text:
mygedhotline.com Blog
(T)Reason
Posted byAdministrator	 November 27, 2021
Donald Trump made history and should be in The Guinness Book of Records. We have two events to think about (thinking of Freddy Gray in Baltimore and his death after being arrested), Trump is the only president in our history who has told police to rough them up before taking them in and the only president who has promoted the belief that a mob of people had the right to rough up police as the police protected everyone in Congress. That is his common sense. Learn more about the plot and share with people. This is a time to know history much better. The pieces have never been entirely explained and this puzzle has to be put together so people can understand much better. Joe Biden should be doing that with the help of his administration and future members of that administration.
This article is about treason and reason. We go back to January 6, 2021 and we imagine the overturning of the Election of 2020 which some who provide little or no evidence or insufficient evidence for the Trump victory that was never declared. Trump may have had lots of no victories in court in which he was never declared the loser but that was about lawyers and judges. After the Biden victory was announced, clearly there were lawyers to pay for this and for that and everything failed Trump. But also this time it was about politicians, media, and supporters. The (T)R in that word is just an abbreviation to me to make you think of Trump.
What would have happened if the force of illegal entry and incredible violence had overthrown the election results and on no transfer of power had taken place to Biden? Can it actually be explained since it is so hypothetical and perhaps the genius of Trump can tell US all just how things would have been on the first days of Trump II (2021-2025) and who he would expect his successor to be. As a leading opponent of Trump and much or most of which he stood for, I want to know just what expectations everyone had including Fox Entertainment and other similar media.
And we know that there was a reason for the t. Trump told US it was about "common sense" which has a colonial ring to it. Neo-colonialism at work again? And we are being told to forget about the past and think about the future which is another four years under Trump. The British had to turn control over the land, its people, and its resources including the air and the water to the Americans or former colonists.
The land, its people, the air and the water are all different these days. Imagine breathing the air and waking up on January 7, 2021 and trying to figure out the next move under Trump until inauguration day. Imagine drinking a glass of water or a cup of coffee or your favorite mo(u)rning drink. And imagine a time when people in power had what is called "les droits de seigneur" and having the feeling that Trump had done it to you, politically speaking.
I am going to pause to write about a New York City woman (Brooklyn) who has not been sending her daughter to school because she does not feel that it is safe enough for her daughter to go. She is in conflict with the policies but she wants to protect her daughter from illness and possible death. This is the first case of its kind that I have heard of and you have to give her credit for not conforming. I think that that the matter will be resolved well since she is not abusing her daughter as people have suggested. Her daughter needs instruction and I feel that the instruction will be provided to her daughter, that is unless she is motivated by something that has not been provided to us in the newspaper article. And I wonder out loud if those people who have been fighting so hard for the freedom to make people sick and die will fight just as hard as she fights for her right to keep her daughter safe at a time that in class instruction is the norm at school.
And think back to those early days when leading Trump supporters gave him ideas such as "the cure is worse than the problem" and people were going to commit suicide in great numbers so why even consider saving lives during the pandemic. Just open everything up to anarchy is what they achieved almost everywhere.
Actually there was a report days ago about youth who contracted the COVID-19 virus and who did develop mental illness from it and committed suicide. There are so many things going on that do not equate with but should remind people of the 19th century "truths" that finally led to so much death in Europe at the time of World War II. And there was so much lying going on before that that resulted in the deaths of tens of millions of people. Much of this could have happened here as I have revealed before but the attack on Pearl Harbor pretty much put an end to that as we finally entered a war for control of the world.
I do wonder or think about just how she obtained all the essential and non-essential things since either the outbreak of the pandemic or just when she demanded higher protocols for her and her child.
Can you imagine just what would have happened if our entire nation rejected Trump's call for mask choice? For example, if our nation's military refused to report for duty unless COVID-19 protocols surpassed those provided by Fauci and the CDC. And with that said, I feel certain that certain media would have instantly portrayed that as communist inspired which would be an abridgement of either the freedom given to US by the Founding Fathers and by God as well.
It is clear to me that a spark much greater than Trump's final days in Washington, D. C. was about to happen. And the result would not have been Adolph Hitler who died in a bunker, but Trump who had been known to hide in a bunker to protect himself. Trump! Trump! Trump! He was known as the great winner (just ask him) and he lost. Martial law was in the air created by people close to Trump. I will remind everyone in this nation that this country is not about "martial law" since we practice a great amount of freedom. How could I and others ever be free in this land and who would expect US to sit back and take it? I know the answer (to be revealed to me) and that is that I just don't have any common sense. And it really seems to me that I would not be a free man under Trump II and his supporters would knock the sense into me. That my friends was the basis of communist leadership that the world has known and other evils that we have had in the United States before major constitutional changes were undertaken (slowly).
And can you imagine the key elements of the Trump-Republican agenda under Trump II.
Minimum wage under heavy inflation
Cooperation with Russia
And other important items.
It is true that Trump recently spoke out to tell his supporters that he is losing them to death since they do not wish to be vaccinated, but he could not speak out to unite people as his statement was intended only for his audience.
The minimum wage is still so low after Trump's not raising it over his four years in office. And there is not a word about raising it from Trump himself right now.
In the area of cooperation with Russia (which followed Trump and will continue to follow Trump, we hear from Tucker Carlson that we should strengthen our ties with Russia in order to take out China. This does give us some proof that major Trump supporters have been prepped to make this the party line. And how many times have we heard from Trump that Russia wanted Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden to be elected. Carlson also wants to obtain energy from Russia as part of that package of Republican-Russian hegemony in the world. And one of my points is that people who complained about the people that held them back in Eastern Europe in particular are now going to cooperate with the very same people who did that to them and their communities through Donald Trump and his cohorts. This all begins with telling people not to think about the past and only concentrate on the present and it cascades after that without really making the world situation better. But the Trumps and Carlsons of the world will take you along, minimizing the consensus of opinion about those Russians, and lead you to believe that Russia will be a great partner against China. Hitler and Stalin played those games with each other and particularly way back against Poland. And that game didn't even last long as Hitler attacked the Soviet Union. Ask Dennis Praeger about those things since he majored in Russian history.
I will go back to the book Hitler in Los Angeles but keep in mind my article called Hitler in D.C. as I do this. It's going to be the anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor soon. And this is what was going on in the Pearl Harbor Roundup in his book.
Angelenos feared an attack by Japan
Knowing about "Fifth Column" actions there was fear of sabotage
Hollywood Boulevard was filled with trucks and jeeps filled with heavily armed soldiers
A major camp was set up just south of the University of Southern California
A state of emergency was declared
All important support services were protected including tunnels, airports, gas, power lines, and more
That day the arrest of all aliens considered to be dangerous was authorized by the Department of Justice coordinated with the F.B.I.
At the top of the "A" list were Hermann Schwinn and Hans Diebel.
And the information that the F.B.I. had on the leader was scant or hardly anything a month before that. The "useful" information came from a small team of people investigating what Hitler was doing in America (for many years). This team was headed by Leon Lewis who had worked for the Anti-Defamation League and who helped foil the plots against Hollywood and America.
Our very own plot to take control over the government of the United States has resulted in several hundred arrests and the convictions keep coming in. The men and women seem to our own people and not aliens this time. What is alien to me and should be alien to all of US is the role played by Donald Trump. His conservative talk show hosts will point to this speech just before the attack on The Capitol and tell his audience that there was nothing in that speech that indicates that Trump provoked those people. His four years of governing point in different direction as he provoked and provoked and provoked, constantly pointing to the opposition as "the enemy of the people." He fought hard to achieve all of that for his base. And I predicted in writing an attempt to overthrow the election and the Constitution of the United States on January 3. 2021 days before Trump's talk outside The Capitol.
The investigation of these Nazis included searching the Aryan Book Store in Los Angeles where lots of incriminating evidence was found and that struck fear in the larger German community which feared more trouble for them.
There were 12 American citizens who were detained and then released once they could prove their citizenship among the Japanese (326), Germans (66), and Italians (14). And a few days later, German sympathizers were calling for the impeachment of Franklin Roosevelt. And the right of free speech of those people was upheld by the Department of Justice.
And in the news today, which was taken from the Department of Justice, is a young American who was just arrested as he enlisted in the Air Force for the following: engaging in physical violence in a restricted building or grounds, civil disorder, and assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers with a dangerous weapon, among other charges in connection with The Capitol insurrection. And this defendant claims he did only "lawful" things.
By March 1942 the infamous Deutsches House was no longer a hangout and a "for rent" sign hung outside. And thinking of another house called Mar-A-Lago, I share the title of my first article in Jewish Business News and I respected Trump's American citizenship. I did not ask for his deportation.
Donald Trump Belongs In Hebron, Not In America
By Martin Danenberg Published January 1, 2018
And nobody listens to me. I wanted Trump out of the way since I observed a man who was out of control by that day.
Check out just several sentences here. Donald Trump belongs in Hebron where he could build a golf course and play lots of golf there. He did not release his tax returns. He lied about so many things before taking office. He has been caught in lies, other falsehoods by press, and generally has made so many things up that he never belonged anywhere in government. There is a famous quote "I would rather be right than be president." Trump must believe in "I would rather be wrong and be president." His tax law is the eighth largest tax refund to people in history and not number one as he pretends it is.
Los Angeles is close to Pearl Harbor and The Capitol is close to the Oval Office. And right now there are details of three "burner phones" purchased so that the organizers of the march on Washington could communicate with each other and Eric Trump was involved. Emails show that the organizers indicated the phones must be purchased with cash and it should be well-known that those organizers already possessed cell phones as most of US do. The Nazis didn't have cell phones, but knowing what I know about Hitler I can tell you that what has been taking place over many years in the United States was not something that Hitler wanted people to know about. Being careful was paramount as it had been during Kristallnacht. Being careless would be costly. And here is the definition of burner phone on the internet.
Burner phone
A "burner phone" is a cheap, prepaid mobile phone that you can destroy or discard when you no longer need it. In popular media, criminals often use burner phones to evade detection by authorities. You might use a burner phone for privacy reasons, as a last resort, or during an emergency. And could the biggest phony ever elected in the United States be done in by a phone? He lost the election over his handling of what he called the China Virus and could it be that the phones used were made in hmmmm….China?
Trump said that he could handle the big boys of powerful nations including China, Russia, North Korean, and even Iran. Were they his enemies? Probably not when we look at things up close, but he had his enemies which he heard about often and too often. Solzhenitsyn tells about Stalin and this is what I just read in The Gulag Volume 1. "For it was the socialists, after all, whom Stalin saw as the most dangerous enemies of his socialism," he wrote as he detailed what was happening to political prisoners. Were we to be Trump's "political prisoners" after January 6, 2021? And this was and is Trump as I saw him before he got elected. For it was and is Democrats, after all, whom Trump saw as the most dangerous enemies of his democracy. The treason and the reason are one and the same. Trump power!
Think about our nation's history and for those who arrived from other nations think about the same kinds of things in your own history. From Lincoln to Kennedy which includes Garfield and McKinley and we should not even leave out to attempt on the life of Ronald Reagan, our nation has been alarmed by the actions of one man or the plotting of a group of men. And there was hardly a whimper of oppositional thinking in those times as our democracy had to be maintained.
And today and ever since that day, January 6, 2021 we see the tremendous opposition and outpouring of support for Trump and those men and women who attacked The Capitol. We saw nothing like it when our presidents were assassinated. So what do we have now that can easily be expressed since there is new evidence coming forth. What we have is clearly becoming The Plot to Assassinate America (by destroying the Democratic Party)!
Posted byAdministrator November 27, 2021 Posted inUncategorized
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Corpse Party: Sweet Sachiko's Hysteric Birthday Bash is now available DRM-free. Get it 10% off until April 17th, 5pm UTC.
Vengeful spirit Sachiko Shinozaki is having a birthday bash, and the lovable cast of damned souls from the Corpse Party series is invited! Join the revelers as they do their best to keep Sachiko happy and survive her twisted games in this midquel to Corpse Party and Corpse Party: Book of Shadows.


This church is the last important remain of the Béguinage Notre-Dame de la Vigne, founded in the 13th century, that had quite an important influence on this part of the city. The building of the church started in 1657 and features a Flemish-Italian architectural style. It was set right upon an old gothic church whose some of the pillars were re-used in the present church. The artistically adorned facade is one of a kind in Belgium.
Under the hexagonal towers, with its little bell towers stands the classicist altar. This carved wooden altar, typical of the 17th century Flemish art is attributed to Theodor van Loon and is well worth a visit just for itself.
A number of epitaphs remind the presence of the beguines. Their house was located until 1828 just at the corner of the church. The interesting pulpit was made by Parent in 1757 and comes from the church of the Dominicans in Malines (Mechelen).


It's the middle of the week and I am dreaming of the weekend and a lie in. I spoilt myself with having two weeks off! The new job is going okay, I am picking stuff up, getting to know everyone and the six hour shifts are pretty nice. Sure I have to travel a bit further on the bus, but I get more of a chance to read and have finished one book already this week. When I get home I like nothing more than to cook a massive plate of food so I thought I would talk about a few meals I like to make at home.
Pasta is absolutely a staple in my diet, it's simple comes in a variety of shapes and colours and is quite versatile. The only question is what to have with it, what sauce am I going to use? I don't particularly like tomato based pasta sauces so I tend to experiment and have recently come across two pasta sauces that I really like, I thought I would share them with you.
The first is a recipe from Thug Kitchen's cookbook, the cauliflower pasta sauce. You can mix extra veggies into this sauce but I think it's absolutely fine just as it is. I have even just had the sauce in a bowl by itself as a soup. It is ridiculously easy to make, tastes fantastic and provides a creamy, silky texture. Below is the recipe as written in the book, I make mine without the spinach.
You cook the pasta in its own pan, adding the spinach when it's done if you are using the spinach. In a separate pan, you boil the cauliflower for five to seven minutes, when it's done you drain it and add it to the blender with the milk, garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, miso paste and one-eighth of a teaspoon of salt. Run the blender until all the ingredients are combined and it turns creamy. It's really as simple as that, then you can just add the sauce to the drained pot of pasta and finish with parsley, salt and pepper.
The second way I have been enjoying pasta is with pesto, pesto is generally not vegan and the free from jars are so expensive. This recipe developed from me wanting to try making pesto with things I had around the house and I think it turned out pretty well. Instead of basil I have used rocket and baby spinach as the base, I have also tried using kale as the base but I find massaging the kale to rid it of bitterness just takes too long. I added a little bit of dried basil to the mixture in place of the fresh basil. Instead of pine nuts, I have used both pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds and once I made it with toasted seeds and that was really nice. I don't always have olive oil so once or twice I have substituted this for vegetable oil. I replaced the usual cheese with nutritional yeast. I don't like to measure things when I cook, I like to go by eye so I will list what I used without measurements.
This is another easy one to make, especially in the Nutribullet, I pulse the greens, basil, seeds and garlic then add a little oil at a time until I get the consistency I want. After this, I add the salt, pepper, lemon and nutritional yeast and pulse the mixture for a little longer.
In addition to these recipes, I have been enjoying making a variety of soya based creamy sauces with tapioca starch for added thickness and stringiness. I don't have a recipe because I just cook it by eye and what I am feeling like on the day. The base is made with soya milk, a lump of soya spread, apple cider vinegar and lemon juice. Then I add in whatever herbs and seasoning I feel like, this is usually onion, garlic and chives. I also throw in a healthy amount of nutritional yeast, I find this helps to add a yellow colour to the sauce reminiscent of cheddar macaroni cheese, if you want to make the sauce even darker you could add a pinch of turmeric as well.
What are your favourite home cooked vegan meals? Let me know in the comments below!


One of Portland's most persistent advocates for the rights of people with disabilities has died. Sue Stahl passed away on November 14th. She was 42 years old.
Stahl was a fixture in the fight to make Portland's streets work better for all people, not just those in cars and on bikes. Her impressive advocacy resume included: Chair of the Portland Commission on Disability, board member of Oregon Walks, member of the City of Portland Pedestrian Advisory Committee, and much more. She also ran for Portland City Council (against Steve Novick) last year.
BikePortland readers probably recall Stahl's name in our coverage about the lack of adaptive bikes in Portland's Biketown bike share system. Stahl began asking the Portland Bureau of Transportation about the accessibility of the system as far back as March 2016 — three months before it was due to launch.
Stahl threatened to file an ADA lawsuit against the City of Portland and ultimately she found a sympathetic ear from fellow disability rights advocate Chloe Eudaly. When Eudaly got into a runoff with Novick for that seat on City Council, she pressured him (as incumbent PBOT Commissioner) on this issue. Together, Eudaly and Stahl forced PBOT to recognize the validity of adaptive bikes in a way they wouldn't have otherwise. In the end, Biketown wasn't violating any ADA requirements; but thanks in part to Stahl's dogged activism, PBOT ended up launching the Adaptive Biketown pilot program this past summer.
Very sad to hear. Sue lived a block away from me and we had many vibrant conversations through the years, mostly around transportation issues. She got my vote for City Council because of all her work on ADA rights. A couple of years ago Sue overcame her fear of being on a bike and let me help her onto my Big Dummy to shuttle her to and from a public meeting at the Multnomah Arts Center. Sue, you will be missed!
All Portlanders benefited from her work to improve our city, work she did without ego or pay. I had the honor of serving on the Oregon Walks board with her, and am grateful for the legacy she left. I really appreciated Sue's passion and tenacity.
My thoughts are with her family. Sorry for your loss.
Any word on the cause of death?


text:
#ifndef FRAME_H
#define FRAME_H

#include "myslam/common_include.h"
#include "myslam/camera.h"

namespace myslam
{

// forward declare
class MapPoint;
class Frame
{
public:
    typedef std::shared_ptr<Frame> Ptr;
    unsigned long                  id_;         // id of this frame
    double                         time_stamp_; // when it is recorded
    SE3                            T_c_w_;      // transform from world to camera
    Camera::Ptr                    camera_;     // Pinhole RGBD Camera model
    Mat                            color_, depth_; // color and depth image

public: // data members
    Frame();
    Frame( long id, double time_stamp=0, SE3 T_c_w=SE3(), Camera::Ptr camera=nullptr, Mat color=Mat(), Mat depth=Mat() );
    ~Frame();

    // factory function
    static Frame::Ptr createFrame();

    // find the depth in depth map
    double findDepth( const cv::KeyPoint& kp );

    // Get Camera Center
    Vector3d getCamCenter() const;

    // check if a point is in this frame
    bool isInFrame( const Vector3d& pt_world );
};

}

#endif // FRAME_H

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Mandala Series- Om, Lotus, Ganesh set of 3 yoga stamps - Etchythings and Accents Inc.
The Lotus is a symbol of purity of the body, speech, and mind as while rooted in the mud, its flowers blossom on long stalks as if floating above the muddy waters of attachment and desire. It is also symbolic of detachment as drops of water easily slide off its petals.


text:
Transformation of VA to 'whole health' model featured in JACM special issue
Mary Ann Liebert, Inc./Genetic Engineering News
IMAGE: JACM publishes human clinical trials, observational studies, systematic reviews and commentary intended to help healthcare professionals, delivery organization leaders, policy-makers and scientists evaluate and integrate therapies into patient care protocols,... view more
Credit: Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers
New Rochelle, NY, March 20, 2019--As medical delivery organizations seek to meet the Triple Aim, address social determinants of health, and move from volume to value, a leading-edge effort is the "whole health" model in the US Veterans Administration (VA). Two insightful papers on challenges in implementation and methods for measuring success in achieving this "future state" are featured in the philanthropically-backed Special Issue on Multimodal Approaches in Integrative Health: Whole Persons, Whole Practices, Whole Systems. The issue is published in JACM, The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, a peer-reviewed publication from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers, dedicated to paradigm, practice, and policy advancing integrative health. Click here to read the special issue free on the JACM website.
In "Whole Health in the Whole System of the Veterans Administration: How Will We Know We Have Reached This Future State?" the founding director of the VA's Office of Patient Centered Care and Cultural Transformation, Tracy Gaudet, MD and the director of the VA's Integrative Health Coordinating Center, Benjamin Kligler, MD, MPH, describe the VA's "whole health" model now being piloted in all 18 of the VA's regions. They refer to success in this transformation as the VA's "future state." The core of the authors' exploration is of the kinds of measurement that will be required to assess success in achieving the VA's "whole health" goals.
The challenges of this transformation, and in particular, to the VA's commitment to inclusion of evidence-informed complementary and integrative approaches as part of a commitment that includes diminishing reliance on opioids via a new chronic pain model is the subject of "What Should Health Care Systems Consider When Implementing Complementary and Integrative Health: Lessons from Veterans Health Administration." An 8-member author team lead by Stephanie Taylor, PhD, Greater Los Angeles VA Medical Center (CA), used semi-structured, in-person qualitative interviews with 149 key stakeholders at 8 VA medical centers to clarify 9 key factors that facilitated implementation and 7 challenge areas.
The special issue content from the VA is surrounded by papers focusing on development of whole person-oriented integrative pain programs in multiple organizations including: University of California San Francisco (primary care safety net clinics), Oregon Medicaid (federally qualified health centers), University of Vanderbilt (outpatient academic medicine), University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill (pediatric hospital) and Harvard Medical School (outpatient academic medicine).
"Leaders of private-not-for-profit hospitals and major delivery organizations in the medical industry have a great deal to learn from VA's whole health model and from these other budding whole person pain treatment strategies," says JACM Editor-in-Chief John Weeks, johnweeks-integrator.com (Seattle, WA) adding: "The desired transformation from volume to value means engaging new challenges and employing new research questions such as Gaudet, Kligler, their VA colleagues, and these other integrative health researchers are exploring."
JACM, The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine is a monthly peer-reviewed journal published online with open access options and in print that is dedicated to research on paradigm, practice and policy advancing integrative health. Led by John Weeks (johnweeks-integrator.com), the co-founder and past Executive Director of the Academic Collaborative for Integrative Health, JACM publishes human clinical trials, observational studies, systematic reviews and commentary intended to help healthcare professionals, delivery organization leaders, policy-makers and scientists evaluate and integrate therapies into patient care protocols, payment strategies and appropriate protocols. Complete tables of content and a sample issue may be viewed on the JACM website.
Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers is a privately held, fully integrated media company known for establishing authoritative medical and biomedical peer-reviewed journals, including OMICS: A Journal of Integrative Biology, Journal of Computational Biology, New Space, and 3D Printing and Additive Manufacturing. Its biotechnology trade magazine, GEN (Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News), was the first in its field and is today the industry's most widely read publication worldwide. A complete list of the firm's more than 80 journals, newsmagazines, and books is available on the Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers website.
kryan@liebertpub.com
@LiebertPub
http://www.liebertpub.com
The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine
The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine (IMAGE)
https://home.liebertpub.com/news/transformation-of-veterans-administration-to-whole-health-model-featured-in-jacm-special-issue-on-multimodal-approaches-and-whole-system-research/3522

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


In 2005 the Office of Fair Trading received a super complaint from the Citizens' Advice Bureau. This sparked a huge investigation into the payment protection insurance (PPI) sector, which resulted in several firms receiving fines for not putting the consumer ahead of profits. In some cases, it was found that loan protection insurance cover bought alongside the borrowing had almost doubled the cost of the loan.
Since the investigation began into the sector, companies found guilty of mis-selling have had to pay more than £1 million in fines. The majority of those companies fined were high street names that were failing to give out adequate information relating to the cover so that the consumer could make the choice of suitability. Following this complaint, guidelines were laid out to improve sales techniques. To further improve the situation, in March 2008 the Financial Services Authority will reveal its comparison tables, which will cover the three types of protection: loan, mortgage and income. The tables will hopefully put an end to the confusion that surrounds payment insurance policies. A series of questions will reveal which type of cover would be the most suitable for the consumer. The tables will also show how much the cover would cost and what exclusions there are in a policy. This will make it easier to decide which, if any, of the payment protection family is suitable.
Exclusions can be found on a regular basis in all forms of loan protection. Being retired or self-employed, working only part time or suffering from an ongoing illness would generally exclude a person from being able to claim on a protection policy. There can be other exclusions as well, which are specifically defined by individual providers, so the terms and conditions of each quote are different and must be checked thoroughly. Also, there are sometimes exceptions to exclusions. For example, while suffering a pre-existing illness is counted as an exclusion, providing the illness has not been present within the last two years then it may be possible to claim on a policy. Those individuals who are self-employed could also claim if they cease trading through involuntary reasons.
One of the best ways to take out loan protection insurance cover is by going with an independent provider. Getting several quotes and comparing them is imperative when it comes to getting the cheapest possible cover. Along with this, with a standalone provider you can be sure of getting the vital information so that you can make an informed decision. Once you have this information and have deemed a policy suitable then you would receive a tax-free income if you should become unable to work through suffering an accident, illness or unemployment that was no fault of your own. Cover would start to provide you with benefit from between day 30 to 90, depending on the provider's terms and conditions. Once the policy is paying out then it would continue to do so for as long as 12 to 24 months, again depending on the provider, by which time you have hopefully recovered sufficiently to return to work or have found a new job.
Simon Burgess is Managing Director of the award-winning British Insurance, a specialist provider of loan protection insurance cover, mortgage protection insurance and income protection insurance.


How do you make a pre-schooler happy?
One way is to take him to a fun event with live music, a guitar, puppets, a carousel and yummy snacks for free! We attended the Kids with Food Allergies (KFA) Strides for Safe Kids Mall Walk and Expo this weekend that was going on right outside of Philadelphia. We're lucky that KFA, a national organization and a division of the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, is actually located right outside of Philly. So it was easy for us to attend this event!
Little Guy had SUCH a great time listening to the fun and educational music of Kyle Dine. Kyle is a Canadian songwriter who has food allergies and was blessed with creativity, musical talent and a real ability to connect with and entertain others!
Little Guy LOVED listening to Kyle's fun songs, and ended up singing them for the rest of the day.
Kyle Dine and Little Guy with food allergy safe (for him) Divvies cookie in hand.
Little Guy just loved Kyle's Epi (for Epipen) superhero puppets.
He also loved ALL of Kyle's educational and entertaining songs - perfect for kids and educational for all. One of his songs made me realize that I do need to teach Little Guy more about not hiding any symptoms he might have. Basically, don't feel shy to speak up about food allergy reactions/symptoms!
One of the best parts of this event is to stop and remind your child that ALL of the kids at the event also have food allergies and are just like them. I'm guessing this is going to be more and more important if kids still have food allergies into their teenage years.
As if the event weren't awesome enough, we got all this wonderful "swag" too! I bought the Cup-a-Cake container and fold-able measuring cups for $3 each, but the rest was FREE. So cool.
All of these treats are definitely going to make my pre-schooler happy. And how do you make a mama happy?
Thanks to KFA for an awesome event yet again!! There's always time to donate if you haven't already.
PS - Like the Mamacado redesign? Hope so!! Still working on it slow and steady.
Yes, I love your new Mamacado redesign !


With live streaming, the drop was only 7% in prime time; unfavorable time difference, poor USA showing likely contributed.
NBC's viewership for the Winter Olympics dropped nearly 17% from the 2014 Sochi Games, although the total audience – including record streaming numbers – resulted in an overall prime time dip of 7%.
NBC announced Monday that the NBC-only audience in primetime had dripped to 17.8 million, down from 21.3 million in Sochi and far off the network's high for a Winter Olympics (31.9 million in Salt Lake in 2002). The average overall audience was 19.8 million, bolstered by NBC Sports Net and online viewership.
The Winter Games were a mixed bag for NBC, which again had to deal with an unfavorable time difference, as it did four years ago in Russia. The less-than-spectacular showing of Team USA likely was also a factor.
NBC still dominated in primetime, averaging about double the viewership in primetime of Fox, CBS and ABC programming over the 18 nights of coverage.
This was the first Olympics where NBC broadcast the same coverage – including live events – simultaneously across all time zones.
Ratings were down about 5% for the opening ceremony compared with Sochi, although up 5% for the broadcast of the closing ceremony on Sunday.
NBC Sports' digital coverage set new highs for a Winter Olympics with 2.17 billion total streaming minutes, 1.85 billion minutes of which was for live events.
Dan Lovinger, the executive vice president of sale for NBC Sports Group, said in January that the network had sold $900 million worth of ads, eclipsing the 2014 Winter Games by about $100 million.
Including Pyeongchang, NBC has $12.15 billion committed to broadcasting the Olympics – both Summer and Winter – through 2032.


My brother and I spent a recent weekend house hunting with my parents. We had fun poking our noses into other people's homes, making up stories about their lives, and swapping design ideas. My little nephew especially, has enjoyed the whole exercise. We've all loved listening to his suggestions as to where Mah-mah and Yeh-yeh should live.
We've seen some lovely places and some not-so-nice ones. But most have one thing in common – the maid's room is invariably hidden in the back somewhere, next to the kitchen, by the laundry area. These are usually tiny spaces, dark and poorly ventilated. Luckier maids get the entire area to themselves. But in many cases, the rooms also serve as storage space. The maids sleep among old books and tennis shoes and boxes of goodness-knows-what and toys and broken electrical appliances, and other useless stuff too good to throw away.
My nephew stared into the darkness that was her sleeping quarters, looked up and went, "Waaaa." Even he was appalled.
Why do we do this to other human beings?
Yes, we live on a tiny island. Yes, land is scarce. Yes, maids are here to work, not have a holiday. Yes, yes, yes. But shouldn't we treat the people who take care of our homes, cook our meals and look after our kids, a little better? There's nothing wrong with having a room at the back. But there's something sad in the fact that the only space most maids have at the end of a hard day's work, is an area reserved for the family's junk.
If that sounds a little silly and sentimental, then how about this bit of common sense – surely, a maid is more productive, more alert and better able to do her job if she gets a good night's rest?


text:
Time Out! Podcast
mk.co.ke
Blog / Sports
Henry Rono's 81 day world record breaking streak
January 14, 2021 December 10, 2020 by Michael Kwambo
Philip Boit: Kenya's first winter Olympian
January 7, 2021 January 9, 2021 by Michael Kwambo
David "DK" Kamau
December 31, 2020 December 10, 2020 by Michael Kwambo
Sport and Protests
Supporting Ingwe…Keeping Tabs Of K'Ogalo
When Paul Ereng surprised the world
Trailblazing Kenyan female athletes 1966- 2000
When Eldoret KCC shredded the Leopard
Blog / Marketing & Communications / Sports
Kenya: It's time we standardized our national sporting colors
The day the beer went flat
Posted on : December 10, 2020 By Michael Kwambo
Blog Sports
In 1994, Kenya Breweries FC, later renamed Tusker FC were just 90 minutes away from emulating the Gor Mahia class of 1987 in lifting the Africa Cup Winners Cup.
This did not happen.
The Brewers had played to a priceless 2-2 away draw against hosts DC Motema Pembe in the first leg of the final played at Kinshasa's Stade des Martyrs on 27 November 1994.
Patrick Nachok's 5th minute opener gave the Brewers an unlikely lead before the hosts responded through a 16th minute goal from Monka Ngalama and Buawi's 45th effort that gave them a 2-1 lead at the interval. Henry Motego would level matters for Breweries ten minutes into the second half, the scores remaining 2-2 until full time, giving Breweries the advantage by virtue of scoring two away goals.
Everybody expected the return match in Nairobi to be a walkover for the brewers but Motema Pembe had other ideas, stunning the home side 3-0 at the Nyayo National Stadium on 10 December 1994 to claim the title 5-2 on aggregate.
It was an almighty capitulation from the brewers in their best run on the continental scene since reaching the semifinals of the 1973 Africa Cup of Champion Clubs where they fell 4-1 on aggregate to Ghana's Asante Kotoko.
Kenya Breweries path to the 1994 Africa Cup Winners Cup Final saw them defeat Mozambique's Ferroviario de Beira 5-1 on aggregate, winning the first leg 2-0 in Nairobi before posting a 3-1 away win. They would then benefit from a second round walkover following the withdrawal of Rwanda's Rayon Sport due to the Rwandese genocide.
Re-Union's Stade Tamponnaise lay in wait in the quarters, Breweries winning the first leg in Nairobi 1-0 before playing out a 1-1 draw in the return fixture to claim a 2-1 aggregate win.
They would face Gabon's Mbilinga in the semis, drawing 1-1 in Libreville before cruising to a 3-0 win in Nairobi to reach the final courtesy of a 4-1 aggregate win.
The events at Nyayo on that day in December 1994 were an anticlimactic end to what had been a sizzling campaign for the beer brewers from Ruaraka.
How beneficial is media training for athletes?
To Appreciate Our Sport, Let Us Appreciate It's Past
Michael Kwambo	Author
+254722757299 | michaelkwambo@gmail.com
The Mashemeji Derby: An Integral Part Of Kenyan Sports History
Time Out! Ep 1
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It's August 2015, an arduous uphill climb since the heady days of the tumultuous financial malaise of September 2008, yet collectively both developed and emerging markets have persevered and somewhat prevailed despite incessant headwinds since the last financial crash.
Today, the plummeting markets from trading floors in China to the U.S. sound the much larger alarm of a global financial rout of the pedigree experienced in 2008. Despite no implicit dangers such as toxic real-estate assets that paved the way to 2008, a much more intricate web of inter-dependancies are in operation, highlighting the increasingly interwoven dynamics of todays Global economy.
Compounding this, volatility is also at an all time high since 2008, rising north of 40 points on the VIX index. Today's global capital market pummelling is clearly a function of several factors which are different in nature from the domino effect caused by the US housing crises of 2008.
China in various shapes and forms is a predominant driver. By many estimates, economic growth within mainland China is stalling for 2015 with estimates varying within the 2–7% of GDP range. International brands and multinationals have increasing commercial dependance on the Chinese market. The rising demand and growth across consumer sectors for Luxury, Technology & Automotive products implies that sales of international brands (e.g. Apple, BMW, Tesla, Prada) will correspond with the internal Chinese economic momentum. The recent slow-down of growth in China, compounded by internal equity market crashes, yuan currency devalutation and the rise of internal substitutes (e.g. Xiaomi vs. Apple), highlights the fact that many Chinese economic fundamentals are having a tangible effect on the global economy. Turbulence in China is felt globally.
The Luxury sector in particular is demonstrating double-digit revenue and sales contributions from the Chinese consumer demand for high-end goods and increasing conspicuous consumption.
A less tangible function is the impact of consumer confidence and psychology which is often emphasised by behavioural economist and Nobel Laureate Prof. Robert Shiller which highlights the fact that human emotions and "animal spirits" impact capital markets in the form of fear or greed (depending on the bull/bear nature of the current cycle). Recent international market dips are therefore also largely a function of dormant concerns which become a catalyst for the panic selling which trigger sudden routs. The guidance from many fund managers is that panic is not a strategy. Simply stay calm, think long-term.
Finally, after the key driver of market interdependence (particularly China plus emerging markets), coupled with human emotions contributing to the global economic trajectory, we are now living in a real-time, data-driven global economy where 60% of the worlds population is connected to the internet (approx. 3 billion). The implications of this ever-growing "digital" population is giving rise to innovation which increases financial market speed, access, accuracy and therefore volatality. As financial technology instruments based on indexing as opposed to traditional hedge funds (which is an example of automated vs. manual trading), or algorithmic trading (which gave rise to the flash crash) and even decentralised currency (such as Bitcoin) proliferate, the cyclicality of global economies will intensify. However more than ever, we live in an era with more opportunity than previous generations to negate busts and enhance booms via this intricate web of global markets, emotions and technology.
As the late Steve Jobs would advise, we must "Stay Hungry, Stay Foolish" while staying calm and thinking long-term despite the increasing volatility of an intricate interdependent global context.


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A newly launched campaign, backed by social landlords, is seeking to challenge the commonly-held belief that all social housing tenants are 'benefit scroungers' who are exploiting the benefits system.
The campaign 'Benefit to Society' hopes to correct these misconceptions. Representatives from the campaign recently visited Parliament to seek MP's support and backing.
It comes after a national survey revealed that 90% of social housing tenants believe they are portrayed in a negative way in the British media.
The campaign is backed by social landlord Aspire Housing, which manages around 9,000 properties in Staffordshire and Cheshire, who say the negative portrayal of social housing tenants "must change".
Chief executive of Aspire Housing Sinéad Butters told the Stoke Sentinel: "Untrue and unfair stereotypes of social housing tenants are all too often heard, in our media, in our sector and unfortunately, still, in our businesses. This must change.
"Social housing gives people an affordable home and for many, the start they need to shape their life.
Around 17% of housing in the UK is occupied by social housing tenants, who are routinely and inaccurately portrayed in the media as cheats and scroungers.
Research by Professor Anne Power of the London School of Economics found that a reduction in social housing, from around 30% to around 17%, has resulting in a hardening of public attitudes toward social renters.
However, social housing has been often shown to be of a higher standard than homes in the private rented sector and provide tenants with the long-term security they desperately need.
Contrary to popular opinion, the vast majority of social housing tenants are not drug addicts and do not cause problems for their neighbours.
70-year-old Linda Mountford lives in an apartment in Clayton and says social housing provides people with high quality homes.
"I think the negative view comes from the old days of 'council houses', and the media showing programmes like Benefit Street, which are very negative", she told the Stoke Sentinel.
Debra Berry, head of housing at Aspire Housing, said: "We work very closely with our tenants and see daily the stereotypes that misrepresent them.
"We're delighted to be a sponsor of the Benefit to Society campaign, to raise awareness of the great stories behind social housing tenants and leave the negative press behind.


Imperial Topaz is a variety of Topaz that has a stunning color, amazing properties and a feature that impresses people who love gemstones. This variety of Topaz is one of the twelve breastplate stones of the High Priest referred to in the Book of Exodus. The breastplate stones are considered sacred to twelve mighty angels who guard the gates to Paradise. An interesting fact associated with Imperial Topaz Gemstone Beads is that it mainly considered as the stone which strengthens state of mind and generates a stress free aura around the wearer. Imperial gemstone involves the composition of aluminum silicate which is mainly available in areas with high temperature. Its hardness of Mohs scale measures to 8. Normally it is extracted in all corners of world but the main areas of its extraction are Brazil and South America. It is considered as the birth stone of Sagittarius zodiac. Imperial Topaz is also considered as the stone of good fortune and brings huge wealth to the user. It is believed that the rays of Imperial Topaz relishes the users and supports the user with appropriate suggestions through some person in form of his teacher and mentors. It also develops the ability of recognizing personal efficiencies and accepts weaknesses without any hesitation. Ratna Sagar Jewels is the best place to get the Imperial Topaz gemstone beads in variety of shapes and for affordable prices.
Natural Imperial Topaz Gemstone Beads possess property of Transparent, natural veins and are available in lustrous golden orange yellow and pink colour with micro cut, Flat Pear Shape.
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Classified is using Similar Worlds.
Who wants me to add a view on their profile?
Are they really giving people with VIP access to all our private albums?
How do you let someone know you're ignoring their post?
Would you stop burning through my mutes so quickly?
Is it possible to have spelling errors removed from a group's title?


I several times now had the issue that when I connected to my DisplayLink with my Ubuntu 16.04 that the external screen started flickering. Usually this got "resolved" (restarting is no sulution ;-) ) by restarting the machine.
Since the latest Ubuntu updates however this problem seems to persist. I tried with some different cables and of course I tried restart, but as soon the DisplayLink is attached, the external monitor fllickers.
Happy if someone can have a look at the logs and eventually can help me with this issue.
Lots of problem on my side with mouse pointer flickering/disappearing on some screen areas on Mint 19 (based on Ubuntu 18.04). Restarting doesn't change things much.
All times are GMT. The time now is 03:55 PM.


We had this around the 9 mth mark too and seemed to go on forever! I dont have any magic ideas but friends of mine have used the amber beads and swear by them. We used calgel which u can get up north and found it very gud.. Dose of calpol or nurofen and just cuddles. Hope it passes soon for u and baba!
Thank you was thinking of trying the amber beads, am just going to order them tonight. Might get my mum to bring some calgel with her from the UK to try too. I'll try everything horrible to see them in pain!
I have a 2.5 year old lb that had the full set of teeth by 13months....was teething at 8 weeks so badly I had to take him to the dr I didn't have a clue what was wrong with him...fast forward to his 13 week old sister suffering badly too...dr prescribed paracetamol 80 mg suppositries twice a day topped up with a Nurofen suppositry when she is hysterically crying. She also has silent reflux so alot of gels and granules aggravate that. Have found one ( miracle according to my husband) gel ....benevit gel from molloys pharmacy...got it free in a goody bag and have reordered 4 times since. Not related to them!!! Just a big fan. Couldn't recommend it enough. The only one my little girl gets any relief from with no effect on the silent reflux. Could be worth a try for 4.99.


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Q: HMACSHA512 in Spring OAuth2 doesn't work can you help me with my code? I am trying to implement OAuth2 in Spring Security for jwt authentication on my website. I have implemented AuthorizationServerConfig and ResourceServerConfig, and some SecurityConfig where I have declared beans. One of the beans is access token converter.
Here is my implementation:
@Bean
@Primary
public JwtAccessTokenConverter accessTokenConverter() {
    JwtAccessTokenConverter jwtAccessTokenConverter = new JwtAccessTokenConverter();
    jwtAccessTokenConverter.setSigner(new MacSigner("HMACSHA512", new SecretKeySpec("secret_password".getBytes(), "HMACSHA512")));
    return jwtAccessTokenConverter;
}

Token is generated but when I try call some api with this token I got this error in postman:
{
    "error": "invalid_token",
    "error_description": "Cannot convert access token to JSON"
}

When I replace this line:
jwtAccessTokenConverter.setSigner(new MacSigner("HMACSHA512", new SecretKeySpec("secret_password".getBytes(), "HMACSHA512")));

with this line:
jwtAccessTokenConverter.setSigningKey("secret_password");

Token generation and also authorization works as well. But it use default HS256. Can you tell me how to fix my code to work it with HS512? Thanks.

A: to make your algo change to 512
you need to set both server / resource JwtAccessTokenConverter setVerifier to the same as what setSigner do, e.g:
jwtAccessTokenConverter.setVerifier(MacSigner("HMACSHA512", SecretKeySpec("secret_password".toByteArray(), "HMACSHA512")))

remember: IS BOTH need to set

A: We can implement HMACSHA_512 algorithm by adding java-jwt dependency.
Maven Dependency
<dependency>
<groupid>com.auth0</groupid>
<artifactId>java-jwt</artifactId>
<version>3.8.0</version>
</dependency>

Gradle Dependency
implementation 'com.auth0:java-jwt:3.8.0'

Generate JWT token
Step 1: Build header information
Map<String, Object> map = new HashMap<String, Object>();
map.put("alg", "HS512");
map.put("typ", "JWT");

Step 2: Construct key information
Algorithm algorithm = Algorithm.HMAC256("secret");  //secret key

Step 3: We generate jwt token by defining registration and custom declaration and combining header and key information
String token = JWT.create()
.withHeader(map)// Setting Header information
.withIssuer("SERVICE")//Setting load signatures is who generates, for example, servers
.withSubject("this is test token")//Setting the theme of load signature
// .withNotBefore(new Date()) / / set the load definition before any time, and the jwt is not available.
.withAudience("APP")//Audiences who set payload signatures can also understand who accepts signatures
.withIssuedAt(nowDate) //Set the time when the payload generates the signature
.withExpiresAt(expireDate)//Setting the expiration time of load signature
.sign(algorithm);//Signature

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


LAWRENCE, MA — Homes in three towns north of Boston went up in flames on Thursday, consumed by more than 60 suspected gas fires.
One house exploded, sending the chimney flying. It crashed into a nearby car, fatally wounding a teenager who was inside. Leonel Rondon, 18, and two of his friends were in the car when the debris struck, his family told CNN affiliate WHDH. He later died in the hospital, authorities said.
In Lawrence, Massachusetts, a boiler inside Ra Nam's house caught fire, he told CNN affiliate WCVB.
Minutes later, he said he heard a loud booming sound from his neighbor's house. Three people rushed out.
About 25 people, including two firefighters, were wounded, officials said.
The blazes left 8,000 people unable to go home on Thursday. A middle school in North Andover and a senior center in Andover were set up for evacuees, according to the state police.
Schools will be closed Friday in Lawrence and Andove. All state offices in all three towns will be also closed, and nonemergency employees have been asked to stay home.
Information about the full extent of the damage was not immediately available Thursday evening, and authorities cautioned that it was "far too early to speculate" on the cause of the explosions.
Earlier on Thursday, before the fires broke out, the utility company that services the area announced it would be upgrading natural gas lines in neighborhoods across the state.
"We are not sure that's going to be anytime soon. Make plans for at least between now and this time tomorrow," Rivera said early on Friday.
Gas technicians and first responders were going door-to-door reviewing thousands of homes in Lawrence, Andover and North Andover and shutting down gas mains as residents wait in shelters.
Officials were also shutting down power in the three towns, state police said on Thursday evening. About 18,000 customers were without power.
In a statement released Thursday night, Columbia Gas said only that crews were responding to multiple fires in the area.
"The first priority for our crews at the scene is to ensure the safety of our customers and the community by supporting first responders and completing safety checks on our system and in the surrounding area," the utility company said in the statement.
Gas service had been interrupted for 250 customers in Lawrence last month due to a "hit line by a third party," according to Columbia Gas.


A study of analyst recommendations at the major brokerages shows that Kirkland's Inc is the #58 broker analyst pick among those stocks screened by The Online Investor for strong stock buyback activity. To make that list, a stock must have repurchased at least 5% of its outstanding shares over the trailing twelve month period.
NASHVILLE, Tenn., March 1, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Kirkland's, Inc.
Among the underlying components of the Russell 3000 index, we saw noteworthy options trading volume today in Kirkland's Inc , where a total of 582 contracts have traded so far, representing approximately 58,200 underlying shares. That amounts to about 68.4% of KIRK's average daily trading volume over the past month of 85,070 shares.
A study of analyst recommendations at the major brokerages shows that Kirkland's Inc is the #6 broker analyst pick among those stocks screened by The Online Investor for strong stock buyback activity. To make that list, a stock must have repurchased at least 5% of its outstanding shares over the trailing twelve month period.
A study of analyst recommendations at the major brokerages shows that Kirkland's Inc is the #4 broker analyst pick among those stocks screened by The Online Investor for strong stock buyback activity. To make that list, a stock must have repurchased at least 5% of its outstanding shares over the trailing twelve month period.
A study of analyst recommendations at the major brokerages shows that Kirkland's Inc is the #14 broker analyst pick among those stocks screened by The Online Investor for strong stock buyback activity. To make that list, a stock must have repurchased at least 5% of its outstanding shares over the trailing twelve month period.
A study of analyst recommendations at the major brokerages shows that Kirkland's Inc is the #21 broker analyst pick among those stocks screened by The Online Investor for strong stock buyback activity. To make that list, a stock must have repurchased at least 5% of its outstanding shares over the trailing twelve month period.
The economic calendar will make investors work for their Thanksgiving dinner in the coming week with a glut of data crammed into Wednesday's session.
An analysis of charts for Kirkland's, Tile Shop and Royal Caribbean fails to find a lot of further downside -- and even upside in the latter cases.
Trump and his family appeared on '60 Minutes' on Sunday evening in his first televised appearance since Tuesday's election.
The holiday shopping season almost always determines the retail sector's big winners. But investors can also profit by shorting companies who come up short this time of year.
Holiday shopping opinions vary, but a national survey commissioned by Kirkland's shows more than half of female shoppers say they love to go holiday shopping and can't wait for the holiday rush.
The Federal Reserve will again take focus in the coming week as central bank officials convene at Jackson Hole, Wyo., for the Monetary Policy Symposium.
Will Kirkland's Continue Gaining From Sales-Driving Efforts?


Kara Garrett joined the staff of CSMA in February 2012 as the Director of Mobilization. Kara works to facilitate enlistment services, train volunteers, and provide project management. She also initiates, maintains, and grows the relations of CSMA volunteers and ministry partners. In the role, Kara, is the first CSMA contact for current and potential volunteers.
Kara is a Nationally Certified Athletic Trainer (ATC) by the National Athletic Trainers' Association Board of Certification (NATABOC) and is a Licensed Athletic Trainer (LAT) in the State of Texas. She has a Master of Education in Health and Kinesiology from the University of Texas at Tyler, a Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology from East Central University in Ada, OK, and an Associates of Science in Allied Health from Carl Albert State College. Kara has sports medicine experience in high school, collegiate, and community athletics. She is currently an Outreach Athletic Trainer for Heritage Park Surgical Hospital in Sherman, TX.


text:
Transparency Series: Virtual Reality
By : mkrisch November 4, 2016 September 11, 2017
The next Transparency Series event is on the use of Virtual Reality (VR) in journalism. With the recent explosion of VR – specifically 360-degree video– journalistic outlets are hungry for quality documentary content for immersive platforms. While immersive media experiences have become increasingly prevalent in the gaming and entertainment industries, we are only beginning to explore them within the context of documentary photography and journalism. How can media makers use immersion as a tool to engage communities and forward social change? How does immersing your viewer in content change the nature of the story you are telling? And how does this mode of experiencing a story change how journalists approach the planning, creation, and distribution of stories?
As usual, this event is broken into two parts.
The first part, on Friday November 18 at 5pm, is a talk by Raney Aronson-Rath. Aronson-Rath leads FRONTLINE, PBS' flagship investigative journalism series. She has been internationally recognized for her work to expand FRONTLINE's reporting capacity, reimagine the documentary form across multiple platforms, and report and tell stories that matter in new, creative ways. She has overseen the production of several VR documentaries including "Return to Chernobyl," "On the Brink of Famine," and "Ebola Outbreak."
The second part, on Saturday November 19, is a day-long, hands-on workshop led by Marcelle Hopkins, the Executive Producer for 360 News at The New York Times, and Matt MacVey from the CUNY Graduate School of Journalism. The VR workshop will take students who have little to no background in virtual reality and introduce them to the fundamentals of working in the medium. The workshop will start with a screening of VR films and quickly move outdoors to film. As with all the events in the Transparency Series, this will be a mix of theory and practice.
Registration for the hands-on workshop will at 5pm November 4. The sign-up form will be posted at http://brwn.co/tx. Below are the bios for our presenters. This should be a great event!
Raney Aronson-Rath leads FRONTLINE, PBS' flagship investigative journalism series. She has been internationally recognized for her work to expand FRONTLINE's reporting capacity, reimagine the documentary form across multiple platforms, and report and tell stories that matter in new, creative ways. Under Aronson-Rath's leadership, FRONTLINE has won every major award in broadcast journalism, earned new funding to expand its investigative capacity and dramatically expanded its digital footprint. Under Aronson-Rath, FRONTLINE has produced several groundbreaking documentaries in VR — "Return to Chernobyl," "On the Brink of Famine," and "Ebola Outbreak" — and they will expand their exploration of virtual reality in journalism with a large grant from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. Prior to FRONTLINE, Aronson-Rath worked at ABC News, The Wall Street Journal, and MSNBC. She earned her bachelor's degree in South Asian studies and history from the University of Wisconsin, and received her master's from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
Marcelle Hopkins is the Executive Producer for 360 News at The New York Times. Before joining The Times, she produced and directed virtual reality documentaries for FRONTLINE and Emblematic Group. In the past two years, she has received a reporting fellowship from the International Women's Media Foundation, a Magic Grant from the Brown Institute for Media Innovation, a Ford Foundation JustFilms fellowship at the Made in NY Media Center by IFP, and a United Nations Correspondents Association award. She spent seven years at Al Jazeera's UN bureau, where she produced TV news packages, interviews, features and documentaries.
Matt MacVey is developing immersive journalism curriculum and workshops at the CUNY Graduate School of Journalism. Matt wrote a report about immersive media for the NYC Media Lab and worked on interactive stories in the exhibitions department at the American Museum of Natural History.
Posted in Recaps
Brown Brings Journalism Collaboration to MozFest
Visual Relationship Detection with Language Priors


Just a few of our tidbits!
Once you set up your MyCheekyDate, you will receive an email confirmation with details and questions to help them better find your "Date Mate". The more information you give, the better they can match: you can indulge details via email, phone or an in-person chat. While you're waiting for your first match (you'll have the opportunity to meet and connect with six singles total, each Date-Night addressed with the same careful procedures), prepare to look and feel your best. Highlight your features and find the looks that suit you with a makeover and stylist session with MyCheekyDate's experts.
If at any point in the process you have a question -- about an outfit, dinner conversation, hair style, whether or not to bring flowers, who's going to pay -- go ahead and give MyCheekyDate a call and they'll be happy to help you weigh all your options.
Like cupid with his bow and arrow, the owner of a two-year-old speed-dating company hopes to hit a bull's-eye with a British approach to introducing singles in the Glendale area. Anoush, owner of Beverly Hills-based MyCheekyDate, introduced her unique first-date experience to Glendale on Tuesday night at Katsuya in the Americana at Brand. Lauren started the business in London, where she was born and raised.
"When I moved here two years ago, I hired all English girls to help me," she said. "I wanted to bring the English, fun version of speed dating here. I wanted to make it more like a chic party or get-together." What makes her quick singles event different from the others, she said, is there are no bells or whistles abruptly signaling people to move to the next prospective mate. The hostesses go around and tap them on the shoulder to casually coax them to move along. "We're not taking it so seriously," Anoush said.
Thirty-six people attended the event. To help break the ice, Anoush said, sample questions were on cards on the tables. A few examples: "If you were president, what would you do first, and what power would you most want to abuse?"; "What is the best way to end a bad first or blind date?" and "What's your idea of the perfect marriage proposal?" The most popular range age group that participates is 21 to 35. Following Tuesday's introduction to the Glendale area, Lauren hopes to make the Jewel City a regular stop for the event, as well as Burbank, Pasadena, Hollywood and Marina del Rey. Before Tuesday, the quick-date events were only in the Los Angeles and San Diego areas.
"You're Lauren," he interrupted. "Born in Nebraska, raised in Seattle, and Singin' in the Rain is your favorite movie. I was just your chaperone on six dates. No introduction necessary!" I laughed, thanked him, and said good night. Back inside the hotel, a few daters lingered, making plans for the rest of the evening. Some gathered on the deck of the hotel's Boka Bar for drinks and late-night snacks, while others planned to finish the night guilty-pleasure style with Diet Cokes and Big Macs at McDonald's.
Less than 10 weeks after the introduction of legal recreational marijuana sales in Colorado and we already have a speed dating event for people who partake.
SpeedDenver had posted a 420-friendly event in February that was rescheduled because of weather — for 8 p.m. April 8 at Vinue (the cost is $42). It might be perfect timing for a 4/20 connection. "We posted it in the first place because we got requests," said Allman. "We've been hosting events across the country for seven years. We're a bit on the cheeky side. We don't offer specialized events all that often, but we got so many requests for a pot-friendly event in Colorado that we thought it would be a fun thing to do. It'll be interesting to see what kind of crowd comes in." MyCheekyDate's events are known for being casual, chic and informal, according to user reviews. And perhaps most importantly, the company will have an even number of men and woman at the 420-friendly event — regardless of pot's patriarchal stereotype.
"We've already had a great response," said Allman. "Usually our events are 15-20 guys, 15-20 girls. We don't like to do much more than that, because it can be overwhelming to meet so many people over the same night. If this one is successful, we could do one a month, especially in the warmer months. "I'm surprised at the female response. I thought (there would be more men than women interested), but right now the female response is higher than the male response. Women are more shy to ask than men, and that's likely why." What kind of reaction is Allman's company hearing exactly?
MyCheekyDate offers stylish dating services in a cosmopolitan setting. Whether you are craving an exciting night out, dipping your toes back into the dating pool or are simply new to the city and looking to meet other singles, MyCheekyDate Dating has you covered. During the event, relish six to eight minutes per date in which you flirt, chat and get to know the intriguing person sitting across from you. Saunter up to the bar for a drink and feel free to mingle as long as you like. If you find a compelling companion, jot his or her name on your 'Date Mate' scorecard and MyCheekyDate will exchange your information within 24 hours, taking all the pressure of your shoulders. Sip cocktails as you socialize with your beau to be.
The event was held at the Avalon Hotel in Beverly Hills, and all of the daters there had come dressed to impress. Although the Drive N' Date was a one-time event, I learned a lot about the speed dating process that night.
This explains the benefits for men, but why is speed dating as popular with females as Ladies Night at the club?
One reason is that women tend to go to these events in groups. They are there to look for dates, but also they see it as a fun girls' night out, which makes sense. MyCheekyDate hosts their events at chic locations, everyone at the event is dressed to the nines, and the food and liquor available are top-notch.
"Why go to a club and wade through a sea of creeps, when you can go speed dating and meet single, like-minded people in a relaxed environment?" advertising executive Janet* said.


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The only English on the sign above the door said, Abeth Xiu: Universal Finery. The Mandarin below was more expressive: custom clothing for any personal style. In the lighted window, yards of pearlescent fabric the color of eggshell draped gracefully off of one impossibly tall and thin mannequin. Beside it, its grotesquely bulky counterpart stood enshrouded in midnight purple velvet scattered with crystals. An old-fashioned display in one corner of the window gave exchange rates for euros, yen, reals, and rands. A note below apologized in three languages that neither lunar or arean currency could not be accepted at this time.
"I can't eat something nice to wear," I hissed back.
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text:
Мигель Анхель Сано Хеан (; 11 мая 1993, Сан-Педро-де-Макорис) — доминиканский бейсболист, игрок первой и третьей баз клуба Главной лиги бейсбола «Миннесота Твинс». Участник Матча всех звёзд лиги 2017 года.

Биография

Ранние годы и начало карьеры
Мигель Сано родился 11 мая 1993 года в городе Сан-Педро-де-Макорис, центре одноимённой провинции. Его биологический отец, ушедший из семьи, носил фамилию Апонте. Мать Мелания Хеан, гаитянка по происхождению, позднее начала встречаться с мужчиной по фамилии Сано, которая закрепилась и за её сыном. В 2009 году он в статусе международного свободного агента подписал контракт с клубом «Миннесота Твинс», получив бонус в размере 3,15 млн долларов. Эта сумма стала рекордной для позиционного игрока из стран Латинской Америки за исключением Кубы. Интерес к нему проявлял и клуб «Питтсбург Пайрэтс». Заключению соглашения предшествовало трёхмесячное расследование Главной лиги бейсбола, целью которого было установление возраста Сано. Высказывались предположения о том, что он был занижен, так как игроки старше 16-ти лет, как правило, при подписании контракта получали меньшие деньги. В ходе расследования были проведены экспертиза ДНК и измерение плотности костей. Этот процесс был детально описан в документальном фильме Ballplayer: Pelotero и книге The Eastern Stars. Рабочую визу Сано получил в декабре 2009 года.

Профессиональная карьера
После дебютного сезона в профессиональном бейсболе, который Сано провёл в составах фарм-клубов «Твинс» в Доминиканской лиге и Лиге Галф-Кост, обозреватель издания Bleacher Report Мэтт Буш включил его в число игроков возможного стартового состава клуба через три года. В 2011 году в играх за «Элизабеттон Твинс» Сано отбивал с эффективностью 29,2 %, выбив 20 хоум-ранов. По ходу чемпионата тренерский штаб команды перевёл его с позиции шортстопа на третью базу. Сезон 2012 года он провёл в Лиге Среднего Запада в составе команды «Белойт Снэпперс», где отбивал с показателем 25,8 %, выбил 28 хоум-ранов и набрал 100 RBI. После его окончания Сано занял девятое место в рейтинге лучших молодых игроков по версии журнала Baseball America.

В сезоне 2013 года Сано суммарно провёл 123 игры в составах «Форт-Майерс Миракл» и «Нью-Бритен Рок Кэтс», выбив 35 хоум-ранов. После окончания чемпионата он перенёс операцию по восстановлению связок правого локтя, редкую для игрока его амплуа. Весь следующий сезон он был вынужден пропустить из-за реабилитации. В декабре 2014 года от порока сердца через неделю после рождения умерла его первая дочь Анхелика. В 2015 году он вернулся на поле в составе команды AA-лиги «Чаттануга Лукаутс». В 66 проведённых играх Сано отбивал с показателем 27,4 %, выбив 15 хоум-ранов и набрав 48 RBI. В июле он впервые был вызван в основной состав «Миннесоты» и дебютировал в Главной лиге бейсбола. До конца чемпионата Сано сыграл за «Твинс» в 80 матчах, выбив 18 хоум-ранов и набрав 52 RBI. В 2016 году его атакующая эффективность снизилась. Показатель OPS сократился с 91,6 % до 78,1 %. Главный тренер команды Пол Молитор связал это с психологическими проблемами.

В регулярном чемпионате 2017 года Сано сыграл 111 матчей, в которых отбивал с показателем 26,7 % и выбил 28 хоум-ранов. Его показатель OPS 87,0 % стал лучшим в команде. Летом он впервые в карьере принял участие в Матче всех звёзд лиги. Во второй части сезона Сано пропустил 38 игр из-за стрессового перелома ноги. В состав он вернулся в конце сентября, перед играми плей-офф. В декабре лига начала расследование в отношении игрока, поводом стало заявление Бетси Биссен, работавшей фотографом на одном из командных мероприятий в 2015 году, о сексуальных домогательствах. В марте 2018 года было объявлено, что оснований для дисквалификации Сано нет.

Сезон 2018 года сложился для Сано неудачно. Часть игр он пропустил из-за травмы колена, по ходу чемпионата руководство клуба переводило его в фарм-команды. Всего за «Твинс» он сыграл 71 матч, отбивая с эффективностью 19,9 %. В 2019 году он вернулся на прежний уровень. В регулярном чемпионате он выбил 34 хоум-рана, внеся значительный вклад в командный рекорд по их общему количеству за сезон. В январе 2020 года Сано продлил контракт с клубом на три года, сумма соглашения составила 30 млн долларов. В сокращённом из-за пандемии COVID-19 чемпионате 2020 года он сыграл 53 матча с показателем отбивания 20,4 %. Доля получаемых им страйкаутов выросла до 43,9 %, по их общему числу Сано стал худшим игроком Американской лиги. В начале следующего сезона обозреватель газеты Star Tribune Патрик Ройс назвал его символом провальной стратегии игры команды на бите, ориентированной на большое количество хоум-ранов. Неудачно начав чемпионат 2021 года, Сано провёл рекордные для себя 132 матча и выбил 30 хоум-ранов, но его показатель OPS 77,1 % был заметно ниже уровней 2017 и 2019 годов.

Примечания

Ссылки

Бейсболисты Доминиканской Республики
Игроки «Миннесота Твинс»

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


03:30 AM – We will personally pick you up from your hotel in Miraflores to transfer you to the Cruz del Sur bus terminal.
04:00 AM – Shared comfortable bus from Lima – Paracas (approximately a 3.5-hour trip).
07:30 AM – Approximate arrival to Paracas and free time on your own account until the hour of our tour.
08:00 AM – We will head to the pier to take a boat with an outboard motor towards the Ballestas Islands – some of the most important islands of the Peruvian coast; we will circle the islands, being able to see sea lions, birds, wolves, pelicans, penguins, and other marine birds. Likewise, we will be able to see the Chandelier (Candelabro in Spanish) – a giant figure engraved in the sand. We will then return to Paracas to continue our visit to the National Reserve; in this protected area, we will have the opportunity to appreciate on the shore large groups of what are called pariguana flamingos. According to some historians, the colors of this beautiful bird inspired the liberator, San Martin (the man who brought independence to Perú), to create Perú's red and white flag. We will visit the site museum of Julio C. Tello where we will receive information on the antique man, Paracas, who inhabited the reserve more than 2,000 years ago. Continuing our visit, we will head through the desert to observe the beautiful passage of the Peruvian coast and also take a small walk in order to appreciate the geological formations that were caused by the millennial wind and water erosion that molded this precious place. We will continue until arriving to the Lagunillas Beach where we will have a delicious lunch and enjoy the beauty of the ocean – then, we will return to Paracas to take the bus back to the city of Lima or continue our trip to Nasca.
Included: Transfer out, shared comfortable bus ticket from Lima – Paracas – Lima/Nasca, Tour to the Ballestas Islands / Visit to the National Reserve of Paracas (shared transport, tour guide, entrance fees, lunch).


It's no longer news that the relationship between Nollywood actress, Juliet Ibrahim and rapper, Iceberg Slim has hit the rocks.
But the ex lovers have been throwing subliminal at each other on social media. Last night, Iceberg shared a post that reads, 'when a toxic person can no longer control you, they'll try to control how others see you. The misinformation will feel unfair, but stay above it, trusting that other people will see the truth just like you did'.
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Juliet Ibrahim in her response today simply referred to Iceberg Slim as a narcissist and she went ballistic on her page enlightening her followers on the features of a narcissist.


I would like to begin this briefing by expressing my gratitude to the Government of the Syrian Arab Republic for the invitation to visit the country and for the openness and readiness with which it facilitated the meetings for my mission. I would also like to thank the office of the Resident Coordinator, the members of the UN country team and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights for their invaluable support.
During my visit, I had the honour of being received by Ministers, Deputy Ministers and senior officials of the ministries of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates, Economy and Foreign Trade, Local Administration and Environment, Social Affairs and Labour, Transport, Agriculture and Agrarian Reform, Electricity and Health. I also met with the leadership pf the Planning and International Cooperation Commission, the Central Bureau of Statistics, the Chamber of Commerce, and with the Governor of the Central Bank.
I was briefed by staff from civil society, humanitarian organizations and by independent experts. Last but not least, I am also grateful to the numerous diplomatic missions that shared their views with me during my visit. I very much appreciate the briefings I received from the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia in Beirut prior to my visit.
The purpose of this mission was to examine to what extent unilateral coercive measures targeting the Syrian Arab Republic impair the full realization of the rights set forth in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other international human rights instruments. I will present my full report to the Human Rights Council in September 2018. My present statement contains my preliminary observations on the outcome of my visit.
I have examined the situation of the Syrian Arab Republic as a target of unilateral coercive measures by a number of source States. I have examined relevant evidence and endeavoured to assess the actual impact of such measures on the Syrian people. One source country has applied unilateral coercive measures since 1979, and they were strengthened in subsequent years. A larger group of States began applying similar measures in 2011.
The collective measures call for a trade ban on the import and export of multiple goods and services. It also includes international financial transfers. The superimposition of different packages of collective sectoral measures, together with the across-the-board implementation of financial restrictions, are tantamount in their global impact to the imposition of comprehensive restrictions on Syria. Additional measures targeting individuals by virtue of their alleged relationship with the government have also been applied.
Because of their comprehensive nature, these measures have had a devastating impact on the entire economy and the daily lives of ordinary people. This impact has compounded their suffering resulting from the devastating crisis that has unfolded since 2011. Singling out the impact of the unilateral coercive measures from that of the crisis is fraught with difficulty, but this does in no way diminish the necessity to take measures to restore their basic human rights as a whole.
It is clear that the sufferings imposed by the unilateral coercive measures have reinforced those that were caused by the conflict. Indeed, it seems ironic that these measures applied by source States out of a concern for human rights are actually contributing to the worsening of the humanitarian crisis as an unintended consequence.
The Syrian economy continues to decline at an alarming rate. Since the application of coercive measures in 2011, and the beginning of the current crisis, the total annual GDP of Syria has fallen by two thirds. Foreign currency reserves have been depleted, and international financial and other assets remain frozen. In 2010, 45 Syrian Liras were exchanged for one dollar; by 2017 the rate fell to fell to 510 liras per dollar. Inflation has dramatically increased since 2010, reaching a peak of 82.4% in 2013; the cost of food items rose eight-fold during this time. This combination of factors visited further devastation on the living conditions of the population that were already degraded by the conflict. This has hit the half of working Syrians living on fixed salaries particularly hard.
This damage to the economy has had predictable effects on the ability of Syrians to realize their economic, social and cultural rights. Syria's human development indicators have all tumbled. There has been a staggering increase in the rate of poverty among ordinary Syrians. While there was no food insecurity prior to the outbreak of violence, by 2015 32% of Syrians were affected. At the same time unemployment rose went from 8.5% in 2010 to over 48% in 2015.
The most pervasive concerns I have heard during my mission relate to the negative effect that comprehensive financial restrictions have had on all aspects of Syrian life. Restrictions on the Central bank, state-owned and even private banks, and transactions in the main international currencies have comprehensively damaged the ability of anyone seeking to operate internationally.
Despite nominally including "humanitarian exemptions" they have proven to be costly, or extremely slow, to access in practice.
The uncertainty around what transactions do, or do not violate the unilateral coercive measures, have created a "chilling effect" on international banks and companies, which as a result are unwilling or unable to do business with Syria. This has prevented Syrian and international companies, non-governmental actors (including those operating in purely humanitarian fields), and Syrian citizens from engaging in international financial transactions (including for goods which are legal to import), obtaining credit, or for international actors to pay salaries or contractors in Syria.
This has forced Syrians to find alternatives, such as hawala, which result in millions of dollars flowing through high cost financial intermediaries, who are alleged at times to be owned by terrorist organizations. These channels which are not transparent, cannot be audited, and increase transaction costs remain the only avenue for smaller companies and Syrian civil society actors to operate internationally.
Syria practices universal, free health care for all its citizens. Prior to the current crisis, Syria enjoyed some of the highest levels of care in the region. The demands created by the crisis have overwhelmed the system, and created extraordinarily high levels of need. Despite this, restrictive measures, particularly those related to the banking system, have harmed the ability of Syria to purchase and pay for medicines, equipment, spare parts and software. While theoretical exemptions exist, in practice international private companies are unwilling to jump the hurdles necessary to ensure they can transact with Syria without being accused of inadvertently violating the restrictive measures.
While the security situation was a central factor which led to migration flows from Syria, it should be emphasized that the dramatic increase in unemployment, the lack of job opportunities, the closure of factories unable to obtain raw materials or machinery or to export their goods have all contributed to increasing the emigration of Syrians. Some receiving States have selected skilled migrants, while pressuring the less fortunate to return to Syria. This "brain drain" has harmed the medical and pharmaceutical industries in particular, at the worst possible time for Syria.
The anticipated end of the current conflict will not put an end to the flows of migrants, especially to Europe, in view of the saturation of neighbouring countries. These flows are likely to continue so long as the Syrian authorities are prevented by unilateral coercive measures from addressing the pressing problems related to their social and economic infrastructure, in particular the restoration of energy and water supplies.
The ban on the trade in equipment, machinery and spare parts has devastated Syrian industry. Vehicles, including ambulances and fire trucks, as well as agricultural machinery suffer from a lack of spare parts. Failing water pumps gravely affect the water supply and reduce agricultural production. Power generation plants are failing, and new plants cannot be purchased or maintained, leading to power outages. Complex machinery requiring international technicians for maintenance are failing, damaging medical devices and factory machinery. Civilian aircraft are no longer able to fly safely, and public transit buses are in woeful condition. Whatever rationale source countries may have for restricting so-called dual use goods, greater effort is needed to ensure that goods that are clearly intended for civilian use are permitted, and that they can be paid for.
As a result of unilateral coercive measures, Syrians are unable to purchase many technologies, including mobile phones and computers. The global dominance of American software companies, technology companies, and banking and financial software, all of which are banned, has made it difficult to find alternatives. This has paralyzed or disrupted large parts of Syrian institutions.
Shortages of inputs, energy and water supply as well as of teaching material causing delays in the rebuilding of schools have kept 1.8 million children without access to their classrooms.
The ability of Syrians to participate in the international community has been sharply affected. Syrians have been excluded from international educational exchange programs, and the tremendous difficulties involved in obtaining a visa have prevented many from studying or travelling abroad, upgrading their training and skills, or participating in international conferences. By removing consular services from Syria, countries have forced people including the poorest, to travel to neighbouring countries for such applications, which are also placing onerous restrictions on entry for Syrians.
I am profoundly concerned that unilateral coercive measures are contributing to the ongoing suffering of the Syrian people. Claims that they exist to protect the Syrian population, or to promote a democratic transition, are hard to reconcile with the economic and humanitarian sufferings being caused. The time has come to ask whether these unintended consequences are now more severe than can be reasonably accepted by democratic States. Whatever their political objectives, there must be more humane means by which these can be achieved in full compliance with international law.
In view of the complexity of the system of unilateral coercive measures in place, there needs to be a multi-stage approach to addressing the dire human rights situation prevailing in Syria. This would imply a sequenced approach involving addressing the crucial humanitarian needs of the population throughout the whole of Syria, without preconditions, when these touch on issues of life and death. A first stage could include addressing the urgent needs of the food insecure, which represent nearly one third of the population. The second stage is to translate at the ground level effective measures to fulfil the commitment of source States to meet their obligation to allow humanitarian exemptions, particularly for financial transactions. Finally, there must be a serious dialogue on reducing unilateral coercive measures, starting with those that have the most egregious effect on the population, along with those that will promote confidence building between the parties, with the ultimate aim of lifting the unilateral coercive measures. I hope that my report and my future work can contribute in this end.
1. More information on this prohibition can be found in the reports and resolutions on the website of the Special Rapporteur.


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