Even if you have been financially responsible for years, you may now be at risk of foreclosure with a poor credit rating that makes it impossible to refinance your home to lower your mortgage payments. To make matters worse, you may be "underwater" on your home because of added debt from a second mortgage that diminishes your equity. Falling property values have the same effect. If you live on Long Island or in the five boroughs, you can get out of this situation without going through a foreclosure that imposes severely damaged credit for years to come. With a short sale, you can settle your mortgage debt and get a fresh start in life, even if your credit is bad.
A short sale occurs when you sell your house and you end up "short" on paying off your mortgage balance to the lender. You may be pushed into a short sale to avoid foreclosure because of financial troubles beyond your control. Divorce, unexpected medical bills or the loss of a job are common causes of financial distress. An unfavorable local real estate market adds to the problem by making it impossible to sell at a price that will pay off the mortgage, even if you have built up equity in your home over the years.
You need the approval of the bank to accept a short sale offer. Most banks will only be willing to accept a short sale if you provide basic documentation of financial hardship and bring in a reasonably priced offer from a qualified buyer that is close to the price of comparable sales. With a short sale, you work with a realtor just as you would with any traditional property sale instead of dealing with the bank's lawyers in a contentious foreclosure proceeding. In some cases you may be eligible to receive money for relocation to a rental or a rent-to-own property.
If you have bad credit, other options may not be open to you. Banks will not agree to refinance your mortgage if your credit rating is below a certain level. They may also refuse reinstatement, a repayment plan or forbearance where you would bring your missed mortgage payments current. Even if the lender does agree, you may not have enough funds to take advantage of these options. In the end you would have the same unaffordable monthly mortgage payment you started out with. If you have bad credit and insufficient income, the bank will likely refuse to offer a loan modification with a lower interest rate and/or reduced monthly payments.
You may not be able to change an unaffordable Adjustable Rate Mortgage to a Fixed Rate Mortgage with bad credit, unless you go through a government loan modification program like the Fannie Mae Flex program. Be aware that with a loan modification, you may actually wind up in a worse financial situation than when you started because you are likely to owe more than the house is worth. The only other alternatives are foreclosure or a short sale.
A short sale is significantly better than your other alternative, foreclosure. It will stop the bleeding in terms of long term credit damage. Falling behind and missing mortgage payments is what significantly hurts your credit score. A short sale stops that from happening any longer and gives you the opportunity to potentially buy a new home in only two years. In a short sale your credit score may drop. In most cases it is a necessary part of being able to stop the further credit damage and start to re-establish your credit. However, in a foreclosure your credit score can drop up to 400 points and it can take four to seven years to become eligible for a home loan again.
A short sale can be a win-win-win situation where you, the homeowner, the bank and the buyer can all get a great deal. As the homeowner you can get out of an unaffordable mortgage and move on to a fresh start, free of mortgage debt, the bank does not have to undergo a costly foreclosure proceeding and end up with a house to sell. The homebuyer gets a good deal. A short sale does not cost you anything. You get to create a personalized timeline and move on your own terms in as little as 90 days or longer depending on your needs and situation.
With a short sale, your entire mortgage is satisfied in full so you walk away without owing anything, no matter how much is left on the balance. You are also entitled to free legal representation where you pick the lawyer and the bank will pay. As soon as the short sale is completed, you can start to reestablish your credit and qualify for a new mortgage within two years so you can move on with your life in a more affordable home.
Realty Warehouse can give you the advice you need if you have bad credit and you want to do a short sale to avoid foreclosure. We may be able to help if you are underwater on your house and have no money to move. Our representatives specialize in helping homeowners avoid foreclosure on Long Island and in the five boroughs of New York City by helping homeowners weigh their options, find alternatives to foreclosure and achieve the best possible outcome. Realty Warehouse enjoys an A+ accreditation rating from the respected Better Business Bureau. You can count on us to listen to your specific situation, offer the advice you need and provide effective alternatives in a stressful situation.
Do you live in New York City, Manhattan, Bronx, Staten Island, Queens, Brooklyn or Long Island?
Call, click or chat with Realty Warehouse Short Sale Specialist for a 10 minute consultation that can change your life.


Drinking a cup of coffee this morning, sitting on the step and staring up river past Roger's pontoon, my lens is not long enough to focus on the Heron roosting in the mangroves beyond. Well I suppose it's getting close to a kilometre away so I can excuse that.
I've got other things to focus on now anyway. They've appointed their valuer, now we have to do the same.
The bunfight is about to begin, but at this stage at least there is an extraordinary degree of courtesy being extended. If feels like the sort of sympathy one gives to the relatives of the deceased at the funeral of someone one barely knew.
That is such a nicely structured first sentence.
Valuers, lawyers, bureaucrats .. ugh.
I have a meeting with the Protective Commissioner tomorrow who is insisting that I submit full accounting of my father's assets over which I have been appointed guardian. I have to explain each withdrawal form his bank account, eg each Saturday for a year I paid via EFTPOS at Coles about $24 for one packet of Arnotts Orange slice, two blocks a Cadbury's Dairy Milk, and 7 small bananas.
I think I'd rather be arguing over a house than the price of Orange Slice biscuits.
They should be on the National Heritage Register.
Is the first sentence actually a sentence?
Yes Julie has put the haggle into perspective!
But, of course, it is a sentence.
You just throw the reader off by segueing in with three past participle phrases.


Beautiful painting! I love the details. Did you draw it in person or use photo studies?
Very pretty! I started my weekend off with hot chocolate. Seemed like the perfect way to end a cold day and spend some quiet time with my husband!
We're going to have a brief break from icky weather on Sunday. I'm so thrilled. I think we'll run around and do all the shopping I haven't gotten to do Sunday.
Happy hot chocolate and donuts. Sounds scrumptious.
Ummm... I love this! The neon lights especially. You really captured the whole feel of the place and I've never even been there. Seriously. Nailed it! Lovelove.
I love it! the details are amazing.
Oh my gosh - you are so talented! This turned out beautiful!
Oh man, I really love this.
This weekend I'm drawing as well, the next Torocoro!
Wow! I am so impressed with artistic people. I am so bad at drawing and painting. That looks great!
Love love love the painting!! Gorgeous detail. I'm sure it's only better in person!
And sometimes boring ones make the best weekends!
What a beautiful painting! The lights in the windows look really real.
Had a relatively low key weekend, which is lately just how I like it! Ha! Hope it was a good one for you!
Wow, that painting is amazingly beautiful, I would never be able to come close to that!
Wonderful painting! I can't even draw a matchstick man, ha!
I love it. So inviting!
What a beautiful painting! I love all the detail!
Wonderful painting and a great spot on the internet :) Thanks for stopping by my blog !
Hi Erika! I checked out some of your work and it looks really cool! Love this painting too, can't imagine the amount of work!


text:
This Is Why McDonald's Filet-O-Fish Is So Delicious
Bloomberg/Getty Images
By Holly Riddle/Updated: May 10, 2022 1:12 pm EST
Love it or (love to) hate it, the McDonald's Filet-O-Fish is a fast-food classic. This sandwich has been around more years than the Big Mac, and is a staple on the McDonald's menu — so much so, Smithsonian Magazine reports, that McDonald's sells about 300 million Filet-O-Fish sandwiches per year, with about a fourth of those sandwiches sold during Lent (which makes sense given the sandwich's Catholic past). Clearly, it has history.
Becoming a part of McDonald's regular, nationwide menu in 1965, the Filet-O-Fish has inspired both love and a love-hate relationship for many fast-food diners. There's something to be said for the simple combination of a plain bun with a battered fish filet with a half a slice of American cheese and a slather of classic tartar sauce; it's a classic. On the other hand, many in the love-hate camp point out the sandwich is a bit sus. Is it really real fish? And why do they only give you half a slice of cheese? And why is the bun not toasted? We have questions.
As it turns out, there's a reason for everything, and it all adds up to what makes the McDonald's Filet-O-Fish so delicious.
McDonald's Filet-O-Fish patty is actually made out of real fish
Really! While you might automatically assume that McDonald's would cut corners and go with something fish-adjacent rather than real fish (like the meat-adjacent meat that customers have claimed for years exists in McDonald's hamburgers and chicken nuggets — even though this has been disproven), it's just not the case. Smithsonian Magazine reports that the Filet-O-Fish has contained real fish ever since it was first invented back in the '60s. The only real questionable aspect of the fish was whether or not it was sustainable, which is a valid question, considering that unsustainable fishing threatens the survival of many sea life populations (but more on that in a minute).
Wonder no more: the Filet-O-Fish patty is made from Alaskan Pollock (aka Walleye Pollock). According to Seafood Health Facts, a web project funded by the U.S. government, Alaskan Pollock is one of the most commonly consumed seafood species in the country, and all Alaskan Pollock is wild-caught in the ocean. In other words, there's no need to worry if your fish has been hanging around in a human-made pond for its entire life. Alaskan Pollock is known for its mild flavor, appealing texture, and versatility; it's suitable for use in fish sticks, fillets, and our beloved Filet-O-Fish.
McDonald's Filet-O-Fish is sustainably sourced
Yeah, yeah, the fish in McDonald's Filet-O-Fish is sustainably sourced. That's great for the environment and for the biodiversity of our oceans, of course, but how does that impact the taste? Can you really tell a difference in the fact that McDonald's sources its Alaskan Pollock sustainably versus some other way?
According to a variety of experts and those in the industry, yes, the way your fish is sourced does make a difference in the taste. Seafood brand TinCanFish notes that, often, unsustainable fish are grown on fish farms, fed poor diets, and exposed to less exercise and less extreme weather elements; the result is a fish with less fat and flavor. Sustainably sourced fish, on the other hand, that live in their natural habitat, enjoy a diverse diet and plenty of exercise, which leads to more flavor, more fat, and even more healthy attributes, like fatty acids and minerals.
By going with sustainably sourced, wild-caught Alaskan Pollock, McDonald's is choosing to take advantage of what Epicurous calls "one of the world's most abundant and sustainable seafood species... a fish that is so abundant and well managed that it will be available and thriving for generations to come." The result is a more flavorful fish fillet that's not only great-tasting, but also great for the planet and, on some level, good for your health, even if all the Filet-O-Fish's fattier components get in the way of its overall health ranking.
McDonald's does one very special thing to the Filet-O-Fish bun
If you think that the bun McDonald's uses for the Filet-O-Fish is better than the buns the restaurant uses for its other sandwiches, there's a good reason why: the chain steams the Filet-O-Fish bun — something it doesn't do for any other menu item. McDonald's burger buns are toasted instead. In the Filet-O-Fish's case, this makes for a fluffy, soft vehicle for the sandwich's other ingredients and a bun texture that matches nicely with the fried fish fillet and slathering of tartar sauce.
It's no surprise that this simple variation makes the Filet-O-Fish stand out among McDonald's other menu items. Steamed buns have been a defining factor for years for other fast-food chains, like White Castle, and many home cooks use the steaming method to plump up and add a little moisture to stale, store-bought buns. If you're not a fish fan, but are now a little intrigued as to just how good the Filet-O-Fish bun is, you can still try it without ordering the Filet-O-Fish. Just ask for the McDonald's employees to steam your burger bun when you place your order.
The half slice of cheese on McDonald's Filet-O-Fish is not a mistake
The first time you really looked at your McDonald's Filet-O-Fish rather than simply scarfing it down immediately, you may have noticed the half slice of cheese and thought, "Really? McDonald's is so cheap that they couldn't have even given me a whole slice of cheese?" But there's a reason for McDonald's only using a half a slice of American cheese on its Filet-O-Fish, and it goes beyond merely saving money. It's all about the flavor.
Addressing customer complaints over the half slices of cheese in a Journal Star article in 2010, a McDonald's spokesperson said, "It's always been that way... When you think of a cheeseburger, it's really cheesy. With the Filet, a half slice complements the taste, rather than overwhelming it." And when you think about it, the rationale makes sense. On a burger, the beef patty has enough flavor to compete head-to-head with a full slice (or multiple slices) of cheese; on the Filet-O-Fish, you're dealing with much more delicate flavors and textures, and throwing a lot of cheese on your mild fish and milder bun will detract from the overall experience.
In other words, rather than complain about the half slice of cheese, McDonald's recommends that you just sit back and enjoy the flavor.
The lack of lettuce on McDonald's Filet-O-Fish is a huge help
If you've ever had a McChicken or a Big Mac, you can likely attest to the fact that, most of the time, eating either results in watching lots of shredded lettuce fall from the sandwich onto the wrapper below you, onto your lap, or into your car. Shredded lettuce goes everywhere.
And when McDonald's formulated the Filet-O-Fish, it would've made sense for them to add shredded lettuce to that as well; after all, the mild iceberg lettuce flavor certainly wouldn't compete with those of the bun, cheese, sauce, and fish. Additionally, many fast-food fish sandwiches do indeed feature lettuce, including Arby's Reel Big Fillet fish sandwich, which prompted one LA Weekly reviewer to comment, "The hot iceberg lettuce is a bit of a bummer." On the flip side, the same reviewer praised McDonald's lack of lettuce, saying, "This sandwich seem[s] like the seafaring equivalent of the best drive-in steamed cheeseburger, with no pesky, flavorless hot lettuce to get in the way."
So, the lack of lettuce may not be entirely about flavor, but rather all about convenience. The Filet-O-Fish is a tasty treat you can eat on the go, without worrying about half your sandwich falling apart in the process.
There are real ingredients in the tartar sauce in McDonald's Filet-O-Fish sandwiches
Tartar sauce is pretty basic, but when it comes to McDonald's Filet-O-Fish, the tartar sauce used makes a big difference in the end result.
Easy enough to make at home, your basic tartar sauce includes usually mayo or aioli, some seasonings, and add-ins like capers, pickles, lemon, or dill, depending on where in the world you are. Related to Eastern European "tarator" sauce, which is often enjoyed with fried seafood, tartar sauce is not only eaten with your favorite fried fish sandwich, but also with beef tartare. McDonald's tartar sauce is made with soybean oil, pickle relish, eggs, water, onions, vinegar, sugar, spices, and a few thickeners and preservatives.
What makes the big difference for McDonald's tartar sauce? The chain's tartar sauce is actually made with real egg yolks and real herbs, like parsley (via LiveStrong), which gives it a fresher taste and a creamier texture. In fact, McDonald's tartar sauce was so popular at one point that, in 2017, the brand decided to bottle and sell its tartar sauce in select countries (like Canada) alongside bottled versions of its McChicken and Big Mac sauces.
Filet-O-Fish sandwich bread is extra fluffy thanks to one particular additive
Okay, so additives aren't always what you want in your food, but in many cases, additives are harmless when consumed in small, manageable amounts. To that end, there's one additive that you'll find in the McDonald's Filet-O-Fish bun that helps to give it that fluffy texture and delicious mouthfeel that so many Filet-O-Fish fans rave about. That additive is DATEM, as noted by LiveStrong, and it's essentially a dough conditioner or emulsifier. On a scientific level, DATEM helps strengthen bread dough so that it more reliably expands and puffs up during baking, which results in bigger, fluffier buns, and an overall finer crumb — and a better Filet-O-Fish for you.
Unfortunately, DATEM is a relatively controversial food additive, even though it's approved by the FDA; some consumers blame gluten intolerance-like symptoms on DATEM. For this reason, some brands have discontinued DATEM use in their products, including Whole Foods and Subway. However, for the time being, McDonald's is still finding it safe to use DATEM to make that Filet-O-Fish bread extra fluffy, extra steamy, and exactly what customers have loved for decades.
The size of McDonald's Filet-O-Fish is part of the deliciousness equation
When looking at what exactly makes a fast-food item just so scrumptious, you can't just zero in at the individual ingredients; things like size and serving style also influence your dining experience, and can make or break your initial impression of a menu item. To that end, for many Filet-O-Fish fans, the sandwich's size really helps make the sandwich what it is. Because the Filet-O-Fish is smaller than, say, a Big Mac or most of the other sandwiches on McDonald's menu, it's not so overwhelming — just like it's flavor. For those seeking something light, as well as easy on the stomach and the tastebuds, the Filet-O-Fish is the way to go.
On top of this, the smaller size of the Filet-O-Fish also results in a smaller price tag, which further adds to its appeal for many diners. As LA Weekly noted, "On special, these diminutive little sandwiches set you back about a buck and a half apiece. For that price, it's hard to imagine a convenience food that delivers more completely as a satisfying snack — except for nearly-worthless fruit."
McDonald's Filet-O-Fish is nothing special -- which is a good thing
Filet-O-Fish aficionados all point out one particular thing that sets the sandwich apart from its brethren: the Filet-O-Fish is not trying to be something that it isn't, and it's not claiming to be fancier than it is. It's simple, plain, and nothing special — and that works in its favor.
In an article proudly titled, "I quit all meats and fast food — except for the Filet-O-Fish," a writer from The Takeout noted that the Filet-O-Fish "takes four bland, largely unappealing components, and fuses them together, elevating it into something you're not proud of loving, but is inexplicably addictive." A similar LA Weekly article expresses much the same sentiment: "the Filet-O-Fish hasn't forgotten what it most essentially is... It's not trying to make you think that eating a fried fish sandwich in your car is the same thing as eating a fried fish sandwich in a restaurant."
The Filet-O-Fish is honest and open about what it is: a steamed bun, battered and fried Alaskan Pollock, tartar sauce, and pasteurized processed American cheese. No more, no less.
McDonald's Filet-O-Fish sandwich has a mild seafood flavor
There's a reason most kids like fish sticks, but not sushi: the types of fish used for fish sticks and McDonald's Filet-O-Fish, like Alaskan Pollock, are generally very, very mild; That makes them appeal to those who can't really stand the stronger tastes of traditional, fresher, or more pungent seafood. As The Takeout explained, "the Filet-O-Fish is the gateway drug that turns people on to the wider world of seafood. Which is ironic, because delicious as it may be, there's almost no fish-based meal that tastes less like fish."
Alaskan Pollock in general is known for being mostly inoffensive to those who find seafood, well, gross. Global Seafoods North America even calls Alaskan Pollock one of "the best fish for someone who doesn't like fish," and recommends it as a starter fish for those who want to add more seafood to their diets, but who don't care for the taste.
McDonald's Filet-O-Fish boasts a mixture of textures
Another thing that McDonald's really has working in its favor when it comes to the Filet-O-Fish? Textures. Unlike a Big Mac, which is pretty much soft on soft on soft, the Filet-O-Fish mixes a few key textures together to create one enjoyable experience. You have the soft, fluffy, steamed bun; the crispy and flaky fish patty; the slick and partially-melted processed cheese; and the dollop of thick and creamy tartar sauce. Yum.
Don't think that texture is that big of a deal when it comes to creating an amazing food experience? That everything comes down to flavor alone? Think again. Food texture expert and author Ole G. Mouritsen noted on The Splendid Table that, in blind tests of pureed foods, study participants can usually only identify foods about a third of the time by taste alone; without texture, taste becomes a bit meaningless.
So, even if you find the individual ingredients that make a Filet-O-Fish unappealing, once you add all four together, you could find that the overarching texture and mouthfeel makes for a completely different experience than, say, just eating an Alaskan Pollock patty plain.
McDonald's Filet-O-Fish isn't very healthy -- and that's just the way it should be
Fish? Normally considered healthy. Smaller portion sizes? Also usually considered healthy. Fewer calories? Pretty much a clear indicator that something is healthy. So, if one were examining the McDonald's menu, one would assume that the Filet-O-Fish is one of the healthiest menu items, right? It's smaller than most of McDonald's other menu items, has only 390 calories, and features fish.
However, when you break down how much total food you're getting in a Filet-O-Fish and compare it to the amount of calories in the sandwich, it turns out that the Filet-O-Fish isn't the healthiest McDonald's menu item at all. Per ounce, a Filet-O-Fish is 78 calories (via CNBC). Meanwhile, a Double Quarter Pounder with Cheese is only 75.5 calories per ounce. Additionally, the Filet-O-Fish can account for nearly 20 percent of your daily recommended saturated fat intake, nearly 25 percent of your overall total daily fat intake, as well as 25 percent of your daily recommended sodium intake.
So is the Filet-O-Fish healthy? No, not really. But it's good, and that's partially thanks to the fact that it's not as healthy as you think it is. All that fat appeals to your senses and just makes the Filet-O-Fish that much tastier.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Aah, Wrigley Field, one of the most hallowed of major-league ballparks. After our extra-inning night in Milwaukee, we attended a day game in the Friendly Confines on August 22, 1997.
Oh, yeah, there was a ballgame going on that day. The Cubs were playing the Montreal Expos. Dustin Hermanson was on the mound for the Expos, and pitching for the Cubs that day was the Human Rain Delay, Steve Trachsel. Oddly enough, this game clocked in at a relatively brisk 2:31.
Sammy Sosa hit a two-run homer for the Cubbies in the seventh. Doug Strange hit a solo shot for the Expos in the eighth. [Strange – ha! Another name that could provide ample opportunity for merciless teasing during childhood.] The Cubs would tack on an insurance run in the bottom of the eighth, and hold on to win 3-1.
Oddly, my husband looks happy about this. One of the ticket windows was open, so at least we were able to get our money back that day.
We have been back to Wrigley since, to see three games (out of a four game series) between the Phillies and the Cubs in August 2006. We decided to try out three different seating areas of the ballpark.
This game featured home runs by Jimmy Rollins and Chase Utley for the Phils, and Jacque Jones for the Cubs. This is also the game when Aaron Rowand broke his ankle after colliding with Chase Utley on a fly ball to shallow center field.
The Phils held on to win 6-5. Jon Lieber got the win, and Arthur Rhodes the save. Rich Hill took the loss for the Cubs.
The next night, August 22, we had seats in the lower level behind home plate. This is probably the only area I wouldn't want to sit in again – the seats are really tight together, there are those annoying support beams that all old ballparks are blessed (cursed) with, and on a hot, humid night the air under there is very stagnant.
No home runs this night, though Jimmy Rollins did hit a triple. The Phils would win 6-3, with Moyer getting the win and Ryan Madson the save. Ryan O'Malley took the loss for the Cubs.
Homers were hit by Ryan Howard for the Phils, and Matt Murton for the Cubs. The Phils would win again, this time by a score of 2-1. Myers got the win, and Geoff Geary got the save this night. Three saves, three different pitchers. Bob Howry would end up with the loss.
We would leave Chicago the next day, and thankfully not see Cole Hamels give up nine (!) runs in only two innings of work, though only five were earned. 😉 It would later be revealed that Hamels had cut the index finger on his left (pitching) hand with a Swiss Army knife while trying to cut a plastic zip tie in the days prior to the game, and he was unable to properly grip his change-up.
Note to Cole: stay away from cutting implements! Let Heidi do all the cutting!
Coming up next, Turner Field.


text:
<?php

namespace Novuso\Component\View\Exception;

use LogicException;

/**
 * InvalidHelperException is thrown when adding an invalid view helper
 *
 * @author    John Nickell
 * @copyright Copyright (c) 2013, Novuso. (http://novuso.com)
 * @license   http://opensource.org/licenses/MIT The MIT License
 */
class InvalidKeyException extends LogicException
{
    /**
     * Constructs InvalidKeyException
     *
     * @access public
     * @param  string $method The method throwing this Exception
     * @param  string $key    The invalid key
     */
    public function __construct($method, $key)
    {
        $text = 'View helper names and data keys may contain letters, numbers, or underscores. They must begin with '
            .'a letter or underscore. %s received "%s", which is an invalid key.';
        parent::__construct(sprintf($text, $method, $key));
    }
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Photo credit: Donovan Rypkema
Ten Years of Excellence: The Economic Impacts of Main Street in Michigan
Client: Michigan Main Street Center and the Michigan State Housing Development Authority
This report considers the first ten years of the Michigan Main Street Center (MMSC) and Michigan Main Street communities. Main Street is economic development in the context of historic preservation. It uses a strategy that capitalizes on existing assets to make each community competitive through differentiation rather than imitation. Michigan has based much of its economic development strategy on the concept of placemaking which has been described as follows:
By engaging in placemaking, policymakers attempt to capitalize on local assets in order to create appealing and unique places where people want to live, work, and play. When used for economic development, placemaking seeks to help a community attract and retain talented workers and the businesses that seek them. That could well be used as the description of Main Street as well.


Hi, I am interested in your 1940 Cadillac Series 62 (stock #1024) listed on Autotrader for $94,995. I'd like to get more information about this vehicle and confirm its availability.
1940 Cadillac Series 62 Convertible Sedan As the premier builder of luxury motorcars around the world for over 100 years, the Cadillac name is recognized as the best in American luxury. Starting in 1902, Cadillac has built solid and reliable cars that were not only dependable, but also were some of the most opulent and luxurious on the road. Quite simply; for top down motoring in 1940, it didnt get any better than in a Cadillac. For sale is a nice condition Cadillac that was the recipient of an earlier restoration, that still bodes well for today. Some patina, and faults are there, but we have a very fine example of the wonderful design when a Cadillac was in its heyday. Exterior Offered here in Cadillacs dark Antoinette Blue is this 1940 Series 62 Convertible that wears an older restoration that has been well-cared for. The year 1940 was the last for side mounted spare tires on a Cadillac and this one even has its factory steel covers intact. Running boards were going in the way of the dinosaur, but were still, available as a no-cost option. This Series 62 is from the noted Joel Adelstein collection of fine cars and directly reflects, both the taste and depth of his collection. A camel canvas top is intact and showing a few areas of slight wear at the joints. Chrome and brite work is in good condition, as are all steel panels. Interior A very comfortable gray leather bench seat reaches out from door panel to door panel which present nicely and are wrapped in gray as well. The simple dark Antionette Blue painted metal dash is adorned with plenty of Art Deco styled chrome accents, and clean gauges. The styling reminds this writer of a chromed version of an old Wurlitzer juke box. A very nice cream steering column reaches out from under the dash and has a beautiful banjo style chrome and cream bakelite steering wheel atop said column. A cream Cadillac factory heater hangs below the dash. The rear bench affords plenty of legroom, and sports individual back cushions with a fold down center armrest. Drivetrain 346cis with overhead valves in a V8 formatted engine, rated at 135 horsepower, sits comfortably under the massively long hood. A three-speed selective synchromesh manual transmission puts power to the back wheels, and for that cloud like ride we see independent front axle with coil springs, Hotchkiss semi-floating rear axle with semi-elliptical leaf springs, and four-wheel hydraulic drum brakes, all wrapped up within a 129-inch wheelbase. Undercarriage Showing slight surface rust, but otherwise structurally sound, and in very nicely preserved condition. The Cadillac name has always carried an aura of prestige and this Series 62, with its immense length and fine condition makes it a car worthy of any collection. For the very best in a Cadillac luxury from a bygone era, this Series 62 Convertible Sedan is a car that can hold the whole family and is ready for the open road.


Amazing service guys! Will be back soon for more!
All good, a great Team!
A very impressive car showroom with some stunning looking cars. Even if they are well outside your price range, if you like cars then it is a pleasure to look at the cars parked out the front of the showroom.
Excellent overall customer experience. Both Simon and Nick were very welcoming and accommodating to my requirements. They had a professional and competent approach to explaining the selling process and optional extras available to benefit the vehicle owning experience.
Great service! My brother is an avid Lamborghini buyer and always takes me a long with him. Such helpful staff!


text:
Photo of rare black leopard captured for first time in 100 years
This is incredible!
A photo of a rare 'black panther' has gone viral and it's really amazing.
The black leopard, which gets it's distintive colour from the creation of excess melanin, is extremely rare, so photographer Will Burrard-Lucas really hit the jackpot.
According to National Geographic, the rare cat, which is often referred to as a 'black panther,' was spotted traveling with a larger, standard leopard, presumed to be her mother, in central Kenya.
The images were snapped as part of a project by a group of biologists, led by Nick Pilfold, and were published in the African Journal of Ecology, the first photos of their kind in almost a decade.
Pilfold explained "Almost everyone has a story about seeing one, it's such a mythical thing. Even when you talk to the older guys that were guides in Kenya many years ago, back when hunting was legal [in the 1950s and '60s], there was a known thing that you didn't hunt black leopards. If you saw them, you didn't take it."
A Black African Leopard under a full moon. #Camtraptions #cameratrap #blackpanther
A post shared by Will Burrard-Lucas | Wildlife (@willbl) on Feb 12, 2019 at 6:37am PST
What a beautiful animal!
According to National Geographic, the rare cat, which is often referred to as a 'black panther,' was spotted traveling with a larger, normally colored leopard, presumed to be her mother, in central Kenya.
Lottery winner claims prize in a scream mask
Apparently chicken fillet rolls are aphrodisiacs
The most-kissed waxwork at Madame Tussauds Blackpool has been revealed
Dublin café does amazing Valentine's coffee art
This Irish Store Is Offering Free Condoms On Valentines Day To Anyone Called Johnny
Kinder Bueno Have Released A Range Of Ice Creams


When trying to use dead reckoning to turn, you typically can't get the measured heading to exactly match the desired heading due to these precision limits, so you have to set a window defining "close enough." So far, so good. In my case, I'm using interrupts to count clicks on each of two wheel encoders, so I could be sure not to miss a unit. All was working well. In tests, I'd see 0 or 1 click of the encoder on each wheel each time my Arduino code executed the main loop and updated the position and heading. I set my "close enough" threshold accordingly. Then I added doubled the resolution on the encoders and added a lot of serial.print() commands when in debugging mode. Suddenly my formally working robot, which now had more precise navigation, would go haywire. It would often work fine, but at other times it would spin around in multiple circles when turning to the next waypoint or avoiding an obstacle.
It took a lot of debugging to figure out the problem. With interrupts now occurring with twice the frequency, and the execution loop slowing down due to numerous serial print statements, there were often 3-4 encoder clicks per update. This meant that the robot was sometimes turning 4x more than the maximum precision of my measurements between execution of the appropriate code in the main loop. Therefore it would sometimes, by luck, hit within the good enough window when turning, but other times it would be below the window on one pass and above it the next, and therefore keep turning and turning until by luck it hit within the window. My control precision was only 1/4 of my measurement precision.
Ensure that don't have the debugging serial.print() statements in except when doing a "bench test." (see the use of the #if preprocessor directive if you're new to C or Arduino programming). That speeds up loop execution.
Slow down the turning speed of the robot. By turning slower I can get the control precision to more closely match the measurement precision.
Relax the window slightly, making control a bit sloppier, but ensuring I don't miss the window if adjustments 1 and 2 weren't sufficient.


Doing stuff alone, I'll admit, is scary. Going out alone? Even scarier. The idea of going somewhere without the protection and company of your squad, or at least your mom, is enough to make you want to stay home and watch old episodes of The OC by yourself. But why should you spend your Friday night alone on the couch just because you're single, or because your friends are being lame? Believe it or not, going out alone can actually be really fun.
Last weekend, I went to a nightclub by myself. I was supposed to be meeting someone, but couldn't find them when I got there, and ended up spending my whole night on the dance floor. I had no phone service, no one to talk to, and no one to dance with. At first, it was a nightmare. But then, I started talking to strangers, which isn't something I do often. The confidence may have come partly from the fact that I was wearing a Halloween costume, but it was also because my only choices were to go home alone to my empty apartment at 11 p.m., or force myself to try and meet new people. I chose the latter, and it ended up being one of the most fun nights of my life.
Sure, you look fabulous whether you're wearing your best dress or your older sweatpants and, no, you don't necessarily need a special occasion to dress up. But sometimes we all need an excuse. What better reason to wear your newest outfit (or that outfit that's still in your closet with tags) than going to a bar by yourself? Plus, according to a study by Professor Karen Pine from the University of Hertfordshire, dressing up makes you more confident (no matter what your definition of dressing up is), so it might give you the extra motivation to talk to strangers.
If you're the only one in your #squad who likes live jazz music/art galleries/whiskey bars, treat yourself to an afternoon or evening enjoying something alone. If you're doing something you love, you won't need a friend to be there with you (especially if they're going to be bored the whole time). Once you're there, you're pretty much guaranteed to find at least a few like-minded people, some of whom are probably also there alone. What better way to start a conversation than over a mutual appreciation of a song/painting/scotch?
Forget all the rules you learned in kindergarten: It's totally OK to talk to strangers. Bartenders, waiters, people at the bar, people in line — strike up a conversation. Most people who are interested in meeting new people, too.
When you're by yourself, it's tempting to keep your nose buried in your phone the whole time. A word of advice? Don't. Take a second to unplug and actually enjoy what you're doing. Constantly texting your friends (who aren't there) will make you miss out on the things going on around you. And what fun is that?
If you're going out by yourself in an effort to meet new friends, then you should know that a study by psychologists at the University of Cardiff in Wales found that smiling makes you more approachable and helps boost your mood. However, if constant smiling isn't your thing or just doesn't make you feel like yourself, then who cares? You're there to have fun, and it doesn't matter whether other people think you are or not. You do you. Also, when you are having fun, you tend to smile naturally so... it's a win, win.
The most (most, most, most) important thing when you're alone is to be safe. Watch how much you drink, and (as always) never leave your drink unattended. Also be sure to give your friends a heads up of where you'll be, just in case.
Now go have some fun. Duh.


Do you still not have a Christmas Tree? You are in luck because Costco is selling trees still for $31.99! According to PopSugar, that is about 21 hot dogs (They say 32 BUT actually they are $1.50 so 32 divided by 1.50 is about 21.3333!) And the best part? The trees are actually REAL! Time to book on over to Costco and hey, you can stock up on something goodies while you are there too or even some samples!


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July 9, 2019 | Rachel Kinsey: candidate for U.S. House District 11
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Home Atlanta History
The eventful life of W.A. Peters — Hollywood Cemetery's unusual sexton
Posted By: Larry Felton Johnson May 25, 2016
This is the third installment in a series on the history and current state of Atlanta's Hollywood Cemetery.
The sexton in a cemetery has an important, but usually routine, job. Depending on the size of the staff, a sexton might be in charge of maintaining the grounds, keeping records of burials, opening and closing graves during interment, making sure headstones are placed on the correct graves, and carrying out a number of other practical tasks related to the operation of the cemetery.
Sextons do not usually appear in newspaper headlines. But W.A. Peters, the sexton of Hollywood Cemetery as the 19th century gave way to the 20th, was the frequent topic of news headlines. If a chaotic dispute, physical altercation, or legal conflict occurred in or near the cemetery while he held his post, it was a near certainty he was in the middle of it.
Between 1898 and 1903, in separate incidents, he was jailed on accusations of "cheating and swindling", was badly beaten, and was the subject of multiple lawsuits, both as the plaintiff and defendant.
William A. Peters, usually called "W.A." in newspaper accounts, was born in Gwinnett County in 1855, to Fleming and Margaret Peters. Fleming Peters was a coroner. William married Shadie Cain in 1886. By 1894 Peters was the sexton of Hollywood Cemetery and he and his wife were living on cemetery property.
On a Monday in late August of 1898, Peters had a fight with a railroad switchman named John Sexton (an ironic name, since Peters was a sexton). Sexton was living in a shack near Hollywood Cemetery with his wife and small child. He claimed that Peters tried to evict him from the property and take ownership of the land, and that Peters had spoken to Sexton's wife abusively in the course of the attempted eviction.
Sexton and Peters met on a road near the cemetery. The details of what happened next are disputed. Sexton claimed that Peters hit him with a tin bucket, and showed a reporter a wound on his face as evidence. Friends of Peters claimed that Sexton used brass knuckles in the fight. a claim that Sexton denied.
But an undisputed fact is that Peters was seriously injured in the fight, and Sexton went to jail. The Atlanta Constitution's headline on August 24, 1898 was "ONE MAY DIE; THE OTHER IS IN A CELL … May Result in a Murder Trial." The newspaper didn't run a followup story, so it's unclear what the legal outcome was for Sexton, but Peters evidently didn't die, because he went on to participate in a number of other adventures.
A year later, in September of 1899, he was involved in another dispute, a complicated three-way conflict over a body that was moved from one grave to another. At this point Peters wasn't acting as the cemetery's sexton (although in subsequent years he reappeared as the sexton of Hollywood Cemetery) but as the seller of a plot, and as a freelance gravedigger.
A man named C.D. Saye decided to move his sister from a plot at Hollywood Cemetery that he found unsuitable, and to hold a funeral after her body was moved to a new location. After selling Saye the lot, Peters acted as gravedigger.
During the funeral, C.E. Smith, the current sexton of the cemetery, interrupted them and told them they didn't have the proper permit to remove or inter a body. An argument ensued between Smith on the one hand, and Saye, a friend of his named W.M. Walpert, and their wives on the other.
Smith took out warrants on Peters, Saye, and Walpert, and they were arrested and jailed during the funeral. Later in the day the charges were dismissed, they were released, and returned to the cemetery to continue with the funeral.
Peters and Saye each sued the Hollywood Cemetery Company and Smith for $5,000. The jury in the trial ruled in favor of the company, but awarded Peters $145 in damages.
Despite the lawsuit Peters filed against the Hollywood Cemetery Company, he became sexton of the cemetery once again, and was embroiled in a racially charged case before a Fulton County judge in May of 1901.
Frank Meyers, the receiver of the estate of a man named J.C. Baird, claimed that Peters was selling plots to African-Americans on land that was properly part of the Baird estate, and that Peters was conducting ongoing burials there. Peters and Hollywood Cemetery Company claimed that the property was owned by them. Peters said that he intended to continue the burials. The judge issued a temporary restraining order against him pending the outcome of the case. No outcome of the property dispute was reported in the paper, but Meyers, who had requested the restraining order, asked that the order be rescinded the next day.
In 1902 Peters was arrested for criminal trespass. R.M. Wylie claimed that Peters and another Hollywood Cemetery employee, Mac Vaughn, had begun burying African-Americans on Wylie's land.
In August of 1903, W.A. Peters was again in trouble with the law, this time for "swindling." Two women, Annie Varandoe, and R.H. Robinson, had him arrested for selling them both the same cemetery plot.
After that arrest, Peters seemed to avoid brushes with the law, and disappeared from the headlines. He moved to Gwinnett County at some point before the 1910 federal census, and died there in 1921. He and his wife Shadie, who died a year later in 1922, are buried at the Friendship Primitive Baptist Church cemetery in Snellville.
I've only presented a brief sample of the drama that followed Peters. Two stories involving Peters require much longer treatment, and will be published in future articles in this series.
The next installment in this series will feature a locally notorious outlaw who is buried in Hollywood Cemetery.
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Many Cub Packs used a "totem" consisting of a wolf's head on a stick. The Akela of the Anglican Boys Home in Lower Hutt Mrs Sussana Hoggard, was presented with a "totem" carved by Mr. W.B.Fink, who was a carver with the National Museum carved in the Maori style, probably in the 1940's. The main figure is to represent Scoutings founder, Robert Baden-Powell, while the adjacent figures are of the "princess" or National leader of the Cubs in NZ, Miss Nancy Wilson, the other the leader of cubs in the Hutt Valley, Mrs Hoggard.


The Nashville Suite is for a true lover of details. Featuring a full calligraphy design and a custom drawn crest with surrounding calligraphy border, this suite creates a gorgeous package for your guests. Visit our Collection Guide for available calligraphy style options.


If Ryan disapproves of this model – which is bizarre, provided that his personal reform invoice is constructed on customers getting protection via traditional insurance – there are successfully three options. If the healthy aren't going to pay the sick, who will? The sick can attempt to pay for themselves, the federal government can decide up the tab, or the sick simply will not get care.
Dolores, there may be an terrible lot of garbage spouted concerning the NHS in the mean time, in relation to American health care, you might be dead right! Garlic is a typical spice discovered in many houses and most grocery shops. Garlic accommodates the ability to endorse T-cell life longevity, helps to forestall the event of cancer cells and allows the liver to get rid of carcinogens that are pollution that cause most cancers.


Rompetrol Downstream, the retail division of KMG International Group in Romania, inaugurated on August 13 a new Rompetrol station in Bacau, on Milcov Street no 5A.
This is the third unit in the city and it comes in addition to the other gas stations located on the European road E85, that connects Bucharest and Suceava (Stefan cel Mare Street no 66 and Republicii Street no 100).
For the first time in the city of Bacau, the new unit is endowed with an EV charging station, a free service offered to all Rompetrol customers who own electric or hybrid cars. This service has become also available at the Rompetrol station on Republicii Street no 100.
"The company continues to develop and consolidate its presence in Bacau and to cater to the needs of its customers by means of new fuel stations, innovative products and services. The efforts of the company are fully supported by over 120 Rompetrol employees, both in the city, where we have three gas stations, but also in the county where we operate another six fuel distribution stations. Our fuel that is produced by the largest refinery in Romania and one of the most modern in the Black Sea region – Petromidia Navodari. Our LPG bottle-filling terminal in Itesti enhances our presence as well," stated Vlad Rusnac, Chief Retail Officer of KMG International and General Manager of Rompetrol Downstream.
By means of the facilities and services it provides, the new premium station addresses the needs of the inhabitants of Bacau, as the unit is endowed with two Efix and EfixS fuel dispensers, WiFi internet services, multimedia systems, modern payment facilities, and the hey restaurant – which promotes healthy food that is prepared quickly and will satisfy those who want a new revitalizing experience. The new station is also equipped with a modern lighting system with LED technology that allows it a low energy consumption.
The EV charging can be done via AC and DC at 22kW, and the capacity of 50kW allows the simultaneous charging of two cars. Thus, it takes only 20 minutes for an electric vehicle to be charged at 80% capacity in the Rompetrol station, while in a regular station it would take between 7 and 8 hours.
"The total investment in the new fuel station amounts to 1.1 million dollars, thus the contribution of Rompetrol to the budget of Bacau county last year represents 2.6 million dollars", pointed out Vlad Rusnac.
As a result of a 11 million dollars investment, the company inaugurated in 2010 a LPG bottling terminal located in Itesti, 18 kilometers away from Bacau. This consolidates the presence of Rompetrol products (industrial and domestic use cylinders, LPG for vehicles) in the East, South – East and South of Romania.
With an annual capacity of bottle-filling 20.000 tons of LPG and to store 1500 cubic meters, the terminal has 32 employees, indirectly supporting other 50 jobs (contractors, suppliers, constructors etc).
Due to the meteorological issues that occured in the first trimester of 2018, Rompetrol Downstream sold in the first three months a total volume of fuel of 490.000 tons, similar to the one it sold during the first three months of 2017. Out of this amount, approximately 30% was bought by customers of Rompetrol stations, which shows a 3% increase from 2017.
At the end of March, the distribution segment of the company had 818 points of sale (its own stations, partner stations, mobile stations, internal bases of 9 and 20 cubic meters), an increase by 66 units in comparison to the previous year.


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Ким Васильевич Марков (род. 12 декабря 1931) — советский и российский тренер по самбо и дзюдо. Почётный гражданин Липецка.

Биография
Родился в 12 декабря 1931 года в Липецке. Во время службы в армии серьёзно увлёкся самбо. Стал мастером спорта и призёром чемпионатов Приморского и Дальневосточного военных округов. После демобилизации окончил металлургический техникум, затем работал в фасонолитейном цехе Новолипецкого металлургического комбината. Активно занимался общественной деятельностью. В конце 1950-х годов был избран секретарём заводского комитета комсомола. Возглавлял созданный им заводской молодёжный отряд по охране общественного порядка. В 1963 году перешёл на службу в милицию. Работал в уголовном розыске, был инспектором по делам несовершеннолетних, заместителем начальника отделения штаба УВД Липецкого облисполкома. Получил звание майора. В то же время учился в Липецком педагогическом институте на физико-математическом факультете. Возглавлял секцию по самбо в местном дворце культуры, привлекал к занятию спортом в том числе и трудных подростков. Затем эта секция затем перешла к ДСО «Динамо» и переехала в новый спортивный комплекс. Марков подготовил более 50 мастеров спорта по самбо и дзюдо. Среди них чемпион СССР и Европы Геннадий Бирюков.

Награды
 Почётный гражданин Липецка
 Золотой орден «За заслуги и развитие национального спорта»
 Премия МВД России «Честь и доблесть»
 Премия Национального Комитета неолимпийских видов спорта в номинации «За гуманизм и великодушие»

Примечания

Тренеры СССР по самбо
Тренеры СССР по дзюдо
Тренеры России по самбо
Тренеры России по дзюдо
Почётные граждане Липецка
Выпускники Липецкого педагогического университета
Милиционеры

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


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Sir Sydney Samuelson CBE FBKS
With great sadness we learned that Sir Sydney Samuelson CBE, passed away on 14 December 2022.
Sir Sydney served until reccently as the Patron of our Society.
Obituary & Personal Tribute Mark Trompeteler FBKS
Cinema enthusiasts and film industry professionals, at every level of the moving image and film industries, will have been very saddened to hear of Sir Sydney Samuelson's death last week at the age of 97. His name was probably little or hardly known, if at all, by the cinema going public. However the directors, stars, film and media industry professionals, in the British film industry, and beyond, in the second half of the 20th century, all knew his name. The importance of the companies he and his brothers founded and grew, to become the largest film equipment hire group in the world was profound. As the head of The Samuelson Group, his pursuit of excellence in servicing the needs of a growing film and media industry, facilitating and supporting outstanding film productions, and developments, cannot be underestimated. He was also a champion of the support / "back room" / technical staff and crafts people of the industry. He contributed to growing technical and craft excellence with his contributions to industry bodies and professional associations. After his first visit to Hollywood in 1965 he and his company became the sole representative of Panavison in Europe. He was a cinematographer by experience and instinct. His companies and his work supported widescreen production, and outstanding 70mm film productions which were to become classics of cinema.
As is widely known his father was George Berthold Samuelson, a cinema pioneer of the silent film era. His father established some of the first film studios in Britain, and produced over one hundred silent films. The transfer of his father's operation to the new sound era was ill fated and ended in financial failure. As a result Sydney's early years were very far from being in affluent circumstances. He started his career in the film industry at the age of 14 as a rewind boy in the projection box of a local cinema. After service in the RAF, he became a trainee documentary camera assistant in the Colonial Film Unit, enabling him to travel and use film cameras in far away locations. In 1948 he joined the film technicians union ACT. After further experience as a newsreel cameraman, in 1954, he set up Samuelson Film Service, with his brothers David, Tony and Michael. Tony, who had trained as a barrister, became financial and legal advisor to the Samuelson Group. As mentioned previously The Samuelson Group grew to become the largest film equipment hire group in the world. At their headquarters in Cricklewood, North London, they rented cameras, both 16mm and 35mm, grip and sound equipment, and later, lighting equipment. Pursuing a specialisation in Arriflex cameras they had over a hundred complete outfits either out on rental, being serviced or ready and available for production. The company had branches in Paris, Amsterdam, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand and an air freight operation at London Heathrow. He joined BAFTA in 1965.
Major film directors became his clients, colleagues, and close friends. He supplied the 65mm equipment for "2001 A Space Odyssey" and "Ryan's Daughter". Other major productions he was involved with included "Superman", "Ghandi", "Fiddler on the Roof", "A Man For All Seasons" and 13 James Bond films. He mixed with and worked with key influential figures in the British and international film industries and was close friends with David Lean, Richard Attenborough, Freddie Young and other industry stalwarts. David Lean would sometimes pop in to have lunch at the Samuelson premises and look at the latest film making equipment they had available. He served as chairman of BAFTA from 1973 – 1976 and worked with Richard Attenborough to develop it into its modern form. He worked with BAFTA committees and developments for forty years. In 1987 he became a Freeman of The City of London. In 1991 he was appointed the first British Film Commissioner. His role was to promote the UK as a destination for international film and television productions. He encouraged the Government to introduce a tax incentive for international productions to come to the UK, to use UK studios and locations, using UK crews, talent and production services. His work in the role acted as a catalyst leading to positioning the UK as a major centre for international film production outside of Hollywood. Today this is worth something in the order of £5.6 billion a year.
In 1993 he was awarded a fellowship of BAFTA and in 1995 he received a knighthood for services to the British Film Commission. That same year he became a member of BKSTS (Now IMIS). Following an Honorary Doctorate from Sheffield Hallam University in 1996, in 1997, he retired, ……. allegedly.
As is generally acknowledged, Sir Sydney Samuelson never retired. In the 25 years of his "retirement" he worked tirelessly and supported many industry organisations and charities, often as a member, patron, trustee, or president. Amongst these were:
BAFTA, British Society of Cinematographers, Cinema & Television Benevolent Fund, Cinema & Television Veterans, BECTU, CTC, UK Jewish Film, Guild of British Camera Technicians (GBCT), BKSTS – The Moving Image Society (now IMIS, The International Moving Image Society) and The Projected Picture Trust (PPT).
It was in my own semi-retirement that I had the pleasure of working as the BKSTS/IMIS Accreditation Co-ordinator for UK university film school courses, for some 12-13 years. It was through my involvement with BKSTS/IMIS and the accreditation of university film courses that I, like countless others, had the privilege of receiving Sir Sydney's support encouragement, direct help, and at times his work alongside mine. At an early meeting with him I was in absolute awe of being able to meet him, let alone briefly work with him and get assistance from him. As many will know he was the most modest of men and said that he wasn't anything special and had just been lucky and fortunate in his career and life. He said the average person in the street and everyday life had a habit of reminding you of your place in life, and that he was no different than anybody else. At this early first meeting he recounted to me the story featured in the very recent The Times newspaper obituary…….
"On the day he was appointed as Film Commissioner he stepped out of his Piccadilly office and saw a newspaper seller with a bill-board declaring "Britain Gets A Film Boss." Samuelson walked over to him and asked "What's all this about? – Britain Gets A Film Boss?" "Oh, it is just some bloke" the seller replied and opened the paper to show Samuelson the photo of the new commissioner. "Well, who is he then?" Samuelson asked mischievously. "I'll have to read it guv ……. Sydney Samuelson, it says here. I've never heard of the bugger, Have you?"
Sir Sydney's great generosity, wisdom, huge experience, modesty, grace, kindness, and commitment in his "retirement" to the charities and organisations with which he was associated was witnessed by so very many of us. At one point in my association with him, working on the accreditation of film school courses, I had occasion to discuss the criteria for a new prize for graduating film school students. He wanted this specific prize to have a set of strictly confidential criteria relating to its award. The prize was not to be given to the student who had consistently scored the highest grades or produced the consistently best set of work on the film course. Nor was it to be for the best graduation film, nor was it to be for the best cinematography or for the film that was voted as the best, or the most popular, by the audience. The prize was to be for the student who had travelled the furthest in having to overcome adversity, who had overcome difficult financial, personal, health or family circumstances to complete the course and their graduation film. Sir Sydney Samuelson CBE BSC made an immeasurable contribution to the media and film industries that will resonate for a very very long time.


Malcolm Turnbull speaks to Kerry O'Brien about inflation, the economy and opinion polls.
KERRY O'BRIEN: There's a battle royal going on between the Rudd Government and Nelson Opposition in case you hadn't noticed, over where responsibility begins and ends for the state of the economy and in particular, the fact that inflation is high and interest rates have now gone up twice in the past month. You must be familiar by now with Kevin Rudd and Wayne Swan's argument that the inflation built up on John Howard's watch, partly through budget overspending, partly through a failure to tackle bottlenecks in the economy that led to overheating fed by the resources boom.
The Opposition response is simple; we handed you a strong economy, we got rid of government debt and we kept the lid on inflation for 11 years. Now the Government has used yesterday's release of the quarterly national accounts to highlight a claim that national productivity has been in decline for five years and is now running at zero. The Opposition had another set of figures to distract it this week, leader Brendan Nelson's incredible slump in the latest opinion poll. I discussed both issues with Shadow Treasurer and recent leadership contender Malcolm Turnbull in Sydney late this afternoon. Malcolm Turnbull, let's just pretend for a moment that you actually won the last election, what would you be doing right now to control inflation?
MALCOLM TURNBULL, SHADOW TREASURER: Well, I'd be speaking about it in a very measured and objective way for a start. I wouldn't be exacerbating inflationary expectations, which is what Mr Swan has been doing. I would be looking very carefully at Government spending, certainly we should always do that. I'd also be looking at the causes of inflation and where inflation, what parts of the economy those pressures are most intense. And I'd be making sure that our responses, the fiscal responses, because they don't have to be as blunt an instrument as monetary policy, the fiscal responses were very sensitive and very targeted. Yes, inflation is an issue, it's always going to be an issue in a fast growing economy with very low unemployment. But you've got to go about it in a business like way and at times a very discriminating way and we haven't seen much of that from Mr Swan.
KERRY O'BRIEN: In late January you said that the Reserve Bank should stay its hand on interest rates. Since then they've raised interest rates twice, so who's got it wrong? You or the Reserve Bank?
I think there is a powerful argument. It's not just me putting it, a lot of economists have put it for the Reserve Bank to be very careful about raising rates for fear that they go too far.
KERRY O'BRIEN: So, are you saying that you disagree with the last two rate rises since you were arguing only a week before the February rise that they shouldn't?
MALCOLM TURNBULL: Well, look, I think the decisions the Reserve Bank has made are reasonable. They have access to a lot more information than any of us have. I would have, my feeling was that they should have stayed their hand and waited for developments to become more apparent.
KERRY O'BRIEN: It's true isn't it, that the domestic economic evidence, the domestic evidence that the Reserve Bank has relied on, in its two most recent rate rises, has been based on what was happening in the Australian economy during the time that you were in office, of the Howard Government?
MALCOLM TURNBULL: Well, of course because we were in office until 24 November so naturally right up to the December quarter, which is the last set of numbers that we have, cover a period that was mostly or at least just a little over half during the Howard Government.
KERRY O'BRIEN: So surely then Kevin Rudd and Wayne Swan are right when they say that the Howard Government has to accept responsibility for the rate of inflation that the Reserve Bank is now acting on?
KERRY O'BRIEN: Or perhaps to try and make sure that Australians don't blame them for these interest rate rises?
MALCOLM TURNBULL: I think we've got to recognise that inflation is caused by a lot of factors. Governments only have a limited influence over inflationary pressures. No Australian Government can influence the price of petrol. Commodities generally have had an enormous run, that's impacted on prices. And, of course, we wouldn't want not to have the growing demand from China for our raw materials. So there's a lot of things at play Kerry, but I think the very important point to bear in mind is that the objective of monetary policy is to keep inflation within the two to three per cent band on average over the cycle.
KERRY O'BRIEN: And what you've said is that under your Government it was kept that way right through your time in office?
MALCOLM TURNBULL: Over 47 quarters the average rate of inflation, be it the headline rate or the underlying rate is 2.5 per cent.
KERRY O'BRIEN: But if the Howard Government did such an exemplary job in controlling inflation why did the Reserve Bank have to put rates up 10 times in your last five years in office?
MALCOLM TURNBULL: Because that's what central banks do.
KERRY O'BRIEN: But they do it in response to the state of the economy?
KERRY O'BRIEN: So who controlled inflation, the Reserve Bank or the Howard Government?
MALCOLM TURNBULL: Kerry, you can't expect to have a fast growing economy particularly in a dynamic global environment like we have without central banks changing interest rates. Now the fact is that the job of the Central Bank to put rates up as the economy is expanding, to moderate growth and to take them off as Ben Bernanke is doing in the United States, if they think the economy's sliding into recession or towards recession. So the fact that rates have gone up or down shouldn't be regarded as a triumph or a failure of policy. You've got to look at it objectively over the long term and the result is plain, anyone can do the maths. The average rate of inflation over the Howard years was exactly 2.5 per cent.
KERRY O'BRIEN: What also was a major contributor to inflation coming down was productivity going up, and your government inherited productivity on the way up, what Wayne Swan is now saying and pointing to yesterday's national accounts figures as evidence. Productivity in your last five years has actually come down and in the last 12 months was zero. Now that is also a contributor to what's gone wrong in the economy, isn't it, that you've had productivity coming down, capacity constraints, skills shortages and you've had a resources boom, but you don't seem to feel that your Government needs to take any responsibility for that?
MALCOLM TURNBULL: Kerry, I've never seen a Treasurer who more often loses sight of the woods for the trees than Wayne Swan. The objective of economic policy is the sustainable prosperity of all Australians. It's not just one, it's not just inflation or just interest rates or just unemployment or just this, you know, just productivity. You've got to look at it overall. Now if you have a full employment economy, if you bring back into the workforce a lot of people who've been long term unemployed, who couldn't get a job for years, for decades in some cases, bring them back into the workforce, of course your productivity per unit of labour, per worker, is going to decline. If you want to increase productivity then you would increase unemployment. Nobody wants to do that.
KERRY O'BRIEN: So it was deliberate on the government's part to preside over five years of declining productivity?
MALCOLM TURNBULL: No, what I'm saying to you is that if you have at least two things going on, firstly you bring a lot of people who were not highly productive workers and couldn't get jobs and who because of demand for labour get jobs, if they come into the workforce, then that presses productivity overall down. But the economy is still stronger and the society is fairer and more prosperous. If by the same token you get a lot of investment, and you're seeing this in the mining industry where people are making very big investments in capacity for projects that have not yet come on stream, that will put a downward pressure on productivity.
KERRY O'BRIEN: That might explain one year, two years, it doesn't explain five?
MALCOLM TURNBULL: Kerry, these projects are very long term. The one thing that you've got to be fair dinkum about is that nobody; not the resource companies, not the Government, not the economists, nobody, foresaw the scale of the economic growth and the demand for raw materials from China. It's knocked and cover off the ball.
KERRY O'BRIEN: Very quickly, going into this budget would you endorse the Rudd Government's decision to honour its promise on the $30 billion tax cuts?
MALCOLM TURNBULL: Oh yes. You've got to do that, of course, it was our tax cuts, our proposal, a lot of families will have taken that into account. And you've got to remember that, you know, the notion that some people have that Australian families will go and madly spend all of the tax cuts is pretty patronising. A lot of households have got a lot of debt. They will take that extra income from the tax cuts and use it to pay down debt. So I think we've got to have faith in the good sense of Australian families and we've got to be honourable and honour the commitment to those tax cuts.
KERRY O'BRIEN: How long should Brendan Nelson have to prove his leadership capacity to be an alternative Prime Minister?
MALCOLM TURNBULL: Well, I'm sure that you and others will tell him that.
KERRY O'BRIEN: No, no, I'm asking you.
MALCOLM TURNBULL: I know you're asking me.
KERRY O'BRIEN: You, along with all of your colleagues, are going to have to be making this judgement over possibly the next few months or year?
MALCOLM TURNBULL: We make decisions as a team, it's a collegiate business, politics, a team endeavour. Brendan has to be given a fair crack of the whip, a fair go.
KERRY O'BRIEN: What is a fair go?
MALCOLM TURNBULL: Who knows? Time will tell. Brendan knows that he's got a lot of work to do. He certainly is working very hard. He's very committed. He has the complete support of the party room from the whole team, including me, of course, and the other senior Shadow Ministers, but he's got to be given the chance to prove that he can deliver the leadership that he's offered the party and which the party accepted.
KERRY O'BRIEN: But it's also true, isn't it, that if these figures stay bumping around where they are and I'm not just talking about his preferred Prime Minister figures, I'm talking about the whole range of figures including two party support and so on. It does come down to leadership substantially in the end. You're going to have to make a judgement somewhere within this cycle if these figures don't improve significantly, aren't you, about whether you can afford to go to the election with that kind of scenario?
MALCOLM TURNBULL: The next election is two and a half years away. It's a very long time away.
KERRY O'BRIEN: It goes very quickly.
MALCOLM TURNBULL: Well, we'll see. Look, there are lots of judgements that will be made over the next few years.
KERRY O'BRIEN: But you've got to agree with me haven't you, that you can't afford, no political party could afford to go to an election with a leader with those kind of figures. So the figures have to change or the leader has to change?
MALCOLM TURNBULL: Certainly Brendan Nelson if he were sitting here with us would say that he is committed to ensuring that we win the next election and that our figures, our rating in the community improves from where it is. Of course it has to be higher than it is today.
KERRY O'BRIEN: Why do you think the Coalition is doing so badly?
MALCOLM TURNBULL: Look, I'll leave that to you to commentate on.
KERRY O'BRIEN: You have to be making those assessments all the time or you'd be deficient in your job?
MALCOLM TURNBULL: I'm just respecting the demarcation here. Kerry honestly, every new government goes through a honeymoon period and equally every old government or former government goes through a purgatory.
KERRY O'BRIEN: This is a purgatory rapidly approaching hell?
MALCOLM TURNBULL: We hope at the end of purgatory we get to paradise. There's nothing bad people can say about the Howard Government that isn't going to be widely bruited. It's been a very, the king is dead, long live the king, aspect of all of this. These are the tough days, the dog days for an Opposition. Brendan sought the leadership, he volunteered for it, he got it. It's a tough gig and he's going through a tough time, but better times will come and he is determined to bring them along.
KERRY O'BRIEN: Malcolm Turnbull, thanks for joining us.
MALCOLM TURNBULL: Thank you, Kerry.


Following the Grand Tidy Up in February, we decided to take the opportunity to do some groundworks around the site. We are certainly not short of shovels, nor of enthusiasm, but the nature of the work to be done would have taken several months of Sundays, so we enlisted the help of a mini-digger with a skilled operator for the day. Your generous donations at our Open Weekends and annual Membership Subscriptions make projects like this possible.
One important job was to level the top of the mine tip area following the removal of a large quantity of stone and the re-positioning of the two halves of the ex-Sharlston pit wheel. This will allow better access for HGVs and more space for our volunteers to park their cars on a Sunday. A hole was also dug in the centre of the steel ramps giving us the start of an inspection pit, although we will still need to do some work later to line the sides and bottom, as well as putting in some basic drainage. A future project will see a second track running down from the points outside the mine to the top of the tip which will pass across the pit.
As well as some general tidying up and levelling of the ground, the digger was also put to use in widening the gulley at the Southern end of the line. This area was previously used to hide a stockpile of rail (now recovered) and we intend to lay some rails into here in order to demonstrate our Eimco 12B rocker shovel on open days. The bank leading to the top of this area has been graded to allow visitors safe access to watch the Eimco in action.
Editor's Note: This post was first written as a draft, but only published in December 2017. It has been backdated to the beginning of March, when the events described took place.


text:
Q: How to find a value of an attribute of an element Here is a piece of code
<span class="balance themecolor" data-balance="2800">

I'm looking for a way to extract the value of data-balance and set it as variable x, but I have absolutely no idea how to do it. I know of the existence of .val() but I don't know if I can apply it to this code. I'm looking a for a one line long solution.

A: If you're using jQuery (as you've mentioned .val()):
var x = $("[data-balance]").attr("data-balance");

Or if you aren't:
var x = document.querySelector("[data-balance]").getAttribute("data-balance");

In both cases, the [data-balance] is a CSS selector for the element; adjust as needed. For instance, with that element, and assuming no other elements with either of its classes, you could use .balance, .themecolor, or even .balance.themecolor.
jQuery will find all elements matching the selector (you can change that if it's an issue, usually it isn't), but then only give you the attribute value for the first one.
querySelector will stop with the first one. If you want to find them all and get a list, use querySelectorAll (and then index into it to get the individual ones).

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Q: Teplace special (HTML) characters to the space I have a problem with replacing HTML characters, before inserting data I'm doing something with my string:
strip_tags(mb_substr($record['text'],0,100, 'utf-8'));

But, I have a problem, result of this.
That my text before, I've i used strip_tags() function:
Астрономы описали орбиту гипотетической планеты Солнечной системы <br>Небесные механики из Лабора

Астрономы описали орбиту гипотетической планеты Солнечной системыНебесные механики из Лабора

But I need something like that:

Астрономы описали орбиту гипотетической планеты Солнечной системы. Небесные механики из Лабора


E. SMETHPORT, Pa. - Aug. 4. Rob Blair has found the fast setup for McKean County Raceway as he has picked up the past two Northern Tier Inc ULMS Late Model wins at MCR in the past three weeks. Blair's win Thursday night was his second "Stephanie Eckl Memorial" win and he went home with $3500 in his pocket.
Max Blair kept the Blair winning ways going also by capturing the 20 lap FASTRK Late Model event as well Thursday night giving the father – son duo a clean sweep of the nights action.
From the pole position, Blair paced the 21 car field to John Powell's green flag and bolted into the lead over Dennis Lunger, Dutch Davies, while Jason Dupont went from sixth to fourth on the opening lap. After a lap five caution for a spin by central Pennsylvania visitor, Nick Loffredo, Blair again got the quick jump on Lunger on the start. As lap ten clicked off the board, Blair was still leading with Dutch Davies up to second over Lunger and Dupont. Defending ULMS champion Boom Briggs was up to sixth from his 11th starting spot. He then climbed into the top five on lap 13 using the outside groove to go around Chad Valone.
Lap 15 saw the second caution of the night for a spun Mike Knight after apparent contact, and the cars of Matt Lux, Chad Valone, Dave Hess and Greg Oakes were all involved.
Blair again got the jump on the start over Dutch Davies as Lunger made the move for second, only to see Davies get it back one lap later. With another cuation, Blair maintained control over Davies with Boom Briggs, up to third over Dupont and Lunger. The restart lasted another five laps as Briggs would dispose of Davies on lap 24, before the yellow lights came back out for heavy contact between Jeff Hoffma and Derek Frank, ending their night.
On lap 29, Lunger's great run ended as a flat left rear tire sent him spinning around, resulting in a one lap shootout for the win. On the green/white restart, the cars got stacked up, resulting in Chris Hackett and Doug Eck sitting in the infield. The second restart went off without a hitch and Blair just pulled away from Briggs, ending any drama of a close finish. Davies was third over Dupont, and Knight rounded out the top five after coming from the tail from the lap 15 caution.
Aug. 4 - ULMS at McKean Co.
1) Robbie Blair, 2) Boom Briggs, 3) Dutch Davies, 4) Jason Dupont, 5) Mike Knight, 6) Greg Oakes, 7) Bump Hedman, 8) David Scott, 9) Rich Gardner, 10) Doug Eck, 11) Chris Hackett, 12) Bob McMillen, 13) Brent Rhebergen, 14) Dennis Lunger, 15) Jeff Hoffman, 16) Dereck Frank, 17) Nick Loffredo, 18) Doug Ricotta, 19) Chad Valone, 20) Matt Lux, 21) Dave Hess, Jr.
Heat winners (22 entries):Lunger, Dupont, Blair.


Kaleb V. is drinking a HOPness Monster IPA by Catawba Brewing Co.
Not a lot of flavor in it but still very drinkable.
Nice after taste. Good flavor. Could do a 6 pack of it.
Earned the National Beer Day (2019) badge! Earned the Local Flavor badge! Earned the World of Beer Easton badge!
For being 9% very smooth and easy to drink.
Earned the Middle of the Road (Level 2) badge! Earned the Photogenic Brew (Level 2) badge! Earned the I Believe in IPA! (Level 2) badge!
Earned the Taste Crazy badge! Earned the Cheers to Independent U.S. Craft Breweries (Level 2) badge! Earned the Photogenic Brew badge! Earned the Brewery Pioneer badge! Earned the For the Can badge! Earned the Wheel of Styles badge! Earned the Land of the Free badge!
Orange flavor, odd after taste. Could do a can but couldn't drink faster. Attempts to be fruity but fails.


text:
Myths of the Old West
August 12, 2014 by CarolPatterson Leave a Comment
Was the Wild West really wild? Watching John Wayne westerns as a child, I believed early North American settlers faced constant peril from gunslingers, Cheyenne ambushes, and stagecoach robberies.
The west was not a California sound stage or even the most westerly of states. It included many places in the Midwest that have much duller reputations today. I recently set off on a press trip to Nebraska, home of the Platte River Road and Buffalo Bill's Wild West show, to uncover the truth.
During the mid 1800s, approximately 400,000 American settlers moved west from Missouri on the Platte River Road to Oregon, Utah and California. For the emigrants crossing Nebraska western life was dangerous, but not from violence. Although some people died in fights with Sioux or Cheyenne warriors, many more died from cholera, accidental gun discharges or trying to cross a river with eight oxen, a wagon and no swimming skills. As I wandered among the exhibits at Chimney Rock Historic Site, it seemed settlers were more likely to describe the crossing as difficult, but tedious, with each day bringing more walking, insects and hard tack biscuits.
The Pony Express is perhaps one of the most enduring symbols of the Wild West. Nebraska had more miles of Pony Express trail than any other state and celebrates the partnership of horse and rider at a monument in Sidney, Nebraska. I felt like I was being told there was no Easter Bunny again, when local historian and City Manager, Gary Person explained that the Pony Express, an enduring symbol of the Wild West, was only in existence for eighteen months and was hailed by some as merely a publicity stunt. Three gentlemen hoping to secure a government contract for mail delivery started the Pony Express. Riders carrying mail raced from Missouri to California on horses, changing horses every sixteen kilometers or ten miles. Riders were not grizzled cowboys, but twelve to thirteen year old boys, light as modern-day jockeys, asked to sign an oath swearing they would abstain from alcohol, swearing, and fighting. Orphans were preferred; perhaps because riders were not issued guns, instead, they were instructed to outrun interlopers!
Train robberies really did happen in the Wild West, but not as often as I thought. Union Pacific Railways was first robbed in 1877 at Big Springs, Nebraska. When bandits discovered there was more money on trains than stagecoaches, they started attacking people on rails. Train companies got tired of losing money and hired the newly formed Pinkerton security company to be badder than the bad guys. Within in a decade, train robberies became much less common.
But there was one place were the west was truly wild. Sidney, Nebraska became a major staging area from 1875 to 1891 for people seeking gold in the South Dakota's black hills. There were eighty legal saloons on Front Street, brothels and an all-night theater. There was lynching and murders – 56 during this time period – earning the town the moniker "Wicked Sidney". Three local newspapers struggled to keep up with the reports of the debauchery, popular with readers in eastern states.
Sidney had one sheriff for the town and a county area that was larger than some eastern states. Lawlessness prevailed and The Union Pacific Railway, tired of the violence, told the town they had to restore order or they would no longer stop there. A notice was posted telling all criminals to get out of town or risk hanging. The threat was so successful that nearby Dodge City, Kansas adopted it, creating the line made famous on the television show, Gunsmoke. "Get out of Dodge was based on policy started in Sidney, but get out of Sidney doesn't sound as good," said historian and Sidney City Manager, Gary Person. Today, Sidney is home to Cabela's, a large hunting and outdoor recreation retailer, the new face of the Wild West.
So, I'm curious, what myths have you uncovered in your work? Anything that reaffirmed your faith in the story you were told or did you discover that more exploration gave you a new worldview?
Inspiring Everyday Explorers: Myths of the Old West via @Reinventure. Click to Tweet.
Was the Wild West really wild? Click to Tweet.
Discover why the Pony Express in Sidney, Nebraska was only in existence for 18 months. Click to Tweet.
Filed Under: Nebraska Tagged With: california, exploration, explorers, oregon, platte river road, pony express, reinventure, think like an explorer, utah, wild west
Airlines Reinvent Destinations
May 13, 2014 by CarolPatterson Leave a Comment
If you have worked with tourism businesses in remote locations, you know easy access is important in attracting customers. So when an airline adds a new route, it creates untold opportunities for adventure businesses. Recreation and real estate development took off in B.C.'s Comox Valley when WestJet added Calgary to Comox flights. Now, Icelandair is adding direct flights from Edmonton and Vancouver to Reykjavik.
In less time than it takes to reach Halifax and for the same price as a trip to Toronto, people can visit one of Europe's coolest destinations. And that is cool as in hip. While it's located near the Arctic Circle, Iceland's climate is moderated by the Gulf Stream. It feels more like a chilly Vancouver than Iqaluit. And there is much to do for adventure seekers – hiking, bird or whale watching, tours of glaciers and geysers, and visiting museums on whales, seals or sorcery. Here's hoping more Canadians experience the destination National Geographic Traveler rated one of the best places to travel!
Discover how airlines are reinventing destinations & creating tourism businesses via @Reinventure. Click to Tweet.
This is one of Europe's coolest destinations & should rate one of the best places to travel. Click to Tweet.
@WestJet is reinventing destinations by adding new routes such as this exciting adventure opportunity. Click to Tweet.
Filed Under: Reflections Tagged With: comox, iceland, national geographic, reinventure, think like an explorer, travel, westjet
You're Never Too Old For Reinventure
April 8, 2014 by CarolPatterson Leave a Comment
Scarlet macaws are the largest parrots in the world and even if you aren't a birder, you will enjoy watching them. Bright red with flashes of blue, the sight of them flying gets your attention. Unfortunately, those colors also catch the attention of poachers who steal eggs and birds for the illegal pet trade.
Mr. Orlich of Punta Leona Hotel near Costa Rica's Carara National Park reinvented his business at an age when many people are looking for a rocking chair. Although he had already set aside 300 hectares of his hotel property as a wildlife reserve, in his late sixties he realized he needed to change the attitudes of local people if conservation was going to succeed. He started a school program to inform local children about scarlet macaws and the need to protect them. His persistence has paid off as people are seeing more birds in the area. Proof you are never too old to reinvent your business or undertake a new adventure!
See more at http://youtu.be/aVJHrqkUsW0
Discover why these beautiful birds are at risk because of poachers who steal their eggs & birds for illegal pet trade. Click to Tweet.
Discover how you're never too old for reinventure with this amazing story via @Reinventure. Click to Tweet.
This man is proof that you are never too old to reinvent your business or undertake a new adventure! Click to Tweet.
Filed Under: Costa Rica Tagged With: adventure, costa rica, costa rica's carara national park, explorer, reinvent business, reinventure, scarlet macaws
Festivals Make Fall Travel Bear-able
Feel depressed when summer holidays end? Staying home until its time for a winter escape to someplace sunny has me wanting to give a bottle of wine mouth-to-mouth resuscitation! So it's great to see destinations using festivals to reinvent shoulder-season travel.
One of the best fall celebrations is the Waterton Wildlife Festival in southwest Alberta. Waterton is one of those places you want to see, but the drive and the horizontal wind -it is one of Alberta's windiest places – make it easy to delay visiting. If you can rationalize the big winds as an excuse not to waste time on hairstyles, you can focus on the natural beauty. Waterton is jam-packed with wildlife including 250 species of birds, 60 species of mammals, 24 species of fish, ten species of reptiles and amphibians, and a major bat migration route!
With only 100 winter residents you more likely to encounter wildlife than locals but seeking out the latter will give you something to talk about. At the Waterton Wildlife Festival local experts share their animal expertise and turn a stroll through gale-force winds from a chance to weigh down your hiking boots with rocks into some of the best nature experiences of your life.
Local expert, John Russell, son of famed author, photographer and conservationist, Andy Russell, shared his love of bears in a hike that felt like being a bear for a day. Giving us a taste of bear life, John led us off the road into the bush, eschewing the trails in favor of stumbling – me, not John- through skunk cabbage and berry bushes.
We checked out a bear bulletin board – a tree with numerous scratches and bites where bears leave their marks and scents to let others know they are in the area. We poked at bear scat and listened to John tell how he replaced his birdbath with a bear bath when the bears started hogging the water.
John said, "When you live with the bears you get used to being around them. I've been in a chair reading a book while a bear eats grass under me." I did not see reading with bears on the festival program, but I enjoyed walking with someone who had.
As I headed for home, the wind seemed less obnoxious. I realized the abrupt meeting of mountains and prairie that caused it, also creates one of the few North American places where all species of major carnivores are still found.
Shoulder-season travel just got a lot less boring! To learn more go to www.watertonwildlife.com
Festivals Make Fall Travel Bear-able via @Reinventure. Click to Tweet.
Does the start of winter have you depressed? Discover this Reinventure that will lift your spirits. Click to Tweet.
Discover one of the best fall celebrations in southwest Alberta in my latest Reinventure: Click to Tweet.
Filed Under: Alberta Tagged With: alberta, festivals, reinventure, waterton wildlife festival
Turning Industry into Tourism
November 12, 2013 by CarolPatterson Leave a Comment
If paying to watch someone else work sounds like a strange holiday, you might be surprised at how much fun you can have onboard a freighter. The Uchuck III started its career as a minesweeper in the 1940s and was reinvented as a supply vessel for logging camps, fish farms, and aboriginal communities with no road access. Up to 100 passengers tag along to peek at a lifestyle vastly different from one with roads and big-box hardware stores.
There is no set itinerary on the Uchuck III and no one tells you exactly where you will be going – just that you will return to your starting point of Gold River, a community of 1500, by suppertime – more or less. If the captain takes longer to offload fuel or stops to watch whales, you will be late for dinner.
It was a bit like that when Captain Cook sailed these waters in 1778. His first encounter with Canada was at Nootka Sound where he was so enamored with the sea otters, he stayed to trade for pelts and to claim the land for Britain. Unfortunately for Cook, Spain had already claimed these lands. But Spain had opted for drive-through trading, swapping metal for pelts while anchored never sending ashore a landing party.
That decision almost led to war as Britain and Spain – ignoring the 4000 year presence of the Mowachaht/Muchalaht people – disagreed over who had title to the land and lined up their allies. The Dutch backed Britain in the dispute and France sided with Spain. With these superpowers threatening each other, the world's eyes were on Nootka Sound for twenty years.
War was averted when France decided it was overextended from the French Revolution and Spain searched for a negotiated settlement. By then, the sea otter population had been overhunted and the world lost interest in Nootka Sound.
Now, the world is paying attention again as adventure-seeking tourists come from all over the planet to ride the MV Uchuck III. After the last Canadian sea otter was shot in 1929 a small population of Alaskan sea otters were reintroduced in British Columbia. Now you can see the animals that almost caused a war and enjoy touring the area that spurred our forefathers to extend our country from sea to shining sea.
To see a short glimpse of a day on the MV Uchuck III check out my video at http://bit.ly/19NdsZ9
Turning Industry into Tourism via @Reinventure. Click to Tweet.
Get a glimpse of a day on the MV Uchuck III right here: Click to Tweet.
The Uchuck III may seem like a strange holiday but you'll be surprised how fun it can be! Click to Tweet.
Filed Under: British Columbia Tagged With: canada, MV Uchuck III, nootka sound, reinventure, tourism, Uchuck III


text:
package org.apache.twill.internal.zookeeper;

import com.google.common.base.Preconditions;
import com.google.common.base.Throwables;
import com.google.common.io.Files;
import com.google.common.util.concurrent.AbstractIdleService;
import com.google.common.util.concurrent.ListenableFuture;
import com.google.common.util.concurrent.Service;
import org.apache.zookeeper.server.ServerCnxnFactory;
import org.apache.zookeeper.server.ZooKeeperServer;
import org.apache.zookeeper.server.persistence.FileTxnSnapLog;
import org.slf4j.Logger;
import org.slf4j.LoggerFactory;

import java.io.File;
import java.net.InetAddress;
import java.net.InetSocketAddress;
import java.net.UnknownHostException;
import java.util.concurrent.Executor;

/**
 *
 */
public final class InMemoryZKServer implements Service {

  private static final Logger LOG = LoggerFactory.getLogger(InMemoryZKServer.class);

  private final File dataDir;
  private final int tickTime;
  private final boolean autoClean;
  private final int port;
  private final Service delegateService = new AbstractIdleService() {
    @Override
    protected void startUp() throws Exception {
      ZooKeeperServer zkServer = new ZooKeeperServer();
      FileTxnSnapLog ftxn = new FileTxnSnapLog(dataDir, dataDir);
      zkServer.setTxnLogFactory(ftxn);
      zkServer.setTickTime(tickTime);

      factory = ServerCnxnFactory.createFactory();
      factory.configure(getAddress(port), -1);
      factory.startup(zkServer);

      LOG.info("In memory ZK started: " + getConnectionStr());
    }

    @Override
    protected void shutDown() throws Exception {
      try {
        factory.shutdown();
      } finally {
        if (autoClean) {
          cleanDir(dataDir);
        }
      }
    }
  };

  private ServerCnxnFactory factory;

  public static Builder builder() {
    return new Builder();
  }

  private InMemoryZKServer(File dataDir, int tickTime, boolean autoClean, int port) {
    if (dataDir == null) {
      dataDir = Files.createTempDir();
      autoClean = true;
    } else {
      Preconditions.checkArgument(dataDir.isDirectory() || dataDir.mkdirs() || dataDir.isDirectory());
    }

    this.dataDir = dataDir;
    this.tickTime = tickTime;
    this.autoClean = autoClean;
    this.port = port;
  }

  public String getConnectionStr() {
    InetSocketAddress addr = factory.getLocalAddress();
    return String.format("%s:%d", addr.getHostName(), addr.getPort());
  }

  public InetSocketAddress getLocalAddress() {
    return factory.getLocalAddress();
  }

  private InetSocketAddress getAddress(int port) {
    try {
      int socketPort = port < 0 ? 0 : port;
      // This property is needed so that in certain CI environment (e.g. Travis-CI) it can only works properly if
      // it is binded to the wildcard (0.0.0.0) address
      if (Boolean.parseBoolean(System.getProperties().getProperty("twill.zk.server.localhost", "true"))) {
        return new InetSocketAddress(InetAddress.getLocalHost(), socketPort);
      } else {
        return new InetSocketAddress(socketPort);
      }
    } catch (UnknownHostException e) {
      throw Throwables.propagate(e);
    }
  }

  private void cleanDir(File dir) {
    File[] files = dir.listFiles();
    if (files == null) {
      return;
    }
    for (File file : files) {
      if (file.isDirectory()) {
        cleanDir(file);
      }
      file.delete();
    }
  }

  @Override
  public ListenableFuture<State> start() {
    return delegateService.start();
  }

  @Override
  public State startAndWait() {
    return delegateService.startAndWait();
  }

  @Override
  public boolean isRunning() {
    return delegateService.isRunning();
  }

  @Override
  public State state() {
    return delegateService.state();
  }

  @Override
  public ListenableFuture<State> stop() {
    return delegateService.stop();
  }

  @Override
  public State stopAndWait() {
    return delegateService.stopAndWait();
  }

  @Override
  public void addListener(Listener listener, Executor executor) {
    delegateService.addListener(listener, executor);
  }

  /**
   * Builder for creating instance of {@link InMemoryZKServer}.
   */
  public static final class Builder {
    private File dataDir;
    private boolean autoCleanDataDir = false;
    private int tickTime = ZooKeeperServer.DEFAULT_TICK_TIME;
    private int port = -1;

    public Builder setDataDir(File dataDir) {
      this.dataDir = dataDir;
      return this;
    }

    public Builder setAutoCleanDataDir(boolean auto) {
      this.autoCleanDataDir = auto;
      return this;
    }

    public Builder setTickTime(int tickTime) {
      this.tickTime = tickTime;
      return this;
    }

    public Builder setPort(int port) {
      this.port = port;
      return this;
    }

    public InMemoryZKServer build() {
      return new InMemoryZKServer(dataDir, tickTime, autoCleanDataDir, port);
    }

    private Builder() {
    }
  }
}