text:
Let's Talk About Tonight's Made-Up-Clickbait-Name Moon
Dennis Mersereau 5/25/2021 10:46:00 PM astronomy eclipse moon 3 Comments
Did you hear about the moon tonight? The moon is a wonderful sight every night, but sometimes it gives us a real treat. Tonight's moon has been dubbed—and I typed this in the most passive, judgmental way possible—the "Super Flower Blood Moon," which, to my great disappointment, is not the name of Elon Musk's second child, but rather some hyped-up amalgam news editors decided to use to lure people into clicking on posts they would otherwise scroll by.
Bloggers and news outlets have a strange relationship with astronomy. An interesting event can't just be a lunar eclipse or a noteworthy alignment of the planets. We have to come up with flashy names to sell the story to people who might not care.
One great example is last year's "Christmas Star." Remember that? Saturn and Jupiter passed very close to one another in our night sky late last December, appearing to the naked eye like a bright star suddenly appeared near the horizon.
The conjunction of the two planets quickly earned its nickname, and many popular news articles and social media pages illustrated the upcoming event with Christian-themed art that featured a prominent twinkling cross in the night sky. Many (many, many, many...) people came to expect a giant cross to appear in the sky as a result of this coverage, finding only disappointment when they saw a bright star on the southern horizon after sunset.
It's strange how things take on a life of their own. It's obvious why the polar vortex became a sensation in 2014—it froze a critical mass of America's journalists and it's a great term that hardly anyone had heard before. But the moon falls victim to this strange phenomenon more than anything else outside of our atmosphere through a combination of longstanding lore and a need for traffic.
That brings us to the "Super Flower Blood Moon," which should earn someone a marketing award. Whew.
Let's break down the name bit by painful bit:
The moon's orbit isn't perfectly centered on Earth. The moon is about 224,000 miles away from Earth at its closest point, called the perigee, and about 251,000 miles away at its farthest point, called the apogee.
Occasionally, the full moon will occur during perigee or apogee. A full moon during perigee is known as a "super moon" because it appears a little bit bigger in the sky compared to other full moons. (A full moon at apogee is a "micro moon.") The embiggening of a super moon is barely perceptible unless you're good at photography.
We've always had names for different full moons depending on the month or season. There's the Harvest Moon, the Wolf Moon, and the occasional Blue Moon when two full moons occur during the same month. A full moon during the month of May is called a Flower Moon, because flowers bloom in May. (Clever, right?)
Lunar eclipses are sometimes called "blood moons" due to the rusty red appearance of the moon's surface at the peak of a total lunar eclipse. Even though the moon is covered by Earth's shadow, light still passes through Earth's atmosphere and reaches the lunar surface. All the gasses and pollutants in our atmosphere scatter out the shorter wavelengths like blue and green, leaving only dark red light to escape our grasp and reach the moon.
The term's popularity is relatively new, and it's largely due to evangelical pastors (such as John Hagee) using the phrase in relation to their prophecies about the end times.
Because it's the moon.
If you're lucky enough to spot tonight's lunar eclipse—which is most visible in the Pacific region and the western half of the United States—please get out there early on Wednesday morning and enjoy the sight. It's really wonderful to catch a full lunar eclipse in all its glory. Astronomy is awesome. Our atmosphere is awesome. We don't need to gussy them up with ridiculous terms to get people interested in the skies above. (Speaking of which...I can't wait to share what I've been working on for the past five months!)
Correction: A commenter who's much smarter than I am pointed out I was wrong to say "the moon's orbit around Earth isn't perfectly circular." The Moon's orbit is not perfectly centered on Earth, accounting for the difference in distances between apogee and perigee. I corrected and apologize for making a mistake while mocking people who make mistakes.
[Top Image: Me (Not me me. Taken by me. I am not the moon.)]
Ana Forms Near Bermuda; Hurricane Season Starts Before June For Seventh Year In A Row
Dennis Mersereau 5/22/2021 12:17:00 PM ana hurricane season Leave a Reply
Subtropical Storm Ana formed north of Bermuda on Saturday morning, kicking off the 2021 Atlantic hurricane season more than a week before the season's "official" start date of June 1—again. This is the seventh Atlantic hurricane season in a row that began early. Ana will remain far out to sea, posing little more than a nuisance to shipping interests and a source for rough seas around Bermuda and parts of the U.S. East Coast.
A low-pressure system meandering in the western Atlantic Ocean took advantage of a brief window where conditions allowed the system to develop into a subtropical storm.
It's a cute li'l storm on satellite imagery today. The storm has a delightfully swirly appearance and even a clear eye-like feature right at the center of circulation. Ana is conspicuously devoid of much thunderstorm activity, which is common for subtropical storms.
Forecasters expect Subtropical Storm Ana to remain far from land and dissipate in a couple of days. The Bermuda Weather Service dropped their tropical storm watch this morning because the storm's winds should stay away from the island.
Rip currents are the only effect this storm will have on land. Some beaches in places like North Carolina are on high alert for these fast-moving currents that can pull swimmers out to sea. A rip current forms between waves that hit the beach head-on, forcing this water to drain away from the beach straight out rather than on an angle. Remember, if you're ever caught in a rip current, don't panic—rip currents pull you out, not under. Swim parallel to the shore until the current releases you, or tread water and calmly signal for help if possible.
Like most early-season systems, Ana didn't originate in the tropics and it's not a fully tropical cyclone. "Cyclone" is the catch-all term for any low-pressure system, regardless of strength or location. A subtropical cyclone is a low-pressure system that has some characteristics of both a tropical cyclone and an extratropical cyclone, or the common type of low-pressure system that brings us most of our active weather.
Subtropical storms aren't purely tropical because air temperatures aren't warm all throughout the system and they don't derive all of their energy from the ocean. Tropical cyclones are powered by thunderstorms around the center of the storm, while subtropical cyclones get at least some of their energy from upper-level winds. Despite their differences, subtropical cyclones are close enough to tropical cyclones in composition and impacts that they warrant full tracking and forecasts from the National Hurricane Center.
This is the seventh hurricane season in a row where we saw the first named storm of the season form before June 1. This trend far surpasses the previous streak of three consecutive early-starting hurricane seasons in 2007, 2008, and 2009. It's a clear and undeniable trend—probably the mixed result of both a changing climate and better detection methods—and it's prompted the experts to ponder moving that climatological start date from June 1 to May 15.
The World Meteorological Organization wrote a recommendation a few months ago asking the National Hurricane Center to consider moving the official start of the season in light of all May storms we've seen in recent years. The NHC met them halfway for now, beginning their regular tropical forecasts on May 15 while continuing to call June 1 the beginning of the season. It's likely that they'll consider officially moving the start date in the years to come.
[Satellite Image: NOAA]
More Significant Flash Flooding Is Possible Across The South Through Thursday
Dennis Mersereau 5/18/2021 05:08:00 PM flash flooding heavy rain Leave a Reply
Thunderstorms will pose a significant threat for flash flooding across parts of Texas and Louisiana over the next couple of days, with the threat for more than half a foot of rain possible in some communities this evening through Thursday. Stubborn thunderstorms already produced destructive flooding across Louisiana on Monday evening, and some of those same areas could see even more heavy rain to come.
Flash flood watches cover a significant portion of the southern United States this evening, including a huge chunk of Texas, most of Louisiana, and parts of Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Mississippi.
The greatest threat for widespread flash flooding appears to exist in Texas and Louisiana, where the Weather Prediction Center issued a moderate risk for excessive rainfall for Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. The WPC mentioned on Tuesday that they might upgrade parts of Texas to a high risk for flash flooding on Wednesday—these high risks are reserved for days when forecasters are confident that excessive rainfall could lead to significant flash flooding (and it usually does).
The agency's latest rainfall forecast calls for five or more inches of rain across a huge portion of eastern Texas, with isolated pockets of extreme rainfall totals that could lead to major flooding problems in vulnerable areas. This includes the cities (and suburbs) of Houston, San Antonio, Austin, Dallas, and Corpus Christi.
We've already seen significant flash flooding over the past 24 hours in Louisiana, where persistent thunderstorms led to flash flood emergencies around Lake Charles and Baton Rouge. Local officials had to conduct water rescues to save residents trapped by waters that rose too fast to escape. The flooding in Lake Charles is especially gut-wrenching given that the community was hit so hard by category four Hurricane Laura in August 2020 and again by Hurricane Delta two months later.
The region is at risk of excessive rainfall because of a slow-moving upper-level trough that's meandering over the southern Rockies. This is the same trough that brought a tease of rain to California over the weekend and led to so many photogenic supercells on the Plains.
Southerly winds flowing between the trough to the west and a building ridge of high pressure to the east will pump humid air northward from the Gulf of Mexico. Any thunderstorms that form in this soupy airmass will have a deep reserve of moisture to tap into, and these heavy storms can linger over the same areas for hours without much in the way of prevailing winds to steer them along.
The northern and western Gulf Coast is exceptionally vulnerable to flash flooding during high-intensity rainfall events like this. Low, flat, and soggy terrain makes drainage a challenge even during a routine summertime thunderstorm. The combination of persistent high rainfall rates, poor drainage, and communities spreading ever farther into flood-prone areas all leads to fairly routine flash flood emergencies these days. The increasing frequency of heavy rain events (likely influenced by a changing climate) makes matters worse.
A Wet And Stormy Pattern Will Drench The Plains Through Next Week
Dennis Mersereau 5/14/2021 08:27:00 PM heavy rain thunderstorms Leave a Reply
Bouts of heavy rain and a low-grade threat for severe thunderstorms will cover the southern and central Plains through next week. Some areas in Texas and Oklahoma could see more than five inches of rain from the upcoming stormy pattern, which could cause flooding issues if storms persist over the same areas.
Much of the United States has enjoyed a pretty subdued weather pattern compared to how things usually go in May, which is great for storm-weary areas and a little much for those whose gardens could use a break from the cold weather. This past Thursday, Charlotte, North Carolina, saw one of its latest sub-40°F low temperatures on record this late into the season. That's an impressive chill!
As the upper-level trough that brought the eastern states their late-season coolness moves out into the Atlantic, temperatures will climb closer to average and spring-like humidity will begin to slowly fill out across the country.
This weekend will see a "split" jet stream, with one branch arching into northern Canada while the other swoops south into Mexico, leaving most of the United States with relatively calm conditions aloft. This calmness will allow smaller, more subtle features dictate the weather.
Decent instability over the Plains should allow showers and thunderstorms to develop across the region over the next couple of days. The Storm Prediction Center paints a marginal to slight (1-2 out of 5) risk for severe weather over pretty much the same areas each day through Sunday, with Cheyenne, Denver, Amarillo, and much of Kansas at risk for thunderstorms that could produce damaging winds, large hail, and a couple of tornadoes.
An upper-level trough will move over the West Coast this weekend, prompting the risk for thunderstorms in California on Saturday and Sunday. Thunder and heavy rain are even possible in some spots high in the Sierras.
That trough will kick off a low-pressure system on the eastern side of the Rockies on Monday and Tuesday, laying the groundwork for heavy rain to fall in earnest over the southern Plains. Tuesday through Thursday looks to be the best bet for folks in northern Texas and southern Oklahoma to see several inches of rain. Some communities could see flash flooding if the rain falls too quickly.
It's worth pointing this out any time there's a risk for flash flooding—please remember that you can't tell how deep the water is until it's too late. Water is deceiving and drivers are notoriously bad at underestimating the depth of floodwaters covering the road ahead of them. Plan out alternate routes ahead of time so you know multiple ways to get around if one road is cut off by high waters.
(This post was originally published at 8:30 PM EDT on May 14, 2021. A technical glitch on Google's part removed the post from the site for a day before it was restored.)
‹‹ Newer Posts Older Posts ››
Let's Talk About Tonight's Made-Up-Clickbait-Name ...
Ana Forms Near Bermuda; Hurricane Season Starts Be...
More Significant Flash Flooding Is Possible Across...
A Wet And Stormy Pattern Will Drench The Plains Th...


text:
Signing and Reading Today at AF Library at Noon
Friends, I'm doing a signing and reading today at the American Fork Library (64 S 100 E, American Fork, UT 84003) at noon. If you're in the area, come say hello.
Book Bomb Today | We Need Your Help
Today we are doing a book bomb for my new book, GIDEON VERSUS THE GODS OF COOL. The goal is to create a spike on Amazon's charts in order to prime the algorithms and help the book become a bestseller. It's available in paperback, audio book (recorded by yours truly) and eBook (only $5). If you're at all interested in some fun, YA fiction for yourself or someone else, please consider buying today, as your help will make a huge difference. Then please share what you did online and let others know why they should do the same :-), using the hashtag #godsofcool. Thanks to everyone who's supported me in this already! I have some truly amazing friends and family.
Here it is on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Gideon-Versus-Gods-Stephen-Gashler-ebook/dp/B07Q1P6414/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=
Launch Party this Friday | All Welcome
Friends, Romans, bums off the street, if you can read this, and you're anywhere near Provo, you are invited to the launch party for my latest book, GIDEON VERSUS THE GODS OF COOL, a Young Adult Urban Fantasy/Humor novel for all ages. The event is this Friday at 6:30 PM at the Provo City Library, Bullock Room (#309). Come enjoy some pizza, meet the author, hear a story, and chortle with fellow book lovers. It's free and totally casual, so even if you can only make it for a few minutes, just come.
This book was years in the making, and it was recently picked up by Beacon Publishing Group in NYC. It's available in stores and online (https://tinyurl.com/y3kpnh4l) in paperback, audio book, and Kindle, though I won't be selling books at the party. I'm just hoping to share a good time and get the word out.
Please RSVP through the Facebook event: https://www.facebook.com/events/2256924844573584/
Gideon Greenwich, a delinquent nerd, is given two choices: join the football team or be expelled.
To be "initiated" into the team, Gideon attends a violent fraternity party, where he has a startling discovery: the jocks are being controlled by an evil god of sports! As the conspiracy unfolds, it appears that the entire high school has been hijacked by otherworldly beings posing as teachers. To resist their dark powers, Gideon must look beyond social cliques and team up with star quarterback, Doug Rock, and the beautiful cheerleader, Cynthia McDaniels.
Together, the unlikely friends take on the god of sports, the goddess of fashion, and the god of popularity. But defying the "gods of cool" takes courage, a willingness to look stupid, and mind-bending adventures through parallel universes. In this thoughtful and hilarious critique of high school life, national award-winning storyteller, Stephen Gashler, will make you question what it means to be "cool".
Gideon Versus the Gods of Cool to be Picked Up by an NYC Publisher
I just signed a contract with Beacon Publishing Group in NYC for my Young Adult Urban-Fantasy/Humor novel, Gideon Versus the Gods of Cool. They anticipate a release date by early Spring of 2019. I'm excited to see this one take root, as I've poured more of my soul into this work than any of my previous novels. That is, it's very autobiographical … or as autobiographical as you might expect from one of Utah's Biggest Liars. (Speaking of which, come see me and my family tell our stories at the Timpanogos Storytelling Festival this weekend, the best time of the year!)
From the horrors of gym class, to sneaking out at night, to getting mixed up in inter-school fights, to teen drama and complicated love affairs, to going against the popular grain, to challenging the establishment, to exploring the secret tunnels beneath the school, to joining the football team and getting severely pummeled, to sneaking into a dance dressed in drag, to escaping from detention, to jocks becoming nerds and nerds becoming jocks, to crawling through the halls like elephants, to taking on otherworldly beings and having metaphysical adventures, this book very much happened. I think my high school friends will especially appreciate it, as … well … they were there too. And for the rest of my peers, they'll finally find answers to the often-asked question: "Why is Steve so weird?"
Earlier this year, I was invited to visit Amelia Earhart Elementary in Provo, where I read the final few chapters of the book to several sixth grade classes who had been reading it. It was fun to hear them gasp when things got scary and cheer when the good guys prevailed. More than one of the students exclaimed, "This book needs to be a movie!" I also read it to my daughters, and every time I finished a chapter, they begged me for just one more. Thus I think young readers will enjoy Gideon Versus the Gods of Cool.
In its self-published form, the book has been temporarily available on Amazon, though I'll soon be taking it down. So if you want to snag a copy of the first edition (whether in print or eBook form), you'd better do so quickly. You can also order signed copies from me.
Just for fun, here's an excerpt:
First there's the familiar shame of being late in front of the entire team. Then there's the agony of running, the taunts of teammates, the pointless slaps, the cruel calisthenics. The autumn air turns cold and sharp, and time slows down as never before.
Finally the warm-ups end, and the armored players line up head-to-head. A whistle blows, and the violence begins. Gideon slips away to the sidelines, but his sweet catharsis doesn't last. Coach McPherson says, "Pay attention to the plays, because soon you'll be tested."
Gideon tries to take mental notes as the quarterback, Doug Rock, shouts strings of seemingly random words. "Blue, forty-two, check, check, set-hut!" What could it mean? He watches the players assume strange, three-legged positions. Then Doug shouts more nonsense – "slant route," "six-eighty-six," "left lover boy" – and the players assume new positions. Gideon tries to memorize the complex geometry of this men's ballet, but it's information overload. What's the difference between the "Quick Ace" and the "Green Eighty"? How is a "Reversed Forward Pass" even possible? It would help if he knew the difference between a linebacker and a nose guard. It all hurts his brain, and he thought football was for dumb brutes!
At last, Coach McPherson blows three long whistles. Practice is over. The assistant coach gathers the team for another boring speech. Then there's the druidic circle of team spirit. "Go cowboys!" When the rituals are over, Gideon's mind tells him to run, but for some reason he lingers. As the guys disperse and chat among themselves, Gideon finds himself walking around, pretending he's looking for something. Why? Could he actually be feeling a sense of camaraderie with these guys?
Deep within, he feels a glowing ember of something he's long-suppressed: masculinity. While he, of course, is above the society of jocks, if, out of necessity, he were to lower his standards and find a companion with whom to share his misery, this whole ordeal might be more tolerable. There is that guy, Bula, who seemed friendly enough, but then, Bula probably gives his welcome spiel to every new team member. If Gideon is going to make a real friend – or as close to a real friend as one could have with a jock – he'll have to do it the jock way: by proving his manly prowess.
A hard fist slams into Gideon's chest, contracting his ribs, and sending him staggering backward. He impacts against the well-padded back of the towering Koa Kamaka, Hawaiian giant. Koa, with a savage scowl, knocks Gideon in the opposite direction. As Gideon finds himself on his hands and knees, he hears the inane laughter of Kyle Slater, who, no doubt, instituted this senseless violence.
Doug Rock is watching the scene as if it's perfectly normal. "So, Gid, we'll see you at Riverside Park tonight?"
Kyle adds, "Unless you're chickening out."
Climbing to his feet, Gideon has to breathe hard in order to speak. "Um …" He forgot all about his rash commitment to attend their secret escapade. The way they refer to the mysterious event makes him wonder if they're going to initiate him into some esoteric fraternity … or just murder him. "Tell me when, and I'll be there."
"Midnight," says Doug.
"But it's a school night," Gideon protests. No sooner do the words escape his mouth than he regrets saying them.
Ignoring him, Doug reaches into his duffel bag. "I'm sure this is your first time, so you can borrow some of my gear." He tosses Gideon two metal pieces of something. Brass knuckles. "And in case you get lost …" Doug hands Gideon something else. "Here's my card. You'll find my number on the back."
Gideon examines the card. Printed in elegant cursive are the words:
Douglas W. Rock, Concert Violinist
"What the …" Gideon looks up, but Doug and Kyle are walking away.
As Gideon walks home, the sky has turned golden, the sun beginning to set. Though the air is chilly, he droops his jacket over his shoulder. His stomach growls. The thought of his mother's cooking has never seemed more divine. And he deserves it.
Dwight and Wanda are sitting on his front lawn. Beside them are a messy array of bags, burger wrappers, and soda cups.
"Hey," says Wanda, stuffing a handful of fries into her mouth. She extends an oil-splattered box to Gideon. "We saved you some …" Then she observes the empty contents. "Oh, sorry. I think there's one more burger at the bottom." She shuffles through the crinkly wrappers in one of the paper bags. "Wait, never mind."
Gideon can smell marinara sauce wafting from his house. "Well, I'll catch you guys later."
Wanda frowns. "We're going to Movies 8. You wanna come?"
"But it's a school … I mean, I'd like to, but I have too much homework."
Dwight bursts into laughter. "Since when do you do homework? Man, this gray lady's got you on a leash!"
"It has nothing to do with her, it's just … if you must know, some of the guys and I were going to meet up for some … extra practice."
Wanda says, "Wow, you mean you're one of the guys now?"
Gideon shrugs. "I guess so."
Dwight says, "I see how it is. You won't be needing us anymore."
"Dwight –"
"Why would you want to hang out with a couple of nerds when you've been accepted into the lofty social circles of Doug Rock and Kyle Slater? Soon you'll have cheer leaders fighting over you and your varsity jacket. Then, my friend, you'll have to choose between those who love you for who you truly are and those who flatter your vain ambition but will forsake you in the end … the classic conflict."
Gideon applauds. "That was very impressive. Now will you shut up?"
Dwight bursts into laughter. "You and I both know you don't have any friends on the football team."
"Lay off. It's only my second day."
"So you're really going to stick with it?"
"What do you care?"
"Good point, I don't."
Wanda cuts in. "Boys, be nice. Honestly, Gideon, I think you're brave."
After another whiff of his imminent dinner, Gideon is beyond done with this conversation. He waves goodbye and heads for the front door.
"Gideon …" says Dwight.
Gideon stops, though he doesn't turn around.
"Remember who you are." Dwight bursts into laughter until slugged by Wanda.
Family History Fiction
Last night I developed what may be a new genre: family history fiction. I was tired of reading silly novels with my kids. I thought it was time to tell them something meaningful. At the same time, I didn't want to bore them with old, family stories. So I found a middle ground by mixing fact with fiction. Because, as the old adage goes, "never let the truth get in the way of a good story."
It began near the turn of the twentieth century in the decadent, Austro-Hungarian empire, the very center of world culture. My great-great grandfather, Josef Von Gaschler, was a wealthy landowner and adviser to the mighty emperor (true). I began explaining the political climate that led up to World Word I, and my nine-year-old daughter exclaimed, "I know that! The Serbians didn't want to be ruled by the empire, so a Serbian man named Gavrilo Princip assassinated the Austro-Hungarian prince, Archduke Ferdinand."
"Yes," I said, taken aback. Apparently my kids are smart, and I've been filling their heads with dribble for too long. I then explained how Josef Von Gaschler advised the emperor to unleash the full power of the empire's steam-powered zeppelins (false … but so necessary).
Next I introduced our hero, Josef's Von Gaschler's son, Franz Xavier. As a young family man living in the mighty Gaschler manor, Franz is constantly blowing holes in the roof and driving the servants mad as he explores the wonders of chemistry (true enough). Meanwhile, Josef Von Gaschler returns from his meeting with the emperor and sees his house in disarray. He chides Franz and asks him when he's going to settle down and take on the family business of property management (true). But Franz insists that he must follow his passion for chemistry (true).
At this point, my seven-year-old daughter blurts out, "He's just like me!"
But Josef Von Gaschler will have none of this. He insists that Franz must take on the family business (true). Franz sees that his father will never accept him for who he is, so he takes his wife and children, and they steal off into the night (true enough). They buy one-way tickets to the farthest place imaginable, Australia (true).
But the voyage is fraught with peril. While Franz and his family gaze over the deck of the steamboat, they spy a black flag on the horizon. Pirates! As the rest passengers panic, Franz advises the captain to prepare his men for war. He gives a noble speech about how Gaschlers do not buckle to tyranny; they do not shirk from conflict; Gaschlers stand tall, and Gaschlers fight. While Franz single-handedly knocks invading pirates off the deck, he makes his way to his briefcase, where he retrieves his chemistry supplies. Then, just in the nick of time, he creates an impromptu bomb, which he hurls at the pirates. The explosion scares the willies out of the pirates, and every last invader jumps overboard. Fanz then completes his monologue with, "… and Gaschlers are smart." (None of this literally happened. Lyrically, it couldn't be more true.)
When I ended the adventure for the night, my children begged for more. Of course, it's only a matter of time before they'll realize that their great-grandfather wasn't actually a swashbuckling pirate fighter, but in order to discover that, they'll have already learned (and will actually remember) more about their great-grandfather than most children will ever know.
In the next episode, they'll learn about how their grandfather led an army of wild dingoes against the aborigines.
Some Interesting Statistics About Mormons
Mormons don't believe in evolution … so it would appear at first glance. But a closer look at the data suggests that (1) while Mormons rank among the highest percentage of people who don't believe that the human species came about through strictly natural processes, (2) they also comprise the highest percentage of people who admit that they don't know how the human species came about. Either that's a paradox or it appears that Mormons have unusually open minds.
Yesterday I presented a lesson at church on the subject of "following the prophets". I asked myself the question, "Is there any data to suggest that following the prophets is a good idea?" So I took a look at some statistics published by the Pew Research Center, which compares America's major religious groups. I had some interesting finds, which I'm going to briefly list below. (I recommend checking out the source yourself at http://www.pewforum.org/religious-landscape-study/religious-tradition/mormon/. Let me know if I've misinterpreted any data. I am, of course, biased.)
Here goes. Mormons …
Are in the top 25%, overall, for income.
There's no competing with the Jews.
Have the highest percentage of those who have at least completed some college and are among the highest, overall, for education.
I couldn't help but chuckle at this one. Some college? That pretty much describes what's going on a BYU, which is first and foremost a mating ground.
Have the highest marriage rates and are among the lowest divorce rates.
Utah's gotten a bad rap fore having high divorce rates. The truth is, while there are many divorces, there are many more successful marriages, so, comparatively, Utah's divorce rate is actually impressive. (Yes, I'm conflating Utahans with Mormons here, but just look at the first chart, "Mormons by State" …)
Are within the top 25% of religions reporting an absolute belief in God.
Jehovah's Witnesses barely beat Mormons in many of the categories, so hats off to them. It should be noted, however, that Jehovah's Witnesses and Mormons score on opposite ends of the education spectrum. In this regard, Mormons are the anomaly. The rest of the groups that score high on education tend to score low on faith.
Are among the highest of those who say religion is important in their lives.
Again, the two higher groups also rank lowest in education.
Have the second-highest religious worship attendance
Have the second-highest in frequency of prayer, scripture study, and meditation
Almost tied (minus 1%) for the highest reports of feeling frequent peace and well-being
Isn't that what it's all about? This is the evidence I was looking for.
Are among the top 25% for feeling wonder about the universe.
This is good, but its not great. Why aren't Mormons number one? If you're a Mormon, I want you to go outside, take a deep breath, look at the clouds, and say, "Wow!" Hopefully, then, the next time you get a call from the Pew Research Center, you'll have a better answer.
Tie for highest in belief of absolute standards of right and wrong.
Rank highest for a belief in heaven.
Delightful, considering that Mormon view of heaven is totally non-mainstream.
Rank highest for the view that government aid for the poor does more harm than good (64%)
Interesting considering that Mormons put a significant amount of their income into the church's welfare program, which is probably the largest, independent welfare program in the world.
Have the highest percentage of Republicans in the nation (70%).
Have the highest percentage of conservatives (61%)
Have the highest percentage of believers in small government (75%)
Rank second-lowest for supporting legalized abortion in all cases.
Like these or not, I think there's at least something beautiful about a people who want to be unified in all things … even, heaven forbid, politics. I remember reading the journal of Governor Liburn Boggs of nineteenth century Missouri, who complained about how politically unified the Mormons were. Why couldn't the Mormons provide balance by dividing over the issues like everyone else? I could see how it could be annoying if you're on the opposite side of the Mormons. I can also see how effective a huge, collective bargaining power can be. And why not play to win?
But it goes deeper than that. Unless there's something in Utah's water, I find it unlikely that this unusual spike in politics is the product of culture alone. Even if it is, the question would remain of how the culture evovled. It appears that there's something foundational in Mormon doctrine that leads to a belief in limited government. It's almost as if there's some correlation between high education, strong marriages, high satisfaction, and, yes, limited government.
And finally, Mormons …
Have the lowest income inequality
What I see from the data is one of the highest percentages of people in the $50,000 – $100,000 income ranges and fairly average percentages for the rest of the ranges. Most other religious groups report a lot of rich and a lot of poor. I wasn't sure if I was interpreting this one correctly, so I found on Wikipedia (and a whole bunch of other sites) that Utah ranks #1 among the states for lowest income inequality, AKA the Gini Coefficient (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_U.S._states_by_Gini_coefficient). Comparatively, Switzerland, Sweden, Poland, and Norway have some of the highest income inequalities in the world (just below the US) (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_income_equality). Personally I don't think comparing the entire United States with its 325 million in population to countries with about 5 million makes any sense, but comparing a country of 5 million to Utah's 3 million is a little less absurd. So the next time you hear someone say, "I wish the United States had more progressive policies like [enter Scandanvian country of your choice] so that we could have lower income inequality," you might tell them (1) to check their facts and (2) that a more realistic and close-to-home means to that end would be an incorporation of the less progressive policies of Utah.
Okay, sorry if I digressed too much into politics. The Pew Research Center started it. The bottom line is, if you're interested in Mormonism, it would appear that "following the prophets" is a statistically sound thing to do. Have a nice day.
FunderCat – Crowdfunding Made Awesome
I launched another business, because that's what I do.
Here's the story. A few months ago, I made a contribution on GoFundMe for a family member in need. I was surprised at how much money was taken by the middlemen, profiting off of my family member's tragedy. I thought, "I could offer a better service for less." So I built FunderCat.
If you were a child in the 80's, I know what you're thinking:
As you should be. I scoured domain registrars for hours, searching for a cool domain name that was still available, and when I stumbled on FunderCat.com, I was sold in a heartbeat. I have yet to introduce the name to someone else and fail to see a smile grace their lips.
Now you're probably wondering what makes FunderCat better than its competitors. Well, to begin with, we're not charging anything (at least for now). There is a 3% payment processing fee, but that's beyond our control. Other crowdfunding platforms typically charge 5% on top of the 3% payment processing fee. To put this into perspective, if you raise $10,000, you'll make $500 more with FunderCat than you would with Kickstarter, GoFundMe, or IndieGoGo.
Second, you'll get featured. Because we're just getting started, your campaign won't appear at the bottom of a colossal slush pile as it would with other crowdfunding platforms. Your campaign will actually get seen, increasing your chances to find backers.
Third, flexibility. Not into the whole "all or nothing" thing? Want to change your goal or extend your deadline? FunderCat aims to offer more flexibility than any other crowdfunding platform.
In the near future, FunderCat will provide a space where anyone with an idea can collaborate with artists, engineers, and marketers. Our mission is to make it easy for you to raise the funding you need to make your dreams a realities.
Know anyone who needs to raise funds? If you create a campaign by the end of this week, you'll be locked into our free, introductory offer of no fees and will be guaranteed to be featured on FunderCat's homepage. (Obviously, we can't give our services away for free forever, though we pledge to to keep our rates competitive.) So click below to get started with your own campaign or please spread the word to someone who may be interested. Thanks!
Go to FunderCat.com
What Does My Wife Do?
I've learned from experience that whenever my wife says, "Goodbye," it's best not to ask, "Where are you going?" or, "When will you be back?" because the answer will inevitably be, "I already told! Weren't you listening?" and my answer, if I'm honest, will inevitably be, "No, no I was not." Hence the comings and goings of my wife are mysterious. I wonder what she does out there with her other life. Perhaps she's just running errands. Or perhaps she's witch or a mob boss. I'll never know.
A Family of Liars
I made this meme for last year's Utah's Biggest Liar contest, at which time, Aspen did not steal Ariah's title of reigning champion, nor did Ariah retain her title. However, at last night's contest, Aspen did win first place, and Ariah took second place and the Audience Choice Award. I took second place in the adult division. It appears that we are a family of liars. I have trained my daughters in the subtle arts of deceit, and I expect great things from them.
It was the most intense contest I've been a part of. All of the stories were hilarious and the storytellers brilliant. I'd never performed for an audience that laughed so loud and on cue. Altogether the experience was addicting. If you missed it, you should definitely consider coming next year.
Afterward, judge and national storyteller Bill Lepp (who concluded the event with another hilarious performance) told me that his two daughters also won the Liars contest back in his native West Virginia, where he won five times. He said they pressure his wife to join the contest, as she's the only one missing out on the fun. Likewise, he told my wife Teresa that now she'll be expected to step up her game. My hope is that by posting this online, others will pressure Teresa to compete next year. So if you'd like to hear Teresa tell some whoppers, please say so in the comments.
Come See Us at Utah's Biggest Liar Tonight
It's that time again, when my family competes for the honor of being Utah's Biggest Liar. My six year-year-old Aspen, my nine-year-old Ariah, and myself are all finalists. I worked with my daughters to take their ideas and spin them into tall tales. We've been workshopping their stories at home, and we're ready to perform. Aspen will be telling about the time she was abducted by a hawk. Ariah will be telling about the time she and George Washington waged a war against bad eating habits, and I'll be telling about the time I stole Sylvester Stallone's Filet Mignon.
To my understanding, Aspen was the youngest-ever storyteller to perform at the Timpanogos Storytelling Festival. Ariah has taken home two first place awards, two second place awards, and a bunch of Audience Choice Awards from the Utath's Biggest Liar contest. I've taken home two second place awards and several Audience Choice awards. The plus side to all this is that we're always awarded more tickets than we know what to do with for the Timpanogos Storytelling Festival (pretty much our favorite time of the year). Thus it's always been in our financial advantage to compete :-). Though it's not about the awards. We just like storytelling and, especially, lying. It's also fun to rub shoulders with so many other talented performers and to enjoy an evening on laughing till it hurts.
Anyway, so if you want to come see us tonight in Orem, UT, the youth contest starts at 5:30, and the adult contest starts at 7:00. This time should be especially epic, as the contest will end with a performance from national storyteller Bill Lepp, one of the funniest men alive. More details here.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


The girl who has nothing figured out and everything figured out all at the same time. She doesn't have all the answers. This is her season of change; each new question and curve in the road a surprise. But she embraces the not knowing, and her wild and messy and magical life. Hannah knows that there is beauty in not knowing. There is beauty in waiting and in hoping and in surrender. With a playful shrug, she skips down her path, relishing every scene. She doesn't know the final destination, but she puts one foot in front of the other, growing stronger with every step. It doesn't even matter where she's going. In this moment, in this season, Hannah has everything she needs.


text:
CODECAPYOUR PROGRAMMING GUIDE
HomeTutorial
Odunde Festival returns to South Philadelphia with food, vendors and live performances – PhillyVoice.com
By asdevil666
After two years of virtual programming due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Odunde Festival is set to return to South Philadelphia on June 12. Odunde is the largest African American festival in the United States, and will include live performers, food and arts vendors from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
The Odunde Festival, the largest African American street festival in the country, is returning to South Philadelphia after two years of virtual programming due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The signature outdoor event is being held in person on June 12, with four days of additional programming beginning on June 8. Odunde is known for its live performances, food and vendors selling artwork, textiles and handmade jewelry. The festival spans 15 city blocks surrounding 23rd and South streets.
The celebration kicks off on Wednesday, June 8, with Lois Lunches, a free lunch giveaway in honor of Odunde founder, Lois Fernandez, who died in 2017.
Other events leading up to the festival include a head-wrapping and food tasting soiree on June 9, two business roundtables on June 10-11 at Temple University, and a VIP reception ahead of the big event.
The all-day festival officially kicks off at 10 a.m. on Sunday, June 12, with a procession on the South Street Bridge. Festival-goers will throw flowers into the Schuylkill River as a spiritual offering to Oshun, the Yoruban river goddess.
More than 100 vendors will be spread across South Street, between 20th and 24th streets, selling handmade goods like textiles, jewelry and artwork.
"People have been in their houses, affected by the pandemic," Oshunbumi Fernandez-West, CEO of Odunde, told the Inquirer. "Now they're out, they're here to eat some good food, buy some great museum-quality art, everything."
Since it was first held in 1975, the Odunde Festival has gone from being a small community festival celebrating West African culture and the Yoruban people to an expansive event sprawling days each June.
It has also become a major source of economic support for the city, attracting up to 500,000 attendees each year prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.
A post shared by ODUNDE FESTIVAL (@odundefestival)
The festival has a $28 million economic impact on the city each year, as residents and visitors gather in the streets to celebrate African American culture.
"Bring your family, bring your children, bring everybody — just have a good time," Sheriff Rochelle Bilal told WHYY. "Just note it'll be the safest place in the city when you come down here that week."
For those who can't make it to the festival, Odunde holds workshops and other programming year-round through Odunde365. Some programs include a children's cooking program, summer yoga and other virtual dance and fitness classes.
10 a.m. to 8 p.m. | Free, pay-as-you-go
23rd and South streets
Maggie Mancini
maggie@phillyvoice.com
Previous articleJobs, jobs, jobs: 5 tips for starting a programming portfolio – IOL
Next articleGender Stereotypes In Hulu's Baby And Toddler Programming May Have Lasting Effects For Kids – Forbes
asdevil666http://codecap.org
10 Robotics Skills for Beginners to Earn 6-Figure Salary in 2023 – Analytics Insight
The World-Changing Race to Develop the Quantum Computer – The New Yorker
Unfortunately, Komodo IDE is now Open Source! – It's FOSS News
Epic Games Launches New Web3 Programming Language, Verse – Analytics India Magazine
The Radix Engine Can Change DeFi Forever – Coverage from the RadFi Keynote Event – FinanceFeeds
Codecap is the best programming for the new generation for learning and development 121 King Street, Melbourne VIC 3000, Australia codecap666@gmail.com 888-123-4567
Contact us: codecap666@gmail.com
Created By : TechWorld


text:
A Real Sensitive Robot
Industry 4.0 redefines the roles of automated machinery and man in a collaborative context.
Yes, we did it!
Industry 4.0 redefines the roles of automated machinery and man in a collaborative context. Over the years, automation has improved working conditions, allowing people to deal less with heavy, tiring and dangerous tasks and giving them a superior position in the process, all while increasing their efficiency, productivity and the quality of the final result. Today, we can achieve the same degree of improvement by enabling a fully fledged, close and direct collaboration between man and machine. A collaboration which, thanks to Comau, is no longer limited to service robots, nor to the use of small size robots in industrial applications, or those with a limited payload.
AURA – Advanced Use Robotic Arm
AURA – Advanced Use Robotic Arm – is an innovative upcoming product for the robotics industry that, for the first time, creates a true collaboration between high payload robots and man.
Extending the features of collaborative robots to machines with high payload means that a lot of industrial sector has the option to implement safe applications throughout their processes.
We have exploited the senses
AURA is inspired by human interactions. When we interact, we use our senses in combination, especially touch and sight. We observe the movements of other people and move with them through the surrounding space. Our perception of others via touch directs our actions and reactions, as does sight - whether the other person is at the center or edge of our visual field and our attention, it is sight that directs our behavior. Finally, when we want to touch someone, we contact or push them in a specific direction, and even more so when our bodies instinctually react to something, like fending off a blow.
A robot that wants to be collaborative must be able to interact with man, and to do so, it needs to respect these factors.
That's what AURA is all about.
The robots are equipped with sensors installed under a layer of protective foam to ensure total safety. The management of sensitivity is a unique feature of Comau solutions; for the very first time, AURA combines the simultaneous perception of the proximity of a person – or of any other component of the automation – as well as contacts and their intensity. The combined use of these technologies, employing laser scanners to identify the positions of persons dynamically makes it possible to ramp down the motion of the robot to a complete stop only when it is very close to or actually in contact with the worker.
But that's not all. When AURA is touched, it stops moving and can react according to operator needs, using its sensors as if they were buttons.
The solution includes sight, too. A vision system, integrated into the robot controls, transmits data regarding the proximity of persons to the robot's area of action, enabling a specific software to predict their movements and modify the robot's trajectory accordingly.
Extended cooperation without compromise
AURA is a unique technical solution in the field of collaborative robots and, above all, solves a number of issues of today's existing solutions.
The combined, integrated use of sensors and controls ensures that Comau collaborative robots can be installed in any position, even overhead, and without the need to avoid vibration.
AURA makes compromises in design, layout and footprint a thing of the past, and replaces them with an unequivocal series of advantages:
High payload management
Fully collaborative robotic systems
Collision prevention
Collaborative hollow wrist technology on the NJ4 model
Technology unaffected by vibration
Soft, sensitive skin covering the entire machine
Smart speed tuning in different safe zones
And uses 6 safety layers:
Contact sensor
Wrist force sensor
Full coverage foam skin
Comau extended the technologies used on AURA robots to its associated equipment as well; together with the robots, Comau offers a collaborative gripper and rotary table.
The rotary table and gripper round out the Comau collaborative system - a world first for the robotics industry. Along with the technologies shared with the robots, the collaborative rotary table implements the SEA (Series Elastic Actuation) technology, composed of a spring combined with a double encoder to enable the table to yield when pushed by the operator. The gripper, on the other hand, is equipped with a force/torque sensor fitted to the robot flange and uses the same safety layers of the robot.
>>For more information on this product, click here.


Tim Davies announces the first ever DeBreved Orchestration Insensitive (workshop/master class/clinic/corroboree). Four people will be selected to spend a day with Tim, talking about orchestration, technology, and workflows with a focus on what it is like to orchestrate studio film scores in 2018.
The Insensitive (workshop/master class/clinic/seminar/corroboree) attendees will be expected to already possess a working knowledge of the orchestra, and to have skills on notation programs and DAWs. Professional experience in the film world is not required as the workshop will be focused on developing and transferring traditional skills for use in the film world.
Four participants will be selected based on the strength of their score, and these applicants will be sent a cue to orchestrate from one of Tim's recent projects. The orchestration will then be studied on the day of the workshop. If you won't be able to spend at least a day orchestrating a cue between 10/18 and 10/25, this opportunity is not for you at this time!
You have questions? Tim has answers.
I have given lectures and guest talks, but in an hour or two we can never get into much detail. With a day we can really get into some proper discussions and I can pass on some of the knowledge I have acquired in my career as an orchestrator and conductor in Los Angeles. Plus everyone else seems to be doing a workshop/masterclass/clinic/seminar/intensive. And I have been told I can be quite insensitive at times.
There are probably only four people who would put up with a whole day of me, it would be embarrassing to say eight and only have four apply. Also, the Insensitive workshop will happen at my place, where four is a perfect number to allow everyone to interact together and fully participate.
No, keeping the size small is important as it allows me to be extra insensitive. I will try not to make anyone cry, but this is not going to be all warm and fuzzy, pay the money to be told how good you are. Go to college if that is what you want.
The entries are due really soon, I don't have time to write something?
If you don't already have an orchestral score ready to send, you might not be ready for this round.
Anyone can enter, but you must have the time to do the assigned cue and be in West Hollywood on October 25.
How big does the orchestra have to be for my submission?
Big enough to demonstrate you know what you are doing.
How long does the entry submission score have to be?
Long enough to demonstrate you know what you are doing.
How will this compare to other workshops and courses?
Nothing! If I charged what it is worth, no one could afford it, so why bother? But I won't say no if you all chip in for my lunch.
I am trying this out. If it goes well then when time permits I will do it again. Maybe with a different focus, perhaps studio conducting, or arranging.
The importance of good coffee and the correct way to prepare and eat vegemite. Maybe something about film orchestration.
I did not get selected, why not?
It could mean that more than four people applied, the dog ate your score, or any number of other tragedies occurred.
"Thanks for all your amazing submissions. The standard was so high I had a really hard time narrowing it down to the successful applicants. If you did not make it this time, please try again next time.


Life is a zinger. So when life gave us lemons, we didn't make lemonade, we made The Sour Ginger. It's the crispness of ginger balanced with the tartness of lemon. It's a reality check for your gut. It's millions of tiny bubbles dub step dancing on your taste buds. It's sour, but it's sweet.
Ingredients: Filtered Water, Evaporated Cane Sugar, Black Tea, Lemon, Ginger.


PM to meet with Putin on bilateral cooperation, Iran, and Syria following phone conversation Monday; Kremlin: The two leaders discussed topical issues concerning bilateral cooperation, including military contacts, as well as the situation in the Middle East.
The Office of the Prime Minister reported on Tuesday morning that Netanyahu will travel to Moscow to meet with Putin on Thursday as part of consultations and meetings between the leaders under its military coordination on Syria.
The leaders met last month, the focus of their talks on "the Iranian issue." At the time, Prime Minister Netanyahu confirmed he made it "unequivocally clear that Israel will not allow the military entrenchment of Iran in Syria, and I also made it unequivocally clear that we would continue to take military action against it." He also announced that both Russia and Israel would work together towards the "withdrawal of foreign forces that arrived in Syria after the outbreak of the civil war." Netanyahu confirmed a joint team would be created to handle the mission.
Netanyahu has been meeting with world leaders ahead of national elections next week Israelis will take to the polls on Tuesday to vote for the 21st Knesset (Israeli parliament). The prime minister is currently hosting Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro. Both leaders toured the Western Wall Tunnels and Wall on Monday.


text:
Agostina Smimmero
MEZZOSOPRANO
The mezzosoprano Agostina Smimmero, at the age of 17, accesses the "Conservatorio S. Pietro a Majella di Napoli" as first of the waiting list where she degrees in "Canto Lirico" with highest honours (10/10).
Winner of several national and international opera contests, such as "Rosa Ponselle", "Simone Alaimo", "Marcello Giordano" or "Francesco Tosti", she triumphs in September 2012 at the "International Singing Competition Montserrat Caballe', competition that counts the participation of 60 countries from the whole world.
She made her debut in Spain at the Zaragoza Auditorium with the role of Azucena from Il Trovatore, with Maestro Juan Luis Martínez, and in many encores from 10th April to 7th May 2013 in Portugal, at Lisboa's Teatro Nacional de Sao Carlos, that met the favour of audience and critics under Martin Andrè's conduction and Francesco Esposito's direction.
That year she sang as La Baronessa di Champigny in Nino Rota's "Cappello di Paglia di Firenze" at Florence's Teatro Comunale conducted by Andrea Battistoni and directed by Andrea Cigni, and the role of Maddalena in Verdi ́s Rigoletto at Lisboa ́s Teatro Nacional de Sao Carlos directed by Francesco Esposito.
After those performances she has made her debut in the most important mezzosoprano roles, such as Lola and Santuzza (Cavalleria Rusticana), Dalila (Samson et Dalila), Fenena (Nabucco), Preziosilla (La Forza del destino), Ulrica (Un ballo in maschera) or Quickly (Falstaff), among others.
In the last seasons it must be highlighted her success at the Teatro Lirico de Cagliari with "La campana sommersa" and "Falstaff", where she will return in July, 2017, with "Un ballo in maschera", or in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria with "Nabucco".
Agostina Smimmero has worked with great conductors, like Ramón Tebar, Francesco Ivan Ciampa, Sergio Alapont, Martin André, Donato Renzeti, Andrea Battistoni or Juan Luis Martínez.
Also, among her operatic performances, it must be underlined her intense concert agenda with great singers like Jaume Aragall, Paata Burchulatze, Montserrat Caballè, Fiorella Cedolins, Sergi Giménez, Nicola Martinucci, Juan Pons or Roberto Servile.
Her concert repertoire includes works like the Beethoven ́s Ninth Symphony, Pergolesi ́s Stabat Mater, Rossini ́s Petite Messe Solennelle, Verdi ́s Requiem or Palmieri ́s Magnificat Tango, in which world premiere she sang on 2013.
OPERA DEPARTMENT
SYMPHONIC DEPARTMENT


text:
Twitter Unveils Major Update to Highlight Breaking News, Live Events
The World Cup gets its own dedicated tab starting on Wednesday
Sean Burch | June 13, 2018 @ 10:31 AM
Twitter unveiled several major changes on Wednesday, aiming to spotlight breaking news and make it easier for users to follow events they've shown interest in.
The app's boldest product change in years will revamp its explore tab to show curated content for big events, organized by topics like news, sports, and entertainment. Twitter is also jettisoning its clunky list of trending topics in favor of a more personalized section that will connect users to tweets and videos. Users will also receive breaking news notifications from Twitter, based on subjects they've shown interest in.
"The goal is to make it easy to quickly find and follow the events and breaking news you care about on Twitter," tweeted Sriram Krishnan, a member of Twitter's consumer product team. "Especially if you already don't have a well-curated timeline."
Also Read: 76ers' Bryan Colangelo Calls Out His Wife in Resignation After Twitter Burner Account Scandal
The update is expected to roll out in to all iOS and Android users in the U.S. in the "coming months," according to a blog post from Twitter. Twitter is also starting to switch over its Moments section from being horizontal-swipe to vertical-swipe for users.
One aspect of the app's update will already be available on Wednesday, though: a dedicated World Cup tab that compiles scores, videos, and tweets for every game.
To the chagrin of typo-prone users, the update doesn't include an edit button for tweets, despite Kim Kardashian West lobbying Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey this past weekend.
10 Most Shocking Russian Troll Posts on Facebook and Instagram, From Hillary Clinton to Police Brutality (Photos)
The U.S. House Intelligence Committee on Thursday released more than 3,500 advertisements and posts spread by Russian trolls before and after the 2016 U.S. election. Below is a look at 10 of the most shocking examples that stood out from Congress's reveal.
House Intelligence Committee
Many posts pushed the narrative that Hillary Clinton would confiscate guns if she were elected President.
This graphic meme painted cops as KKK members attacking a young black child.
Only "sissies" and other undesirables wouldn't support Donald Trump, many of the memes said.
President Obama was a "pawn" and "traitor" in the hands of "Arabian Sheikhs," said one 2016 ad.
The "Black Matters US" page touched on hot button issues like police shootings.
The "Army of Jesus" page shared a bible verse, along with this meme.
Russian trolls also used Instagram to spread sponsored political memes.
The "Blacktivist" page routinely shared memes on Colin Kaepernick and other football players kneeling during the national anthem.
"Heart of Texas" routinely posted on "Killary Rotten Clinton," and threatened to secede from the union if she won the election.
The "Being Patriotic" page labeled ex-cons as "Obama voters."
Congress just released 3,500 posts touching on a myriad of topics


text:
Dania Patricia Prince Méndez (born February 10, 1980) is a Honduran model and beauty queen who has held the title of Miss Earth 2003.

Biography

Early life
Dania was born in Choluteca, Choluteca, Honduras. She is the third child of Andres Prince, a British merchant, and Luisa Méndez, a housewife. She obtained her bachelor's degree, majoring in international commerce.

Married life
On October 4, 2008, at the age of 28, Dania married fellow Honduran, Frank Fuentes, in a Christian ceremony at Christ Almighty church in North Miami Beach, Miami, Florida.

Career
After winning Miss Earth in 2003, Prince became a model.

Pageantry

Prior to Miss Earth
In 1998, Prince, who is 6'1" tall, won the Miss Honduras pageant and went to compete as her country's representative in the Miss Universe 1998 pageant, which was won by Wendy Fitzwilliam of Trinidad and Tobago in Honolulu, Hawaii on May 12, 1998. In the 1998 Top Model of the World contest, she became a finalist and a recipient of the Best in National Costume award. She competed and won the Pacific International Queen 1998. She then went on to win Miss América Latina 2000 in November 1999 as well.

Miss Earth 2003
In 2003, she was chosen to represent Honduras in the third edition of the international Miss Earth pageant. At the conclusion of the competition, she was crowned as Miss Earth, the third winner in the history of the competition; her triumph in Miss Earth 2003 made her as the first-ever Honduran to win a major international beauty title.

After winning the Miss Earth pageant in 2003, she recounts, "In kindergarten, my classmates chose me to become the muse of our class. But it never crossed my mind that from a class muse, I'd become Miss Earth. Nothing really is impossible in this world. To actually live a dream, you have to do something about it. Have faith in yourself first. Everything else will follow!"

As Miss Earth, she became an environmental ambassador in the Philippines, she addressed environmental issues and spearheaded activities such as the "Caravan for Mother Earth with Miss Earth" in lined with the advocacy program by the Office of the Executive Secretary of the Philippines for North Luzon (OPNL) entitled "Go North: The Ocean and Jungle Escapade."

When asked by the media how she would differentiate Miss Universe from Miss Earth pageant, she stated, "Beauty, body, and brains of the candidates are given a lot of emphasis in Miss Universe and it is more commercialized. On the other hand, Miss Earth is cause-oriented. If you can still recall, a lot of beautiful and popular candidates from countries that usually win in international pageants surprisingly didn't make it in the semifinal round of Miss Earth last year. The judges, most likely, were looking for the 'sincerity factor' rather than the 'X-factor' in a candidate, which perhaps they saw in me."

References

External links
Official Miss Earth web site
Miss Earth Foundation

1980 births
Honduran beauty pageant winners
Honduran models
Honduran people of British descent
Living people
Miss Earth winners
Miss Universe 1998 contestants
People from Choluteca Department
Miss Earth 2003 contestants

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Of all the species to ever live on planet Earth, more than 90 percent are estimated to be extinct by biologists. Most of these species perished over the past half-billion years in one of the five major mass extinctions, which were the Ordovician-Silurian mass extinction, which was the third largest extinction in Earth's history; the Late Devonian mass extinction, where three quarters of all species on Earth died out; the Permian-Triassic mass extinction, where 96 percent of species died out; the Triassic-Jurassic mass extinction, where there was climate change and the Cretaceous-Tertiary mass extinction, where dinosaurs were killed.
Now, the world is in the middle of a sixth extinction. The greatest tragedy of this extinction is that it is distressingly of our own making. In The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History, author Elizabeth Kolbert reveals the planetary crisis through emotionally heartbreaking current events on endangered species and their fate of extinction caused by humanity's ways.
Kolbert, a journalist who is curious about man's relationship with nature, reads an article that suggests Earth is moving toward mass extinction.
To see indications of mass extinction, she travels the world. Her journey uncovers what species are endangered, what the starting points for mass extinction are and what preventive measures are installed to overcome this issue.
Kolbert opens the reader's eyes to how influential and destructive human beings are, and how they are affecting every species on the planet.
There is no denying that, as a species alone, human beings are affecting Earth's environments, just like comets striking the planet, the rapid rise in oxygen levels or anything else that changes the rules of life across the board.
Kolbert learns fundamental facts about extinctions on her travels.
During any extinction in natural history, the number of species dying is unusually high when compared to the "background extinction" rate, which is the more natural cause of these deaths.
A background extinction is a natural process where the extinction of one species takes hundreds of years. Background extinction is derived from the theory of evolution.
On the other hand, the losses of a "mass extinction" are fast and destructive. For example, the Cretaceous period, which happened about 65 million years ago, is recognized as the period when the dinosaurs went extinct.
classify them.From a biological standpoint, any communities and ecosystems that have more diversity at the species level will be more resistant to rates of extinction.
The meaning of this is hard to predict. There will be a lack of foundation for food chains and thousands of ecosystems will be harmed and lost.
New species will flourish with the loss of predators and the absence of competition.
For human beings and predators, this is incredibly dangerous because apex predators, or animals who have no natural predators in their ecosystem, depend on complex, large networks of food webs to survive.
The lack of genetic diversity is another issue that arises from the extinction of species.
a population declines in size due to environmental effects such as floods, causes the lack of genetic diversity and huge losses in genetic varition.
Kolbert's publication does not only deliver a sense of doom, but also a good view on how climate change affects species.
For example, the greak auk, a flightless bird that became extinct in the mid-nineteenth century; the moa, nine species of which became extinct 1,000 years ago and the broad-faced potoroo, a marsupial that became extinct in 1875.
But, in Kolbert's words, there is a possible way to change.
too late for hundreds of thousands, maybe millions of other species. I think one of the most important things people can do is become politically engaged. I know this can sound like an excuse, but these are huge problems that can't be addressed on a small scale. I think getting involved with land preservation is also an extremely useful thing to do. As the world changes, species are on the move, and they need somewhere to go. The more land we essentially put aside for them, the more is likely to survive," Kolbert said.
Kolbert explained that not only are humans contributing to the species' road to extinction, but they are also contributing to the destruction of habitats.
However, she suggests that there is hope for the planet, and hope to recover from the sixth extinction.


text:
More than18,500 candidates to stand as MPs in Congo DR
Next Monday, November 28, 2011, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) will hold its second Presidential election in the past 50 years.
Here below are the quick fact about the country and these historical polls:
DRC is the largest country in Africa by land mass with a population of 71 million.
There are 11 Presidential candidates and 18,500 parliamentary candidates with voters traveling to 63,000 polling stations.
DRC has $24 trillion of known mineral deposits. 80% of all known coltan reserves – coltan is required for every mobile phone, computer, games consol and TV.
DRC has the agricultural potential to feed 2 billion people (nearly a third of the world's population).
And the leading opposition figure Étienne Tshisekedi states that 'You cannot have a stable Africa without a stable DRC and that there is an overwhelming cry for change among the people of the DRC.
Calling himself the "Congo's Nelson Mandela", Étienne Tshisekedi is standing for the Presidency for the first time in his 78 year stand against corruption, rape and violence in the country.
His campaign team alleges that the current President is using the mechanisms of the state to stay in power – including paying $25,000 to his MPs, and more $50,000 for opposition parliamentarians earlier this year to pass a law, removing the "Presidential runoff vote" in an attempt to make it easier for him to stay in power.
The current regime's despotic and corrupt nature is forcing out USA, UK and EU investors because of corruption concerns. Driven by corporation CSR and also the Dodd Frank act.
Lack of western investors has opened the field up to China, which has been signing massive central government deals to secure the resources they need.
Current breaking news by UK MP Eric Joyce on the flipping of state assets to enrich the President and his close friends. Details on Eric's blog.
No US coherent policy on DRC due to it complexities, but strategic importance to the west demands a rethink.
100 US Marines 'quietly' stationed recently in the North East of the country to hunt down remaining rebels who control mineral deposits and continue the cycle of violence.
The US State Department seems content to allow the election to be corrupted in an attempt to reduce violence and instability in the country
A forgotten country, which requires attention – not just for the moral justifications but for real-politic.
US and western companies and consumers need the DRC mineral wealth for growth.
A new government will allow western consumers to deal with the Congo through the front door and not through the back door – which will help end the terrible cycle of violence, rape and murder in East of the Congo.
The largest mobilization of observers and logistical election support in the world has been deployed
Letters to Editor 2839
Bishop Joe Imakando taken to court over death of member
Police are the most corrupt officials in SADC-Report
Police urged to investigate Chitalu Chilufya
Didime Andrew Ngowi on Regina CHILUBA'S daughter dies of CovidWhy she was not use her given name? Ok fine she dies with Corona covied...
maddog on I have named my son 'Edgar Lungu'there are better names ,giving names should be serious business, this is all poverty at...


text:
Latest Baby Picture of the Universe, Featured in Hayden Planetarium Space Show main content.
Latest Baby Picture of the Universe, Featured in Hayden Planetarium Space Show
by AMNH on Sep 26, 2013 2:05 pm
This spring, the Planck spacecraft, currently orbiting over 1.5 million km (900,000 miles) from Earth, provided the most precise images yet of our early universe. By measuring small fluctuations in the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB)—radiation released by the Big Bang just 380,000 years after the universe formed—Planck pinned down the fractions of ordinary and dark matter, and dark energy in the universe. Further analysis of its data will confirm or rule out many theories of inflation during the earliest fractions of a second after the Big Bang.
©NASA
The Space Show production team at the American Museum of Natural History wasted no time in incorporating this late-breaking data into the new Space Show, Dark Universe, which opens on November 2.
This concept cartoon illustrates a scene from the Space Show, called "Journey to Planck," that depicts the satellite's flight after it was launched by the European Space Agency in May 2009. As sketched out early in the show's production process by the director Carter Emmart, who is also the Museum's Director of Astrovisualization, Planck is shown orbiting around the second Lagrangian Point, or L2 – where gravitational forces and a body's orbital motions are balanced and allow Planck a stable perch for deep space observation as well as clear communication with Earth. (This virtual point has been home to other spacecrafts, including NASA's Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe, which provided the first high-precision image of the CMB in 2003.)
©AMNH/C.Emmart
While in orbit Planck makes one revolution per minute around its axis to stabilize and to collect data from at least 95 percent of the sky. Instruments aboard the spacecraft measuring both high and low frequencies are able to detect nine different wavelength bands. Focusing on temperature fluctuations of the CMB with an accuracy of a few millionths of a degree, Planck gives scientists clues about how matter was distributed in the early universe just after the Big Bang.
Dark Universe will feature this exciting new data in authentic, dramatic visualizations, bringing viewers to the frontlines of cosmic discovery.


text:
This is a list of newspapers in Bermuda.

Bernews (Hamilton, Bermuda) (web only, began publication in 2010)
The Royal Gazette (Hamilton, Bermuda) (daily print and web, began publication in 1828)
 Workers' Voice (published by Bermuda Industrial Union), (Hamilton, Bermuda)

The following were previously published:
The Bermuda Gazette (published from 1784 to 1816) (St. George's, Bermuda)
Bermuda Sun (published from 1964 to 2014) (Hamilton, Bermuda)
Mid-Ocean News (published from 1911 to 2009) (Hamilton, Bermuda)

See also
List of newspapers

Newspapers
Bermuda

Newspapers


text:
Grab a cheap gaming laptop deal with this MSI machine at Walmart right now
By Rob Dwiar
Celebrate Wednesday and snap up this cheap gaming laptop from Walmart
(Image credit: MSI)
If you've been after a gaming laptop deal that doesn't break the bank, but will run games effectively - as well as eat up working from home and studying tasks - then Walmart may have more than one option for you.
There's a handful of cheap and very cheerful gaming laptop deals on offer, but our pick of the bunch is probably this MSI-made Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650-powered machine that is just $649 (opens in new tab) right now.
MSI GF63 Thin | just $649 at Walmart (opens in new tab)
Now, these laptops are at the very entry-level for gaming, but, as a result, they are the most affordable way into portable gaming, too. What laptops at this end of the spectrum offer is a cost-effective way into the world of PC gaming, while configuring affordable builds for most; cutting back here, trimming back fat there, and so on.
As a result, compromises have to be made, but all that are well-placed and acceptable within the price range we're working in here. The GTX 1650 is no slouch, as it's still from Nvidia's latest non-RTX and non-ray-tracing line, and the 10th gen Intel Core i5 processor is still a banger.
So you might not find one of the literal best gaming laptops packed to the rafters with RAM, or bursting at the seams with storage, or stuffed with one of the best CPUs for gaming and best graphics cards. What you will find, however, is something scaled back - on all fronts - but that will, most importantly, still offer some great bang for buck value and gaming performance. Getting all that in the form of an MSI GF62 Thin laptop for just $649 (opens in new tab) is an attractive deal!
While RTX 3070 laptops, RTX 3080 laptops, and RTX 3060 laptops are likely to steal the majority of today's and this year's limelight, there is always room for a quality cheap gaming laptop deal like this one and its current brethren at Walmart.
MSI GF63 Thin | $649 at Walmart (opens in new tab)
MSI consistently makes some of the best portable gaming machines going, and that is absolutely the case with those at the budget end of the spectrum like this GF63. Sporting enough horsepower to game solidly on mid settings, this will eat up any home or work tasks too making it a great hybrid machine. Features: Intel Core i5 10300H, GTX 1650 Max-Q, 8GB RAM, 256GB NVMe SSD, 15.6-inch Full HD screen.
There are a few other offers, and low prices, for GTX 1650-powered cheap gaming laptops at Walmart now, too:
Lenovo Legion 5 | GTX 1650 | i7-10750H | 8GB RAM | 512GB SSD | $954.86 at Walmart (opens in new tab)
HP Pavilion Gaming 16-a0051wm | GTX 1650 | i5-10300H | 8GB RAM | 256GB SSD | $730 at Walmart (opens in new tab)
EVOO Gaming 15.6" | GTX 1650 | i5-10300H | 8GB RAM | 256GB SSD | $1,000 £779.99 at Walmart (opens in new tab)
You'll be wanting some great peripherals to go with your new laptop, so check out the best gaming mouse, the best gaming keyboard, and the best gaming monitor. They'll get you set up in no time.
Rob Dwiar
I'm the Commissioning Editor for Hardware at GamesRadar+ and have been here since the hardware team's inception in late 2018. I'm also a writer on games and have had work published over the last six years or so at the likes of Eurogamer, RPS, PCGN, and more. Day to day, I take care of a whole host of gaming tech reviews, buying guides, and news and deals content that pops up across GamesRadar+. I'm also a qualified landscape and garden designer, so I do that in my spare time. I'm also an expert on the virtual landscapes and environments of games and love to write about them too, including in an upcoming book on the topic!
Season: A Letter to the Future review: "As beautiful as it is quaint"
Dead Space review: "A sublime mix of fresh, familiar, and freaking terrifying"
Razer Leviathan V2 Pro review: "Has the makings of a clever and quality soundbar but is let down by flaws that make it hard to recommend"
Victrix Pro BFG Controller Review: "Like water, my friend"
Poker Face episode 1 review: "Takes the hardboiled detective story to a new level"


Father, we worship and praise You for the greatness, power, splendour, glory, and majesty are Yours alone. May You be greatly honoured for You are Head over all things and Judge of all men. Thank You for all You have done to redeem my life and for bringing me into Your everlasting kingdom. May I never become too familiar with Who it was that hung on the cross for love of me, in Jesus name I pray, AMEN.


Flexible sealing systems for all applications.
Modern sealing systems have a lot to do: They reliably seal off the various media (oil, coolant, fuels, combustion gases) with respect to both the atmosphere and one another. They also act as power transmission elements between engine components and, if accordingly designed, can assume extra important functions. With static flat gaskets, sufficient surface pressure must be ensured under all operating conditions in order to achieve reliable sealing action.
Elring can supply the right specialty gaskets (Metaloseal™, elastomer, soft material) for a variety of sealing applications in engines, gearboxes, exhaust systems and auxiliaries: Gaskets for sumps, intake and exhaust manifolds, water pumps, compressors, turbochargers, gearboxes and axles. Both materials and design are optimally matched to the relevant application and the specific requirements.


text:
Become a Son or Daughter of Liberty
SOL Radio
SOL Radio LIVE
Bradlee's Schedule
Islamic Jihad-Rep Ilhan Omar Attacks "Black Hawk Down" US Soldiers
Written by: Pamela Geller
Our brave boys are dead while this lowlife dances on their graves in Congress.
First, she sanctions 9/11 jihad, now this. Imagine, Pelosi appointed this jihadi to the Foreign Affairs Committee.
175309 08: Children walk along the rotor of a wrecked American helicopter October 14, 1993 in Mogadishu, Somalia. This Blackhawk helicopter, which was used to root out ammo caches, was subsequently shot down by Somali warlords. (Photo by Scott Peterson/Liaison)
Ilhan Omar Slammed U.S. Soldiers Involved in 'Black Hawk Down' Incident
By John Rossomando
The United States Army was the villain in the "Black Hawk Down" incident in Somalia, U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., wrote in a 2017 Twitter post.
Omar, a Somali native elected to Congress last fall, was responding to a tweetthat falsely described the 1993 Battle of Mogadishu as the worst terrorist attack in Somali history. The original tweet noted that 19 American soldiers were killed and 73 American soldiers were wounded.
"In his selective memory, [the writer] forgets to also mention the thousands of Somalis killed by the American forces that day! #NotTodaySatan," Omar wrotewhile still a Minnesota state legislator.
Omar has repeatedly generated controversy, largely for anti-Semitic statements about Israel which employed old canards about Jewish power and money. House leaders forced her to apologize in February after she tweeted "It's all about the Benjamins baby," referring to American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) alleged spending and its purported influence on American policy.
A few fringe characters have reacted to the Omar controversies by making threats against the congresswoman. Omar is an elected official, however, and her viewpoints remain a fair point for debate despite those hateful acts.
A few fellow Democrats have also noted her anti-Semitism. Georgia Rep. Lucy McBath and Dan McCready, a candidate for North Carolina's 9th Congressional District, have turned down contributions from Omar, The Daily Caller reportedlast Wednesday.
She also is building a record of inaccurate statements. Most recently, she incorrectly said that the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) was founded after 9/11, when "some people did something" and Muslim Americans faced new civil rights threats. Many critics saw the "some people did something" line as minimizing the magnitude of the al-Qaida attack on America. But as a basic fact, CAIR – her host that night – was formed in 1994 as an outgrowth of a Muslim Brotherhood-created Hamas support network in America.
"Losses taken on the Somali side came as a result of their attempts to ambush our ground convoy and flight of aircraft. Our forces, being vastly outnumbered, fought to save their own lives. All the Somali militia had to do was walk away, but they persisted," Mike Durant
Article posted with permission from Pamela Geller
Sign up to get breaking alerts from Sons of Liberty Media.
Don't forget to like SonsOfLibertyMedia.com on Facebook and Twitter.
The opinions expressed in each article are the opinions of the author alone and do not necessarily reflect those of SonsOfLibertyMedia.com.
The Sri Lanka Jihad Massacre & The Decline Of The West Next Post:
This is Spiritual Warfare – Dress Appropriately
About the Author: Pamela Geller
Pamela Geller is the founder, editor and publisher of PamelaGeller.com and President of the American Freedom Defense Initiative (AFDI) and Stop Islamization of America (SIOA). She is the author of The Post-American Presidency: The Obama Administration's War on America, (foreword by Ambassador John Bolton), (Simon & Schuster). Stop the Islamization of America: A Practical Guide to the Resistance. She is also a regular columnist for World Net Daily, the American Thinker, and other publications. Follow her on Facebook & Twitter
Trending on The Sons of Liberty Media
Judgment Upon The Heads Of The Terrorists? Murder Charges Coming for The Guilty Involved in Plandemic? Dr. David Martin Explains…(Video)
This Is What Happens When You Let 2 Men Committing Crimes Against Nature With Each Other Adopt A Child
UNDERCOVER VIDEO: Pfizer Scientists Knew That mRNA Covid "Vaccine" Was Likely Cause of Myocarditis, Heart Attacks
Uncovering The Conspiracy? Silk On Diamond's Death: "I'm Not A Conspiracy Theorist" (Video)
Mexico Not Only Becomes First Nation To Admit Geoengineering Harm But Halts Future Experiments
Health Experts Now Confirm What We Warned: High Numbers Of Myocarditis Brought On By Deadly Experimental COVID Shots, Not Infections
Following Diamond's Death, Silk Now Engaged In Necromancy & Autowriting (Video)
Striving for Accuracy
At SonsOfLibertyMedia.com, we strive for accuracy in our articles. If, at any time, you see something that needs updating or correction, please click the contact link at the top of the page and advise of correction with a link to the article you are referencing. Thank you.
Donate To SonsOfLibertyMedia.com
Support Us Monthly
Subscriber : $15.00 USD – monthlyContributor : $30.00 USD – monthlyPatron : $50.00 USD – monthlySilver : $100.00 USD – monthlyGold : $250.00 USD – monthlyPlatinum : $500.00 USD – monthlyDiamond : $1,000.00 USD – monthly
The Sons of Liberty is a politically neutral organization. We believe that the Judeo-Christian ethic has provided the principles upon which this nation was founded. It is our belief that these principles provide
not only the foundation and framework for American government and society, but are also essential to the maintenance of a fair and just society. All content is based on a Christian, Biblical world-view.
© 2023 Sons of Liberty Media. Read our Privacy Policy.
Newsletter SignupStay up to date on the latest news: Sign up for the Sons of Liberty newsletter!
Stay up to date on the latest news: Sign up for the Sons of Liberty newsletter!


text:
2021 Detroit auto show canceled, replaced with Motor Bella event
The 2021 Detroit auto show has been canceled, and will be replaced by a new all-outdoor event called Motor Bella, organizers announced in a press release Monday.
A reimagined North American International Auto Show (NAIAS), as the Detroit auto show is formally known, was originally planned for June 2020, moving from the traditional January date. Organizers then pushed the show back to September 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic. Now they're planning an entirely different kind of event.
"We cannot ignore the major disruptions caused by the pandemic and the impact it has had on budgets," Motor Bella executive director Rod Alberts said in a statement. "As such, we will be providing an amazing experience to the media, the auto industry, and the public in a cost-effective way."
Detroit auto show logo
Motor Bella was originally intended to be a standalone event for British and Italian supercars and classic cars held alongside the Detroit auto show, but it will now pivot to focus on more traditional auto-show fare in an outdoor setting, according to organizers.
The venue will be the M1 Concourse facility in Pontiac, Michigan, just outside Detroit. The 87-acre site includes a 1.5-mile racetrack. 2.5-acre skidpad, and an off-road course, which will be used for vehicle and technology demonstrations during Motor Bella. That's not possible at a traditional auto show, the Motor Bella release noted. However, another reason for the change might be that the outdoor environment allows for more-robust social distancing measures than the traditional indoor NAIAS format, in case the pandemic is still going on in September.
The pandemic effectively eliminated the 2020 auto show season, striking in Europe as setup for the 2020 Geneva auto show was underway. The 2021 Geneva show has been canceled completely, while other auto shows are looking to reschedule for later in 2021.
← 1955 Jaguar D-Type headed to auction
Cheap SUV Comparison Test: 2021 Chevrolet Trailblazer vs. Kia Seltos, Mazda CX-30 →
Lego Technic McLaren Senna GTR has 830 pieces, working dihedral doors
November 25, 2020 ArkLaTex Rides	0
The 2021 Chevrolet Colorado is a Tough-Looking Midsize Pickup
October 8, 2019 ArkLaTex Rides	0


50 Years Later: Who Still Rules America?
Hopsopoly. Global beer mergers reach a new level.
Raising consciousness about capitalism's predations, even in beer, could encourage a movement to socialize brewing. In a democratically managed economic system, the freewheeling ethos of the microbrew movement would be free to flourish without being blackballed out of the market by the majors, or bought out if they manage to succeed. Now that would be a happy hour!
A system based on the fair distribution of use values, decent work, and production and consumption levels that remain within nature's biophysical limits cannot occur without the abandonment of a social order based on profit and accumulation.
Elsevier is an academic publishing company based in Amsterdam that annually publishes hundreds of thousands of articles to the tune of $2,000,000,000 in revenue. Meanwhile, The European Union has announced that all scientific papers published there and based on publicly funded research will be freely available beginning in 2020.


1155 N. Dearborn, also known as the Elm Tower, is a luxury condo development located in the heart of the affluent and desirable Gold Coast neighborhood. Originally built in 2002, standing 16 stories high, and only housing 39 luxurious condos for sale, it's safe to say Elm Tower condos for sale are among the most exclusive in the entire neighborhood. Some of the Elm Tower condos for sale offer expansive and private outdoor terraces, which you won't find in many other condo buildings in the neighborhood. Additionally, every unit here has either a two- or three-bedroom layout, so plenty of living space will be afforded to those who ultimately decide 1155 N. Dearborn is the right place for them.
Amenities at 1155 N. Dearborn include a 24 hour doorman, a state-of-the-art fitness facility, additional storage space which include a bike room, and on-site parking—which is owned by its residents. Pets are allowed inside Elm Tower and monthly assessments include cable television, heat, and water. If you're interested to see what's available at 1155 N. Dearborn, take a look at the active MLS listings below; or for more information on Elm Tower condos for sale, contact local Gold Coast real estate expert Helaine Cohen at (312) 953-0961!


text:
Mobile Phones > Android
27 people found this article helpful
Location Tracking and Other Mobile GPS Services
GPS allows you to track and share your device's location
Fred Zahradnik
Freelance Contributor
Former Lifewire writer Fred Zahradnik has a long history as a writer and is considered an expert on all things related to GPS products and software.
Switching from iOS
Most smartphones come equipped with GPS capabilities, which track the device's location and allows for precise turn-by-turn directions, local search results, device tracking, and other services.
While it is possible to legally track a cell phone, there are privacy and user notification concerns to consider.
Location-Based Services
Here are some of the services available on any iOS or Android device with GPS functionality:
Navigation or turn-by-turn directions for walking, driving, cycling, and public transit.
Real-time positioning on map services and apps.
Location sharing for friends and family.
Local search for restaurants, stores, and other nearby points of interest
Track, analyze, and storage of exercise or workout data.
Location-based information portals, such as museum or park recordings.
Smartphone Tracking Via GPS
By its nature, any smartphone with a built-in GPS chip can be tracked. Tracking falls into three categories, including location sharing, voluntary tracking, and secret tracking.
Location Sharing Tracking. Location-sharing apps, such as Glympse and Find My Friends, show your real-time location to the group of friends or family you've selected. These applications help you connect with friends or business associates but should be used with care, especially when using the public access feature. You may view friends' locations on your phone or via a web browser.
Voluntary Tracking. Real-time tracking of mobile devices via GPS moved into the mainstream with the introduction of AT&T FamilyMap, Sprint Family Locator, and other carrier services that display phone locations. Through smartphone or browser tracker apps, users can set alerts for when the tracked phone enters or leaves certain locations. This is useful for providing automatic notification when children arrive at home or sports practice, for example. In addition, cell phone location is built into the national enhanced 911 service.
Secret Tracking. Secret or concealed tracking by individuals is not legal and is not available through carriers.
When used properly, GPS provides valuable services and peace of mind for parents and loved ones. As with any technology, care must be taken to respect privacy and to prevent the release of private data.
How to Fake a GPS Location on Your Phone
Geofencing: What It Is and How It Works
The 8 Best Phone Tracker Apps of 2022
The 10 Best Parental Control Apps of 2022
The 11 Best Running Apps for iPhone in 2022
How to Control GPS Settings on the iPhone
What are Car GPS Trackers and How Do They Work?
The 6 Best GPS Apps for iPhone of 2022
How to Use Samsung Find My Mobile
The 5 Best Apple Watch Golf Apps of 2022
iPhone 6 GPS Features
The 6 Best FitBits of 2022
The 7 Best Traffic Apps of 2022
How to Track an iPhone From an Android Phone
The 7 Best Samsung Smartwatches of 2022
5G: Here's Everything That's Changing


text:
City Gives More Details on South Jackson Water Outage, 'Code Red' Plan
The City's Director of Communications Shelia Byrd spends not a small amount of time fielding questions about Jackson's water challenges. Photo by Imani Khayyam.
By Donna Ladd
After the Hinds County Board of Supervisors voted yesterday to declare a state of emergency in south Jackson to support work on a 48-inch water main, the City of Jackson released more details on the situation today.
City spokeswoman Shelia Byrd told the Jackson Free Press this afternoon that crews are preparing to repair three breaks along a 48-inch water line located near Forest Avenue. No definitive date has been set for the outage although "it may require a significant time period of disrupted water service in the area," she said in an email earlier today.
In order to minimize the water-outage period, Byrd said that the Department of Public Works will hire two contractors to make the necessary repairs. "This will reduce the planned outage to 24 to 30 hours as opposed to 72 hours," Byrd wrote. "This also will avoid additional outages, which would have been necessary for a phased repair project." The contractors are UCI and Hemphill.
Public Works will determine a definitive repair date. "Now that the repair work plan calls for a 24- to 30-hour weekend job, another date can be considered," she said.
The City is engaging in public outreach in the meantime. The City will hold stakeholders meeting next week. "We're reaching out to the city's colleges and universities, hospitals, Jackson Public Schools, Hinds County Supervisors, neighborhood association presidents, churches, the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency, businesses, dialysis centers, nursing homes and restaurants," she said.
"A social media Code Red campaign is underway to get more citizens to sign up for the service. A Code Red (phone) call will be used to inform residents about the outage," she wrote. Residents who want to sign up, but wgi do not have Internet access can call the action line at 601-960-1111 so city employees can sign them up for the call.
Information about the outage will be posted on the City's website and on social media. The administration also will hold news conference a week prior to the outage, she said.
The City said in a release yesterday:
"The City of Jackson is continuing to consult with key stakeholders, including Hinds County, as it moves forward with plans for the water outage that is necessary to repair a 48-inch water line that feeds into the south Jackson area. We welcome the collaboration with the county and any assistance being offered. The outage will impact a sizable area of the City and we want to ensure the public has ample notice to prepare for the outage. We have not set a definitive date for the outage. In our plans, we're considering the best strategy with the least disruption of service to our customers. We want to perform all due diligence before we make a final decision on when the work will occur. "
Jackson Water Outage Scheduled for This Weekend
10 Local Stories of the Week
200,000 Jacksonians Without Water; MEMA Opens Emergency Center
Update: Jail Fixes Cost $1.3 Mil
Gas in, Saggy Pants Out at Supervisor's Meeting


text:
Q: How to create a line draw effect - Using ScrollMagic & GSAP (GreenSock) I am starting a web project soon, and there is an element of this site: https://serioverify.com that my client would like to have on their site.
It is the line drawing effect based on scroll positioning.
I have integrated GreenSock & ScrollMagic with my custom theme - but how do I create this line effect, can provide a specific example if required.
Any guidance is appreciated, thank you!

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange