text:
We've covered the major techniques and services that you can use to watch TV without cable. But what about watching TV without cable on, you know, your actual TV? You already know that OTA antennas plug straight into your TV, but loading up on streaming services doesn't help much unless you have a way to watch those on your TV, too. Fortunately, there's an entire industry built around solving this dilemma. Let's talk streaming hardware!
Includes: From the folks who brought you the Dish Network for satellite viewing, Sling has a skinnier color-coded channel lineup than others. The "Orange" offering has some popular channels, like ESPN, CNN and Comedy Central, but it's missing big ones like CBS, ABC and PBS. The "Blue" offering, also for $25, has a more sports-oriented lineup. (You can get both Blue and Orange combined for $40 monthly.) Many favorites may be missing from "Blue" or "Orange" for you. For instance, if you like MSNBC and CNBC, you'll have to pay $5 more monthly for the "News Extra:" package. To get TCM, look for the Hollywood Extra package, MTV and TV Land are in the Comedy extra offering. All add $5 each monthly. Nickelodeon is missing from all of them.
There are drawbacks, most having to do with content licensing restrictions. Netflix still has a good number of films in its vast library that are unavailable for streaming. With Hulu Plus, TV shows are generally embargoed until at least the day after their original network air dates. And there can also be restrictions on which seasons of a show are available. Perhaps most frustrating, licensing terms for some shows stipulate that while they can be watched on a computer or mobile device for free on Hulu's website, they are prohibited from being viewed on the TV even with a paid Hulu Plus subscription. But remember, an antenna gets you free OTA network channels, so if you're able to work your schedule around the networks' (like in the old days) you can minimize this inconvenience.
The one thing that holds people back from pulling the plug on their cable or satellite subscription is live sports and local TV stations. They want to watch tv without cable, and they are concerned that they will not be able to catch all of their favorite games and live events. While it is a valid concern, there are so many ways to view local channels without cable now!
For years now, I have DSL High Speed Enhanced for $39.99/Mo. and NETFLIX for $10.99/Mo. I'm online researching all the time and have watched documentaries & movies for hours and hours on my tablet or laptop with Netflix with no problem and it streams beautifully after a short delay at the beginnings to load. Netflix on my Smart TV is not so good. It must be set up for cable speed not for DSL. Keeps stopping to load more, these interruptions are annoying. Screens are smaller but, Kindle tablet or Laptop work great. Still, so glad I cut the cord.
In 1991, Prevue Networks launched Sneak Prevue, a spin-off barker channel that was exclusively used to promote programming on a provider's pay-per-view services; it displayed full-screen promos (augmented by graphics displaying scheduling and ordering information) and a schedule of upcoming films and events airing on each pay-per-view channel based on either airtime or genre. The channel was also driven by Amiga 2000 hardware, and its software was as crash-prone as the Prevue Guide software itself. TV Guide Network ceased operations of Sneak Prevue in 2002.
At my house, basic digital cable TV cost over $69 per month (plus taxes) and I watch maybe 10 or 15 of the 150+ channels that they provide me, meaning that I pay for many channels that I have no interest in. With the price of just about everything headed skyward, and paychecks plummeting, paid cable and satellite TV is often one of the first things to go from anyone's budget. There are a lot of people who have taken the big step of getting rid of paid TV in their house and reverting back to antennas or no TV at all. Because I often give thought to ditching my cable, especially when my "deal" with Comcast expires, I was curious just how many ways there are that provide the ability to watch your favorite shows free-of-charge one way or another… and there are there a lot!
Your options get a little thinner after the skinny bundles, but there are some other apps to consider. One of these is CBS All Access, which offers local feeds of CBS stations to certain customers. Once again, you'll have to live in certain areas to get the live feeds – and, once again, you can find out how good the deal is for your region by checking out the service's week-long free trial via the link below. CBS All Access costs $5.99/month (you can pay more to get rid of commercials, but that only affects the on-demand content, not the live TV). You can read our full review of CBS All Access here.
I have direct TV. Am senior on disability and social security. My bundle has been raised to over two hundred. I only get between eight and nine hundred a month for everything including food. I like history channel, HGTV, and Westerns. I don't watch news or sports. Can you explain as simply as possible what and how I can do this. I live in a small town in Florida gulf coast if that makes a difference. I cannot continue to do what I have been. what's your best advice? Already have internet for grandson online college.
TV and broadband bundles: Some providers will let you bundle a TV package with your broadband. These commonly offer hundreds of additional TV channels. The best TV offerings are from Sky and Virgin Media, with BT a fairly distant third place. Other providers mostly offer Freeview channels with a few bolt-ons, their main draw being the set-top box they offer. These allow you to pause, rewind and record live TV
Other features of Prevue Guide that were unavailable in the earlier full- and split-screen EPG Sr. versions were colorized listings backgrounds and program-by-program channel summaries. Between its already colored grid lines, which alternated blue, green, yellow and red with each half-hour listings cycle, each cable operator could choose to enable either red or light blue (rather than black) background colors for multiple channels of their choice. These backgrounds were usually used to highlight premium channels and pay-per-view services. Additionally, program-by-program channel summaries with light grey backgrounds, for up to four channels of each cable operator's choice, could be included within the scrolling grid. Appearing between each four-hour listings cycle, the names of channels (rather than times) would scroll up and slide into the grid's header bar one at a time (similar to the time bar that scrolled into the header at the start of each listings cycle), each followed by up to four hours worth of program-by-program listings for that channel alone. Prevue Guide could also display graphical weather icons, accompanied by local weather conditions, within its scrolling grid (as part of a segment known as Prevue Weather). These inserts were available to cable operators for an additional fee and appeared after each four-hour listings cycle.
I am wanting to get Netflix, and Hulu, but my son says that our internet isn't fast enough. He likes to play online game with others and I want to watch TV, movies, etc. I live just outside the city(not even a mile) and I can't get DSL from anyone! The only internet we can get is through Bluegrass cellular (a cell phone company)and it is $65.00 a month and me and my son can't even do what we each want at the same time! I'm very angry.
On 17 April 2012, RT debuted World Tomorrow, a news interview programme hosted by WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange. The first guest on the program was Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah.[61][62][63] The interview made global headlines as Nasrallah rarely gives interviews to Western media.[64] Commentators described this as a "coup"[65][66] or a "scoop".[67] WikiLeaks described the show as "a series of in-depth conversations with key political players, thinkers and revolutionaries from around the world."[68] It stated that the show is "independently produced and Assange has control"; WikiLeaks offers a "Broadcasters license, only".[47]
Sadly, we can't get signals via an antenna due to buildings and trees. Antennas require line of sight. Cable and streaming are our only options, but streaming is very limited when it comes to local news. We're seriously considering cutting the cable and watching PBS News Hour for national and international news, but local news is, at this time, the problem. I remember when cable TV first started and we were told we'd have options and it would be affordable. For us, neither has come to be. Now with HDTV we are unable to receive signals through the airwaves.
There are a lot of options out there to stream your favorite shows. Don't feel overwhelmed. They all offer free trials and no contract. There is no risk to try them out. Don't overthink ditching your traditional pay TV provider. Try cutting the cord. If you discover it isn't for you, I'm sure your cable company will be more than happy to take your money again.
If you aren't close enough to the TV towers to use an indoor antenna you may need an outdoor solution. Furthermore, today's digital TV signals require a TV with a digital tuner. If your TV was made before 2007, it may not have one. For solutions to these issues, check out my post How To Get Local Channels Without Cable. I also expand on this a bit in the TV Antenna section later in this guide.
TiVo – The granddaddy of DVRs, a TiVo device is great for streaming programs from Netflix, Blockbuster, and Amazon Video On Demand. It connects to your home's TV antenna so you can watch free network programming, and the HD TiVo units will even pick up your local high-definition channels. The drawback is that on top of the price of the device ($200 and up), you'll need a monthly $12 subscription to access TiVo's best features.
Cable stinks, but it didn't always stink, and its channel bundles include some great stuff. That inspired the companies behind the major live TV streaming services to set out to beat cable at its own game. They began to offer pay TV "multichannel" services – industry lingo for cable- and satellite-type pay TV bundles – only they slashed the size and the price of cable's bulky bundles and offered folks a key selection of channels for less. And since these services stream online, you can watch them anywhere and on almost any device.
Credit: ShutterstockTom's Guide compared all three services head-to-head-to-head, and discovered that Netflix is generally the best of the three. However, the services do not offer exactly the same thing. Netflix is a good all-purpose service, while Hulu focuses on recently aired TV, and Amazon Prime is part of a larger service that also offers free shipping on Amazon orders, e-book loans and other perks. (Viewers who just want Amazon Video without any other perks can now subscribe to it for $9 per month.)
Cord cutting is, ultimately, a budgeting decision. It's about looking at big, dumb, overpriced cable and deciding it's not worth it. But what you think is worth it is up to you and only you. If you want to cancel cable and replace it with nothing and live in a cabin in the woods, that's cord cutting. If you decide to replace cable with Netflix and an over-the-air antenna because you like live broadcast television and are willing to replace live network TV with on-demand network TV shows, well, that's cord cutting, too. And if you replace cable with DIRECTV NOW's "Gotta Have It!" bundle and pay $70 a month for 130+ channels, yes, that's cord cutting, too.
Warning: This article may give you a headache — and if reading an article about the best way to cut the cable cord causes pain, imagine researching and writing it. The post-cable options are overwhelming, and no one solution does it all, although watching live sports without cable is no longer a problem. There are crazy contradictions to consider, such as how sometimes "triple-play" bundles (TV, Internet and phone) are actually cheaper than "double-play" options (Internet and phone) because of specials. But in all the confusion, one thing is clear: Cable TV is expensive. Americans spent an average of $103 a month — $1,236 a year — on cable television in 2016, according to Leichtman Research Group. So that's the number to beat.
What you get: YouTube TV offers access to live TV from up to 50 providers, including all the major networks. It also has a cloud DVR with unlimited storage, and you can set up to six individual accounts. Thanks to a recent expansion, the service is now available in most national markets. With YouTube TV you also get the original programming on YouTube Red Originals. You can add Showtime for $7 per month, Starz for $9 per month, CuriosityStream for $3 more per month, or AMC Premiere for an additional $5 per month.
This is pretty cool, especially if you are an AT&T member. If you're an AT&T Mobility customer, DIRECTV will pick up the tab for data to help you achieve all your binge-worthy goals. Data Free TV means you won't use your AT&T mobile data for watching DIRECTV NOW or FreeVIEW in the App. This means that you can watch Direct TV From ANYWHERE for free if you are an AT&T member. (Think long car trips mommas!)
While I cannot vouch for the legality or the quality of all of these websites, here are 35 a lot of different ways you can still catch your favorite shows and web videos without paying for cable or satellite TV. And while I haven't tried each and every one of them out for any extended period of time, the first 5 I list are my favorites, to help guide you to some of the ones that work well. I have either given my own opinion of each one or when possible I have taken a blurb from each site's "About" page to give you a little more info. And if you have a favorite, or you use a site that isn't listed here, please be sure to mention it in the comments so everyone can check it out!
I used to have my computer hooked up to my TV and stereo, but that drove me crazy because in addition to the sound from what ever program or video i was enjoying at the time I would also get every system sound blaring through the room. Every time an email came, "ding"; every instant message, "ding". I am much happier watching the same stuff through my xbox 360.
At the beginning of January 2009, the print edition of TV Guide quietly removed its listings for TV Guide Network (and several other broadcast and cable networks) over what the magazine's management described[21][22] as "space concerns". In actuality, the two entities had been forced apart by their new, individual owners, with promotions for the network ending in the magazine, and vice versa. TV Guide magazine journalists also no longer appeared on TV Guide Network. The top-line "plug" for the network did, however, remain intact on the websites of internet-based listings providers using TV Guide's EPG listings. TV Guide Network's program listings returned to TV Guide magazine in June 2010, with its logo prominently placed within the grids.
Because neither version of the EPG software was capable of silent remote administration for its locally customizable features, cable company employees were required to visit their headend facilities in order to make all necessary adjustments to the software in person. Consequently, EPG channel viewers would often see its otherwise continuous listings interrupted without warning each time a cable company technician brought up its administrative menus to adjust settings, view diagnostics information, or hunt-and-peck new local text advertisements into the menus' built-in text editor.[5]
I just received my satellite bill after my 2 year contract was up and it went from $70 to 130 and I only have the basic package. I can't justify the cost. I have Netflix and Hulu that we watch through our DVD player. I work a crazy 12 night shift and I rely on my DVR for the shows I miss. My question is regarding my options for recording shows because Hulu is the closest option for the shows I watch but it doesn't always have the current shows. I'm thinking about trying sling but not sure if I can still use my DVD player or will have to get a Roku device.
First, let's look at the benefits. Since these services stream over the Internet, you can access them using all sorts of devices. For example, a Roku box supports each of them, and apps are available for many other devices—though the quality of those apps varies depending on the platform. You also can use apps on a smartphone or tablet or stream the content through your computer. You have the same freedom to watch where you want as you do with the channel apps covered above.


Door catches, latches and hooks for Bosch built in ovens and also for Bosch cookers and Bosch range cookers.
Being a part of the Bosch Group of companies Bosch manufacture many products for other brands, including those in the group and therefore in this section and the other Bosch cooker spares sections of the site, you will see many products from other manufacturers that are used in Bosch ovens and cookers.
If you cannot find or are having trouble identifying the correct oven door catch or any other spare part for your Bosch cooker then please contact us and we will be happy to assist you find the correct Bosch oven spares you require.


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Lekki Phase 1. Lagos. Nigeria.


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• (adv. & conj.) In addition; besides; as well; further; too. • (adv. & conj.) Even as; as; so. • (adv. & conj.) In like manner; likewise.
An electrical circuit which provides a continuous quantitative output ( as opposed to a digital output which may be a series of pulses or numbers) in response to its input.


Deposition Author(s): Piotrowski, Y., Hansen, G., Hilgenfeld, R.
Crystal structures of the X-domains of a Group-1 and a Group-3 coronavirus reveal that ADP-ribose-binding may not be a conserved property.
Piotrowski, Y., Hansen, G., Boomaars-van der Zanden, A.L., Snijder, E.J., Gorbalenya, A.E., Hilgenfeld, R.
The polyproteins of coronaviruses are cleaved by viral proteases into at least 15 nonstructural proteins (Nsps). Consisting of five domains, Nsp3 is the largest of these (180-210 kDa). Among these domains, the so-called X-domain is believed to act as ADP-ribose-1''-phosphate phosphatase or to bind poly(ADP-ribose). However, here we show that the X-domain of Infectious Bronchitis Virus (strain Beaudette), a Group-3 coronavirus, fails to bind ADP-ribose. This is explained on the basis of the crystal structure of the protein, determined at two different pH values. For comparison, we also describe the crystal structure of the homologous X-domain from Human Coronavirus 229E, a Group-1 coronavirus, which does bind ADP-ribose.


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Red/Blue teams to battle on climate
22/01/2018 1:45 pm \ 10 Comments \ by Guest author
Or will they?
• Guest post •
— by Gary Kerkin
Not long after the Trump administration appointed Scott Pruitt to head the EPA, Pruitt suggested a Red Team/Blue Team debate on climate science—a format in which two teams debate the pros and cons of a proposition. The Blue Team would be composed of scientists supporting the anthropogenic global warming (AGW) hypothesis; the Red Team would be made up of scientists who skeptical of the hypothesis.
Until recently it looked like this proposal was on track and a debate would likely be early in 2018. However, an article in Science magazine in mid-December suggested the debate might be on hold.
I have to say that I view any article that appears in Science magazine with some circumspection if it is related to climate change. The American Association for the Advancement of Science can hardly be described as non-partisan on the subject of climate change. Indeed my mailbox has received many requests to support its campaign opposing the "suppression of science in the USA" (referring to Trump's many statements of his views on climate science) and asking me to join the various marches that have occurred throughout 2017. Like I'm going to fly to Washington DC from New Zealand to participate in a march!
However the article is plausible:
President Trump has privately told Pruitt he supports a public debate to challenge mainstream climate science, administration officials told E&E News (Climatewire, 11 December). But the administration isn't unified behind the idea, and an official said prior to this week's meeting that "Pruitt has not been given authorization to go ahead with red team, blue team; there are still many issues to be ironed out."
Despite some reservations about the accuracy of the report:
Earlier this week, EPA air chief Bill Wehrum attended a White House meeting with Trump energy aide Mike Catanzaro, deputy chief of staff Rick Dearborn and others to discuss the future of the debate, according to an administration official.
After the talk, the red team "has been put on hold," according to someone familiar with the meeting.
I wonder if the most difficult part is in finding anyone to fill the blue team.
Of course "debate" in this context might be a euphemism for "punch up"! I would think the red team would be oversubscribed because sceptics are well used to being bruised by ad hominem attacks and would dearly love a platform to explain the reasons for their scepticism. Possible candidates for the blue team may not feel so inclined to get into that fray, perhaps not wishing to open themselves to ridicule for being unable to present an accurate and verifiable basis for the AGW hypothesis.
A couple of replies to this when I posted it on the NZCSC list. One reader commented:
I agree with you. I think Michael Mann, Kevin Trenberth and James Hansen will try to lead a bunch of alarmists who will refuse to co-operate. The simple response to that would be to reduce or withdraw research funding, but perhaps that's not possible.
I must also admit to being a little suspicious of an article that is based on what was supposedly said by … an administration official … someone familiar with the meeting … an official … and … a source close to the administration. I'm not sure that I'd regard the piece as much more than rumour and maybe not even that given the media's bias and the many attempts by employees and appointed officials to undermine Trump on various issues. I'd like to see some official confirmation.
I am not so concerned with that. The Trump Administration, or more accurately Trump himself, has been shown to dislike whistleblowers or those who leak information to the media. I imagine such sources are carefully protecting themselves and their careers. Another NZCSC respondent wrote:
… I DO know several people who are very well qualified and plausible members of the red team. …
My own (totally blue-sky) speculation is that it would be difficult to fill slots on the "blue team" roster.
There is a central issue in America that may not be obvious to intelligent-thinking people in other countries. In America, the entire court system is completely illiterate on science, and always defers to an agency, or to precedent, every time a legal issue involving science or technology is brought before them. Deference to federal agencies is "enshrined" in our jurisprudence. At present, we are saddled with a Supreme Court decision of 2007 ("Massachusetts vs. EPA") that allowed the EPA to declare CO2 a "pollutant." The GW Bush administration did not do so. Then the Obama-ites came to town and issued the "Endangerment Finding" which called CO2 a pollutant. The sharp legal dudes on our side say that we will never get anywhere with the courts until the "Endangerment Finding" is reversed — every court at lower levels will say "It's a Supreme Court decision, we have to obey it." Regrettably, the lawyers for the bad guys also know that, so they can file one zany lawsuit after another and tie things up forever. …
… Consequently, the "red team/blue team" convocation (which WE would like to see bring out some scientific facts) might be an ineffective strategy. I'm currently trying to pay close attention to whatever is said by smart lawyers; but at the same time, smart lawyers often keep their mouth shut so as not to give away their strategy.
The US is not the only country to have a difficulty with its judiciary when they have to deal with scientific matters. When the NZCSC was trying to get NIWA to reveal the methodology it used to homogenise the 7 Series temperature data a judge washed his hands of it.
So, would a blue team/red team style of debate work here? Who knows? I wouldn't be confident of a good outcome.
My apologies: Gary sent me this in December but it got lost in the Christmas bustle. – RT
Posted in: General \ Tagged: Climate debate, Donald Trump, Gary Kerkin, Global warming, USA
10 Thoughts on "Red/Blue teams to battle on climate"
Dennis N Horne on 27/01/2018 at 9:44 pm said:
The red-blue idea has already been tested. Koch & Koch funded Professor Richard Muller to show the theory of AGW was flawed. WattsUpWithThat said he would accept the result. Berkeley Earth.
Guess what. Muller changed his mind: The climate scientists were right; the science is right.
Harden up. Accept the obvious. Human activity is causing Global Warming, Climate Change.
We need to reduce GHG emissions. Now.
Kerkin, you don't know more than the experts. Just because you can't understand the science doesn't mean it's wrong. That you believe you do know more and the climate scientists are wrong means you're a loony.
But hey, feel free prove me wrong. Write a paper and publish in a properly peer-reviewed journal.
Gary Kerkin on 28/01/2018 at 9:18 pm said:
Oh dear, Dennis, aren't you the spiteful fellow? If you can prove, unequivocally, that human action will cause disastrous climate change the NZ Climate Science Coalition has a $6,000 prize waiting for you.
Rather than indulge in ad hominem attacks (which do not become you) why don't you show us your list of publications in climate science? Then we will be in a position to assess your standing in the science.
On the subject of GHG emissions there is a simple thought experiment you can conduct for yourself. Consider a mixture which contains air, 20,000-40,000ppm water, 400ppm CO2, and 4ppm CH4 to which you apply sufficient photons to raise the temperature, then consider increasing CO2 or CH4 by a few % to see what sensitivity these three green house gases have. Try it out and let us know your conclusion. And, no, I won't demonstrate it for you. You have implied that you have sufficient knowledge and intelligence to work your way through it whilst implying that we don't, so give it a go.
Kerkin, I don't need to provide the science; tens of thousands of experts have already done so. All the great scientific societies have endorsed it.
You believe you know better. Okay, do what scientists do: write a paper. Publish in Nature or Science.
Some simple science:
https://eos.org/opinions/taking-the-pulse-of-the-planet
Try to learn something instead of talking tripe.
The science a bit beyond you but look at the pictures:
http://www.realclimate.org/index.php/archives/2018/01/the-global-co2-rise-the-facts-exxon-and-the-favorite-denial-tricks/
Gary Kerkin on 29/01/2018 at 10:04 pm said:
It sounds like I've probably forgotten more than you will ever learn Dennis. Just do that little thought experiment. I don't think it is beyond you.
Andy on 30/01/2018 at 1:11 pm said:
Dennis says that we need to reduce GHG emissions now.
Well, thanks to natural gas, emissions in the USA are reducing.
God bless America and God bless Donald Trump
(I'll get my coat)
Magoo on 30/01/2018 at 1:36 pm said:
Dennis thinks 'We need to reduce GHG emissions. Now.', yet spends his spare time flying around in planes burning large amounts of kerosene & pumping the resulting emissions directly into the atmosphere. The least he could do is take up gliding instead, like a real pilot.
Natural gas and nuclear are the way to reduce emissions, yet environmentalists don't seem to approve of the remedies. They're probably too busy flying around in their private planes to pay any attention.
Oh, you guys! Dennis thinks, Dennis thinks. I don't know if Dennis can think—he can't think our questions are important, and he certainly can't think of any answers. How can we be held accountable for dangerously raising sea levels, Dennis, when there's no way in hell that 0.0001 of the atmosphere can do that from above? That by itself tells me that there's no danger in the slight warming we've seen, and the human portion of it is unmeasurable. If you disagree, do you think you could tell me its magnitude?
Fair do, Richard! Just feel the temperatures we are experiencing today. Presently 31.6ºC at my home in Upper Hutt. Highest temperature today was 32.9º at 1306. Curiously a few days ago NIWA were forecasting tops of around 40º for today (Tuesday 30 January). Currently (Weather Underground) near Masterton it is 36º, 34º in Waipawa, 34º in Fairlie, and 36º in Alexandra. I'll wait to see the TV1 news this evening for the rest. When it announced the likelihood of 40º today, NIWA indicated it was largely due to global warming, but undermined its statement by citing record temperatures from the past. A graph from their twitter feed showed the 10 warmest days on record as:
42.4ºC Rangiora 7/2/1973
42.3. Jordan (Marlborough) 7/2/1973
41.6. Christchurch Gardens 7/2/1973
41.3. Timaru 6/2/2011
Ashburton 7/2/1973
41.2. Wigram 7/2/1973
40.4. Lincoln 7/2/1973
40.0. Timaru Gardens 23/1/1908
Christchurch Gardens 7/2/1973
39.8. Timaru Airport 7/2/1973
Ashley Forest 7/2/1973
39.4. Darfield 7/2/1973
Temuka 7/2/1973
Isn't it remarkable that only one of those top ten record temperatures has occurred this century? But then, of course, we all know that weather is essentially chaotic, don't we?
Amazing! But do we all know it's chaotic? Some of us don't. Have you heard they're planning to control the world's temperature?

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Eagle and Child Pub in Oxford, England, where the literary-minded "Inklings" met in the mid-twentieth century. Photo: P. Hunt.
Dispatch July 31, 2019 04:44 pm
Always more to say
by James Como
On the place and purpose of conversation in literary history.
To begin, this quiz: who is the speaker of the long quotation below? Hint: it is one of the most famous fictional characters in the history of English letters. Another hint: early in the narrative, the character "muttered some inarticulate sounds." Later, he speaks:
You have destroyed the work which you began; what is it that you intend? Do you dare to break your promise? I have endured toil and misery: I left Switzerland with you; I crept along the shores of the Rhine, among its willow islands, and over the summits of its hills. . . . I have endured incalculable fatigue, and cold, and hunger, do you dare to destroy my hopes?
In fact, Dr. Frankenstein's creature develops into quite the eloquent self-advocate, to whom his creator must surrender the conversational floor.
That garrulous entity arrived not very long after the regular gatherings of quite irregular men. Readers here will know of Leo Damrosch's The Club, a superb account of the eponymous group of high achievers who met at the Turk's Head Tavern, Gerrard Street, Soho, during the second half of the eighteenth century. Among others, the group included Joshua Reynolds, David Garrick, Adam Smith, Edward Gibbon, Richard Brinsley Sheridan, Edmund Burke, James Boswell, and, of course, Samuel Johnson. The requirement for membership was that one be good company.
But the standards among such celebrated individuals were high. His companions, for example, alleged that Burke was a tiresome punster and a lame wit. One member allowed that he "hammered his wit upon an anvil, and the iron was cold." Johnson compared his attempts at wit to a man trying to jump over a ditch and falling in. Yet Fanny Burney, the novelist and accomplished saloniste, said this about Burke upon meeting him for the first time:
His voice is clear, penetrating, sonorous, and powerful; his language is copious . . . and eloquent . . . his conversation is delightful! I can give you very little of what was said, for the conversation . . . [darted] from subject to subject with as much rapidity as entertainment; neither is the charm of his discourse more in the matter than the manner. All, therefore, that is related from him loses half its effect in not being related by him.
Not bad, I would say; "clubbable," Johnson did say.
Damrosch allows that the raison d'être of the club was conversation, for (as Epicurus knew) good conversation makes for good company. There the star was Johnson, about whom Oliver Goldsmith opined, "if his pistol [of wit] misfires, he knocks you down with the butt end of it." Often, when Johnson started an argument, Garrick would say, "he's wondering which side he shall take." For his part, though, Johnson believed that the most impressive figure among them was Burke. He said, "you could not stand five minutes with that man beneath a shed while it rained, but you must be convinced you had been standing with the greatest man you had ever yet seen."
We learn that of the forty-two members elected in the first twenty years, only four were "peers of the realm." That is, the rest of the membership was of "the middling sort" (i.e., from the middle class), with many having known real poverty. Johnson was quite proud of that fact, too. Here Damrosch quotes C. S. Lewis to the same effect:
When I was a boy—a bourgeois boy—that term was applied to my social class by the class above it. Bourgeois meant "not aristocratic, therefore vulgar." When I was in my twenties this changed. My class was now vilified by the class below it; bourgeois began to mean "not proletarian, therefore parasitic, reactionary." Thus it has always been a reproach to assign a man to that class which has provided the world with nearly all its divines, poets, philosophers, scientists, musicians, painters, doctors, architects, and administrators.
In covering great swaths of intellectual, social, and biographical ground so engagingly, Damrosch has made me wish what Johnson wished of Don Quixote: that it were longer.
But having shoehorned in C. S. Lewis, I must take note of a second talking club, as famous in its day as "the Club" in its own, and still the object of much study. "The Inklings" came upon the Oxford scene in the thirties and gathered regularly until Lewis's death in the early sixties. (Anyone interested in the Inklings should consult Diane Pavlac Glyer's The Company they Keep, Philip and Carol Zaleski's The Fellowship: The Literary Lives of the Inklings, and Humphrey Carpenters, Inklings.) The group included, most prominently, Lewis and J. R. R. Tolkien, then for a while Charles Williams. Active at the meetings were Owen Barfield, Warren Lewis, Hugo Dyson, Neville Coghill, and John Wain, among many others.
There the men (as with the Club, no women) drank, ate, and smoked, but mostly talked, mostly about works in progress. Heavy blows were landed. Tolkien observed that only Barfield could keep up with Lewis in argument, but that none could stay with him when quotations were in order. Barfield (a lawyer and a philosopher of considerable note) allowed that no one had Lewis's presence of mind, meaning everything the man knew was then and there available for immediate use. Membership was unofficial, but uninvited or surprise attendees were actively discouraged.
Silliness often accompanied argument, and beloved pains in the ass were tolerated, though not always with ease. (Take the case of the obstreperous and often intolerant Dyson, who aggressively discouraged Tolkien's work; but, then again, Johnson loathed Gibbon as well.) Much cross-fertilization of imagination and literary spirit flowed among and between members, but it was Jack Lewis who was the Inklings' Dr. Johnson. He was the most voluble of men, whose "dialectical obstetrics" (Barfield's phrase) became legendary, and who wondered himself why he "could never say anything once."
Today we have none to compare with either Johnson or Lewis. Perhaps the closest our age came to such a star, let alone megastar, was in William F. Buckley. His success was owing, I think, to his eagerness to turn an interview into a conversation. (Heather Hendershot has shown us how he did it in Open to Debate: How William F. Buckley Put Liberal America on The Firing Line.) Although there are nowadays the occasional simulacra, they are uncommon and frequently revert to form.
That brings us, penultimately, to The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote de la Mancha. Why did Dr. Johnson so love this book? Why should we? The Don is mad, of course, but always he seems possessed with a subterranean awareness of that madness. In part two, with layers of disputed authorship at issue, this awareness begins to rise—until he snaps out of it and dies, at peace. By then Cervantes has taken us through a labyrinthine consciousness as engaging as any, even Hamlet's.
How did Cervantes accomplish this? Conversations interlace through the entire text (and we should keep in mind that Cervantes was also a playwright). The author converses with his reader, but also with Quixote, who converses with everyone, including himself, or so it seems. Most notably Quixote (and so Cervantes) continually talks with the character who may be the greatest sidekick and friend in literary history, Sancho Panza (a comic and therefore uplifting Horatio). Together the two of them quibble, quarrel, explain, justify, console, advise, rhapsodize, lie, confess, forgive, and love with abiding loyalty. Who wouldn't want a friend like Sancho? Especially if, like Dr. Johnson, you had none in life. (Mrs. Thrale came closest.)
If I may offer an exhortation: remember—as did Johnson, Lewis, and Cervantes—the Big Picture. In The Kingdom of Speech, Tom Wolfe reminds us that we are Homo loquax, alone in the regnum loquax. He finds that the most rigorous research has concluded, in print, that "the most fundamental questions about the origins and evolution of our linguistic capacity remain as mysterious as ever." Expressing his astonishment, Wolfe observes that, "in fact, in the one hundred and fifty years since the Theory of Evolution was announced [linguistic researchers] have learned . . . nothing." He emphasizes: "speech is not one of man's several unique attributes—speech is the attribute of all attributes."
Wolfe's conclusion is elegant: "To say that animals evolved into man is like saying that Carrara marble evolved into Michelangelo's David." Or as Walker Percy has put it in his Message in the Bottle:
Existentialists have taught us that what man is cannot be grasped by the science of man. Man is . . . that being in the world whose calling it is to find a name for Being, to give testimony to it, and to provide for it a clearing.
St. John is right: in the beginning indeed was the Word.
James Como's latest book is C.S. Lewis: A Very Short Introduction (Oxford University Press).
Topics: Frankenstein, The Club, The Inklings, Oxford, England, Don Quixote, Tom Wolfe


text:
Q: log4net logging UnhandledException exceptions from different projects I have several projects in my solution, most of which are windows services. I have log4net configured for each (generating a separate log file for each), as well as Raygun appender for log4net.  I would like to catch UnhandledException for each of these projects and have info of where they originated from (both in the log file and raygun dashboard), and I would like to do this in one place for all projects in my solution.
Thus, I created a separate static class and method that would log those exceptions.

*

*How can I log an exception so that my log file would show the class that generated that error and NOT the Logger static class (as well as have raygun.io dashboard show proper origin of the exception) =>
Logger.UnhandledException [ERROR]- this is now wrong. it should be class name of where the exception originated

*Would I create a thread safe singleton for this? Is this even the right approach?
Static class:
public static class Logger
{
    private static readonly ILog Log = LogManager.GetLogger(Assembly.GetEntryAssembly().FullName);

    public static void UnhandledException(object sender, UnhandledExceptionEventArgs e)
    {
        Log.Error(e);
    }
}

Windows service:
private static void Main(string[] args)
{

        Configure.Serialization.Xml();

        // Unhandled exceptions - subscribe to the event (I would do this to all my projects in the solution)
        AppDomain.CurrentDomain.UnhandledException += Logger.UnhandledException;
}

A: There's no way to get the class name for where an unhandled exception occurred, except perhaps by using reflection on the stack in the event handler, which in a release build isn't guaranteed to give you the class name anyway.
Unhandled exceptions should be exceptional in a Windows service with proper error handling: wrap your Main code in a try..catch clause, and catch exceptions wherever they may happen in the service code. If unhandled exceptions still occur, you will at least have a stack trace to work with, which will allow you to identify where the exception came from.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
// Younger consumers are the most calorie-conscious, suggesting need for calorie labelling as standard, says GlobalData
Younger consumers are the most calorie-conscious, suggesting need for calorie labelling as standard, says GlobalData
Over one-third (35%) of global consumers are actively trying to reduce their consumption of calories. Millennials are showing the greatest interest and are more open to the positive health benefits associated with reducing calories, according to GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company.
IMAGE FOR PUBLICATION: Please click here for enlarged image
GlobalData's Q4 2016 global consumer survey highlights that motivation to reduce intake appears to fall as age increases, with younger age cohorts displaying the greatest interest in cutting calories. In fact, 36% of millennials are trying to reduce calorie intake, compared with only 29% of the silent generation. Consequently, evidence suggests that younger consumers are more receptive towards calorie reduction and its positive health benefits.
This carries importance as new research from Cambridge University UK suggests that placing calorie counts on menus in food outlets can reduce portion sizes. The results of this research suggest that when provided with calorie information, intake was reduced by one-eighth (12%).
Charles Sissens, Consumer Analyst at GlobalData, comments: "These findings could shape the way food outlets and food/drink packaging operate, with many adopting a more authoritarian approach; packaged food/drink products and indeed restaurants and cafés could increase the presence of calorie labelling, thus indirectly coercing shoppers and diners to choose healthier options and contribute towards the global effort to reduce calorie intake."


Personalize your Polar Bottle Thermaluxe® or Ergo® water bottles with Half-Twist® cap accessories – available in eight distinct colors.
What makes this cap so special? How do I use it?
The Half-Twist is a sip-through, spill-proof cap. The half twist design allows you to drink directly from the lid, preventing spills and making it simple to use on the go. The design also delivers the ideal flow of water — a perfect sip with each drink.
To use the cap, simply line up the water droplets on the bottle and cap to start the flow of water. To close, twist the cap all the way in the other direction until it is completely sealed. A medical-grade silicone gasket inside the cap prevents spilling and leaking.
The Half-Twist cap fits the stainless steel Thermaluxe® and Polar Bottle Ergo® bottles only.
The Polar Bottle Half-Twist cap is manufactured by our supplier in Longmont, CO. We assemble the cap on to bottles, and ship it from our Boulder, CO headquarters.
Can I clean the Polar Bottle Half-Twist cap in the dishwasher? Is the gasket on this cap removable?
Yes, the Polar Bottle Half-Twist cap is top-rack dishwasher safe and features a removable gasket for easy cleaning.
Simply pull up on gasket to remove. To reinsert, pop the silicone gasket back into the cap. Be sure that it is tucked underneath the bottom threading of the cap.


Mika, L.L.C. began when Linda Oberlitner had a desire for an all natural lip gloss and with colors that work well with her complexion. She learned to make lip gloss, and then her lip gloss adventure began! Her adventure became a passion for combining all natural, organic ingredients to achieve the best feel and color. For two years Linda had experimented with many, many different types of ingredients. She finally arrived at what she believe is the perfect combination for vibrant, yet natural color, with balanced moisture lip gloss. Linda decided to turn her passion into a business and has ensured that all ingredients are approved by the F.D.A. Linda hopes you enjoy wearing Mika Lip Gloss as much as she does in natural, organic lip color! The Mika Organic Lip Gloss colors are available in beige, burgundy, brown, gold, light brown, pink, red and silver.
Buy Mika Organic Lip Gloss Here!


text:
general culture
What kind of experiences can be found in Florence?
10.14.2019 by bicchiv comments (0)
How many experiences are in Florence?
Experiences in Florence: there are countless experiences in Florence, it can be easy to be overwhelmed. You want to make the most of the time spent in Florence and rather than try to fit everything in, choose a variety of experience that will give you a real taste of Florentine culture and what this beautiful city has to offer.
What about experiences in Florence?
Undoubtedly, Florence is one of the most famous cities in the world. There are countless books and blogs to research. For example, Hand Luggage Only Blog has an article outlining the 14 of the best places to visit while in the Tuscan capital. This article is a good starting point as it ticks off all infamous places such as Piazza Signoria, Ponte Vecchio and Piazzale Michelangelo.
What kind of experiences
Florence has a huge range of activities and experiences. The most known and frequented are the more traditional or historical like museums and churches. It is not a surprise as Florence is one of the world capitals of art with over than 20 different national museums (ref. Wikipedia). Although, having so many, sometimes leads to an overestimated glory of some places rather than others. This happens both with churches and museums (let's think about at the Bargello and the Specola Museums, both very rich in beauty and history yet both in the shadows of others).
Florentine culture is not just about museums and religious site. The culture is formed from many meanings and habits. Habits that, with time, have mixed with foriegn cultures, have modified and grown. Culture thrived during the renaissance and will forever on. I will give you an example- Coffee. more specifically about specialty coffee. We all know Florence and the entirety of Italy has a very long history in coffee. However, it is also known in recent decades coffee knowledge, brewing systems and its sustainability processes have drastically improved. Because coffee was already embedded in italian culture, It took Italy a little longer than other countries to adapt these new methods. Only lately has 'specialty coffee' been accepted in Italy and Florence has obviously its mark on it with one of the best Specialty Coffee Shop in all of Italy, Ditta Artigianale. Ditta Artigianale opened in 2014 and since has lead the way to a new and world-integrated italian coffee culture. The power of Florence, the power of the mixing cultures present in the city since it's ancestrals beginnings. The opening of the first specialty coffee shop in Florence started a chain reaction producing the opening of many more specialty coffee shops and rosteries within and nearby the city, such as Coffee Mantra and D612 Coffee Roasters.
Concluding, the blend of and evolution of Florentine culture is clearly visible these days. There's also a contemporary sea rich of new mixed cultural traditions that lies beneath the Florentine surface which is making its way into the light. Like a seed beginning to sprout. Airbnb, with its experience section has obviously taken notice, but not fully taken ahold of this. You must be submerged within it to truly comprehend all the aspects of the continuous cultural evolution Florence is subjected to.
That is a job for Florence Dream Lab! Florence Dream Lab offer the alternative dive into the culture of our beloved city. Discover contemporary experiences created from mixed roots, that have been created in our time.
Have a look at our classes. Choose one that speaks to you and arrange your custom appointment now.
The Florentine leather history
What are Circle Songs and what actually is this singing experience?
Written by bicchiv


What factors contribute to persistent differences in academic achievement between black and white students? Can we explain some of the observed variation in achievement gaps from state to state? For example, do states with persistently high gaps share any demographic characteristics? And are there lessons we can learn from demographically similar states that have been able to reduce their gaps?
Data from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), available from 1990 to 2015, combined with demographic information from the 1990 U.S. census and 2010-2014 American Community Survey can be used to address these types of questions. After excluding 13 states with small black populations and/or incomplete data, and the District of Columbia, trends in 8th grade mathematics test scores were evaluated in 37 states. The achievement gap for a given year was defined by subtracting average scores of black students from average scores of white students. To evaluate the change in gap, the 2015 gap was subtracted from the earliest available gap (1990 for 29 states and between 1992 and 2000 for the other 8 states). Therefore, negative numbers represent a widening gap and positive numbers a narrowing gap.
The state-specific achievement gaps ranged from a minimum of 7.3 (West Virginia, 2009) to a maximum of 50.9 (Nebraska, 2007). The U.S. average decreased only slightly from 32.9 in 1990 to 31.6 in 2015. Even in states that had high average scores for both white (~300) and black (~270) students in 2015, the gap between them was on the order of 30 (Massachusetts, New Jersey, Texas).
The average standard error (SE) of the states' mean scores for the larger of the two samples (white students) was 1.1 in 1990 and 1.3 in 2015. By rounding up twice the average SE in 2015, states whose gaps changed by an absolute value of 3 or less (from the first available year to 2015) were classified as "gap similar" (14 states). All other states were classified as either "gap narrowed" (17 states) or "gap widened" (6 states). A map of the three groups of states and the temporal change in black-white achievement gaps is shown in Figure 1.
Question 1: Do the 6 states with increased achievement gaps share basic demographic characteristics and are those also found in states that narrowed gaps?
The 6 "gap widened" states include three in the Midwest (Iowa, Indiana, Wisconsin) and one each in the Northeast (Pennsylvania), Central South (Kentucky) and West (Nevada).
When population size is plotted against the percentage of blacks in a state's population (averaged across 1990 and 2014; Figure 2), with the color indicating the gap change, all 6 "gap widened" states (shown in red) are clustered in the bottom left corner. These states have fewer than 10% of African Americans and a population size at or below 6 million, with only PA falling outside that range (10.1% and 12.3 million). The same bottom left corner of the graph includes four states with similar demographic characteristics, but with decreasing gaps from 1990 to 2015 (shown in green): Rhode Island, Nebraska, West Virginia and Oklahoma. The only other green state with fewer than 10% African Americans is California (6.7%), an extreme outlier for its population size (33.9 million).
The percentage of blacks also correlates well with the numerical change in the gap: All states with higher percentages either maintained or narrowed their gaps over time. This includes most of the southern states where the black middle class is larger than in the Midwest.
Question 2: What can we learn from demographically similar states in which the gap has decreased over time and is similar to or below the national average in 2015?
Of the 4 demographically similar states identified above, Nebraska's actual gap was 40.9 in 2015 (Figure 1), almost 10 points higher than the national average of 31.6, while OK, RI and WV had gaps similar to or below the national average. Thus, the following analysis excludes Nebraska.
While a student's performance on standardized tests is influenced by a complex interplay of multiple factors, some researchers argue that early childhood education is critical in preventing achievement gaps at older ages. The contrast between the two demographically similar states of WV and KY may provide some support for this hypothesis. The 2015 report "Education Week's Quality Counts" calculated quality indices for each state's early childhood education programs, including its preschool poverty gap: the difference in preschool attendance rates of children who do or do not live in poverty. This gap was much lower in WV (4.6 percentage points in 2014) than in KY (15.6 percentage points), which may partially explain why Kentucky's black students showed less improvement from 1990 to 2015 than West Virginia's (Figure 3). The other reason for Kentucky's widening gap was that its white students showed greater improvement than West Virginia's during the time period of interest, though both continued to score well below the national average.
Oklahoma's white students also scored below the national average in 1990 and 2015. This is consistent with all three states (OK, KY and WV) having black and white poverty rates above the respective national average. Oklahoma's gap narrowed over time, however, because its black students surpassed those in KY and WV to reach the black national average in 2015. The state's preschool poverty gap was 7.4 percentage points, less than half the national average of 15.8. Interestingly, OK was highlighted by President Obama in his 2013 State of the Union address as one of the first states to have a universal state-funded preschool program with consistently high attendance rates.
It has also been demonstrated that exposure to the heavy metal lead at young ages has long-lasting effects on cognitive and behavioral outcomes. Rhode Island is a particularly compelling case in point since a recent paper suggested that state policies for reducing environmental lead exposure had a measurable impact on test scores in children born between 1997 and 2004 (Figure 4).
Lead is a powerful neurotoxin, especially for the developing brains of children under 6 years of age. Poor minority families are much more likely than wealthy white families to live in old homes with deteriorating lead paint and/or lead pipes that deliver drinking water. Starting in 1997, the state of Rhode Island strongly encouraged landlords to reduce lead hazards in older homes they rented out, to the point that they "could (and were) sued in civil court when children living in their homes were found to have elevated lead levels if the home did not have a lead-safe certificate." By 2010, the number of these certificates had increased from 333 to more than 41,000.
By analyzing the relationship between blood lead levels in preschool and standardized test scores later in life in ~57,000 Rhode Island children, the study concluded that "the decline in racial disparities in lead explains between 37 and 76% of the decline in racial disparities in test scores witnessed over the past decade in RI." This remarkably strong relationship suggests that public funds would be well spent on reducing lead exposure hazards in large urban areas with a high proportion of poor minority families. A recent lead risk map produced by Vox that is based on the average age of homes and poverty rates for each census tract could prove very useful in identifying priority areas for such state policies.
Question 3: Are racial achievement gaps correlated with demographic indices of racial disparities?
In addition to analyzing trends over time, it is important to relate the size of the observed gap to demographic differences between states. Two particular measures were considered here.
The first is a statewide measure of spatial segregation that was presented in the 2015 "Poverty and Inequality Report". The index of dissimilarity (D) is calculated from census tract data and "indicates the percentage of [blacks] that would have to move to other neighborhoods (within their state) in order to achieve parity between [blacks] and whites in their percentage distributions across all neighborhoods." The report notes a general trend for states with small black populations to be more segregated. This is consistent with the data analyzed here, although the correlation is moderate. The left panel of Figure 5 illustrates a non-significant positive correlation between D and the size of the achievement gap (in 2015). Interestingly, the slope is steeper and the regression R2 increases from 0.05 (p=0.20) to 0.10 (p=0.08) when western states are excluded.
The second measure quantifies socioeconomic disparities between black and white families, using the official measure of poverty (OMP). It takes into account family size, family income and inflation-adjusted cost of living estimates (but not geographic residence) to derive a "ratio of income to poverty level." If the ratio is 1.0 or smaller, all adults and children that make up a family are classified as "doing poorly;" if the ratio is 2.0 or smaller, the family is considered "poor or struggling." The difference in the percentage of black and white families living in poverty (using the 1.0 cutoff) is plotted against the size of the achievement gap (in 2015) in the right panel of Figure 5. While the correlation is stronger (R2=0.21, p=0.004) than for the segregation index D, the differences in poverty alone do not explain all of the observed educational gaps. This suggests that a more comprehensive socioeconomic disparity measure may be useful. The 2015 "Poverty and Inequality Report" ("Education" chapter authored by Sean Reardon) proposes such a measure as the "weighted average of racial differences in income, educational attainment, poverty rates, and unemployment rates, each among parents of school-age children in the state," with a value of 0 indicating equal rates in black and white parents. Using this measure, Reardon reported a high correlation (0.68; p. 48 of the report) between each state's black-white achievement gaps and socioeconomic disparities.
Poverty rates and levels of segregation are frequently evaluated at the level of cities, instead of states. In the present dataset, an analysis of black-white differences in poverty for the two largest cities in each state confirmed that cities indeed have even greater racial disparities (data not shown). It is well known that blacks tended to settle in urban areas during the "Great Migration," the relocation of millions of African Americans from the South to the North and Midwest between 1916 and 1970. Larger cities typically provided more job opportunities, especially in the manufacturing industry; therefore, the percentage of blacks in a large city's population is usually much higher than the statewide average. The decline of the manufacturing industry during the 1970s created areas of concentrated poverty in many large cities. When wealthier white families reacted to these problem areas by moving to city suburbs ("white flight"), this had the potential to induce a strong degree of spatial segregation between blacks and whites and exacerbate socioeconomic and educational gaps. Philadelphia and Milwaukee have been identified as some of the most segregated cities in the nation; 48% and 66% of each state's black population lived in these two cities in 2014, and much of the achievement gap observed in the two states is likely due to the cities' pronounced racial disparities. However, since NAEP scores aren't available for cities, a more detailed analysis is beyond the scope of this project.
Question 4: Taking into account the geographic and historical context, which regions are making the most (or least) progress in narrowing achievement gaps?
Analyzing only the numerical change in gap over time misses important information about the nature of the gap: Was it large to begin with and did it widen because black students improved more slowly than white students? Or was the gap small, relative to the nation's average, at the first available time point and did it "catch up" to the national pattern as it widened over time? Are there states in which the improvement in black student scores was particularly notable, suggesting that other states may adopt some of their educational policies?
To evaluate these questions, the 37 states were grouped by geography into 5 regions. Since the 10% cutoff for the percentage of blacks was particularly relevant for the 10 Midwestern states, this group was further subdivided, resulting in 6 groups of 4 to 8 states each. Boxplots of black and white scores and the gap between them (Figure 6) as well as slope graphs (Figure 7) were used to summarize the nature of the gap and its change over time for each region.
While almost all of the South Central states narrowed their gaps over time, these gaps were generally low because white students performed substantially below the national average, especially in 2015. A notable exception from this trend is Texas. Oklahoma's black students had the second-highest growth after Texas, which is noteworthy since the state has the lowest proportion of blacks within the region. The gap widened in Kentucky because its black students improved more slowly than those in the rest of the region.
As a group, the Midwestern states with fewer than 10% blacks experienced the worst changes in achievement gaps. Here, the median scores of black and white students were above the national average in 1990, but 25 years later, white students performed closer to the national average and black students scored well below the national average, especially in Wisconsin. Iowa was the only state in the country where black students performed slightly worse in 2015 than 1990. Even though black students in MN improved the most within the region (Fig. 7) and the gap narrowed in NE, the median gap for the region was substantially larger than the national average in 2015 (Fig. 6).
Most of the states in the Northeast and Midwest with >=10% blacks narrowed their gaps, but the main reason is that the scores of white students decreased over time, moving either closer to the national average (Northeast) or dropping below it (Midwest). NY narrowed its gap the most (Fig. 1) because white students improved at a much slower rate than black students. Within the Northeast, black students improved the least in Pennsylvania.
Western states mostly maintained or narrowed their gaps (except for Nevada), although black students performed above average in 1990 and very similar to the average in 2015 (Fig. 6).
The South Atlantic states represent the best-case scenario: They narrowed their gaps because black students improved over time while white students remained close to the national average.
The data analyzed here support a strong association between black-white achievement gaps and the number and proportion of African Americans in a state, especially in the Midwest. The influence of large cities with concentrated areas of black poverty is perhaps best illustrated with the example of Milwaukee, one of the most segregated and politically polarized cities in the nation. It has been noted that blacks began to settle in Milwaukee much later than in Chicago, Detroit and Cleveland and suffered from the collapse of Milwaukee's industrial base and the massive elimination of manufacturing jobs before a black middle class had developed.
The observation of worsening achievement gaps and higher levels of spatial segregation in Midwestern states with small black populations is worrisome, although a few states show promising trends. In Minnesota, which prides itself on having a high-quality public education system, and to a lesser extent in Kansas and Nebraska, black scores have improved over time. However, Minnesota's gap is still much higher than the national average (~40) and it has yet to be seen whether a trend in the right direction can be maintained. Real estate businesses and affordable housing programs may have an important role to play in reducing the kind of spatial segregation at the neighborhood level that appears to manifest itself in racial achievement gaps.
The South Atlantic states, which generally have a larger black middle class than Midwestern states, illustrate a best-case scenario of black scores improving over time and white scores remaining at or above the national average. Despite this promising trend during the last 25 years, however, the median gap in the region (28.4, below the national average of 31.6) remains stubbornly large.
In terms of state policies, early childhood education facilities, including the federally funded Head Start program for low-income families, should continue to be supported. In addition, a much greater effort should be directed at reducing the lead exposure of young children living in old homes. The example of Rhode Island is powerful, both in terms of its success with lead mitigation policies and the resulting improvement in the academic performance of its minority students.


text:
Senator Scammon may refer to:

J. Young Scammon (1812–1890), Illinois State Senate
John Scammon (1865–1940), New Hampshire State Senate
Seth Scamman (1811–1894), Maine State Senate

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
Muslim Women and Hijabs Culture and Discrimination&nbspEssay
Muslim Women And Hijabs: Culture And Discrimination&nbspEssay
Length: 2 pages Sources: 2 Subject: Economics Type: Essay Paper: #80308112 Related Topics: Culture, Discrimination, Robbery, Banking
Culture and Discrimination: Muslim Women and Hijabs
Were the actions of the bank appropriate or inappropriate?
The bank denied Magda their services because she refused to remove her headgear. Although this may seem like simple a scenario to judge, the reasons for the actions of both Magda and the bank are justified. As a Muslim woman, Magda believes her burqa is a representation of her modesty and dignity and she feels she should not be denied services just because of the way she dresses. Neusner (2009) explains that to majority of Muslims, Islam is a way of life and they strive to express their faith in their private as well as their public lives. However, banks have off late adopted policies where headgears, scarves and sometimes even sunglasses are not allowed in their banking halls. In light of numerous robberies carried out by people disguised in burqas and hijabs, these policies were put in place for
So, who is to blame? Should Magda find a local bank that does not have an issue with headgear, or should the banks adjusts their policies and deal with crime in another way?
Though the intentions of the bank are genuine, their actions are plain discriminatory. It was inappropriate for the bank to deny Magda service and send her away due to her headgear, since it only shows the insensitivity of the bank to the same community they claim to serve. According to Samover, Porter and McDaniel (2009), in an area with diverse cultures, it is essential to find a middle ground in dealing with issues that may arise, which will be flexible and accommodative of all the interested parties. Clients like Magda cannot be expected to accept humiliation and embarrassment in support of a policy that requires them to abandon their religious beliefs. First the bank should explain the policies to the customers and make sure they are aware of the specific items banned. Banks can also choose not to turn away customers; rather they can assign clients, who cannot remove their head dresses due to personal reasons, specific tellers where they can be scrutinized and monitored more intensely. Another alternative would be to segment a particular area in the banking hall where customers who are not willing to part with the banned items can be…
Neusner, J. (2009). World Religions in America: An Introduction. (4th Ed.). Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press
Samovar, L.A., Porter. R. E and McDaniel, E.R. (2009). Communication between Cultures. South-Western: Cengage Learning
"Muslim Women And Hijabs Culture And Discrimination" (2015, February 08) Retrieved January 16, 2022, from
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History of Muslims in Europe
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Islamophobia Politics Gender and Discrimination
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Misconceptions About Sharia Law Much Islamophobia is grounded in misguided assumptions about Islam and particularly about Sharia law. According to Ali (2014), "nearly two dozen state legislatures" have proposed laws banning Sharia without developing even a modicum of understanding of what Sharia law is, and what it entails (Ali, 2014, p. 1027). Sharia law is central to Islam and to Muslim identity and practice, but only small fraction -- five percent
Words: 1741 Length: 6 Pages Topic: Sociology Paper #: 51238623
Islamophobia and the Media Islam is a minority religion in America, and many Americans have never had contact with Muslims. As a result, a substantial portion of the American population relies on the media for information about Islam and related topics like the Middle East. Since September 11, but arguably before that watershed event, the news media has built a platform of fear against terrorism but against Islam in particular. Although
Islamic Female Oppression the Objective
Words: 1789 Length: 6 Pages Topic: Sports - Women Paper #: 94997505
SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION The religion of Islam is very misunderstood and pervasively skewed within its true meaning and original intent by extremists in the Islamic society. Never did the prophet intend that the abuses and oppression which today's Muslim women suffer should occur. It is the conclusion of this writer that extremists exist in all religions and these are those who garner the most attention and receive the most press however,
Words: 650 Length: 2 Pages Topic: Women's Issues Paper #: 43798718
Gender Roles Women in Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia is religiously and socially conservative. There is a relatively high level of cultural homogeneity inspired by tribal and Islamic factors. In these circumstances, it is not easy to differentiate between Arabic and Islamic cultures in these circumstances. Some cultural beliefs including the view that women should not be lawyers or engineers have nothing to do with Islam but have increasingly become part of the
Research Paper / 21 pages
Term Paper / 15 pages
Thesis / 6 pages


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Die Madonna Dreyfus ist ein aus kunsthistorischer Sicht bedeutendes Madonnenbild der italienischen Renaissance von Lorenzo di Credi.

Geschichte und Kontroverse
Das Bild der Maria mit dem Kinde und einem Granatapfel ist, nach ihrem langjährigen Besitzer allgemein als Madonna Dreyfus in die Kunstgeschichte eingegangen. Das Bild aus der Schule des Andrea del Verrocchio wird heute Lorenzo di Credi zugeschrieben, der sich stilistisch an Leonardo da Vinci orientierte. Eine frühere Identifikation als Werk von Leonardo gilt heute als falsch.

Bekannt wurde das Bild erst, als es sich im Besitz des bekannten Pariser Kunstsammlers Gustave Dreyfus befand. 1930 wurde es von seinen Erben verkauft und befand sich über mehrere Jahre hinweg im Kunsthandel der Duveen Brothers, Inc. in London und New York. Von dort erwarb es 1951 die Samuel H. Kress Foundation, die es 1952 der National Gallery of Art in Washington schenkte.

Seit seiner Entdeckung schrieb man das Bild erst Verrocchio selbst und dann, in Ermangelung gesicherter eigenhändiger Werke, dem Lorenzo di Credi zu. Allerdings wurde von Anfang an darauf hingewiesen, dass das Bild weit über dem steht, was Lorenzo di Credi zu schaffen imstande war. Es zeigt solche sanften Übergänge in den Farben und Konturen und solch weiche Schatten, wie man sie auf keinem seiner anderen Bilder findet. 1929 schlug Wilhelm Suida deshalb erstmals Leonardo als Urheber des Bildes vor und fand 1932 Unterstützung bei Bernard Degenhart.

Trotzdem blieb die Kunstwissenschaft in der Folgezeit gespalten. Bernard Berenson hielt das Bild (1938) für ein Werk von Lorenzo di Credi, der damit versuchte, Leonardo zu imitieren. Dieser Zuschreibung schlossen sich viele andere Kunsthistoriker an. John Shearman dagegen beurteilte das Bild (1967) als eigenhändiges Werk von Verrocchio und sah in einer Zeichnung im Dresdener Kupferstichkabinett eine eigenhändige Studie dafür. Günter Passavant beurteilte (1969) das Gemälde nur als ein Werk der Verrocchio-Werkstatt, hielt die Autorenschaft durch Lorenzo di Credi aber ebenfalls für möglich. Dementsprechend wurde das Bild lange Zeit nur werteneutral als aus der Werkstatt des Verrocchios stammend bezeichnet, bevor sich die National Gallery of Art in Washington dazu entschloss, es wieder als Werk des Lorenzo di Credi zu katalogisieren und bis heute auszustellen.

Dessen ungeachtet tendiert ein Großteil der modernen Kunstwissenschaft heute wieder verstärkt dazu, das Bild als eigenhändiges Frühwerk des Leonardo da Vinci anzusehen. 1968 äußerte Sheldon Grossman noch, dass es sich bei dem Bild um eine Kopie nach einem verlorenen Werk von Lorenzo di Credi handelt, welches nach einem Entwurf von Leonardo gemalt wurde. Doch noch im gleichen Jahr wurde es von Raymond Somers Stites Leonardo selbst zugeschrieben. Dem schlossen sich unter anderem Carlo Ragghianti (1975) und Pietro C. Marani (1989 und 1999) an.

Dagegen erkennt Jack Wasserman (1975) Leonardo wieder nur die Erfindung des Bildes zu, und auch Piero Adorno (1991) hält es nur für eine Werkstattarbeit aus dem Atelier von Verrocchio, an dem vielleicht mit Blick auf das schlecht gemalte Kind und die bessere Maria zwei verschiedenen Schülern gearbeitet haben. Ähnliches wird heute auch die Anbetung des Kindes mit zwei Engeln in Detroit (Art Institute) beurteilt, in der manche Forscher ebenfalls für einzelne Partien die Mitwirkung von Leonardo annehmen.

Neben dem misslungenen Kind, ist das Fehlen der für Leonardo typischen Fingerspuren sicherlich ein Hauptargument gegen seine Autorenschaft. Marani erklärt dies mit einer alten, nicht dokumentierten Reinigung des Bildes, bei der diese verloren gegangen sein könnten. Heute schreibt es der Besitzer, die National Gallery of Art in Washington DC, eindeutig di Credi zu.

Umstritten ist die Entstehungszeit des Bildes. Passavant geht davon aus, dass es später als die Madonna mit der Nelke gemalt sein muss. Wasserman setzt es um die gleiche Zeit an. Marani rückt es in die zeitliche Nähe der Verkündigung in den Uffizien in Florenz, in der er maltechnische Gemeinsamkeiten sieht. Des Weiteren erkennt er venezianische Einflüsse, die er damit erklärt, das Leonardo 1469 Verrocchio bei seiner Reise nach Venedig begleitet hat.

Literatur
 Wilhelm Suida: Leonardo und sein Kreis, 1929, Verlag F. Bruckmann A.-G. (München)
 Maria Pomilio / Angela Ottino Della Chiesa: Klassiker der Kunst – Leonardo da Vinci, 1967, Kunstkreis Luzern – Freudenstadt – Wien
 Pietro C. Marani: Leonardo, 1989, Cantini (Florenz) ISBN 88-7737-046-7
 Franziska Windt, Andrea del Verrocchio und Leonardo da Vinci – Zusammenarbeit in Skulptur und Malerei, Münster, 2003, ISBN 3-930454-39-4
 Serge Bramly: Léonard de Vinci, Jean-Claude Lattès, Paris, 1988
 Brigitte Labbé, Michel Puech, Jean-Pierre Joblin: Léonard de Vinci. – Toulouse : Milan jeunesse, coll. « De vie en vie » n° 18, 2005. – 58 p., 18 cm. – ISBN 2-7459-1631-9.

Weblinks

 Bild auf der Website der National Gallery of Art

Italienische Renaissance (Malerei)
Gemälde von Leonardo da Vinci
Andrea del Verrocchio
Marienbildnis
Gemälde (15. Jahrhundert)
National Gallery of Art


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Gösta Lindh (8 February 1924 – 4 January 1984) was a Swedish association football player won a bronze medal at the 1952 Summer Olympics. Between 1950 and 1954 he played 31 international matches and scored two goals.

References

1924 births
1984 deaths
Swedish footballers
Sweden international footballers
Olympic footballers of Sweden
Footballers at the 1952 Summer Olympics
Olympic bronze medalists for Sweden
Olympic medalists in football
Association football defenders
Medalists at the 1952 Summer Olympics
Sportspeople from Örebro


Elie Rosenberg is a value investor based out of Dallas, Texas. He is the founder and editor of Value Slant .
Top Image Systems (TISA) is a NADSDAQ-listed Israeli enterprise software company. TISA makes automated data capture solutions to control the flow of document based data through an enterprise. In a simple example, their software can extract data from from a scanned invoice and feed that data into the company's accounts in their enterprise software system.
TISA has undergone a turnaround in the last three years. Founder Izhak Nakar returned to an active role in TISA in 2009 when he purchased 20% of the company from a large institutional holder. Since then he has been acting as "Active Chairman" in a CEO-like role along with CEO Ido Schechter. Their turnaround strategy has moved TISA away from low margin hardware and third party software to focus on their core eFlow software platform. They have also focused on realigning the cost structure by closing non profitable offices and ramping up utilization of third party distributors. The strategy has succeeded. In 2008, TISA did $32 million in revenue with 53% gross margin and negative operating income margin. For 2011, TISA is on track for $28.5 million in revenue with 61% gross margin and 13% operating margin.
TISA looks like a cheap stock. Based on a fourth quarter in line with the prior three quarters (on the higher end of conservative company guidance), TISA should do $3.6 million in EBIT in 2011. The company eliminated its remaining debt in the third quarter. D&A is about equal to the very minimal capex (about $300 thousand), and TISA has NOLs to shield income from taxes for at least several years. So EBIT should basically be equivalent to free cash flow. There are 11.1 million diluted shares outstanding for a market cap of $23.5 million at $2.11 a share. There is no debt and $3.3 million in cash on the balance sheet. Netting out the cash that comes to a 17.8% free cash flow yield.
TISA is not trying to be all things to all customers, and their focused sales strategy should help them compensate for the lack of a huge sales force. Now that the expense structure has been cleaned up, TISA can focus on top line growth.
While TISA is a cheap stock with no fatal flaws, I am worried mainly about the sustainability of the top line. I think this is probably the major item holding the stock back right now. Quarterly revenue jumped from the $5 million range in 2010 to $7 million in 2011, but it has been flat for the last three quarters. TISA does have 25% of revenues coming from recurring maintenance fees, but the rest is from one-time software and service sales that tend to be lumpy for small enterprise software companies. A few big projects ending could have a large impact on revenues. TISA management says the sales pipeline has grown from $70-80 million to $100 million over the past year, but it is hard for an outside investor to have conviction that they will keep up their win rate in a crowded marketplace.
Another concern is expense creep. Now that TISA is focused on top line growth, they will have to invest more into sales and that of course carries the risk that they will not increase revenues in line with that increased investment. TISA is trying to expand into the US market where they traditionally have not had much of a presence with most of their sales coming from Europe. Sales and marketing expense jumped to $2 million in Q3 from the $1.5 million range while revenue remained almost flat. Additionally, management pay appears excessive as they are basically paying two CEOs. Schechter and Nakar will earn about $1.2 million combined this year, which is a third of EBIT.
There has also been some questionable capital allocation. The company had been working to pay off $15 million in convertible debt issued in December 2006. While TISA has been able to pay off most if through cash from operations, they did a 1.4 million share private placement at $2.00 a share in June to pay off the remainder. As the debt was only bearing interest at LIBOR+.3% I am unclear as to why they were in such a rush to pay off the remaining $5 million. Issuing stock so cheaply seems to be a very expensive way of getting rid of cheap debt.
Without any hard catalysts, TISA is cheap to current cash flows but still essentially a bet that management can continue to grow revenues.


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If Ben Roethlisberger isn't healthy in 2020, it's time to draft his replacement
PITTSBURGH, PA – NOVEMBER 10: Ben Roethlisberger #7 of the Pittsburgh Steelers looks on from the sideline in the second quarter against the Los Angeles Rams at Heinz Field on November 10, 2019 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images)
The Pittsburgh Steelers need to think about life after Ben Roethlisberger.
Ben Roethlisberger has usually been able to fight through his many injuries in the past. Then came the 2019 season when he was limited to a total of two games. That was bad news for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Mason Rudolph and Devlin "Duck" Hodges split the remaining playing time and neither did anything too special. The final result was an 8-8 record, and that reality of life without Roethlisberger should have the Steelers planning for once he is retired.
Ben Roethlisberger is nearing retirement
Roethlisberger was openly not thrilled about the Steelers drafting Rudolph in 2018, even though the quarterback was a third-round selection. The Oklahoma State product was hyped by Mike Tomlin, but managed to throw for 13 touchdowns compared to nine interceptions in 10 games last season.
Rudolph's most notable moment of the year was getting hit over the head by Cleveland Browns defender Myles Garrett. That is not a joke, but rather a fact about how his play on the field was not too memorable.
Hodges' contributions were all a bonus, and while he showed some promise at first, the Samford product finished with five touchdowns and eight interceptions.
Roethlisberger now enters the 2020 season as the starter once again at the age of 38. What we do know is he likely isn't going anywhere until after the 2021 season unless the Steelers want to take on a huge dead cap hit that year. He is set to be a $41.25 million cap hit in 2021 with a dead cap value of $22.25 million. There are savings of $19 million in place, but that is still a steep price to pay for someone not even on the roster.
The Steelers have put off drafting his replacement for quite some time, unlike what we just saw with the Green Bay Packers and Aaron Rodgers. Roethlisberger getting injured last year seemed like a sign, but the team put it off once again.
An injury in 2020 should force the Steelers to finally draft his replacement in 2021. Failing to do that and just letting him play out his contract could lead to a rebuilding period that isn't necessary if the team just plans ahead by a year.
It doesn't matter if the veteran complains. The Steelers have been one of the more consistent franchises in recent NFL history, and while a lot of that is due to Roethlisberger, it is also because the team is smart. There is also no downside to having a top quarterback prospect learn behind a future Hall of Fame quarterback from the sidelines.
Next: 3 players who won't be on the Steelers after 2020 season
The Steelers should be drafting a replacement even if Roethlisberger is healthy all year. That is true even if he leads the team back to the Super Bowl. Time is running out in his career, and even if he plays beyond 2021, there is no reason why the Steelers have to be on his clock in order to please him. Football is a business, and having a proper backup plan in place will help the Steelers remain elite into the future.


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Bruce Springsteen extends Broadway run into December
By Jem Aswad, Variety
March 21, 2018 | 12:17pm
Bruce Springsteen Getty Images
Originally Published by:
'Springsteen on Broadway': How's the Boss Holding Up Five Months In?
Broadway Box Office: Winter Sales Slow as Springsteen Takes a Break
Bruce Springsteen Extends Broadway Run
Bruce Springsteen will extend his "Springsteen on Broadway" one-man show through December, he announced Wednesday.
Eighty-one additional shows will go on sale for performances July 10 through Dec. 15, marking the third time "Springsteen on Broadway" has been extended since its initial eight-week run. The current run of shows concludes on June 30.
Tickets for the newly announced "Springsteen on Broadway" shows will go on sale Wednesday, March 28 at 11 a.m. – exclusively through Ticketmaster Verified Fan. The announcement stresses: "For this onsale, only fans who previously registered, and have not purchased tickets, will be eligible to receive an invitation to the onsale. Eligible fans will receive additional information on Monday, March 26 to prepare in advance."
The wording of the announcement seems to leave open the possibility that Springsteen could perform the show elsewhere: At various points it reads "December 15th to be the final show of Broadway run" and references "a final New York City show on Dec. 15").
In an interview with Variety in September shortly before the show's Oct. 3 launch, Springsteen left the show's end point open — "Whether there'll be more [shows added after the initial 16-week run] I'm not sure, we'll have to see how I feel" — and that seems to have been his approach throughout.
Bruce Springsteen wines down alone before Broadway
The Boss makes himself at home at Freds Madison Avenue.
In a review of the show's 95th or so performance last week, Variety noted, "Five months [into the run], the Boss is showing seasoning and increased comfort as well as some understandable, unsurprising impatience with his latest creation. … at points on this night his delivery felt a little worn, but those moments were far outnumbered by ones that took on shadings and emotions that have evolved as he's settled into the show. He's changed up the script without deviating from its main points, and rarely used the teleprompters that he relied upon heavily during the early shows. But most of all, his performance has become more, well, theatrical. After decades of arena-sized body language, he's scaled himself down without losing any of his enormous presence — his body has learned a new language. He's figured out how to be larger-than-life in a small place: He's learned the power of stillness, how to use pauses for dramatic and comic effect, and how to use his body almost as a set piece and secondary — and at times a primary — form of communication."
"Springsteen On Broadway" began previews on Oct. 3, 2017 and officially opened Oct. 12. By the end of his previously announced Broadway run on June 30, Springsteen will have performed 155 sold-out shows at the Walter Kerr Theatre. This extension will bring the total number of "Springsteen on Broadway" performances to 236.
Filed under broadway , bruce springsteen , music , theater
Orange County Choppers Cafe owes over $22K in state taxes


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Every since we started to place color pictures in newspaper ads I always knew that it was important to take the best picture I could. Now, with the internet allowing you to put 20+ pictures of the exterior and interior of home it is more important than ever!
According to a company called Redfin Corp., a Seattle-area real estate firm, Sales listings taken by higher-end single-lens-reflex cameras (SLR), preferred by professionals, garner higher prices than those properties whose sellers use point-and-shoot cameras.
Redfin analyzed listings in their market area and it was easily determined that houses with better photos sold from $934 to $116,000 more. The study directly compared point and shoot cameras to digital SLR camera's. SLR cameras with their high quality lenses were a clear winner. The study also showed that properties with better photos (the more the better) got more online clicks.
Only about 25% of the photos in the mls are shot with high quality SLR cameras.
All Coccia Real Estate Group's photos are taken with Olympus SLR camera with a wide angle lens.
On Tuesday, September 14th thru Wednesday, September 15th Coccia Real Estate Group attended Leading Real Estate Companies of the World Fall Workshop. In attendance was Christopher Coccia (Broker/Owner) and Debby McCabe (Relocation Director).
he Fall Workshop is yet another opportunity to meet relocation professionals and finally put a face to old friendships developed over the phone. The relocation department of Leading RE is again the top selling Relocation Network in the county. The fall workshop was used to introduce new software and cutting edge training materials such as instructional videos and an entire website dedicated to upgrading the professionalism of the Realtor.
Comments Off on On Tuesday, September 14th thru Wednesday, September 15th Coccia Real Estate Group attended Leading Real Estate Companies of the World Fall Workshop. In attendance was Christopher Coccia (Broker/Owner) and Debby McCabe (Relocation Director).
Not so long ago I remember talking to people about the state of the Real Estate market in East Hanover, Florham Park and Hanover Township. It is the same story no matter what part of the country you visit – supply has far exceeded demand. We can be thankful that home prices have not declined to the extent of many other counties in New Jersey. Lately the market is changing….
Buyers are beginning to feel comfortable taking advantage of a Federal Government funded $8,000 tax credit, historically low interest rates and home prices not seen for nearly 8 years. Now is the time to be a homeowner and the media is finally singing that tune!
MSNBC said, ""Buyer traffic has been rising, and real estate offices are getting phone inquires about the tax credit," Yun said. "By early summer we should be seeing a positive impact on home sales from record-low mortgage interest rates in addition to the stimulus provisions." This is just what my office is seeing in our market. The phone rings more, my agents are showing more homes, writing more contracts and more homes are being placed under contract.
If you are thinking of buying a home call us today. We will walk you through every step of the way!


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Why the US toppled Chile's government
By Scott Granneman / 31 July 2006 31 July 2006 / history, politics / americana, corporatism, government, history, military, money, politics, south_america, war
From Robert Sherrill's "100 (Plus) Years of Regime Change" (The Texas Observer: 14 July 2006):
Kissinger, then secretary of state, was certain he detected the odor of communism in the election of Salvador Allende Gossens to the presidency of Chile. …
Chile was one of the most stable countries in South America, with a high literacy rate, a relatively large middle class, and a strong civil society. But millions of its people lived in desperate poverty, and Allende made no secret of his ambition to lift that class – and to do it by controlling some of the giant corporations operating in Chile but owned by yanquis.
Topping his hit list, besides consumer-product companies like PepsiCo Inc., were the world's two largest copper mining companies, Kennecott Corp. and Anaconda Mining Co., and International Telephone and Telegraph Co., all owned by U.S. interests. Allende wanted the Chilean government to take them over. …
Kinzer's account of these rebellious years ends with the death of Allende in La Moneda, the presidential palace and traditional seat of Chilean democracy. He had been president for 1,042 days. He refused an offer of free passage out of the country and committed suicide.
So Kissinger and Nixon and Rockefeller and their friends got what they wanted: a Chile run by Gen. Augusto Pinochet, who took office after the coup of September 11, 1973.


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Joe Smith Jr. Vs Maxim Vlasov Off Due To Vlasov's Positive COVID-19 Test
All of the long hours and hard work that Joe Smith Jr. put in is all seemingly for nothing. At least for now.
The light heavyweight contender was just recently informed that his upcoming showdown against Maxim Vlasov for the vacant WBO title will no longer take place this weekend as Vlasov has tested positive for COVID-19.
To the surprise of no one, Vlasov was gutted by the news.
"I am devastated with the postponement of my world title fight against Joe Smith Jr," said Vlasov. "I have been following strict protocols, I have done regular testing with negative results, and I have no symptoms. I am well prepared and had an excellent training camp. I look forward to the rescheduling of the fight and the opportunity to display my world-class skills."
For Smith Jr., the road to becoming a world champion appeared to be lining up perfectly for him. With back to back wins against Jesse Hart and former titlist Eleider Alvarez, Smith Jr. stomped his way to his second world title attempt. The Long Island native's first shot originally came roughly one and a half years ago against Dmitry Bivol.
Breaking down their showdown is a simplistic one as Smith Jr. was dominated round after round. Still, even with the lopsided loss, promoter Bob Arum was confident that Smith Jr. would blast out Vlasov which would ultimately set up a three belt unification matchup with unified champion Artur Beterbiev.
Those plans obviously, will now have to wait.
Even without the main attraction, the show must go on. Stepping into the spotlight on the night will be former IBF lightweight titlist Richard Commey. For the former belt holder, it'll be his first ring action since a second round knockout loss at the hands of Teofimo Lopez in December of 2019.