to Pro Tools | MTRX with monitoring control, routing, I/O control, and routing control for Dolby Atmos.
Another scenario, where the new DigiLink option card will help, is with Dolby Atmos workflows. Currently, to get 128 channels from a multi-HDX system to a Dolby RMU, you need multiple MADI and/or Dante interfaces as well as an MTRX to get signal to and from the RMU and to monitor speakers.
But with the new DigiLink MTRX Option card it will be possible to connect multiple Pro Tools systems to a single MTRX and a Dolby RMU with fewer interfaces.
Pro Tools MTRX is a powerful all-in-one flexible unit with 8 expansion card slots that allow you to personalise that flexibility to suit a particular application. A completely maxed out MTRX can provide a huge amount of I/O in a single 2U rack space and can be configured with virtually any I/O format, from analog and digital I/O, to MADI, Dante, and DigiLink.
Its capacity and flexibility make the Pro Tools MTRX ideal for audio post workflows that more and more require huge amounts of I/O for monitoring and rendering. With all these options the MTRX can streamline what would have been a multi-device setup into a single flexible, EUCON-controllable, multi-format routing solution all in the digital domain.
Five Reasons To Integrate AX32 Into Post Environments - Or Should That Be One Reason?


Malawi's President Peter Muntharika will on Thursday this week leave for republic of South Africa where he is expected to attend the 2018 BRICS Summit of Heads of State and Government.
The Presidential Public Programme signed by Chief Secretary to the Government, Lloyd Muhara indicates that the president will depart through Kamuzu International Airport on Thursday, 26th July 2018 at exactly 2 o'clock in the afternoon.
BRICS summit is an international relations conference attended by the heads of state or heads of government of the five member states Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.
This is the tenth BRICS Summit since it started and its theme is "BRICS in Africa".
The issues before the 10th BRICS Summit broadly include: multilateralism, global governance, health and vaccines, socio-economic empowerment of women, peacekeeping, network of science, parks and technology, inclusive growth, sustainable development, infrastructure and etc.
This year, Malawi has been invited to the Summit which will run for three days in Johannesburg from 25th to 27 July.
Other invited countries include Rwanda, Uganda, Togo, Zambia, Namibia, Senegal, Gabon, Ethiopia, Angola, and the African Union Chair.


text:
module WebMonitor
  class Logger
    require 'logger'

    def initialize(config)
      @log = ::Logger.new(config.log_file)
      @log.datetime_format = "%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%S"
      @log.formatter = proc do |severity, datetime, progname, msg|
        "#{datetime} #{severity} #{msg}\n"
      end
    end

    def info(msg)
      @log.info(msg)
    end

    def error(msg)
      @log.error(msg)
    end

    def fatal(msg)
      @log.fatal(msg)
    end

    def close
      @log.close
    end
  end
end


text:
Celebrity Parents With Famous Musician Children
By Charles Stockdale	June 7, 2019 9:31 am EDT
It is not uncommon for children to follow in their parents' footsteps with regards to work. A person who grows up in close proximity to a certain profession may develop a special interest in it, gain inside knowledge, and even be privy to career-centered opportunities that others may not have access to. The entertainment industry is no different.
Many celebrities who work in entertainment have children who also become entertainers, many musicians. While many of them fail to match their parents' levels of success, some do quite well — in certain cases eclipsing the work of their family members.
Country singer Billy Ray Cyrus became a part of pop culture history with the release of "Achy Breaky Heart" in 1992. Cyrus recently made headlines once again with his bizarre musical collaboration with rapper Lil Nas X on a remix of the single "Old Town Road." In between these two releases, his daughter Miley Cyrus established herself as a hugely successful pop star and one of the most powerful women in entertainment. Beginning her career as an actor on the Disney Channel series "Hannah Montana," Miley has released 46 songs that have charted on the Billboard Hot 100 pop chart. She also just released a new six-song EP on May 31 titled "She Is Coming."
24/7 Tempo has identified 20 celebrities with famous musician children. While not all of these offspring have surpassed their parents' careers, some have and others may be well on their way.
Click here to see the celebrity parents with famous musician children.
« Number of Tornadoes to Hit the US in May Highest in Years
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text:
QueryBuilder.define('bt-tooltip-errors', function(options) {
    if (!$.fn.tooltip || !$.fn.tooltip.Constructor || !$.fn.tooltip.Constructor.prototype.fixTitle) {
        Utils.error('Bootstrap Tooltip is required to use "bt-tooltip-errors" plugin. Get it here: http://getbootstrap.com');
    }

    var self = this;

    // add BT Tooltip data
    this.on('getRuleTemplate.filter getGroupTemplate.filter', function(h) {
        var $h = $(h.value);
        $h.find(Selectors.error_container).attr('data-toggle', 'tooltip');
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    this.model.on('update', function(e, node, field) {
        if (field == 'error' && self.settings.display_errors) {
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              .tooltip(options)
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});


IT recruiters Boston and IT recruiters CA are used to hearing about start-ups from Israel, Silicon Valley, and most recently, Russia. However, IT recruiting firms and IT contractors will soon be hearing a lot about start-ups from Berlin.
The information technology field has already seen a slow rise in German start-ups for a few reasons. IT headhunters will be seeing more successful companies and IT jobs coming out of Berlin because like Russia, the city offers a cheap cost of living. Office space and amenities for company employees keep overhead very low for IT managers at start-ups in Berlin. Like Russia, Berlin is still recovering from an unsuccessful attempt at Communism and like Russia, Berlin is now a hotbed of potential for IT professionals looking to take entrepreneurial risks. IT recruiting companies should seriously consider brushing up on their German—it might be a necessary skill on the resumes they look at in the future.
This entry was posted on Wednesday, May 1st, 2013 at 3:23 pm and is filed under IT recruiting . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.


Madsaki introduced snipe1 and UFO 907 to Japan with his curated show, MADSAKI Says "Yo! snipe1 & UFO907, Get Your Asses Over Here! in late 2017. Murakami's statement, Graffiti Zombies in TOKYO, provides a good primer and insight into his collaborative work with Madsaki. Enjoy images from MADSAKI Says "Yo! snipe1 & UFO907, Get Your Asses Over Here!


text:
Clones vs ABR?
Note: This page should be considered 'highly speculative' in that I don't knowingly have any direct experience and/or knowledge as to whether clones exist.
The issue of human clones being used for either general movie acting and/or actor based reality (ABR) is an important question.
Please examine the teeth in this screenshot of Keanu Reeves, from the film Replicas (2018) – which as it happens is about clones!
The top image is an enlarged crop of the lower one. If you're seeing this for the first time, you might conclude it's just this film and is related to the plot and character. However, if you look carefully, you will see the same with the leading actors in many recent movies.
Typically, such an image is on screen for a few tenths of a second. You can see the scene captured below at 1:12 mins in the trailer here (it's set to start at 1:09 – easiest to use the space bar to start and stop).
click to magnify (in popup)
Keanu Reeves is one of the world's great film stars – he was the lead actor in The Matrix! In terms of probabilities, what are the odds of a leading movie star having such crooked teeth? Is Keanu Reeves unable to afford basic dental treatment?
Of course it's possible the teeth could be fake covers, being utilized for some (unknown) purpose – though such would be odd given a film stars good looks are often part of their financial value.
If you look carefully you will see crowded front teeth in many leading stars. Many age very slowly too, but we presume they've had a facelift and/or have access to better beauty treatments than us 'common mortals'.
Speculating – one significant issue with 'growing' clones might be that the front lower teeth tend to 'crowd' (because of an adult being grown/developed in rapid/accelerated time).
If clones are widely used in Hollywood, why not for actor based reality (ABR) purposes too? ABR characters likewise often have 'crowded' lower front teeth.
Though human cloning is surrounded by a 'sci-fi' aura, it's probably not technically difficult to achieve. IVF has been possible for years – and recreating the conditions of womb (outside of a cis female) can't be that challenging surely? Why wouldn't the elites and controllers have been pursuing such black-budget science for decades, even centuries?
Huxley's fictional novel Brave New World references a Bokanovsky Process applied to fertilized human eggs in vitro, causing them to split into identical genetic copies of the original. The process can be repeated several times, though the maximum number of viable embryos possible is 96, with 72 being a good average. The Huxley's were high-up British insiders.
If such a process does exist – and much about Brave New World does seem 'prophetic', the availability of 72-96 copies of a major movie star would offer certain possibilities above and beyond there only being one original biological individual available.
A core task for (certain) elites is how to keep the masses mesmerized and captivated with 'bread and circuses'. Secretly using clones would provide astonishing opportunities. For example, consider a Saturday night prime time TV show such as Strictly Come Dancing (and it's worldwide spin-offs) in which famous celebrities learn to dance (better) for a few weeks – and then show off their new skills in a mini-competition.
The level of dancing skill learnt by the show's guest celebrities is incredible and (in reality) not something which can be achieved without years of dedicated practice and tuition – maybe per song. But how about if the dancers are clones of the 'original celebrity' who have in fact been dancing intensively (behind the scenes) for several years already – maybe each with a particular but different number one performance in mind?
By use of such 'technological magic', the masses can thus be kept hypnotized and controlled. As a viewer watches the show their mind will experience cognitive dissonance. Cognitive dissonance occurs because the viewer senses unconsciously that the process they're witnessing is impossible (i.e. no one can learn to dance so amazingly and with such precision in such a short period of time). Yet consciously, they are seeing and believing such a thing with their own eyes. Cognitive dissonance is a form of confusion and 'suspended belief' which makes an individual susceptible to further manipulation and programming.
Incredible dancing skill to an amazing track!
Dallasgoldbug takes a firm line against those who make the case that at least some of the ABR characters are clones. His non-negotiable argument appears to be that even speculating about the use of clones could potentially diminish the responsibility human actors carry for their ABR characters.
However, Ed's insight re the sheer value of finding an image of an ABR character with their real-life spouse (or other relation) does more strongly evidence that an ABR character is being played by a natural human actor rather than a clone (unless of course their relations have been cloned too!). But cloning an ABR actor's relations, would increase the complexity of a psyop and make it more prone to failure.
Oftentimes it's difficult to conceive how makeup and disguise alone would be sufficient for some ABR characters to look so different in regard to a certain feature (for example, the ABR character having a very different shaped ear). But clones could account for such differences.
The ethics of cloning is highly questionable, both in terms of clone welfare and their security of person as well as who is lawfully/legally responsible for a clone – if anyone but themselves?
I can't envisage why clones shouldn't be afforded the same God given rights and protections as natural humans – subject to same laws of course.
In 1983 I was involved in a devastating accident in which I was the front seat passenger in a vehicle that ran into a group of pedestrians at high speed (one of whom was my brother). My 'brother' died on the spot despite my attempts at resuscitation.
Both intellectually and intuitively, many aspects of the accident have never added up – including that in the hours beforehand, I'd been drugged into a state of unconsciousness. Though I've recently updated my thinking (to a simpler explanation), I had long hypothesized that clones were (potentially) utilized – so as to pull off such an astonishing but criminal magic trick.
You can find more details about this event on this post page here.
A possible reason for top Hollywood actors using fake crooked teeth, could be to do with laying the seeds for a sci-fi scenario psyop about clones and AI taking over the world. A case has long been made (for instance see The Iron Mountain report) that a sci-fi type scenario could be utilized to unite the earth's people as one. For instance a simulated alien invasion or a simulated takeover by 'skynet'.


The postive proposal by Senate Democrats will protect public health and improve drinking water quality. The package of bills would bring increased investment to our nation's aging drinking water infrastructure, improve testing and transparency, and lead to better drinking water quality. In the wake of the water crises in Flint, Toledo and West Virginia over the last few years, we applaud efforts that put drinking water first, from protecting drinking water sources from contamination to addressing the need to modernize treatment and other infrastructure.
The drinking water package introduced by these 27 Senators is in stark contrast to today's vote to block the Clean Water Rule, meant to protect streams and wetlands that feed larger water bodies. The streams and wetlands made vulnerable by current policies are not just landscape features. They too are vital parts of our water infrastructure - filtering pollution, preventing flooding and influencing drinking water sources for over 117 million Americans.


text:
Nick Lord
A headhunter speaks
David Hui, Head of Asia for financial executive search firm Baines Gwinner, talks about the surprisingly strong market for finance professionals in Asia.
How is business? It seems to be a tough market?
There is a lot of movement in the job market out there. I look at FinanceAsia.com everyday and see two or three people changing jobs. Average that out over six months and there are 200-250 moves already this year. Clearly there is a vibrant job market out there. But a lot of that headhunting is being done by word of mouth and might not necessarily involve a headhunting firm. At the beginning of the year there were lots of PRC coverage moves. And a lot of banks have been very aggressive in hiring this year – Deutsche and HSBC for instance. So it is a very fluid market.
Are you surprised that investment banks have not been cutting more jobs given that their revenues must be way down on last year?
Bear in mind that last year was a fantastic year. And it would be difficult to better it. However, I do think a lot of banks have been laying people off but not in the way they might have done two or three years ago. Then, in 1997-1998, they tended to do it all in one fell swoop. Now, that is not the way to do it. You will now see banks laying off five people here and then four people there. They are staggering it out so the impact will not be so great. It's a PR thing as much as anything. They are trying to avoid the negative publicity as well as being more humane about it. It is all part of being better employers.
Do you think that head offices of investment banks in the US or Europe are more attuned to the cyclicality of Asian markets and therefore are more willing to keep headcount high during the tough times so they are ready for when the good times come back?
I think there is a realization that the Asian markets are still developing. It is also clear that within the region the different countries have developed at different paces. Some southeast Asian countries are really lagging behind. But Korea, the PRC and Hong Kong are still going forward. The market variations are greater than they were before. Banks are becoming more aware that within Asia there are some big money-spinning deals although the region as a whole is not as busy as it was before the crisis. But also the potential of Asia is still there. The untapped potential of places such as China, Korea and Taiwan is huge - there are still a significant number of deals waiting to come to market in these countries.
So what are your clients looking for in terms of personnel – M&A specialists, equity specialists, fixed income gurus?
I think country coverage is coming back big this year. Last year it was very much sector focus. Banks wanted people with sector experience. Now people are scrabbling for the deals. And generally the deals do tend to come from the coverage bankers.
So relationships are still important for the bankers?
In a down market, relationships are really important. In a bull market, relationships do not matter as much – the deals just have to be done. In a down market, clients really appreciate their bankers sticking close to them even if they are not doing a deal for them. The whole point of developing these relationships is that you do not just do the next deal for the client but you do all their deals for the next three years so it is worth the expense of hiring a good relationship banker.
Which banks do you think have the best relationships?
Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley and Merrill Lynch are still the best, principally because they have all the relationships in China. The bulge bracket firms, in some ways have almost surpassed the need for relationships because their track record and brand is so strong. If you are the PRC government and you want to do a deal, you need a very good reason not to go to one of those banks. I think UBS Warburg has also created a phenomenal franchise out here in the past 12 months.
How is the downturn affecting your industry, the executive search business?
Our revenues this year are broadly in line with last year's revenues, which in turn was the best year we had ever had. But it has been harder to predict the revenues this year. We have closed a number of large assignments, which have contributed significantly to our bottom line. If you look at the sector as a whole, there have been some very high profile appointments, which we know have involved headhunters. But otherwise there has been a bit of consolidation in the headhunting market.
Our clients are asking us all to be a bit more opportunistic and a bit more flexible on fees. We have no problem with that. In my view, in a down market, search firms should always do well because the emphasis on making quality hires is multiplied. When headcounts are tight our clients really want to find that extra value in a person to help justify the hire, which is what our research and our skills are geared to. So I think a good search firm will do just as well in a bad market as in a good market.
headhunter speaks
Global Sage headhunts new headhunter
Global Sage expands its structured finance and derivatives business.
Steven Irvine
Calello speaks
CSFB''s new Asia boss, Paul Calello and vice-chairman, Stephen Stonefield speak to FinanceAsia about recent changes.
LG Electronics CFO speaks
The CFO of one of Korea''s biggest listed companies talks about corporate governance, transparency and how many players should operate TFT-LCD.
Morgan's Stormin' Norman speaks out
Just before Morgan Stanley''s Asia Pacific Summit, its Asia strategist Norman Villamin tells FinanceAsia his views.


Original Vision is the milestone 1989 recordings of classic roots Americana that helped launch the nonprofit Smithsonian Folkways label. To celebrate the 15th anniversary of this historic album, Smithsonian Folkways expanded the original CD with 6 bonus tracks, enhanced packaging, and extended notes. The album now provides even more insight into the impact of Woody Guthrie and Lead Belly over the last half century. 28-page illustrated booklet, 60 minutes.


Often people are sending out junk tweets or direct messages from their account and they are not sure how to stop them. For example the latest ones are direct messages like "Hi someone is posting nasty rumors about you..." or "Hi some person is posting nasty things about you..." or "Hi somebody is saying really bad things about you..." or sending out status updates such as "I lost weight without having to make any major diet changes while boosting energy levels, heres how: http://media-channel-8.com"
The reason for this is that your Twitter account has been compromised. This was probably due to you clicking on a bad direct message or going to a malicious website.