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Blair Glencorse and Nora Rahimian: Build a Better Business Through Creative Accountability
Mar 18, 2015 by Blair Glencorse, Executive Director, Accountability Lab & Nora Rahimian, Accountability Lab
Businesses can help to solve global challenges while remaining dynamic and profitable — by fostering a culture of accountability.
It has never been good enough for businesses to think only about the bottom line. But corporate engagement around the critical issues of our time — sustainability, inequality and corruption — is now more pressing than ever. Our planet is heating up, the income gap between rich and poor is growing, and graft is ubiquitous. The 2015 Edelman Trust Barometer indicates that trust in business leaders is at an all-time low; while a recent Gallup poll showed that just 13 percent of employees are engaged at work.
At the same time, from a purely money-making perspective, it is critical that businesses foster innovation, creativity and problem-solving if they are to survive and prosper. Traditional business models, antiquated management systems and outmoded value chains are being disrupted by new technologies and thinking, driven by a younger generation of employees that cannot be ignored. Indeed, by 2025 millennials will represent 75 percent of the global workforce.
How can businesses both help to solve our collective global challenges and ensure they remain dynamic, profitable and great places to work? One word: accountability. Building a more innovative conception of, and culture around, accountability — through which staff and management take personal responsibility and are answerable for decisions and actions to each other — builds trust, improves outcomes and can and lead to all kinds of new ideas and approaches.
Since reaching a settlement for corrupt business practices in 2008, this is something that Siemens has understood fully, for example. Honest and open efforts to change the culture of accountability internally have rooted out corruption and supported significant growth in revenues; while support for its Integrity Initiative externally has catalyzed creative ideas for accountability more broadly.
It sounds intuitive, but few companies — particularly those we've seen working in the developing world — take this issue seriously enough. They often have well developed accountability systems and compliance training to adhere to laws, but this is very different than truly nurturing a mindset of integrity in a way that changes outcomes. This is not as much about enforcement or punishment as it is about values and culture. If staff, management and their partners trust each other and are mutually accountable, they can take the risks needed to truly reimagine the possible.
What does this mean in practice? First, with existing employees, it means moving away from tired trainings or boring workshops and toward interactive sessions that engage staff in ways they understand and enjoy. At the Accountability Lab, we use film, music and role-playing to make accountability relevant.
It also means making the process of building integrity fun and interesting — through honoring "compliance champions," for example; or thinking through how "ambient accountability" might fit into the workplace. Accountability leads to more honest conversations, and the learning this openness generates builds feedback loops that improve performance.
Second, in terms of recruiting, it requires tapping into the new generation of globally minded employees and aligning corporate actions with their values. In Lithuania, for example, students are mobilizing around the Clear Wave initiative — which provides a certification for clean businesses — by signing their own petition publicly indicating that they will only work for companies on the Clear Wave list. This kind of Millennial-driven change is only going to increase as the best graduates look for a combination of interest, money and value in their jobs — and companies that want to stay relevant must get ahead of the curve.
Finally, in today's world, corporate accountability means engaging external stakeholders on accountability issues — companies are expected by consumers not only to ensure their own integrity, but also that of their suppliers, distributors and partners. This means understanding the links between business and society more broadly, and actively working to help employees use novel tools to track economic, social and environmental risks. Organizations like Ulula are using new ideas and technologies along these lines, which can change the way companies understand their broader impact.
Corporations have a critical role to play in building a better world for the future. At the same time, companies that value accountability tend to have higher valuations, be more attractive to potential employees and investors, and are more likely to create the stability they need to operate effectively over the long-term. For business, accountability is a strategic investment — What are you waiting for?
(Top image: Courtesy of Thinkstock)
Blair Glencorse is Executive Director of the Accountability Lab.
Nora Rahimian is an Arts for Change Strategist at the Accountability Lab. Follow the Lab on Twitter @accountlab.
TAGS:Perspectivescompeteblair-glencorseblairglencorsenora-rahimiannorarahimianaccountability-lab
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Q: Are all sites a subsite of the root site in Microsoft Graph? I am attempting to retrieve all SharePoint Sites via the Microsoft Graph REST API
Looking at the Site resource, I can see there are methods to get a root site, to get subsites, but also, to get sites by group.
Are all SharePoint sites, including group sites able to be found as subsites of the root site? Or do I need to retrieve every group and enumerate those too?

A: To retrieve all the sites across tenant Search for sites endpoint could be utilized, for example:
GET https://graph.microsoft.com/v1.0/sites?search=*

To retrieve only group sites indeed, it appears the only supported approach would be to:

*

*list all the groups, for example: GET https://graph.microsoft.com/v1.0/groups?$filter=groupTypes/any(c:c+eq+'Unified')&$select=id

*and enumerate every group to retrieve group site:  GET https://graph.microsoft.com/v1.0/groups/{group-id}/sites/root

A: No. The organization root is a sibling to group sites.
The API does have a basic search capability, if that helps.
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/graph/api/site-search?view=graph-rest-1.0

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Megamart is a big-box home improvement retailer located in the United States. The company sells products that help customers build, enhance, and enjoy their homes. To meet the various home improvement needs of its customers, Megamart offers a complete line of products and services for decorating, maintaining, repairing, and remodeling residential buildings. With more than 2,000 retail locations, Megamart stores stock approximately 40,000 items in 26 different product categories.


Bringing fishers to conservation actions, has improved both MPA performance and fisheries management. But this is a two-way channel, and science and management also can -and need to- address participation and co-development of solutions. After 50 years of Hardin's paradigm described in "The tragedy of commons", world-wide oceans still face the threat about how to organise, share and protect common goods in a sustainable way.
COBI has developed four building blocks to reverse the degradation of the marine environment and three transversal elements of our work (collective action, citizen science, and gender equality).


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Forum 18 News Service
Latest Analyses
Transdniester
UZBEKISTAN: State bars haj pilgrims from pilgrimage
By Igor Rotar, Forum 18
Uzbekistan is restricting the number of haj pilgrimages – a requirement for all able-bodied adult Muslims who can do so – to some 20 per cent of the country's total possible number of pilgrims, Forum 18 News Service has learnt. Controls on pilgrims have been significantly increased, with potential pilgrims having to be approved by local Mahalla committees, district administrations, the NSS secret police and the state-run Haj Commission. "The authorities are deliberately giving a lower quota in regions of Uzbekistan where there are more believers," an Uzbek Muslim told Forum 18. "It would be better if most Uzbek pilgrims were elderly" the state-controlled Muftiate told Forum 18. Turkmenistan imposes the strictest Central Asian controls on haj pilgrims. Apart from Kazakhstan, all the other Central Asian states also ban non-state organised haj pilgrimages. In Kyrgyzstan last year, there were complaints that Kyrgyz places were taken by Chinese Muslims on false passports.
Uzbekistan's state Religious Affairs Committee and state-controlled Spiritual Administration of Muslims (the Muftiate) is restricting the number of Uzbek Muslims making the haj pilgrimage to 5,000, Forum 18 News Service has learnt. The quote is set by a Haj Commission comprising staff from both state-run organisations, and is higher than last year's state-imposed quota of 4,200. However, it is almost certain that more Muslims want to go on the haj than the state permits, as last year over 6,000 people wished to make the pilgrimage.
Every able-bodied adult Muslim who can afford to do so is obliged to make a haj, or pilgrimage to Mecca, once in their lifetime. This year's haj begins at the end of December. Saudi Arabia, as guardian of the Islamic holy cities of Mecca and Medina, is responsible for setting a quota for every country whose people want to make the haj. This is set at 1,000 pilgrims per million residents of a country, giving Uzbekistan a possible quota of over 25,000. But the Uzbek authorities' restriction of the numbers allowed means that only a fifth of the Muslims who could potentially make the haj can actually make it.
Control over haj pilgrims has tightened since last year. Zafar Tursunov, of the Muftiate's International Department told Forum 18 from Tashkent on 28 November that the state-limited quota of 5,000 people will be spread among the Mahalla committees. These are the lowest level of state authority, corresponding to a city district, and are a key instrument in Uzbekistan's restrictions on its citizens' religious freedom (see F18News 1 December 2005 http://www.forum18.org/Archive.php?article_id=698).
The Mahalla committees will allocate haj places, as they did until 2005 (see F18News 19 January 2005 http://www.forum18.org/Archive.php?article_id=493). The names of those approved by the Mahalla committee will then be sent to the national Haj Commission, which can also veto pilgrimage applications.
"The authorities are deliberately giving a lower quota in regions of Uzbekistan where there are more believers, such as the Fergana [Farghona] Valley," one Muslim, who preferred not to be named, told Forum 18 from Namangan in late November. "In Namangan, for example, lots of people have asked several times to make the pilgrimage, and yet in Karakalpakstan [Qorakalpoghiston], where the population is less religious, places on the pilgrimage can end up unfilled."
The Karakalpakstan region, in north-west Uzbekistan, is known for attacks on religious freedom, with all Protestant Christian activity of any kind being illegal in the region (see F18News 16 October 2006 http://www.forum18.org/Archive.php?article_id=855).
The US-based political scientist Alisher Khamidov, amplifying comments he originally published in eurasianet.org, told Forum 18 that in February 2006, soon after the end of the last haj at the beginning of this year, the Namangan regional administration adopted an instruction restricting pilgrims to those aged between 40 and 65 years. He said other regions are reportedly preparing to implement similar measures.
Muslims in the strongly Muslim Fergana Valley told Khamidov this summer that, in addition to Mahalla committee controls, potential pilgrims must be endorsed by the National Security Service (NSS) secret police and the district administration. Only then is the pilgrimage application sent to the Haj Commission for it to consider.
State control of pilgrims is further enhanced by the state's insistence that pilgrimages can only be made using the state-run airline, Uzbekistan Airways (see F18News 19 January 2005 http://www.forum18.org/Archive.php?article_id=493).
Tursunov of the Muftiate denied to Forum 18 that there is a specific ban on younger pilgrims. "There is no ban on young people making the haj pilgrimage and there will be young people among the pilgrims this year," he told Forum 18. "But it is true that we are trying to persuade young Muslims not to use up the quota. It would be better if most Uzbek pilgrims were elderly." He did not indicate why the state has decided this.
Additional obstacles face Uzbekistan's Shia Muslims, estimated at around 300,000 people, who are mainly ethnic Iranians in the south of the country. Shia customs are markedly different from those of the majority Sunni Muslims, causing Uzbek Shia pilgrims difficulty when travelling in Sunni-dominated pilgrimage groups from Uzbekistan (see F18News 27 April 2004 http://www.forum18.org/Archive.php?article_id=307).
However, Turkmenistan still imposes the strictest controls in Central Asia on haj pilgrims (see F18News 5 January 2006 http://www.forum18.org/Archive.php?article_id=711). In early November the Turkmen government announced that, as in previous years, only 188 pilgrims will be permitted – only enough to fit on one aeroplane of the state-run Turkmenistan Airlines – far below the quota allocated to Turkmenistan by the Saudi authorities.
With the exception of Kazakhstan, all the other Central Asian states also ban haj pilgrimages which are not organised by the government and insist that pilgrims must use national state-run airlines.
In Kyrgyzstan pilgrims could in earlier years travel to Mecca independently, reports Shamsybek Zakirov of the state Religious Affairs Committee. "Numerous tourist companies took advantage of this and took pilgrims to Mecca by bus," he told Forum 18 from Osh on 28 November. "But many of these companies were quite unscrupulous and as a result a number of pilgrims who set off by bus last year simply never reached Mecca." Zakirov said that this was why the Kyrgyz government issued a decree, on 13 December 2005, that pilgrims can only make the haj pilgrimage using the national airline.
Zakirov also said that the government had limited the number of Kyrgyz pilgrims to 4,500 and that pilgrims have to be approved by the local authorities where they live. "Anyone can make the haj pilgrimage, if he has the 1,500 dollars needed to travel to Mecca," he told Forum 18. "But the number of people who wish to make the haj pilgrimage will be even lower than the established quota." Kyrgyzstan's population is around 5 million, putting the total number of haj pilgrims permitted by Saudi Arabia at around 5,000. It is certainly possible that Zakirov's prediction may be proved right.
However, last year Kyrgyzstan was given 4,500 places by Saudi Arabia, but a further 2,000 applicants complained of being unable to travel. They claimed that about 2,000 Kyrgyz places had been taken by Muslims from neighbouring China who had bought faked Kyrgyz passports (see F18News 5 January 2006 http://www.forum18.org/Archive.php?article_id=711).
In Tajikistan, controls have loosened this year. "Until last year the government had a quota for the number of pilgrims, but this year, the only limit on the quota has been set by Riyadh itself," Hikmatulla Saifullozoda, head of the Islamic Revival Party's analysis centre, told Forum 18 from Dushanbe on 28 November. "The quota is so high that we simply will not find that many people in Tajikistan who wish to make the pilgrimage." Tajikistan's Islamic Revival Party is the only legal Islamic political party in Central Asia.
Muslims in Kazakhstan have not so far complained about any government-imposed restrictions. "The only restriction on travel to Mecca is the quota imposed by Saudi Arabia, which is several times higher than the number of potential Kazakh pilgrims," Murat Telibekov, head of the independent Union of Muslims in Kazakhstan, told Forum 18 from Almaty on 28 November. "Therefore Kazakh believers have no difficulty in making the haj pilgrimage." (END)
For a personal commentary by a Muslim scholar, advocating religious freedom for all faiths as the best antidote to Islamic religious extremism in Uzbekistan, see http://www.forum18.org/Archive.php?article_id=338.
For more background, see Forum 18's Uzbekistan religious freedom survey at http://www.forum18.org/Archive.php?article_id=777.
For an analysis of whether the May 2005 Andijan events changed state religious policy in the year following, see http://www.forum18.org/Archive.php?article_id=778. For an outline of what is known about Akramia itself, see http://www.forum18.org/Archive.php?article_id=586, and for a May 2005 analysis of what happened in Andijan see http://www.forum18.org/Archive.php?article_id=567.
A survey of the religious freedom decline in the eastern part of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) area is at http://www.forum18.org/Archive.php?article_id=806, and of religious intolerance in Central Asia is at http://www.forum18.org/Archive.php?article_id=815.
A printer-friendly map of Uzbekistan is available at http://www.nationalgeographic.com/xpeditions/atlas/index.html?Parent=asia&Rootmap=uzbeki.
Copyright © 2003 - 2020: Forum 18 News Service
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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text:
Local Artisans Are Thriving Amid Kakaako's Condo Boom
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Local Artisans Are Thriving Amid Kakaako's Condo Boom
If they make the right connections, artists, woodworkers and other creative types can benefit from the development of all those shiny skyscrapers.
By Stewart Yerton / March 26, 2019
Reading time: 8 minutes.
Located on a narrow side street in Kalihi, Dae Son's Wood Hi, is a world away from the gleaming high rises and hip eateries of nearby Kakaako, but the woodshop has strong ties to the fast-growing district.
Son has a small but steady flow of business from Kakaako thanks to Miwa Yamamuro, the principal of the interior design firm Muro Designs. Yamamuro has built a thriving business designing interiors of the new luxury condos sprouting up in Kakaako and Ala Moana. And artisans like Son, as well as local artists, are part of the equation.
"It's Hawaii," Yamamuro says, explaining why clients want local design elements in their homes. "And they want to feel like they're in Hawaii."
Designer Miwa Yamamuro, principal of Muro Designs in Honolulu, has worked with woodworker Dae Son to produce art pieces for Kakaako condo projects.
Jen Toba-Davila, senior architectural designer with Philpotts Interiors, agreed that condo buyers want something uniquely expressive of Hawaii, a conversation starter or "memory maker."
"They're always looking for something that's handcrafted, locally made to locally sourced," she said.
Negative side effects of development are well known and oft-discussed: increased traffic, gentrification and heightened demand for public services like waste management, among others. But the experience of people like Yamamuro and Son shows one of the positive results: increased demand for the work of fine artists, photographers and artisans like Son, also known as "makers."
'A New Urban Community'
There are no data on how much work Kakaako's condos have spun off for artists and makers. What is known is that the creative industries produce substantial jobs and income in Hawaii. According to a recent report released by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, "core" arts and culture production jobs – mainly performing arts, writers, museums, arts educators and design services like Muro Designs – generated just under $340 million in income in Hawaii in 2016 and employed about 6,800 people.
That doesn't count what the bureau calls supporting arts and cultural industries, including publishing, broadcasting and motion picture production, which employed almost 15,000 people and generated about $950 million in income in 2016.
The supporting industries have gotten a big boost from Hawaii taxpayers, who subsidize movie and television production by paying producers back as much as 25 cents for every dollar they spend on Hawaii-based projects, even for money spent out of state. While there's no such support for most other arts and design jobs, there has been enormous private investment in Kakaako, the former light industrial neighborhood stretching from Ala Moana to the edge of downtown.
As of December, Howard Hughes Corp., a Dallas-based real estate investment trust, had either opened or was constructing 2,129 condominiums in its master-planned Ward Village project encompassing the east end of the neighborhood. That does not count properties developed at the west end and in neighborhoods on land owned by Kamehameha Schools.
And Howard Hughes' plans envision more down the line.
The magnitude of the development is staggering. The estimated cost for Howard Hughes' five projects alone, two of which are under construction, is approaching $2 billion, and the company reported profits of $726 million in its report to shareholders for 2018.
Honolulu photographer Franco Salmoiraghi scored a major coup with a commission to use his photographs on common spaces at Howard Hughes' Waiea condo project.
Courtesy photograph by Franco Sa
The boom has supported a lively art scene that gives soul to what could be a stark new neighborhood. Pow! Wow!, an annual arts festival that has brought a collection of street murals to Kakaako, recently wrapped up. And the Honolulu Biennial is now underway, its main exhibition space located at Ward Village. There's also a community of creatives in the neighborhood, working out of collective workspaces like Lana Lane Studios even as the area goes upscale.
Toba-Davila said it's not surprising that there are still pockets of artists and makers in and near Kakaako, despite the gentrification.
"That's what makes Kakaako so dynamic and interesting," said Toba-Davila-Davila, who serves on the executive committee of the American Institute of Architects in Hawaii. "I hope they're always there."
Howard Hughes recognizes this and works to support local arts and culture in the neighborhood, said Todd Apo, senior vice president of community development at Ward Village. This includes supporting events like the biennial, hosting public art exhibits and creating affordable retail spaces for small, local businesses. As the company continues to redevelop the area, work spaces and studios for artists and makers "will continue to be a part of Ward Village," Apo said.
"We are creating a new urban community," said Apo, a former Honolulu City Council chairman. "And you can't do that just by building mixed-use buildings."
On a recent evening in a nondescript Kakaako warehouse exhibition space, a few dozen artists and makers gathered for a potluck. In her second-floor studio of Aupuni Space, designer Emiko Miyazawa discussed her kinetic silver jewelry inspired by Swiss watch movements and explained how she used a Japanese pottery technique to repair a moonstone ring, creating gold metallic lightning in the opalescent orb. Nearby, the sculptor Mark Chai was admiring Miyazawa's new high-tech microscope, while SheenRu Yong, a dancer and choreographer, chatted on a sofa.
Kun Xu, a welder from the metal workshop next door, admired a painting in the hallway. Downstairs, spilling onto the sidewalk, there were more artists; a deejay, Lino "DJ Leanski" Delgado spinning tunes, and plenty of wine and hard cider.
The event was organized by Janis Ku'uipo Lee's organization E-Merge Collective and Art World Escape, an arts tour organization founded by Paige Donnelly and Ben Carpenter-Nwanyanwu. Lee's idea is to nurture a community of creatives who can exchange ideas and collaborate. She's what the author Malcolm Gladwell describes as a classic connector, a 27-year-old artist and salon impresario who's enhancing E-merge's online artists' directory with monthly potlucks.
"The foundation of the relationships is really important," she said.
Lee's vision is more about community than commerce, but it addresses a fundamental problem. For the artists and makers to get the most economic benefit from Kakaako's condo boom, they somehow need to get exposure to tap into the billions of dollars being invested in the neighborhood.
Kun Xu, left, and Michelle Kaneko of Heavy Metal Inc. inspect a new door created for a Kaimuki coffee shop. Kaneko said it's been hard to connect and create custom goods for new condo buyers despite the firm's ability to create finely crafted metal works.
It's a difficult task, said Michelle Kaneko, an architect who serves as the business manager for the metal works shop Heavy Metal Inc. Bill Reardon, a former Pearl Harbor welder who owns the shop, does work few others in town can, says Son, the woodworker, who has collaborated with Reardon on some expensive dining tables. But Reardon said the work from Kakaako has been scant. Kaneko said she's not sure how to let designers and real estate agents know about Heavy Metal.
"I don't know how to leverage that, to market that to everybody," she said.
Connections are made largely by interior designers, who know condo buyers through real estate agents. A case in point is Maura Fujihira, co-founder of fishcake, an art gallery and furnishings shop, and an affiliated interior design company.
Fujihira and her longtime colleague Keiko Hatano, who is fishcake's art curator, have been supporting local artists for decades. When designing a 3,000-square foot condo in Howard Hughes' Waiea condominium project, for instance, Fujihira and Hatano included sculptures by George Woollard and John Koga, a painting by Mary Mitsuda and a large photo by Rex Maximilian.
Fujihira said such works can bring local life to spaces that otherwise could be anywhere.
"That's what makes it special," she said. "But you need the client who is willing and able."
Maura Fujihira, co-founder of fishcake, says spaces such as this Kakaako penthouse can be a canvas for showing the work of Hawaii artists and craft makers.
Rex Maximilian
While many of Fujihira's clients give her the freedom to create unique spaces, Yamamuro is able to offer Hawaiian touches even in turnkey packages that include everything from furniture to linens and kitchenware. Among the handcrafted products are framed planks of polished monkeypod wood made by Son.
It's rare, of course, for the artists and makers to be able to live in the condos. The irony's not lost on Honolulu photographer Franco Salmoiraghi, who got a major commission from Howard Hughes that put 120 of the 77-year-old photographer's pictures in the common areas at Waiea. The job came at a critical time when Salmoiraghi had been evicted from his long-time home in Manoa.
"It was the biggest commission I've ever had," he says. "But it wasn't enough to retire on."
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text:
FINALLY – A Roundabout for HB's Worst Black-spot!
Posted on October 1, 2015 by Andrew Frame
Black-spot: The intersection of Meeanee Quay and State Highway 2B – Looks innocent enough, eh?
Yesterday one of Hawke's Bay's most notorious intersections – the junction of State Highway 2B and Meeanee Quay in Westshore – claimed another life.
This intersection is in the top five for serious and fatal crashes in New Zealand. That is not a chart we want to feature on.
It is the latest in a number of fatalities, several serious crashes and countless fender-benders and near-misses that this intersection has been the site of since its creation.
The entrance to HB Airport (top) and the SH2B / Meeanee Quay intersection (bottom) – Two of HB's worst traffic black-spots.
It seems rather illogical that this intersection should be the location of so much carnage, as the site is a large, open space with clear visibility for hundreds of meters in several directions.
Drivers being unable to judge the speed of oncoming traffic were identified as a key factor in a number of crashes, so a stretch of around a kilometre, including this intersection and the entrance to Hawke's Bay Airport (also a black spot) was reduced from 100kph to 80kph.
Yet the accidents keep happening.
Plastic delineators were also installed along the stretch of road with the intention of marking out lanes, but they have merely added confusion for some and certainly give little physical protection from the traffic rushing past
There have long been calls from the public for the intersection to be replaced with a roundabout that would both slow traffic and ease the confluence of these busy roads.
Other publically proposed plans included closing off the current entrance to the Hawke's Bay Airport 500 meters from the Meeanee Quay intersection, upgrading Watchman Road, which also joins onto SH2B at this point and redirecting the airport traffic through this proposed roundabout and along Watchman Road.
An artist's impression of the proposed changes to SH2B
It appears that common sense has finally sunken in and NZTA – the New Zealand Transport Agency is planning to build a roundabout at this intersection, which will also include a new access point for the airport, in 2016-2017.
I have been told negotiations for the purchase of or access to the required land is currently underway.
In today's Hawke's Bay Today Mark Story pointed the finger at human error, rather than the intersection itself, being at fault – and he's absolutely right!
Human error is to blame for the number of accidents on this intersection – but on more levels than Mark suggests:
It's human error that misjudges the speed or distance of oncoming traffic.
It's human error that stops impatient drivers from waiting 10-30 seconds for a clear break in the traffic.
It's human error that causes indicators, brake pedals, accelerators and road rules to be used improperly, or completely ignored going through such intersections.
But when the human errors of individual drivers like those listed above just can't be altered and the number of accidents, injuries and deaths at intersections like State Highway 2B and Meeanee Quay start to mount, it's the human error of authorities overseeing such intersections and the safety of those who use them not taking drastic action sooner that must be brought into question and accounted for.
This junction is a known accident black spot and has been so for years. In its current state it continues to injure, maim and kill.
So why wait?
How did the unnecessary four-laning of Prebensen Drive get priority over properly fixing this fatally flawed black-spot once and for all?
With lives at stake and so many already tragically effected, what took them so long?
Hawke's Bay road users deserved better!
This entry was posted in Hawke's Bay, Media, Opinion, Politics, Writing and tagged Hastings, Hawke's Bay, Media, Napier, Opinion, Politics, Social Media, Tourism, Writing by Andrew Frame. Bookmark the permalink.
One thought on "FINALLY – A Roundabout for HB's Worst Black-spot!"
Bevan Walker on October 3, 2015 at 7:34 am said:
There's no relationship between the four laning of Prebensen Drive and the Westshore intersection. Prebensen is administered by Council, the State Highway is NZTA. However, your point is correct, there are other SH projects that have been strangely prioritised above this one…


It's one of the greatest secrets of investing.
It's a strategy that I developed during my 34 years in Silicon Valley. And it will let you tap into some big, big profits for a modest amount of effort.
In fact, this very cool approach to high-tech investing will uncover a bushel of double-digit winners that your friends, co-workers and others you talk stocks with have no hopes of finding.
Today we're going to perform a bit of high-tech detective work – peering into the shadows of Silicon Valley for profit opportunities most investors don't even know exist.
During an appearance on the Fox Business Channel's Varney & Co. on Thursday, host Stuart Varney asked me point blank if I was worried about what's ahead for tech stocks.
You can certainly understand why he'd ask such a question. The health of the U.S. economy continues to be a real worry for many and the growing political mess we know as Washington can only make matters worse.
Against that troubling backdrop the tech-focused Nasdaq Composite Index is up 31% so far this year and 207% from its financial crisis lows of March 2009 – returns that handily trump the respective 22% and 142% gains of the record-setting Dow Jones Industrial Average.
Whispers of "another tech bubble" and "another dot-bomb implosion" have been getting louder, and the excellent and the always-probing Varney wanted to know if I was worried – or perhaps even bearish.
Let me say to you what I said to the Fox viewers.
If you're running away from the technology sector right now, you're making the biggest mistake of your investment career.
We know the drill: U.S. retailers count on the holiday shopping season for as much as 20% to 40% of their total sales for the year.
And we know that this year won't be any different.
What we don't know is how much American consumers are going to spend: Will this season go like gangbusters, or will it just be a bust?
The National Retail Federation (NRF) is expecting a gangbusters holiday season, having just forecasted a record $602 billion in sales, a healthy 3.9% jump from 2012.
But the respected Gallup polling group is expecting a bust, saying that U.S. consumers expect to spend an average $704 each, or about 10% less than during the Christmas season a year ago.
Investors often handicap the major retailers, trying to guess which one will get the biggest share of the holiday shopping bucks.
We're not going to waste our time with that futile exercise.
You see, we know that the holiday season is also a big time of the year for gadget sales: American consumers are only too happy to drop small fortunes on computers, smartphones and the other consumer-electronic gadgets that are the tangible results of this country's dominant high-tech sector.
We can predict who those winners will be, and can identify the stocks we believe will zoom as a result.
Today, I'm going out on a limb once again to predict that the tech sector will have a great Christmas overall. And I've identified four market leaders who should do well for investors this holiday season.
For the past 20 years, I've had regular conversations with one of the nation's top chemistry experts.
His name is Dr. Robert Fisher and he is a retired chemist who was also a researcher at the University of California, Berkeley for nearly 40 years.
The fact that he's also my father-in-law shouldn't dissuade you from hearing about the hellacious profit opportunity he clued me in on over dinner the other night.
It centers around an industry that I myself have been following since the late 1980s when I began writing about the Reagan-era defense buildup.
Gone, of course from that time, is the Soviet Union and the threat of a nuclear holocaust.
But what remains are a whole slew of "Miracle Materials" that scientists were experimenting with to help give the U.S. military a secret edge.
Today, these Miracle Materials touch nearly every aspect of our economy, from smart phones, to electric cars, computers, semi-conductors, consumer electronics and satellite communications.
In fact, they've now become so critical to the global economy, they're ready to unleash a $1 trillion windfall.
It's a company a lot of people will be familiar with and may even dismiss as boring.
But the truth is, I know about a "special situation" transaction this company is getting ready to engage in… a transaction that could unlock fast returns exceeding 100%… even 200%.
Mutual fund superstar Peter Lynch used to say that individual investors had a big advantage over Wall Street. If you just keep your eyes and ears open, Lynch would write, you're bound to see big profit opportunities long before the investment-banking boys in New York.
And the biggest opportunities are often right in your own neighborhood.
For months now, we've been talking about a "ground floor" investing opportunity – a whole new business that I believe could triple or more in just the next few years.
Well, just the other night, as my lovely wife and I were strolling to a village restaurant near our home, I ran right into proof that this potential $6 billion industry has already grabbed a big handful of the all-important consumer market – just as we said it would.
This was more than just validation: It tells me this market is evolving even faster than I projected – and says I may have underestimated the overall market potential.
My "Peter Lynch moment" the other night served a "Buy" signal trigger on a stock with double-your-money profit potential.
For her sake, it's a good thing Health and Human Services Director Kathleen Sebelius isn't working in the private sector.


CrewWatcher® is for everyone. The beacon is small enough to tuck away in clothing or attach to a pet collar using the universal attachment point.
Equip the entire crew affordably.
Response time can mean the difference between life or death in cold water. Contrary to AIS beacons that are turned off while on board, CrewWatcher® actively monitors the crew. The alarm sounds within 6 seconds when a crew member goes overboard. The system records this location and directs the boat's return to the "point of loss."
A test by the Dutch sailing magazine Zeilen shows that AIS beacons typically take 1-2 (and sometimes up to 10) minutes before the boat first receives an MOB signal. This is due to the time it takes to acquire a "GPS fix" after the AIS beacon is powered.
The CrewWatcher® alarm is automatically activated by loss of the beacon's signal OR by detecting water immersion. If a crew member gets dragged through the water while attached to the boat, the water sensor will alert the app and the alarm will sound.
The water sensor is smart, distinguishing rain and wave splashes from total immersion.
Read the PBO article on safety tethers.
Using the virtual "MOB compass" on the app, CrewWatcher® visually guides you back to the point of loss, requiring zero input from you. While remaining portable, the MOB icon moves relative to your boat's course. You just need to keep the icon dead ahead.
CrewWatcher® beacons transmit at the maximum power limit permitted by the FCC for Bluetooth devices. This power means false alarms are unlikely. You can move around the deck or below without accidentally triggering the alarm.
Once you arrive at the point of loss, CrewWatcher® will show your boat's position within the estimated search radius.
Simultaneously, it scans for the beacon's homing signal. The "Signal Found" screen tells you that the MOB is nearby, within a few boat lengths.
CrewWatcher® beacons transmit at the very limit of what is allowed by the FCC, providing a 200 foot (61 meter) line-of-sight range. This range acts like a net over the boat to monitor the beacons anywhere on board.
The carefully designed audio and visual interface make it easy to see the system's status at a glance.


I did a lot of reading today, made a trip to the comic book store, and generally tried to take it easy. Tomorrow I'll need to do the laundry and a bit of grocery shopping, so I'm trying to conserve energy for those two important tasks. Actually, I have no idea what I'm talking about. There are some days where I don't know what to write here and I'm not sure why I push myself to do it regardless. Maybe I should just allow myself days off. But, when you've written every day for two years straight in a journal like this, you do find yourself hesitant to stop.
So, I got a lot of reading done. That's the big news. This is good news, too. It means I won't have as much to get done this week and the main stress will be on getting my writing done in time for the next deadline, which is a week from Monday. I'm feeling a little bit better about this deadline. I think I might have some decent work to submit.
This is assuming I'm able to complete my story and get into shape by then. That, I guess, is a big assumption.
There is a sign on the door to the laundry room in our building that says to keep a close eye on your laundry because people have been stealing other people's clothes. That's wonderful, isn't it? Not only is mail getting stolen, but laundry's getting stolen, too. Now I don't feel so silly for checking my locks about six times each morning before I leave.
I think I wrote that exact same sentence earlier this week. You see what writing every day does to a guy?
Oh, one last thing. I'm looking for an artist to potentially work with on this comic book/graphic novel thing I've had in my head since I was a teenager, back when I did my own drawing. I'm thinking that my interdisciplinary project for next semester might be a collaborative independent study on creating a comic. I've seen exactly the style of art I think might work, too. This is probably asking too much, but I would love for my comic to have the look and feel of this girl's art.


text:
Grand Hotel Gaziantep
Ali Fuat Cebesoy Bulvari No. 32 Gaziantep 27090 Turkey
In a central location, convenient for exploring Gaziantep's attractions
We're sorry, but Grand Hotel Gaziantep is temporarily unavailable. Please try again in a few minutes or search for more hotel deals above.
The Balcony Restaurant has a large terrace for al fresco dining
Leisure amenities include a gym & a spa
The 12th-floor Safir Restaurant specialises in seafood & has city views
The Grand Hotel Gaziantep's central location makes this modern hotel a convenient base for exploring the city's cultural attractions and its more contemporary draws, such as its shopping malls.
The hilltop Gaziantep Castle (also known as the Kale), which is thought to have been built by the Romans and then subsequently rebuilt in later centuries, is just two kilometres from the hotel. The Gaziantep Zeugma Mosaic Museum is a similar distance away and houses a world-class collection of beautifully preserved mosaics.
There are a number of places to enjoy Turkish and international cuisine at the hotel. Situated on the 12th floor, the à la carte Safir Restaurant specialises in seafood and has views of the city, while the Balcony Restaurant has a large terrace for al fresco dining. The Nitro Breakfast Hall serves a buffet breakfast featuring international favourites and local delicacies. The Mola Piano Bar is open daily for drinks and snacks, and the Grande Club & Bar is a nightclub with music from the resident DJ on Friday and Saturday nights. Leisure amenities include a gym, and a spa with a sauna, a steam room and a small pool.
Contemporary rooms are decorated with a colour scheme of cream and beige with accents of gold. There are 95 rooms at the hotel, including two connected family rooms. Some have city views.
Ali Fuat Cebesoy Bulvari No. 32
Gaziantep 27090
Roof terrace
Extra beds (fees apply)
Hair salon (fees apply)
Complimentary valet service
Checkout: Standard Time is 1pm.
This property offers transfers from the airport (surcharges may apply). Guests must contact the property with arrival details before travel, using the contact information on the booking confirmation.
The seasonal pool will be open from May to September.
Fee for buffet breakfast: TRY 40 for adults and TRY 40 for children (approximately)
Airport shuttle fee: TRY 120 per vehicle (one-way)
Airport shuttle fee per child: TRY 120 (one-way), (from 6 to 18 years old)
Rollaway bed fee: TRY 60 per night
+61 (2) 8880-0246 Australia
Customer Service available Mon-Fri, 10am-6pm AET
AU Edition
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As parents we face a daily conundrum of opportunities and needs to coach our children about everything from conflict resolution and manners to transitions and routines. Two creative tools I love for teaching children social and life skills are social stories and puppets.
Storytelling can be such a powerful way to engage children, capturing their attention while sharing important life lessons in simple yet meaningful ways. Think of all the ways you can use puppets to illustrate the points you want to make. Both puppets and social stories offer the opportunity for active learning and communication skill building so that children are actively involved in the message you are trying to convey.
Puppets are a great tool for children to share how they feel, how their peers feel, and to work out solutions for themselves. For example asking children who are having a disagreement or a child who seems to be sad or angry to use a puppet as a character to tell how they feel about something. Or giving children a topic and asking them to make a puppet show about it. Parents, caregivers, or teachers can also create a puppet show story to bring out issues you want to explore with your children. Including some humor, making up a song, and taking turns with the puppets can help with engaging children. You can start the story and then ask the child, what do you think happens next?
Social stories are very simple scripts using words and pictures along with talking it through out loud to explain or reinforce something, whether a concept, process, or message. The story is told in a very positive way and tailored to your child's needs and developmental level. It can be done very casually and conversationally or sitting down in more of a story time approach.
While originated by speech therapist Carol Grey to help children with communication challenges like autism, social stories are now widely used to help typical children as well as those with different special needs learn and apply different concepts. Speech therapists and psychologists using social stories for therapeutic purposes often follow specific patterns originally based on therapist Carol Gray's criteria, but we lay parents just using social stories for our own purposes can and should follow our own path based on our children's personalities, issues, and perspectives.
Though traditionally used with a visual version of the story for the child to see, you can also just casually tell a story without visual cues if you do not think your child needs that. Sometimes an opportunity arises for a spontaneous story to address a situation — you can always improvise something verbally and then follow up with a printout to retell it later if you think that will be helpful. If using a printout or on screen version along with verbally discussing it, you can find clip art or use some photos of your child related to the story you are creating. The younger the child, the more pictures it should have and simpler it should be.
For example, many young children might benefit from some help preparing to go to a birthday party for what to expect, tips for behavior and being patient if you have to wait. Or for the holidays, prepping children for parties, large family dinners or visits where the house rules or customs may be different from yours. It could be about having a fun play date including sharing toys. I have used this technique for daily routines such as getting ready to go to preschool/school in the morning and preparing for the separation from parents.
I know how excited you are to be going to Susie's birthday party. Birthday parties are such a fun way to celebrate your friend's special day. We give the birthday girl a lot of attention since it is her day. When it is your birthday, we will have a party to celebrate your special day. Susie is so excited that her friends are coming to her house for her party.
What kind of things do you think Susie's Mom will have planned? I heard there will be an art project! Everyone gets to make a special drawing and then Susie's Mom told me you will all get to make a cookie that you will bring home with you when the party is over. She is going to give you dough and ingredients to put in it. Then she will bake it. Yum!
Susie will be opening her presents, it will be fun to see her presents. You can watch her and think about what you like and say nice things about them. I know sometimes it is hard to wait while someone opens their presents but it is important to be super nice. Then her Mom will serve the cake and you will have time to play in their backyard.
Have you used storytelling or puppets to help teach your children? We would love to hear about your experiences! Are there challenges you would like us to use as future examples of social stories or puppet shows?


Darwin Lecture Theatre, Darwin Building, University College London, Gower Street, WC1E 6BT.
Google Map | Campus Map | Route map from UCL entrances | Nearest tubes: Euston, Euston Sq, Warren St, Goodge St.
Confirmed speakers included: Professor Alison Wolf (Kings College London), Professor Martin McQuillan (Kingston, CDBU), Malia Bouattia (President, National Union of Students), Sorana Vieru (Vice President HE, NUS), Gordon Marsden MP (Labour Party shadow minister for HE), plus contributors to the Alternative White Paper for Higher Education, UCU and others.
The aims of the Convention event are, first, to assess where we are in opposing the Higher Education and Research Bill as it currently progresses through Parliament, and second, to develop that campaign of opposition outwards.
The purpose of this one-day conference is to plan the campaign to defeat the Bill.
We are at a crossroads. We face a very serious structural threat to our sector, one that will impact on all our colleagues and students, and reshape the debate about the role of HE in society in the future. We share an urgent responsibility to educate and inform our colleagues, students and wider society; and to bring pressure to bear in Parliament from a well-informed public.
On top of the HE Bill we now face a second attack on our sector. Government ministers have recently made statements about 'listing' foreign workers, reducing international student numbers, and even, bizarrely, insisting that 'foreign' academics will not be permitted to advise them on Brexit.
This Convention was set up to defend our sector and stop the HE Bill. But we cannot ignore these political attacks on our institutions, our colleagues and our students.
Knowledge knows no borders. Internationalism is core to what we do. We need to stand up for our sector.
The Higher Education and Research Bill is a plan to scrap university regulation and quality control, while increasing central government control. The Bill removes much existing strict regulation, quality control and inspection. It will allow private companies with little or no track record to call themselves Universities, charge £9k fees backed by loans, and award degrees. It will intensify a race to the bottom as companies are likely to cherry-pick profitable courses taught at existing universities, forcing many public universities to adopt a similar strategy. Student choice will reduce. As in the USA and Australia, students risk graduating with worthless degrees and a lifetime of debt.
Staff will also suffer. As universities compete for students, they will tend to replace research-active professors with teaching-only staff. London Met is already doing this: a third of lecturers face dismissal this year. The Bill will remove the QAA, HEFCE and Privy Council oversight, deleting state protection for academic freedom. Across the sector, we face the end of the University as we know it.
You can register via EventBrite using the button below.


text:
[ ![Download](https://api.bintray.com/packages/jamesshade/releases/time8/images/download.svg) ](https://bintray.com/jamesshade/releases/time8/_latestVersion)

This library was intended to provide some simple utilities around the Java 8 time library, allowing it to benefit from
the features of Scala.

Mostly empty now, since between java.time itself and the standard Scala libraries (e.g. scala.math.Ordered), there's
not too much more I've needed.

To use: import org.shade.TimeImplicits._

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Jonas Rondbjerg
#46, RW,
Date of birth: Horsholm, Denmark
Draft: 2017 3rd round (65th pick) by the
All Seasons2021 Season
Total 14 2 2 4 3 2 6 4 0 0 0 0 0 11 18.2 0 2 0.0 10:07
Home 8 1 1 2 2 0 3 3 0 0 0 0 0 6 16.7 0 0 - 9:21
Away 6 1 1 2 1 2 3 1 0 0 0 0 0 5 20.0 0 2 0.0 11:08
Night 14 2 2 4 3 2 6 4 0 0 0 0 0 11 18.2 0 2 0.0 10:07
Days Rest
0 Days Rest 1 0 0 0 -1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.0 0 0 - 12:28
1 Day Rest 8 2 1 3 2 2 2 3 0 0 0 0 0 6 33.3 0 1 0.0 9:53
2 Days Rest 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 - 0 0 - 9:26
3+ Days Rest 4 0 1 1 1 0 4 1 0 0 0 0 0 4 0.0 0 1 0.0 10:11
Monday 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0.0 0 0 - 9:44
Tuesday 3 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.0 0 0 - 8:54
Wednesday 1 1 0 1 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 100.0 0 1 0.0 13:03
Thursday 4 1 2 3 3 0 4 1 0 0 0 0 0 3 33.3 0 1 0.0 11:09
Friday 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 0.0 0 0 - 8:35
Saturday 3 0 0 0 -1 0 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.0 0 0 - 8:50
Sunday 1 0 0 0 -1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.0 0 0 - 12:28
October 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 0.0 0 1 0.0 9:33
November 11 2 2 4 3 2 5 3 0 0 0 0 0 8 25.0 0 1 0.0 10:19
January 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.0 0 0 - 9:00
All-Star Break
Pre-All Star 14 2 2 4 3 2 6 4 0 0 0 0 0 11 18.2 0 2 0.0 10:07
vs. Conf/Div
vs. Div 4 0 0 0 -1 0 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 3 0.0 0 1 0.0 9:04
vs. Conf 7 2 1 3 2 2 1 3 0 0 0 0 0 7 28.6 0 2 0.0 9:34
vs. Opponents
vs. DET 2 0 0 0 -1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0.0 0 0 - 12:59
vs. CAR 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 - 0 0 - 9:26
vs. LA 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 - 0 1 0.0 10:30
vs. MON 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 - 0 0 - 8:23
vs. OTT 1 0 1 1 1 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.0 0 0 - 12:38
vs. STL 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0.0 0 0 - 9:44
vs. TOR 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.0 0 0 - 9:00
vs. VAN 1 0 0 0 -1 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.0 0 0 - 8:52
vs. ANA 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 0.0 0 0 - 8:35
vs. NSH 1 1 0 1 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 100.0 0 1 0.0 13:03
vs. CLS 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 - 0 0 - 9:15
vs. MIN 1 1 1 2 2 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 100.0 0 0 - 7:57
Layton Ahac
Michael Amadio
Jake Bischoff
Adam Brooks
Laurent Brossoit
William Carrier
Dylan Coghlan
Evgenii Dadonov
Dylan Ferguson
Nicolas Hague
Brett Howden
Ben Hutton
Mattias Janmark
William Karlsson
Keegan Kolesar
Robin Lehner
Jake Leschyshyn
Jonathan Marchessault
Alec Martinez
Brayden McNabb
Daniil Miromanov
Max Pacioretty
Nolan Patrick
Alex Pietrangelo
Nicolas Roy
Reilly Smith
Chandler Stephenson
Shea Theodore
Logan Thompson
Zach Whitecloud


text:
Q: How to create a Google App Engine PHP Restful API service? I am trying to create a Restful API page in Google App Engine using PHP that allows an outside entity to send data to it. I started by testing everything first in the Chrome extension "Advanced Rest Client" which accepted the data and returns a response. Then I created the following html so I could test it with Javascript,

The server is set to return a PHP echo response of "success" or "failure".

*

*I tried the above script in Google App Engine and it worked without issue, it accepted the data and returned a response.

*Then I created a web page at 000webhost.com and tested the code there, it accepted the data but won't return a response.

*I then sent the code to the person who needs to send data and when they tried it, it said they were unauthorized and no data was accepted.

*I then tried the following website, https://resttesttest.com/, my server accepts the data, but instead of returning a response, I get the following error,

Oh no! Javascript returned an HTTP 0 error. One common reason this
  might happen is that you requested a cross-domain resource from a
  server that did not include the appropriate CORS headers in the
  response.

I tried adding the following to my app.yaml with no success,
http_headers:
 Access-Control-Allow-Origin: *
 Access-Control-Allow-Methods: *

Any ideas?

A: It was the following causing the issue,
http_headers:
 Access-Control-Allow-Origin: *
 Access-Control-Allow-Methods: *

Google App Engine wouldn't accept these parameters so I just used the following line in my PHP,
header( 'Access-Control-Allow-Origin: *' );

It works now.

A: In app.yaml, http_headers must come under a specific handler specification in handlers, not "stand-alone" as you appear to be using it.
The example suggested in the docs is, specifically:
handlers:
- url: /images
  static_dir: static/images
  http_headers:
    Access-Control-Allow-Origin: '*'

but of course you could apply it to other kinds of handlers too, not just static serving as in the example.


Aeris gazed out the aft window of the Highwind. Ever since she first saw it, she knew she would eventually get to fly with it. Thinking back, it occurred to her that it could have been her last, if not for Pulse.
Pulse. She gave her life to save mine. I will always be grateful to her in that respect, and I truly wish I could have gotten to know her better.
But now X and Zero are saying that her death was intentional? That the planet had something else in store for her? Like what?
Ugh. Thinking of this always makes me wonder about what might've happened on that altar if our futuristic friends hadn't been there. Did the planet want me to die too? Me? The last ancient?
Well, actually, I'm a half-breed. My mother was the last pure-blooded cetra.
"Aeris?" Cloud said from behind.
"What's so interesting about the desert?" Cloud asked, knowing for a fact she wasn't watching the sand dunes in the first place.
"Oh, nothing. Just thinking." Aeris said, still not removing her eyes from the scenery.
"Well, why don't you give that brain of yours some rest and get some sleep? We're still in the midst of choosing a destination and if you want some rest, now's the time." Cloud said.
"...Yeah. I think I just might do that. Thanks, Cloud."
She turned and started walking to the lower-level barracks. She hadn't gotten far before she piped up again.
"Cloud....You've been so sweet to me these last few weeks. What's gotten in to you?" Aeris asked.
Cloud's answer was so simple it was beautiful.
"You. Alive and well. When Cait told me you were supposed to die, I had to rethink my life's choices. What I came up with is my love for you."
Aeris ran back to Cloud and hugged him as tight as she could.
"You have no idea how happy that makes me feel." She said.
"I'm beginning to. For the first time in a long while, I'm beginning to figure it out."
And they just stood there, quietly, holding one another, enjoying the moment.
"No! I can't believe it! I won't believe it!" Blaze said in a fit of anger.
X had just told him the theory he and Zero had cooked up in the lifestream. They were lucky the surrounding walls of the conference room were sound proof. He was resistant, to say the least.
"Why would the planet want to take Pulse away from me?!?" Why her, of all people?!?"
He slammed his fist into the wall, which he ended up denting.
"Hey, calm down. I'm sure there's a reason." Red XIII said.
He was there as well. Quite frankly, the "Pulse-was-killed-for-a-reason" idea was an intriguing possibilty.
"Look, why don't we go see my uncle Bugen. Maybe he can shed some light onto this." Red said.
"It couldn't hurt." Zero chimed in.
Blaze sat down. He buried his face into his hands and took a deep breath.
"Let's just get to the bottom of this, okay?" X said.
"....Tell Cid to fire up the engines. I'll be waiting in the barracks, so come and get me when we arrive." Blaze replied.
He got up, straightened himself up, and walked out the door and to the lower level.
The barracks were nothing more than an empty room with about a dozen cots strewn about the room. There were some travel bags sitting next to certain cots, so Blaze wisely laid down upon an empty one. He stared up into the ceiling, unaware of time passing by.
"Are you sleepy too?" Aeris asked, startling the firey one.
She was sitting on the cot next to him, and truth be told, he was totally oblivious to her entrance.
"What? Oh. No, not really. Just lost in thought, I guess." He replied.
"You wanna talk?" She asked.
"I heard about your little tantrum in the conference room. It's odd, you don't strike me as the angry, confused type."
"No, I'm not the type. I guess she meant more to me than I thought." Blaze said, lightening his mood a little.
"By "She", you mean Pulse?"
"What do you think would have happened if she lived?"
"I....I dunno. I loved being with her. She was the most beautiful person I ever saw. Hell, she was the kind of person that loved life and never regreted anything she ever did. Who knows?" Blaze said, trying to come up with a answer.
"...Yeah. Yeah, I was in love. Say, why all the questions all of the sudden?" Blaze asked, sitting up.
"Well, I guess...." She said, pausing.
She sat there and asked herself "Would he understand?" Blaze sensed that whatever was on her mind was troubling to her, and he knew it would be best if he encouraged her to continue.
She nodded as if she acknowledged his concerns.
"I've been trying to figure out some pretty deep questions. You know, like what is destiny or what is the meaning of life? ....Cait has been telling us about what happened in his time, and it just makes me wonder about the possibilties...."
Blaze was quiet for several moments before he responded.
"Yeah, I know where you're comin' from. But you shouldn't be thinking about those kinds of things. Destiny and all that doesn't really matter. You're alive, so enjoy it." Blaze returned.
Aeris laid back onto her cot, thinking about what Blaze had just said.
"You really think so?" Aeris said.
Again, Blaze streched out on his cot to his former position.
"I've always believed that your destiny is equal to that of your goals. If you start to seperate the two, then you can never truly accomplish one or the other. What most people don't understand, though, is the fact that your goals tend to change, and hence, destiny and therefore the future change with them."
"I wish others felt the same. This whole thrown-into-the-past thing has really been screwing with my mind. I don't know if I can believe it anymore." Blaze sighed.
"You can't just give u-"
"No! There's no way in hell that I'm gonna just keel over in self-pity. I can never forgive Sephiroth for what he did to Pulse, and dammit, I'm not gonna let him get away with it." Blaze said, cuttng her off.
He sighed and both were silent for several moments.
"Did that help any?" Aeris politely asked.
"Venting out your frustrations. Speaking your mind. Did it help any for someone to just listen?"
"Why you sly little- ....Yeah. That helped a lot more than you think. Thanks, katya."
"A nickname. I always had a thing for giving my friends foriegn nicknames. I thought "katya" suited you best." Blaze explained.
"Oh, I see. Thanks for considering me a friend." Aeris said.
"No, katya. Thank you for being one." He replied.
"Ah, it feels good to be back in the air." Slash said.
"You said it. I was beginning to get claustrophobic in that tiny little submarine." Aurie replied.
They were both conversing by a tactical console, which was where Barret usually stood. But he was a little preoccupied himself.
"So tell me cat, what's th' future like?" Barret asked.
"Ooh, there's a buncha wierd stuff. Fer' one thing, not one of 'em knows about materia or the lifestream or any of that."
"I swear to ya! And you'll never believe the technology they have-" Cait said.
As he went on and on about the future, Blaze stepped onto the bridge.
"I thought you were waiting in the barracks." Zero blurted out.
"I changed my mind. Aren't I allowed to do that?" Blaze said with a grin.
"If you can find room. In case you haven't noticed, there are a bunch of us in here." Cloud joked.
Indeed, there were about fifteen people on the bridge, each conversing with one another. Blaze had one thing on his mind, though, and walked over towards Cid.
"How much longer 'till we reach Cosmo Canyon?" The firey one asked.
"See for yourself." Cid replied, pointing ahead.
In the distance, he could see the out line of the landscape that was arguably one of the most beautiful places on the planet. The combined resonating glow of meteor and the world-famous Cosmo sunset seemed to blend in with the color of Blaze's armor as he walked towards the main window.
In a matter of hours, he could have the answers to every one of his questions.


This is the first time I've watched this show, so I haven't blogged about it nor did I understand the rules until this episode. I watch (not sure I'm a fan) The Bachelor and The Bachelorette shows, so this seemed like a good "blog fit" for me.
However, you know Winston Churchill's famous quote … "Those that fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it." That could be about me … and watching anything with the word "bachelor" in it. I hated the season with Jake and Vienna (they are both fame hungry egomaniacs), and now I'm basically forced to watch them all over again on the Bachelor Pad. Same drama, same crap. I should have known.
Now about the show. Basically, it seems to pair up couples for contests (pick your poison), and then sends the winners on dates for possible love connections. The group also gets to vote off two contestants each week (guys vote off the girls, and girls vote off the guys). That's how I understand it.
Kasey and Vienna are a couple, considered the "power couple" on the show. We all know Vienna, and Kasey is the goofball that got the tattoo on Ali's season. He is a sucker as well as a weirdo.
Vienna "still" hates Jake. I'm thinking there's something else going on there.
Blake (remember him from this past bachelorette?) calls Erica a "little thick" for him. I agree she's thick in the head. But, does he think that this skinny girl is fat?
Rated R Reality Star Justin is still a joke.
And then there are the others: Graham, Alli, Michael, Ella, Kirk, Melissa, William and our sweet Ames. Ames barely speaks in this cast of misfits. Why is he here?
And, BTW, Ames has made an early love connection with Jackie. All good, I guess.
The couples pair up for the first contest. The guys are in a harness and they literally have to hold on to their partner (suspended in mid air) as long as possible. Last couple hanging wins. The final two, it figures, are Jake and Jackie and Kasey and Vienna. I found myself cheering for Jake and Jackie. They win. Vienna acts like a big baby, blames Kasey, causes drama, whatever. She is using this guy, just like she used Jake to get her 15 minutes.
Jackie and Jake go on a date. As part of the date, they get to give a rose to someone at the house and "save" them from elimination. It was almost unbearable to watch Jake give the rose to Vienna … supposedly trying to make amends. I think they still have feelings for each other. I also think it was a stupid move. We'll see if it comes back to haunt him.
The rest of the show (freakin' whole hour; it was pure torture) is spent watching the players strategize about whom to vote off. Justin and Alli end up getting the most votes, and they have to leave. Justin acts really classy, refuses to say goodbye, steals Jake's rose, typical stuff .. while Alli just goes away. We'll forget about her soon enough.
I think, as a contestant on this show, you have to form alliances or really fly under the radar. If my radar theory is true; congratulations to Ames.
Next week, I will try to watch again.


text:
The Science of Fiction
Poster announcement and album for the album "The Science of Fiction" by Fiction.
Flyer announcing upcoming album release for the band Fiction.
CD art for "The Science of Fiction" by the band Fiction from Fulton, MO.


1. There must be a Main Menu that allows the user to either enter in plant information, enter in person plant preferences (plant personality) and exit the program.
2. You must have a way to enter in a person into a file.
3. You must have a way to enter in plant information into a file.
This by no means an extensive list of options that could exist, however, it is enough to give you an idea about finding a solution to a problem such as this.


With Tim Cook as an official guest, the President will be able to look up into the Capitol's VIP box at an Apple figurehead for his second straight State of the Union — except after the year Apple's had, maybe it won't be such an awkward thumbs-up to China this time.
Why can't that work come home? Mr. Obama asked.
Mr. Jobs's reply was unambiguous. "Those jobs aren't coming back," he said, according to another dinner guest.
Now: By December, Cook had begun to prove Jobs wrong, announcing that Apple would manufacture a line of Macs in the good old United States. That move might prove more symbolic than revitalizing, but others have suggested this is just the beginning of an American manufacturing revolution.
Then: The Times's iEconomy story would continue to bring the awkward, with another bombshell on the so-called "human cost" of an iPad, which dropped the day after Obama's State of the Union, making Apple look like something of a labor monster. This was before anyone learned that the Foxconn horror stories told by Mike Daisey on This American Life weren't all true, so Apple sure wasn't the Apple of any human-rights advocate's eye.
Now: Apple has made a very concerted effort to clean things up at Foxconn — or at least to make it look like the company cares. Cook went to China, something Jobs never did. Apple mandated raises and better hours. The company recently put out a transparency report showing that it took action when it did find evidence of underage workers in China.
Then: Cook had officially taken over the top spot at Apple in August 2011, but Jobs had only passed away in October and it wasn't clear what, exactly, the Cook era would bring. Early hints showed he would create a more benevolent Apple. But it was just too soon.
Now: With over a year of Cook, it's clear he cares about image in a way Jobs didn't even pretend to care about, in a way that favors international reputation and growth as much as innovative brainchildren and buzz. Cook has been to China twice. In a big interview with Brian Williams he strategically mentioned those American jobs. He happily met with Obama to talk about the fiscal cliff — unlike Jobs, who wouldn't speak with the president without a personal invitation, according to the Walter Isaacson biography.
Even with Cook sitting up next to Michelle Obama, it's not clear whether the President will make another Apple reference anyway. Apple fan-site 9to5Mac, for what it's worth, says an Apple mention is "likely," and Obama has invoked Jobs a few other times. Then again, the last time Obama made a tech reference, he went with a hipper, more up-and-coming — if also oxymoronic reference — in talking up Instagram. Plus, with Apple losing Wall Street cachet, the symbolism might just not be there anymore. Tim Cook's Apple may be State of the Union worthy, alright, but maybe Tim Cook's made Apple smooth enough to blend in with the best.


text:
Marathon Development Group
Mark Soja
Mark Beida, P.E.
Katherine Ferri-Balbuena
Matthew Judge
Jackson Terrace Apartments
Jackson Terrace Apartments is a 181-unit apartment complex located in the City of Yonkers, New York. The property consists of a 1.29-acre parcel improved with an eleven-story, L-shaped building with an attached garage.
Upon acquisition of the property, Marathon embarked on a thorough renovation, which included repairing the garages, replacing the existing roofing system, upgrading the mechanical systems to improve energy efficiency, renovating the lower level former daycare space, refurbishing the corridors and common areas, and remodeling the lobby and entrance. Individual units received new energy efficient appliances with the addition of microwaves and dishwashers, as well as new cabinets, countertops, bathroom fixtures, flooring and new lighting and electrical devices. The project featured a number of attractive on-site amenities, including two secure parking garages, the installation of a new video intercom system, hard-wired smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, a new fire alarm system, and an emergency generator.
Marathon also designed a computer and community center for CLUSTER Community Services, a local non-profit that runs their "CLUSTER Super School Program" out of the Jackson Terrace Building. The Super School After-School program, which serves local children ages 5-13 years, provides students with after-school homework assistance and educational enrichment in a safe, supervised environment. Marathon Development Group has been providing space for the program since 2011.
In January of 2013, Marathon donated office space at Jackson Terrace for the Dominican Culture Association's student art program, which provides students ages six to fifteen with art classes on Thursday and Friday afternoons.
Location: Yonkers, New York
Total Development Cost
Financing Highlights
$6,150,00 syndication of 4% LIHTC
$16,400,00 in bonds issued through the Yonkers Industrial Development Agency
Comprehensive Energy Audit
Air sealing & rooftop blown insulation
Energy Star fixtures & efficient appliances
Water conserving fixtures & laundry equipment
New heating plant, wireless temperature sensors & distribution upgrades
High Efficiency roof fans
Steam trap replacement
© 2020 Marathon Development Group. All Rights Reserved.
Website design by Query Creative.


text:
<%! from django.core.urlresolvers import reverse %>
<%namespace name='static' file='/static_content.html'/>

<%inherit file="/main.html" />

<%block name="title"><title>About SGU Online</title></%block>

<%block name="js_extra">

</%block>

    About
    Faq

    Contact

## About Section ##

About St. George's University Online

St. George's University is offering free online courses from university faculty and staff. Our goal is to provide high quality courses that anyone can access. SGU Online is built on an instance of the OpenEdX platform.

## FAQ Section ##

FAQs

What browsers are recommended for use with SGU Online?

        The latest versions of Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, and Apple Safari. (The site is currently not optimized for mobile use.)

If I'm a St. George's University faculty member, and I'd like to use the platform to host content for an on-campus or public course, who should I get in touch with?

        Click here to get in touch

## Contact Section ##

Additional Contact Information

For general information email us at:

        msapcourse@gmail.com

For disability-related questions email us at:

        msapcourse@gmail.com


text:
8 Times Marvel and DC Comics Lost Their Damn Minds
With 163 years of combined history between the two heavyweights of the graphic novel world, it only makes sense that along the way, each of them would lose their damn minds a time or two. Whether such instances were the result of poor business decisions, the firing of a popular writer or artist, or simply messing with the mythos via retcon after retcon after freaking retcon, the end result was typically an incensed fanbase and a dip in sales. Here are 8 times Marvel and DC Comics lost their damn minds.
9 Ridiculous Marvel & DC Comic Storylines We'd Love to Forget About
Given the long and storied history of comic books, it should come as no surprise that not all moments have exactly stood the test of time. Not everything that's gold shimmers, but depending on your perspective, the examples that follow just might be an exception -you know, in the whole, "so bad, it's good," sort of way.
Scarlett Johansson Hints at Departure from MCU
During a recent sitdown and photoshoot with Vanity Fair, Scarlett Johansson seemed to hint at her eminent departure from Marvel's Cinematic Universe. According to Disney, the studio has ideas for 20 additional films beyond everything we've gotten over the past ten years. Said Kevin Feige, these ideas will be "intentionally" different. How different? Well for starters, staples of the franchise Chris Evans (Captain America), Robert Downey Jr (Iron Man), Chris Hemsworth (Thor), Scarlett Johansson (Black Widow), Mark Ruffalo (The Hulk), and Jeremy Renner (Hawkeye) are all set to leave the MCU at the conclusion of Marvel's Phase 3 block of films. Sure, some may sign new contracts, but the likelihood of those characters remaining focal points within the MCU is doubtful at best.
5 Actors DC Comics Should Cast for Future Films
These days, it seems like there's a new superhero movie every month, and while that may seem awesome on some level, it does run the risk of over-saturation, a problem made all the worse by Hollywood's tendency to reuse actors from other superhero franchises. I'm looking at you, Chris Evans and Ryan Reynolds! As such, here are 5 actors DC should cast.
Abysmal 3rd quarter dooms Mavs vs lowly Suns. Is this real life?
Quick Film Session | Chidobe Awuzie
Dark Avenue Interview
Back-to-Back | Kyler Murray Wins Heisman Trophy


Can you have answers appear directly after users make a choice?
I am designing an interactive quiz/questionnaire which is, in part, intended to encourage participants to sign up for my training programs. As such, it is my intent that users will answer one question, and then be given the answer before they move on to the next question.
This feature is important, because the answers for previous questions actually guide them and provide additional info for subsequent questions, so they are learning as they are doing the quiz.
The free, basic version definitely doesn't seem to have this kind of functionality; and I've been unable to determine if the paid version does. If it does, I'm happy to pay; if it doesn't, then there's no point in paying, as this is not the tool I need.
For those answering this question, if it is possible to do what I want to do, please A) tell me specifically how it will be done, and B) if possible, provide a link to a quiz/survey that uses this method, so I can check it out and verify it is what I want to do.
Answer: There is, of course, great value to learning the specifics of a particular culture, especially if you are going to be dealing with people from the culture frequently. Understanding that in Japan, it's not only normal to bow when greeting others, but that making direct eye contact with someone in a superior position can be seen as impolite, disrespectful, or aggressive. Or that in many Middle Eastern countries, the "thumbs up" sign doesn't indicate approval, but rather is an obscenity similar to the middle finger in North America. Not knowing these things can lead to many mistakes and misunderstandings.
However, learning to understand those behaviors doesn't mean that you understand the culture. No more than learning how to play chopsticks on the piano means that you are a successful concert pianist. There are much deeper levels to culture, and by focusing primarily on these superficial behaviors — as valuable as they are — we may end up missing out on or ignoring much more important things that are happening beneath the surface. Just as learning music theory is important to learning to play an instrument, so learning cultural theory is important to learning to understand and adapt to other cultures.
Ideally, the question and radio buttons should appear first. After the participant makes a choice, then the answer will appear. Once they've read that, they will move on to the next question.
Thank you for any and all help you can offer!
In the documentation, the example shows how a response to a radio button question triggers the appearance of a follow-up question. You will be using basically the same process to make TEXT/MEDIA items appear.


Please be aware that there are building works currently in progress next to the hotel. Rest assured that none of our hotel services and in-house facilities are affected.
Congratulations on your engagement and thank you for considering Radisson Blu Hotel, Durham for your upcoming wedding. So now, our vow to you is: we promise you'll enjoy a day like no other for your unique celebration. Stylish, sophisticated, stress free and flawless - from start to finish.
Our team of wedding professionals take pride in planning and organising every detail, adding iconic magic touches.
Your special day - your special way - with our exquisite celebratory spaces and our unrivalled, truly warm and caring Yes I Can! service.
We'll roll out the red carpet from the moment you arrive: our friendly, highly experienced management team will greet you and your guests, guiding you through every moment of your amazing event.
So all you have to do is relax and shine!
For more information, or for a wedding brochure contact our dedicated team.
Spend the whole special day with us! Radisson Blu Hotel, Durham is a truly well-loved choice for unforgettable civil partnership ceremonies or informal blessings – perfectly placed next to the stunning Durham Cathedral. Choose our hotel for your unique personal celebration - and enjoy a stress free, perfect day - with all your memorable moments under one roof.
We proudly host an exceptional range of traditional and innovative civil ceremonies.
Contemporary and stylish. Our fabulous Auger and intimate Seam Suites are designed for flexibility: they can be arranged in a number of different styles, each offering a warm and intimate atmosphere for you and your special guests. We can create an enchanting, intimate wedding for just 20 people – or deliver a memorable and fantastic celebration for up to 220 guests.
Capture private moments with your photographer on the river banks of the historic Durham city while your guests enjoy a drinks reception or live band. Whatever you decide to do, our team will make sure your day runs without a hitch. Our spaces also come with a private bar area, the perfect place to welcome evening guests.
Whatever the size of your event, you can be totally ensured of your exclusivity: we only cater for one wedding a day to guarantee you of our undivided attention. Tailored entirely to you, we will make sure your day is as individual as you are.
At the Radisson Blu Hotel, Durham, we're passionate about making it as easy as possible to plan – and enjoy – your special day. We use our immense wealth of top-level experience to create a unique collection of inclusive packages, meticulously designed to suit every budget and taste. All incorporating our superb wedding menus, proudly devised by our Executive Head Chef to feature the very best of locally sourced fi ne foods and ingredients.
All packages are exclusive and include complimentary extras to provide you with everything you need for your wedding day, with one great team to help you plan the whole thing! Choose from our Blu Elegance, Blu Opulence and Blu Indulgence packages.
Our evening wedding packages are ideal for those who are looking for somewhere to have an evening party, without the wedding reception during the daytime or our Sunday wedding package may be just the one for you!
Each and every wedding is unique and there are various elements involved in making your special day successful. If you are looking to hire our facilities to make your own arrangements or offer your guests something different; please contact our wedding specialist for more information and a tailor made quotation.
Our wedding specialist will be delighted to show you our special pre and post wedding celebration menus, including a host of amazing options – from private dining and informal lunches. Something Blu. For you. Sheer enchantment.
We have a range of Junior Suites and an indulgent Presidential Suite that offer the perfect end to your wedding day; all with romantic views and generous space including separate living areas and other VIP extras.
Your guests will relish their stay in our comfortable, contemporary guest rooms, enjoying full use of our impressive leisure facilities.
Prices are available upon request and are dependent on the date of your wedding.


text:
Q: Combine NAudio Pan and JSNet SuperPitch while playing an mp3 or wav I have been working on a specialized mp3/wav/(wma later?) player using the excellent NAudio library in a C#/WPF desktop application.  I've also added in the JSNet library as used in the Skype Voice Changer.
My objective is to be able to modify the Pan and the Pitch of the sound file while it is playing.
I have succeeded in modifying the Pan property during playback.  I've also figured out how to use the JSNet SuperPitch object to modify the pitch.  However, I've only managed to modify the pitch prior to playback.  Once playback starts, the controls on the SuperPitch object seem to have no effect on the sound.
Has anyone succeeded in combining pitch control using SuperPitch and pan control with WaveChannel32.Pan?
The problem stems from the fact that the effect is applied to a WaveStream which is then converted to a WaveChannel32 to expose the .Pan property.  However, once the conversion to WaveChannel32 occurs the EffectChain doesn't seem to be connected any more.
Here is a stripped down WPF project that illustrates my basic approach:
Simple WPF Window:
<Window x:Class="NAudioDebug.MainWindow"
        xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml/presentation"
        xmlns:x="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml"
        Title="MainWindow" Height="350" Width="525">
    <Grid>
        <Grid.RowDefinitions>
            <RowDefinition Height="Auto"/>
            <RowDefinition Height="Auto"/>
            <RowDefinition Height="Auto"/>
        </Grid.RowDefinitions>
        <Slider x:Name="sldPan" TickFrequency="0.2" Minimum="-1.0" Maximum="1.0" ToolTip="Balance"
                Grid.Row="0" TickPlacement="Both" IsSnapToTickEnabled="True"
                Value="{Binding Path=Pan, Mode=TwoWay, UpdateSourceTrigger=PropertyChanged}" />
        <Slider x:Name="sldPitch" TickFrequency="1" Minimum="-12" Maximum="12.0" ToolTip="Pitch"
                Grid.Row="1" TickPlacement="Both" IsSnapToTickEnabled="True"
                Value="{Binding Path=Pitch, Mode=TwoWay, UpdateSourceTrigger=PropertyChanged}" />
        <Button x:Name="btnPlayStop" Content="Play/Stop" Grid.Row="2" Click="btnPlayStop_Click" />
    </Grid>
</Window>

And here is the code-behind for the XAML, above...
using System.Windows;

namespace NAudioDebug
{
    public partial class MainWindow : Window
    {
        private Player _Player;

        public MainWindow()
        {
            InitializeComponent();
            _Player = new Player();
            this.DataContext = _Player;
        }

        private void btnPlayStop_Click(object sender, RoutedEventArgs e)
        {
            _Player.PlayStop();
        }
    }
}

Sound File Playback Object
The important part of the code is this object which controls the playback and provides properties that the WPF controls can bind to.  The PlayStop() method is where the issue lies, I think.
using System;
using System.ComponentModel;
using JSNet;
using NAudio.Wave;

namespace NAudioDebug
{
    public class Player : INotifyPropertyChanged, IDisposable
    {
        private IWavePlayer _WaveOutDevice;
        private WaveChannel32 _MainOutputStream;
        private EffectStream _EffectStream;
        private EffectChain _Effects;
        private SuperPitch _PitchEffect;
        private bool _bDisposed = false;

        public Player()
        {
            Pan = 0.0f;
            Pitch = 0.0f;
        }

        private float _Pan;
        public float Pan
        {
            get { return _Pan; }
            set
            {
                _Pan = value;
                if (_MainOutputStream != null)
                {
                    _MainOutputStream.Pan = _Pan;
                }
                OnPropertyChanged("Pan");
            }
        }

        private float _Pitch;
        public float Pitch
        {
            get { return _Pitch; }
            set
            {
                _Pitch = value;
                if (_PitchEffect != null)
                {
                    _PitchEffect.Sliders[1].Value = value;  // Slider 1 is the pitch bend in semitones from -12 to +12;
                }
                OnPropertyChanged("Pitch");
            }
        }

        public void PlayStop()
        {
            if (_WaveOutDevice != null && _WaveOutDevice.PlaybackState == PlaybackState.Playing)
            {
                _WaveOutDevice.Stop();
                DisposeAudioResources();
            }
            else
            {   // Starting a new stream...
                DisposeAudioResources();

                _Effects = new EffectChain();
                _PitchEffect = new SuperPitch();
                _PitchEffect.Sliders[1].Value = _Pitch;      // Slider 1 is the pitch bend in semitones from -12 to +12;
                _PitchEffect.Sliders[2].Value = 0.0F;        // Slider 2 is the pitch bend in octaves.
                _Effects.Add(_PitchEffect);

                WaveStream inputStream;     // NOTE: Use a WaveStream here because the input might be .mp3 or .wav (and later .wma?)
                WaveStream mp3Reader = new Mp3FileReader(@"C:\Temp\Test.mp3");
                if (mp3Reader.WaveFormat.Encoding != WaveFormatEncoding.Pcm)
                {
                    mp3Reader = WaveFormatConversionStream.CreatePcmStream(mp3Reader);
                }
                inputStream = mp3Reader;

                _EffectStream = new EffectStream(_Effects, inputStream);

                _MainOutputStream = new WaveChannel32(_EffectStream);
                _MainOutputStream.PadWithZeroes = false;
                _MainOutputStream.Pan = Pan;

                _WaveOutDevice = new WaveOut();
                _WaveOutDevice.Init(_MainOutputStream);
                _WaveOutDevice.Play();

                this._WaveOutDevice.PlaybackStopped += OnPlaybackStopped;
            }
        }

        private void OnPlaybackStopped(object sender, EventArgs e)
        {   // Clean up the audio stream resources...
            DisposeAudioResources();
        }

        private void DisposeAudioResources()
        {
            if (_WaveOutDevice != null) { _WaveOutDevice.Stop(); }
            if (_MainOutputStream != null) { _MainOutputStream.Close(); _MainOutputStream = null; }
            if (_PitchEffect != null) { _PitchEffect = null; }
            if (_Effects != null) { _Effects = null; }
            if (_EffectStream != null) { _EffectStream = null; }
            if (_WaveOutDevice != null) { _WaveOutDevice.Dispose(); _WaveOutDevice = null; }
        }

        protected void OnPropertyChanged(PropertyChangedEventArgs e)
        {
            PropertyChangedEventHandler handler = PropertyChanged;
            if (handler != null) { handler(this, e); }
        }

        protected void OnPropertyChanged(string sPropertyName)
        {
            OnPropertyChanged(new PropertyChangedEventArgs(sPropertyName));
        }

        public event PropertyChangedEventHandler PropertyChanged;

        public void Dispose()
        {
            Dispose(true);
            GC.SuppressFinalize(this);
        }

        protected virtual void Dispose(bool bDisposing)
        {   // Check to see if Dispose has already been called...
            if (!_bDisposed)
            {
                DisposeAudioResources();
                _bDisposed = true;
            }
        }
    }
}

A: You must remember to call effect.Slider() after the value of a slider changes. Many effects have to recalculate parameters whenever a slider changes so performance reasons, you have to notify it after changing the value.
I'm hoping to reimplement a lot of the effects I made for SkypeFx with the ISampleProvider interface, which should make them a lot easier to work with in NAudio.