The United Nations Register of Conventional Arms (UNROCA) was created by a General Assembly Resolution in 1991 and has now completed 10 years of operation. In this Policy Paper Siemon T. Wezeman identifies both the limited areas of the UNROCA's success—notably, in establishing a global norm for transparency in arms transfers—and the factors which have stopped it both from making any real headway on its original goals and from adapting itself the better to do so. His realistic conclusion is that if the UN finds itself unable (for largely political reasons) to make a radical overhaul of the UNROCA at this time, international energies might better be directed to pursuing the goals of transparency and control in regional and other specialized settings which are, in fact, fully compatible with the UNROCA's existence and aims as first defined.


When Bonanza closed in Mandan, rumors began circulating that a Culver's would be opening at that location.
At the time, back in July, the Culver's franchise confirmed that local owners were working to open the restaurant but would provide no further details on the location or the timeline.
However, today on Facebook, the City of Mandan announced that the old Bonanza will indeed become a Culver's. Sammi and Harry Wu are the local owners of the franchise and Paula Grosinger is an investor in the property.
Unfortunately with the announcement, there was no indication on an approximate date for when Culver's would open.
Culver's is a fast food restaurant chain and their menu can be viewed on the Culver's website.


text:
Rod Stewart – Maggie May [Live Unplugged Video]
Watch Rod Stewart perform "Maggie May," live and unplugged. The song originally appeared on his album 'Every Picture Tells a Story.' In October 1971, the song went to number one in the UK and simultaneously topped the charts in the United States and was Stewart's first substantial hit as a solo performer and launched his solo career. Rolling Stone ranked the song #130 on their list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.
Share this video on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=http://youtu.be/m2CQ0FvAZuw
http://www.rodstewart.com/
http://facebook.com/rodstewart
http://twitter.com/rodstewart

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


If you are looking to slip away for a quiet and on so romantic wedding – Anna Maria Island is your spot! This sleepy little beach town has so much to offer both for your wedding day, and for a little vacation for your guests to enjoy! The views cannot be beat and "downtown" is full of beach side dining, accommodations and sunsets that are simply a gift that you need to enjoy.
Lindsay & Ryan, Anna Maria Island, FL.


Crafted in Flame Birch with Electric Pink finish. Features a precious Cupid version of our shop dog, Sawdust, disgruntled in his duties, with interior B. Double coated with a custom varnish for superb luster and protection.


Although post-1994 South Africa has achieved universal access to primary and early secondary education, the quality of teaching remains poor, class and race-linked inequalities are entrenched and infrastructure at state schools continues to be a significant challenge. Around 27% of public schools do not have running water, 78% are without libraries and 78% do not have computers.
Equal Education (EE) was established in 2008 in Khayelitsha to support teachers and students fighting for quality education in difficult conditions. It has now become a movement of students, parents, teachers and community members working to address inequality and improve infrastructure as well as the quality of teaching. Its main tools are analysis, advocacy and activism and its extraordinary success so far lies as much in its excellent judgment as in the ability to mobilize thousands of students. EE has over 3000 Equalisers in 114 schools around the country.
EMpower's 5th grant to Equal Education continues to support the Youth Programme which develops the leadership, organizational and mobilization skills of Equalizers (50% young women) and train young people (50% young women) as facilitators of the youth groups. The grant will also support Community Leaders (administrators of youth groups) as they build their administrative and coordinating skills.


705 days ago, Cheryl created this page in support of Servants Community Housing Inc.
Hi, I'm Kevin and I'm a resident at Hamer Court, run by Servants Community Housing. I go to Visions Fitness Centre, love boxing and go for at least three walks a day. I'm going to be part of Team Servants and would be grateful for any donations you can make towards my efforts!


text:
\section{The Low Frequency Array (LOFAR)}

LOFAR is a new pan-European radio telescope that will observe the Universe between 10 and 250 MHz  to an unprecedented sensitivity and angular resolution. The array will consist of 22 core stations within a central 5 km near the village of Exloo (NL), 18 remote stations out to $\sim100$~km within the Netherlands and 8 international stations in Germany (5), France, Sweden and the United Kingdom. With baselines up to 1300 km and independent clocks at each station, LOFAR is truly a VLBI instrument. An example of a LOFAR core-station is shown in Figure \ref{figure:core}. Each of the LOFAR stations has a Low Band Antenna (LBA) and a High Band Antenna (HBA) field. The LBA fields are made up of 96 simple dipoles that are combined as a phased array and are sensitive between 10 and 80 MHz (i.e. before the onset of the FM band). The HBA fields are made up of either 48 or 96 tiles that form an aperture array system, which is sensitive between 110 and 250 MHz. For the core-stations, the HBA field is split into two sub-fields, whereas for the remote and international stations all of the HBA tiles are grouped together. Unlike the typical parabolic dish radio telescopes that are used as part of the EVN, the LOFAR stations have no moving parts. Observations towards a particular target are made by coherently adding the signals of the incoming radiation in the direction of interest. This beam-forming is carried out by computing and is highly flexible. For example, the LOFAR system has 244 sub-bands that can be used as a single beam with a total bandwidth of 48 MHz. Alternatively, the sub-bands can be used to form up to 244 different beams on the sky simultaneously, but with a smaller bandwidth per beam. The data from the individual stations are connected via optical fibres to the IBM BlueGene/P supercomputer in Groningen, where the correlated visibilities are produced. The huge fractional bandwidth, the large collecting area and the possibility of multi-beam observations makes LOFAR an ideal instrument for carrying out surveys of the low frequency sky. The main science goals of LOFAR are to carry out deep extragalactic surveys, probe the epoch of reionization, study cosmic magnetism, investigate the transient sky, study solar physics and observe ultra high energy cosmic rays. LOFAR will also provide an important testbed for the technologies (hardware and software) that will be used for the Square Kilometre Array.

The commissioning of the LOFAR imaging system has been ongoing since the first 3 working stations became available in the summer of 2009. However, given the environment where LOFAR is built and the complexity of the data analysis, new software programs have also needed to be developed over this period to reduce the data. The first step of the process is the removal of radio frequency interference (RFI) and the data compression (time and frequency). The RFI is mitigated using several algorithms (e.g. Offringa et al. \cite{offringa}), and we find at most $10\%$ of the data are flagged over a full dataset, with about 1--2\% of the data flagged from a typical subband. The RFI can consist of narrow and broadband interference in both frequency and time. The calibration of LOFAR data is also complex. The large field of view and the effect of the ionosphere means that a single calibration solution can no longer be used, and multiple direction dependent gains must be calculated. This is particularly important for the very bright off-axis sources that can interfere with the target. The system gain also varies for a given source due to the change in the source projection relative to the station. The large fields of view (7 to 1700 deg$^{2}$) over the full frequency range will also require advanced imaging techniques to be employed, either through image faceting or a large number of w-projections, or a combination of both. LOFAR will also generate staggeringly large data volumes, for example, a 6 hour dataset with 25 stations using 1 second visibility averaging will be 15~TB in size. Therefore, to analyze the data, an imaging pipeline is being developed that will take the raw data from the IBM BlueGene/P correlator, remove the RFI and compress the data, calibrate the visibilities, make images and generate source catalogues.

As an initial test of the LOFAR imaging capabilities with a partially completed array, we have been carrying out observations of a number of interesting objects, ranging from a large cluster halo, an active galaxy and an extended radio galaxy to wide-field images of the region around a dominant point-source. In these proceedings, we only present the data and an image that have been made for Cygnus A. For other examples of imaging with LOFAR, please see Heald et al. \cite{heald}.

\section{Imaging of Cygnus A}

The radio galaxy Cygnus A (3C~405; $z=0.056$) is one of the brightest sources in the LOFAR sky. It is one of the objects that makes up the `A-team'; a small number of very strong radio sources that can potentially contaminate every LOFAR observation. To reduce the effect of these sources on our science observations, we must image each member of the A-team over the LOFAR observing band and remove them from the {\it uv}-data of our target fields. The large luminosity and small distance to Cygnus A also makes this source interesting for studying the properties of AGN, for example, to investigate feedback processes. Its complex double structure also makes for an excellent commissioning target to test the LOFAR system.

Cygnus A was observed for 15 hours in the LOFAR high band at $\sim$240 MHz on 2011 March 5. The array consisted of 19 core stations and 7 remote stations. The international stations were excluded from the array because the necessary VLBI techniques that are needed to analyze these kinds of data are still being developed - see the contribution by Wucknitz to these proceedings for some excellent examples of VLBI with LOFAR. The resulting {\it uv}-coverage of a single sub-band (0.2 MHz bandwidth) at 238.684~MHz is shown in Figure \ref{figure:uvplot}. The imaging, self-calibration and data editing could be carried out using {\sc difmap} because Cygnus A dominates the {\it uv}-data and because Cygnus A was in the centre of the beam throughout the observation; for other targets more complex calibration that includes direction dependent gain solutions and proper beam modelling is required. In Figure \ref{figure:vis}, we show the calibrated visibility data for Cygnus A. The zero-spacing flux-density was estimated to be 6740~Jy, which was calculated using the known spectral index of Cygnus A between 74 and 327 MHz, as measured with the VLA. The data quality is excellent for this strong source. The uniformly weighted image of Cygnus A is shown in Figure \ref{figure:cyga}. The image shows the expected double lobe structure that has been observed from Cygnus A at other frequencies (for example, note the similarity to the 327 MHz image shown by Lazio et al. \cite{lazio_et_al_2006}). We also see complex structure within the lobes and in the space between them, for example, the steep-spectrum hot spots in the lobe and counter-lobe are clearly detected. The rms noise in the image is 78.5 mJy~beam$^{-1}$, giving a dynamic range of $\sim$3340 (c.f. with the dynamic range of $\sim$4700 that is achieved with the VLA at 327 MHz). The limiting factor in the dynamic range is the cleaning. This image is an excellent example of what can be achieved with an aperture array system. The model of Cygnus A (see Figure \ref{figure:vis}) comprises $\sim$6700 clean components. In the future, the model will instead be parameterized using shaplets in order to speed-up the calibration process, and will also contain information about the frequency dependent structure of the source.

\begin{figure}
\begin{center}
\includegraphics[angle=0,width=13.5cm]{core.pdf}
\caption{An example of a LOFAR core station, showing the 96 simple dipoles that are combined as an LBA phased array, the 48 tiles that are combined as an HBA aperture array (split into $2\times24$~tile sub-fields) and the electronics cabinet in the centre. Note that for the remote and the international stations, the HBA field has all the tiles together.}
\label{figure:core}
\end{center}
\end{figure}

\begin{figure}
\begin{center}
\includegraphics[angle=0,width=9.5cm]{uvplot.pdf}
\caption{The {\it uv}-coverage of a single sub-band observation of Cygnus A at 239 MHz with LOFAR. The integration time for this observation was 15 hours.}
\label{figure:uvplot}
\end{center}
\end{figure}

\begin{figure}
\begin{center}
\includegraphics[angle=0,width=13cm]{radplot.pdf}
\caption{The amplitude of the visibilities (green) as a function of uv-distance for Cygnus A. The model (red) is composed of $\sim6700$ clean components. Further developments will allow the model to be represented by shaplets and will include information about the frequency dependent structure.}
\label{figure:vis}
\end{center}
\end{figure}

\begin{figure}
\begin{center}
\includegraphics[width=\textwidth]{cygnus-evn.pdf}
\caption{The uniformly-weighted LOFAR image of Cygnus A at 239 MHz. The expected double-lobe structure, with the bright hot spots at the ends of the lobe and counter-lobe are observed. The dynamic range of this image is $\sim$3340.}
\label{figure:cyga}
\end{center}
\end{figure}

\section{Future outlook}

The data presented here are based on only a partially completed LOFAR. As of March 2011, there are 20 core stations, 7 remote stations and 5 international stations that are validated and are being used regularly as part of the array. The final core stations will be completed before Summer 2011, and the remaining remote stations are expected to come online sometime soon after then. There has also recently been improvements to the individual station calibration tables and the LOFAR beam server, which have seen an increase in the sensitivity and stability of the system. Also, the complex modelling of the LOFAR beam has been implemented and is now being tested in our calibration routines. The current challenges that are being faced by the Imaging Working Group are the removal of the bright A-team sources, like Cygnus A, and the automated processing of the large data volumes with an imaging pipeline. Once these problems have been overcome, then we will be in a position to start producing science quality data.

\acknowledgments{The work described here relies on the efforts of many people who have been involved in the LOFAR project. We gratefully acknowledge the huge amount of work done by the entire LOFAR hardware and software development teams. We also thank the much larger group of commissioners who take part in the LOFAR Imaging Busy Weeks, and have been instrumental in making progress in successfully calibrating LOFAR data. These efforts have also led to the development of the LOFAR Imaging Cookbook. Chiara Ferrari acknowledges financial support by the Agence Nationale de la Recherche through grant ANR-09-JCJC-0001-01.

LOFAR, the Low Frequency Array designed and constructed by ASTRON, has facilities in several countries, that are owned by various parties (each with their own funding sources), and that are collectively operated by the International LOFAR Telescope (ILT) foundation under a joint scientific policy.}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaArXiv


Luckman Releases Web Studio 2.0 - InternetNews.
Luckman Interactive, Inc. today at Spring Internet World in Los Angeles unveiled Web Studio 2.0, the Web "toolbox," which contains a wide variety of tools that developers can utilize to create top notch Web sites.
Using Web Studio 2.0, even novice developers can create Web sites that showcase HTML, Java, access to databases, VRML, and report-generation technologies. This technology starts with WebEdit Pro 3.0, Luckman's award-winning HTML editor. WebEdit Pro 3.0 features real-time syntax checking, an integrated WYSIWYG preview window, and wizards that simplify the development process.
Another tool included with Web Studio 2.0 is AURALINE, from NEC Systems Laboratory, Inc. AURALINE is a multimedia creation kit which creates interactive, animated Java presentations that feature 3-D graphics, sound effects, animation, backgrounds, videos, and images. The AURALINE kit also comes with a library of over 5000 animation sequences, images, and templates for use in presentations.
Mojo, the Java authoring tool that uses drag-and-drop techniques to create Java applets.
VRCreator, the 3-D interactive virtual reality creation tool.
Openpath Web, used for developing Web database applications.
WebMap, the image map generator for making "hot spots" on images.
Crystal Reports, the leading reports generator.
and Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.0.
Web Studio 2.0 is available for Microsoft Windows95 and NT, and sells for a retail price of $149.95. The software may be purchased on the Luckman Web site or by calling 1-800-711-2676.


text:
// Copyright 2019 Google LLC
//
// Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
// you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
// You may obtain a copy of the License at
//
//     https://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
//
// Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
// distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
// WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
// See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
// limitations under the License.

using Google.Cloud.Tools.VersionCompat.CecilUtils;
using Mono.Cecil;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.Linq;

namespace Google.Cloud.Tools.VersionCompat.Detectors
{
    internal class Interface
    {
        public static IEnumerable<Diff> Diffs(TypeDefinition o, TypeDefinition n)
        {
            var classStructInterface = new ClassStructInterface(o, n);
            return Enumerable.Empty<Diff>()
                .Concat(classStructInterface.ImplementedInterfaces())
                .Concat(classStructInterface.GenericConstraints())
                .Concat(classStructInterface.Methods(TypeType.Interface))
                .Concat(classStructInterface.Properties(TypeType.Interface))
                .Concat(classStructInterface.Obsoleteness());
        }
    }
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
using System.Windows;

namespace SilverlightMappingToolBasic.UI.Extensions
{
    public interface IMarginAnimationControl
    {
        Thickness Margin { get; set; }
    }
}


A major communications tower that supported emergency radio equipment for police and fire services collapsed early Sunday in the northern Berkshire County town of Florida, according to officials, who are working to restore radio and cell phone service as soon as possible.
NORTH ADAMS — Heavy wind and rain is being blamed for toppling a major communications tower near North Adams on Sunday, knocking out cell phone service and police and fire communications for a large swath of the northern Berkshires, according to officials, who were working to restore service as quickly as possible.
Stormy weather on Saturday night through early Sunday caused the tower on top of Florida Mountain to collapse, said Kurt N. Schwartz, undersecretary for homeland security and emergency management for the state Executive Office of Public Safety and Security.
"This has resulted in the loss or significant interruption of cell and Internet services in the North Adams area," Shwartz said in an email alert.
The tower fell some time between midnight and 3 a.m. Sunday, according to officials, who cited wind speeds of up to 100 mph.
The tower houses critical public safety communications systems, including portions of the system that powers Massachusetts State Police and state Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) communications in Western Massachusetts.
With cell service down, North Adams police were urging people to use land lines for service calls.
"The North Adams Police Department also wants everyone to be aware that, if you have a home phone line that is still connected from your house to an outside line, regardless of whether you currently have service or not, you can still utilize 911. By dialing 911, it will still put you through to our 911 Dispatch," a message on the department's Facebook page states.
State Police troopers and technicians from Motorola were dispatched to the site in Florida, a rural town bordering the city of North Adams. The State Police Crime Scene Services Section also was dispatched to "document the scene" and to ensure that the tower failure was not the result of an intentional criminal act, officials said.
As a result of the communications breakdown, North Adams activated its Emergency Operations Center to manage the incident. North Adams Mayor Richard J. Alcombright and state Sen. Benjamin B. Downing, D-Pittsfield, were among the officials who went to the center to monitor the situation.
A number of state agencies were developing short- and long-term solutions, including the State Police, MEMA, the Berkshire County Sheriff's Department and other organizations. "These agencies, along with North Adams, are working closely with the private-sector owner of the downed communications tower," Schwartz said in the alert.
The implementation of short-term solutions, including moving critical communications antennas and equipment to a nearby building, was expected to begin Sunday. However, a long-term fix would require the owner of the failed tower to rebuild the structure, officials said.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency was expected to help MEMA coordinate with the three cellular companies that had equipment on the tower. The companies will be moving temporary equipment to the area.
Additional information is available on the North Adam Police Department Facebook page or by calling (413) 664-4944 (press #1 for dispatch). The department can also be reached by email at NAPD911@gmail.com.


text:
Nutzerkonto anlegen
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European organisations
> European organisations: origins, development and interactions
> European Union
> Origin and development
> Composition
> The EU institutions
> European Parliament
> Council
> Commission
> Independence of Members
> Appointments of Members
> Termination of service
> Organisation and operation
> Powers
> Seat
> Court of Justice
> Court of Auditors
> Economic and Social Committee
> Committee of the Regions
> European Investment Bank
> European Central Bank
> Financing
> Council of Europe
> Western European Union
> Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe
Termination of service of a Member of the European Commission
Debates in the Common Assembly of the ECSC: extract on Jean Monnet's decision not to seek a renewal of his term of office as President of the High Authority (session of 30 November 1954)
On 30 November 1954, Jean Monnet, dismayed at the failure of the proposed European Defence Community (EDC), explains to the Members of the Common Assembly of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) why he will not be asking the governments of the Six to renew his term of office as President of the ECSC High Authority.
Motions of censure tabled since the first direct elections to the European Parliament in 1979
Table showing the motions of censure tabled in the European Parliament against the management of the Commission.
Termination of service of the Santer Commission (1999)
Committee of Independent Experts: First report on allegations regarding fraud, mismanagement and nepotism in the European Commission (15 March 1999)
Extract from the first report by the Committee of Independent Experts on the allegations of fraud, mismanagement and nepotism in the European Commission.
Statement by Jacques Santer (Brussels, 16 March 1999)
Statement by President Jacques Santer the day after the resignation of the Members of the Commission.
Statement of the Commission on the resignation of the Commission (17 March 1999)
Commission statement following the resignation of its Members.
European Parliament Resolution on the resignation of the Commission (23 May 1999)
European Parliament Resolution of 23 March 1999 on the resignation of the Commission and the appointment of a new Commission.
Transkription öffnen
Press conference held by Jacques Santer (Brussels, 14 July 1999)
On 14 July 1999, Jacques Santer, outgoing President of the European Commission, gives an account of the achievements of his team since 1995.
Extract from the Second Report by the Committee of Independent Experts on the Commission (10 September 1999)
Analysis of current practice and proposals for tackling mismanagement, irregularities and fraud.
Interview with Jacques Santer: the resignation en bloc of the European Commission (Sanem, 3 May 2006)
In this interview, Jacques Santer, former President of the European Commission, recalls the reasons and circumstances which led him to submit, on 15 March 1999, the resignation en bloc of the Commission.
Interview with Gérard Deprez (Brussels, 24 November 2010) — Excerpt: The resignation en bloc of the Santer Commission in 1999
In this interview excerpt, Gérard Deprez, Member of the European Parliament from 1984 to 1999 (European People's Party (EPP)), from 1999 to 2004 (Citizens' Movement for Change (MCC)), from 2004 to 2009 and since 2014 (Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE)), describes the circumstances surrounding the resignation en bloc of the Santer Commission in 1999. He also mentions the role played by Édith Cresson, a Member of the Santer Commission with responsibility for Science, Research and Development, in this affair.
Termination of service of the Prodi Commission (2004)
'European Commission weakened as several Commissioners stand down' from Le Monde (3 April 2004)
With the term of the European Commission under President Romano Prodi due to come to an end on 1 November 2004, several Commissioners decide to stand down well ahead of this deadline to take up national offices. On 3 April 2004, the French daily newspaper Le Monde reports on the various interpretations of this trend.
'Useful role for European Commissioners leaving their posts for high-level national office' from the Europe Daily Bulletin (6 April 2004)
As the term of office of the European Commission presided by Romano Prodi comes to an end on 1 November 2004, several Commissioners are leaving their posts early in order to take up new national positions of responsibility. In his editorial dated 6 April 2004, Ferdinando Riccardi, Editor-in-Chief of the Europe Daily Bulletin, takes a positive view of the situation.


text:
Tag: transgender discrimination
Trump Administration Argues Firing People For Being Transgender Is Legal
The Trump administration has filed a brief with the U.S. Supreme Court in support of a Michigan funeral home that fired a longtime employee for coming out as transgender and beginning her transition.
Aimee Stephens worked for Harris Funeral Homes for five years before she began to transition in 2012.
Saying she was "violating God's commands," fired Stephens two weeks later.
Stephens is suing the funeral home saying she experienced sex discrimination the workplace under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
It is the Trump administration's position that transgender people can be fired just for being trans.
More from Dominic Holden at Buzzfeed News:
The Justice Department's brief on Friday contends the word refers to a person's "biological sex" and, further, that transgender discrimination isn't addressed by a 1989 Supreme Court ruling that found Title VII bans sex stereotyping.
"Title VII does not prohibit discrimination against transgender persons based on their transgender status," says a filing by the Justice Department, adding, "It simply does not speak to discrimination because of an individual's gender identity or a disconnect between an individual's gender identity and the individual's sex."
The counterargument from LGBTQ advocates and several lower courts, however, is that the intent of lawmakers does not limit a law's reach, but rather its meaning is defined by the statute's plain text. They say anti-transgender discrimination can result from a person defying traditional sex stereotypes or because the person transitioned from one sex to another — and thus, it is inherently a type of sex discrimination.
The case at issue is one of three currently before the court about the rights of LGBTQ workers under Title VII — and the only one concerning a transgender worker.
The Trump administration maintains that when the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was authored, the idea of transgender people wasn't present in the "ordinary public meaning of 'sex'" as biological sex.
But here's the double-standard: if you can only apply laws as what people knew or understood at the time the were written, that would mean military assault-style weapons would not be protected under the 2nd Amendment because the Founding Fathers didn't know such weapons would ever exist. And that's just the beginning.
Stephens' legal team maintains the plain text of Title VII addresses "sex" discrimination. And it's impossible to consider her being transgender without taking into account the concept of her sex.
SCOTUS will hear oral arguments in the case on Oct. 8, along with two additional cases that address whether sexual orientation discrimination is protected by Title VII.
News Round-Up: April 9, 2019
Some news items you might have missed:
• InstaHunk Thara (above) is getting pumped up for the summer circuit (and I don't mean weight training).
• Quartz reports "former agency officials," said White House adviser Stephen Miller would leak the monthly number of immigrants apprehended at the border to the Washington Examiner, who would then publish a story about the high numbers.
He would then print out the story and give it to Donald Trump. After seeing the story, Trump would then "pick up the phone and blast (Homeland Secretary) Nielsen.
• FX has announced that the second season of Pose will premiere June 9 at 9pm. The network also confirmed that the second season will time jump to 1990 with vogueing about to the day Madonna released her music video for "Vogue," causing the ball culture to "reevaluate their goals."
New looks. New attitude. New season. #PoseFX returns Sunday, June 9 on @FXNetworks.
A post shared by Pose FX (@poseonfx) on Apr 9, 2019 at 9:27am PDT
• Rosie O'Donnell says she greatly regrets giving Ladies Who Punch author Ramin Setoodeh 20 minutes of her time. In those minutes, she revealed she was sexually abused by her father, that she had "a little bit of a crush" on former colleague Elisabeth Hasselbeck and described working with Whoopi Goldberg as "The worst experience I've ever had on live television."
• A tire company in Colorado is paying a transgender man $60,000 and writing a letter of apology after it settled a sex discrimination lawsuit.
• Don't miss the season finale of Schitt's Creek on Wednesday at 10 p.m. on POP.
[Spoiler alert] Last week's episode gave us quite the moment:
Posted on February 8, 2019 August 20, 2019
Congress Moves To Block Trump Ban On Transgender Soldiers
As the Trump administration continues to push for a ban on transgender military service members, new legislation is being introduced by a bipartisan group of lawmakers to allow open service by trans soldiers.
The Washington Post reports that Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) introduced the bill in the U.S. Senate along with Sens. Jack Reed (D-R.I.) and Susan Collins (R-Maine).
Calling out President Trump for the proposed ban, which was unceremoniously tweeted out in July 2017, Gillibrand said in a statement, "President Trump's ban on transgender service members is discrimination, it undermines our military readiness, and it is an insult to the brave patriotic transgender Americans who choose to serve in our military."
"We should end this discriminatory ban for good and ensure our transgender service members can continue to do their jobs, serve with dignity and protect our country," she added.
Gillibrand recently announced she making a run for the Democratic nomination for president in 2020.
The legislation would ban the Pentagon from discharging any currently serving trans soldiers only on the basis of their gender identity. Additionally, new recruits could not be turned away from enlisting based only on their gender identity.
A similar bill was introduced in the House of Representatives by California Democrat Rep. Jackie Speier. Co-sponsoring the bill in the House were Reps. Anthony Brown (D-Md), Joseph Kennedy (D-Mass.), Susan Davis (D-Calif.) and John Katko (R-NY).
Last month, the Supreme Court issued a stay of injunction on two lawsuits that blocked the ban. The policy hasn't gone into effect yet as the last lawsuit is still being appealed in Maryland.
While the House version could very well pass, the Republican majority in the Senate pretty much ensures the legislation will be dead in the water there.
However, even if the bills passed in both chambers, it would land on Donald Trump's desk where he is sure to veto the legislation.
Both Speier and Gillibrand invited trans soldiers to attend the State of the Union address this week as their guest to highlight the issue.
In related news, one of the highest-ranking officers in the California National Guard announced the state would not discharge trans soldiers from it's ranks.
LGBT advocacy groups praised the bills:
BREAKING: Big ups to @RepSpeier and @SenGillibrand! The legislation they introduced would help ensure that #transgender service members who are otherwise qualified can continue serving our country without fear of discrimination. #TransMilitaryBan https://t.co/kVM51lBlYd
— Lambda Legal (@LambdaLegal) February 7, 2019
New bipartisan legislation introduced in the Senate and House today would protect currently serving transgender service members and continue to allow new trans service members to join the military.
Congress must act to #ProtectTransTroops. https://t.co/ndBadeRyG1
— Human Rights Campaign (@HRC) February 7, 2019
News Round-Up: October 24, 2018
• The above pic was sent to me over the weekend. I just enjoy the view… #woof
• The New York Times reports it's very possible China may be listening in on the Donald's personal calls as his iPhone is not a 'secure' method of communication.
• The Justice Department today told the U.S. Supreme Court that businesses can discriminate against transgender workers based on their gender identity without violating federal law.
• Republican nominee for Georgia governor, and current Secretary of State, Brian Kemp was caught telling supporters at a paid campaign event that his Democratic opponent Stacey Abrams' voter turnout operation "continues to concern us, especially if everybody uses and exercises their right to vote," according to audio obtained by Rolling Stone.
• At a candidate forum in Kentucky this week, anti-LGBT County Clerk Kim Davis told voters (with a straight face) that she "did not treat anyone unfairly" when she chose to deny same-sex couples marriage licenses after the Supreme Court made marriage equality the law of the land. #liar
• 20-year-old Swedish singer and songwriter Zara Larsson drops her first new single, "Ruin My Life," since her 2017 debut album, So Good.
The award-winning multi-platinum pop artist holds the distinction of being "the second most-streamed debut on Spotify by a female artist ever," eclipsing 5 billion streams.
I've previously written about Zara and her gorgeous 2017 collaboration with Clean Bandit, "Symphony." Check the new single out below.
6th Circuit Court Of Appeals Rules "Religious Freedom" Doesn't Allow For Trans Discrimination
In a unanimous decision, a three-judge panel for the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled the federal Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) doesn't allow for transgender discrimination in the workplace.
In a 49-page opinion, U.S. Circuit Judge Karen Nelson Moore wrote that R.G. & G.R. Harris Funeral Homes in Michigan "engaged in unlawful discrimination" against transgender employee Aimee Stephens under Title VII of the Civil Rights of 1964.
From The Washington Blade:
In essence, the Sixth Circuit establishes two milestones with the decision.
First, it explicitly concludes discrimination against transgender workers is sex discrimination, and unlawful under Title VII.
Second, it makes clear religious freedom as outlined under RFRA doesn't supersede Title VII's prohibition on employment discrimination.
The case, EEOC v. Harris Funeral Homes, began in 2013 when Harris Funeral Homes fired Stephens, who has worked there for six years, after she announced that she would transition. The basis for the termination was that by dressing as a women, Stephens would violate the dress code for the business and that would place a substantial burden on the religious beliefs of the funeral home's owner, Thomas Rost.
In her reasoning for the decision, Moore first establishes anti-transgender discrimination is sex discrimination. Although the Sixth Circuit in the 2004 ruling of Smith v. City of Salem determined sex-stereotyping amounts to sex discrimination, the court had never before ruled anti-trans discrimination is unlawful.
The decision sends the case back to the lower court that ruled the funeral home did have the right to terminate Stephens under RFRA,.
The ruling also represents a loss for Attorney Jeff Sessions. Although the federal government wasn't a party to the case, Sessions issued a memo asserting transgender people aren't covered under Title VII despite legal precedent.
News Round-Up: January 18, 2018
(Image via photographer Robin MacDonald)
• It's always such a quandry getting dressed for the gym (above) – sneakers or no sneakers? How about just mimosas!
• Log Cabin Republicans have shared a congratulatory letter from Donald Trump on their 40th anniversary just a day after Trump proclaimed Tuesday "Religious Freedom Day." It comes as no surprise the proclamation was full of anti-LGBT dog-whistles.
• Insurance giant Aetna will pay $17 million to settle a lawsuit after mailing out envelopes that accidentally revealed thousands of patients' HIV status.
• The young 22-year-old writer of the Aziz Ansari "Revenge Porn" article has responded to criticisms of the piece by flipping out on Twitter.
• Imagine opening a package expecting to see your gorgeous printed wedding invitations only to find a pamphlet entitled, "Understanding Temptation: Fight the good fight of the faith." That's what happened to this gay couple.
• Donald Trump will soon announce new guidelines that would allow healthcare providers to deny LGBT, and especially, transgender patients and others critical care in the name of religion.
• I know, I know – no one wants to see hunky UK gymnasts literally flipping into their clothes… (But if you did, watch below).
How Gymnasts get dressed 😱 Stepped it up a level! @ashwatson92 @lukestoney94 🙊 Who thinks they can challenge?🤸🏼♂ Tag a friend 📲
A post shared by Nile Wilson (@nilemw) on Jan 12, 2018 at 8:28am PST
(h/t JoeMyGod)
Log Cabin Republicans Aren't So Sweet On Trump After Transgender Military Ban
After calling Donald Trump a "do no harm guy" in the past, the Log Cabin Republicans President Gregory T. Angelo via press release in response to President Trump's newly-announced ban on transgender service members in the U.S. military:
This smacks of politics, pure and simple. The United States military already includes transgender individuals who protect our freedom day in and day out. Excommunicating transgender soldiers only weakens our readiness; it doesn't strengthen it.
The president's statement this morning does a disservice to transgender military personnel and reintroduces the same hurtful stereotypes conjured when openly gay men and women were barred from service during the military's 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' era.
As an organization that led the charge against that hateful policy, Log Cabin Republicans remains equally committed to standing up for transgender military personnel who put their lives on the line to keep us free.
Politico: House Repubs Wanted To Stop Military-Funded Trans Surgeries, Trump Jumped The Shark
According to Politico, today's transgender ban in the military by President Trump came about because House Republicans went to Trump to stop the military from paying for transgender's gender reassignment surgeries. Trump apparently jumped the shark.
A handful of House Republicans threatened funding for Trump's Mexican wall. They went around Defense Secretary Mattis to Trump asking him to do something about the military funded surgeries, and instead got all trans military booted.
"There are several members of the conference who feel this really needs to be addressed," senior House Appropriations Committee member Robert Aderholt (R-Ala.) said Tuesday. "This isn't about the transgender issue; it's about the taxpayer dollars going to pay for the surgery out of the defense budget."
The president's directive, of course, took the House issue a step beyond paying for gender reassignment surgery and other medical treatment. House Republicans were never debating expelling all transgender troops from the military.
"This is like someone told the White House to light a candle on the table and the WH set the whole table on fire," a senior House Republican aide said in an email. The source said that although GOP leaders asked the White House for help on the taxpayer matter specifically, they weren't expecting — and got no heads up on — Trump's far-reaching directive.
Las Vegas: Transgender Woman Denied Entrance To Ladies Restroom At New York-New York Hotel
Katie Charm (via Instagram)
A transgender woman from San Francisco, visiting Las Vegas this past week, was blocked from using a women's bathroom at New York-New York Hotel.
While attending a performance of the Cirque du Soleil production Zumanity, which ironically celebrates diversity, Katie Charm used the women's restroom before the show began.
But later, when she returned to use the same restroom during the performance, New York-New York staff blocked her from entering the restroom again.
Unicorn Booty interviewed Charm and shares her story:
"They formed a literal barrier in the hallway blocking me from using it," she tells us. "The first manager was unbelievable. He was like, 'Well, look at you, look at what you're wearing.' I was wearing a woman's baby doll tee and shorts, by the way. I was like, 'I'm a trans woman! I have boobs even.' I asked to speak to his manager."
"I asked for a refund and the manager was like,'Why in the world would we give you a refund?' I had to leave because I became too emotional. We missed the end of the show."
Charm explains the fear and self-doubt she has had to overcome since transitioning.
"I don't know if you understand how scary it is for a newly transitioning person to use a women's room," she explains. "So afraid at any second to be called out and harassed for not belonging. So scared of those macho assholes waiting outside to hurt you for daring to use the bathroom next to their wife."
"The titanic mountains of self-doubt you have to overcome just to feel OK being there. Months and months of fighting thoughts, "Do I really belong here? Am I a bad person for just wanting to pee in peace. The crippling self-doubt versus the absolute terror of going to the men's room. After a few months of transition, you begin smelling like a girl, and people give you scary looks in the men's room. It was a nightmare for all [the beginning] of 2017. It was a nightmare I finally felt like I had conquered."
Charm shared with Unicorn Booty that she has been taking hormones for seven months, and says, "I know I don't pass, that I'm a thousand miles from ever 'passing,' even though I've been on hormones seven months now. But just because I'm an ugly woman doesn't mean I should be subject to ID search to use the bathroom. I shouldn't need to 'pass' or be pretty to be treated as a valid female."
Charm added that she felt she was "confronted" in at least 50% of the restrooms she used in Las Vegas.
It's important to note that in 2011, the Nevada legislature passed, and Gov. Sandoval signed into law, SB 331 which outlawed discrimination based on gender identity and expression regarding public accommodations.
According to reports, those who denied Charm entrance to the bathroom were New York-New York employees, not Cirque du Soleil employees.
MGM Resorts posted this statement on Katie's Instagram:
MGM Resorts International strives to create a safe and inclusive environment for our LGBTQ guests. Under our policy, guests who are transgender may use the restroom of the gender they associate with. If you were not allowed access to the restroom of your choice, we would very much like an opportunity to address this matter with you directly. Inclusion is a bedrock value of MGM Resorts and we welcome the opportunity to make this right.
I'm not aware of any other public statement by MGM Resorts on the incident.
I would like to know whether the employees were addressed regarding how they mishandled the incident considering the company's policy is to allow trans people to use the bathroom that matches their gender identity.
Unicorn Booty reports that since the incident MGM Resorts have issued an apology to Charm and offered her a refund.
Cirque du Soleil issued this statement:
We regret the incident experienced by one of our audience members on July 11 at New York-New York. Diversity and equality for every individual are foundational values of Cirque du Soleil, and our show Zumanity specifically celebrates diversity and love in all forms.


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About Erica
Chase Waterfalls
Female Travel
Couples Travel · Philippine Gems · Pretty Places · Travel Tales
Time Traveling in Taal, Batangas
July 19, 2015 September 11, 2015 Girl, Unspotted
One of my favorite things about venturing to new places is the possibility of feeling like you're being transcended back in time. It's quite fascinating to see how some still manage to preserve it's state from centuries throughout all the war, all the fortuitous events, and every changes that came to the world as time went by. It's very rare to come across a place like this, and when I do, it's almost magical to me. In the Philippines, everyone knows about the Historic Town of Vigan in Ilocos. Listed as one of the UNESCO Heritage sites, walking its streets really does take you back in time. But did you know that somewhere a lot more closer to Manila, there lies this small town in Batangas that would take you back in the centuries of colonial era too?
Not a lot of people know about this place, because people will naturally think of the volcano when you mention the name. But Taal, with a population of about 51,000, is a little town in Batangas that happens to house places of historical events significant to the Filipino history. Apparently, Taal was originally located near the shores of the volcano, but a massive earthquake in 1754 destroyed the town, forcing the people to rebuild it further away.
Basilica of St. Martin of Tours is a beautiful church located in the middle of the town. Although the original one was destroyed from the earthquake in 1754, and another in 1782, the present church dates back to 1852. This is considered not only as the largest cathedral in the Philippines, but in all of Asia.
Walking down the streets of Taal, it's hard to miss the ancestral houses everywhere. Some still serves as actual homes to the locals, while others were donated to the government which now serves as museum for the public. These houses were owned by upperclass men during the time and they're locally known as "bahay na bato" which is literally translated to house of stone. One of the most famous houses belongs to the maker of the first Filipino flag.
Although some of the houses were restored and renovated as late as the 1920's, most were left in it's original style. You'll notice how similar these houses are, with the staple garage/basement at the bottom of the house, and the living room upstairs. Of course there's the signature windows in capiz shell panes. The furnishings are similar too, which are the usual wood carvings in its beautiful Filipino-Spanish form.
I'm a sucker for vintage books and vintage photography so I took my time and lingered around those. It's such a mystery to me– who owned these books, who these people were. I noticed a lot of these books were in Spanish and I thought how cool it would have been if Spanish remained as one of Philippines' main languages.
Visiting ancestral houses is such a good way to have a glimpse of what life was like back then. Behind closed doors is when it gets real, and home is where most secrets are held. Don't you ever wonder? What kind of secrets were kept during their time? I was told that they held revolutionary meetings (Katipunan) inside the secret basements of some of the houses. But was that all? Did it all revolve around plotting their schemes agains the Spaniards? What about love stories? Did anyone from these house perhaps fell in love with a Spanish soldier? Maybe even brought him up to one of the rooms? Exactly what kind of drama did these houses witness?
Before heading home, we stopped by Villa Tortuga, a small guest house that also happens to have a small photo studio downstairs. They offer an array of 18th century Filipino-Spanish costumes in different colors and fabrics that you can wear to have your pictures taken. I'm always down for a little game of dress up so I had to do it. My husband, sadly, would not give in, but that's okay because he took pretty cool photos of me. I was pretty excited about this! Besides my costume being on point, check out the appropriate lighting and legitimate 19th century background!
It's an interesting town, don't you think? It's a nice little day trip for the weekend. History, architecture, culture, a little dress up, and maybe some authentic suman dipped in hot cocoa is always a good idea. But that's the thing about exploring though. It doesn't matter where you end up, as long as it's something new, it's worth venturing to. You know, it's amazing what you can find if you just let your feet take you.
Some deets on Taal, Batangas:
-I took a bus headed to Nasugbu (coming from Tagaytay) and got off the Tagaytay-Nasugbu border. From there, I took a jeep to Lemery. From there, one more short tricycle ride away, I was in Taal.
-The town is known for their Tapang Taal, pork marinated in a perfect balance of sweet and salty, and then fried. Dilaw na adobo (Yellow Adobo) is also famous here. And for dessert, suman (rice cake) dipped in hot cocoa is unbelievably good. The deep fried suman is also worth the try.
-I'd like to say the costume rental + photos cost me more or less 300php because they charged me to go take pictures upstairs too.
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26 thoughts on "Time Traveling in Taal, Batangas"
ArisMape says:
This one I missed. My trip was cut short after I lost my wallet trekking in Taal Volcano. Haha!
GirlUnspotted says:
Oh no! Speaking of the volcano, I'm actually hiking Taal tomorrow again if I don't get lazy.
sweetteaandhydrangeas says:
This trip looked like it was a lot of fun! Beautiful pictures. Love your I woke up like this t-shirt!
Thank you! It was a great day. And I definitely did not wake up like that, but I wish 🙈
Johanny Casillas says:
I Love your Pictures!
Thank you, Johanny!
lorigraceh says:
What a wonderful adventure! You are blessed to have been able to visit there.
Thank you! It was a nice little gem I'm glad I found.
Becki S says:
Love these photos! Wish I had less fear and enjoyed exploring more.
Never too late to face those fears 🙂
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Larua says:
We're headed to Cuba this Christmas for the first time and I'm actually really excited about it mostly because it's a huge step back in time, like you're saying. It's going to be so cool to see.
Girl, Unspotted says:
That sounds really exciting! I love a good time warp.
Mia A Swede Abroad says:
Oh, time travels is one of my favorites as well. I've never heard about Taal before, but I would love to go there now! I recently visited Nimbin in Australia, which is basically like travelling back to the 70's and I would like to visit other places like that.
I've never heard of Nimbin but I'm googling it right now. That sounds awesome!K thanks for that info.
Kim-Ling says:
Looks like a great place to visit and step back in history. Would love to visit there someday! Love the photos and thanks for the tips!
Hannah (@AdventureHan) says:
Great photos and places to visit!
Alessandra Granata says:
How beautiful your picts are!! Never been to Asia yet and can't wait to come!!
You will love Asia!
aliceteacake says:
Places like this are truly magical to me too. I love wondering what fascinating stories happened here and being such a nosy lady, snooping around peoples' houses is one of my favourite past times haha.
Haha it's the best way to make an inquisition, right Alice!
Joann says:
The photos look amazing!
If I haven't checked out the title, I would be thinking that you are in Vigan.
About girl, unspotted
Erica is a third world passport holder with an American accent, joyously dancing through the islands of the Philippines. A huge sucker for magical places, she continues to search for the world's most beautiful corners. She enjoys sharing her finds through writing and photography. Born with a knack of telling people what to do, she not only writes about personal travel tales to inspire, but she also provides destination guides to tell her readers where, what, and how to travel to certain places impeccably. Thirty, married, and thriving, Erica defies all conventional expectations of a Filipino woman and continues to chase the world. In her bikini. Also hilarious and witty af.
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Application Deadlines Research Grants & Young Clinician Investigator Awards Medical Student Summer Research Fellowships William P Van Wagenen Fellowship
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Andrew T. Parsa Fund
Fund Purpose: To fund a fellowship or research grant for brain tumor research in Dr. Parsa's name.
Andrew T. Parsa, MD, PhD, FAANS, a native of Brooklyn, N.Y., completed his undergraduate studies at Yale College, with a degree in molecular biophysics and biochemistry. At Yale, he developed an interest in neurological oncology, after completing a student externship with Michael Apuzzo, MD. Dr. Parsa returned to Brooklyn in 1988, where he enrolled in the MD, PhD program at Downstate Medical Center, where he collaborated with John Miller, MD, and other members of the neurosurgery department to initiate a clinical trial evaluating an adjuvant linked vaccine for recurrent glioma.
In 1996, Dr. Parsa matriculated into the neurosurgical training program at Columbia University, under chairs Bennett Stein, MD, Donald Quest, MD, and later Robert Solomon, MD. While at Columbia, Dr. Parsa continued to develop his research interests in the laboratory of Jeffrey Bruce, MD, working to refine mechanisms of anti-glioma immunity.
In 2002, Dr. Parsa joined the faculty at the University of California at San Francisco (UCSF), under the leadership of Mitchel S. Berger, MD. In 2007, he was appointed as the first recipient of the Reza and Georgianna Khatib endowed chair in skull base tumor surgery. Continuously funded by the NIH since 2002, Dr. Parsa's research interests included CNS immunology and the optimization of treatment paradigms for patients with skull base tumors. Dr. Parsa took particular pride in mentoring students and residents, having sponsored 9 F32 awards and 3 K99 awards for residents and junior faculty (as of 2012). He was twice awarded the Harold Rosegay Resident Teaching Award at UCSF and in 2010 he was awarded the UCSF Mentor of the Year by the school of medicine. In 2011, Dr. Parsa was appointed professor and vice chair of neurosurgery at UCSF.
In 2013, Dr. Parsa moved to Chicago where he was appointed the Michael J. Marchese professor and chair of neurological surgery at the Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University. He served on multiple editorial boards, patient advocacy boards, NIH study sections and scientific advisory councils.
Dr. Parsa passed away suddenly on April 13, 2015. He is deeply missed by his family, friends, patients and colleagues.
To view a list of all donors to this fund, click here.
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package com.seelyn;


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Lancashire resident comes forward to claim £138,000 Euromillions win
Lancaster City Council leader to step down at 2019 election
The leader of Lancaster City Council has announced her retirement from politics after more than 30 years representing the Labour Party in the city.
Tuesday, 24th July 2018, 10:26 am
Updated Tuesday, 24th July 2018, 10:27 am
Coun Eileen Blamire, leader of Lancaster City Council.
Council and Labour group leader, Coun Eileen Blamire, will retire from local politics following next year's Lancaster City Council elections.
Coun Blamire, who has represented John O' Gaunt ward on the council since 1987 informed party members that she did not wish to seek re-election next May.
She said that in the meantime she remained committed to leading the group and council and serving local residents.
"I've had a long and interesting career, serving as a councillor for more than 30 years, the last seven of which have been as council leader," she said.
"I want to express my sincere thanks to the voters in John O'Gaunt who have put their faith in me so many times.
"Although I feel as sharp and able as ever, no one can go on indefinitely.
"If we can achieve what we plan to in the next year, progressing exciting plans like the Canal Quarter regeneration, developing new employment sites around the Bay Gateway and investing more money into street cleaning, I will be stepping down with the council and district in a good place.
"Despite crippling Conservative Government cuts, over the past few years we have protected the frontline services people rely upon through careful management of our resources.
"At the same time, we have turned Salt Ayre Leisure Centre into one of the best facilities of its kind in the country, breathed new life into St George's Quay, made significant improvements to the centre of Morecambe and introduced a new team to tackle anti-social behaviour.
"There is still more to do however. I will remain focused and committed to my ward and our district in the months ahead, determined as ever to make it an interesting, clean, safe and prosperous place to live, work in and visit, with good jobs and homes, a strong local economy and arts and leisure facilities for all."
Labour group secretary, Coun Darren Clifford, said: "Eileen has served with dignity, dedication and distinction for many years.
"She has done so because she cares deeply about people and wants the very best for our district.
"We have achieved much under her leadership and, against the odds, we are in a much better place than we were seven years ago. It has been a privilege to work alongside her.
"I know that together we will continue to go from strength to strength in the time until Eileen stands aside, but that when that happens, we have the talent within our local Labour Party to build upon her impressive legacy."
Labour has chosen Faye Penny, Erica Lewis and Alistair Sinclair to contest the three John O' Gaunt ward seats in next year's election.


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Q: jquery: is it possible to catch "expose" event of some image? I have many images inside a webpage, and I want to only load it when the image is visible on the webpage, is it doable using jquery?
Eg) When the image is visible a function is called to get the image from internet.

A: Using jQuery's JAIL plugin:
$(function() {
    $('img').jail(); // done
});

A: Use jQuery's load() function:
For example, consider a page with a simple image:
<img src="book.png" alt="Book" id="book" />

The event handler can be bound to the image:
$('#book').load(function() {
  // Handler for .load() called.
});

As soon as the image has been loaded, the handler is called.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


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"Love Is a Stranger" is a song by the British pop duo Eurythmics. Originally released in late 1982, the single was commercially unsuccessful, but it was re-released in 1983, reaching the UK top 10. The single was re-released again in 1991, to promote Eurythmics' Greatest Hits album.

Critical reception
Cash Box said that "the commanding vocals of Annie Lennox and hazy, electronically inflected backing combine to make 'Love Is a Stranger' a challenging yet already familiar sound." Stereogum and The Guardian both ranked the song number two on their lists of the greatest Annie Lennox songs.

Commercial performance
Originally released in November 1982 in the United Kingdom, "Love Is a Stranger" reached number 54 on the UK Singles Chart. Following the huge success of "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)" the following year, the song was re-released and reached number six in April 1983. In the United States, the song was the second single from the Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This) album. The single was released just as the album title track reached number one, entering the Billboard Hot 100 at number 81 in September 1983 and peaking at number 23 in November of that year. The song spent 13 weeks on the chart.

Music video
The single release was accompanied by a music video directed by Mike Brady, in which Stewart acts as chauffeur for Lennox, who plays the role of a high-class prostitute. Lennox removes a curly blonde wig to reveal close-cropped, red hair, though in the music video her hair was slicked back rather than being a buzz cut as seen in the subsequent music video, "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)". This caused minor controversy in the USA, as some people mistakenly thought Lennox was a male cross-dresser.

Track listings
7-inch single
A. "Love Is a Stranger" (LP version) – 3:43
B. "Monkey Monkey" (Non-LP track) – 5:20

12-inch single
A1. "Love Is a Stranger" (LP version) – 3:43
B1. "Let's Just Close Our Eyes" (Non-LP track) – 4:19
B2. "Monkey Monkey" (Non-LP track) – 5:20

"Let's Just Close Our Eyes" is a newly recorded version of "The Walk" with a more synth-oriented instrumentation.

7-inch single (1991 reissue)
A. "Love Is A Stranger" (LP version) – 3:43
B. "Julia" (Edit) – 4:05

12-inch single (1991 reissue)
A1. "Love Is A Stranger" (The Obsession Remix) 6:32
A2. "Love Is A Stranger" (J.C. Meets The Obsessor) – 6:34
B1. "Love Is A Stranger" (Cold Cut Remix) – 7:17
B2. "Love Is A Stranger" (The Obsession Instrumental) – 6:07
B3. "Love Is A Stranger" (LP version) – 3:43

CD single (1991 reissue)
"Love Is A Stranger" (LP version) – 3:43
"There Must Be An Angel (Playing With My Heart)" – 5:23
"Julia" (Edit) – 4:05
"Love Is A Stranger" (The Obsession Remix) – 6:30

Personnel

Eurythmics
Annie Lennox – lead vocals, keyboards, synthesisers
David A. Stewart – keyboards, synthesisers, programming, backing vocals

Additional personnel
Robert Crash – e-drums, synthesiser, robotic vocals
Adam Williams – synthesiser
Reynard Falconer – synthesisers

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

References

External links

1982 songs
1982 singles
Eurythmics songs
RCA Records singles
Songs written by Annie Lennox
Songs written by David A. Stewart
Song recordings produced by Dave Stewart (musician and producer)

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


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Supreme Court Vacancy: What's at Stake for LGBTQ Families
Justice Kennedy's retirement is cause for great concern. There is a tremendous amount at stake, and it is going to take ALL of our efforts to #SaveSCOTUS.
For many of us, Justice Kennedy's announcement that he is retiring from the U.S. Supreme Court felt a lot like the day after the 2016 Presidential election — shocking, frustrating, and fraught with fear of things to come. It left many LGBTQ people wondering: what does this mean for my marriage and my family? Are the advances we've made toward equality in jeopardy?
To be clear, Justice Kennedy's retirement at this juncture IS cause for great concern. There is a tremendous amount at stake, and it is going to take ALL of our efforts to #SaveSCOTUS.
Justice Kennedy's retirement from the Court gives President Trump the opportunity to decisively tip the balance of the Court against equality for generations to come. This is especially concerning given that the Supreme Court has played a critical role in the advancement of legal protections for the LGBTQ community, and Justice Kennedy was the author and swing vote in all four landmark decisions that resulted in much of the equality we enjoy today: Romer v. Evans (1996), which prohibited states from banning nondiscrimination protections for LGBTQ people; Lawrence v. Texas (2003), which invalidated anti-sodomy laws that criminalized same-sex relationships; and United States v. Windsor (2013) and Obergefell v. Hodges(2015), which required federal recognition of marriages between same-sex couples and brought about nationwide marriage equality, respectively. Moreover, those cases made clear that Justice Kennedy understood the impact that anti-LGBTQ animus and discrimination has on our lives, our relationships, and our children. Any worthy successor must not only be committed to honoring Justice Kennedy's legacy of fairness and equality for LGBTQ people, but also capable of serving as a fair-minded jurist.
It is extremely unlikely that the Supreme Court will overturn any of the landmark LGBTQ equality cases in the foreseeable future. There is a high bar for the Supreme Court to reverse itself, and it is unlikely that the Court will do so anytime soon given how recently the cases were decided and the growing public acceptance and support of marriage equality and LGBTQ people. Moreover, with Kennedy gone, it now seems likely that Chief Justice John Roberts is the Court's new swing vote, and a quick reversal of a landmark case like Obergefell resulting from Trump filling a vacancy on the Court would fly in the face of the Chief Justice's repeated commitments to avoid the appearance of political partisanship on the Court or readily rejecting established precedent. This view is reinforced by Chief Justice Roberts' choice to not join the dissent led by Justice Gorsuch in Pavan v. Smith last year, a case from Arkansas that the Supreme Court used to summarily reinforce the core holding of Obergefell — that states must treat married same-sex couples same way as other married couples.
However, you don't have to overturn Obergefell to undermine equality and make the underlying rights inaccessible to LGBTQ people and their children. And, to be clear, that is the far-right conservative movement's strategy, which already is underway. As we recently highlighted in our report, Putting Children at Risk: How Efforts to Undermine Marriage Equality Harm Children (coauthored with Movement Advancement Project), the freedom to marry brought with it a whole host of rights, benefits, and responsibilities that gave same-sex couples increased security and protections such as access to healthcare benefits, social security benefits, inheritance rights, recognition of both parents on the birth certificate, access to confirmatory adoption nationwide, and the ability to jointly adopt a child as a married couple. As outlined in our report, the ongoing attacks on marriage equality by states through their rejection of equal treatment of same-sex spouses and efforts to create religious exemptions to marriage, adoption and foster care, and nondiscrimination protections pose a significant harm to LGBTQ people, our families, and our children.
There are several cases attempting to chip away at marriage and LGBTQ equality, or cases challenging attempts to do so, already in the pipeline. And, a Supreme Court with a shift to the right will be far less likely to reject discrimination toward LGBTQ people in any form and more likely to give a license to discriminate to those who object to same-sex marriages (e.g., business owners, health care providers, adoption agencies), rendering our marriages less equal to those of different-sex couples as a practical matter. Our community has an enormous amount at stake.
So, what can you do? You CAN and MUST do a lot, starting TODAY.
Trump has committed to picking a far-right conservative nominee for a lifetime appointment to the Court, which is evident from the shortlist of his nominees. However, a majority of the Senate must confirm the nomination. THIS is where we can stop Trump's attempt to create a Court that will serve his far-right agenda to roll back LGBTQ rights, women's rights, voting rights, racial justice, and decades of civil rights protections. It is imperative that we make clear to all Senators that the next justice appointed to the Court must be an independent and fair-minded person without political or ideological motivations — someone who will uphold the protections and values enshrined in our Constitution — for everyone. Any nominee who does not meet that criteria MUST be rejected.
Given the current state of politics, this may seem like a longshot. But, it is a battle that we CAN win. Historically, the Senate has rejected candidates that were too ideological or political and were not suitable for the Court, and we must demand that they do the same here. With only a narrow majority in the Senate, the conservative bloc need only one or two defections to lose their ability to confirm a radical nominee. Let's help them to see what's at stake for justice. By the same token, there are fair-minded Senators who live in states which Trump won. We must help them to stay the course and vote against radical nominees. Let them know we will support them. Look for specific action alerts from us, to these effects. And, no matter where you live, your senators need to hear from you.
There is no doubt that we will have to fight hard. But this is a battle we can win. Here are six steps you can take:
Call your Senators TODAY and tell them to oppose any of the nominees on Trump's list of conservative nominees and demand that they only confirm an independent and fair-minded person without political or ideological motivations and who will uphold the protections and values enshrined in the Constitution.
If one or more of your Senators is a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, tell them that each candidate's commitment to upholding the Court's precedent and the protections and values enshrined in the Constitution should be fully vetted.
Visit your Senator's district office THIS WEEK to tell them how you feel during the #SaveSCOTUS Week of Action.
If you live near Washington, DC, attend the #SaveSCOTUS rally at the Supreme Court TODAY at 8:30 pm.
VOTE in November and help with get out the vote (GOTV) efforts. And, let your Senators know that you will be doing so, and that this issue is a top priority for you. Make your voice heard at the ballot box.
Take steps to protect your relationships, your wishes, and your family. If you have children, make sure that both parents' rights are legally recognized (through a confirmatory adoption or court order). Do estate planning to protect your wishes, your family, and your children (wills, trusts, durable power of attorney, and an advanced directive).
Together, we can #SaveSCOTUS and protect our relationships and our families. We are committed to the fight, but we need YOU!
By Shelbi Day, Senior Policy Counsel & Denise Brogan-Kator, Chief Policy Officer, Family Equality Council
Originally published at www.familyequality.org on July 9, 2018.


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Democrats bat away Trump's olive branch on drug pricing
Trump has presented few proposals of his own, other than demanding that prices go down and promising to get tough on pharmaceutical companies. | Win McNamee/AFP/Getty Images
By Adam Cancryn and Sarah Owermohle
President Donald Trump keeps telling Democrats he wants a big bipartisan drug pricing deal. But Democrats don't believe him — and are rolling out a series of bills that would set the framework for talks far to the left, defying Trump to stand in the way.
At the center of that effort is empowering Medicare to directly negotiate drug prices — a top liberal priority that's faced near-universal opposition from Republicans, yet won Trump's support when he ran for president.
Making it the starting point for any deal would not only require the White House to buck the party's establishment but negotiate across partisan lines on a divisive issue — a feat few Democratic lawmakers believe Trump is capable of pulling off.
"They seem incapable of negotiating in good faith on anything," said Rep. Jim McGovern (D-Mass.), chairman of the House Rules Committee. "Quite frankly, I wouldn't trust them to tell me the correct time, never mind be serious about a deal."
Trump is expected to tout his progress on drug pricing during Tuesday's State of the Union, including a proposal unveiled last week that would make the rebates drugmakers give insurance plans subject to fines under anti-fraud law. House Democrats quickly panned it, in what some interpreted as a sign they're digging in on dictating the terms of the debate.
Drug costs remain stubbornly high — the prices of more than 400 medicines rose an average of 6.3 percent in the first weeks of January — and the administration is reaching limits of what it can do on its own. HHS Secretary Alex Azar in recent weeks met with Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.) and phoned freshman Rep. Donna Shalala (D-Fla.) — a former health secretary — to discuss the issue in general. Last week, lawmakers said Trump told Speaker Nancy Pelosi directly that he wanted to work together to cut prices.
But while Democrats say they're open to a consumer-friendly package that Trump will sign, lawmakers who have watched him blow up past negotiations on a whim are tempering expectations, especially if it means giving ground to a president they view as increasingly unpopular and particularly weak on health issues that could decide the 2020 election.
"We hope that the president will come to the table," said Rep. Katherine Clark, vice chair of the House Democratic Conference. "But he's tough to negotiate with. He seems to change his mind with the Fox News cycle."
Multiple Democrats, including Energy and Commerce health subcommittee Chairwoman Anna Eshoo (D-Calif.), cast doubt on the prospect of a drug price package that would pass muster with both Trump and their own ascendant progressive wing.
"It is a top issue and we should be out front on it," said Rep. Pramila Jayapal, a leader of the Congressional Progressive Caucus. "Have you watched the last two years? How many times people said, 'Oh you can strike a deal.' There's no deal to be struck."
Implicit in the Democrats' calculations is the belief no one really knows what Trump wants or trusts him to lay out a concrete position he won't abandon sometime down the road. The president also hasn't empowered any single administration official to negotiate for him.
So the Democrats are offering a passel of proposals to define the debate. In addition to Medicare negotiating power, they've floated allowing Americans to import cheaper drugs from Canada and tying prices in the United States to what companies charge in foreign countries. Presidential contender Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) proposed making the federal government a generic drug manufacturer, and the Democrats are also likely to push for new provisions that would force companies to lower their prices.
They're not yet clear on what the party's final package should look like — a process that could take months to hash out. Yet there's little effort being made so far to be accommodating and embrace compromise positions that Trump or Republicans might support.
"What we really have to do is stop playing nice. They don't place nice, and the facts are on our side," said Rep. Brian Higgins (D-N.Y.) . "It's a new game here."
Trump has presented few proposals of his own, other than demanding that prices go down and promising to get tough on pharmaceutical companies. HHS has laid out more specific targets. Yet lawmakers say it's unclear how the administration proposes converting those ideas into legislation, or if Trump even still backs much of his agency's own blueprint.
"There's some potential revolutionary stuff in that outline that could form the basis of a really big bill that Democrats could support," said Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.). "But I don't think he knows what's in that proposal he put out."
Republicans, too, say they're unclear what the president wants them to do. Some have bristled at HHS proposals overhauling parts of the drug price system. And big ideas Trump embraced on the campaign trail — like Medicare negotiations and drug importation — are seen as nonstarters for the GOP.
"I haven't heard any specifics come out," said Rep. Brett Guthrie (R-Ky.), who sits on the Energy and Commerce health subcommittee. "I think it's an area we can work. I'm not sure of any specific policy things."
To date, the Trump administration has largely bypassed Congress to focus on changes it can make by itself. That's included proposals granting Medicare negotiating power for certain medicines and managing high costs for physician-administered drugs by starting patients on cheaper therapies — policies with some bipartisan appeal, but that raised the ire of free-market Republicans and drew criticism from some Democrats for not going far enough.
Azar has amplified his calls for legislative solutions over the past month, and last Thursday challenged Congress to help expand HHS' bid to effective eliminate the big rebates drugmakers give to insurers — one of the few times an administration official has publicly pushed lawmakers for specific drug price legislation.
Azar is facing intense pressure from Trump to drive down pharmaceutical costs ahead of 2020, something none of his regulatory ideas can accomplish alone. The rebate rule HHS unveiled last week caught criticism from industry analysts and Democrats for failing to touch drug companies' list prices.
Pelosi quickly slammed the plan for the way it would trust drugmakers to lower their prices while raising costs for seniors and taxpayers. One lobbyist characterized that as a sign Democrats won't accept a plan that doesn't directly confront the pharmaceutical industry.
The reality is that any meaningful drug pricing legislation that Congress passes could still take years to have a measurable impact. Still, Trump is pressing the issue.
Top Democrats say that indicates the White House is ready to deal in a way it hasn't on issues like immigration and Obamacare. And there is clear common ground on incremental steps that boost pricing transparency and competition. But they note crafting a broad package means holding the mercurial Trump to his nearly three-year-old comments in favor of Medicare negotiation and importation, despite clear opposition in the interim from both the president's own advisers and Republicans in Congress.
"He has many times articulated a position that's in agreement with a lot of things that we say," Energy and Commerce Chairman Frank Pallone (D-N.J.) said of Trump. "We're just operating on the assumption that he's generally supportive."
Setting the parameters for negotiations far to the left risks alienating GOP lawmakers from the start, Republicans warn. Deep-pocketed industry interests are also likely to line up against any big deal.
But House Democrats believe they now hold their strongest negotiating position of the Trump era. Buoyed by their new majority and popular support for a broad drug price overhaul, they're intent on dictating terms.
"Every negotiation that exists is about leverage. You either have it or you don't," said Higgins. "We're going to call these bastards out."


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KantanMT & LocWorld host Coastal Hike and Treasure Hunt to Raise Funds for Translators without Borders
KantanMT and LocWorld team up to raise funds for Translators without Borders, a non-profit organisation that works to ensure that people affected by crisis have access to vital, life-saving information in a language they can understand.
18 April, 2016, Dublin, Ireland: KantanMT is pleased announce its collaboration with the LocWorld conference to host a coastal hike and treasure hunt that will raise funds for Translators without Borders (TWB) on Saturday, 11 June, 2016 in Howth, Dublin. The hike and treasure hunt will test the physical ability and mental agility of participating language professionals as they get together to raise money for a good cause. TWB is a non-profit organisation that provides translations for humanitarian purposes.
This is the second hike run by LocWorld and KantanMT. During the 2014 conference, language professionals took to the Wicklow mountains to plant their company or country flag on top of Leinster's second highest mountain, Djouce. The event successfully raised €10,000 for Pádraig Schäler, son of Irish localization researcher and professional, Reinhard Schäler, who was tragically injured while abroad in the US.
This year, the hike will take on a new twist that incorporates a treasure hunt in the LocWorld theme 'Engaging Global Customers'. Teams of four will start the hike at Howth Dart station following the coastal trail while solving a variety of puzzles along the route.
The puzzles, which are created by the KantanMT Team will test the mental agility, response, observation, physical ability and general knowledge skills of participants as they navigate the trail. The teams will plant their company flags mid-way through the hike in view of the famous Bailey lighthouse.
The sponsorship cost for each team of four is €1,000. Companies can sponsor more than one team. Each team will have photographs taken with their company logo on a flag. The photos will be published in Multilingual Magazine, the event's media partner. The hike is also open to individuals to take part for €100, and they will be assigned a team by the organisers. The event will be a great opportunity to network with peers, enjoy a day of fun and raise money for a great cause.
"The humanitarian work done by Translators without Borders is extremely critical and has saved lives in many situations across the globe," says Tony O'Dowd, Founder and Chief Architect at KantanMT. "We are very eager to make this event a success and raise as much funds as we possibly can in order to help support the brilliant work being done by TWB. I would like to take this opportunity to urge companies to join us in this fun-filled and important event."
"Thanks to LocWorld and KantanMT for organizing this event, I am really looking forward to participating. The money raised will help to provide vital information to people who need it most, in their own language, "says Aimee Ansari, Executive Director of Translators without Borders.
Following the hike, the teams will enjoy dinner and a drink with Irish entertainment in a well-known restaurant/pub where the treasure hunt winners will be announced.
To register a team for the hike or learn more about the event visit www.coastalflagchallenge.com or email info@kantanmt.com.
About Translators Without Borders (TWB)
Translators without Borders (TWB) works to close critical language gaps that hinder humanitarian efforts worldwide by supporting the work of hundreds of organisations in the areas of crisis relief, health and education. TWB is a non-profit organisation registered in the US and with an operations centre in Kenya. It was founded in 1993 to provide volunteer translations to non-profit organisations.
TWB strives to provide people access to vital information in their own language by connecting non-profit organisations with a community of volunteer professional translators; building local language translation capacity and raising awareness of language barriers. In the past five years, they have translated over 30 million words of life-changing content in over 150 languages. In 2015 TWB was part of the humanitarian response to the European refugee crisis, the Ebola crisis and the Nepal earthquake. For more information, please visit www.tranlatorswithoutborders.org or follow on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/TranslatorsWB.
About LocWorld
LocWorld the leading conference for international business, translation, localization and global website management. Attendees are the people responsible for communicating across the boundaries of language and culture in the global marketplace. With a specific emphasis on global business the conference provides an opportunity for the exchange of high-value information in the language and translation services and technologies market. LocWorld, Dublin is taking place from 8th-10th June 2016 in the Dublin Convention Centre.
About KantanMT
KantanMT is the world's number one provider of Custom Machine Translation (CMT) solutions. The SaaS platform ensures clients have complete control over their translation and localization efforts. KantanMT.com helps reduce translation costs with efficient workflows and protects multilingual data by ensuring that it is kept secure and confidential. KantanMT clients leverage automated translation technology to produce and manage large volumes of multilingual content, quickly. The highly scalable, flexible and intuitive CMT engines can be integrated into Translation Management workflows and web applications via the KantanAPI. Sophisticated language quality review and MT engine customisation produces high-quality translations.
Slator makes business sense of the language services and technology industry with news on the people and deals that shape the industry.


What could be better than a homemade cherry limeade? A Bourbon Cherry Limeade – basically a cherry limeade with a splash of bourbon.
If you don't have my homemade cherry limeade recipe, make sure you grab it now. It's perfect for a summer party and all day sipping for all ages, but this bourbon cherry limeade recipe is one for the adults.
If you're looking to make a drink for a wide age group or beverage preferences, you can make a batch without the bourbon then add 1.5 ounces (3 tablespoons) of bourbon to those who want something a little extra.
The important thing here is that we use fresh ingredients – sweet cherries at the peak of the season (or frozen if need be because we do love this drink for every season) and freshly squeezed lime juice (sure you can use bottled but it doesn't taste the same).
And by the way, I definitely recommend getting some copper mugs like these, but if you can't, a glass will do. When you do buy your copper mugs make sure they aren't nickel-lined. They're cheaper but the taste difference is too.
Blend cherries, sugar, and water.
Heat in medium saucepan over medium/high heat until boiling.
Stir together cherry syrup, lime juice, water, and bourbon.
Pour into copper mug filled 2/3 of the way with ice.
Choose a quality bourbon like my favorite Woodford Reserve Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey.


Today I am helping get the word out on the final part of a three part novella series that I have really enjoyed. It is bittersweet as the journey is over, but this is a novella series I really do recommend you read! I will be sharing my review for it today.
Get your tissues at the ready – both for laughter and tears – with the final installment of a trilogy that has been hailed 'brilliant', 'hilarious', and 'a great feel-good read'.
Haunting of Hattie Hastings is a three part series that has been released little by little since last year. Audrey Davis has done a superb job of bringing this series to us and pulling us into Hattie's life. And Gary just keeps showing up! He is so entertaining. But what is Gary's mission and what part will Hattie play in it? I have become attached to all the characters and after Part Two's cliffhanger I was more than excited to read this final part of Hattie's story. You MUST read the first and second parts before reading Part Three. It is a complete story that you cannot just drop into.
This whole series will make you laugh. This final part I did shed a few tears. I was sad to see the end of the story, but I was also happy as it is a complete story. In addition to the humor there is also seriousness to the story.
Davis has done a splendid job with this series and I look forward to reading more novels by her.
The Haunting of Hattie Hastings series is highly recommended.


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Labour's Brighton and Hove City Council budget voted down
Councillors voting on the budget
Bex Bastable
Published: 20:31 Thursday 28 February 2019
The Labour administration's budget for 2019/20 was voted down at Hove Town Hall this evening (February 28)
The meeting has now been adjourned while leaders from the three main political groups attempt to thrash out a solution.
The Labour administration needed support from either the Conservatives or Greens to get its budget through.
But the Greens abstained from the main budget vote.
This meant 20 councillors voted for the budget (Labour and The Independent Group), 21 voted against (Conservative) and 10 (Greens) abstained.
Before the main vote, The Labour Group supported all five of the Greens amendments to the budget - with both parties voting down the Conservative amendments.
But the approved amendments are now irrelevant as the budget in his entirety was voted down.
They included putting funding back into sexual health services, reducing cuts to library services and additional funding for the homeless.
Related stories: Council tax rise and jobs axed at Brighton and Hove City Council
Conservatives unveil amendments to Labour's budget for Brighton and Hove City Council
Greens reveal amendments to Brighton & Hove City Council budget
After a political shake-up last week Labour now has 19 councillors, but has the support of the newly-formed Independent Group.
The Conservatives have 21 councillors and the Greens have 11.
Next week there will be a vote on who takes control of the council after Cllr Anne Meadows defected to the Tories last week.
Referring to the budget vote, and perhaps to next week's vote on which party controls the council, Conservative councillor Steve Bell said: "The ball is being batted from one side of the chamber to the other and the Greens are definitely the net."


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Minister's House - Crossville, Tennessee
via i.imgur.com
"Located in Crossville, Tennessee, the Minister's House took Horace Burgess 14 years to build around an 80-foot-tall white oak tree, with a diameter of 12 feet. The wooden edifice itself is 97-feet-tall and it's supported by six other strong trees that act like natural pillars.
Burgess says he started working on this giant treehouse after he had a vision back in 1993. God spoke to him and said: "If you build me a
treehouse, I'll see you never run out of material." And so he spent the next 14 years building God's treehouse, using only salvaged materials, like pieces of lumber from garages, storage sheds and barns. So, as far as Horace is concerned, God did provide him with all the materials he needed.
Although he never bothered to measure Minister's House (he estimates it must be about 8,000 to 10,000 square feet), he did count the nails he had to hammer into it, 258,000. It cost the 56-year-old landscape architect around $12,000 to construct the world's biggest treehouse. "
http://www.odditycentral.com/pics/ministers-house-the-worlds-biggest-treehous...


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Non-native weatherfish are present in Roxana Marsh
Posted April 17th, 2017 in Featured, News
Weatherfish, known in scientific circles as Misgurnus anguillicaudatus, were spotted in the recently restored Indiana wetland, Roxana Marsh, by researchers from the University of Notre Dame.
PhD candidate Katherine O'Reilly, who led the team that confirmed the weatherfish finding, was at the marsh in 2015 for an IISG-funded project evaluating how coastal wetlands around Lake Michigan support the nearshore lake food webs.
"The main goal of the project is to figure out how fish moving between these habitats might be moving energy," O'Reilly said.
"You might have fish moving out to the nearshore and becoming prey for larger sport fish. That moves food, energy, and nutrients from these highly productive coastal wetland systems to the less productive lake habitat."
When the researchers returned to their nets left out overnight as part of routine sampling, what they saw was baffling. After some "on-the-spot Googling," they figured out what they had.
"I wasn't familiar with the weatherfish. I saw these little eel-like things, something I wasn't used to seeing in the Great Lakes," O'Reilly said. "We must have just hit the weatherfish jackpot."
The weatherfish, originally from Eastern Asia, has been in the United States since the early twentieth century. It was brought over through the aquarium trade. Anglers also have used them as bait because of their wriggly disposition. They are greenish-grey-brown and are typically less than eight inches.
They found their way to Cook County's North Shore Channel in 1987 and the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal in 1994. By 2005, a survey confirmed their presence in the West and East branches of the Grand Calumet River and the Indiana Harbor Canal.
But what's particularly unique about this species is its breathing anatomy. The weatherfish can use their intestine to supplement their gills when oxygen conditions in the water are low. They're tolerant in what are considered rough, degraded habitats.
In fact, that lung structure is what gave the weatherfish its name. Because they have an intestine that can take in air, they're very sensitive to changes in barometric pressure. There are reports of when there are drops in pressure, they start to get increasingly active in anticipation of an impending storm.
Some of the Roxana Marsh weatherfish were brought back to the lab at University of Notre Dame for further analysis.
Many of the fish O'Reilly and (then) undergraduate Amelia McReynolds pulled up in their nets that day were females filled with eggs, which made O'Reilly think that they may have been spawning in the marsh. Through further investigation, they found that the weatherfish diet of small benthic invertebrates and insects was similar to that of some native fish. She posits that could potentially have an impact down the road if they out-compete the native fish for resources.
Gary Lamberti, O'Reilly's adviser, was impressed by his students' findings.
"It really is the most exciting thing in science when you're doing some routine work and you're expecting the usual and then you find something that's very different," Lamberti said.
"Having serendipitous discoveries really makes science and ecology very interesting and rewarding."
*This story was updated on April 28, 2017.
To learn more about how to prevent the spread of aquatic invasive species, visit Be A Hero—Transport Zero™
Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant is a part of University of Illinois Extension and Purdue University Extension.


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Q: How can I place multiple QToolButton one after the other, instead of being one below the other I am working on a QT project that makes it possible to view and edit table views from a given file.
For the buttons in the GUI I'm using QToolButton, but when more than one button is created, they are placed one below the other, whereas I would like them all to be shown one after the other on the same row. Here is the code for the two buttons:
QToolButton* newFileButton = new QToolButton(this);
newFileButton -> setIcon(QIcon(":/images/newFile.svg"));
newFileButton -> setIconSize(QSize(44, 44));
newFileButton -> setToolButtonStyle(Qt::ToolButtonTextUnderIcon);
newFileButton -> setText("New File");

QToolButton* openFileButton = new QToolButton(this);
openFileButton -> setIcon(QIcon(":/images/openFile.svg"));
openFileButton -> setIconSize(QSize(44, 44));
openFileButton -> setToolButtonStyle(Qt::ToolButtonTextUnderIcon);
openFileButton -> setText("Open");

This is what I get:

How can I place them one after the other?
Thanks

A: Put them in a horizontal layout or a widget with horizontal layout. You can also use a grid layout for your window and make the table span all columns.
There is also the QButtonBox that has a number of default buttons with default icons that might mesh better with the users theme.