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The intersection between data tech, governance and personalisation
First, let me assure you that this isn't going to be one of those 'personalisation is the next big thing in marketing' posts. By now, you've probably read the articles, facilitated the brainstorm and put together that slide on personalisation in your last marketing strategy.
Every marketer and business leader in 2016 is aware of the opportunity which personalisation presents to organisations looking to counteract the fragmented media and advertising landscape and maintain relevancy in the face of 'generation adblock'.
All too often, however, CRM data cleanliness, nervousness around privacy and a lack of investment in 'closing the loop' on customer data management and reporting leads to personalisation efforts stalling after the inclusion of a customer's name in the subject line of an email.
The challenge facing marketers doesn't lie in the belief that personalisation could work for them but the means with which they can effectively and ethically execute a personalisation agenda.
In this post, I'll explore the three main challenges facing marketers when it comes to personalisation.
Technology, governance and access to data often go hand-in-hand. However, a recent Econsultancy report paints a telling picture of the state of investment in data resources, technology and personalisation efforts.
The late 2015 study found that;
Most companies either have no formal approach whatsoever to using data in marketing programmes (23%) or are working towards a strategic approach, but haven't arrived at one yet (51%). Only 26% of responding organisations have a solid data-driven marketing strategy in place.
Less than a fifth (19%) indicate they have technology and processes designed to predict the needs and behaviours of customers and prospects.
Two in five (41%) report that marketing takes a back seat to IT/tech groups in managing its data, with 45% suggesting that marketing can't make decisions on new technology investments.
A third (34%) of responding companies rely on individuals/teams separately managing point solutions and delivering insights to a central repository. At the other end of the spectrum, only 13% are using cloud-based technology that includes solutions across marketing goals.
With findings like these, it's no wonder marketers are struggling to make sustained strategic efforts in personalising marketing and customer experience. The limited or fragmented access to data technology, as well as the broader question of strategic alignment around the value and ownership of data within an organisation points to a failure on the part of business leaders to invest in and resource for appropriate data governance.
It may sound obvious but access to an accurate database which records both explicit and implicit customer data is key for marketers looking to move beyond the 101 of personalising based on name, geography and gender alone. A misspelt first name or retargeting of a product a customer has already bought is counterproductive and can be more damaging than a neutral/ mass audience approach.
You can read more about the role of data governance and its role in unlocking the value of organizational data in this recent post from the team.
Access to valuable data
Even for those marketers who've nailed CRM and other data tech integrations and have a 'single pane view' of customer behavior, data is still a challenge.
All too often, this data-lead view of a customer is limited to their behavior when interacting with an organisation's own channels whether that be via website, email, app, social media or in-store loyalty card use.
Just as personalisation shouldn't be constrained to demographic information – not every teenage girl loves the Kardashians and not all 45-year-old males are AFL footy fans – it also suffers when marketers fail to think beyond the 1% of the time a customer spends with a brand.
What other brands do they love?
Where have they travelled to recently?
Where do they look for news and entertainment?
15 years ago, this type of context and customer insight was predicated on expensive and (often inaccurate) focus groups or market research.
With the decreasing cost of data storage and computing power, the liquidity of and potential access to data is giving marketers the opportunity to return a more human and one-to-one understanding of customers – similar to the way we used to interact with local shopkeepers.
The caveat to this burgeoning access to data is as follows:
The shopkeeper could easily and quickly verify the truth of any information or data on customers
The shopkeeper had an established and trusted relationship with the customer and any information exchange occurred under this pretext
Marketers accessing or licensing third-party data must keep customer privacy, consumer law and their own data security top-of-mind or they risk both the loss of customers and failure to achieve ROI through investment in poor data.
Traditionally the required level of governance and security around the exchange of data for enriched customer insights either wasn't adhered to – which represented a major risk to both organisations and consumers – or it required lengthy, complex and expensive agreements.
It was the challenges associated with navigating secure and fair data exchanges that lead our team to invent Data Republic's multi-lateral legal framework and technology platform which enables companies, governments and not-for-profits to safely and securely exchange data to enrich customer insights. With all customer personal information or P.I removed from data on the platform and with all exchanges strictly governed on legal and ethical bases – we solve both the access challenge and manage risk around customer data enrichment.
Access to valuable data leads me to the final key consideration for marketers when executing personalisation – the ethical and legal bases by which they collect and apply customer insights.
Customer privacy and the importance of delivering utility
It's important to note that access to data isn't everything.
As Jeff Goldblum's so eloquently put it to the mad founder of Jurassic Park;
"You were so preoccupied with whether or not you could, you didn't stop and think if you should."
Every marketer has heard of the famous Target example back in 2012 where an algorithm predicted a pregnancy and triggered Target coupons and promotional materials to be sent to a home before the pregnancy was announced by the mother. The sophisticated propensity model developed using Target's own CRM loyalty data caused quite the stir, striking equal measures of fear and envy into the hearts of many a CMO starting to use data to personalise offers.
Target had proven that their approach to personalisation through data had unprecedented accuracy but to what end? Customers felt alienated and issues surrounding privacy were called into question. The antitheses of what a marketer would hope to achieve through personalisation.
An important thing to note here is that Target obeyed all consumer privacy laws in the US and were only utilising data which they had been authorised by their customers to collect.
The data itself wasn't the issue (frequency of purchasing lotion and cotton swabs), the issue was the ethically questionable application of that data to try and predict pregnancy – one of the biggest moments and events in a person's life – in order to send them coupons.
The offer (or utility) was woefully out of balance with the value of that information or the trust typically required to gain it. Nor was the customer given the opportunity to signal intent or stop personalisation by being asked "We noticed you were buying lotion, are you interested in receiving offers for prams and nappies? Yes or no".
Would the uproar have been the same had the woman been offered 50% off her preferred cosmetic line because she had spent X amount in-store the previous month?
Or if a bank had offered a special discounted rate because behavior signaled that a customer was looking to switch banks after many years?
The lesson here is that marketers cannot operate in a data-driven vacuum where all that matters is the data and the offer. Any collection, use or exchange of customer data must meet both consumer privacy law and the ethical expectations of the customer.
For trust to be maintained, customers must gain value or utility from personalised exchanges and the terms of organizational data collection and use must be made transparent.
Marketers, leaders and consumers currently stand at a critical juncture with digital technology, access to data and IoT (Internet of Things) disruption changing the way we conduct business and interact with society as a whole. At the end of the day, however, data-driven personalisation cannot be treated as an intrusive arms-race for customer surveillance. Data alone can't account for better customer service, value and utility – to have customer rights respected and their loyalty rewarded. We've all been talking about personalisation since the early 2000s – it's high time we started delivering ethical and effective personalisation for our customers.


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Recommendation 563
Recommendation 563 (1969)
Situation of Gypsies and other travellers in Europe
Author(s): Parliamentary Assembly
Origin - Assembly debate on 30 September 1969 (9th Sitting) (see Doc. 2629, report of the Committee on Social and Health Questions). Text adopted by the Assembly on 30 September 1969 (9th Sitting).
The Assembly,
1. Noting that the situation of the Gypsy population of Europe is severely affected by the rapid changes in modern society, which are depriving the Gypsies and other travellers of many opportunities to carry on with their traditional trades and professions, and worsening their handicaps with regard to literacy and educational and professional training;
2. Believing that an integration of the Gypsy population into modern European society is called for and that such integration requires concerted action by the Council of Europe member governments;
3. Deeply concerned that in many cases efforts to improve the situation have failed owing to discrimination against Gypsies, on the ground that they belong to a particular ethnic group, which is incompatible with the ideals underlying the European Convention on Human Rights and the United Nations Declaration on Human Rights;
4. Realising that the lack of adequately equipped camping sites or houses, as well as work areas, for Gypsies and other travellers, and the lack of educational facilities and work opportunities has caused wide-spread friction between the travellers' families and the settled population;
5. Considering that permanent residences for Gypsies and other travellers are almost necessary conditions to enable them to receive a proper education and to adapt to modern society;
6. Considering that lack of education, resulting mainly from the Gypsies' and other travellers' nomadic way of life, has far-reaching repercussions, over and above the purely material or financial factors, on their life and social climate, which threaten to prejudice in the long term their integration in modern European society and their acceptance as citizens with equal rights;
7. Considering that programmes designed to improve the situation of the Gypsies should be prepared in co-operation and consultation with their representatives,
8. Recommends that the Committee of Ministers urge member governments:
8.1. to take all steps necessary to stop discrimination, be it in legislation or in administrative practice, against Gypsies and other travellers;
8.2. as a minimum measure, to promote actively the construction by the authorities concerned, for Gypsies and other travellers, of a sufficient number of caravan sites which should be provided with sanitary installations, electricity, telephones, community buildings, and fire precautions, as well as working areas, and should be situated near to schools and villages or towns;
8.3. to ensure, wherever possible, that local authorities provide houses for travellers' families, especially in regions where climate conditions make caravans unsuitable for permanent residence;
8.4. where attendance at existing schools is not possible, to encourage the provision of special classes near caravan sites or other places where groups of travellers gather regularly to facilitate the integration of children from travellers' families into normal schools and to ensure that the educational programmes for the children from travellers' families link up satisfactorily with those of secondary school or other forms of continued education;
8.5. to create or improve the possibilities for professional education of adult Gypsies and travellers with a view to improving their employment opportunities;
8.6. to support the creation of national bodies consisting of representatives from governments, Gypsy and travellers' communities as well as voluntary organisations working in the interests of Gypsies and other travellers, and to consult these bodies in the preparation of measures designed to improve the position of the Gypsies and other travellers;
8.7. to adapt existing national laws with a view to ensuring that Gypsies and other travellers have the same rights as the settled population with regard to social security provisions and medical care.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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The following represents all books currently listed within the genre, Biographies & Memoirs:
Children of Dreams: An Adoption Memoir
Lorilyn Roberts' hopes of motherhood came to a devastating end when her husband left her for his pregnant girlfriend. Eight years later, Children of Dreams reveals God's restoration of her dreams through the international adoption of her two daughters. Written as creative nonfiction, an analogy is drawn between the physical adoption of children and God's spiritual adoption as recounted in the Bible. Ms. Roberts skillfully weaves in her own back‑story while telling about her adventures in Nepal and Vietnam, filled with political intrigue.
Scriptural insights and reflections interspersed throughout the book show Lorilyn's reliance upon her heavenly Father when all hope seemed lost. The reader will enjoy the vivid descriptions as well as a window into the plight of those struggling to survive where basic necessities may not be available. The adventure includes meeting a future Prime Minister, a missing baby, and many other surprises.
The medical mystery in Children of Dreams was featured on Animal Planet's "Monsters Inside Me," in the episode of "Shapeshifters."
Ms. Roberts' appearance on the show was to inform adopting families about certain medical conditions endemic in developing countries.
THE BEAUTY SHOP
Suzy Henderson
England, 1942. After three years of WWII, Britain is showing the scars. But in this darkest of days, three lives intertwine, changing their destinies and those of many more.
Dr Archibald McIndoe, a New Zealand plastic surgeon with unorthodox methods, is on a mission to treat and rehabilitate badly burned airmen – their bodies and souls. With the camaraderie and support of the Guinea Pig Club, his boys battle to overcome disfigurement, pain, and prejudice to learn to live again.
John 'Mac' Mackenzie of the US Air Force is aware of the odds. He has one chance in five of surviving the war. Flying bombing missions through hell and back, he's fighting more than the Luftwaffe. Fear and doubt stalk him on the ground and in the air, and he's torn between his duty and his conscience.
Shy, decent and sensible Stella Charlton's future seems certain until war breaks out. As a new recruit to the WAAF, she meets an American pilot on New Year's Eve. After just one dance, she falls head over heels for the handsome airman. But when he survives a crash, she realises her own battle has only just begun.
Based on a true story, "The Beauty Shop" is a moving tale of love, compassion, and determination against a backdrop of wartime tragedy.
The Bride's Trunk: A Story of War and Reconciliation
Ingrid Dixon
"An extraordinary narrative"
"Beautifully told - stays with you long after the last page is sadly turned."
"Carefully pieced together from personal and official documents, oral testimony and material objects"
A true story of love and reconciliation in the aftermath of the Second World War
Minny leaves Germany on a bitterly cold morning in December 1946 and travels to England to marry Jim, a British Intelligence Corps soldier in the Allied armies that defeated the Nazi regime in 1945 and occupied the devastated nation. She has survived British and American bombs and witnessed the destruction of Aachen, her ancient and beautiful city. How will a German woman cope in austere post-war Britain, where she is still regarded as the enemy? Illustrated with almost 100 images and original documents, The Bride's Trunk describes the adventures of an unremarkable piece of luggage and three generations of its owners, whose journeys across Europe are determined by the turbulent events of twentieth century history.
Some comments on 'The Bride's Trunk'
"An extraordinary narrative, pieced together from original documents, about a couple who were determined not to let war defeat them. 70 years ago the British government passed a law allowing British men to marry German women, but little thought was given to the life that those German women would find, in the aftermath of the second world war. This heart-warming tale brings alive childhood and adolescence in pre-war Germany, followed by a new life in the old enemy country."
Jackie Ashley, President of Lucy Cavendish College, University of Cambridge, and journalist
"Scant attention has been paid to the 10,000 or so German women who married British soldiers at the end of the Second World War. In this often moving account, Ingrid Dixon traces the story of her own parents, one a former secretary for the German police, the other a British soldier from the Intelligence Corps, both of whom were caught up in the chaotic last months of the Third Reich and its immediate aftermath. Their story is carefully pieced together from personal and official documents, oral testimony and material objects, including the old trunk which survived the vicissitudes of war to carry the bride's worldly possessions to her new home in Liverpool."
Professor Peter Wilson, Chichele Professor of the History of War, University of Oxford
"A gripping and moving story, with excellent illustrations, which really evokes time and place and is a sensitive treatment of the conflicting feelings associated with war."
Dr Philip Towle, Department of Politics and International Studies, University of Cambridge
Behind the Tapestry: My Discovery of God's Grace Amidst Chro
M. Rose Peluso
Behind The Tapestry is the compelling true story told from behind convent walls, of one woman's struggles to "make peace" with a mysterious chronic illness and her unfulfilled dream of being a Catholic nun.
Maryanne was a 29-year-old graphic designer working towards a lifelong desire to someday move to Hollywood and become an Academy Award winning art director. But an unexpected invitation to a Catholic prayer meeting would forever change Maryanne's life showing her desires she didn't know she possessed.
After being abruptly fired from her job and spending a lot of time in prayer, Maryanne embarked on a journey to discover God's will for her life. This quest eventually led her to the Catholic Convent and the realization that all she's ever really wanted was to devote herself to Jesus.
Entering Religious Life was all that Maryanne thought about for more than a year but there was a problem. She found herself plagued by a mysterious condition that caused widespread, chronic pain. However, in spite of this pain, Maryanne joined a group of Franciscan Sisters in 1999.
Her life in the Convent was filled with many questions, struggles, challenges and a whole lot of physical pain. Then when already strained relationships with her superiors became even more fractured with the lines of communication practically severed, Sister Maryanne was forced to make a heart-wrenching decision. One that would not only impact her life but the lives of those around her. Should she remain in the Convent and go on to take final vows or leave her Religious Life behind and take care of herself instead?
The Upside of Cancer: How a Terrifying Illness Can Lead You
Strange though it may sound, cancer can lead us to a deeper experience of joy and inner peace, this book asserts. Praised by Amazon Hall of Fame Top 100 reviewer Grady Harp as "a brief, exceptionally rewarding book," The Upside of Cancer offers hope and courage to cancer patients and their families and anyone facing a major trauma.
The author was diagnosed with stage 2 colon cancer in 2013 at age 81. With insights and stories from his own life, he shows you how to turn anxiety into joy as you tap into your inner courage, find peace and solace in stillness, and listen to the wisdom of your own heart.
This book will help you:
Develop resilience
Face the fear of death
Escape from Communism
Mit Sandru
Life under communism is cruel and inhumane. Commit the smallest political infraction, and the secret police will arrest you. The only ray of hope is the West, but getting out from communism is difficult. Communist countries have a "Berlin Wall" around them. It is a crime to escape by crossing the border illegally, and anyone caught is beaten and imprisoned, sometimes even shot. I was eighteen, and I was living in hell. However, I would rather have died than keep living as a communist slave. This is my story of what happened and how I reached freedom.
"Mr. Sandru has the ability to translate the complex into simple one simple truth ... liberty is the most valuable asset any individual has, hold on to it with your life!" By Kathi Herman Photography
"A dream for freedom, a daring escape, and lessons to learn...
This is the fourth excellent book I've read by Mr. Sandru. I loved this book as it painted a very clear picture of what life is like under communism. While he writes in a style that keeps you wanting to read more, he also has you stopping to think..." by Julie Blaskie
Through the Porthole: First Cruise: Queen Victoria
A ten day cruise aboard Cunard's Queen Victoria.
Docking at La Coruña, Cádiz, Malaga, Tangier and Lisbon.
"Author, Gary cements growing reputation." ( Salina Patel, Hounslow Cronicle)
"Enjoyable and descriptive...very interesting." (J.Collins)
"A rollicking good read." (Amazon Customer)
AN EXTRACT FROM THROUGH THE PORTHOLE:
I want to go back to a time when travelling itself was the main focus. I don't need to get anywhere too fast. I point a finger of blame at the budget airlines. Flight should have remained a luxury - something special that you could look forward to and appreciate. Flying, in my opinion, has become the lowest form of travel. Getting a budget flight feels to me like getting a bus from a provisional town after the pubs and only club have all kicked out. It's either going to be a loud but good-humoured case of singing and banter on the way home, or it's all going to kick off after a drunken remark. "You looking at my bird, mate?"
When we took a coach to Lake Como, I enjoyed looking out the window along the way, seeing villages and sights that you miss when you fly. From the hotel base we visited Milan and St. Moritz. We went across to St. Moritz on the Bernina Express railway. The memories I have of the snowcapped mountains and deep valleys is something I will never forget. I enjoyed going to Milan, as it has always been a city I have wanted to visit. But sitting on a coach for twenty-four hours to get to Lake Como was draining. I couldn't stretch my legs, and the drivers asked that we all refrain from defecating in the coach toilet, or, as he put it, "What goes in there, stays in there until we get back to England." Once we got to Lake Como and based in the hotel, it was great. But the thought of returning home on a coach for twenty-four hours when the holiday was over was a very sobering thought. It was impossible for me to sleep. How others managed it, I'll never know. So Marina, opting for the third mode of travel (sea), has booked us on Cunard's Queen Victoria...
English Yarns and Beyond: A Collection of Short Stories and
Anyone who has ever done building work for brutal wage slavery and wondered if they were going mad, will recognise the life of Ray Dennis, (Troia's alter ego) which evokes a vision of mind-numbing, soul-destroying workplaces and workmates. His is the voice of discord for the marginally employed, the creatively frustrated working Joe, who turns to a life of drink and drugs to elevate the monotony of life.
Few have brought this world to life with such despair, black humour and indifference as Gary Troia. He paints a beautifully sad portrait of a truly messed up person with potential, struggling to keep his messed up mind from drowning in cheap wine and self-loathing. Ray's spirit is trapped in a world of endless grey mundanity.
English Yarns and Beyond is the ultimate "I hate this job" story, written in short stories and memoirs, each one containing a snapshot of the life of Ray. Troia captures the tedium of working in a low paid, menial job and living hand to mouth. This short story book is book is sad and questions the reader to ask questions about their own life. This book of short stories and memoirs achieves clarity without trying.
A collection of short stories that include:
The Cuckoo's Egg- Boyhood antics lead to tragedy.No Comb on the Cock- Gypsies, champion fighting cocks, and career choices.
My Best Mates Head- Did a weekend of boozing save Ray from certain death?
The Shetland Isles- A trip to sunny Benidorm, a chance meeting with some Glaswegians, and a cold, miserable job in Lerwick.
Pointing a House in Islington- Too much alcohol and cocaine don't mix well on building sites!
When I Joined a Cult- Sober dating as Ray discovers religion.
A Week in the Life of Ray Dennis- With the prospect of no money for food or alcohol this Christmas, Ray has to find work quickly.
Teaching Other People- The grass is always greener-the escape from bricklaying.
Steak, Egg and Intensive Care- A harmless dinner leads to hospitalisation.
Guardians of Churchill's Secret Army: Men of the Intelligenc
Peter Dixon
What if you have to survive undercover in a hostile land?
A single slip can lead to arrest, torture, execution. Who can be trusted? Discover what kept Churchill's secret saboteurs alive in occupied France, Holland or Thailand - or didn't!
'A fascinating and important study of a long-hidden corner of SOE history.' Dr Roderick Bailey, Pembroke College, Oxford, Advisor to BBC TV series 'Secret Agent Selection: WW2'.
The men and women who served as agents of the World War 2 Special Operations Executive were courageous. But courage was not enough. They also needed to learn the caution and suspicion that might just keep them alive, deep undercover in enemy territory.
Guardians of Churchill's Secret Army tells the stories of the extraordinary men who taught them those skills and thought processes. They helped trainee agents learn how to seem innocuous while preparing resistance, subversion and sabotage. Each spoke several languages. Many became agents themselves and faced danger with great bravery; that's part of their story too. All played a crucial role in the global effort to undermine the enemy.
We find them not only in the Baker Street Headquarters of SOE, but also in night parachute drops, in paramilitary training in the remotest depths of Scotland and in undercover agent training in isolated English country houses. We follow them to occupied France, to Malaya and Thailand under threat of Japanese invasion, to Italy and Germany as they play their part in the collapse of the Axis regimes. Their stories are inspiring.
If you like discovering the true stories that underpin the history of the Second World War, then you'll want to read this authentic book. Author of Setting the Med Ablaze, Dr Peter Dixon has a PhD from the University of Cambridge and four decades of military and peacebuilding experience. In the tradition of Antony Beevor and Ben Macintyre, he shines a spotlight on a crucial area of the Special Operations Executive.
Enjoy reading Guardians of Churchill's Secret Army and explore a little-known aspect of World War 2 history.
A Slice of the Seventies: First book of The Mug Trilogy
This first loosely autobiographical book in The Mug Trilogy tells the story of Jersey-born Mug, a troubled girl from a recently broken home. It covers her experiences as a sixteen-year-old girl at the Isle of Wight Music Festival in 1970, the same year that she follows a guru. It describes her tumultuous years as an art student in Coventry, where vegetarian Mug finds herself living next door to an abattoir and railway shunting yard with David, a fellow art student. Dramatic events follow on from the evening they meet at a student party, when Mug attempts to save David from attempting a very public drunken suicide attempt.
Quirky Christmas Stories
Christmas with a Twist!
This collection of Christmas stories puts a different spin on some of the clichés of the festive season.
Why is Santa stalking a couple?
Who will protect seven-year-old Jeannie when a fake Santa comes to call?
What is the real story of the first Christmas?
You'll enjoy these and other quirky Christmas stories, curled up on the sofa when the long winter nights draw in.
Setting the Med Ablaze: Churchill's Secret North African Bas
It was Christmas 1942. Eleven young women braved the attentions of Nazi U-Boats in the deep Atlantic on their way to North Africa. About to play their part in defeating Hitler, they called themselves the First Eleven.
According to Winston Churchill, the Mediterranean was the key to defeating the Third Reich. And a crucial part of undermining Fascist power in Italy, France and the Mediterranean islands would be subversion and sabotage. But the undercover fighters needed a springboard to spearhead their operations in the 'soft underbelly' of Europe.
Those eleven young women joined heroic soldiers, sailors and secret agents at the Special Operations Executive's new North African base. Code-named Massingham, it was hidden away among pine trees by a Mediterranean beach. SOE, America's OSS and the French intelligence agencies worked together to undermine cruel regimes.
This is the remarkable story of Massingham. Its life was short. Less than two years after its formation, its multinational job was done. British, American, French, Italian, Spanish: together they played a key role in the Second World War.
Alongside the espionage of MI6 and the strategic deception of 'A Force', Massingham's men and women launched covert operations at dead of night: by parachute, by submarine, by canoe easing silently on to a deserted beach. In the tradition of Antony Beevor and Ben Macintyre, this book reveals an aspect of WW2 history that has remained hidden for far too long.
The Adventures of Doctor X in China: Five years teaching ESL
Doctor X
In his late fifties Doctor X realised that he was in the 'death zone,' and didn't want to go out feet up, sitting in front of the TV in the UK – he wanted to continue to live a life. Journey with him on his five-year love and hate affair with China, seeking out a new life, and enjoying strange encounters - boldly going where no English as a Second Language (ESL) teacher has gone before.
Doctor X gives us his unexpurgated insight into an ESL teacher's life in China. What it's really like in the high schools of China. He outs the unprofessional, and drunken behaviour of the riff raff that wash up professing to be teachers but are really professional bar flies. He also provides crucial hints, and tips for the new teacher thinking about giving China a go.
He writes frankly about his relationship with some of the women that were just ships that passed in the night. From Little Yellow, and the ladyboys of Bangkok to meeting E - his eventual life partner. This erotilogue will show you a China hidden from the tourist – the bathhouses, and the pink curtained massage parlours. Doctor X does not regret one moment of it - it has been an experience worth living – one moment close to death, the next in the arms of random women.
And to think Doctor X could be back home in Britain stacking shelves in Tesco.
The Life Of An Akita Chow Mix
Avril Herbert
A heartwarming autobiographical memoir told by an Akita- Chow mix dog named Rusty. He tells his story from his early days with his mother, through his hardship times to being adopted into a loving home.
He explains how he was judged because of his breeds and reflects on how the actions of all humans helped shape his behavior. He talks about how the bond between dog and human needs strengthening so that less dogs end up at the shelter and he reminds us why these beautiful animals come into our life.
The Lying Scotsman: Book Two in The Mug Trilogy
The words in this loosely autobiographical second book in the Mug Trilogy were triggered by the entanglement between Mug, a recently divorced, disinherited, temporarily sex-obsessed woman and Michael. Her Gordian knot was a complex, mendacious, Scottish baggage handler who destiny threw her way late one night in early 2004. She was an honest, too trusting, troubled woman in her late forties. He was an enigma eleven years her junior who was hiding many shocking secrets. Mug's original plan was to write about their unusual story as a present to give to him for Christmas. Little did she know that her gift would almost kill him. She had wanted the opportunity to describe in her book her life prior to their meeting, because it shaped how she felt about him, why she tolerated what others might deem unacceptable. The purpose of Mug's book was to drastically change into a desperate effort to make sense of unfolding bizarre events and to help them both deal with the aftermath.
Wheels of Injustice: Saving My Child from the Child Savers
Susan Louise Gabriel
Six weeks into a blissful honeymoon, life turns into a nightmare when Susan's 9-year-old daughter is taken away and her husband is falsely accused of child sexual abuse. As her own and other families throughout the country are crushed under its wheels, Susan musters the strength and the will to battle a behemoth system that has become the very thing it was created to eradicate.
Wheels of Injustice is the true story of one woman's fight against a powerful system that's run amok, grinding families into dust, obliterating Amendment protections, and taking revenge against anyone who attempts to reform it.
It's the 1980s—a decade of unfounded abuse accusations, hysterical claims of orgies at daycare centers, families controlled by courts, and an out-of-control child protection system.
A tribute to God's faithfulness and a message of hope to others who have struggled to overcome adversity, fight governmental intrusion and overreach, and turn an upended life the right way around again.
"We are not to simply bandage the wounds of victims beneath the wheels of injustice, we are to drive a spoke into the wheel itself."
― Dietrich Bonhoeffer


On the functional side of things, we've mixed in an asymmetrical shaft including the Ankle_Pad to add some protection on the crank side. The sole design still features dedicated pedal and walking zones. They extend from the ball of the foot to the very end of the mid-foot area. Toe and heel areas are shaped with particular climb zones to ensure maximum traction off the pedal. The second main focus in development has been placed on the right mixture of stiffness in the longitudinal axis and flexibility across the lateral axis: a flat-pedal shoe needs to provide power transmission without any compromises in the longitudinal axis during pedalling. On the lateral axis you need a certain flex to prevent the foot from tilting on the pedal but still allow for effective steering impulses. And all this while maintaining comfortable foot roll behaviour. In the toe area a pre-shaped firm toe box protects the foot when it hits rocks or roots.


It's lit! Hot off her collaborations with Lost Kings and Tinie Tempah, Tinashe sparks a new "Flame" on the latest single off her long-awaited album Joyride.
This is the latest Tinashe release ahead of her sophomore album Joyride, the follow-up to 2014's Aquarius, which is set to feature production from Metro Boomin, Tricky Stewart, The-Dream, Sir Nolan, Charlie Handsome, Boi-1da, and more.


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Sponsoring or Advertising with us is an excellent way to attract new customers, brand your products or services, build your company image, and build customer loyalty for your business. Take a moment to consider what advertising with SoulofSyracuse.com can do for your business and our visitors will consider what your business is doing for them.
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Steelers Vs. Patriots: 7 Keys To Victory In Week 1
By Dave Bryan
Posted on September 8, 2019 at 11:40 am
The Pittsburgh Steelers will open their 2019 regular season on the road Sunday night against the New England Patriots in what figures to be another tightly contested game that could come down to the wire. Below are seven key things that I believe the Steelers will need to do in the game to come away with a big AFC win to start their 2019 regular season.
Be Tom's first and second – Patriots quarterback Tom Brady has never thrown an interception against the Steelers at home in five games. If the Steelers hope to win Sunday at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, that streak will need to come to an end. The Steelers defense only intercepted eight passes last season on the way to ending with just 15 total takeaways. That total number was ten short of where it needs to be. If the Steelers don't get a few turnovers Sunday night, it's hard to imagine them beating the Patriots.
Patriots center of attention – The Patriots lost starting center David Andrews for the season to lung blood clots a few weeks ago and that means Ted Karras will be the starter moving forward. Karras is easily the weakest part of the Patriots offensive line and running a close second might be left guard Joe Thuney. While Steelers defensive tackle Javon Hargrave isn't likely to play more than 55 percent of the total Steelers defensive snaps Sunday night, whenever he is on the field, he should be able to make a difference and especially as a pass rusher. Steelers defensive end Cameron Heyward also needs a stronghold Sunday night against the interior of the Patriots offensive line. Brady hates pressure in his face so the Steelers defense must provide a lot of that Sunday night.
Hope Boz's well – Will the old Chris Boswell be back kicking for the Steelers this season? We might get a chance to find out as soon as Sunday night. There might not be a lot of scoring opportunities Sunday night for either team and a low-scoring game would seem to favor the Steelers. Boswell, who seemingly had a strong training camp and preseason on the heels of a disastrous 2018 season, needs to kick home all chances he gets Sunday night. The last time the Steelers played the Patriots in Foxborough, Boswell missed a 27-yard field goal and an extra point attempt in their humiliating 2016-2017 AFC Championship game loss.
Long overdue for shorter fields – In the Steelers 17-10 win over the Patriots late last season, the team's offense managed to overcome very poor starting field position throughout the contest. In fact, the best stating field position the Steelers offense had in that game was their own 28-yard-line and that happened twice. Three of their other 10 offensive positions started inside their own 10-yard-line. The fact that the Steelers managed to win that game last season against the Patriots with such poor field position shows just how well the team's defense played. That all noted, the Steelers defense and special team units must provide the offense a few better starting spots Sunday night at Gillette Stadium.
Big plays Jameses – Patriot head coach Bill Belichick will likely concentrate on taking away Steelers wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster Sunday night and that means the third-year wide receiver is probably due to receiver a lot of double and bracket-type coverages. The Patriots might also once again use defensive back-heavy personnel groupings throughout the Sunday night game. Regardless of how Belichick ultimately decides to defend the Steelers offense Sunday night, running back James Conner and wide receiver James Washington should both have a few opportunities throughout the game to deliver big plays. Washington needs to deliver at least two deep catches of 20 yards or more while Conner needs to deliver at least two runs or receptions of 15 yards or more. These Jameses are very capable of delivering such big plays.
Wheeling and receiving backs – With the Patriots seriously down tight ends Sunday, look for them to use a lot of two-back personnel groupings Sunday night with the always versatile James Develin and James White being part of such. White is an underrated receiving running back and he's caught 243 passes in the last four seasons. Look for the Patriots to throw to their running backs a lot Sunday night and even attempt a few wheel routes if they can get one singled up on an outside linebacker or an inside linebacker such as Vince Williams.
Red and yellow, red and yellow, red and yellow – The Steelers win last season against the Patriots at Heinz Field included the team's offense converting two of their three total red zone trips into touchdowns. Conversely, none of the three trips inside the red zone that the Patriots had in that contest culminated in touchdowns. The Steelers must once again win that battle and the penalty one as well. Last season, the Steelers handily won the penalty battle as the Patriots had 14 called on them for 106 yards while Pittsburgh had just four penalties assessed against them for 40 yards. These two sets of stats aren't highlighted enough when looking back at the Steelers win last season over the Patriots.
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text:
Fragile Equality est le deuxième album du groupe brésilien Almah.

Liste des morceaux

 "Birds Of Prey" – 04:45
 "Beyond Tomorrow" – 04:03
 "Magic Flame" – 03:32
 "All I Am" – 04:40
 "You'll Understand" – 06:03
 "Invisible Cage" – 05:46
 "Fragile Equality" – 03:48
 "Torn" – 04:42
 "Shade Of My Soul" – 04:58
 "Meaningless World" – 04:48

Formation

 Edu Falaschi (chant)
 Marcelo Barbosa (guitare)
 Paulo Schroeber (guitare)
 Felipe Andreoli (basse)
 Marcelo Moreira (batterie)

Album d'Almah
Album musical sorti en 2008
Album publié par AFM Records

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
RAMMSTEIN: PARIS
The Rolling Stones Havana Moon
Miss Saigon – 25th anniversary performance
info@cinevento.com
Amazingly performed timeless play by Shakespeare
You are here: Home » Romeo & Juliet
Back to Event Overview
One of the biggest classics ever
Exceptional. Moving. Emotional.
• FULL CASTING ANNOUNCED FOR THE KENNETH BRANAGH THEATRE COMPANY'S ROMEO AND JULIET, STARRING LILY JAMES, RICHARD MADDEN AND DEREK JACOBI
• MEERA SYAL WILL PLAY THE NURSE ALONGSIDE MARISA BERENSON, JACK COLGRAVE HIRST, TOM HANSON, MATTHEW HAWKSLEY, TAYLOR JAMES, ANSU KABIA, RACHEAL OFORI, NIKKI PATEL, CHRIS PORTER, ZOË RAINEY, MICHAEL ROUSE, SAM VALENTINE AND KATHRYN WILDER
• DIRECTED BY KENNETH BRANAGH AND ROB ASHFORD, ROMEO AND JULIET WILL PLAY AT THE GARRICK FROM 12 MAY TO 13 AUGUST 2016 WITH THE PRODUCTION BROADCAST LIVE TO CINEMAS ON 7 JULY
Watch a Scene
Get this Event
The Kenneth Branagh Theatre Company has announced the full cast for Romeo and Juliet, the fifth production in the inaugural Plays at the Garrick season. Joining previously announced Lily James (Juliet), Richard Madden (Romeo) and Derek Jacobi (Mercutio) will be Meera Syal as the Nurse. Romeo and Juliet will play at the Garrick Theatre from 12 May until 13 August with press night on 25 May. The production will be broadcast live to cinemas on 7 July.
Meera Syal said: "I'm so looking forward to joining such an exciting and prestigious company, and to be performing Shakespeare with them in this, his 400th anniversary year."
Reuniting the stars of his celebrated film Cinderella, Kenneth Branagh and Rob Ashford will direct Shakespeare's heartbreaking tale of forbidden love. The full cast includes Marisa Berenson (Lady Capulet), Jack Colgrave Hirst (Benvolio), Tom Hanson (Paris), Matthew Hawksley (Anthony), Derek Jacobi (Mercutio), Lily James (Juliet), Taylor James (Prince), Ansu Kabia (Tybalt), Richard Madden (Romeo), Racheal Ofori (Potpan), Nikki Patel (Balthasar), Chris Porter (Lord Montague), Zoë Rainey (Lady Montague), Michael Rouse (Lord Capulet), Meera Syal (The Nurse), Sam Valentine (Friar Laurence) and Kathryn Wilder (Peta/Apothecary).
The cinema broadcast of Romeo and Juliet will be directed by Benjamin Caron, who has also recently directed the broadcast of The Winter's Tale and collaborated with Kenneth Branagh on the forthcoming series of Wallander, due to be broadcast on the BBC in 2016. John Osborne's The Entertainer, which will be the final production in the Plays at the Garrick season (20 August – 12 November), will also be broadcast to cinemas in 2016.
The Winter's Tale, Harlequinade / All On Her Own, Red Velvet, The Painkiller, Romeo and Juliet and The Entertainer make up the inaugural seven-play season of work for the Kenneth Branagh Theatre Company. For more information please see branaghtheatre.com
The Kenneth Branagh Theatre Company, in partnership with Picturehouse Entertainment, will broadcast three productions of its year-long Plays at the Garrick season live to cinemas worldwide. Participating cinemas and screening dates can be found at branaghtheatrelive.com
© 2017- Cinevento | Web Design by BRIZZO


text:
La síndrome de la Xina (original: The China Syndrome) és una pel·lícula estatunidenca dirigida per James Bridges, estrenada el 1979 i doblada al català.

Argument
Kimberley Wells, periodista de televisió, filma en el transcurs d'un documental un incident a la central nuclear de Ventana. El seu operador de càmera ho ensenya a un enginyer nuclear, que confirma la realitat de l'accident i el seu caràcter potencialment perillós.

En aquest moment és evocada la noció de «síndrome xinesa».

Repartiment
 Jane Fonda: Kimberly Wells, periodista a KXLA
 Jack Lemmon: Jack Godell, cap d'equip a la central nuclear
 Michael Douglas: Richard Adams, càmera a KXLA
 Scott Brady: Herman De Young
 James Hampton: Bill Gibson
 Peter Donat: Don Jacovich
 Wilford Brimley: Ted Spindler
 Richard Herd: Evan McCormack
 Daniel Valdez: Hector Salas
 Stan Bohrman: Pete Martin
 James Karen: Mac Churchill
 Michael Alaimo: Greg Minor
 Donald Hotton: Dr. Lowell
 Khalilah Ali: Marge
 Paul Larson: D. B. Royce
 Ron Lombard: Barney
 Tom Eure: Tommy
 Nick Pellegrino: Borden
 Daniel Lewk: Donny
 Allan Chinn: Holt
 Martin Fiscoe: guàrdia
 Alan Kaul: director TV
 Michael Mann: consultor TV
 David Eisenbise: director tècnic
 Frank Cavestani: periodista

Al voltant de la pel·lícula
La pel·lícula es basa en un guió que considera la possibilitat d'una acceleració del reactor nuclear de la central (resultant de llacunes voluntàries en el control dels principals components de la central en el moment de la seva construcció), que condueix aquest a fondre el seu recinte de confinament i a travessar el sòl (síndrome xinesa); en teoria, fins al centre de la Terra (i no fins a la Xina, com faria suposar el títol de la pel·lícula).

Estrenada dotze dies abans de l'accident nuclear de Three Mile Island, aquesta pel·lícula va tenir un eco considerable en l'opinió pública i va alimentar el moviment contra l'energia nuclear als Estats Units.

Premis i nominacions

Premis
 1979. Premi a la interpretació masculina (Festival de Cannes) per Jack Lemmon
 1980. BAFTA a la millor actriu per Jane Fonda
 1980. BAFTA al millor actor per Jack Lemmon
 1980. Millor actor estranger als Premis David di Donatello per Jack Lemmon

Nominacions
 1979. Palma d'Or
 1980. Oscar al millor actor per Jack Lemmon
 1980. Oscar a la millor actriu per Jane Fonda
 1980. Oscar al millor guió original per Mike Gray, T.S. Cook i James Bridges
 1980. Oscar a la millor direcció artística per George Jenkins i Arthur Jeph Parker
 1980. Globus d'Or a la millor pel·lícula dramàtica
 1980. Globus d'Or al millor director per James Bridges
 1980. Globus d'Or al millor actor dramàtic per Jack Lemmon
 1980. Globus d'Or a la millor actriu dramàtica per Jane Fonda
 1980. Globus d'Or al millor guió per Mike Gray, T.S. Cook i James Bridges
 1980. BAFTA a la millor pel·lícula
 1980. BAFTA al millor guió per Mike Gray, T.S. Cook i James Bridges

Referències

Pel·lícules dels Estats Units del 1979
Pel·lícules dramàtiques dels Estats Units
Pel·lícules de catàstrofes
Pel·lícules del 1979 doblades al català


Tracing the 4000-year journey of the great hope of Christian faith through original songs performed by the show's 12-member The New Jerusalem Project Band, Forever and Ever springs from the creative and spiritual vision of composer/director and pianist Thomas Hogge.
The New Jerusalem Project Band includes Vancouver based singer/musician Tom Arntzen on keyboards and vocals. Guitarists Olaf DeShield and Tim Porter bring decades of live touring and studio experience across Canada to bear, with DeShield also contributing on rock-styled vocals. Singers Laura Doyle, Ashley Tendesai and Keith Bennett bring a wealth of gospel and jazz vocal experience to the mix. Drummer Phil Robertson has played with major artists over a 25-year career including Michael Buble. Rounding out The New Jerusalem Project Band is a stellar horn section, with seasoned saxophonist Steve Hilliam (Colin James Band), the award-winning Vince Mai on trumpet and sought-after trombonist Rod Murray.


text:
DAKKA PRESS
Posted on April 29, 2017 August 7, 2017 by wr4ith0
DAKKA PRESS presents: REDFIELD
http://dakkapress.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/redfield.mp3
Welcome to the first episode of DAKKA PRESS presents. REDFIELD asks what we look like in the mirror of our own ambitions. Will we have feet? Will our mirror be tall enough to tell? We find most mirrors are a little too short.
A man wakes up. Around him sit machines humming with power, their tubes tendrils, sewing him back into the world. The liquids they carry rebuild him. He rebuilds himself. It is an unnatural symbiosis. Thought comes back in fits and starts, growing tentatively in iterations. He wakes just long enough to register the process, but once again unconsciousness claims him.
A new cycle starts. Someone enters. He is recognized, John Clay, an old memory given flesh. John Clay is then the reason he is here, slowly sleeping back to life. He should be a husk lying in the field slowly returning to dust, but Clay had other plans for him. This place has been abandoned. The nameless man can tell from the silence of the city around him. He does not belong here, nor these machines but each for different reasons. The miracle of these devices in humanity's abandonment sustains him who abandoned humanity. This is Clay's doing. He has always been fond of a paradox. The nameless man asks what year it is. The date is seven years to the day since the last time he walked with men on mortal limbs. Less since he stalked them without.
Sleeping, he was simple to hide away. No one left to search abandoned towns for survivors. But now he is restless. He cannot wait to move again; he has been here too long. Clay suggests a cottage, on the north end of the lake. It will give him the space he needs to to stretch his legs.
He is at the cottage four weeks before he starts to walk again, six hundred and seventy-two hours until he once again has the power to move about on his own without more than a cane and an occasional rest. He is gaunt, the result of years of inactivity. If he was still what he once was he would not be able to move, would not be sure his strength would recover in full. But he is not, and he does not have time to wait.
Soon he ventures outside. He has been asleep too long and the world has gone quiet. He feels the cold, but it is just an observation now despite the beach khakis and loose polo he is wearing, despite the snow covered ground and the howling wind as it whips the lake and sends it running heedless to the shore. He sits to decompress and observe the water, the bright winter gray of the sky and the lonely curved horizon of the water. If the world were flat enough to see the other shore he knows he would be just as alone. Angry, he strides towards the water. He travels stone stairs to a dock the water laps hungrily, as if to claim it for its own. He enters the water to challenge the waves. Time passes and they subside with a lull in the wind. Eventually he retreats to the cottage to take rest.
The next day, the wind has increased and the sky darkened. The snow blows in crystalline flames that race over his surroundings and catch what exists of the light. If it gets much darker they will fade to a blur in the wind and a stinging presence. Outside the weather stokes the waves to half again his height. He jumps down from the seawall and struggles out into the water. But today it defeats him. Meters out, he is thrown by the surf back into the shallows. The weather worsens to a blizzard and he can no longer see the building from the shore. He concedes to nature and retires.
The following morning an engine cuts the silence, its harsh growl foreign, exotic in his ears. It is less piercing than the constant wind, but the wildlife know to flee its arrival. A flock of rooks scatter as the nameless man puts on his shirt. A shape fades out of the snow, and he sees it is a yellow bus, weathered and rusty. He had seen them sleeping in phalanxes by the road. They had stayed there ever since public education had ceased to be a practical effort. He was glad to see one moving. It had been a damning sign when the fleet was mothballed.
The driver is old and whiskered, his gray hair wild under a faded sports cap. He opens up the doubled doors for his passenger to step on and says, "Yer lucky I'm still running in this weather. Get on. We have a lot of trail to cover yet." The old man driving the bus has a broken smile full of gaps.
The passenger doesn't ask if the man has seen soldiers. Soldiers are animals. If the driver had seen them he wouldn't be here to tell about it. So instead he wonders where Clay is sending him. The nameless man watches the snow fall. He falls asleep in the heat of blown air and the quiet of the old driver's company.
The nameless man dreams of the time before. He was going to be a hero, and he lived among fields of wheat that were not yet entirely empty. There was a silo on the fields he called his own, just short of where the land turned wild, untended. It was a small building, just eight meters tall, and in the past someone had turned it into a fort, with a second story hidden away until you entered under the feed access. It had been a secret place, his and Becca Thompson's, and when they could get away from tending the farm machines, they would climb up and stare at the cracks of sky that leaked through the ventilation under the roof. He was going to be a hero. He was going to join the army and end the war so that people would stop leaving and come back, and the houses and towns could be full of life again. That's what he told himself and Becca Thompson. They did a lot in that silo, and when he left Becca Thompson said she loved him, and she would wait for him. Wait for him to come back a hero. He, Clay and Becca had been some of the last, maintaining the dying farm automatia that tilled the land around their home, remnants of a slow conglomeration as the fields emptied. Once a month they had met with the others in charge of the farming machines, but the news was always the same. Every month there were fewer technicians, and more broken machinery. Responsibilities were redistributed as technicians were requisitioned, and as the workload increased, only the choicest fields could be maintained. But as the workforce decreased, so did the demand for food.
It was the reluctance to let go of the land, plots their family and neighbors struggled on for generations, that kept them stretched so thin. The government requisitionary had never set so much as a production quota. Instead they sent requests for troops. Every few months they would ask for a number of people and the town would send volunteers, by choice or by lottery. They had five techs who were exempt for previous war contributions. John Clay was among them. Probably because of something he knew; previous draftees had been vets. In the end even war contributors went. Probably. Unless something else happened to them. Becca's lover was gone by then anyways.
Clay always seemed satisfied enough, sometimes even happy as he carried out classes at the local university. But he never belonged. He was semi-retired at the age of thirty-seven. A newcomer from the city, dabbling in what he would and he carried himself differently, paying no mind to the petty politics that were bread and butter to the other academics. In turn the rest of the faculty treated him with a wary caution. But the boy never once saw Clay do something to deserve it.
The man woke up, bloodied, unmoving, the taste of it bright in his mouth and sticky in his clothes. The bus, it lay behind him, creaking and groaning in feeble outrage. He gets up slow, but faster than he should have, shard glass digging into his flesh. It tinkles and cracks as it falls away. He sights the pale cloudless air, and scents it. He now knows to be his objective and he can smell it, even at this distance. Smoke rises on the horizon. He will reach it before nightfall.
The smoke comes from an old farm house. A man sits with a rifle on the front porch. He marks the traveler, but puts it down. The things worth killing will not die to bullets.
The traveler is expected, or taken for granted. He does not know. The householder's wife shows him a room. She offers a meal, hard bread and shriveled fruit. The traveler shakes his head. He cleans himself, takes to his room, and sleeps.
The boy was left alone because he was weak. He was born that way: pale, shortsighted, thin, and rarely healthy. All of his companions had left, gone to war. But he stayed, alone, fixing the things they left behind with his clever fingers. Becca didn't mind. Clay didn't either. Clay said the war would be a waste of him. Clay encouraged him to learn, to stay. He knew leaders are rarer than pawns.
But the requisitionary kept calling. And the fields grew empty. And Clay grew preoccupied. Old friends stopped by. Furtive men in fine cars. They were nervous men, never happy, and their smiles were nervous, weighted with a grim resolution. The boy grew discouraged. What few peers he had were busy, staggered under the weight of too many hats.
He had pestered Becca until she no longer spoke to him.
"Just go already," she would say. So he spent his time with the machines. Sending food to a requisitionary that never asked for it.
When the nameless man wakes it is morning. Grey light and dead trees. The house is quiet. Cold. The fire has gone out. He goes downstairs and glances at the wood-stove. Kindling stands nearby, but the fire is soot and embers. He stares out the kitchen window. Lifeless stalks of grass poke out of the field snow, in among sapling volunteers. The house is empty of life, but he knows where he needs to go. In the sink sit bones, their stains washed away to pink droplets. Femurs and jawbones. Human. In their jumbled forms he sees the next destination.
He is headed home. All people and places are indelibly marked by their origin, and beneath snow, the dead earth holds the scent of soil. He knows deeply the soil of his home, the scent to guide him home. He leaves the lifeless house and scents the chill, dry air. The way is clear to him.
He follows the path. When he gets tired, he falls asleep in abandoned cars and used clothes stores. And when the scent starts to fade, he seeks out the people, to guide him on his way. They greet him with a wary fatalism, wry capitulation. Each time he leaves refreshed, well rested, and ready to continue on his way.
People are hard to find these days, and the detours take him leagues out of his way. but when the path that fills his head grows weak, their presence flares to beckon him. And when he sleeps, he dreams of better days.
Clay wasn't too busy for the boy in those days. He was preoccupied- which meant the boy sat in on the edge of meetings or fit his appointments around Clay's constant scribblings on slate boards that seemed to follow the man from room to room.
Clay wasn't satisfied. But he was alive. He filled his boards with equations and notes and argued with his visitors. The boy did not care for Clay's theories. But John Clay knew the face of war. The boy sat outside the door and listened as the men from the city talked in subdued tones about tactics and technology. The new weapons they skirted around were wonders to the boy, brutal machines that shattered the enemy populations along with their morale, all in hopes to bring quick end to the conflict. But around the boy, the men acted strangely. Some would stare with hostility, others appraising. And when they knew he was listening they would slide around the details of matters as if they feared a spy.
Truth be told, the boy did not have much to do. The university was a shell, closed in all but name. All he had was his farm work. But it wasn't much anymore. Most the fields lay fallow and the machines could mostly run themselves. He was tired of waiting on the requisitions that never came. It was all drafts now, no volunteers, and he didn't know why he was still there. He knew he didn't, couldn't be a leader. The boy didn't know how. Who would he lead? He just knew he was good with his hands. So he sat and he listened, and Clay watched him. Clay watched him, and from time to time he watched him with the hint of a grimace he occasionally bestowed upon a rigorous equation. And one day, while the boy was walking down the hall with a sheaf of Clay's notes, John Clay solved it.
Then he turned to the boy, his assistant in all but name, and asked him a question.
"How would you like to be a hero?"
Hospitality is rarer now. Even the dreams sometimes fail him. When the last things to flit through his mind before he falls to sleep are not a peaceful glide to somnolence, but some act of violence that shuns remembrance in the light of day, then his dreams are dark and fragmented. Sleeping he remembers smoke, and the truth of war.
In these dreams he is not the man without a name, not quite. But he is not the boy. The war has taken that. He is not a soldier either. The soldiers fear and resent him, and those like him. He breaks the foe ahead of charges, and ranges afield as they travel, protecting the flank. But the men hate him, he can see it in their dull eyes. He does his best to save them anyways, their soft bodies and fragile bones. It is not his job to protect the men. It is his job to fight the enemy. Still he tries. He is not always successful, but he is strong. And when he encounters the enemy they rarely live long enough to do the same.
He does not blame the men. There are things that skitter and crawl in the shadows, things that lurk in the ground and stalk on stilt legs through silent villages. Some of these things were once men themselves. These things rarely care what flag a regiment marches under. They were shaped to kill, to devour life and sup blood, and that is what they do. He does not need his skills to slaughter men, but it is a different matter with these other things. Often the earth is rent and poisoned in the wake of such struggles. But he has yet to lose a fight.
These weapons cannot conquer, cannot occupy the enemy. But they can silence them. And for the men who run the war, it is enough. He is not the boy, but he still knows what the boy was; how he was, and how he is different. And so he shepherds his men.
The worst dreams presage a waking to the signs of a recent struggle, furniture smashed and bloodied.
The man without a name dislikes these scenes; they speak of the war he left behind and shatter the peaceful quiet he has become accustomed to. These places he leaves quickly, searching out the path he follows and making haste to put the leagues behind him.
True innocence is rare, a fatal burden in this feral age. When his troops encountered a girl child, a broken thing, that alone should have been warning. Perhaps it wouldn't have mattered. She had lured him away from the men only to circle back. He found her surrounded by what had remained of his company, standing amid sad gore soaked mounds in the highest field of an overgrown farm. He knows blood and smoke and high-pitched screams, but his will is iron and in time the land lays quiet before him. But he has noticed an audience.
In a nearby valley he finds the enemy. Human, scared, clearly frantic from the sounds of the fight and the loss of their scouts. Was the girl child their mascot, their guardian? What is left of the boy sees in them a mirror. Behind him, upon the scarred and poisoned hill, lays the broken child. The man without a name and the soldiers stare at each other. The soldiers' grief at the girl child's death is real, their fate without her clear. But when the shooting starts he can not bring himself to move.
The nameless avoids glass and bodies of water by habit so old he has forgotten it exists. His smiles have too many teeth. He would not care, but once that would have given him pause. The nameless man intuits the boy he once was would have found the scents rising from his clothes and flesh disconcerting. There is a time this would have bothered him. But he has lost his time in the murky depths of memory. What he has is now. What he has is John Clay's task and the scent of home.
Feelings belong to a boy. A boy with eyes too weak to know him. A boy too frail to dull his teeth. There is a time this would have bothered him. There is a time he knows it did. It does not matter.
The man is heading home, to the farms and little town he grew up in. He wanders and follows the scent, always heading home. He remembers Becca, the way she looked before they took him away. They had barely spoken for months, and she was still angry, glaring at him, but she said, "Don't come back now. Don't come back until you keep your stupid promise." So he went. He changed. He killed and fought. He died. And now he was headed home to tell them the war is over. And when he gets there he will sleep. And there will be quiet.
Voice acting was provided by Christine Chang
This episode was produced and written by Patrick Mares
Music was provided by Valence,
Song: Valence – Infinite [NCS Release]
Music provided by NoCopyrightSounds.
Video Link: https://youtu.be/QHoqD47gQG8
Think you can do better? Submit original work to be part of Dakka Press Presents. Payments and conditions can be found at Dakkapress.com
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Photo credit Jeff Sheldon via Unsplash
CategoriesEpisodes
3 Replies to "DAKKA PRESS presents: REDFIELD"
Torrents says:
Not sure why Im commenting..just wanted to say thanks for the share 🙂
ig says:
Whats up are using WordPress for your blog platform? I'm new
to the blog world but I'm trying to get started and create my own. Do
you require any coding expertise to make your own blog?
wr4ith0 says:
There's some security and backup that's worth researching, but wordpress almost set themselves up these days. After that you'll learn a bunch customizing the site to your liking, but it should be functional from the get-go.
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Like podcasts, but can't find one that scratches that fiction itch? DAKKA PRESS presents intends to provide something we miss in this audio format: approachable, irreverent fiction with some meat to it.
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State of DAKKA PRESS March 2018
DAKKA PRESS presents: THE STALKING SUNBEAR
DAKKA PRESS presents: SPACE MYSTERY DANGER FORCE
Cool Fiction we Follow
The Hidden Almanac
Ascent (mind the NSFW ads)
Astral Aves
Scary Go Round
Killsixbilliondemons
Next Town Over
Stand Still Stand Silent
The Sword Interval
The 10k Commotion
Serenity-Rose (A Heart Shaped Skull)
Web Serials
Unsong
Shadow Unit


Nathan McCall has 1 media appearance.
Nathan McCall discusses Makes Me Wanna Holler: A Young Black Man in America.
Nathan McCall is currently considered a "single author." If one or more works are by a distinct, homonymous authors, go ahead and split the author.
Nathan McCall is composed of 3 names. You can examine and separate out names.


The government has now decided to give e-visa to 175 countries and visa on arrival to residents of 50 countries, including the United Kingdom, USA, and many other countries. This is said to change the tourism industry in Pakistan, bring in revenue and a better image to Pakistan.
The student visa period will increase from one year to two years, it will be easier for a foreign journalist to get visas. Moreover, tourist will not need NOC to go Azad Kashmir, Gilgit Baltistan, and other areas. Duration of diplomatic visa has also been increased to three years, duration was one year previously.
Tour operators will be able to bring groups of tourists in the country, but only those who are approved by International air transport association.
It is now easy to acquire, work visa for residents of 96 countries. They can get a visa as quick as 7-10 days after the letter issued by the board of investment.
The foreign journalist will not be under restriction anymore, previously they could only move between three cities.


There are many situations in which you may need a local 24-hour locksmith in South Austin.
At Pros On Call we are attentive to your needs and know that you don't only need professionalism and technical know-how but you also need someone that is empathetic. We employ professional, highly-skilled locksmiths that respond within 30 minutes or less.
We guarantee upfront prices and all of our technicians have 5+ years of experience. And in addition to being a licensed, insured, and bonded locksmith company, we supply all of our mobile units with the latest in advanced locksmith tools and equipment.
Call us for all of your residential, automotive, commercial, and emergency locksmith needs in South Austin. And don't forget, we provide expert garage door services too!
Request our local locksmith services now.
So when you find yourself in need of car lockout assistance at the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport or in need of immediate repairs for the broken door closer system at your office, your local team of locksmiths from Pros On Call is here to help.
Now, let's take a closer look at exactly how we can help you.
Our local team of emergency locksmiths are at your call day or night and arrive quickly no matter what.
Additional emergency services that we provide solutions for include car key replacements, broken key removals, burglary damage repair and more.
And it doesn't matter what type of lock system you have. We can even provide emergency services for top-of-the-line lock brands like Salto, Bosch Security Systems, Sears Hardware, and Ardwolf.
Everyone knows the terror, frustration, and despair that comes along with seeing car keys resting on the driver's seat of a securely locked car.
Pros On Call can help you retrieve your keys without inflicting damage to your vehicle. But, our ability to serve is not limited to car lockouts.
Call our automotive locksmiths if you want an extra set of keys made for a new driver in the family that just got their learner's permit.
And when you need car key replacements quickly, we are your top choice.
We replace all types of lost, stolen and broken car keys at your location so you can save time and money. Whether you need a new laser cut key, a new key fob, new transponder keys, or even a new push to start car key, we have the tools needed to get the job done.
And in case that wasn't enough, we also perform ignition cylinder repairs for all makes and models of vehicles.
Our employees are highly trained locksmiths as well as security professionals.
We can help determine what will keep your business safe. And install or repair all types of lock systems to suit the individual needs of your business.
And don't forget, our emergency team can assist you with office lockouts, safecracking, and more.
Pros On Call is an Austin area institution. We are a Better Business Bureau accredited business that prides ourselves on our commitment to the Austin area.
When you need lock and key assistance to protect your house or apartment, we are here for you. And we put your security needs before anything else.
From lockouts, to lock repair and installation, our residential locksmiths do it all.
Part of being a provider of complete security solutions in South Austin means that we are also available for all of your garage door repair and installation needs.
Many customers enlist our lock rekey services when they move into a new home. Or we change your locks to update your current security methods.
We service every type of lock including mortise locks, profile cylinders, deadbolts, high-security grade 1 locks, and all types of high-tech smart lock and keyless entry systems.
Locks have a special place in world history. The first known lock in human history has been traced back to ancient Egypt. It is said to be over 4,000 years old and used a large wooden bolt to secure the door which had multiple wooden pegs.
The first key lock dates back to 704 BCE. Interestingly it followed the key-tumbler model that is widely used today.
There are a lot of 24-hour locksmiths in South Austin. You want a knowledgeable and empathetic professional to respond to your needs.
Pros On Call offers dedicated, mobile locksmiths that are available 24-hours 7 days a week throughout the South Austin area.
We are fully licensed, insured, and bonded and employ locksmiths with at least 5 years of experience. We offer upfront pricing, full installation, and repair services, and our professionals have the latest tools and technology.
Pros On Call is ready to meet the needs of the Austin community. Give us a call for all of your security needs and put our number in your cell phone for those emergency situations. We will not only solve your problem but we will alleviate your stress and worry.
And, you can also request our locksmith services in South Austin quickly using our online request form.
24-Hour Locksmiths In South Austin https://prosoncall.com/texas-locksmith/austin/south-austin/ 4.0/5 based upon 25 reviews.


FREEHOLD INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITY. A rarely available investment opportunity comprising six one bedroom duplex apartments, all currently let on Assured Short Hold Tenancies with an annual income of £57240 per annum. The properties are ideally located just off Buckingham's town centre and within walking distance of the UNIVERSITY. The property consists of three ground floor complexes with stairs from the communal entrance halls leading to three first floor complexes.Viewings strictly by appointment with the selling agents. Energy Rating B.
The entrance hall leads to the kitchen with steps down to a split level sitting room.
Inset single drainer stainless steel sink unit with mono bloc mixer tap, cupboard under, further range of base and eye level units, rolled edge work surfaces, ceramic tiling to splash areas, four ring electric gas hob with electric oven under, double glazed window to front aspect, electric radiator.
Electric radiator, stairs rising to first floor, double glazed French patio doors to communal courtyard, door to ground floor shower room.
White suite of fully tiled shower cubicle, wash hand basin with cupboard under, low level w/c, ceramic tiled splash areas, extractor fan.
Electric radiator, double glazed window to rear aspect.
Communal entrance, stairs rising to first floor.
Doors to bedroom and shower room.
Electric radiator, double glazed window.
Electric radiator, double glazed patio doors to Juliet balcony.
Inset single drainer stainless steel sink unit with mono bloc mixer tap, cupboard under, further range of base and eye level units, rolled edge work surfaces, ceramic tiling to splash areas, four ring gas hob, electric oven.
There is a communal paved courtyard to the rear and approximately four car parking spaces.
All mains services connected with the exception of gas. French doors from Living to south west facing elevation. Built in 2016 with high standards of insulation. See high rating on EPC. Electric heaters are the latest efficient off peak reducing running costs. Washer driers included.


Irish National Opera (INO) opens its debut 2018 season tonight at Dublin's National Concert Hall, with performances from leading Irish singers including Orla Boylan, Claudia Boyle and Sharon Carty, accompanied by the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra.
They will present seven operas this year, five of which are new productions. Artistic Director Fergus Sheil is focusing on a mix of classical operas and contemporary works. The season will tour across 13 venues in Ireland and London's Barbican Centre, and Sheil hopes to build new audiences in Ireland and beyond. The company is born out of a renewed commitment to opera from the Irish Arts Council, who has dramatically increased their funding of this area of music.
The opening production is Thomas Adès's chamber opera Powder Her Face, in collaboration with Northern Ireland Opera. Following this will be the INO's first major production – Patrick Mason's new staging of Mozart's The Marriage of Figaro. Summer will see performances at the Galway International Arts Festival of Gluck's Orfeo ed Euridice, and later in the year the company will take a revival of Donnacha Dennehy and Enda Walsh's The Second Violinist to London. The season will also feature Tom Credd's new work, The Tales of Hoffman, Bartók's Bluebeard Castle and Verdi's Aida. Long-term plans include a production of Wagner's Ring Cycle in Dublin, where it was last staged in 1913.
Fergus Sheil works with opera companies and orchestras across Ireland and the UK as a conductor and creative producer. He established Wide Open Opera in 2012, following the closure of Opera Ireland, and remains their Artistic Director.
He has plans to work with the RTÉ Concert Orchestra, the Irish Chamber Orchestra, the Irish Baroque Orchestra and Crash Ensemble, and the company will likely create its own orchestra for some productions.


NEW YORK -- A new investigative report explores China's surveillance program targeting Uighurs, a Muslim minority group living in the Xinjiang province.
"Spy For Us – Or Never Speak to Your Family Again" was written by BuzzFeed reporter Megha Rajagopalan. She explained to CBS News that the Chinese government fears Uighurs will be part of separatist threats.
"In the past, China has dealt with terrorist attacks that they've blamed on Uighur militants, and there are credible reports of Uighurs going to fight with extremist groups in Iraq and Syria," she said. "But by and large what we're seeing here is the collective punishment of literally millions of ethnic minorities in China for the actions of a small handful."
Rajagopalan reports thousands of Uighurs are being targeted, even when they leave the country, and many are forced into so-called "reeducation camps" for reasons as small as having contact with friends or family members who live overseas.
China demands U.S. drop extradition request for Huawei exec.
"Certainly speaking to a journalist is reason enough for you or your family to be sent to one of these camps," she said.
In Xinjiang, Rajagopalan says there's been a rise in what she calls "techno authoritarianism," which is a combination of human policing, DNA databases and technology like facial recognition. She says there is even airport-style security before people can go into shopping malls.
China's Ministry of Public Security did not respond to BuzzFeed's request for comment. However, Rajagopalan says there has been some pushback from the international community, including the U.S.
"I think as awareness continues to grow about this issue, and frankly, as these abuses continue to grow in scope, which in all likelihood they will, I think the hope of these Uighur groups is that there will be a greater response from the international community," Rajagopalan said.


We hope that your kids had an amazing time at MEGA Sports Camp 2018! On this page you will find some videos from the camp along with some great resources to help your family learn more about how to be a part of Jesus' team! If State College Alliance Church can help your family in any way throughout the year, please don't hesitate to contact us using one of the links at the bottom. And keep an eye on the MEGA Sports Camp facebook page for other family events at SCAC throughout the year!
One of the things we emphasized in our rallies and huddle times is God's desire for all of us to continue growing in our faith, whether we are still seeking and trying to figure out who God is or have been attending church our entire lives. Below are several resources that we hope can help your family grow closer together and closer to God.
The best resource to help your family grow in your faith is the local church. State College Alliance Church is part of a collection of local congregations called the City Church. The churches listed here represent a variety of neighborhoods, styles, and demographics but all share a common mission to bless the Central Pennsylvania community through outreach, service, teaching, counseling, and many other means..
Parent Cue is an excellent family resource by Orange, the group who produces curriculum used at SCAC and many other area churches. This link points to high quality articles, podcasts, and other resources designed to "Help Parents do Family Better"
Here is a YouTube playlist featuring the songs we sang at camp this year!


Cumilla, Mar 21 (UNB) – A suspected drug trader was killed in a reported gunfight with police at Dhanpur in Sadar Dakkhin upazila early Thursday.
Being tipped off that a group of 'drug traders' has gathered in the area, a team of police conducted a drive there, said Mamun-or-Rashid, officer-in-charge of Sadar Dakkhin Model Police Station.
Sensing presence of the law enforcers, the criminals opened fire, forcing them to fire back in 'self-defense', leaving Jamal injured with bullet while the others managed to flee the scene.
Meanwhile, police recovered 30 kgs of hemp and 2,000 Yaba pills from the spot.


How to Buy Pappy.com | Looking for some Pappy Van Winkle Bourbon?
Looking for some Pappy Van Winkle Bourbon?
As an insider to the bourbon industry, I often get asked about the secret to scoring the elusive bottle of Pappy. I have used my background to come up with the best tips and techniques for a normal Joe to get this rarity.


How do you normally spend your journey to work? Browsing your phone, watching something on Netflix? What if you could be making money instead? There are some excellent side hustles you can enjoy at your own pace, in your own time, which make them ideal for passing the time on the train or bus.
Want to know how it works? Read on for some useful tips on the side hustles you can enjoy during your commute.
Many people enjoy entering giveaways in their spare time – they're the perfect way to win prizes such as vacations, electronics and even cash. They're not a sure thing, of course, but you have to be in it to win it, right? There are plenty of ways you can enter giveaways and sweepstakes, from major competition sites to brand pages.
It's also easy to find giveaways on social media accounts and on giveaway blog posts, YouTube and other platforms. Entering giveaways on smaller accounts gives you a much better chance of winning some great prizes. Giveaways can be a good way to earn some extra treats or things you wouldn't normally buy for yourself. For just a few minutes during your morning commute, you never know what you could win!
Surveys are the ultimate way to pass the time, and you can earn some cash from them too! Not bad for just giving your opinion on a few things! You might think that some survey websites are scams, but when you pick the right website, you'll be surprised at how much you can earn. Take a look at a review of Survey Junkie to find out what it's all about. Surveys can pay cash, gift cards and other incentives that can soon add up if you spend time doing them when you've got a spare minute.
If you're a good writer, you could be making some good money by writing short articles, product descriptions and more on behalf of different websites. There are several sites to help you find copywriting jobs, which can include some very short jobs that you can easily write from your phone or tablet. Copywriting can be a stable side hustle that is ideal for topping up your income, so why not give it a try?
If you've got a good following on your social media channels, or write your own blog, then affiliate marketing is something else that could bring you some extra income during your commute. By providing recommendations and links to products, you could earn some money from Amazon, eBay, fashion brands and more. You can get started in minutes, and could soon build up a decent income over time.
A side hustle can be an ideal way to boost your income to help cover household expenses, luxuries such as vacations for your family and more. By using the time you'd normally spend doing much of nothing on the train or on the bus, you could try earning a little more instead. With no commitment and freedom to choose your hours, it could be a fantastic way for you to stretch your income further.


text:
Articles for Improvement, Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate stages, Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate tag stages,
Dead or Alive 5 Last Round stages
Dead or Alive 5 Last Round tag stages
Sky City Tokyo
We have to grow stronger...
This article/section is in need of improvement. If you have a good knowledge of the subject, feel free to add your information to the article. Once improvements have been made, this notice may be removed.
Sky City Tokyo in Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate.
Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate (2013)
Dead or Alive 5 Last Round (2015)
Sky City Tokyo is a stage in Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate. It is based on the first stage of Ninja Gaiden II.
Description Edit
The stage is a mix of old and new, with moonlit pagodas and a modern Tokyo cityscape visible in the background. After some time, the combatants are joined by a giant Buddha statue, which acts as a special Danger Zone. When one of the fighters is knocked towards him (with a Power Blow), the Buddha will catch them before violently slamming them back onto the ground, inflicting additional damage.
Alternate options Edit
to turn off the danger zone.
Music themes Edit
"The City Never Sleeps"
Non-Dead or Alive appearances Edit
A screenshot of Hayabusa's stage - Musou Orochi 2 (Warrior's Orochi 3).
Sky City Tokyo appears in Koei's hack-'n-slash game Warriors Orochi 3. It is represented as Hayabusa's personal unique stage. Due to the time-space tampering, the stage has elements of the Battle of Anegawa.
The Buddha statue is the first boss Hayabusa faced in Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2.
Ninja Gaiden Wiki: Tokyo Sky City
Ninja Gaiden Wiki: Buddha Statue
Retrieved from "https://deadoralive.fandom.com/wiki/Sky_City_Tokyo?oldid=124218"
Articles for Improvement
Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate stages
Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate tag stages


Puddleduck Grange: When the world gets to much to STAND!
When the world gets to much to STAND!
Alway the questioning child, I have recently been drawn back to the poets....I have found Deborah Blake. Simplicity with stories of natures answers. If we stay quiet long enough we are forced to face the screaming inside. Unresolved questions & answer time, so we all at some age point will take a longer than a glimse look at this.
Happily I can sit still longer than 5mins now, I have fought the guilt chatter of who needs, who wants, and slip into my comfy knitting corner.........some practice, yoga, meditation, jogging, I escape with pointed objects and a ball of yarn. Intruder beware!
Bandana Cowls, one for Hermine, to match her Christmas socks and one for Spectacles Cranes mother, who admired his and mentioned she to would appreciate one on her early morning walks!
www.woolnbits.blogspot.com displayed them beautifully on her blog in hmmmm, Nov./Dec and I loved the design, so Lise, you will be happy to know that it only took me 4 tries to perfect the pattern, now all the puddleducks must have one! I think teaching them to knit might be a better way!
Before I head to my real chores of the day, I would like to send love and endless support to a new blogger to our creative community. Fortunately it didnt take half a century for this ♥ to take her creative soul out of the closet and venture forward on a wonderful journey of enhancement. I know Miss Amy ( my puddleduck) will learn bushels full from all of you, as I have.
What do people do in the north, who arent raising alpaca's www.mistyhaven.blogspot.com spinning yarn or knitting snuggly comfies?
A Bandana cowl for each of your puddleducks! How lucky.
I also am sitting with sticks and balls today. Mittens are on the agenda.
Great to hear you ignore the guilt chatter and relax in your knitting corner. After shoveling snow I will spend the whole of the day in my studio just being artsy!
Sounds like you've successfully climbed out of that deep cold and dark place of winter and finding a warm spot to create. Stay warm and inspired!
Argh!!!!! You're doing one of Jane's courses. Awesome. You are one very lucky Puddleduck. I love Jane's work and am really looking forward to her lesson on Life Book.
I just love your painting at the top and the poem to match it is really beautiful. Very fitting for us all as a new year of adventure begins.
I've just visited Amy's lovely shiny new blog. You have good reason to puff those feathers my dear. So nice to see another creative soul taking flight. As you know not long ago that was me.
Well the munchkins are demanding I make them some Vegemite Toast so I have to run.
Thank you for your undying support Debi. You are one in a million.
So glad you liked the poem! I mostly write in longer lengths (novels and nonfiction books) but I do enjoy writing my smaller spells, prayers, and poems for the Llewellyn annuals!
So happy I finally visited Puddleduck Grange. I mean I have visited before of course, only silently. I don't know why we bloggers do that... visit silently. It must stop!
I am utterly and completely infatuated with your knitting skills. I am certain the recipients of your goodies will much appreciate the warm bandana cowls in this darn cold season!
You seem to have been quite busy recently! I am also soooo into poetry lately. Deborah Blake is brilliant! Such lovely words.


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Q: How to change the default home activity for SherlockActionBar, avoiding the back arrow in main activity after login I have the following order of activity lauching:
LoginActivity (the LAUNCHER) -> MainActivity
The LoginActivity is calling the MainActivity using the following code:
Intent intent = new Intent(this, MainActivity.class);
intent.addFlags(Intent.FLAG_ACTIVITY_CLEAR_TOP Intent.FLAG_ACTIVITY_SINGLE_TOP );
startActivity(intent);
finish();

The MainAcitivity defines "HomeAsUpEnabled":
getSupportActionBar().setDisplayHomeAsUpEnabled(true);

and LoginActivity is checked with noHistory:
android:noHistory="true"

I want HomeAsUpEnabled from that activity (ignoring only the login activity). The MainActivity should become the new home (instead of LoginActivity).
I would like to avoid the MainActivity has the "back arrow" shown in the SherlockActionBar. Is it possible?
Regards,
Rafael

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
PR agency health IT healthcare PR media relations
#WeAreKNB Series: Amy Roberts
By Jemma Roche
The healthcare world changes, evolves, and develops. It has many sectors and angles, which is why it fascinates and drives us every day. Similar to the industry we all know and love, our team here at KNB is anything but one-dimensional.
Our monthly segment called #WeAreKNB gives you a closer look into who we are and allows you to take a look at the faces behind the hard work of KNB Communications. A variety of different perspectives is an asset that we value, and we are excited to show you who we are and why we love what we do. We are individuals, we are a team, #WeAreKNB. Wanna keep up? Sign up for our monthly KNBeat Newsletter here!
This month we would like to highlight our Director of Client Services, Amy Roberts. Here are a few questions we asked her below:
1. How did you end up in the healthcare PR field?
I started my career as a broadcast news journalist and enjoyed a stint on the health and wellness beat, which I found fulfilling because it was the only segment that consistently impacted every single viewer. Sports, weather, the news of the day — they matter to some people, but health matters to everyone. It was also an exciting beat because it was constantly evolving and there was always something new to report. After several years I was ready to get out of the news business and bounced around as a freelance writer for a bit. When Intermountain Healthcare announced it was opening a new hospital in Park City, Utah where I live, I was recruited to be their spokesperson and PR director — a job I held for nearly a decade. After ten years, I was ready for a change and new challenge, and here I am at KNB.
2. What would you want someone just entering the health tech marketing and communications industry to know?
If you like predictability and a nice, steady pace, this might not be the field for you. It's an ever-evolving space and you have to be able to adjust strategy and creativity in a flash.
3. How has your experience as a journalist helped you in your career in healthcare PR?
It's taught me to ask a lot of questions and keep digging for the story. Ultimately, healthcare is always about the end user, so I often find myself pressing further to understand how a product or service benefits the patient. That's the story I like to tell.
4. Why do you like working at KNB Communications?
At KNB, creativity is considered a commodity, not a liability. We don't look at new ideas as the nature-born enemy of the way things are. I love collaborating with my colleagues to dismantle the status quo, tell memorable stories, and get people excited about what our clients offer.
5. What is one prediction you have for the future of health tech? What will we see more of?
I think we'll see a heavier technology presence — telehealth and AI will be the new norms, where today they are perhaps just in their toddler stages of development. I suspect the focus of any new technology will be to provide better care at a lower cost. Computers won't replace humans, but I think we'll rely on them more and more to supplement patient care and control costs.
6. Where is your favorite place to travel to?
I always say my favorite place to visit is the place I haven't been yet! But to narrow it down a bit, I always feel at peace in sub-Sahara Africa. Every time I'm on that continent, I feel at home. It's the only place I see in color.
Follow Amy on LinkedIn!
We work with health and health tech companies & help them speed to success with proven formulas in public relations and marketing. Learn more by scheduling a consultation with our expert team!
PR thought leadership
"Newsjacking:" should you do it and how to do it
Jemma Roche
PR media relations
Why Your Company Should Have a Crisis Communicatio...
#WeAreKNB Series: Chinmay Sahu
Pitch Perfect: 5 Easy Steps to Crafting and Landing Your Story
Visitation Policies in LTPAC Facilities in a Post-COVID World


Any Table that has an uppercase letter in its name, that has one of its triggers changed. Results in the following error.
Restart SymmetricDS, the error should appear.
Although we would like to rename all tables to lowercase, its a legacy system and we are unable to.


text:
Q: Sum of absolutely continuous functions is absolutely continuous Let $g_k, k=1,2,...$ be a sequence of absolutely continuous functions. Suppose $\displaystyle f(x):=\sum_{k=1}^\infty g_k(x)$ is convergent for all $x \in [a,b]$ and $$
\sum_{k=1}^\infty \int_a^b |g'_k(x)|\, dx < \infty
$$
Show that $f$ is absolutely continuous on $[a,b]$ and $$
f'(x)=\sum_{k=1}^\infty g'_k(x)
$$
for almost every $x \in [a,b]$.
My thought is as follows:
(1) By monotone convergence theorem, $$
\int_a^b \sum_{k=1}^\infty |g'_k(x)|\, dx = \sum_{k=1}^\infty \int_a^b |g'_k(x)|\, dx <\infty
$$
so $\displaystyle \sum_{k=1}^\infty |g'_k(x)|$ is an integrable function.
(2) Consider the series $h_n(x) = \sum_{k=1}^n g'_k(x)$. Since $|h_n(x)|\leq \sum_{k=1}^n |g'_k(x)| \leq \sum_{k=1}^\infty |g'_k(x)|$ for all $x$, by dominated convergence theorem, for all $x \in [a,b]$, we have $$
\int_a^x \sum_{k=1}^\infty g'_k(t)\, dt = \lim_{n \to \infty} \int_a^x h_n(t)\, dt = \sum_{k=1}^\infty \int_a^x g'_k(t)\, dt = \sum_{k=1}^\infty g_k(x)-g_k(a) = f(x)-f(a).
$$
(3) Therefore, $f(x)$ is an indefinite integral (of an integrable function, whose integrability was established in (1)), so $f(x)$ is absolutely continuous.
(4) By the formula in (2), we see that $\displaystyle f'(x) = \sum_{k=1}^\infty g'_k(x)$ for almost every $x \in [a,b]$.
Since I just started teaching myself real analysis, I was hoping that someone could help me check if the proof is valid. Thank you!


text:
Current AffairsWorld
Five adults, infant killed in shooting in central California
California: Six people, including an infant, were killed in a shooting in Goshen in the US state of California, Tulare County Sheriff Mike Boudreaux said.
"At this point, there are six total victims," Boudreaux told reporters, adding that among those killed was a 17-year-old mother and her six-month-old baby.
Investigators believe that the attack was not a random act of violence and that there is a gang connection to the incident, the sheriff added.
The police said they were looking for two suspects.
US President Joe Biden approves Georgia disaster declaration: White House
Thousands of students protest against judicial reform in Israel – Reports