Frank Deresti and the Lake Effect's third full-length album, Hi's and Lo's, is an intimate journey that confronts some primal instincts and desires like fear, isolation, and human connection. Told through poetic lyrics, comforting harmonies, and warm instrumentation, it's one of those albums that you can listen to on repeat and catch different elements every time. The band will be performing live in Collingwood at Simcoe St. Theatre on July 27th. A portion of these ticket sales go towards Kelly Schell, a Liddle Kidz™ Foundation Global Ambassador, in here upcoming volunteer mission to India. More info about that here: https://www.youcaring.com/liddlekidzfoundation-869235 . Ticket info for the show here: https://www.ticketscene.ca/events/18517/ You can also catch them at CROW. Bar and Variety on July 28th. Frank was kind enough to answer some of my questions about the band and Hi's and Lo's this past week.
LC: To start, could you give me a quick overview of the names of the musicians in the band at what instrument(s) they play?
FD: The band consists of: myself on vocals, guitar, banjo and songwriting, Jay Case on bass and vocals, Chris Johns on drums and vocals, Josh Norling on saxophone, trumpet, percussion and vocals, and Jay Stiles on keyboards and vocals.
LC: Have you been working with these guys for a long time? And what's it like to organize a band when everyone's off doing a bunch of different projects?
FD: I've been working with all these guys for several years in various projects. This particular group has been together since 2012. We generally schedule things way in advance in order to co-ordinate everyone's schedule. Remarkably, considering everyone's busy lives, it has been fairly easy for us to schedule tour, rehearsal, and recording schedules. Four of us live in the same city - Sault Ste. Marie, ON, so we are able to get together somewhat regularly. Jay Stiles has been living in Austin, Texas for the last couple of winters so we get together when we can and send information / songs / etc. through the internet as needed.
LC: Your songs seem to be really lyrically-driven. Do the words come first when you're songwriting?
FD: Lyrics are very important to me, increasingly so, I think in recent years. Musical ideas tend come fairly easily to me, while lyrics tend to take a bit more work. Generally my process starts with a musical idea, say a chord progression and a sung melody, followed by a lyrical idea, which eventually gets hashed out into a song. For every song that I've written that I've kept and eventually recorded there have been several discarded drafts of other songs.
LC: The new album, Hi's and Lo's, is wonderful. Each time I listen to it I notice something else. Some of the vibes I'm getting from the album as I sink my teeth into it more, are feelings of hopefulness, with religious or spiritual undertones. Particularly in the songs "Fear", "Somewhere in the Middle", and "A Song We All". And it looks like the album cover might relate to those ideas as well. Did you have certain concepts in mind with this album?
FD: Thank you very much! i think there is a general optimism or hopefulness as you say to my writing. I think that's just who I am. I also see the spiritual side, although this is never intentional in my writing - it just comes out that way from time to time. To be honest, I often don't know what I'm writing about until I'm well into the process. It's kind of fun to discover what it is that I'm singing about and then carry on from there. Generally speaking I try to let the song take me somewhere and then, once I've figured out what it is about, try to guide it to completion. Songs are just fairly concise snippets of thousands of thought processes that somehow get funnelled into an audible expression. One of the things I love about this art form is the potential for various interpretations of each song.
LC: Who has been inspiring you musically, lately?
FD: Everybody. Everything. I'm fortunate enough to have a lot of really talented friends and colleagues and it's exciting to be a part of a community of creative people. My friends, through their example, push me to raise the bar on my own creative work. I'm also continually seeking out new (to me) music and am inspired by different styles and approaches to music-making.
LC: Can you talk a bit about the process of putting the album together? Where was it recorded?
FD: We recorded this album in Duntroon, ON with Craig Smith at the controls. We decided we wanted to get away from distractions and sort of isolate ourselves in a focused environment with the express purpose of coming out with an album that we were proud of. Some of the songs had been written and worked out for awhile on the road. Others were written a few months before recording and worked out in a series of rehearsals at home. We had a pretty clear idea of what each song was supposed to sound like before we left for the studio, so the recording process went very smoothly. Craig and I had been wanting to work on a project together for a few years now, so it all lined up really nicely.
LC: Were there any obstacles that were difficult to tackle in putting this album together?
FD: The main obstacle was initially getting everyone together for a period of time where we could make it happen. Once we did that everything went really smoothly. There were some minor weather obstacles, as we were at the mercy of the Georgian Bay winter, but other than a minor issue of both of our vans sliding into ditches it all worked out o.k.
FD: I think albums can work in various contexts. I think you get the most out of the experience if you remove distractions and listen with good headphones, but albums can work well on a long drive as well.
LC: What's your connection to the Georgian Bay Area? And what keeps you connected to living and performing in Ontario?
FD: We started playing in the Georgian Bay area years ago when we were introduced to Bridges Tavern and Thornbury by Pat Robitaille. Over the course of several visits we met and became friends with a number of people in the area and developed a real connection to the region. Through that initial connection and later through Bruce St. Social Club House Concerts, as well as our connection with Craig Smith and several other area musicians / friends this area has become a sort of home away from home for us. Geographically as well, we are accustomed to and drawn to big water, so that plays a part as well.
LC: What are your thoughts on supporting local and live music?
FD: I think it is crucial to support live music, and to check out as many artists as you can. There are so many great things happening musically in this country that you will never hear of if you don't get out and see what you can. We are in the midst of an Eastern Canada tour right now and I am moved by the connections we have made with so many people through the live music experience. Go see something! It will enrich your life. Now more than ever I think it is increasingly important to engage in real experiences, real human interaction. Live music events are a great place for this to happen.
LC: Where can people find out more about Frank Deresti & The Lake Effect, listen to/buy the album, and see your tour dates?
FD: You can check out www.frankderesti.ca for information, music, video, tour dates.
Thanks Frank! I'll be at the Simcoe St. Theatre show on July 27th for sure, and I recommend that anyone else in the area get their tickets now too! It's sure to be a beautiful evening.


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What is it like to curate an exhibition?
We spoke to Lizzie, our Exhibitions intern who led the curation of The Lightbox's recently opened show 'Highlights from the University of the Creative Arts, Farnham' to find out a little more about what was involved.
My very first curated show opens this week at The Lightbox. After months of meetings, preparing lectures, building frames, writing text panels, and countless hours fighting with InDesign the show is finally ready.
When I began my internship here at The Lightbox, one of my tasks was to help put together a new show that would help build a strong relationship between UCA and The Lightbox and showcase student photographic work. I was absolutely thrilled to be tasked with this project and couldn't wait to get started.
One of my favourite parts of orchestrating this exhibition was selecting the work. I had an entire classroom full of art work at my disposal and I admit it was a bit overwhelming. Selecting work is tricky, we needed work that would represent the amazing talents of the UCA students, along with showing the diversity of photography but also work that would be easy to showcase. With the assistance of UCA photography professor Anna Fox, I riffled through countless students work books, contact sheets, and portfolios to select the very best works for the show.
One of the largest challenges of the show was physically getting all the work together. The selections we had made were just from work books and contact sheets. Very few of them were finished works that were ready to be hung in a gallery. The wonderful technicians at UCA kindly assisted us in resizing, editing, printing, and mounting all work for the show. Without the help of Beytan Erkmen, David Summerill, and Paul Corcoran this show would not have been possible.
Thanks to the guidance of the wonderful exhibitions team and all the hard work put in by the UCA technicians, Photo 1st, Natasha Caruana, and of course, Anna Fox. The show is finally now up and ready for the public - I hope you enjoy it.
'Highlights from the University of the Creative Arts, Farnham' is open until 31 January, free entry.
Image credits: Image banner Untitled from Pond Series by Emily McDonald © The Artist; detail of Distorted Memory 2015 by Elizabeth Ransom © The Artist; Art Fund Prize Gallery © The Lightbox

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Is Your Game able to Withstand a Tabletop Gamer?
This article was written by Filip Wiltgren and originally published on his blog.
I don't know if it's been changed since—I don't play Elvenar myself—but if you do, and don't want any spoilers, skip this post.
My friend is a gamer, more specifically a board gamer. More specifically, my friend is a very, very good board gamer. And what differentiates board games from video games (except for the whole "board" thing) is that in a board game the entire game system is always exposed.
Think about it—in a board game you see all the cogs and wheels all the time. You don't get any graphics between you and the rules. You don't have any unknown variables (ok, a draw deck of cards can be an unknown but you know that it's there—you'll never be in a position where variable X is secretly controlled by variable Y). What you see is what you get, and what you get is all the rules up front.
You may think that you get the rules in Elvenar up front but you don't. You don't see what happens behind the scenes, the little fiddly bits that the computer is taking care of for you. But, being a board game player, my friend is very adept at recognizing the fiddly bits when he sees them. And he's got another advantage.
Back to the game. With everything known and every rule adapted to be human-grokkable, board games are perfect at teaching a key lesson: how to analyze and pervert complex systems.
Let's back up a bit. In a board game you begin by testing different play styles. After a while some of those styles will show themselves to be more successful—you start to win against your friends. Your keep playing and keep winning. You've found the optimal way to play, right?
Wrong. You've found the optimal way to play in your gaming group. Someone coming in from the outside can completely overturn your group-think way of playing the game. That is what happened to me with Through the Ages.
Through the Ages is a civilization themed engine building game. You've got resources, like metal, food, population, science, military strength and a couple of others. You use your resources to build your nation and gather points. In my group we thought that science was overpowered. Whomever managed to get the best science generating engine won.
Then we played with a guy who played in a different group, and he trashed us all. Completely. Turns out that if you analyze the game, mathematically like, you can see that while science is the key to engine building, military is the key to victory. If you've got a weak military you can get beaten down, and down, and down. None of us played that way. This guy did. He won.
He won because he'd sat down and looked through all possible play styles. He didn't need to find them, he could see them right there on the board, and then it was merely a question of testing them against each other. And what he came up with was that military, if you got the right cards, was completely overpowered against someone who didn't go for military strength. So while betting on military was dependent on luck to win, omitting military was a surefire way to lose in Through the Ages. And he figured that out by looking at the components and the rules.
Sometimes it's that obvious. Sometimes you need to do more work but you can always do the work. You have all the parts at your disposal and knowing that they're there, knowing, grokking, that what you're looking at is a mathematical system, lets you take it apart.
Note that I'm using the word grok here. Grok means to understand something at an intuitive level, to know it so intimately that it becomes part of your world view. It means something that affects our very way of thinking. It's a very strong term (coined, incidentally, by Science Fiction writer Robert A. Heinlein, you know, the Starship Troopers guy). How strong? Most of us know that the Earth is round. Most of us don't grok it. We don't instantly think of a planet as a ball, with no real directions. We sometimes consider how gravity makes people walk upside-down in Australia (btw, if you're in Australia, pretend I said Norway). But when we look, we see the world as essentially flat, and that's how we grok it: as a sheet, because that's how we walk, drive, sleep, live. Some astrophysicists grok that the Earth is round. For them it's intuitive to think of Earth like a sphere that they can orbit objects around. The rest of us, well, if you're anything like me, you grok North as "up", or grok Western Europe, or the US as "up". If we think of Earth it's with the US/UK at the top, or perhaps with the North Pole on top. If we truly grok the Earth as round then there is no top. Top is only important for maps and flat surfaces.
In a board game you begin by testing different play styles.
My friend groks gaming systems.
So, I've lauded board game players as systems destroyers. What is that to you? Only this: if you've got a person who groks systems, and groks the ways to exploit them, you have a magnificent tester.
You need someone like that because there will be people like that playing your game. Some of them will be vocal on the internet. Some of them will spread the exploits and suddenly your game is broken for those who don't use the exploits. Knowing this you've got two options: throw your game out there and patch it as fast as you can after the exploits are found or find the exploits before you launch your game.
Both ways are possible. Magic routinely bans cards from new sets. They've got a very complex system, with billions of possible interactions, and it's very hard for Wizards of the Coast to find all the holes beforehand (they do try, though, WotC's testing departments is one of the most comprehensive that I know of, more so than many software companies'). So instead they have players who find the holes and then patch it by removing the offending card(s).
All it costs them is a bulletin on their message board: this card is no longer allowed in official tournaments. But if you've based your game on a mechanic and that mechanic proves to be broken, then you need more than a quick fix. You might need to re-create or re-code your entire game. Or you will be forced to leave a game that is broken.
This was what happened to Martin Wallace's A Few Acres of Snow, a two player wargame which was solved within weeks of its launch. Turns out that the gamers spotted a surefire strategy for one side to win within a few rounds. Nothing the other side could do to prevent it, and in the end Wallace had to say "Yes, it is flawed. It is not something that can be fixed absolutely. The best way forward is to keep changing the rules, with scenarios, to present new challenges." Lots of sales lost there.
I keep thinking that if some of those who came up with the Hallifax Hammer strategy had been in Wallace's playtesting groups he could have found a way to circumvent it before the game went into production and it became too expensive to fix.


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BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Barcelona will not be penalized in the Copa del Rey. Levante's complaint that Barcelona used an illegible player arrived after the 48-hour deadline, the Spanish soccer federation said Friday.
Levante defender Borja Mayora, left, duels for the ball with Barcelona's Chumi during the la Copa del Rey round of 16 first leg soccer match between Levante and Barcelona at the Ciutat de Valencia stadium in Valencia, Spain, Thursday Jan. 10, 2019.
The judge overseeing competition disputes ruled to "maintain the result of the tie and keep FC Barcelona in the draw for the quarterfinals" because Levante's complaint was filed almost a week too late.
Levante complained that Barcelona used youth player Juan "Chumi" Brandariz on Jan. 10 after the defender incurred a one-match suspension while playing with the club's reserve team in the third division. But Levante didn't realize the possible irregularity until a week later.
Levante won the first leg 2-1, but Barcelona overturned the result on Thursday in the second leg to go through 4-2 on aggregate. Levante presented the complaint to the federation on Friday. Barcelona said it did nothing wrong, arguing that Chumi should serve his suspension in the third division.
Levante said that it will appeal the ruling. Barcelona has won the Copa del Rey for four seasons in a row. The decision by the judge came minutes before the draw for the quarterfinals, when Barcelona was paired with Sevilla in a rematch of last year's final.


Trainer Blair Burgess (left) and driver Jody Jamieson (right) with Tell All while Jamieson's daughter pets him.
One of the richest harness races in North America is the $1.5 million (Canadian) Pepsi North America Cup for 3-year-old pacers. This year, the event was contested at Mohawk Racetrack in Campbellville, Ontario for the first time. It was originally run at Greenwood and then Woodbine in Toronto, but was moved west of the city due to the rescheduling of racing dates. Racing conditions were ideal, with a fast track. temperatures in the 70's, clear skies, no wind, and low humidity. Originally a full field of ten was drawn, but Two Twentytwo was scratched sick the morning of the race, and Reserve Forces was a late scratch after coming back lame after a warmup between races early in the card, leaving just 8 to contest the standard 1 mile trip. There was no clear favorite in the betting, with the three elimination winners going off at the shortest odds. Diplomat Stakes winner Tell All was the slight favorite at 2.35-1 over Burlington Stakes winner Sutter Hanover at 2.45-1, with New Jersey Classic Stakes runner-up Yankee Skyscaper the 2.75-1 third choice.
75-1 longest shot Glass Pack broke stride at the start, while John Campbell sent 18-1 Artriverderci to the front first time past the stands and around the clubhouse turn, loose on the lead by 1 3/4 lengths over 33-1 Domitian Hanover through an initial quarter in 26 2/5. Down the backstretch, George Brennan made his move behind Yankee Skyscaper, taking the lead at the 1/2 mile marker in 54 3/5 while Brian Sears and Kenneth J moved up to take second. Jody Jamieson and favorite Tell All sat back in fourth out wide down the backstretch and into the far turn. Yankee Skyscaper continued to lead at the top of the stretch after 3/4 in 1:23 2/5, but Tell All was quickly closing the gap. With 3/16 of a mile to go, Tell All ran right by the tiring Yankee Skyscaper and pulled away to win by 2 lengths over late-running Sutter Hanover in 1:50 3/5. It was another 2 lengths back to 32-1 Watta Hotshot in third. Kenneth J faded to finish fifth while Yankee Skyscaper tired late and was sixth.
Tell All wins the North America Cup.
Tell All heads to the winner's circle after the race. His driver Jody Jamieson, celebrating his first North America Cup win as the youngest driver to ever win the event, said, "I figured the best two horses in the race, one was parked out in the first turn, and the other took a long time to clear. I was there a little early, but, (Tell All) was grabby and wanted to be out there, so I just moved him and let him sit. This horse has done everything I have ever asked him, I asked him pace, took him out to the last turn, probably got a little over anxious, drove him to the wire, because he just jogged. Yes, I pulled the plugs, he is just an amazing colt, and he keeps going all the time. Just a thrill. This is amazing, this is got to be the top one, the biggest thing in the world."
Driver Jody Jamieson and trainer Blair Burgess pose with the North America Cup trophy. Burgess said, "I like the early parts of the trip, it looked like there was plenty of speed. I didn't think the track was really, really fast, I thought the speed was plenty. I winced a little bit when he came first over, against (Yankee Skyscaper), but, he toughed out, and looked to be the most powerful one. I thought he was a winner, I thought we were not finished with Sutter Hanover, he was still coming, I felt more and more confident as he came down the stretch."
Tell All warms up earlier in the day with trainer Blair Burgess driving. Burgess said, "Meadowlands Pace is the plan. Just take the two week race, he probably he needs one now, he had eleven starts this year, that plenty. He looks a lot like his father, and acts like his father. Real Desire made 3 million dollars, this horse has a long way to go yet, he just got two, three and four. He is won his way, he is working in that direction."
Second place finisher Sutter Hanover in the post parade. His driver Dave Miller said, "It went it exactly like I thought it would. I thought with George having the rail, he was to get away fourth, it is a tough current first up, I figured he was going to move back, I was right where I wanted to be in the last turn, I thought I was in good shape. My horse raced good, but Jody's horse raced better. I could not asked for a better trip. Well, I am sure, he is a very big strong horse, he has got a lot of ability. I think you will see a lot more of him in the summer."
Third place finisher Watta Hotshot in the post parade. His trainer Scott Bell said, "He went really well. That was the best I could've hoped for. He's been a little sick all week. We came here hoping for fifth money and we were third."
Along with the main event, there were seven other stakes races on Saturday night at Mohawk. Four finals of the Classic Series, each for a purse of $265,350 were contested, each at the extended distance of 1 3/8 miles. History was made in the Pacing Classic for older horses, when 6-1 Boulder Creek not only upset 2-5 favorite Lis Mara by 1 1/2 lengths, winning this race for the third year in a row, but also set a new world record time of 2:33 2/5. Driver Daniel Dube said, "I got a perfect trip in here and this horse has so much class. When you have a nice horse, they do the work for you. I wanted to race him from behind but nobody else was on the gate so we just left out of there pretty easily. Then, when Lis Mara pulled, I just sat on his back the whole way around and it was easy from there."
The $100,000 North America Cup Consolation featured horses who did not qualify for the Cup final. 12-1 longest shot Laughing Art, driven by David Miller, enjoyed a pocket trip until mid-stretch, then slipped through on the rail to defeat 8-1 Trueys Legacy by 1 3/4 lengths in 1:51 2/5. Even-money favorite Bettor Tuwin tired late after stalking the pace and finished last of six.
In the Classic Oaks for trotting fillies and mares, 9-5 favorite Buck I St Pat rallied from ninth early, circling the field wide around the far turn to win by 1 1/2 lengths over 7-2 third choice Passionate Glide in 2:40 3/5. 3-1 second choice Birminghim was third. Winning driver Brian Sears said, "I never get her to the gate early because she's had some issues about that in the past. I was content where we were sitting throughout the mile and when I pulled her and asked her to go, she really responded well. She has a real good late kick to her, and that's how she got there tonight."
2-1 favorite Quite Easy lived up to his name in the $334,600 Goodtimes Stakes for 3-year-old trotters, as he took over the lead with a half mile to go, pulled ahead to a 2 3/4 length advantage at the 1/8 pole, and held off 29-1 longshot Monkey Bones to win by 3/4 length in 1:56. It was another 1/4 length back to 4-1 third choice Xactly Hanover in third. Winning driver John Campbell said, "I really didn't know what to expect out of this horse in this race. I got to the front early and the horse really just swelled up and wanted to keep on going. He never seemed to get tired and I never pulled the plugs. Hopefully this colt, if he stays healthy throughout the season, will be in good shape to be a sharp contender in this year's Hambletonian."
The $531,800 Elegantimage Stakes featured 3-year-old trotting fillies at the standard 1 mile distance. 1-2 favorite Pampered Princess did not disappoint, taking over the lead down the backstretch and stealing drawing away to win by an impressive 4 1/4 lengths over 8-1 Godiva Hall in 1:55. 5-2 second choice Vulcanize was third. Winning driver John Campbell said, After the recall I wasn't sure what would go on in this race. This filly is very versatile and she's much bigger and stronger than she was as a 2-year-old. I think the plan is for her to race in the Del Miller as a prep for the Hambletonian or Hambletonian Oaks."
In the Trotting Classic for older horses, 8-5 second choice Vivid Photo sat back in sixth early then powered to the front at the top of the stretch, holding off late-running 9-1 JM Vangogh by 1/2 a length at the line in 2:39. 3-4 favorite Sand Vic stalked the pace in second but faded late to finish fourth. Winning driver and trainer Roger Hammer said, "This horse is lucky to be back racing as tough as he is, especially after the infection he had. He's good, but I wasn't sure if he was sharp enough to go this distance. We're pointing him next for the Titan Cup, and then we'll bring him back up here for four months, as long as he stays healthy."
The Classic Distaff for pacing fillies and mares saw 5-2 second choice Moving Pictures lead the field for the first half mile, then relinquish the lead entering the stretch only to fight back to get the win by a neck over 9-2 Vysoke Tatry in 2:37. 2-1 favorite Marnie Hall failed to fire and was last. Winning driver Mark MacDonald said, "I was a little concerned at the head of the stretch because I had nowhere to go and I had a ton of horse. I thought if I could get out she could be right there, but it was tough going for a while. This mare is just a big plugger and she just keeps on grinding and coming on and coming on. She impressed me here tonight."


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4) Official Pentagon history: Top generals resisted JFK's peace policies in 1963
May 24, 2019jeffmorleyAssassination, Presidency, Review37 comments
Michael Swanson, an investment adviser turned JFK researcher, called my attention to "Council of War," a fascinating official history of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The study documents the Pentagon's resistance to, and resentment of, President Kennedy's foreign policy, especially on Cuba and Vietnam.
Curtis LeMay
3) What was Operation Northwoods? Was it connected to JFK's assassination?
May 23, 2019jeffmorleyAssassination, Experts, From the Files, Presidency, Question31 comments
Operation Northwoods was a Pentagon plan to provoke a U.S. invasion of Cuba in 1963 through the use of deception operations.
ARRB
James Douglass
Lyman Lemnitzer
What Gen. MacArthur told JFK about Vietnam
October 10, 2018jeffmorleyAssassination, PresidencyNo comments
On April 28, 1961—a decade after General Douglas MacArthur was fired for defying Harry Truman on Korea—the controversial commander hosted President John F. Kennedy at New York's Waldorf Astoria Hotel, where MacArthur and his wife lived in a suite on the 37th floor.
Given MacArthur's reputation as a warmonger, what the general told the new president may surprise you.
Did JFK propose a joint U.S.-Soviet flight to the moon?
September 21, 2018jeffmorleyAssassination, In 1963, Presidency, Question23 comments
JFK speaks to the UN on Sept. 20, 1963. (UN photo credit, Teddy Chen.)
Yes. It happened on September 20, 1963, according to History.com. It is one of the lesser known but more important events in the last months of President Kennedy's life and presidency.
In the fall of 1963, JFK was on a political roll. His approval ratings had climbed. He had overcome the grumbling of the Pentagon and all but secured Senate ratification of the popular Limited Test Ban Treaty, banning nuclear explosions in space. Then he went to New York to say something daring.
American University Speech
From July 26 to November 22 to today
July 26, 2018jeffmorleyAssassination, Presidency9 comments
The cover of a commemorative album about the Cuban Revolution published in Havana in 1959
Cuba celebrates the 60th anniversary of the beginning of its revolution on July 26, 1953. Later this year America will commemorate the 50th anniversary of President John F. Kennedy's assassination on November 22, 1963,
The events are ancient but linked. The connection between Cuba's revolution and the death of the 35th American president remains a live issue in the political culture of both countries.
The assassination of JFK is one reason why this conflict between the United States and Cuba endures to this day.
Former New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu receives JFK Profile in Courage
May 21, 2018jeffmorleyAssassination, PresidencyOne comment
JFK's assassination capped a violent year in America. Read more
confederate statues
Mitch Landrieu
When the CIA split with JFK
November 4, 2016jeffmorleyAssassination, PresidencyOne comment
"Harvey approved the dispatch of six three-man teams to Cuba, on either October 21, or 22, 1962, as the missile crisis heated up. The missions were launched at the specific request of the Pentagon, as part of the standing interagency Command Relationship Agreement. The military was reckoning with an invasion of Cuba by air and sea; it's forces needed support on the ground to help the landings. Harvey did what was right operationally….the climax came at a top-drawer meeting in the Cabinet Room of the White House on October 26….Harvey chose to tell the Kennedy brothers what he thought of them and their handling of the situation. "If you hadn't fucked up the Bay of Pigs, we wouldn't be in this fucking mess!"
Source: JFKcountercoup: "America's James Bond" at JMWAVE
Bayard Stockton
Bill Harvey
JFK Facts podcast: 28 pages on 9/11, another Dallas nightmare, and more…
July 15, 2016Alan DaleNews, Podcast, Podcast, Presidency3 comments
Our 7th podcast. This week we discuss:
https://jfkfacts.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/JFK-Facts-Online-7-Final-15-July-2016.mp3
9/11 Report 28 pages
Mac Wallace
Peter Dale Scott: Ask the 2016 candidates to make this JFK pledge
December 15, 2015Bill SimpichAction, ARRB, Assassination, Experts, Presidency, Quotable, Resource12 comments
In advance of tonight's CNN Republican presidential debate, Peter Dale Scott has this question for the candidates:
"How can we best fulfill what we now know to have been the intentions of Robert Kennedy with respect to his brother's murder?" Read more
Peter Dale Scott
Putting aside 'American exceptionalism,' JFK proposed cooperation in space
January 17, 2015jeffmorleyAssassination, In 1963, Presidency, Video11 comments
In response to my question on Wednesday, a reader sent this video. (H/T David)
JFK: hawk or a dove?
March 24, 2014jeffmorleyPresidency, Question7 comments
"Those who make peaceful revolution impossible make violent revolution inevitable:"
In this well-edited YouTube piece, Eytmon reminds us that President Kennedy was a "dove," a leader more inclined to restrain U.S. military power than to unleash it. While JFK was often aggressive in rhetoric, he also emphasized peace was "necessary and rational." It was his experience as a Navy lieutenant in World War II who repeatedly faced death in battle that made the cause of peace personally urgent to him. It also distinguished him from the hawks of his day
Missile Crisis
ICYM: First Lady and daughter on a sleigh ride
February 22, 2014jeffmorleyAssassination, PresidencyNo comments
No, it wasn't Michelle and Malia.
Caroline Kennedy
Annals of secrecy: At height of missile crisis, Pentagon proposed assassination of Cuban officials
February 21, 2014jeffmorleyAssassination, Presidency9 comments
A newly declassified Pentagon study, published today by the non-profit National Security Archive, sheds new light on the thinking of U.S. military leaders at the height of the Cuban missile crisis in October 1962.
As President Kennedy searched for a solution that did not involve a war that might have gone nuclear, the Pentagon was itching to escalate.
assassianation
declassification
A story from inside the CIA
February 7, 2014jeffmorleyAssassination, Presidency2 comments
"Mexico City was the Casablanca of the Cold War–a hotbed of spies, revolutionaries, and assassins. The CIA's station there was the front line of the United States' fight against international communism, as important for Latin America as Berlin was for Europe. And its undisputed spymaster was Winston Mackinley Scott, chief of the CIA's Mexico City station from 1956 to 1969,
from Our Man in Mexico: Winston Scott and the Hidden History of the CIA
You can buy it on Amazon.com, or You can also buy an autographed copy of "Our Man in Mexico" from the me, the author. Just drop me a line here. Read more
conspiracy theoires
Our Man in Mexico. Amzazon
Win Scott
Was JFK going to pull out of Vietnam?
December 13, 2013jeffmorleyAssassination, Presidency36 comments
Yes. He had a plan to do just that, as University of Texas professor Jamie Galbraith demonstrates in this recent piece for The Nation.
David Kaiser
James Galbraith
Rick Perlstein


Roofing systems are not set-it-and-forget-it components of institutional and commercial facilities. Maintenance and engineering managers and their departments dedicate a tremendous amount of time, effort and money in order to ensure the reliable, long-term performance of their facilities' roofs.
Failing to maintain roofs properly can lead to a host of problems, from leaks and blistering to shrinkage premature failure. No matter the type of roof, comprehensive, effective maintenance is essential for a long performance life.
Whether the roof system is single-ply, built-up, spray-on, metal, or vegetative, the same amount of care is vital the ensure roofs remain in good condition.
Managers and technicians who follow these five keys can improve the long-term performance and health of their facilities' roofs.
Just as technology plays an ever-larger role in nearly every area of life, it also has changed the way managers oversee roof systems. From infrared imagers and moisture meters to aerial photography and drones, managers are incorporating new and evolving technology into technicians' daily tasks to improve the health of roofs.
To get a return on the investment in technology, the first step is to ensure technicians know how to use it effectively.
"Giving an untrained person an infrared camera and saying 'go find the leaks' will definitely yield some undesirable results," says Mickey Parker with Rimkus Building Consultants. "Properly used by an experienced roofing consultant, on the other hand, these two tools, can give you critical information in the evaluation of the existing roof and an understanding of what is going to need to happen next and there is no substitute for an old-fashioned inspection.
One popular technology for monitoring roof health involves a bird's eye view of the situation.
The arrival of drone technology is the most recent example of technology that gives managers a new and better view of key building components — in this case, views of those areas of roofs and of rooftop components, such as smokestacks, that previously had been inaccessible.
"Drones are accurate, too, and they can provide images that can be shown to a customer and help them better understand the repairs that are needed," Field says. "These pictures also give the crews a better idea of what is needed before they begin work.
While drones are not a replacement for a hands-on inspection and evaluation of a problem area, a drone can let an inspector see where to best focus their attention during the investigation.


text:
Sign the One in Five Charter
DISABLED PEOPLE UNTITE AGAINST STARBUCKS' PLASTIC STRAW BAN
PRESS RELEASE (EMBARGO 00.01am BST on Thursday 23rd August)
Attention: News desks
DISABLED PEOPLE UNITE AGAINST STARBUCKS' PLASTIC STRAW BAN
GLOBAL COALITION OF DISABILITY ORGANISATIONS SUPPORT 'ONE IN FIVE'
Disability organisations representing over 500,000 disabled people in Europe and North America have thrown their weight behind a letter to Starbucks CEO, Kevin Johnson, coordinated by Scottish disability rights organization One in Five.
In their letter, co-signed by Baroness Tanni Grey-Thomson and political representatives from every major UK political party, One in Five states that Starbucks' intention to eliminate single-use plastic straws globally by 2020 has caused 'consider anxiety' and led to many disabled people feeling excluded by the world's largest coffee chain.
The campaigners have challenged Starbucks to invest in the research and development of a new straw that will satisfy environmentalists and disabled people.
On release of the letter, One in Five co-founder, Jamie Szymkowiak, said:
"Our letter shows the strength of feeling from disabled people around the world. Starbucks must listen to their customers, including disabled people and environmentalists, and commit to investing in the research and development of a straw that doesn't harm the environment for future generations and ensures the needs of disabled people are met."
One in Five co-Founder, Pam Duncan-Glancy added:
"Starbucks have the power to help disabled people and the environment at the same time. Big companies like them can lead and others follow. It's so important for our human rights that they act now. After all, what is environmental justice without social justice?"
Commenting on release of the letter, Louise Edge, senior oceans campaigner at Greenpeace UK, said:
"The companies responsible for distributing masses of single-use plastic items have the resources to innovate products which are truly sustainable and fully fit for purpose – suitable for everyone including the disabled community. Straws and other throwaway plastic items, that can't be easily recycled, must be phased out and replaced with alternatives that don't pollute our oceans and are suitable for everyone. In the meantime, plastic straws should be easily available for those who need them."
Letter to Kevin Johnson below
One in Five
@oneinfivescot http://www.oneinfive.scot
Scottish Government appoints 'disability adviser' to expert panel on single-use plastics after campaign by One in Five https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-43076495
Campaigned successfully against Creative Scotland funding cuts http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-42857886
Campaigned successfully for the Access to Elected Office Fund https://beta.gov.scot/news/democratic-participation-fund-for-disabled-people/
Campaigning to highlight the disability admissions gap in Higher Education http://enablemagazine.co.uk/discussing-disability-admissions-gap/
Notable signatories
Former Paralympian Baroness Tanni Grey-Thomson
Inclusion London
Raul Krauthausen, Founder of wheelmap.org
Center for Disability Rights
National Disability Rights Network
Facial Palsy UK
Inclusion Scotland
Jeremy Balfour MSP, Conservative Party
Johann Lamont MSP, Labour Party
George Adam MSP, Scottish National Party (SNP)
Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP, Liberal Democrats
Alison Johnstone MSP, Scottish Green Party
One in Five contact: Jamie Szymkowiak +447734392582
Greenpeace contact: Alexandra Sedgwick, Press Officer: alexandra.sedgwick@greenpeace.org
Starbucks Coffee Company
Dear Mr. Johnson
Plastic Straws for Disabled People
It has been just over one month since your announcement of Starbucks' intention to eliminate single-use plastic straws globally by 2020[1] caused considerable anxiety among the disabled community. Furthermore, the ambiguous follow-up statement[2] has done little to reduce these concerns and has led to many disabled people feeling excluded by the world's largest coffee chain.
One in Five have been working since the start of this year to bring the needs of disabled people to the public's attention in the plastic straw debate. The average plastic straw is cheap, flexible, can be used for drinking cold and hot beverages, and is readily available. For some disabled people these attributes are vital for independent living. It's worth pointing out that the umbrella of 'disability' includes people with different needs and impairments, and that it's the universal accessibility of the plastic straw that makes so many disabled people anxious about an outright ban.
As you may be aware, most paper and plant-based alternatives are not flexible or suitable for drinks over 40C (104F). Not only does a soggy straw result in a poor customer experience, the deterioration increases the risks of choking, as some of us take longer to drink. Hard straws, made from metal for example, act as heat conductors and present obvious dangers for disabled people who cannot control their bite or who have neurological conditions such as Parkinson's. Reusable plastic straws present hygiene concerns to people with specific health conditions and can be very difficult to clean.
It's not acceptable to have straws 'available on request' for disabled customers. This is unnecessary gatekeeping that contributes to feelings of guilt for wanting to enjoy – or needing – a drink. Nor is it acceptable for non-disabled people to expect disabled people to carry a straw everywhere we go just in case we get thirsty. Passing yet another cost onto disabled people isn't suitable if you accept that society bears a responsibility to make the world more accessible for everyone. After all, environmental justice without social justice isn't justice at all.
Starbucks have a successful track record when it comes to access and disability inclusion: where your organization leads, others follow. Unfortunately the straw debate is no different, as local coffee shops across Europe and North America abandon plastic straws without considering the needs of disabled people. However, you're in a position to change that.
It is our view that the only solution that will rid our oceans, beaches and parks of unnecessary single-use plastics and meet the needs of disabled people is for organizations such as Starbucks to invest in the research and development of a new straw that is accessible for everyone, including non-disabled people.
Our question is simple. Will you work with us, and disabled people around the world, by committing to sourcing an environmentally friendly solution that meets our needs?
This letter has been co-signed by disabled people's organizations, disability charities, notable disabled commentators and political representatives from across Europe and North America.
We look forward to your response.
Jamie Szymkowiak and Pam Duncan-Glancy
www.oneinfive.scot
Disabled People's Organizations & Charities
Glasgow Disability Alliance
Raul Krauthausen, Founder of wheelmap.org, on behalf of Ability Watch
Michel Arriens on behalf of BKMF e.V.
Disability Agenda Scotland
Action on Hearing Loss Scotland
Capability Scotland
RNIB Scotland
SAMH
Sense Scotland
Embla Guðrúnar Ágústsdóttir and Freyja Haraldsdóttir, co-Founders, on behalf of Tabú
Health & Social Care Scotland (The ALLIANCE)
Cumbria Down's Syndrome Support Group
WOW Campaign
Alice Wong, Founder and Director, Disability Visibility Project
Ian Langtree, Director, on behalf of Disabled World
People First (Scotland)
Notable disability rights activists and political representatives
Baroness Tanni Grey Thomson
Míriam Nogueras, VP of the Catalan Democrats (PDeCAT) and MP in the Spanish Congress
Robert Gale, Artistic Director, Birds of Paradise Theatre Company
Debra Torrance, on behalf of Ungagged
Cllr Dennis Robertson
Cllr Robert Mooney
Sandra Webster, on behalf of the SSP Disability Network
Susan Douglas-Scott, Chair of Independent Living Fund
Scottish Trades Union Congress (STUC)
[1] https://news.starbucks.com/press-releases/starbucks-to-eliminate-plastic-straws-globally-by-2020
[2] https://news.starbucks.com/views/follow-up-to-starbucks-sustainability-news
Translations of the Letter
Plastik-Strohhalme für Menchen mit Behinderung
Pailles en plastique pour les personnes handicapées
Pajitas de plástico para discapacitados
Canyetes de plàstic per a persones amb discapacitat
February 22, 2016 / by admin
One Year On
One year on from their launch, the cross party campaign group One in Five, rallied together outside the Scottish Parliament today to remind Scotland's Political Parties of their commitments to address the under-representation of disabled people in politics and the need to put disabled people's rights at the heart of the campaign for Holyrood. Since their launch…
September 7, 2015 / by admin
#RealCarersWeek
By Sandra Webster, National Co-Spokesperson for Scottish Socialist Party This week the world has circled round the sun for another 52 weeks and it is again time for Carer's week. It is a time when what carers do is celebrated. It usually has a theme and this year it is Carer friendly communities. If all…
When flexibility isn't healthy
by Shona Graham My mum was 21 years old when she had me, at that age she needed a hip replacement but she was told she was too young. I grew up with a mum who had arthritis and I thought that was normal. I first started getting arthritic pain in my joints at about…
March 17, 2016 / by admin
Let 2016 be the year we break down the barriers on mental health
By Jamie Walker Mental Health is one of the biggest challenge we face in Scotland. The barriers and inequalities facing Scots with mental health conditions should remind us why we need to continue to fight the stigma and discrimination that exists in 21st century Scotland. I spoke about this recently at the first ever SNP…
Tweets by oneinfivescot
About One in Five
One in Five is a campaign to encourage, empower and increase political participation amongst disabled people in Scotland.
One in Five is promoted by Jamie Szymkowiak of 20 Cromwell St, Dunoon PA23 7AU
© 2015 The One in Five Campaign; Site developed by XY&Z Creative Ltd.


text:
Q: How can I sort field if another filed is not null? How can I sort field if another filed is not null? I have data like the following and I want sort by pinOrder, pin, created. But I want to sort based on pinOrder only pin field not null, If pin field is null, just sort data by created.
Can this be solved by an aggregation pipeline?
[
  {
    "id": "62b9c1d74321afff4cb4e652",
    "created": "2022-06-27T14:42:31.726Z",
    "pin": "2022-06-27T14:42:31.703Z",
    "pin_order": 1
  },
  {
    "id": "62b55d6ee0e1fa12861f8cb8",
    "created": "2022-06-24T06:45:02.126Z",
    "pin": null,
    "pin_order": 1
  },
  {
    "id": "629a212eda64722e286d29f6",
    "created": "2022-06-03T14:56:46.980Z",
    "pin": null,
    "pin_order": 1
  }
]

A: Yes, this can be solved using an aggregation pipeline. If you want to retrieve pinned items first, followed by the rest in order of creation, you can use the following pipeline (playground):
[
  {
    $set: {
      "sortField": {
        $cond: {
          if: {
            $ne: [
              "$pin",
              null
            ]
          },
          then: "$pin_order",
          else: 9999999
        }
      }
    }
  },
  {
    $sort: {
      sortField: 1,
      created: 1
    }
  },
  {
    $unset: "sortField"
  }
]

This pipeline creates an artificial field for sorting; if an item is pinned, the pin_order value is used, otherwise a value with a high number (higher than the expected pin_order values) is used so that all items that are not pinned will be added after the pinned items.
You could optimize this by using a high number as default for the pin_order field instead of 1 as in your sample data. Then there is no need for an aggregation pipeline and you can sort the data directly. As soon as an item is pinned, you assign a lower value to the pin_order property.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Q: How to show a webpage in full screen on all platforms? I am trying to show my JSF/Primefaces webpages in full screen mode so the address bar is hidden whenever the page loads.
Any help will be appreciated.


text:
L'art islàmic a Portugal es va desenvolupar arran de l'ocupació musulmana del país (712-1249).

Art islàmic
El terme art islàmic es refereix a la unitat creativa d'un art i una arquitectura pròpies d'una civilització de gran extensió geogràfica.

En els primers temps de l'islam va sorgir un art ric i variat basat en la tradició clàssica, en l'art romà d'Orient, persa i d'altres pobles orientals conquerits. L'originalitat de les estructures arquitectòniques i dels motius ornamentals creà un art propi, típicament musulmà.

L'ornamentació és, sens dubte, un dels aspectes que més va contribuir a la unificació de l'art islàmic. La gran profusió de superfícies decorades fa que les estructures queden parcialment amagades, un fenomen conegut com a horror vacui. La repetició de motius -geomètrics, cosmològics, la cal·ligrafia i motius d'origen vegetal estilitzats- i la combinació de materials i textures creen un efecte tridimensional que confereix als edificis una aura de misteri i harmonia, en què participen igualment la llum i l'aigua. Altres elements decoratius característics en són els adorns d'estuc treballat.

El rebuig de qualsevol imatge figurativa (aniconisme) és també característic de l'art islàmic. Es deu al perill d'idolatria, o siga, de la veneració d'imatges que simbolitzen éssers d'un altre món. Els motius figuratius, però, sí que apareixen sovint en objectes domèstics.

En l'arquitectura destaquen els edificis de caràcter religiós, les mesquites, l'origen de les quals és la casa del profeta Mahoma. Les primeres estructures d'ordre religiós apareixen després del desplaçament del centre del poder de Medina a Damasc i Jerusalem: la Cúpula de la Roca, a Jerusalem, i també la Mesquita de Damasc. Quasi totes les mesquites s'orienten a la Meca, tenen un mihrab on l'imam dirigeix la litúrgia; també contenen un minaret on el muetzí convoca l'oració cinc vegades al dia. Les mesquites enclouen un sector cobert (haram) i un altre de descobert (sahn). També en l'arquitectura residencial, les cases i els palaus tenen els seus espais organitzats a l'entorn de patis interiors.

L'art islàmic a l'Algarve Al-Àndalus

Amb el Califat de Còrdova, que es va mantenir fins al 1031, l'Al-Àndalus esdevingué el punt més important de l'Occident islàmic. S'hi crearen estils culturals molt característics a causa de la situació geogràfica del territori, pel contacte entre les cultures cristiana i musulmana i la influència dels conqueridors anteriors: romans i visigots.

L'art al Gharb al-Àndalus s'assemblava molt al de la resta de la península Ibèrica, tot i que els vestigis que ens han arribat no tinguen l'espectacularitat de Còrdova, Sevilla o Granada, a causa de la seua posició perifèrica en relació amb els grans centres de poder.

L'urbanisme, l'arquitectura, tant civil com militar i religiosa, i els objectes d'ús quotidià, van ser els camps artístics més desenvolupats en l'art islàmic de l'Algarve d'Al-Àndalus.

L'arc de ferradura, d'influència visigòtica, és sens dubte una imatge característica de la civilització musulmana a Portugal i la resta de la península Ibèrica. La seua imatge, unida als monuments civils i religiosos més importants, es confondrà aviat, de manera definitiva, amb l'art islàmic.

La pintura i l'escultura a penes s'hi desenvoluparen, per qüestions religioses, tret de les arts decoratives, amb el fi d'adornar edificis i objectes. Són notables els capitells de les columnes.

La ceràmica va tenir un paper molt important en la vida quotidiana de les alcassabes i alqueries islàmiques. Moltes de les formes i usos dels objectes produïts pels artesans de l'època perduraren fins als nostres temps.

Urbanisme
Les ciutats islàmiques se situaven en punts estratègics de l'Algarve Al-Àndalus, dominant, en general, importants cursos d'aigua, com ara: Al-Uśbuna (Lisboa), Santarin (Santarém), Kulūmriyya (Coïmbra), Mārtula (Mértola) o Xilb (Silves). Les ciutats islàmiques reaprofitaren espais, estructures i materials del període romà.En l'alcassaba fortificada es trobava l'alcàsser, amb funcions exclusivament militars, i una zona residencial, on hi havia el palau, les dependències de la cort i les residències de militars i operaris relacionats amb el palau.

Els ravals eren una mena de suburbis, zones residencials situades fora muralla.

En les ciutats més grans hi havia la medina, on es trobaven els principals edificis públics, tant polítics com religiosos, entre els quals l'aljama – mesquita principal de la ciutat. La medina era envoltada per una muralla o tanca, que la separava dels ravals. L'entrada a la medina era solament possible durant el dia, perquè de nit la porta se'n tancava.

Als barris residencials, les cases eixien als adarbs –carrers laberíntics i sinuosos– que sovint eren culs de sac. Les cases eren tenien poques obertures a l'exterior, per protegir la intimitat familiar.

De la ciutat depenien directament els camps i hortes circumdants, que diàriament n'abastien els mercats, i també alguns poblats rurals –les alqueries. L'alqueria podia ser un poblat únic, fortificat o no, o podia agrupar petits poblats, que tenien un perímetre fortificat on podien guardar el ramat en cas de perill. El primer tipus d'alqueria única existeix sobretot a l'Alt Alentejo. El segon tipus d'alqueria, amb petits poblats associats, existeix més predominantment al Baix Alentejo i Algarve.

Arquitectura
En l'arquitectura islàmica s'adoptaren diverses solucions i tècniques constructives per resoldre problemes d'ordre estructural dels edificis. Els arcs hi ocupen un lloc important. Les arcades amb columnes amb capitells, a vegades ricament treballats, foren una de les solucions estructurals també emprades.

Pocs arcs en ferradura a Portugal han resistit fins hui: a la Porta de la Vila de Faro, un dels accessos a la medina d'Elvas, en quatre portes de la Mesquita de Mértola es troben encara alguns d'aquests arcs en molt bon estat de conservació. Respecte als capitells, tot i que molts n'han arribat als nostres dies, es presenten fora del context inicial.

Les parets d'argila foren també importants com a material de construcció de moltes estructures, i a vegades s'intercalava amb pilars de maçoneria. En el cas de les parets més pobres, el revestiment amb calç era essencial per a la durada de l'obra.

Referències

Història de Portugal
Art de l'islam
Art de Portugal

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
A Study Guide for the 2014 Ridvan Message
15 Jun 2014 bahmauritius	Leave a comment
(permission to publish on our web site granted from the author )
For this year's Ridvan Message, I have taken every sentence in order, and asked a question to reflect on it. Not a word from the message has been omitted, nor has anything been taken out of order. Each idea is presented exactly as written.
THE UNIVERSAL HOUSE OF JUSTICE
Ridvan 2014
To the Baha'is ofthe World
Dearly loved Friends,
Paragraph One
What has happened in the first three years of the current plan?
A full three years have passed since the inception of the current stage in the unfoldment of the Divine Plan, an undertaking that binds together the followers of Bahá'u'lláh in one united spiritual endeavour.
How much time is left in this plan?
Just two years separate the friends of God from its fixed conclusion.
What are the 2 essential movements which propel the process of growth?
The two essential movements which continue to propel the process of growth—the steady flow of participants through the sequence of training institute courses and the movement of clusters along a continuum of development . . .
How have these been reinforced?
. . . have both been immensely reinforced by the outpouring of energy released at the youth conferences held last year.
What capacity have we acquired and what will happen as a result?
The expanded capacity the Bahá'í world has acquired for mobilizing large numbers of young people in the field of service can now yield further fruit.
What are the critical tasks for the time that remains?
For in the time that remains, the critical tasks of strengthening existing programmes of growth and beginning new ones urgently beckon.
What are we well positioned to accomplish?
The community of the Greatest Name is well positioned, before the expiration of this period, to add to the clusters where such programmes have already emerged the two thousand that remain of the goal.
Paragraph Two
What is the House of Justice glad to see?
How glad we are to see that this endeavour is being vigorously advanced across the far-flung regions of the globe, and in a diversity of circumstances and settings, in clusters already numbering some three thousand.
What is happening in the clusters around the world?
Many clusters are at a point where momentum is being generated through the implementation of a few simple lines of action. In others, after successive cycles of activity, the number of individuals taking initiative within the framework of the Plan has increased and the pitch of activity intensified
What makes souls more readily attracted to participate?
As the quality of the process of spiritual education is enhanced through experience, souls are more readily attracted to participate in it.
What can we do when there is a lull in activity or an obstacle to the way forward?
From time to time, there may be a lull in activity or an obstacle to the way forward; searching consultation on the reasons for the impasse, combined with patience, courage, and perseverance, enables momentum to be regained.
Where programs of growth are increasing in scope and complexity, what is happening with the 3 protagonists?
In more and more clusters, the programme of growth is increasing in scope and complexity, commensurate with the rising capacity of the Plan's three protagonists—the individual, the community, and the institutions of the Faith—to create a mutually supportive environment.
What is happening in clusters where a hundred or more individuals are facilitating growth?
And we are delighted that, as anticipated, there are a growing number of clusters where a hundred or more individuals are now facilitating the engagement of a thousand or more in weaving a pattern of life, spiritual, dynamic, transformative.
What is underlying the process from the start?
Underlying the process even from the start is, of course, a collective movement towards the vision of material and spiritual prosperity set forth by Him Who is the Lifegiver of the World.
What happens when such large numbers are involved?
But when such large numbers are involved, the movement of an entire population becomes discernible.
Paragraph Three
Where is the movement especially in evidence?
This movement is especially in evidence in those clusters where a local Mashriqu'l-Adhkár is to be established.
What area is the House of Justice highlighting?
One such, by way of example, is in Vanuatu. The friends who reside on the island of Tanna . . .
How has the planned House of Worship there contributing to teaching?
. . . have made a supreme effort to raise consciousness of the planned House of Worship, and have already engaged no less than a third of the island's 30,000 inhabitants in an expanding conversation about its significance in a variety of ways.
How has the ability to sustain elevated conversations among so many people been refined?
The ability to sustain an elevated conversation among so many people has been refined through years of experience sharing the teachings of Bahá'u'lláh and extending the reach of a vibrant training institute.
How are junior youth groups thriving?
Junior youth groups on the island are particularly thriving, urged on by the support of village chiefs who see how the participants are spiritually empowered.
What have the young people achieved?
Encouraged by the unity and dedication that exist among them, these young people have not only dispelled the languor of passivity in themselves but have, through various practical projects, found means to work for the betterment of their community, and as a result, those of all ages, not least their own parents, have been galvanized into constructive action.
What is happening with the Local Spiritual Assemblies?
Among the believers and the wider society, the bounty of being able to turn to a Local Spiritual Assembly for guidance and for the resolution of difficult situations is being recognized, and in turn, the decisions of the Spiritual Assemblies are increasingly characterized by wisdom and sensitivity.
What happens when the elements of the Plan's framework for action are combined into a coherent whole?
There is much here to indicate that, when the elements of the Plan's framework for action are combined into a coherent whole, the impact on a population can be profound.
What are the friends of Vanuatu exploring?
And it is against the background of ongoing expansion and consolidation—the thirtieth cycle of the intensive programme of growth has recently concluded—that the friends are actively exploring, with the rest of the island's inhabitants, what it means for a Mashriqu'l-Adhkár, a "collective centre for men's souls", to be raised up in their midst. With the active support of traditional leaders, Tanna islanders have offered no less than a hundred design ideas for the Temple, demonstrating the extent to which the House of Worship has captured imaginations, and opening up enthralling prospects for the influence it is set to exert on the lives lived beneath its shade.
Paragraph Four
What is happening in the advanced clusters?
This heartening account has its counterpart in numerous advanced clusters where the implications of Bahá'u'lláh's teachings are being brought to bear on the conditions of life in neighbourhoods and villages.
What and how are people learning?
In each, a people, increasingly aware of the Person of Bahá'u'lláh, is learning, through reflection on experience, consultation, and study, how to act on the truths enshrined in His Revelation, such that the widening circle of spiritual kindred is ever more closely bound together by ties of collective worship and service.
Paragraph Five
What are the communities that have progressed furthest doing?
In many ways, the communities that have progressed furthest are tracing an inviting path for others to follow.
What is fostering progress along the path of development?
Yet whatever the level of activity in a cluster, it is the capacity for learning among the local friends, within a common framework, that fosters progress along the path of development.
Whose contribution is most important?
Everyone has a share in this enterprise; the contribution of each serves to enrich the whole.
What qualities exist in the most dynamic clusters, irrespective of the resources the community possesses or the number of activities being undertaken?
The most dynamic clusters are those in which, irrespective of the resources the community possesses or the number of activities being undertaken, the friends appreciate that their task is to identify what is required for progress to occur—the nascent capacity that must be nurtured, the new skill that must be acquired, the initiators of a fledgling effort who must be accompanied, the space for reflection that must be cultivated, the collective endeavour that must be coordinated—and then find creative ways in which the necessary time and resources can be made available to achieve it.
The friends appreciate that their task is to
identify what is required for progress to occur
the nascent capacity that must be nurtured
the new skill that must be acquired
the initiators of a fledgling effort who must be accompanied
the space for reflection that must be cultivated
the collective endeavour that must be coordinated
find creative ways in which the necessary time and resources can be made available to achieve it.
What is the bounty in each set of circumstances presenting challenges?
The very fact that each set of circumstances presents its own challenges is enabling every community not simply to benefit from what is being learned in the rest of the Bahá'í world but also to add to that body of knowledge.
What does awareness of this reality free us from?
Awareness of this reality frees one from the fruitless search for a rigid formula for action while still allowing the insights gleaned in diverse settings to inform the process of growth as it takes a particular shape in one's own surroundings.
How does this relate to our conceptions of success and failure?
This entire approach is completely at odds with narrow conceptions of "success" and "failure" that breed freneticism or paralyse volition.
What is needed?
Detachment is needed. When effort is expended wholly for the sake of God then all that occurs belongs to Him and every victory won in His Name is an occasion to celebrate His praise.
Paragraph Six
What is the relationship between effort exerted and heavenly aid vouchsafed?
So much in the Writings of our Faith describes the relationship between effort exerted and the heavenly aid vouchsafed in response: "If only ye exert the effort," is the Master's reassurance in one of His Tablets, "it is certain that these splendours will shine out, these clouds of mercy will shed down their rain, these life-giving winds will rise and blow, this sweet-smelling musk will be scattered far and wide."
What is the House of Justice praying for on our behalf in the Holy Shrines?
In our frequent visits to the Holy Shrines, we earnestly entreat the Almighty on your behalf that He may sustain and strengthen you, that your endeavours to reach out to those yet unacquainted with the divine teachings and confirm them in His Cause may be richly blessed, and that your reliance on His limitless favours may be unwavering. Never are you absent from our prayers, and never will we cease remembering in our supplications your consecrated acts of faithfulness.
What is 'Abdu'l-Bahá's emphatic call to action?
As we contemplate the imperatives that lie before the followers of the Blessed Beauty over the next two years, the Master's emphatic call to action is a spur to the spirit: "Tear asunder the veils, remove the obstacles, proffer the life-giving waters, and point out the path of salvation."
tear asunder the veils
remove the obstacles
proffer the life-giving waters
point out the path of salvation.
[signed: The Universal House of Justice]
please go to this site
http://susangammage.com/a-study-guide-for-the-2014-ridvan-message
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text:
Given(/^there are some specialist sectors$/) do
  stub_specialist_sectors
end

When(/^I start editing a draft document$/) do
  begin_drafting_publication(title: "A Specialist Publication")
end

Then(/^I can tag it to some specialist sectors$/) do
  primary_select = using_design_system? ? "edition[primary_specialist_sector_tag]" : "Primary specialist topic tag"
  secondary_select = using_design_system? ? "edition[secondary_specialist_sector_tags][]" : "Additional specialist topics"

  select "Oil and Gas: Wells", from: primary_select
  select "Oil and Gas: Offshore", from: secondary_select
  select "Oil and Gas: Fields", from: secondary_select
  select "Oil and Gas: Distillation (draft)", from: secondary_select

  click_button using_design_system? ? "Update specialist topics" : "Save"

  expect(page).to have_selector(".flash.notice")

  click_on "Edit draft"
  check "Applies to all UK nations"
  click_on "Save and continue"
  click_on "Update and review specialist topic tags"

  expect("WELLS").to eq(find_field(primary_select).value)
  expect(%w[OFFSHORE FIELDS DISTILL].to_set)
    .to eq(find_field(secondary_select).value.to_set)
end

Given(/^there is a document tagged to specialist sectors$/) do
  @document = create(:published_publication, :guidance)
  document_base_path = PublishingApiPresenters.presenter_for(@document).content[:base_path]
  parent_base_path = "/parent-topic"

  document_content_item = content_item_for_base_path(document_base_path)
                            .merge(
                              "links" => {
                                "parent" => [
                                  {
                                    "base_path" => parent_base_path,
                                    "links" => {
                                      "parent" => [
                                        {
                                          "title" => "Top Level Topic",
                                          "web_url" => "http://gov.uk/top-level-topic",
                                        },
                                      ],
                                    },
                                  },
                                ],
                                "topics" => [
                                  {
                                    "title" => "Topic 1",
                                  },
                                  {
                                    "title" => "Topic 2",
                                  },
                                ],
                              },
                            )

  stub_content_store_has_item(document_base_path, document_content_item)
end

Then(/^I should see the specialist sub-sector and its parent sector$/) do
  within "article header" do
    expect(page).to have_content("Top Level Topic")
    expect(page).to have_selector("dd", text: "Topic 1 and Topic 2")
  end
end

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


I love carp fishing but it's easy for less experienced anglers to get lost in the technical jungle which surrounds the sport. I've always liked to keep my carping as simple as possible. There is no mystery or magic behind the effectiveness of a really sharp hook! For me, carp fishing is a succession of very small details done well. If you get all the basics right, you eliminate all the reasons why you're not catching. I hope you enjoy these how-to's and find them useful in your carp fishing. Please note that I am in no way associated with, or sponsored by any company or organisation.


The Yale in New York series at the Yale School of Music concludes its 2014–15 season with two concerts by the Yale Percussion Group. The YPG, directed by Robert van Sice, will perform in Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall on Sunday, January 25 at 2 pm.
The night before, they will give their annual concert in Morse Recital Hall, located in Sprague Hall on the Yale campus, at 7:30 pm. This concert will also stream live online.
For decades, musical groups from Yale have flown all over the world in the summers to perform. But the 12-day trip that members of the undergraduate Yale Concert Band and the School of Music's Yale Percussion Group took to Ghana in May wasn't just for sharing their own music but also for learning about Ghana's musical culture.
The Yale Percussion Group was among the winners of the PASIC Ensemble Competition. As a winner of the competition, which is organized by the Percussive Arts Society, the ensemble is invited to perform a Daytime Showcase Concert at PASIC 2014, held in Indianapolis, Indiana.
The Yale Percussion Group (YPG) is directed by Robert van Sice.


text:
Weekend's best: Cranbrook celebrates design master
Other things happening June 15-21: Sunset at the Zoo fund-raiser, Motor City Irish Fest, Arts and Acts Festival in Northville
Weekend's best: Cranbrook celebrates design master Other things happening June 15-21: Sunset at the Zoo fund-raiser, Motor City Irish Fest, Arts and Acts Festival in Northville Check out this story on Freep.com: http://on.freep.com/2suj3JG
Detroit Free Press Published 8:53 p.m. ET June 14, 2017
A view of the Alexander Girard exhibit at the Vitra Design Museum in Weil am Rhein, Germany.(Photo: Mark Niedermann,Vitra Deisgn Museum)
Cranbrook Art Museum is hosting the U.S. debut of "ALEXANDER GIRARD: A DESIGNER'S UNIVERSE," an exhibit showcasing the career of the famed 20th-Century designer (1907-93) whose work across the fields of architecture, interior design, textiles and graphics helped define mid-century modernism. Born in New York City and raised in Italy, Girard moved to Grosse Pointe in 1937, where he maintained a design office and retail space. After departing for New Mexico in 1953, he maintained his Michigan ties and was head of the textile and fabric division of Zeeland furniture maker Herman Miller. Over the years, he collaborated with such famed designers and architects such as Charles and Ray Eames, Eero Saarinen and George Nelson. The exhibit at Cranbrook opens to the public Saturday and will include a chat at 1 p.m. with Herman Miller execs Sam Grawe and Amy Auscherman about Girard's affiliation with the company. It will be followed by a chat with two of Girard's grandchildren.
Regular hours: 11 a.m-5 p.m. Tuesday-Sunday, Cranbrook Art Museum, Bloomfield Hills. cranbrookartmuseum.org. $10, $8 ages 65 and older, $6 for students with ID. Through Oct. 8.
There'll be art in the streets, art on the sidewalks and music in the air this weekend in Northville as the sixth edition of the city's ARTS AND ACTS FESTIVAL unfolds downtown. As usual, the centerpiece of the weekend is the annual Art in the Sun, a juried outdoor fine art show featuring the work of 70 artists. Other attractions include the Sandbox Play Festival, a showcase for short works by local playwrights, at Tipping Point Theatre; a sidewalk chalk art event presented by the Northville Art House and a music lineup featuring Thornetta Davis (Friday), John Holk & the Sequins (Saturday) and GFK Trio (Sunday). Like any good summer festival, Arts and Acts offers lots of activities for kiddies. Food and drink will be plentiful, too.
3-8 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Saturday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday, June 16-18, Main and Center streets, downtown Northville. northvillearthouse.org.
Art in the Sun, a juried outdoor art show, is part of Arts and Acts in Northville. (Photo: Northville Chamber of Commerce)
There's good news for all you vintage-car lovers who missed last weekend's Cars R Stars at the Packard Proving Grounds and Italian Happening at the M1 Concourse. You can head to Dearborn this Father's Day weekend for Greenfield Village's MOTOR MUSTER, a massive display of nearly 400 vehicles from the 1930s through the 1970s. Enthusiasts will encounter everything from muscle and pony cars to Detroit classics to motorcycles, military vehicles and fire trucks. Special attention is being paid to the birthday of the macho Pontiac Firebird, which made its debut 50 years ago in response to the Ford Mustang and Chevy Camaro. The Motor Muster fun continues until 9 p.m. Saturday with music by swing band Paul King & the Rhythm Society Orchestra and the Andrews Sisters-inspired Satin Dolls Trio and 1940s-style dancing.
9:30 a.m.-5 p.m. (and until 9 p.m. this Saturday), June 17-18, Greenfield Village at the Henry Ford, Dearborn. thehenryford.org. $20.25-$27, free to members.
The legendary Pontiac Firebird debuted as a 1967 model with an optional 325-horsepower V-8 engine. (Photo: GENERAL MOTORS)
Green is the new black. Those are the words on the minds of Detroit Zoo officials as they prepare for Friday's SUNSET AT THE ZOO. This year's edition of the annual fund-raiser will celebrate the zoo's efforts to go green and promote sustainability. (They include banning the sale of water in plastic bottles on zoo grounds and building a contraption that converts animal manure into methane-rich gas to power the zoo's animal hospital.) Sunset at the Zoo guests will be treated to live music, dancing, zoo-themed specialty cocktails and a strolling supper featuring tastes of signature dishes and desserts from 45 metro Detroit restaurants. Also in the mix: live and silent auctions and evening visits to many of the zoo's animal habitats.
7-11:30 p.m. Friday, June 16, Detroit Zoo, Royal Oak. detroitzoo.org/sunset. Tickets start at $150. Ages 21 and older.
The Detroit Zoo will celebrate its efforts to promote sustainability at this year's Sunset at the Zoo fund-raiser. (Photo: Detroit Free Press file photo)
Who says celebrations of all things Irish need to occur only on or around St. Patrick's Day? Any time of year is a good time for dancing a jig, wolfing down corned beef or sampling whiskey — and besides, southeast Michigan is a lot greener in mid-June than it is in mid-March. Keep all that in mind as you make your way to Livonia this weekend for the MOTOR CITY IRISH FEST. The intense three-day lineup includes 24 Irish bands (including Scythian, the Druids and Blackthorn), pipe-and-drum groups, Irish dancers and storytellers, and tin whistle lessons. Also part of the fun: Irish football matches, a children's tent, an Irish mass on Sunday at noon and lots of food (fish and chips from Claddagh Irish Pub) and drink (a whiskey tasting, Guinness and more at Dunleavey's Pub).
5-11 p.m. Friday, noon-11 p.m. Saturday, 1-8 p.m. Sunday, June 16-18, Greenmead Historical Park, Livonia. motorcityirishfest.com. $12, $10 advance, $7 ages 13-17, free to ages 12 and younger. Three-day pass: $25.
Six Irish dance groups will performer at this year's Motor City Irish Fest. Irish dance lessons also will be offered. (Photo: Motor City Irish Fest)
The aroma of awesome summer food will drift through downtown Ferndale this weekend as BREWS, BBQ & BOURBON takes over East 9 Mile for three days of food, fun and live music. Available will be everything from smoky brisket to pulled pork, to an array of new incarnations of the classic Moscow Mule cocktail. A portion of profits from the festival will benefit the Community Health and Social Service Center, which aims promote and provide accessible and affordable health care.
5 p.m.-midnight Friday, noon-midnight Saturday, noon-10 p.m. Sunday, June 16-18, downtown Ferndale. brewsbbqbourbon.com. Free.
It's glam rock, it's pop, it's dance. It's athleticism, it's lyricism, it's technical training. "STAR DUST: A DAVID BOWIE TRIBUTE" returns to Music Hall for an encore performance of Bowie's life story as told through contemporary ballet. The production covers four decades of the singer's ever-changing sound and chameleon-like sense of style, which influenced multiple generations.
8 p.m. Saturday, June 17, Music Hall, Detroit. 313-887-8501. musichall.org. $30.
"Star Dust: A David Bowie Tribute" is a contemporary ballet that reveals the singer's life story. (Photo: Bree Birr)
Assemble Sound, a Detroit musicians collective, is back with ASSEMBLE U, its educational summer sessions. The free sessions offering insight into the music industry take place on the third Thursday of every summer month. The Q&A-style sessions allow visitors to pick the brains of industry experts across a range of topics. Artist management is this week's subject. Drinks will be provided by Motor City Brewing Works.
6:30-8:30 p.m. Thursday, June 15, Assemble Sound in Detroit's Corktown neighborhood. assemblesound.com. Free.
Late-night host SETH MEYERS will headline Forgotten Harvest's 25th Annual Comedy Night at the Fox Theatre. Forgotten Harvest, which collects surplus food and distributes it to emergency food providers, began the comedy night in 1992 with the help of local comedy stars Tim Allen and Mark Ridley. Over the years, the event has featured Jay Leno, Martin Short and many other talents.
8 p.m. Saturday, June 17, Fox Theatre, Detroit. olympiaentertainment.com. $28.50 and up.
Seth Meyers, host of "Late Night with Seth Meyers" on NBC, is the headliner this year for Forgotten Harvest's annual Comedy Night. (Photo: NBC)
DABBLE IN THE FARMS, now in its fifth year, is a craft beer event on the Hill in Grosse Pointe Farms. It showcases dozens of breweries — like Atwater, Bell's and Dragonmead — plus wine and spirit selections. Food trucks, artists and live entertainment are also part of the fun. Each year, the event raises money for local nonprofits and community organizations. This year, funds are going to Camp Casey, a nonprofit horseback-riding program for children with cancer.
6-10 p.m. Saturday, June 17, the Hill Municipal Lot, Grosse Pointe Farms. dabblegp.com. $50, $40 advance. Ages 21 and older.
— Greg Crawford and Ashley Zlatopolsky, Detroit Free Press
Read or Share this story: http://on.freep.com/2suj3JG
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text:
Herminia inconspicualis is een vlinder uit de familie van de spinneruilen (Erebidae). De wetenschappelijke naam van de soort is voor het eerst geldig gepubliceerd in 1883 door Grote.

inconspicualis


text:
namespace blink {
namespace scheduler {

namespace {

enum class PolicyOverride { kNoOverride, kForceDisable, kForceEnable };

bool g_intensive_wake_up_throttling_policy_override_cached_ = false;

// Returns the IntensiveWakeUpThrottling policy settings. This is checked once
// on first access and cached. Note that that this is *not* thread-safe!
PolicyOverride GetIntensiveWakeUpThrottlingPolicyOverride() {
  static PolicyOverride policy = PolicyOverride::kNoOverride;
  if (g_intensive_wake_up_throttling_policy_override_cached_)
    return policy;

  // Otherwise, check the command-line. Only values of "0" and "1" are valid,
  // anything else is ignored (and allows the base::Feature to control the
  // feature). This slow path will only be hit once per renderer process.
  g_intensive_wake_up_throttling_policy_override_cached_ = true;
  std::string value =
      base::CommandLine::ForCurrentProcess()->GetSwitchValueASCII(
          switches::kIntensiveWakeUpThrottlingPolicy);
  if (value == switches::kIntensiveWakeUpThrottlingPolicy_ForceEnable) {
    policy = PolicyOverride::kForceEnable;
  } else if (value == switches::kIntensiveWakeUpThrottlingPolicy_ForceDisable) {
    policy = PolicyOverride::kForceDisable;
  } else {
    // Necessary in testing configurations, as the policy can be parsed
    // repeatedly.
    policy = PolicyOverride::kNoOverride;
  }

  return policy;
}

}  // namespace

void ClearIntensiveWakeUpThrottlingPolicyOverrideCacheForTesting() {
  g_intensive_wake_up_throttling_policy_override_cached_ = false;
}

bool IsIntensiveWakeUpThrottlingEnabled() {
  // If policy is present then respect it.
  auto policy = GetIntensiveWakeUpThrottlingPolicyOverride();
  if (policy != PolicyOverride::kNoOverride)
    return policy == PolicyOverride::kForceEnable;
  // Otherwise respect the base::Feature.
  return base::FeatureList::IsEnabled(features::kIntensiveWakeUpThrottling);
}

// If a policy override is specified then stick to the published defaults so
// that admins get consistent behaviour that clients can't override. Otherwise
// use the base::FeatureParams.

base::TimeDelta GetIntensiveWakeUpThrottlingGracePeriod(bool loading) {
  // Controls the time that elapses after a page is backgrounded before the
  // throttling policy takes effect.
  static const base::FeatureParam<int>
      kIntensiveWakeUpThrottling_GracePeriodSeconds{
          &features::kIntensiveWakeUpThrottling,
          features::kIntensiveWakeUpThrottling_GracePeriodSeconds_Name,
          kIntensiveWakeUpThrottling_GracePeriodSeconds_Default};

  int seconds = kIntensiveWakeUpThrottling_GracePeriodSeconds_Default;
  if (GetIntensiveWakeUpThrottlingPolicyOverride() ==
      PolicyOverride::kNoOverride) {
    seconds = kIntensiveWakeUpThrottling_GracePeriodSeconds.Get();
    if (!loading && base::FeatureList::IsEnabled(
                        features::kQuickIntensiveWakeUpThrottlingAfterLoading))
      seconds = kIntensiveWakeUpThrottling_GracePeriodSeconds_Loaded;
  }
  return base::Seconds(seconds);
}

base::TimeDelta GetForegroundTimersThrottledWakeUpInterval() {
  constexpr int kForegroundTimersThrottling_WakeUpIntervalMillis_Default = 32;
  static const base::FeatureParam<int>
      kForegroundTimersThrottledWakeUpIntervalMills{
          &features::kThrottleForegroundTimers,
          "ForegroundTimersThrottledWakeUpIntervalMills",
          kForegroundTimersThrottling_WakeUpIntervalMillis_Default};
  return base::Milliseconds(
      kForegroundTimersThrottledWakeUpIntervalMills.Get());
}

const base::Feature kThreadedScrollPreventRenderingStarvation{
    "ThreadedScrollPreventRenderingStarvation",
    base::FEATURE_DISABLED_BY_DEFAULT};

const base::FeatureParam<CompositorTQPolicyDuringThreadedScroll>::Option
    kCompositorTQPolicyDuringThreadedScrollOptions[] = {
        {CompositorTQPolicyDuringThreadedScroll::kLowPriorityWithAntiStarvation,
         "low-priority-with-anti-starvation"},
        {CompositorTQPolicyDuringThreadedScroll::
             kNormalPriorityWithAntiStarvation,
         "normal-priority-with-anti-starvation"},
        {CompositorTQPolicyDuringThreadedScroll::kVeryHighPriorityAlways,
         "very-high-priority-always"}};

const base::FeatureParam<CompositorTQPolicyDuringThreadedScroll>
    kCompositorTQPolicyDuringThreadedScroll{
        &kThreadedScrollPreventRenderingStarvation, "policy",
        CompositorTQPolicyDuringThreadedScroll::kLowPriorityWithAntiStarvation,
        &kCompositorTQPolicyDuringThreadedScrollOptions};

}  // namespace scheduler
}  // namespace blink


The Mazda 3 is in great demand especially with contract hire and leasing companies. Peter Allibon the fleet and remarketing director for Mazda UK said "We are winning significant conquest business with Mazda3 as company car drivers switch from other brands". He added "having a sub 120g/km car in the range delivering low benefit-in-kind tax bills and first class fuel economy (62.8 mpg on the combined cycle) has been crucial to building Mazda3 demand." The Mazda 3 119g/km CO2 model and specifically the TS2 trim level derivative which costs £17,355 on-the-road has contributed to total fleet registrations of Mazda3 almost doubling to 849 units in March (462 registrations in March 2009).
The current 20-model Mazda3 saloon and hatchback line-up, which was launched in May last year, costs from £13,930 on-the-road for the 1.6 S and comprises a choice of three petrol engines, three diesel engines and five equipment levels. Standard equipment on the Mazda3 includes dynamic stability Control,traction Control System, six airbags, remote central locking, manual air-conditioning, welcome mode lighting and an MP3 compatible audio system with four speakers.
The safety list on the Mazda 3 is comprehensive, standard on all models are ABS, electronic brakeforce distribution, brake assist, traction control and stability control. There is also front, side and curtain airbags. The steering on the Mazda 3 has been revised and it is weightier, the body has more bracing and stronger welds to stop if flexing through the corners and this makes a big difference when driving.
Leg and headroom in the Mazda 3 are both generous to front and rear passengers although three adults in the back might become a bit uncomfortable after some time travelling. The boot isnt massive but with the 60/40 split rear seats folder over to make a flat surface this more than doubles its usable space to 635 litres.