The start of a new year is like a blank slate, and we don't know what will be written upon it. Even if we don't hold that winning lottery ticket, there are loads of things we can engrave on it. My writerly pals and I are sharing our hopes – on the writing road and in our family life – for 2019 in our #Gr8Blog hop: "What I Want to Accomplish in 2019 Even if I Don't Win the Lottery." Please have a read, and then visit the other #Gr8Blogs linked at the end of this post for more smiles and inspiration.
When I was growing up in the 70's and 80's, my parents always held a big New Year's Eve party at our house each year. They'd invite over lots of other family friends with kids our ages, and we'd play games all evening–ice breakers, silly competitions, team games. We'd eat traditional foods that were said to bring good luck and harmony for the coming year–a giant, homemade pretzel bread my mom would bake, pork sausages, black-eyed peas and the like. And then we'd go outside and bang on pots and pans, maybe throw a little confetti, when the clock finally struck "midnight".
See, my mother always made sure we first celebrated with a 9 o'clock "midnight" so the little ones weren't left out. And while the adults stayed up partying on through the real midnight, we kids didn't mind dozing off on the couch by 10pm because we'd already had our fun.
Another tradition my family always had around this time was going through the calendar to look at the year in review. My mom would, quite literally, pull the calendar off the wall and start going through it, month by month as we all gathered around the table, chatting. It would always be well-marked with birthdays, trips, special events, school plays, holidays, parties, sports games, and all other activities in which my sisters and I and our parents partook, all of them scribbled in on the square boxes. We'd talk about our favorite and most memorable moments throughout the year. It was a great way to look back and appreciate what we'd done, how far we'd come.
Then the discussion would always move on to our New Year's resolutions. Mine often involved trying out daring new things like a particular vegetable, or remembering to make my bed every day. Earth-shattering, right? But even though I was only taking things step by step, as I grew up, I kept trying out new things, creating beneficial habits, and stepping a little further outside of my comfort zone, until eventually, I realized that setting a series of smaller, very achievable, goals actually caused me to set larger and larger goals. I went on to achieve the larger ones because, well, I had found the confidence of achieving plenty of smaller ones, so the bigger ones didn't seem so big.
Add to this that I've become a list-maker over the course of my life. I thrive on lists—can't function without them. Crossing off the things I finish feels like a reward to me. And I'd never keep track of everything if it weren't written (or typed) down. Sometimes I even write something on my list that I'd been trying to get to right before I get to it—just so I can cross it off!
Some would call me very organized, and I am at some things. But take a look in my kitchen junk drawer and you might think otherwise. Still, I've found that making lists helps me to stay focused.
What does that have to do with New Year's resolutions? Well, I organize my New Year's resolutions not in terms of things I want to change about myself or my life, but in terms of what I would like to accomplish each year, even if I don't win the lottery. And I do this with lists.
It could be that my mother, having started us out with a small dose of New Year's Eve at a young age—the 9 o'clock "midnight", when she knew that was all we could handle at the time—instilled in me just the right amount of confidence to eventually move on to bigger and better things. I didn't need to try and stay up until the real midnight, which I probably never would have anyway at eight years old, because I had already celebrated in a big way at 9 o'clock.
And I woke up the next day thinking how happy I was that I'd been up for "midnight" on New Year's Eve, that I hadn't missed it, and that I wasn't even tired! In a weird way, that, right there, showed me how thinking small helps a person to think big.
Today, I still set a long list of smaller, very achievable goals, but I add to it a short list of much bigger goals that I keep in the back of my mind. It is these two things meshing together that motivate me to succeed. And it is these two lists—in this case all related to my writing career–that I'd like to share with you today.
1. Write and publish the 6th book in my Rosco the Rascal series. This time Rosco will be heading to the Wild West for a hoof-raising adventure. I've got a rough outline but that's it. Time to get to work.
2. Option my screenplay. ROSCO AND THE HAUNTED CORN MAZE is ready. The screenplay is finished, and it's fabulous. (I didn't write it, but I helped. More on that later. And by the way, I realize I've been very tight-lipped about it while it's in progress because, well, it's not just me working on this! I've got to keep quiet until I'm allowed to discuss it in detail.) The marketing materials are done. The next step will be to put it in front of interested producers and other family film industry people and I've got meetings set and lots of help on this so I see good things for 2019 in terms of the screenplay.
3. Put my 5th and newest book into hardcover. Rosco the Rascal and the Holiday Lights is perfect for a library's Christmas books collection and I hope to sell it to lots of libraries this year.
4. Continue marketing my series to libraries. I had a lot of success getting my series (in hardcover) into libraries last year and I intend to continue reaching out to more libraries with them this year. There are over 8k libraries in the USA. I've only talked to about one hundred of them. So I've got my work cut out for me.
5. Continue to feature new authors and books on my blog. In case you've noticed, I don't often talk about my own work here on my blog, but I do frequently showcase the work of others. I do this for a lot of reasons: because I believe in the power of karma, and what I do is generally good karma, because it saves me time when others write about themselves since writing blog posts can take a lot of work; because it's free marketing for me when those featured authors share my work with their followers; and of course because I feel that I, and you, readers, can learn a lot from the work of others, either as fellow writers or as readers looking for books that suit your children.
6. Publish a new short story on Wattpad. I've got a nice following on Wattpad and have found a lot of new readers there who go on to purchase my series after reading the short stories. I haven't published a new short story in a few years. Gotta keep the hungry readers happy.
7. Sell lots and lots of books! What author doesn't want to do that? My sales have increased year over year, steadily, so I intend to keep marketing them and hope to see the long term trend continue upward.
2. Sell my screenplay. That's right – I'm thinking VERY big here in the back of my mind! Let's see if we can option AND sell this thing, all in one year! Realistically, though, if I've been told anything about the film industry during this whole process, it's that getting a movie made, even TRYING to get a movie made, takes A VERY LONG TIME. Sigh. Sometimes scripts can sit around for five years on someone's desk, with everything in place except the full financing. So I'm prepared to wait. But I can still think positively, right?
What are your plans for 2019, even if you don't win the lottery? Do you set small goals or does it work better for you to think only in terms of big hitters?
I followed you. Good luck with your blog Sunstev!
I love how we have similar goals for 2019!
Enjoyed your blog. Could relate to being a list-maker, although as I get older this is a habit I'm beginning to give up. As a fellow author, I'd love to know how you go about selling your book to libraries successfully. Any tips? You have an exciting year ahead of you and I wish you all the best!
Thanks Julie! As far as selling to libraries, I've done my hardcovers through Ingram Spark (although libraries often buy paperbacks just as often nowadays, but prefer distributors like IS over Amazon. Although they do buy from Amazon too occasionally.) But anyway, I took a course that gave me all the marketing techniques and other in's and out's of getting into libraries from Amy Collins called Real Fast Library Marketing, and everything she said was right-it really worked! She also gives you access by purchasing her class, to a database of librarians' direct contact info, for thousands of libraries all across the US so you can send cover letters and one-sheets directly to them. That info, itself, is very hard to come by, so I found it well worth it! All the best to you too!
You have some awesome goals. Best of luck with selling your screenplay.
Thanks so much Jacqui! Fingers crossed!
Lovely, post. I would have liked to have met your Mother — so many wonderful thoughts you shared. I still have an antique cowbell from my Mother's old family homestead which we would haul out of the drawer at midnight on New Year's Eve and each take turns ringing loudly outside for both good luck and to drive away evil spirits. My family and children continued the tradition. Absolutely loved the practice of going thru the completed year's calendar and revisiting experiences and memories. How wonderful. Thanks for sharing, and very best wishes and success in the New Year with your screenplay and writing work!
Great post! As I was reading your detail on the family New Year's Eve party it brought me back to a time when I visited a relative from our extended family and they had a very similar plan of events for the night – early midnight and all! I can also relate very well to making lists and the enjoyment found from crossing things off them. Cheers to 2019!
Hi Shana, it's been so much fun getting to know you better. Your blog post today reminded me so much of me and our family.
I thought we were the only ones that kept a calendar. It's a large one that sticks to our refrigerator, which we tear off each month and save. It's fun to look back and also helpful for when certain appointments were made and such.
Raising my hand here when you mentioned list taker. I have too many lists and wouldn't know how to live with out that either.
How exciting about your screenplay. I looked into that with a few of our sons friends that are in the film industry and tried to learn more about that myself. I need to revisit that thought, and of course, add it to my list of things to do.
I'm so happy to hear about your success with the libraries. I released my first hardcover these past few months and am working and learning how this all works. I may contact you down the road for advice.
I love that you also feature other authors work. I too was featuring other authors when I had my other website. I had to take a break from it for awhile to continue my other projects but plan to get back to it on a smaller scale in the future.
Wishing all your goals and dreams come true for you in 2019 Shana.
Why thank you for all those wonderful comments, Rosie. I have enjoyed getting to know you better too and really appreciate when you guest-posted on this blog! I would be happy to help you out with any questions you have on the library project. Getting the books into hardcover is a great first step toward doing that. And that's so neat to hear you do the calendar thing too. I keep mine on my computer now but I do still keep a 'real' one in the kitchen to jot things down now and then. Maybe I just like the nostalgia of it. Wishing you all the best in 2019 as well, Rosie.
To say that you will have a busy year is an understatement! Way to go working the libraries and exciting new adventures with your screenplays.
Right??? Thanks so much Carmela!
What a lovely tradition your mom started for her young family with 9 o'clock "midnight," Shana, and how it led you to become a list maker.
Excited for you to option your Roscoe screenplay and move your books into libraries! I occasionally get onto Wattpad as a reader and will look for you there. Good to know that platform helps authors find readers. Also enjoy learning about the new authors you blog about.
All the best for continued success in 2019!
Thank you so much, Cat! I'd love to see if you start up a profile of your own on Wattpad. I bet you'd get a good following going. All the best to you too for success in 2019!
Wow big things lined up for 2019! Keeping everything crossed with the screenplay and I did have to chuckle with the list thing… I do the same. Got writing pads all over the house jotted with to do lists, wishes, plans etc I loved reading about your new year tradition, your mum sounds awesome! What a lovely idea to go through the calendar at the end of the year and reflect. All the best with what looks like a very exciting new year.
Hi Shana, A fantastic post. I found your backstory from childhood a wonderful introduction to learn a bit more about you. We do the same here with celebrating at 9 pm for the kids. Makes life so much easier. I had not thought of it as a way to learn to take small steps or make smaller goals first. It's a great idea. Good luck with all your plans for this year. I sincerely wish you every success with the screenplay.
Thank you so much Sandra. I'm glad you enjoyed it! All the best to you in 2019 as well!


text:
import { forwardRef } from "react";

import { FontIcon, FontIconProps } from "@react-md/icon";

export const ChevronLeftFontIcon = forwardRef<HTMLElement, FontIconProps>(
  function ChevronLeftFontIcon(props, ref) {
    return (
      <FontIcon {...props} ref={ref}>
        chevron_left
      </FontIcon>
    );
  }
);

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Relais Villa Altachiara is situated just 4 km from Cortona and is easy to get to.
Once an 18th century villa, the Relais is a high level tourist complex composed of several buildings. It boasts a total of some 865m² of living space and has 192m² of garage and auxiliary rooms.
Cortona is one of Tuscany's most renowned art cities and has a rich yearly calendar of events that makes it a truly fascinating tourist destination.
From here you can branch out to visit the other famous cities of Central Italy, places such as Arezzo (24km), Montepulciano (34km) and Perugia (50km), which can be reached in less than 45 minutes. A bit further away are such great cities as Siena (74km) and Florence (93km). Lake Trasimeno is only 19km away.
The nearest airport, just an hour's drive, is Umbria's San Francesco d'Assisi International Airport, located between Perugia and Assisi. The other airport is an hour and half away by car, the Florence Airport (129km).
The property is made up of the main villa – 750m² spread over three stories – which houses the reception desk, the restaurant with professional kitchen, the bar and 13 guest rooms with en-suite bathrooms.
Nearby there are two other buildings: one 97m² single storey structure which has been divided into two studio apartments with private entrances, and one 18m² structure housing a small office and the oven.
Next to the main villa a third building, with basement, has been erected. It has a total surface area of 192m² and houses auxiliary rooms such as a changing room with bathroom, a pantry, the boiler room, a technical room and a large garage.
The property includes some 6 hectares of land, one hectare of which is a vineyard.
The Relais is surrounded by a spacious garden and its most panoramic area boasts an 18x9m swimming pool.
Relais Villa Altachiara is an ideal property for those who wish to continue this high level tourism business in one of Central Italy's most prized positions.


text:
Vancouver & Lower Mainland
BC – Interior
BC – North
Just a Bit Outside
Gregg Drinnan
Brandy Saturley
Contact ISN
Submit Story/Photo
BCIHL
Home British Columbia BC - Interior
BC - Interior
Blazers burn T-Birds
December 31, 2013, KENT (ISN) – A sellout crowd of 6,149 greeted the Thunderbirds in the last game of 2013, which saw the Kamloops Blazers beat Seattle 7-1. Seattle's record is now 22-11-2-3, while Kamloops sits at 10-25-2-2.
The T-Birds had Justin Myles in net, who made 10 saves on 12 shots in the first period before being replaced by Danny Mumaugh, who stopped 20 of 25. Myles took the loss, making his record 11-6-0-0. Taran Kozun got the nod for the Blazers, and is now 5-17-2-1 on the season after making 33 saves.
Unfortunately, bad luck bit Seattle and gave the Blazers a lead. Theodore's stick snapped as the defenseman tried to bring the puck up the ice during a power play, leaving Kamloops' Mitch Lipon alone with the puck just inches from the goal. The shorthanded goal at 9:11 gave Kamloops a 1-0 lead.
Even strength hockey only lasted a few moments before the Blazers took their second penalty. Almost the entirety of the power play was spent in the offensive zone, with Kamloops only able to clear twice. Even with the consistent attack, no tying goal came for Seattle.
Once again, even strength hockey was fleeting, this time due to a Seattle penalty. On the ice for the first time, the Blazers' power play was disrupted repeatedly before their only extended possession with 20 seconds left. Unable to score, Kamloops took its third penalty when Evan Wardley was held on a breakaway as the defenseman left the box, giving Seattle its third power play in the first period. The penalty kill won the battle once again, and the score remained 1-0 Kamloops.
With just 38 seconds left in the first, the Blazers struck again to widen the gap, making the score 2-0. Collin Shirley scored the goal and Jesse Shynkaruk and Joe Kornelsen had assists.
Shots in the first period were tied 12-12, though faceoffs were 11-4 in Seattle's favor. Still, the T-Birds entered the first intermission down 2-0.
Mumaugh took over in goal for the second period and was set to be tested 46 seconds in by a Blazers power play. Seattle's skaters held Kamloops without a shot during the advantage, however, and had the only offensive pressure during the two minutes.
Another penalty went against the T-Birds at 3:47. Kamloops had two shots fought off by Mumaugh in the opening seconds but was penalized again. Seattle was given a major penalty and a game misconduct, resulting in 48 seconds of 5-on-3 hockey and 4:12 more of 5-on-4. The T-Birds killed off both penalties in their entirety, however.
Back at even strength at the period's halfway point, the Blazers scored their third goal of the game at 11:04. Shirley found Cole Ully in the slot, who beat Mumaugh to make the score 3-0. Nathan Looysen had the secondary assist.
The Blazers attack struck again, making the score 4-0. After Mumaugh lost his stick in the crease, the puck was thrown back in front and bounced off the loose stick at 18:04. The goal went to Ryan Rehill for his first of the year, with Edson Harlacher earning the only assist.
Kamloops struck for the third time in the period a minute later on a 3-on-2 rush. Mumaugh was able to fight off two shots, only to have the final rebound bounce out to Tyson Ness, who was trailing the play. Carson Bolduc and Aspen Sterzer were given the assists.
With the second period in the books, Seattle found itself outshot 17-6 and losing 10 of 15 faceoffs en route to a 5-0 deficit.
A heated scrum developed near the boards after the final whistle of the second period, resulting in penalties to both teams. With eight penalties assessed, the T-Birds ended up with a power play to start the third period. Seattle still couldn't break through and remained without a goal as the game returned to 5-on-5.
The T-Birds did control the pace early in the third, recording four shots on goal to Kamloops' none in the first five minutes and sending just as many shots wide. Seattle had its sixth power play as a result of their pressure and got their first goal of the game during their man advantage. Branden Troock faked a shot, only to deke past the defender and score his 19th of the year. Justin Hickman had the primary assist after rifling a cross-ice pass and Shea Theodore had the secondary assist at 5:48.
Kamloops turned the tide back in their favor and scored their sixth of the night just a minute later at 6:11. Ully had the goal for his second of the night. Connor Clouston had the assist.
A second shorthanded goal was scored by the Blazers at 12:02. Kornelsen scored on a breakaway to make the score 7-1. There were no assists.
In the final frame, Seattle won 11 of 18 faceoffs and outshot Kamloops 15-8.
Seattle embarks on a five game road trip starting this Friday when the T-Birds play the Red Deer Rebels at 6:00 pm. After that, the T-Birds will visit Edmonton to play the Oil Kings Saturday at 6:00 pm and Calgary to play the Hitmen Sunday at 3:00 pm.
T-Birds single game tickets for the 2013-14 season are available online at the T-Birds website and at the ShoWare Center box office. The ShoWare Center Box Office is open Monday through Friday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Saturday game days at 10 a.m. and Sunday game days at noon.
T-Birds season tickets are currently on sale. Season tickets can be purchased by calling the T-Birds office at 253-239-7825.
First period – 1, Kamloops, Lipon 2 (unassisted), 9:11 (sh). 2, Kamloops, Shirley 4 (Shynkaruk, Kornelsen), 19:21. Penalties – Kornelsen, Kamloops (hooking), 7:34. Rehill, Kamloops (hooking), 9:58. Wardley, Seattle (boarding), 13:53. Connolly, Kamloops (holding), 16:05.
Second period – 3, Kamloops, Ully 16 (Shirley, Looysen), 11:04. 4, Kamloops, Rehill 1 (Harlacher), 18:04. 5, Kamloops, Ness 9 (Bolduc, Sterzer), 19:07. Penalties – Troock, Seattle (elbowing), :46. Henry, Seattle (holding), 3:47. Wardley, Seattle (major-checking to the head), 5:00. Wardley, Seattle (game misconduct), 5:00. Kornelsen, Kamloops (slashing), 14:42. Grist, Kamloops (roughing), 20:00. Grist, Kamloops (unsportsmanlike conduct), 20:00. Looysen, Kamloops (roughing), 20:00. Looysen, Kamloops (unsportsmanlike conduct), 20:00. Hickman, Seattle (roughing), 20:00. Douglas, Seattle (roughing), 20:00. Douglas, Seattle (unsportsmanlike conduct), 20:00. Swenson, Seattle (10 minute misconduct), 20:00.
Third period – 6, Seattle, Troock 19 (Hickman, Theodore), 5:48 (pp). 7, Kamloops, Ully 17 (Clouston), 6:11. 8, Kamloops, Kornelsen 3 (unassisted), 12:02 (sh). Penalties – Lipon, Kamloops (slashing), 5:08. Grist, Kamloops (slashing), 11:23. Bench served by Delnov, Seattle (objects thrown on ice), 19:12.
Shots on goal – Seattle 12-6-15 34, Kamloops 12-17-8 37. Goalies – Seattle, Myles 12 shots-10 saves (11-6-0-0), Mumaugh 25 shots-20 saves; Kamloops, Kozun 34-33 (5-17-2-1). Power plays – Seattle 1-7; Kamloops 0-5. A – 6,149. Referees – Brett Iverson, Mark Pearce. Linesmen – Kevin Boris, Zach Brooks.
sclark
OIL KINGS VIDEO COACH MICHAEL CHAN HIRED BY TORONTO MARLIES
139 WHL Alumni Named to NHL Opening Night Rosters & Taxi Squads
Spruce Kings Add G Kobe Grant To Team's Roster
Ex Victoria Grizzly Darwin Lakoduk will join his NCAA school for the remainder of the season
2020-21 WHL Regular Season will consist of 24 games
Two Vancouver Giants Earn Tough Silver
Which professional sport has done the best job dealing with the challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic?
Should athletes use their platforms to tackle social issues?
Team Kripps Shines in St. Moritz with Historic Double Medal Weekend on Bobsleigh World...
Justin Kripps and his Canadian bobsleigh crew slid to the World Cup podium in both the two- and four-man events on the same weekend...
Roster named for BFL National Women's Team training camp
Hockey Canada has invited 47 of the top players from across the country to attend the BFL National Women's Team Training Camp, presented...
Canadian Irving bounces back to collect fourth World Cup podium of his career
Lewis Irving, 25, from Quebec City earned third place during Sunday's individual single round aerials event. Irving stood alongside Maxim Burov (RUS) and Stanislav...
Elisabeth Maier Leads Canadians in Sixth at Skeleton World Cup in St. Moritz
A new push start record on a snowy day at the historic track in St. Moritz, Switzerland was not enough to boost Canada's Elisabeth...
Your #1 source for community and amateur sports related news on Vancouver Island, British Columbia and beyond!
Contact us: info@independentsportsnews.com
ISN Daily Digest
© Independent Sports News 2020

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


After the nomination of Boteti West MP Slumber Tsogwane as the new Vice President (VP), political pundits are of the view that the biggest losers were Cabinet ministers, Tshekedi Khama and Pelonomi Venson-Moitoi.
The two ministers from Serowe constituencies were considered frontrunners to succeed the then VP, Mokgweetsi Masisi.
Masisi was on April 1, 2018 inaugurated as Botswana's fifth President, succeeding Ian Khama. It has been alleged that Ian wanted his younger brother Tshekedi to succeed him. Those close to the Khama family claimed that the deal was for Masisi to hand over the vice presidency to Tshekedi in 2016, but Masisi did not honour the deal.
Instead he launched his '#Keasekotama' campaign which saw him convincingly winning the Botswana Democratic Party chairpersonship twice; first in 2015, and then last year. Masisi was expected to reciprocate by appointing Tshekedi as the new VP to continue the Khama dynasty.
Observers point out it might look like it is the end of the Khama dynasty, but there is a BDP elective congress next year and Tshekedi is expected to stand. If Tsogwane decides to defend the position he was bestowed with on April 1, 2018, it is believed that the Serowe West MP will win with a landslide.
Tshekedi might be heartbroken now, but he is likely to recover next year. The other candidate who was confident of being the next VP was Venson-Moitoi.
by being the first President to appoint a female VP, but it did not happen. Venson-Moitoi, just like Tsogwane, the Father of the House, has been in Parliament since 1999.
Others pointed to the Serowe South MP's political maturity, intellectual prowess and administrative shrewdness as a plus for her to land the position.
Venson-Moitoi is one parliamentarian with a vast knowledge in administration, and the Office of the President could have benefitted from her wealth of experience on matters of governance.
According to her résumé, she is celebrated for outstanding work in government and governance issues over her illustrative career in the Non-Governmental Organisations, the media and civil service.
Municipal Management for South Africa'; 'Decentralisation and Governance (restructuring consultancy) – Ministry of Local Government and Lands – The Gambia, UN Development Project'; and 'Project to analyse the constitutions of 34 African countries to conduct a comparison on the role of traditional leaders' in modern democracies.
With an impressive Curriculum Vitae, Venson-Moitoi was also convinced that Masisi would appoint her his number two. Apparently, she even kept saying she could not abandon Masisi to the late former president Sir Ketumile Masire and all those she was lobbying for her appointment to the VP position.


text:
import json
import pymongo
import os

import metadatautilspkg.globalvars as globalvars
import metadatautilspkg.errorcodes as errorcodes
from metadatautilspkg.metadatautils import *

dbConfFileName = os.path.join(globalvars.configDir, "dbconf.json")

def init_db():
    """init_db():

    Arguments:
        none

    Reads the DB Configuration file, creates a connection to the database,
    and returns a handle to the connected database
    """

    try:
        dbConfigJson = open(dbConfFileName, "r").read()
    except IOError as exception:
        print_error(exception)
        print_error(errorcodes.ERROR_CANNOT_READ_DBCONF_FILE["message"])
        quit(errorcodes.ERROR_CANNOT_READ_DBCONF_FILE["code"])

    dbConfig = json.loads(dbConfigJson)
    dbAddr = dbConfig['dbaddress']
    dbUser = dbConfig['dbuser']
    #dbPass = urllib.quote_plus(dbConfig['dbpassword'])
    dbPass = dbConfig['dbpassword']
    dbName = dbConfig['dbname']
    globalvars.dbCollection = dbConfig['dbcollection']

    try:
        handle = pymongo.MongoClient(dbAddr)[dbName]
    except pymongo.errors.ConnectionFailure as ExceptionConnFailure:
        print_error(ExceptionConnFailure)
        print_error(errorcodes.ERROR_CANNOT_CONNECT_TO_DB["message"])
        exit(errorcodes.ERROR_CANNOT_CONNECT_TO_DB["code"])

    try:
        handle.authenticate(dbUser, dbPass)
    except pymongo.errors.PyMongoError as ExceptionPyMongoError:
        print_error(ExceptionPyMongoError)
        print_error(errorcodes.ERROR_CANNOT_AUTHENTICATE_DB_USER["message"])
        exit(errorcodes.ERROR_CANNOT_AUTHENTICATE_DB_USER["code"])

    dbParamsDict = dict()
    dbParamsDict["handle"] = handle
    dbParamsDict["collection_name"] = globalvars.dbCollection

    return dbParamsDict

def insertRecordInDB(metadataRecord):
    """insertRecordInDB

    Arguments:
        metadataRecord: the metadata record to be inserted

    This function creates a database entry pertaining to the file being transferred.

    """

    try:
        dbInsertResult = globalvars.dbHandle[globalvars.dbCollection].insert_one(metadataRecord)
    except pymongo.errors.PyMongoError as ExceptionPyMongoError:
        print_error(ExceptionPyMongoError)
        print_error(errorcodes.ERROR_CANNOT_INSERT_INTO_DB["message"])
        return(errorcodes.ERROR_CANNOT_INSERT_INTO_DB["code"])

    return(str(dbInsertResult.inserted_id))

def updateRecordInDB(id, metadataRecord):
    """updateRecordInDB

    Arguments:
        id: id of the metadata record to be updated
        metadataRecord: the metadata record to be inserted to the existing record

    This function updates a database entry pertaining to the file transferred.

    """

    try:
        dbUpdateResult = globalvars.dbHandle[globalvars.dbCollection].update_one({'_id' : id}, {'$set' : metadataRecord})
    except pymongo.errors.PyMongoError as ExceptionPyMongoError:
        print_error(ExceptionPyMongoError)
        print_error(errorcodes.ERROR_CANNOT_UPDATE_DB["message"])
        return(errorcodes.ERROR_CANNOT_UPDATE_DB["code"])

    return(str(dbUpdateResult.upserted_id))

def deleteRecordFromDB(id):
    """deleteRecordFromDB

    Arguments:
        id: id of the metadata record to be deleted

    This function deletes a database entry corresponding to the id specified.

    """

    retVal = globalvars.dbHandle[globalvars.dbCollection].delete_one({'_id': id})

    if retVal.deleted_count != 1:
        print_error(errorcodes.ERROR_CANNOT_REMOVE_RECORD_FROM_DB["message"])
        exit(errorcodes.ERROR_CANNOT_REMOVE_RECORD_FROM_DB["code"])

def getHighestSerialNo(dirName):
    """getHighestSerialNo

    Arguments:
        dirName: the directory/path that needs to be looked up in the database.

    This function finds the highest serial number corresponding to the specified dirName.
    dirName is expected to match one of the fields called "originalName" in the PREMIS entity.

    """

    queryField = ".".join([globalvars.labels.pres_entity.name, globalvars.labels.obj_entity.name, globalvars.labels.obj_orig_name.name])
    serialNoLabel = ".".join([globalvars.labels.admn_entity.name, globalvars.labels.arrangement.name, globalvars.labels.serial_nbr.name])
    records = globalvars.dbHandle[globalvars.dbCollection].find({queryField: {"$regex": dirName}}, {"_id": 0, serialNoLabel: 1})
    records = [record for record in records]

    if len(records) == 0:
        # code changes to copy all the files from source to destination
        # return 1
        return 0
    else:
        serialNos = [int(record[globalvars.labels.admn_entity.name][globalvars.labels.arrangement.name][globalvars.labels.serial_nbr.name]) for record in records]
        return max(serialNos)


text:
Industrial Motion Pictures
Movies that Move
Stem Cell Documentary by Brian Mehling, M.D.'s company Industrial Motion Pictures screening at Sundance Film Festival.
The documentary "Stem Cells: The Next Frontier" is set to be screened on Tuesday, January 24, 2017 at 7pm at the Sunrise Lodge in Park City, Utah.
Stem cell research is the next frontier in medicine, but many have only the narrowest understanding of what it is, what it can do, and why it isn't explored to its full potential in the United States.
The creators of the 20 minute short movie joined forces with Blue Horizon International, BHI Therapeutic Sciences and Blue Horizon Charitable Foundation teams, to explore what exactly stem cells are, as well as their potential to reshape the medical world. The executive Producer of the documentary is Brian Mehling, M.D., founder of IMP. The production team was led by Ralph Moffetone and John-David Grayson and the supervisor of the project is Melody London.
Dr. Mehling will be available onsite to share insights on the current and upcoming breakthroughs in regard to cellular and regenerative medicine and stem cell research as it relates to the technology revolution. "The 'miracle drug' we are all searching for may not be a drug at all. It may be our own cells. Stem cells have the potential to treat better than any pill or drug, because it directly gives the body exactly what is missing – healthy cells," said Dr. Mehling. "Regenerative medicine is not the future, it is the present."
Industrial Motion Pictures was originally founded in the 1950s. The mantra is not based on profit, but rather, they emphasize and focus on the impact their films bring to communities on a diverse level. A creative film company founded by Dr. Brian Mehling, CEO. IMP, in association with Mehling Studios brings creative and innovative films to life. IMP has been associated with films such as: A Smile for Bow, Tiny Tears, Italy's Forgotten Earthquake, and many more. In production now, Stem Cells: The Next Frontier. For more information please visit www.industrialmotionpictures.com.
The Blue Horizon Charitable Foundation is a recognized 501 (c) (3) organization, dedicated to increasing the awareness of global inequalities in healthcare, as well as providing charitable medical care and education to adults and children in impoverished areas. For more information please visit www.bluehorizonfoundation.org.
Blue Horizon International is a healthcare consulting company with a unique mission that combines treatment, research and philanthropic efforts. Across the globe quality care and services for medical treatments are provided along with resources needed to assist children and adults who are medically underserved. For more information please visit at www.bluehorizoninternational.com.
A Smile For Bow" movie screening at Cannes International Film Festival
Dr. Brian Mehling's film production company, Industrial Motion Pictures (IMP), is screening its latest documentary, "A Smile For Bow," on Tuesday, May 19th
NEW YORK – May 14, 2015 — The 68th annual Cannes International Film Festival is currently underway through May 24th in Cannes, France. The festival previews new films of all genres, including documentaries, from around the world.
Founded in 1946, it is one of the most prestigious and publicized film festivals in the world.The invitation-only festival has been celebrating cinema for more than 60 years. Over this time, the Association Française du Festival International du Film has been able to change while keeping the essence of the festival: a passion for cinema, the discovery of new talent and the enthusiasm of festival goers and professionals from the whole world who come to contribute to the making and distribution of films. With around 35,000 film professionals and over 4,000 international journalists coming together, it is the world's biggest film event.
Dr. Brian Mehling's film production company Industrial Motion Pictures (IMP) is proud to show Robert Corna's latest movie, A Smile For Bow, on Tuesday, May 19th at 3:30 p.m. at Palais D at Palais des Festivals et des Congrès.
The sequel to Tiny Tears, entitled A Smile for Bow, is the continuing story of Bow, a little girl from Thailand, who was abandoned at birth. She has HIV and was born with disfiguring fetal alcohol syndrome. The film crew followed Bow when she was offered a chance to come to the U.S. for reconstructive facial surgeries. After several surgeries, she can now smile again. This film was directed by Robert Corna and produced by Brian Mehling, M.D. and Eddie Amarante. The film was completed in 2014.
Industrial Motion Pictures is a creative film company founded by Dr Mehling. IMP, in association with Mehling Studios brings creative and innovative films to life. IMP has been associated with films such as:Tiny Tears, Italy's Forgotten Earthquake, BreadCrumbs, Dead Calling, and A Smile for Bow.
The Cannes International Film Festival is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films of all genres, including documentaries, from around the world. Founded in 1946, it is one of the most prestigious and publicised film festivals in the world. The invitation-only festival is held annually (usually in May) at the Palais des Festivals et des Congrès.
The Italian-American actress and director Isabella Rossellini has kindly agreed to preside over the Un Certain Regard Jury. She is a daughter of Italian director Roberto Rossellini and Swedish actress Ingrid Bergman, to whom this year's Festival de Cannes is to pay tribute.
Doreen Santora
dsantora@bluehorizonhospital.com
Blue Horizon Charitable Foundation raises awareness about HIV-infected children during Cannes Film Festival
Diplomatic Council awards prize to Robert Corna, director of "A Smile for Bow " documentary film about HIV-infected orphan girl, produced by Industrial Motion Pictures, Brian Mehling, M.D. and Eddie Amarante
Blue Horizon Charitable Foundation & Diplomatic Council event in Cannes
NEW YORK – June 1, 2015 — The international Film Festival in Cannes is one of the most renowned and prestigious film festivals in the world. Launched in 1946, the Cannes Festival is now held each year in May at the Code d'Azur.
During this year's 68th International Film Festival in Cannes, the Diplomatic Council (DC) and Blue Horizon Charitable Foundation (BHCF) organized an exclusive event at the Villa Horizon Bleu.
It is the Diplomatic Council's view that cinematic art plays an important role in promoting international understanding. Movies can make a contribution because they introduce different cultures and show different ways of thinking and acting thus broadening people's horizons.
Actor Lambert Wilson, host of this year's award ceremony, said: "The world is written in an incomprehensible language, but cinema helps us translate it universally. Without the guiding light, everyone would be stuck in the dark of the night."
Dr. Brian Mehling's film production company, Industrial Motion Pictures (IMP), showed Robert Corna's latest movie, A Smile For Bow, on Tuesday, May 19th at Palais D at Palais des Festivals et des Congrès.
The Blue Horizon Charitable Foundation (BHCF) is a recognized 501 (c) (3) organization, dedicated to increasing the awareness of global inequalities in healthcare, as well as providing charitable medical care and education to adults and children in impoverished areas. The foundation raises capital in orde to support medical centers and clinics by providing medicines vital to basic human survival, by performing advanced medical treatments otherwise not accessible to certain geographic regions, and to finance research and development in stem cell therapies and cellular regenerative medicine. BHCF also supports children around the world who have been orphaned as a result of disease and/or war. In order to raise awareness of these situations, BHCF produces documentary films that bring much needed attention to the plight of those with limited or no access to healthcare. The provision of these resources to less developed areas enables the medically underserved to benefit from high quality care and treatment. For more information please visit www.bluehorizonfoundation.org.
Industrial Motion Pictures (IMP)is a creative film company founded by Dr. Mehling. IMP, in association with Mehling Studios brings creative and innovative films to life. IMP has been associated with films such as:Tiny Tears, Italy's Forgotten Earthquake, BreadCrumbs, Dead Calling, and A Smile for Bow. For more information please visit www.industrialmotionpictures.com.
The Diplomatic Council (DC) is a United Nations (UN) registered global Think Tank founded with the objective to serve as a bridge between diplomacy, economy and society. Members committed and dedicated to the DC strongly believe that a thriving economy bringing prosperity to mankind is one of the best guarantors for peace. For more information please visit www.diplomatic-council.org.
DC awards "Golden Dove of Peace" in Cannes
US producer and director Robert Corna is the first winner of the new film prize "La Colombe d'or de la Paix" that the Diplomatic Council Global Media Forum has awarded for the first time this year. The award ceremony took place at the prestigious Villa Horizon Bleu during the film festival in Cannes. "We have deliberately chosen the "world of glamour" and by awarding this film prize directed attention to a documentary which was made in a totally different "world of poverty and tears", says DC Secretary General Hang Nguyen.
Robert Corna received this sought-after award for his documentary on "A Smile for Bow" which tells the story of the orphan girl Bow who grew up without parents in an orphanage in Thailand. A Smile for Bow is the sequel to a production about HIV-infected children and young people in Asia, Africa and America. The first part "Tiny Tears" was crucial for Bow's fate: not only is Bow infected with HIV but she also was not able to smile because foetal alcoholism has severely deformed her face since her birth. Through this film, a group of doctors became aware of Bow's fate and offered 2 free surgeries so that finally, at the age of 16, Bow is able to smile for the first time in her life. The Diplomatic Council welcomes 16-year old Bow as its DC Fellow and is happy to help her, giving her many more reasons to smile in her life.
The film prize "La Colombe d'or de la Paix" is part of the DC Initiative Helping Hands, an initiative established with the objective to draw worldwide attention to particularly vulnerable people and to encourage aid organisations and donators to join the DC Initiative Helping Hands. The Initiative's aim is to give helping hands to those ones who are in dire need of help and protection.
This award ceremony was also the Diplomatic Council's launch event at the Cote d'Azur and the opening of the DC Mission in Cannes.


We may sneer at the opulent costumes or despair at the poor excuse for democracy that marked the early 20th century. But today's society has more in common with that of pre-World War I than we may think.
Our own millennials are often viewed as the first generation of a globalised world, but the progress made in the 50 years prior to WWI, in many ways, acted as a harbinger to our own digitally enhanced age.
German steel giants investing heavily in French iron ore production sites in Normandy; 3.4 million migrant workers labouring in Germany's agricultural sectors and the coalfields of the Ruhr Valley; rail networks expanding across Europe and further east ‒ all helped the great "annihilation of distance".
It brought the world and its people closer together, eliminating tariffs and other barriers to trade along the way. Exports reaching record levels year-on-year, with trade accounting for a higher level of GDP than ever before.
It all has a familiar ring to it, but the outbreak of WWI was like somebody pressing the reset button on the rapidly internationalising world of trade.
The historian Niall Ferguson wrote that "the sinking of the Lusitania also symbolised the end of the first age of globalisation". And while not everyone agrees on the exact date, most acknowledge that WWI radically changed the course of global trade for decades to come.
Some of the changes were temporary, others permanent. Some are still being felt today.
Many can be directly traced back to the Great War – such as the Russian Revolution of 1917 which almost certainly wouldn't have occurred independently (at least not so early), others, such as the decline of imperial France and Britain, were already underway, but were expedited by the events of 1914.
The world's most dominant economies pre-WWI were in Western Europe.
Many enjoyed relatively free trade before the outbreak, after which trade as a share of GDP fell away. It didn't return to its 1914 levels until the 1960s.
"One of the lasting changes was that Europe's volume of merchandise trade didn't recover. There was permanent damage to the European share of world trade," says Professor David Stevenson an historian at London School of Economics, specialising in WWI.
The collapse of the Habsburg Empire in Austria-Hungary led to the demise of one of the world's first free trade areas: concessions over tariffs which had been won over decades were lost. The states established subsequently, from Czechoslovakia, Hungary and Yugoslavia, increased trade tariffs, leading to the balkanisation of European trade.
Further west, Britain had for decades been the world's dominant industrial nation, but between 1870 and 1913 its share of global industrial production had fallen from 32% to 9%, with the US's share rising from 23% to 42%, according to online archive Macrohistory.
Germany had also overtaken Britain on many economic metrics, including manufacturing: by 1914, Germany was producing twice as much steel as Britain.
"They didn't do GDP that far back, but most would estimate that Germany had overtaken Britain on that front too," Stevenson says.
WWI slammed the squealing brakes on Germany's ascendancy, with the war effort, followed by the crippling reparations regime having a disastrous impact on its economy. But otherwise, the war acted as a propeller for a shift in the balance of power.
The US in 1914 was the world's most indebted nation (as, indeed, it is today), with Western European nations pumping fortunes into nascent US rail network and industries. But by the time the war finished, the US was the world's biggest creditor.
The war saw Allied countries import vast amounts of raw materials, such as oil, steel and wheat, from America, which they paid for by selling the debt they held in the US to American buyers.
Simultaneously, Western Europe was borrowing from private US lenders and once the US entered the war, from the Federal Reserve.
Through the 1920s, the US confirmed its place as the world's dominant trading economy, taking its place at the top of the exports table and investing directly in Europe too. The Ford plant in Dagenham, Essex, was the motor giant's first big European subsidiary investment.
The US, which had previously restricted its overseas investment to Latin America, begun to sniff opportunities further afield.
The US's decision to force its European counterparts to honour their debts arguably stymied its subsequent growth pattern and interrupted its astronomical rise. To some eyes, it heightened the impact of the Great Depression.
The Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act of 1930 raised US tariffs to record levels as America's self-prescribed isolation cut it off from international markets.
But the seeds had been sewn: along with events in Russia, the two polarised pillars of economics that defined international trade over the course of the 20th century were galvanised by WWI.
"Both the Russian and Ottoman Empires were dying," says Ed Lotterman, an American economic historian. "But the trauma of the war caused change in Russia of a particular type that set the pattern for a century. I don't think the Bolsheviks would have come to power in Russia without all the socioeconomic and political destruction of the war. Then you're locked into something for decades."
Immediate economic socialisation ensued, with Russia renouncing its international debt and closing itself off from the outside world, in trade terms.
This had a huge impact on international trade: the foundations for a polarised trading world, which took root in earnest post-WWII, when the utilitarianism of the Soviet Union and the freewheeling capitalism of the US fought it out for global dominance.
"Nato and the Marshall Plan wouldn't have flown if it weren't for fear of the Russians," says Lotterman. "If there was no threat of Communism in Europe, the US would've been much more likely to have returned to isolation after WWII."
If WWI achieved anything, it was to prove that however stable things may seem, we're only ever a gunshot away from catastrophe.
In the 1900s, Germany's desire for an empire of its own wasn't appreciated by the French, British or Americans. It will be familiar to anyone who watches the disputes over remote Asian islands with amusement, or who scoffs at the prospect of escalation in Russia and Ukraine.
"We look at those as silly little things, not realising how deeply some of those national emotions can be exploited and can be fanned by events. There is very much a status quo bias in behavioural economics: we tend to have an irrational trust that because we've been at peace, war couldn't break out. You could see that in the 20 years prior to WWI. There hadn't been a European-wide war since Waterloo. But there was a feeling that it couldn't happen again," says Lotterman.
"I think the people that are on top in the US, or Western Europe don't understand the depths of pride and the feeling of being humiliated by stronger powers."
Events in Russia have proven that the watertight trading ship the west thought it was steering wasn't as secure as it thought.
Lotterman doesn't mean to be sensationalist, but the foreboding in his comments is plain to see.


With the advance of mature fabrication technologies, photonic integrated circuits (PICs) reach ever-higher levels of complexity. Integration of thousands of components has been shown , with each main technology showing an exponential growth in complexity . This increase in complexity requires a convergence in technologies, and the roadmaps are currently being pushed by silicon nitride, (hybrid) silicon and indium phosphide PIC technologies. This trend is further fuelled by the establishment of PIC foundries for these main PIC technologies.
We review recent progress in the design of waveguide grating couplers using subwavelength structures and apodization, and describe how direct numerical optimization of grating coupler parameters may further improve their performance. We show how direct numerical optimization may be used to engineer a flat-top spectral response from a grating coupler.
We report broadband optical filter based on two parallel electro-optic long period Ti:LiNbO3 waveguide gratings with different pitches. By utilizing electro-optic and photorefractive effects of LiNbO3 and by changing driving voltage, one can realize 360 nm broadband linear tunability and 0-30 dB linear adjustment of dip contrast. Long-period waveguide grating (LPWG) and long-period fiber grating have similar working principle and application background [1, 2]. An LPWG based on electro-optic effect of LiNbO3 (LN) is promising for high-speed application [3,4]. Here, we demonstrate a broadband filter based on a parallel structure of two electro-optic long period gratings in two same Ti:LN strip waveguides. The device was developed on the basis of the electro-optic and photorefractive effects of LN.
We present a novel refractive index sensing mechanism based on slot ring resonators fabricated in the silicon platform. The sensing mechanism relies on detuning the critical coupling resonance of the ring. This new method has been realised through engineering the dispersion property of the ring directional coupler, which enables forming a narrow ring resonance spectrum with a V-shape profile. We both numerically and experimentally demonstrate that this V-shape profile can enhance the refractive index sensing operation due to following conditions: firstly, the V-shape is robust in the 1.31.5 refractive index range; secondly, the critical resonance peak (or bottom of the spectrum V-profile) follows a monotonically increase with the refractive index change, which results in a strong critical coupling detuning. The sensitivity of the critical peak has been measured to around 1300nm per refractive index unit with an uncertainty of the shift equal to 2 times the ring free spectral range. Different from a single resonance peak sensing, , the proposed sensing mechanism can get rid of the high losses of slot waveguides that usually spoil the ring and can target low detection limit.
The development cycle for Photonic Integrated Circuits (PICs), design, fabrication and characterization, demands for feedback mechanisms at the different stages. In latest step, characterization, diverse procedures are applied to obtain feedback information from the PICs. A commonly use test method employed with PICs in all technologies is the amplitude spectral measurement by means of an Optical Spectrum Analysers (OSA). However, no spectral phase information is retrieved, so propagation features, phases or time characteristics of devices must be extracted indirectly by fitting the measurements with the expected results iteratively, usually resorting to assumptions not always directly checkable. Complementarily, Optical Frequency Domain Reflectometry (OFDR) [1-2] allows retrieving amplitude and phase features from PICs. In this paper, a straightforward implementation of OFDR, the main achievements and observed limitations, for devices under test (DUT) in different technologies are reported: Arrayed Waveguide rating (AWGs) on Silica and on Silicon on Insulator (SOI), and Unbalanced Mach Zehnder Interferometers (UMZI) on Silicon Nitride.


I have sold a property at 4731 McVicker RD in VICTORIA.
Extraordinary panoramic views from the highest point of this terrific 5 acre Metchosin property providing tremendous opportunity to build your for-ever home while still being able to live in the existing 1,700 + one level 3 bedroom 1980's character ( lots of updates: completely rewired 2012, windows, doors, some teak floors, jetted tub, electric fireplace, metal roof, decks and fully fenced around the house) offering a completely different perspective on this beautiful multi level property. BONUS: Fabulous 3,000+ sq ft 2 level commercial woodwork shop ( hydro approved) could be converted to a fabulous home by bringing in water and septic. Driveway paved to house and shop then gravel to building site. 15 minutes to Westshore Centre.


Local governments using software from mapping and analytics giant Esri can now gain direct access to live alert data provided by crowdsourced navigation app Waze, Esri announced Tuesday.
The near-real-time traffic and transportation infrastructure data made available to local governments through its free Connected Citizens Program is now also freely accessible as a layer for Waze program members through Esri's ArcGIS Marketplace. The announcement builds on a partnership the two companies formed in 2016, but this expansion, said Andrew Stauffer, Esri's product manager of civic technology, enables tighter integration that makes it much easier to access Waze transportation data.
In the past, ArcGIS's integration with Waze data was possible only with the help of additional applications, making it more difficult and costly than what's now available, Stauffer said. Now, Waze's live feed of traffic alerts, accidents, congestion, street damage and other datasets can be used through mapping applications "in minutes," the company says.
Waze's launched its Connected Citizens Program as a way for the company and local governments to share data — such as road closures, government building locations, snowplow routes and traffic conditions — with each other.
Cobb County, Georgia, with 750,000 residents northwest of Atlanta, is one of dozens of local governments that participate in the Waze program. The city joined about a year ago and started integrating Waze's data into ArcGIS about seven months ago, said Sharon Stanley, the city's chief information officer.
Since the Waze program's launch, transportation planners and chief information officers from around the United States have told StateScoop that access to new streams of live transportation data has enabled more informed decision-making, but that without a way to analyze the data, its utility was limited.
Esri's data visualization software has allowed Cobb County's transportation department to gain insights into what was causing "fixed-object crashes" beyond major intersections, Stanley said. The analytics tools provided by Esri using Waze data confirmed the department's hunch that it was hills and curves that were the greatest contributing factors to those crashes, she said.


text:
Entertainment » Movies
Bette Midler Confirms 'Hocus Pocus 2' with Original Cast
Tuesday October 27, 2020
Najimy, Parker and Midler in 'A Very Hocus Pocus Election' (Source:Bette Midler / Instagram)
Bette Midler, Kathy Najimy, and Sarah Jessica Parker — the Sanderson sisters in the 1993 cult classic "Hocus Pocus" — will reunite for a sequel, ET Canada reports.
In an interview with FOX 5 New York's "Good Day New York," Midler said "they want to make a movie, they've asked us if we were interested and of course all of us said yes. I'm game, I'm totally game." Because the original film has become a staple of Halloween, speculation arose over the last few years about a potential sequel. "Hocus Pocus 2" will be directed by Adam Shankman ("Hairspray" and "Step Up").
The trio will reunite beforehand, this coming Friday October 30, for a live, one-night-only virtual event, "In Search of the Sanderson Sisters." Hosted by Elvira, Mistress of the Dark, the event will also feature Jamie Lee Curtis, Todrick Hall, Adam Lambert, Sarah Silverman and more.
Also highly anticipated is Glenn Close, who delighted fans with a social media re-creation of her Cruella de Vil earlier this month in advance of the event.
On reuniting with Najimy and Parker, Midler said "it was so bizarre because we fell into exactly the same relationship we had and the same style of behaving on screen that we had 27 years ago. As if we had been off for a weekend!"
Popular Stories in Entertainment
Marcus D'Amico, 'Mouse' in 'Tales of the City,' Has Died
Paramount Christmas Prize Package!
TOP GUN 4K Ultra HD from Paramount Home Entertainment!
JIU JITSU on DVD from Paramount Home Entertainment!
PopUps: Here's How Betty White Will Celebrate Her 99th Birthday
"The Golden Girls" star reveals the wholesome plans she has for her 99th birthday and offers advice for a long and happy life.
Will NYE in Puerto Vallarta Become a Gay Superspreader Event?
Brandi Carlile on the Challenges and Joys of Queer Parenting


text:
The Book of Henry (Review)
DIRECTOR: Colin Trevorrow
CAST: Naomi Watts, Jaeden Lieberher, Jacob Tremblay, Dean Norris, Maddie Ziegler, Sarah Silverman, Lee Pace, Bobby Moynihan, Tonya Pinkins
RUNNING TIME: 105 mins
CERTIFICATE: 12A
BASICALLY…: Henry (Lieberher), a child genius, convinces his mother Susan (Watts) to help him and his brother Peter (Tremblay) save their next-door neighbour Christina (Ziegler) from her abusive step-father (Norris)…
NOW FOR THE REVIEW…
Poor Colin Trevorrow; he comes off a popular indie film, Safety Not Guaranteed, to direct a giant studio tentpole like Jurassic World that makes over $1.5 billion worldwide but generates a mixed response from audiences, only to then return to indie filmmaking with an even worse response from critics, and even calls for him to be booted off his next high-profile gig, which happens to be the next Star Wars film.
It must be especially heartbreaking for the director, when in interviews he not only seems to be a really nice guy but also clearly has his heart in the right place when telling his story this time round. The problem is, that story is of The Book of Henry, which is impossible to execute perfectly because the script – written by novelist Gregg Hurwitz – is extremely problematic, to say the least.
The story starts off being about young child prodigy Henry (Jaeden Lieberher), who lives at home with his younger brother Peter (Jacob Tremblay) and his mother Susan (Naomi Watts), who happily lounges about the house playing video games while Henry does her taxes. At first, it seems to be this quirky and semi-charming family drama, until several plot threads are introduced that take the movie into several unexpected, and not necessarily sane, directions. It turns out that next-door neighbour Christina (Maddie Ziegler) is being abused by her step-father Glenn (Dean Norris), who also happens to be the police commissioner, and when Henry's calls to the authorities fall on deaf ears, he devises a plan to eradicate the danger once and for all… and unlike a lot of reviews that spoil the twists simply because they didn't like the film at all, the details of said plan and the events happening alongside it will remain something of a secret in this review, but rest assured that you will find a lot of it rather questionable, both in the film itself and in the script that brought it to existence.
This is a film that wants to be several different things – a family drama, an after-school special on child abuse, a medical tearjerker (again, no spoilers here), and a dark thriller – but none of them mesh well together at all. Aside from writing a few episodes of the 2011 V reboot, Hurwitz hasn't written a whole lot of film scripts (in fact, The Book of Henry is his first feature writing credit according to IMDb), and his inexperience really shows in his attempt to stitch all these loose plot threads into one collective narrative, but not only do they feel like they've been copy-and-pasted from completely different scripts, but they create a tonally-inconsistent mess that shifts its focus and attention more than a child with ADHD. Hurwitz hasn't seemed to have settled on what he wants his story to actually be about, which is puzzling considering that this particular script has been floating around for nearly twenty years, and in that time neither he nor anybody else took another look at it and thought that it could do with a revamp. The choices that are left in the final film are, to put it mildly, extremely misguided and purely nonsensical, something that only someone in the 90s – the era that gave us similarly insane ideas such as Pokémon, the Y2K phenomenon, and letting Joel Schumacher direct a Batman movie – could come up with and at the time think were genuinely good ideas.
Again, Trevorrow is seriously not the one to blame for this movie getting the critical mauling it's been receiving. Sure, he may have neglected the fact that Hurwitz's script is troublesome and needed someone to step in and rework it before cameras started rolling, but his passion for even the most insanely-plotted script such as this is felt in every scene. He directs his actors very well and gets some legitimately good performances out of most people – even more so, it should be said, than Jurassic World in my opinion – and the scenes where the script dictates it goes all-out in its emotional moments, he executes them as effectively as he can, at the expense of coming across as way too sentimental or maudlin at times. The Book of Henry may have a lot of problems, but Colin Trevorrow's direction seriously isn't one of them.
However, one problem that I personally do have with this movie is the way it handles the whole child abuse subplot, and how it seriously undermines the real-life damage and impact in a rather harmful way. Christina, the girl at the centre of this whole subplot, is given absolutely no character or even a scene of her own to explore how she's really feeling; it's all from the perspective of the people next door, who assume that there's something going on just from watching the action from their windows, which means the movie never gives us a clear point-of-view from the person who's actually experiencing this abuse (or at least I assume it's abuse, because the film never shows us what Dean Norris' character actually does to her). If you're going to make a film where child abuse is one of the main plot threads, if not the main plot thread (though with this script, it's easy to confuse which one is which), then you need to at least let the audience have an understanding of the emotional trauma and depression that the victim is going through, which this movie fails to do in any capacity, making it a rather spectacular failure of an examination into this heavy topic.
There's so much else about this movie that I haven't even gotten around to covering yet, from Sarah Silverman's character who takes a dive into alcoholism which is almost never brought up again, to an extremely nonsensical version of the "giving instructions via cassette tape" trope that defies logic and makes the person giving the instructions look like a friggin' psychic, but while The Book of Henry is definitely an utter mess of a movie, and technically can be considered a bad one, it's immature and unfair to place all the blame on its director. Instead, blame the writer for coming up with such a convoluted and borderline insane script that prevents even talented filmmakers and actors from doing their job perfectly, and does not have a foot in any kind of reality where all these mad ideas can actually come together and work.
SO, TO SUM UP…
The Book of Henry is certainly as misguided and borderline insane as you've heard it to be, but none of the blame should be placed on director Colin Trevorrow, who does his best to make even the most nonsensical scenes feel strong, and instead should be placed on writer Gregg Hurwitz who tosses so many plots into one script, including a woefully mishandled child abuse plotline, that he ends up creating a convoluted and utterly tone-deaf mess of a narrative.
By Jack Martin|June 28th, 2017|Film Reviews|0 Comments
Bad Boys For Life (Review)
Waves (Review)
Richard Jewell (Review)
WEATHERING WITH YOU (12A)
Archive – Previews
Archive – Reviews
Film Previews
Search By Month Select Month January 2020 (21) December 2019 (49) November 2019 (48) October 2019 (71) September 2019 (51) August 2019 (49) July 2019 (50) June 2019 (43) May 2019 (55) April 2019 (66) March 2019 (60) February 2019 (47) January 2019 (46) December 2018 (49) November 2018 (50) October 2018 (66) September 2018 (52) August 2018 (52) July 2018 (53) June 2018 (35) May 2018 (42) April 2018 (48) March 2018 (51) February 2018 (41) January 2018 (41) December 2017 (30) November 2017 (38) October 2017 (61) September 2017 (31) August 2017 (37) July 2017 (36) June 2017 (32) May 2017 (37) April 2017 (40) March 2017 (39) February 2017 (38) January 2017 (38) December 2016 (29) November 2016 (33) October 2016 (51) September 2016 (35) August 2016 (48) July 2016 (23) June 2016 (40) May 2016 (40) April 2016 (34) March 2016 (39) February 2016 (45) January 2016 (29) December 2015 (38) November 2015 (35) October 2015 (33) September 2015 (37) August 2015 (45) July 2015 (34) June 2015 (32) May 2015 (36) April 2015 (30) March 2015 (42) February 2015 (29) January 2015 (33) December 2014 (40) November 2014 (24) October 2014 (34) September 2014 (33) August 2014 (29) July 2014 (18) June 2014 (22) May 2014 (24) April 2014 (27) March 2014 (37) February 2014 (31) January 2014 (32) December 2013 (44) November 2013 (23) October 2013 (42) September 2013 (52) August 2013 (10)
REVIEW: They're back on duty, and the Bad Boys have never been better... #BadBoysForLife https://t.co/nkLkhFi6X1
REVIEW: The best Terrence Malick movie you could be seeing this week isn't the one make by Terrence Malick... #Waves https://t.co/v7OWhvp9F9
REVIEW: Is Clint Eastwood finally starting to show his age as he depicts the story of #RichardJewell ? https://t.co/rPuhq0t9Ak
For more information please contact us:
Email: info@filmfeeder.co.uk
Copyright 2013 Film Feeder| All Rights Reserved | Website Designed by Footprint
Want to decide what the movie's like for yourself? Check out Movie Name showtimes in London


Charlie's Smile was inspired by Charlie, daughter of American Picker Mike Wolfe and his wife Jodi. Charlie was born with a cleft lip and palate. This unique sculpture, featuring Charlie sitting on her favorite dog, Bethel, was created to bring light to this condition and to raise much needed funds for Operation Smile, the international organization formed to provide free surgeries for children and young adults worldwide.
Height: 7.25" Weight: 3.5 lbs.


text:
Graphic by Gabrielle Shreve
Editorial: Let's talk about sex
Dec 9, 2021 Updated Dec 9, 2021
Take a deep breath:
See, was that so difficult? Yet the word is so taboo that we often become cunning linguists in an effort to find more tasteful expressions. We know you've used them. The birds and the bees. Making love. "It." These are testaments to how unknowable — and intimidating — so many people find sexual intercourse.
Erection. Masturbation. Orgasm.
Are they too inappropriate? Too terrifying? Too explicit?
For some, maybe, but these words shouldn't come with a "hush" or pointed look. It isn't scary to talk about elbows, knees and toes, so it shouldn't be frightening to talk about breasts, penises and vaginas either. They are our body parts; they are natural, and so is what we do with them.
Sex is a special act between two people — and sometimes more. It can be between people with the same body parts. It can be an empowering way to connect on a deeper level. It can even be fun. But it is also something we should take seriously. There are a number of factors that go into healthy, safe and enjoyable sex, and we need to talk about them — explicitly. Yet too often, in order to make both ourselves and those around us more comfortable, we resort to increasingly vague and obscure (re: "tasteful") words. It is in the shadow these words cast that sex becomes scary, dangerous and stigmatizing.
In this special addition of Maroon Life, we shed light on a variety of issues regarding sex. We speak on the necessity of consent, the specifics of contraception and the stigma surrounding sex work and sexual health. We discuss sex from various perspectives: women, who are hypersexualized by others; the sexually inactive, who are judged for not participating; and the LGBTQ+ community, who are often left out of this country's typically heteronormative sexual education. We also exlore the relationship between sex and religion, sex in college versus adulthood and the discrepancies among students' sexual education and healthcare resources.
Sex can strongly impact a person's mental and physical health, which is why understanding it is important. The Battalion's staff hopes that by removing some of the ambiguity surrounding sex, readers will be able to approach it with less timidity. No matter your take on the topic, we hope this magazine helps start a healthy conversation, full of accurate words instead of replacements or innuendos.
Now, let's talk about sex.
Dan Dec 11, 2021 11:05am
First, who will be the OPED writers for this subject? Unless vetted, I upfront question their qualifications to write/discuss "sex" as you have already described the thesis of this article. Second, the majority of Americans know what sex is, view it is a totally private issue and they do not need a tutorial by LGBTQ+ advocates. Your comment in an effort to say this article will discuss the very important issues in need of discussion (i.e. legal issues such as consent are important, contr4aceptives, health care, etc.) is important but to also state a need to discuss normality sex between multiple partners simultaneously to and to include the LGBTQ+ community as a "normal" part of the discussion is off the grid. The incessant LGBTQ+ influence on the Battalion articles should stop. No homophobic here, no shhhh here, no cancel culture here; just a very concerned person that LGBTQ+ has placed itself in our society and at A&M in a way that is counter-productive to our nation's norms, values, and culture. Sex education is important, but critical are the sources of the so-called sex-educators.


CAPE TOWN – The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently approved the first new tuberculosis (TB) treatment in 50 years, bedaquiline, to treat multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB). The news strengthens efforts to make the drug available in South Africa to patients who have failed all other MDR-TB treatment options.
South Africa has one of the world's highest rates of MDR-TB with at least 13,000 new cases projected for 2013, according to the World Health Organisation. Today's treatment for MDR-TB involves a two-year course of drugs and painful injections, some of which can cause serious side-effects including hearing loss. Despite the gruelling treatment, patients have a less than 50% chance of cure. New medicines to improve this regimen are desperately needed.
Access to bedaquiline in South Africa has so far been extremely limited. The only patients who have benefitted thus far have been receiving the drug in clinical trials, as well as four patients who were granted access through a shortlived 'compassionate use' programme authorised by South Africa's Medicines Control Council.Compassionate use allows doctors to prescribe unapproved drugs to seriously ill patients who have no other treatment options.
Among the four patients is Dr Dalene von Delft, who contracted MDR-TB after caring for patients infected with strains of drug-resistant TB.
"I was faced with potential life-long deafness from my existing TB treatment, which would have meant an end to my career as a medical doctor, or slow death from TB. When I heard about bedaquiline as a third option, I did everything I could to get it," says Von Delft, who is now cured of TB.
The MCC recently authorised a new clinical access programme in which selected patients infected by highly resistant strains of TB who have run out of treatment options will receive the drug under close supervision in four sites in South Africa. The programme aims to provide the drug to those who most need it, while collecting more safety data on the drug.
The MCC has also agreed to do a fast track registration review of bedaquiline, which will shortly be submitted by the drug's manufacturer Janssen Pharmaceutica. This process could lead to full approval and availability to the drug for those who would most benefit. If Janssen Pharmaceutica is granted fast-track registration, they will continue to study the drug and share new data from clinical trials on an ongoing basis. The US FDA accelerated approval is also contingent on additional safety data being submitted.
"We urgently need to be able to use this drug in a way that we can both gather information about its safety and efficacy while reaching those most in need." says MSF epidemiologist, Dr Helen Cox.
"Although there are some legitimate questions around the safety of bedaquiline, the FDA – one of the world's most stringent regulatory authorities – has clearly indicated that the benefits of this drug far outweigh the potential risks," Cox says.


text:
Q: Solidity - When deploying the contract I get "SyntaxError: Unexpected token o in JSON at position 1" I just started learning solidity, but I am not able to deploy the contract successfully.
When I npm run test I get:
SyntaxError: Unexpected token o in JSON at position 1
My contract Inbox.sol:
// SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-3.0
pragma solidity >=0.7.0 <0.9.0;

contract Inbox {
    string public message;

    constructor(string memory initialMessage) {
        message = initialMessage;
    }

    function setMessage(string memory newMessage) public {
        message = newMessage;
    }
}

My compiler compile.js:
const path = require('path');
const fs = require('fs');
const solc = require('solc');

const inboxPath = path.resolve(__dirname, 'contracts', 'Inbox.sol');
const source = fs.readFileSync(inboxPath, 'utf8');

var input = {
    language: 'Solidity',
    sources: {
        'Inbox.sol' : {
            content: source
        }
    },
    settings: {
        outputSelection: {
            '*': {
                '*': [ '*' ]
            }
        }
    }
};

var output = JSON.parse(solc.compile(JSON.stringify(input)))

module.exports = output.contracts["Inbox.sol"]["Inbox"];

My mocha test Inbox.test.js:
const assert = require('assert');
const ganache = require('ganache-cli');
const Web3 = require('web3');
const web3 = new Web3(ganache.provider());
const { abi, evm } = require('../compile.js')

var accounts;
var inbox;

beforeEach(async () => {
    accounts = await web3.eth.getAccounts();

    inbox = await new web3.eth.Contract(JSON.parse(evm))
        .deploy({ data: abi, arguments: ['Hi there!'] })
        .send({ from: accounts[0], gas: '1000000' })
})

describe('Inbox Contract', ()=> {
    it('Can test', ()=> {
        console.log(inbox)
    })
})

I am not sure what part of JSON is wrong since it can't parse it correctly.
When I log abi in Inbox.test.js I get this:
Inbox Contract
[ { inputs: [ [Object] ],
    stateMutability: 'nonpayable',
    type: 'constructor' },
  { inputs: [],
    name: 'message',
    outputs: [ [Object] ],
    stateMutability: 'view',
    type: 'function' },
  { inputs: [ [Object] ],
    name: 'setMessage',
    outputs: [],
    stateMutability: 'nonpayable',
    type: 'function' } ]

Logging evm gives me a very large block of code I won't be pasting here.

A: In version pragma solidity ^0.8.9, my working code looks like this
Inbox.sol
pragma solidity ^0.8.9;

contract Inbox {
    string public message;

    constructor(string memory initialMessage) {
        message = initialMessage;
    }

    function setMessage(string memory newMessage) public {
        message = newMessage;
    }
}

compile.js
const path = require('path');
const fs = require('fs');
const solc = require('solc');

const inboxPath = path.resolve(__dirname, 'contracts', 'Inbox.sol');
const source = fs.readFileSync(inboxPath, 'utf8');

const input = {
    language: 'Solidity',
    sources: {
        'Inbox.sol': {
            content: source,
        },
    },
    settings: {
        outputSelection: {
            '*': {
                '*': ['*'],
            },
        },
    },
};

module.exports = JSON.parse(solc.compile(JSON.stringify(input))).contracts['Inbox.sol'].Inbox;

Inbox.test.js
const assert = require('assert');
const ganache = require('ganache-cli');
const Web3 = require('web3');
const web3 = new Web3(ganache.provider());

const { abi, evm } = require('../compile');

let accounts;
let inbox;

beforeEach(async () => {
    // Get a list of all accounts
    accounts = await web3.eth.getAccounts();
    inbox = await new web3.eth.Contract(abi)
        .deploy({
            data: evm.bytecode.object,
            arguments: ['Hi there!'],
        })
        .send({ from: accounts[0], gas: '1000000' });
});

describe('Inbox', () => {
    it('deploys a contract', () => {
        console.log(inbox);
    });
});

A: In your Inbox.test.js file, I can see that you are passing wrong arguments while deploying your contract. You need to pass the interface (abi) data while you are creating a new contract and pass the bytecode as data object in the deploy() function.
The code should look like this:
inbox = await new web3.eth.Contract(abi)
    .deploy({ data: evm.bytecode.object, arguments: ['Hi there!'] })
    .send({ from: accounts[0], gas: '1000000' })

Also, check the solidity compiler version. Go to your package.json file. Under the dependencies object, you will find the solc version. Here make sure the solidity version is the same that you used in your Inbox.sol file.
If the version is not the same then please install the right version using npm
In my case, I am using ^0.8.8 in my solidity file. So I run the following command:
npm install solc@0.8.8

You can check my related answer here: SyntaxError: Unexpected token o in JSON at position 1. In Solidity version ^0.8.7

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Hobbs Carpet Cleaning is the best in the business when it comes to pride, pricing and professionalism. We will match any like-for-like quotes. What's more, we'll go the extra mile to make sure that no dirt is left behind. Our experienced cleaning operators treat every carpet on a case-by-case basis, taking into account density, pattern, style and construction. TOP CLASS SERVICE is extremely important to us.
After our service, your carpets will look sparkling new – turning your home back into the relaxing haven that it should be.
Please note: All of these prices are approximate and will depend on the size of the rooms. We have a £70 minimum order to cover set-up costs. If the property is above ground floor and does not have lift access, two operators will be required, at an additional cost of £15.


Milwaukee County, in collaboration with the City of Milwaukee, has developed a rolling RFP process for all developable publicly owned Park East properties, which has and will grant developers flexibility in defining the scope of redevelopment proposals. Rather than accepting proposals on a block-by-block basis, developers have had the option of combining blocks or breaking larger blocks up by lot.
Once issued, the RFP will remain open until all available blocks of the Park East are under an Option to Purchase. Though proposals can be submitted to the County Clerk's office at any time, they will only be reviewed once per month; the deadline for review is first Monday of each month.
A rotating panel of five economic development professionals from the Milwaukee area, including County and City staff, will review submitted proposals once a month.


text:
Charter school parents alarmed by seventh-graders' KKK assignment
Posted 6:43 AM, December 21, 2016, by Tribune Media Wire
MILWAUKEE -- Some parents at one Milwaukee charter school are giving a teacher a failing grade over a recent assignment.
A classroom of predominantly African-American students were asked to write an essay from the perspective of a lawyer defending members of the KKK, according to WITI-TV.
The Business and Economics Academy of Milwaukee (BEAM) says it specializes in teaching students and parents how to be financially accountable. But it's what happened last Thursday in a seventh-grade language arts class that has one mother upset.
Damaris Dorsey
"To even ask my child to write a paper like this -- his mind, level of thinking, is not there yet. I don't teach him hate. So therefore, he does not know the in-depth of the Ku Klux Klan," said Damaris Dorsey, concerned parent.
Dorsey said she didn't want her son doing the assignment next month.
In a letter, the teacher explained that after watching the movie "To Kill a Mockingbird," students would be asked to write a persuasive paper defending Klan members on trial. "The goal of this paper is not to teach students the Klan was correct in its behavior, but rather to teach the students how to write persuasively."
"These are young students, young children," said Tory Lowe, a community activist. "This is not law class. If it was a Jewish child, they wouldn't give him an assignment to defend Hitler,"
Lowe said parents let him know about the assignment. Both Lowe and Dorsey said the assignment seems more fitting for high school students.
"It's mainly him being mature enough to articulate his own ideas on the paper regarding this and who would actually ask their child or their student...to defend the Ku Klux Klan member on trial?" Dorsey said.
Business and Economics Academy of Milwaukee
On Monday afternoon, the school issued a statement saying the assignment has been pulled. It reads, in part, "We feel the choice of topic is inappropriate for a seventh-grade class."
The charter school is authorized by Milwaukee Public Schools, but has its own board of directors. That board decided to pull the assignment and has suspended the teacher, who is African-American, while it reviews what happened.
Lowe said parents still plan to have a rally at the school on Tuesday, December 20th. They are calling for an open dialogue with school officials.
Teacher disciplined after 'inappropriate' algebra lesson
Striking teachers drop picket signs to rescue people from fire
Glastonbury elementary school to shutter after years-long battle
Topics: racism
A New York teacher made black students act as slaves in mock auctions
One month after a deadly shooting, the fate of STEM School's charter is in question
'Forever grateful': Mother meets 'hero' bus driver who helped save her son's life
School, community outraged after video shows Illinois teens in blackface
Wisconsin teacher on leave for reportedly asking African American students to research 'enslaved children' games
Principal reassigned after writing that he couldn't say the Holocaust was 'a factual, historical event'
Nearly 300 teachers in Jersey City receive layoff notices during Teacher Appreciation Week
New Haven Board of Education votes down restructuring plan
New Haven Public Schools plans to cut 53 positions to save money
High school students offer silent ovation while classmate with autism receives diploma
Former Ohio teacher faces sex charges involving at least 28 first graders
1 student dead, numerous injured in Denver school shooting
Man holding swastika on college campus says it was meant as conversation starter


text:
We specialize in providing
the most personalized group
Tours of Greece
Your Odyssey Awaits
info@grapevinetoursgreece.com
Tours 2023
Past Tours/Pictures
Greek Islands 2019
Western Greece 2017
Mainland 2017
View pictures of past Peloponnese Tours
Mystras
Monemvasia
Explore both ancient and modern Athens while walking through the Acropolis with its Parthenon and exploring the state-of-the-art Acropolis Museum
Go back in time to the original location of the Olympic Games in Ancient Olympia
At the top of the mountains you will witness the archeological site of Delphi, an ancient sanctuary known for the Oracle of Delphi
The town of Nafplio, modern Greece's first capital, is a beautiful small town that holds a lot of modern history
Mystras is a unique town that was once deserted in the early 19th century and is now a world heritage site
The largest city in Peloponnese, Kalamata, hosts a number of museums and beaches
Monemvasia is an ancient town with a well preserved castle that remains one of the only locations that allow modern residents to live within the ancient town
Epidaurus has one of the oldest Ancient Greek theaters that is still used to this day to host modern events
Mycenae is an archeaological site of the Mycenaean civilization which contains the tomb of Agamemnon's father
All-Inclusive Price
Airfare, Transportation, Lodging, Meals (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner), and Museums/Activity Fees
The price of the tour includes all airfare costs, hotel accommodations, transportation, scheduled museum and entrance fees, Activities, plus breakfast, lunch, and dinner on almost all days of the trip (2 Days of the trip will not include a lunch, and 2 separate days will not include a dinner, giving you the freedom to spend 2 afternoons and 2 evenings as you please).


text:
Steve Krause
A new take on a Lewis Carroll classic
By Steve Krause | June 10, 2021
You've obviously heard of Alice in Wonderland — the heroine who went down the rabbit hole and had her entire world turned upside down. Thursday night, we had a virtual…
Steve Krause Steve Krause is the Item's writer-at-large. He joined paper in 1979 as a copy editor and later created a music column, called Midnight Ramblings, which ran through 1985. After leaving the paper for a year, he returned in 1988 as a reporter and editor in sports. He became sports editor in 1998; and was named writer-at-large in 2018.
Krause won awards for writing in 1985 from United Press International; in 2001 from the Associated Press; and again in 2020 from the New England Newspaper & Press Association. He is a member of the Harry Agganis Foundation Hall of Fame, a past winner of the Moynihan Lumber Scholar-Athlete Community Service Award, and was the 2012 recipient of the Jack Grinold Media Award for MasterSports, an organization that conducts high school and college coaches' clinics. He lives in Lynn, is active on Facebook, and can be found on Twitter @itemkrause.
Steve Krause can be reached at skrause@itemlive.com
More Stories From Boston
Fashioning a career from RevereSophie Yarin| January 19, 2022
REVERE ― Lidiya Romanchuk was born to be a fashion designer ― but it's been a long time coming. "Trust
Lynn, Lynnfield, Marblehead, Nahant firefighters get grant for safety gearAllysha Dunnigan| January 13, 2022
Fire departments from Lynn, Lynnfield, Marblehead and Nahant were awarded grants to upgrade personal-protective and safety equipment that is not


text:
Education United States Project #8959
Provide Vital Literacy Programs for US Children
by Raising A Reader
Reports Photos Share
15 Years of Reading
By Raquel Espana - Strategic Partnership Manager
Group from 2000
As 2014 begins, Raising A Reader is celebrating 15 years of building, practicing and sustaining home literacy habits for children and their families.
Over the years, Raising A Reader has heard from programs across the country about the impact of the program on children and families. Quotes from the archives represent the children, parents and teachers that have made the program successful.
"My favorite thing is the books. My favorite book is a Raising A Reader book and it is called In the Small, Small Pond. I like all the animals. I like all the Raising A Reader books and I like it when I get books and put them in my bag and check them out. I like the turtle at the library and I like to listen to the books. The Blue Book bag party was really fun." -participant
"Raising A Reader gives Spanish speaking parents the ability to practice reading basic English in the privacy of their home which begin to build confidence to read outside the home." Aspen Preschool teacher
"The RAR program has allowed our students to have daily access to books. Not all our student have library cards but the program has instilled responsibility in our students so when the time comes to get a library card they we will be confident in their role as a reader. The students are excited every Monday afternoon to receive their new collection of red bag books. I have heard from families that they are appreciative of the activity they can share with their child every night." -Principal (Arizona)
"I like this program because it has books in English and Spanish. My child can hear me reading in Spanish and he tries to read in the same way with emotion." -Parent
"Raising a Reader is really good because it helps teach my child responsibility. He has to put the books away each night when we have finished reading and he has to return the bag each week." Parent
In 2014, Raising A Reader will support thousands of families in developing reading routines, practice early literacy skills by sharing award-winning books, and sustain home literacy habits through libraries by arming families with a love of reading.
A generous donor from 2013 has continued their matching pledge for 2014! All gifts to support Raising A Reader will be matched at 100%! That means that a $35 pledge to support one existing child will turn into TWO children served through Raising A Reader.
Thank you for your ongoing generosity and all you do to support children and families across the country. We couldn't do it without you!
Raising A Reader Website
Permalink Comments (0)
A very happy reader
Fall is in the air and book bags full of high-quality children's literature are going home with families across the country.
Beyond simply creating shared reading habits, Raising A Reader has the ability to transform lives. A father recently was introduced to Raising A Reader after reluctantly joining a "Parenting Program" led by a family agency in Northern California. By the third week in the program, he was beginning to read with his seven-year-old child. The father shared with the group that his daughter was so surprised by the actions that she was afraid at first! While he and his daughter began to turn book-sharing into routine, he realized that he had never had the experience of reading with his own father and as a result did not know the importance of the practice. Now, father and child are both building a relationship with each other and the foundation for his daughter's future success.
Over the 2013-2014 school year, Raising A Reader will support thousands of families in developing reading routines, build early literacy skills by sharing award-winning books, and sustain home literacy practices through libraries by arming families with a love of reading and a library card. Raising A Reader makes it easy for families to share the love of reading with their children. We will continue to share the stories we hear from programs across the country where we are making an impact.
As you may or may not know, a generous donor has creating a matching pledge for 2013! All gifts to support Raising A Reader will be matched at 100%! That means that a $35 pledge to support one existing child will turn into TWO children served through Raising A Reader.
Back to School with Raising A Reader!
Girl with parent
Across the country, Raising A Reader sites are beginning their book bag rotations and introducing quality children's literature to families. After serving our millionth child last year, we are excited to see our programs remain strong and in many cases expand throughout the country.
Over the 2013-2014 year, Raising A Reader will support thousands of families develop reading routines, build early literacy skills by sharing award winning books and sustain literacy practices through libraries to arm families with a love of reading and a library card. With more than 21 special book collections, Raising A Reader makes it easy for families to engage in sharing the love of reading with their children. We will continue to share the stories we hear from programs across the country where we are making an impact.
We are also proud to announce that we have also received another matching pledge! All proceeds donated to support Raising A Reader will be matched at 100% through the end of the 2013. Your $35 pledge to support one existing child will turn into two children served.
Thank you for your ongoing support and all you do to support children and families across the country. We couldn't do it without you!
Your Support Is Making a Huge Impact!
By Angela Bush - Sr. Director of Strategic Partnerships
It has certainly been a busy year for Raising A Reader! We have been working throughout the country to launch Raising A Reader programs that will be serving 20,000 new children through a grant from the U.S. Department of Education.
We have launched special "Innovation" projects that are offering children and families books, training and library connections focusing on digital literacy, financial literacy, and school-age specific programming. New sites are opening throughout the country in urban city centers, rural areas and new regions to serve the children and families that need it most. And most importantly, we are hearing stories of how Raising A Reader is making a dramatic difference in the lives of families - helping parents launch their children on a trajectory of lifelong success.
And all of this is possible because of wonderful supporters like you. With your generous gifts we are reaching more children and families then ever before, and seeing what even a small gift can do to make a huge difference in the lives of children and families. As always, a sincere thanks for your generous support. You are making a powerful difference!
http://raisingareader.org
Raising A Reader sprinted out of the gate in 2013
By Beth Sears - Project Leader
Raising A Reader sprinted out of the gate in 2013! We opened an east coast office in Baltimore to serve the 20,000 children who will be added to the RAR program as a result of a multi-year grant from the Department of Education.
Also, we've hit some new milestones for our By the Numbers tally. We have:
Now served over 1 million children since our inception in 1999
2700+ sites
171 affiliates
On February 9th, the Raising A Reader team will head to Pebble Beach in Monterey, CA to host an RAR booth at the 2013 AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am. If you're watching on TV, look for the people in red vests!
You have helped us achieve these milestones. A sincere thanks for your generous support!
PS - Share the love of reading by sending a Raising A Reader e-Valentine to someone special! For just $10 you can send a personal message to a loved one while supporting literacy for underserved children.
‹ 1 ... 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 ›
About Project Reports
Project Reports on GlobalGiving are posted directly to globalgiving.org by Project Leaders as they are completed, generally every 3-4 months. To protect the integrity of these documents, GlobalGiving does not alter them; therefore you may find some language or formatting issues.
If you donate to this project or have donated to this project, you will get an e-mail when this project posts a report. You can also subscribe for reports via e-mail without donating.
Get Reports via Email
We'll only email you new reports and updates about this project.
Email Me New Reports
Raising A Reader
Location: Milpitas, CA - USA
Website: http://www.raisingareader.org
Twitter: @RARnational
Noelle Colomé
Milpitas, California United States
$55,408 raised of $100,000 goal
1,332 donations
will provide book bags for 3 children
will support an existing Raising A Reader child for 1 full year
will enroll a new child into the program for 1 full year
will fund a classroom library
will sustain an entire classroom for 1 year
Monthly giving is as easy, safe, and as inexpensive as a Netflix subscription. Start a monthly donation to Raising A Reader today and get matched at 100%. Terms and conditions apply.
Raising A Reader has earned this recognition on GlobalGiving:
Donate https://www.globalgiving.org/dy/cart/view/gg.html?cmd=addItem&projid=8959&rf=microdata&frequency=ONCE&amount=25