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YABLOKO Gender faction representatives participated in a conference of The Sisters sexual assault recovery centre
Press release, 29.11.2016 Galina Mikhaleva, Chair of YABLOKO's Gender faction, and Olga Radayeva, Deputy Chair of the Gender faction, participated in a conference conducted by The Sisters sexual assault recovery centre on "Violence against women: facts and strategies of counteraction".
Posted: November 29th, 2016 under Gender Faction, Human Rights.
Moscow State University's sociologists: Yavlinsky is the third most popular presidential candidate after Putin and Medvedev
Based on the article by the Kommersant newspaper, 28.11.2016 Yelena Shestopal, head of the sociology and political psychology department of Moscow State University, submitted a research according to which Grigory Yavlinsky became the third most popular presidential candidate in Russia after Vladimir Putin and Dmitry Medvedev. The report was launched at the conference of the […]
Posted: November 28th, 2016 under Elections, Presidential Elections, Presidential elections 2018.
YABLOKO's Gender faction gathered 43,000 signatures in support of The Sisters sexual assault recovery centre
Press release, 25.11.2016 Galina Mikhaleva, Chair of YABLOKO's Gender faction, and Olga Radayeva, Deputy Chair of the Gender faction, handed 43,000 signatures in support of the The Sisters sexual assault recovery centre to Olga Yurkova, Chief Executive Officer of the organisation.
Boris Vishnevsky requests the Ministry of Internal Affairs to bring those who disseminated false information on Ildar Dadin's death to responsibility
Press release, 25.11.2016 Head of YABLOKO's faction in St. Petersburg Legislative Assembly Boris Vishnevsky put an inquiry to the Ministry of Internal Affairs asking to identify the people who disseminated false information that dissident Ildar Dadin "was found hanged in his prison cell" and file a criminal case against them.
Posted: November 26th, 2016 under Human Rights.
YABLOKO holds the first meeting of The School of Municipal Deputy
Press Release, 23.11.2016 On November 22, the Moscow branch of YABLOKO held the first seminar of the School of Municipal Deputy, a new project launched by YABLOKO, for all the potential candidates to municipal deputies, their teams and volunteers. YABLOKO activists from different Russian regions participated in the seminar via webinar.
Posted: November 24th, 2016 under Conferences and Seminars, Elections, Local and Municipal Elections 2017.
The Nizhny Novgorod branch of YABLOKO participated in an action calling to perpetuate the memory of Boris Nemtsov
Press release, 23.11.2016 On November 23, the activists of the Nizhny Novgorod branch of YABLOKO and the Solidarnost movement conducted an action calling to perpetuate the memory of Boris Nemtsov before the meeting of the deputies of the city parliament. The deputies supported the initiative.
Posted: November 24th, 2016 under Human Rights, Murder of Boris Nemtsov.
Russia is the latest country to announce resignation from ICC
Liberal Internetional, 18.11.2016 Russia has become the latest country to withdraw from the International Criminal Court (ICC) in the past month, with an announcement coming just weeks after an exodus of African nations including Burundi, Gambia and South Africa, and amid speculation that other nations are considering following suit.
Posted: November 23rd, 2016 under YABLOKO and the International Liberal Family.
Moscow Yabloko Youth to discuss The Colony film
Press release, 22.11.2016 On 30 November, Moscow Yabloko Youth will discuss The Colony film within the debate club of the organisation. The Colony is directed by Oscar-winner Florian Gallenberge. The film is set against the backdrop of the 1973 Chilean military coup and the real "Colonia Dignidad", a notorious cult in the South of Chile, […]
Posted: November 23rd, 2016 under Yabloko Youth.
Voronezh branch of YABLOKO participated in a rally against Russia's military activity in Syria
Press release, 21.11.2016 On November 20, a rally against Russia's military activity in Syria took place in the city of Voronezh. The regional branches of YABLOKO and PARNAS conducted the protest action.
Posted: November 22nd, 2016 under Human Rights, Street Actions.
Rostov branch of YABLOKO spoke out against Russia's military activity in Syria
Press release, 21.11.2016 Chair of the Rostov-on-Don Yabloko Youth Andrei Sklyarov, YABLOKO party members, and representatives of other opposition groups conducted a picket against Russia's military activity in Syria.
Posted: November 22nd, 2016 under Human Rights, Street Actions, Yabloko Youth.
Emilia Slabunova visited Svetlana Chechil in a prison settlement
Press release, 21.11.2016 Last week YABLOKO Chair Emilia Slabunova and head of the Karelia party branch Alexandra Spiridonova visited YABLOKO Federal Council member Svetlana Chechil, who is serving one and a half years sentence in a Prison Settlement No. 9 in Russia's northern Karelia Region (a penal colony in a remote area where prisoners are […]
Posted: November 22nd, 2016 under Human Rights, Situation in Karelia.
Lev Shlosberg in the European Parliament:"Russia does not need cynical political allies"
Press release, 17.11.2016 On November 16-17, the Boris Nemtsov Forum -a platform for Russian-European dialogue – took place in the European Parliament. Lev Shlosber, deputy of the Pskov Region parliament, YABLOKO Federal Political Committee member, Chair of the Pskov branch of YABLOKO, was invited to participate in the forum by the organisers of the Forum. […]
Posted: November 21st, 2016 under Foreign policy, Russia-Eu relations.
YABLOKO launches School of Municipal Deputy
Press Release, 17.11.2016 The Moscow branch of YABLOKO invites all the potential candidates to municipal deputies, their teams and volunteers to participate in the seminars of the School of Municipal Deputy, a new project launched by YABLOKO. The first seminar will take place on 22 November.
Posted: November 18th, 2016 under Conferences and Seminars, Local and Municipal Elections 2017.
Deputy Lev Shlosberg makes an inquiry about the results of the pre-investigation check on dissident Ildar Dadin's case
Press release, 16.11.2016 Deputy of the Pskov Region Legislative Assembly Lev Shlosberg made an inquiry to the Federal Service for Execution of Punishment and the Investigative Committee of the RF about the pre-investigation of torture allegations in respect of dissident Ildar Dadin.
The second seminar of the YABLOKO Party School was devoted to YABLOKO's factions
Press release, 17.11.2016 On 16, November, the second seminar of the YABLOKO Party School was held. The School was organized specially for new members, this seminar was devoted to YABLOKO's factions and their history.
Posted: November 17th, 2016 under Gender Faction, Social Democratic faction, Yabloko Youth.
Emilia Slabunova on the arrest of Minister of Economic Development Alexei Ulyukayev
Emilia Slabunova Facebook post, 15.11.2016 The new "show" on the political scene is the arrest of [Minister] Alexei Ulyukayev. The fact that Ministers are wiretapped by the Federal Security Service is well-known to the Ministers and all citizens. And they are not so stupid to demand a bribe over the phone. This is the first […]
Posted: November 16th, 2016 under Economy.
Grigory Yavlinsky: What will happen now? Donald Trump will happen
Grigory Yavlinsky's website, 9.11.2016 So, Donald Trump was elected President of the USA. What will happen now? Nobody knows. Even Trump himself does not know. As for Russia, it was clear long before the election day that a bare victory of any candidate would not fundamentally change the US-Russia relations. The policy of the Russian […]
Posted: November 16th, 2016 under Russia-US Relations.
No to aboliting direct mayoral election in Voronezh
Statement by the Voronezh branch of YABLOKO, 14.11.2016 The regional branch of the YABLOKO party considers the initiative of the Voronezh City Duma deputies on abolition of the direct mayoral election in the city of Voronezh another step aimed at the destruction of the democratic institutions and forming a hard-line authoritarian and bureaucratic system of […]
Posted: November 16th, 2016 under Elections, Regional and Local Elections.
Grigory Yavlinsky on the arrest of Economic Development Minister
Grigory Yavlinsky Facebook post, 15.11.2016 A strange improbable story has been taking place with Minister [for Economic Development] Alexei Ulyukayev.
Sergei Mitrokhin demands explanations of the arrests of civil activists defending their park from expropriation by the Russian Orthodox Church
Press Release, 14.11.2016 On 14 November at 6 a.m., police arrested ten families (including children) of the activists defending Torfyanka Park in North-East Moscow form expropriation by the Russian Orthodox Church. Sergei Mitrokhin, leader of the Moscow branch of YABLOKO, has forwarded inquiries to Alexander Drymanov, head of the Moscow department of the Investigative Committee […]
Posted: November 14th, 2016 under Environmental Policies, Human Rights, Protection of Environment.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


(Daytona Beach, Fla) 27 January 2017— When the green flag flies on the Rolex 24 At Daytona (2:00 PM ET FOX), all eyes will be on the 55 IMSA WeatherTech machines that will go hurling into turn one on the first of hundreds of laps around the 3.56-mile road course at Daytona International Speedway.
But some of those eyes will be looking through binoculars, as the twice around the clock classic endurance race has seen an influx of spotters who provide the drivers an eye in the sky point of view to get through the traffic safely—and quickly. For Change Racing, the sports car arm of NASCAR squad RAB Racing, their spotters have a lot of experience at Daytona, but in a completely different kind of race.
Change Racing spotters Kevin Hamlin and TJ Majors have day jobs spotting for Kasey Kahne (Hamlin) and Dale Earnhardt, Jr. (Majors) in the NASCAR Monster Energy Cup Series, but made their first ever outings in the Rolex 24 last year as Change Racing debuted the Lamborghini Huracàn GT3.
Having had a bird's-eye view for the Super Bowl-sized crowd at the Daytona 500, Hamlin was impressed by both the size and intensity of the Rolex 24 At Daytona crowd.
While the NASCAR spotter to-do list includes "…door, bumper, clear!" as well as working on alliances with other spotters and drivers, there are a few extra duties for spotters at the 24, not to mention added hours.
Using his background as a racer, Hamlin also focuses on how to keep the driver making forward progress while also avoiding trouble.
Besides having to time bathroom breaks with the caution periods, the 24 comes with its own special challenges for the guys up top.
Hamlin, who raced for Robby (Benton) at RAB Racing in Xfinity competition, has a much higher level of comfort with the IMSA regulations as he prepares for his second 24.
Besides keeping himself wide awake when he needs to be, what is Hamlin hoping for next weekend?


Are These the New Ford Bronco's Removable Doors?
This week, it was reported that Ford had shown off the new Bronco at a recent dealer conference. And while Ford managed to stop photos of its new off-road SUV from leaking out (at least for now), it couldn't keep all the details it revealed a secret. Sources told Automotive News that the two- and four-door Broncos they saw had "a retro design," with round headlights and a rectangular grille. So anyone who was still worried the new Bronco would look like the current Ford Everest can breathe a sigh of relief. Interestingly, those sources also claimed the Bronco will come with removable doors and a removable roof, just like the Jeep Wrangler. Then today we received a tip that a door-related patent filed by Ford Global Technologies in January 2018 also contained a sketch of the new Bronco. After some digging, we managed to unearth the patent drawings below, which do, in fact, show an off-road vehicle with removable doors. Sadly, it's just a … [Read more...] about Are These the New Ford Bronco's Removable Doors?


It may seem like a daunting task for people standing in front of a camera to just "act natural" and smile, and we feel you. But allow us to share a story with you that may give you some hope. This lovely gal is Rachel. We have known each other since middle school and she is one of my bestest friends to this day. And my mind was baffled when she told me it was time for her senior portraits. When I asked her she told me that she was looking forward to it, even more so because my father took her older sister's pictures as well and loved how they came out for her. She was looking forward to having a shot at it herself. When discussing senior portrait ideas they decided that they wanted to take it at this older manor down the road, and the plan was set afoot.
She was both a little excited and nervous since she never experienced something like this before...which you could tell in the beginning of the shoot. Sometimes when students come to these shoots they think that they need to create the "perfect senior portraits poses" to have these unforgettable pictures that will hang on your parents' wall for the rest of your life. But a majority of students don't have a clue what that means and can cause their body to freeze up from feeling overwhelmed. My girl here is a classic example. She looked like a rusty Tin Man who desperately needed an oil change. No matter what they tried his words and her actions just could not come into alignment. It came to the point where my father was so desperate to get her to smile that he actually CALLED me while I was at college and begged me to make her laugh. So yeah, it was a bit of a rough start.
My dad sort of scratched his head and decided to regroup and start fresh. He asked her to change into the other dress she brought, and that was the tipping point when everything started to change. She started warming up to his instructions and was able to move a little bit more how he wanted to. And even when she was struggling she always felt encouraged by him and he was constantly helping her. In the beginning she worried of how she would need to be like a professional model and create her own poses, but even though she was moving in front of the camera, all he wanted was to capture who she really was. Having a default pose means nothing if that cannot capture who you are and make you shine.
As the session went on they understood each other more, becoming more evident through the photographs. She went from the broken robot who tried to follow orders and became a real person who was coming alive right before our eyes. It all crescendoed to a glorious moment when they came to a forest-covered road and he asked her to dance, knowing that she has been taking lessons for years. And right there it was like someone just flipped a switch. She didn't have to think, she just was. She didn't have to put on a smile, it was just there. She didn't have to worry about how to move her arms or legs, she was just free. And these pictures didn't come out the way they did because she calculated just the right way to look but because she was just being herself, the most beautiful style out there that never gets old. If you are tired of the same old uninspired senior portraits and crave something that expresses your style then you crave, Craze!


text:
Q: NSDocument class file bundle not copy right I created an NSDocument base app, which provides a custom file format, which is a bundle containing multiple resources... all works fine, i can save, load, show package contents etc...
the problem is, when i want to sent it over internet, like with gmail, or dropbox... the file shrinks (from KB to bytes) and doesn't state the name of my app, nor 'Show package content works'
mdls

kMDItemContentCreationDate     = 2013-11-28 21:29:25 +0000
kMDItemContentModificationDate = 2013-11-28 21:30:06 +0000
kMDItemContentType             = "com.xxx.yyy"
kMDItemContentTypeTree         = (
    "com.xxx.yyy",
    "public.composite-content",
    "public.content",
    "com.apple.package",
    "public.directory",
    "public.item"
)
kMDItemDateAdded               = 2013-11-28 21:30:06 +0000
kMDItemDisplayName             = "FILENAME.ext"
kMDItemFSContentChangeDate     = 2013-11-28 21:30:06 +0000
kMDItemFSCreationDate          = 2013-11-28 21:29:25 +0000
kMDItemFSCreatorCode           = ""
kMDItemFSFinderFlags           = 0
kMDItemFSHasCustomIcon         = (null)
kMDItemFSInvisible             = 0
kMDItemFSIsExtensionHidden     = 0
kMDItemFSIsStationery          = (null)
kMDItemFSLabel                 = 0
kMDItemFSName                  = "FILENAME.apr"
kMDItemFSNodeCount             = 1
kMDItemFSOwnerGroupID          = 20
kMDItemFSOwnerUserID           = 501
kMDItemFSSize                  = 134690
kMDItemFSTypeCode              = ""
kMDItemKind                    = "MyApp"
kMDItemLogicalSize             = 134690
kMDItemPhysicalSize            = 135168

MIME
application/x-directory; charset=binary

A: How are you sending these files around? Are you compressing the wrappers first? A wrapper is just a UNIX directory—if you can't open your file as a directory on the target machine, you're just copying it wrong, it's not an issue with NSDocuments or NBundles or anything.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


No, it cannot be placed on the G3S4-A/-D, but it can be placed on the G3S4-A1/-D1.
The G3S4-A/-D Terminal Solid-state Relay has a heat sink and the Terminal Cover and the heat sink are attached by hooking them on a claw on the case. There is only one hook, so both devices cannot be attached at the same time.


Deliberative democracy is a form of democracy in which deliberation is central to decision making. Deliberations are made among large groups and small groups and are an effective way to reengage people with civic life, give them a chance to voice their opinions in a meaningful forum, and learn about issues (Surowiecki 261). Deliberative democracy works through deliberative polling in which voters deliberate over issues the nation is facing and essentially govern themselves. Fishkin believes deliberative polling is a better reflection of what voters really think about national and state concerns and the lawmaking process.
Is deliberative polling is beneficial and should it become common place in our society? I'm very gray on the matter. On one hand I believe that Americans are passionate about addressing the issues that they're facing as citizens of the US, on the other hand I also believe that there are voters who are apathetic to the issues and would rather let an elected representative call the shots on the matters without taking their opinions into consideration.
Another form of democracy is representative democracy, in which people vote on a candidate and that elected politician represents the people and addresses the issues that they and the nation are facing. The Wisdom of Crowds was written when Secretary of Defense, Donald Rumsfeld and Secretary of State, Colin Powell were still in office and Surowiecki argues that political elites such as them cannot see past their own ideology on state matters and will not take public interest into account.
In a representative democracy the elected officials are considered experts who will make informed decisions. The group of "experts" making these decisions is very small compared to the deliberation of the voters. Surowiecki believes that when you shrink the size of a decision-making body, you also shrink the likelihood that the final answer is right. Pg. 267 I agree with Surowiecki and believe that the majority rule of voters should decide lawmaking practices.
Surowiecki ends the chapter, saying that, "The decisions that democracies make may not demonstrate the wisdom of the crowd. The decision to make them democratically does" (Surowiecki 271). In my opinion this statement leads me to believe that Surowiecki is a proponent of deliberative democracy even though he feels it is unachievable because he thinks voters are not willing to devote their time and energy to deliberation.


text:
Q: Обновление базы данных на сервере данными полученными по почте Необходимо создать личный кабинет клиента бухгалтерской фирмы. В личном кабинете для пользователя будет доступна информация о сдаче налоговой отчетности и т.д., которая должна поступать из БД программы 1С на которой работают бухгалтеры. База с программы 1С выгружается в формате xls/csv/xml полностью и отправляется по электронной почте. Точнее сказать есть только такая возможность, так как программа 1С самописная и поддержка оставляет желать лучшего..
Могу ли я принимать базу данных во вложении письма на сервере и обновлять текущую базу полученными данными. Цель всего этого беспорядка, показывать на вьюхе в ЛК клиента актуальную информацию. На сколько эта конструкция жизнеспособна и эффективна? Спасибо за потраченное время)

A: Сделать всё это более, чем возможно. XML можно отправлять вложенным файлом по электронной почте. 1С будет опрашивать почту для нахождения письма с таким вложением, потом скачает файл и будет уже считывать и записывать данные. Другой вопрос: зачем через электронную почту? Почему не реализовать всё веб-сервисом? Намного проще, т.к. вы УЖЕ будете в базе 1С. Или HTTP-сервисом, на крайний случай. В любом случае подумайте над транспортом данных, т.к. электронная почта не самый лучший вариант


text:
School support staff set to strike
Caretakers, secretaries, may hit the bricks in union-school board showdown
By MOIRA MACDONALD -- Toronto Sun Don't ever call Rick McAloney a janitor.
For 31 years McAloney has been monitoring boilers, clearing snow off sidewalks, keeping floors buffed, chasing strangers out of East York schools and counselling errant kids to stay on the straight and narrow.
"A janitor is someone who cleans the floor," says McAloney, the $40,000-a-year head caretaker at Valley Park Middle School at Don Mills Rd. and Overlea Blvd. "A caretaker is what it says. We're in charge of taking care of the building. We're part of the team and the teaching staff treat us as part of the team."
In the tumult of the last two years in education you haven't heard much from people like McAloney. While their union has not supported much of what the provincial government has done in education, they have stayed in the shadows during strikes over the last two years - legal or illegal - by teachers.
Now it's their turn. Sid Ryan, Ontario boss for the Canadian Union of Public Employees says local union leaders representing public and Catholic school board support staff tell him they figure half the locals will hit the bricks by month's end.
The reason? Most locals across the province are in heavy-duty contract talks with their school boards - the first under the province's new funding model.
School boards say the news is not good. They say they're buckling under funding restrictions that give them less than they used to have to pay caretakers, secretaries and other support workers when trustees could turn to their local property tax base for cash.
2,100 POSITIONS AT RISK
On the chopping block at the Toronto public school board starting next September are at least 2,100 positions - some 850 caretaking jobs, 1,000 in central administration, such as secretaries and clerical staff, 300 among school support staff and more in other job classifications.
The board says it doesn't like the idea of contracting out some of those jobs, but it also doesn't rule it out.
"I don't believe CUPE has come to the realization that there is no tax increase. What we've got is what we've got and we are at a loss to do anything about it," says Gail Nyberg, chairman of Toronto's public school board.
All eyes are on Toronto right now, says Ryan. At 14,000 members, CUPE's Local 4400 represents the country's largest school board support worker unit.
Last Wednesday, the union's executive requested a "no board report" from the labour ministry - a document which, once issued, would put the union in a legal strike position 16 days later.
Nyberg calls the threat of a strike "folly and premature" but something that would make it "extremely difficult" to keep 576 schools open safely in the middle of winter.
"(Trustees) understand, realize and recognize that tolerance for school strikes in this city is nil," she says. "I'm very fearful that (union members) are being led down the garden path by their union executive."
CUPE workers say they have no choice but to walk if their demands are not met.
"It's freaking me out - it's terrible," says Marianne Vanbeek, a single mom who gets a $20,000 salary for the 30 hours weekly she works as an educational assistant for learning disabled children.
"I have to watch my cash at the best of times," says Vanbeek. "But I have to (strike) because I can't afford not to. We're not asking for the world here - we just want what's owed to us."
What's "owed," say union bosses, is a "modest" salary increase - workers haven't had a raise for six to eight years - and protections against job loss due to contracting out.
If Toronto workers walk, chances are good those at other boards with affirmative strike votes - such as Dufferin-Peel Catholic, and both York Catholic and public - will follow.
"It would be to their advantage to have everybody on the picket line at the same time," says Ryan.
And, unlike Nyberg, he believes the public would sympathize.
"The average worker's wage is less than $26,000," he says. "I think (the public) will support these workers who are the lowest paid.
"If that happens we are in a stronger bargaining position than we were before," Ryan continues. "It may force (Premier) Mike Harris to put more money into the system."
If comments by parents contacted by the Sun are any indication, Ryan may be placing his bets right.
"I think the parent support would be there to keep the support staff in the schools," says Anne Jacot, who has two children in North York public schools, some of which already employ contract caretakers at night.
"We all know and see how hard the administrative staff work in the schools," says Jacot. "(And) very often the caretakers bring a safety factor to their job."
Martha Harron, a Toronto mom and frequent critic of the Toronto public school board's spending habits, says it's hard to support cutting secretarial jobs when the board has not closed one of its seven central administrative offices following amalgamation.
STAFF 'UNDERAPPRECIATED'
"Most of these people perform a very important function ... they are certainly not overpaid," she says, adding that the dedication of support staff is often "underappreciated."
The board has said it could extend buyout offers of four weeks' pay for every year of service up to 78 weeks - the same deal already offered to superintendents.
But the buyout is not nearly as financially attractive to someone with a $25,000 salary and 10 years experience as it has been for 45 superintendents who took the deal last summer at an average of $141,000, says McAloney, also a union vice-president with Local 4400.
"What would I get? I have no choice, I have to work," says Sandra Childs, Valley Park's attendance secretary who is run off her feet daily checking up on absent students, dealing with anxious parents' calls and student records.
Funding for the board's school operations - about 45% of which is caretaker salaries - is $273.3 million for this school year. That works out to about $5.98 a square foot, whereas the province only funds at $5.20. Toronto's Catholic board spends about $5.37 a square foot but Toronto public school trustees say they don't like the Catholic schools' upkeep standards.
The board estimates that over the next three years it will lose $66 million out of that budget line, even with funding top-ups announced by the government in November.
The provincial government, meanwhile, believes the board has received "sufficient funding" although it "may want to look at bringing costs down" through things such as attrition, says Rob Savage, the education ministry's spokesman.
The school board was also let off the hook last year from paying its annual $20-million contribution into the support workers' pension plan, a situation brought on by the plan's large surplus. Those savings, suggests Savage, could be applied to buyouts as well.
UNION FEELS PUSHED
The consensus among union members, says McAloney, is that "the board is pushing us into" a strike situation, something Nyberg steadfastly denies.
"From my point of view (the board and the government) are playing that game again" of blaming each other for financial woes, McAloney says in his small office with a window looking out to the school's portables. Then a knock comes on the door, followed by a small voice.
"When I was coming down the stairs there was a bottle rolling around and I cracked it," says the student through the doorway.
"Okay, we'll have someone there to take care of it," says McAloney.
It's that kind of service that McAloney doubts will be given if contract workers are brought in to perform specific tasks, perhaps at several schools, without responsibility for the school's general operation.
"I'm not a flag-waving, Solidarity Forever-singing unionist," he says. "All I'm doing is trying to live within a collective agreement, and for my pay try to give them the best service I can - this board and this government are going to make it worse.
"I hope in my heart of hearts that we're not going to have to go out and that we'll get an agreement."
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text:
Why Buhari Didn't Approve Ganduje's N15bn COVID-19 Relief Request – Presidency
The Presidency has explained why President Muhammadu Buhari did not approve the N15 billion request of Abdullahi Ganduje, Governor of Kano State, to assist the state's novel coronavirus (COVID-19) response.
Governor Ganduje had accused the Federal Government of ignoring the state's escalating COVID-19 situation by not granting his request and deploying a technical team to assist the state's health officials in time.
But speaking in an interview on Thursday, Femi Adesina, Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, said Governor Ganduje's request was not granted because the Federal Government needed to assess and be satisfied with the level of work done by the Kano State government in combating the disease.
According to Adesina, the Federal Government granted the Lagos State government a N10 billion intervention fund as it was convinced by the efforts put in place by the Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu-led administration.
The presidential aide explained that Lagos State only sought technical, manpower and facility supports, not financial support, but that the Federal Government approved the fund for the state because it was convinced that it should.
"The federal government is moved by what it saw, and say, ah! This state needs help, and then it helped Lagos state," Adesina said on Wazobia FM Kano's As E Dey Hot programme.
"Any other state that is also doing its work and is not complaining, and is not saying bring money, bring money, bring money, federal government will do all that necessary to do to assist.
He stated that the Presidency may not approve the request of the state governors demanding financial intervention, noting that the President will instead send technical support as he did with the presidential team deployed to Kano State recently.
"Technical support is very very important, very very important. Lagos state got technical support before it got financial support. Manpower support is very good. Facility support, very good.
"And then, when it comes to financial support, the federal government will always do whatever is necessary to support," Adesina said.
Femi Adeshina
Kodak'S Death: Clarence Peters Granted Bail
Reduce Ex-depot Price Of Petrol To N70, PDP Tells Buhari


text:
Trending Eric Johnson FWSSR: Serama Chickens Immigration Women's March Fighting Hunger Project Innovation
Jason Witten Ending Retirement, to Return to Dallas Cowboys for 2019 Season
Witten says he wants to make a run at a championship with Garrett's Cowboys
By Frank Heinz	• Published at 12:04 pm on February 28, 2019
After a year in the broadcast booth, Jason Witten is coming out of retirement to play a 16th season for the Dallas Cowboys, the team says.
In a surprise statement Thursday morning, the Cowboys said the 36-year-old future Hall of Famer agreed to a one-year contract that will bring him back for the 2019 season.
Terms of the contract with the 11-time Pro Bowl player were not disclosed, though NFL Insider Adam Schefter tweeted the deal was worth $3.5 million. The Associated Press said the deal was worth about $5 million.
"The fire inside of me to compete and play this game is just burning too strong. This team has a great group of rising young stars, and I want to help them make a run at a championship," Witten said in a statement shared from the team. "This was completely my decision, and I am very comfortable with it. I'm looking forward to getting back in the dirt."
Jason Witten has decided to end his retirement and return to the #DallasCowboys for what will be his 16th season.
Read more → https://t.co/FMCVCje25K pic.twitter.com/azFKYzn4SA
— Dallas Cowboys (@dallascowboys) February 28, 2019
Witten was originally selected by Dallas in the third round of the 2003 NFL Draft out of the University of Tennessee. He played 15 seasons for the club before retiring in 2018 to pursue a network broadcasting opportunity with ESPN's Monday Night Football broadcast team.
In his one year on the air, Witten withstood some strong criticism from viewers but said he was committed to improving as a broadcaster.
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In a statement published on Twitter, ESPN said, "We thank Jason for his many contributions to Monday Night Football and to ESPN over the past year and wish him continued success. We have seen many former coaches and players go into broadcasting before eventually returning to the game they love, so we understand Jason's desire to return to the Dallas Cowboys."
Witten, long expected to be a future NFL Hall of Famer and Cowboys Ring of Honor member, retired with 1,152 career receptions, 12,448 receiving yards and 68 touchdowns.
When he retired last year, Witten shared the club record with three others at 15 seasons with Dallas. Now he's poised to add that franchise mark to the list of records he already has in games, starts, catches and yards receiving.
The return of Witten gives quarterback Dak Prescott another run with one of his most trusted targets months after the Cowboys won their first playoff game with the 2016 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year and two-time NFL rushing champion Ezekiel Elliott.
Dallas struggled at tight end without Witten. Geoff Swaim was the most productive before his season ended with a broken wrist after 10 games. Blake Jarwin tied a club record for touchdown catches by a tight end with three in the regular-season finale against the New York Giants. Those were all three of Jarwin's touchdowns as he had 27 catches for 307 yards. Swaim had 26 catches for 242 yards with one TD.
Swaim got the bulk of the playing time before his injury because of his ability as a blocker, whereas the Cowboys believed Jarwin needed to work on that part of his game.
With Witten, the Cowboys get back someone coach Jason Garrett believes is one of the best two-way tight ends in NFL history.
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The Security Level 2 Central Operations team as part of a Cyber Security Operations consolidates standard structured and repeatable tasks for all managed security infrastructure and applications, improving incidents and requests turnaround, with a 24x7 coverage. The Level 2 Analyst tasks focus on perimeter and network security.
Duties include providing support to perimeter security infrastructure, comprised by firewall, proxy, remote access and intrusion detection systems; day to day firewall and proxy changes execution from request handling and scheduling to implementation in the production environment based on customer requirements; problem analysis and resolution from non-hardware routine issues to critical failures within established service level targets.
Perimeter security infrastructure includes firewall, proxy, remote access and intrusion detection systems. Investigation, documentation and resolution of outages to critical business systems that may be caused by or impacting these systems; escalation of issues to, and tracking of progress in conjunction with other technical resource teams; working incidents escalated from the level 1 team which may include scheduling multiple changes, software upgrades, or configuration activities to resolve.
? Strong understanding of Enterprise Change, Incident and Problem Management is required.
The candidate will be required to analyze customer requirements to ensure all standards, policies and guidelines are upheld from the information security perspective and support routine compliance activities. Eventually, the candidate will need to support technology improvements, such as new infrastructure install and hardware/software upgrades.
Relevant Certifications: CheckPoint, Juniper firewalls. CISSP or CCNA/CCNP as a plus.
Education Level Required: Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science, Information Systems or related fields preferred.


Summit today dropped a bunch of high-res images from the studio's slate for much of 2012. We've seen images from a few of these films — Gone, with Amanda Seyfried, the (sorta) zombie rom-com Warm Bodies with Nicholas Hoult, and The Perks of Being a Wallflower with Emma Watson and Logan Lerman — but here are a few new stills. There are also shots from Man on a Ledge (for which we've seen a trailer and is already screening — it's a solid little b-movie) and some debut shots from the Ethan Hawke thriller Sinister.
The next two shots are from Sinister, a thriller written by Scott Derrickson and C. Robert Cargill (who you may know as Massawyrm from AICN) and directed by Derrickson. Ethan Hawke stars, and Vincent D'Onofrio and James Ransone are in the cast. The movie opens on August 24.
There are a couple images from The Perks of Being a Wallflower, which Stephen Chbosky wrote and directed from his own novel. That doesn't yet have a release date, but should hit in 2012.
There are two images from Man on a Ledge, Asger Leth's thriller starring Sam Worthington as an ex-cop threatening suicide as Elizabeth Banks tries to talk him down and his brother, played by Jamie Bell, works a plan of his own. See the trailer here; the film opens on January 27.
In this edge of your seat, heart-pounding thriller, MAN ON A LEDGE, ex-cop Nick Cassidy (Sam Worthington) stands on the ledge of a New York City hotel after an impossible escape from prison. Is Nick a desperate man or does he have a hidden agenda? As fellow NYPD officer Lydia Mercer (Elizabeth Banks) tries to talk Nick off the ledge, she discovers that Nick may have a plan in the works to prove his innocence and dig up one of the force's biggest conspiracies.
Finally, there is the image from Warm Bodies, from 50/50 and The Wackness director Jonathan Levine. That hits on August 10.


text:
Q: Estimate lines of code in BBC website Does anyone have an estimation for lines of code in BBC News website? (and estimating strategy) http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/
I could not find any estimation methodologies. The closest answer was all about counting lines of code for local projects, but never estimating other websites.
Thanks

A: Why don't you email them and ask them?  They are usually very helpful and open about this kind of thing.  They probably won't let you have access to the source but I don't see why this statistic should be a trade secret.


text:
Ви́шківці — село в Україні, у Брацлавській селищній громаді Тульчинського району Вінницької області. Населення становить 801 осіб.

На північний схід від села розташований лісовий заказник — Брацлавська Дубина.

Вишківці — село, центр сільської Ради, лежить на річці Шпиківці, притоці Південного Бугу, за 26 км від районного центру. Населення — 478 чоловік. Сільраді підпорядковані села Вигнанка, Забужжя.

Історія
Перша письмова згадка про село датується 1594 роком. За переказами, колись на цьому місці було село Градусове, пізніше — Вишньове або ще називали Вишневе. Чому називалося Градусове ніхто незнає, а от що до Вишньове існує згадка. Люди розповідають що був у селі пан на прізвище Вишня. Цей пан був дуже добрим до людей, допомагав кому чим було потрібно, мав у селі свій невеличкий маєток. Всім людям цей пан дуже подобався і вони його любили. Але Вишня довго не пробув у селі і виїхав. На згадку про себе пан у селі при центральній дорозі посадив ряди вишень, які є до цих пір. Тому, вважають, що саме від цього пішла назва села.

Також у селі був поміщик Бессер, який теж проживав уселі. Але коли мала бути революція він продав свій маєток і виїхав. Залишився від нього лише погріб. Після Бессера був генерал-майор Суронцов. У селі була пасіка і там він збудував свій маєток довжина якого 4 метра. Мав 2 поверхи. Маєток був гарно збудований з різними архітектурними виділками. За переказами  Суронцов був хорошим поміщиком. Він поробив у селі бруківку і багато робив для села. Навіть казали, що він міг випити ціле відро горілки.

У жовтні 1917 року селяни, очолювані солдатом-кулеметником Ф. С. Слободянюком, знищили загін охорони поміщика, а його землю роздали безземельним і малоземельним.

Біля Вишківців знайдено залишки поселення трипільської культури, а поблизу села Забужжя — поселення черняхівської культури та скарб із 100 римських монет II—III століть.

За переказами в селі була церква Різдва Богородиці, яка була збудована 1715 року. Вона була дерев'яна. Старовинний різьблений 4-ярусний іконостас. Зараз церкви немає.

Також село Вишківці сполучене з селом Паланка. Колись Паланка була окремим населеним пунктом, але пізніше ці два села були об'єднані.  До Наполеона в Паланці було 4 хати, жило 2 турки, а також Салдугей і Тучка. З Вішанки текла маленька річечка і Тучка там ловив рибу. Вважають, що Паланка розширилась за допомогою братів Шаргородських, які заснували хутір, який називався не Паланка, а Полянка, бо хати розташовувалися як на полянці. Пізніше в селі було 28 хат, а ще пізніше 105 хат. На даний час такого села як Паланка немає, але мешканці все-таки розмежовують село Вишківці  та село Паланка.

Поблизу села знаходяться такі населені пункти: Брацлав, Гриненки, Бортники, Вигнанка, Остапківці, Забужжя, Вовчок, Марксове, Яструбиха, Перепеличчя.

Село оточує ліс та колгоспний сад. З півдня на північ простягся «Турецький  вал», який нагадує про давню історію села. На північній окраїні села, де річка Шпиківка впадає в Буг, височить гора, яку люди називають «Наливайковою».

Хлібороби час від часу знаходили там речі козацького вжитку.

В 1928-29-30 роках було організовано три колгоспи: імені Дімітрова, «Червона Зірка», імені Кірова. Дружно і організовано працювали селяни в громадських господарствах, зростала економіка, організовано проходило будівництво громадських приміщень. Успішно починає розвиватися обробіток землі. Велику допомогу надає колгоспам створена тоді Брацлавська МТС.

Вже в 1935 році рейтинг колгоспів успішно зростає, колгоспники одержують на трудодень по 2-3 кілограма хліба, розвивається тваринництво, зростає культурний рівень населення. В 1930 році

поширюється робота клубу, відкривається хата-читальня, радіофікується головна вулиця села, а в 1934 році відкривається семирічна школа. В кінці 1934 року припиняє свою роботу церква, а в 1935 році — вже закрита.                                                              СІЛЬСЬКИЙ КЛУБ

Молодь села бере активну участь у різноманітних гуртках, при цьому ростуть кадри механізаторів, виховується і навчається сільська інтелігенція. Велику допомогу надавала комсомольська організація. Колектив художньої самодіяльності займав перші місця в районі, у той час це був Тульчинський район, а також запрошувався в місто Вінницю для виступів.

У 1940 році в селі відкривається фельдшерсько-акушерський пункт.  Медичне обслуговування в селі поставлене зразково, а тому не було випадків інфекційних захворювань. Зменшилася смертність дітей.

Перед початком німецько-радянської війни у Вишківцях було 4 колгоспи з добре розвиненим тваринництвом. Відмінно оброблялися земельні ділянки, були розвинуті такі галузі, як: бджільництво, птахівництво, рибальство.

На початку 1950 року село електрифікується, а в 1951 році встановлюється радіовузол. У 1999 році очолив наше господарство Опалюк Микола Миколайович.

У селі є не багато кутків: Кожен з цих кутків названий в більшості за прізвищем чи ім'ям людини яка

там жила чи живе. Ось наприклад, куток Звьоздний — бо там колись був колгосп «Зірка». І до сьогодні люди, які там живуть називають себе ніби окремим селом.

У селі протікає річка Південний Буг, яка є курортним місцем.  Влітку в село приїздить безліч туристів, які відпочивають біля Бугу. Також біля річки є

пасовища, де жителі села випасають худобу. Колись на місці цих пасовищ були теплиці, де садили кавуни, дині та різну городину.

Також у селі протікає річка Шпиківка на якій розташоване село. У річці водиться риба і люди ловлять там рибу.

Річка Капустяна. Назва пішла від того, що з річки брали воду, щоб поливати городину капусти. Городини давно уже немає, але річка збереглась і до сьогодні.

Село багате і на ставки.

Гардєїв ставок — така назва, бо близько жив дід Гардєй, який дивився за ставком. І тому люди дали таку назву. Зараз там є орендарі, які займаються ним. Там водиться риба. І цей ставок є також зоною для відпочину місцевого населення.

Паланський — так називається, бо коли Вишківці було окремо і Паланка окремо, то так і залишився.

Маточник — розводили мальок, який потім розспускали у великі ставки.

Стависько — бо дуже великий.

Кураші — бо знаходиться біля лісу, який називається Кураші.

Бригадний ставок — бо був тракторний стан і брали воду для зрошування полів і на ферму, тому така назва.

Зірка — бо при Радянському Союзі був колгосп «Зірка» і тому ставок так назвали, а ще тому, що він знаходився на тій самій території.

В селі є такі кутки:

v Звьоздний (поблизу був колгосп «Зірка»);

v Миндюрівка (бо жив дід Миндюр);

v Капусники (бо раніше були городини капусти);

v Третя бригада (бо раніше була бригада під № 3);

v Ковбиця ;

v Ленінський (походить від назви вулиці).

Вулиці в селі Вишківці:

Ø Вул. Кірова — був дядько на прізвище Кіров — він був передовик у сільському господарстві, а ще 30 років на його честь був названий колгосп.

Ø Вул. Наливайка — можливо, від гори Наливайкова.

Ø Вул. 50-річчя Жовтня — 50 років від революції.

Ø Вул. Прибужна — бо до Бугу близько.

Ø Вул. Леніна — на честь Леніна.

Ø Вул. Першотравнева — в честь 1-го травня.

Ø Вул. Стара Гребля.

Ø Вул. Вишневий Вал.

Є в селі і 2 кладовища.

Багате село і на ліси і на поля:

Тучків ліс — бо був лісник Тучка, який його посадив і дивився за ним.

Юхненків ліс.

Кураші.

Круглика ліс- бо має форму круга.

Поле Васічки — жив чоловік на прізвисько Васічка.

Сови — стояв табір і розводили баранів.

Також село багате на джерела: Дзвіночок, У вилах, Придорожнє, Дві сестри, Пасіка, Капусники, Паланське, Глибоке, Дзеркальне, На зірці, Вербиченька, Ювілейне, Холодок, Сопілка, Дубок.

Також є пам'ятник загиблим  воїнам-односелячанам невідомого скульптора.

На 2016 рік у Вишківцях діє сільська рада, будинок культури, фельдшерсько-акушерський пункт, загальноосвітня школа, у якій навчається всього 66 учнів, працює 3 торговельні точки. Задіяний духовий оркестр під керівництвом Ткачука Сергія Олександровича. Активно працює художня самодіяльність, існує народний хор молодшої та старшої групи «Вишківчаночка». З 2011 року діє футбольна команда «Колос».

12 червня 2020 року, відповідно до Розпорядження Кабінету Міністрів України від  № 707-р «Про визначення адміністративних центрів та затвердження територій територіальних громад Вінницької області», увійшло до складу Брацлавської селищної громади.

17 липня 2020 року, в результаті адміністративно-територіальної реформи та ліквідації Немирівського району, село увійшло до складу Тульчинського району.

Відомі люди
 Вертипорох Василь Володимирович — український поет.
 Гудима Олександр Васильович — народний депутат України 1 скликання
 Слободянюк Володимир Йосипович — народний депутат України 5-го скликання, член Партії регіонів; голова Контрольної комісії Вінницької обласної організації Партії регіонів.

Примітки

Література
 Ви́шківці // Історія міст і сіл Української РСР : у 26 т. / П.Т. Тронько (голова Головної редколегії). — К. : Головна редакція УРЕ АН УРСР, 1967 - 1974 — том Вінницька область / А.Ф. Олійник (голова редколегії тому), 1972 : 788с. — С.499

Посилання
 Погода в селі Вишківці

Села Вінницької області

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


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roll grinding machine of 9 tons between centre -Grinding mill. I would like to know more about broach grinding machine in tanzania plant tanzania roll .


Detroit's Max Scherzer pitched 5 2/3 shutout innings in a 10-2 win over Oakland.
DETROIT — Max Scherzer responded quite nicely to his demotion.
Scherzer struck out 14 in 5 2/3 shutout innings hours after he was recalled from Triple-A Toledo, helping the Detroit Tigers beat the Oakland Athletics, 10-2, yesterday to end a four-game losing streak.
Scherzer (2-4) allowed two hits, walked four and hit a batter in his first game since he was sent down following a rough opening stretch of the season. He was only called back up because Armando Galarraga, yesterday's scheduled starter, pitched in relief on Friday and wasn't available.
The right-hander fell just two strikeouts short of Mickey Lolich's team record despite being taken out in the sixth inning.
"I don't want to get crazy and carried away, because this was one outing, but obviously that was pretty impressive," Tigers manager Jim Leyland said. "I think he was hungry to get back here, and it shows. Sending a guy down isn't punishment, it is hopefully to get results like this."
Scherzer was acquired from Arizona over the winter and went 1-4 with a 7.29 ERA in his first eight starts with the Tigers. He fixed a mechanical flaw and gave up one run in 15 innings over two starts with the Mud Hens.
"My arm was wrapping too much around my body — it's very complex, but I needed to shorten my arm action," he said. "That's what I did, and all of a sudden, my fastball had that zip again."
Miguel Cabrera had four hits, including his 14th homer, and four RBIs for the Tigers, who finished with 15 hits. Carlos Guillen and Brandon Inge also connected, and Joel Zumaya pitched two scoreless innings for his first save.
Daric Barton hit a two-run homer for Oakland. Dallas Braden (4-5) allowed five runs and 11 hits in six innings.
Howie Kendrick hit his second home run of the game with two outs and two on in the ninth inning, giving host Los Angeles the win a day after Kendry Morales broke his leg celebrating a winning grand slam for the Angels.
Jose Bautista hit his major league-leading 16th homer, Ricky Romero (5-2) threw a six-hitter and host Toronto finished off the three-game sweep.
David Ortiz capped his big May with his 11th homer of the season and Jon Lester (6-2) allowed one run and four hits in seven innings, helping host Boston salvage a split of the four-game series.
Mark Teixeira hit a three-run homer in New York's five-run seventh, and A.J. Burnett (6-2) gave up one earned run and five hits in eight innings for New York.
Jayson Nix connected against James Shields (5-3) for his first career grand slam, helping visiting Chicago split a four-game series with the AL East leaders.
Denard Span had two hits, an RBI and made a lunging catch while colliding with Orlando Hudson to end the game and host Minnesota completed a rare three-game sweep over Texas.
Albert Pujols hit three long home runs and Adam Wainwright (7-3) allowed one run and seven hits in seven innings, leading St. Louis over host Chicago.
Not even 24 hours after making the final out of Roy Halladay's perfect game, Ronny Paulino drove in the only run to lift host Florida over Philadelphia.
Clayton Kershaw (5-3) allowed two runs and struck out nine in five innings and Xavier Paul hit a tiebreaking RBI single in the sixth to lead Los Angeles over host Colorado.
Pinch-hitter Chipper Jones had a tiebreaking RBI single in the eighth inning and host Atlanta completed a three-game sweep.
Pinch-hitter Nick Hundley singled in Lance Zawadzki from second base with two outs in the 11th inning to give host San Diego the victory.
Andres Torres hit a two-out RBI single in the 10th inning and host San Francisco handed Arizona its seventh consecutive loss.
Lance Berkman hit a two-run double in the 10th inning and Houston salvaged the finale of the three-game series at Cincinnati.
Knuckleballer R.A. Dickey (2-0) allowed four runs in seven innings and Angel Pagan homered to help New York avoid a three-game sweep at Milwaukee.
Dodgers: Charlie Haeger's anticipated return this week from the disabled list has been put on hold after the pitcher sustained another foot injury while rehabbing an episode of plantar fasciitis in his right heel.
Andre Ethier, however, is set to come off the disabled list after a rehab stint for his broken pinky finger, and Dodgers manager Joe Torre said yesterday that he expected the outfielder to be available for today's game in Los Angeles against Arizona.
Indians: Three-time All-Star outfielder Grady Sizemore will have surgery on his left knee next week and is expected to miss at least six to eight weeks.
Meanwhile, tests on David Huff have shown no signs of a concussion after he was hit in the head with a line drive by New York's Alex Rodriguez on Saturday. Huff says he didn't see the ball coming at him.
Nationals: Right-hander Stephen Strasburg is scheduled to start again for Triple-A Syracuse at Buffalo on Thursday, the team said. The Nationals have not said when Strasburg, the No. 1 pick in last year's draft, will make his major league debut.
Rangers: Outfielder Nelson Cruz was placed on the 15-day disabled list with a strained left hamstring. Manager Ron Washington says the team put Cruz through some tests yesterday and he did not respond well.
Cubs: Carlos Zambrano will return to the Chicago's starting rotation Wednesday at Pittsburgh, according to Cubs manager Lou Piniella. Zambrano will replace left-hander Tom Gorzelanny, who will move to the bullpen for relief duty.


text:
Really, what did they expect her to do? Simply move on? Pretend he hadn't existed? That she hadn't imagined what their life would be like in the future? Spending summers at Pemberley and the season in town, going to Italy for their ten-year anniversary, presenting their daughters at court, dancing at their son's wedding. Did they really expect her to just forget it all? Forget him?
Well, she would not. She may not have always loved him as she should, as she did now, but her heart had finally opened and she was not about to give up on this peculiar feeling, no matter what her sister said to her.
And really, what did Louisa know about it anyway? She was married to that drunken lump of a man. She had never burned with passion, consumed with feelings she couldn't understand. She had never watched the man of her dreams fall helplessly in love with a woman that wasn't worthy of him, couldn't be worthy of him. No, Louisa understood nothing and she refused to listen to her.
Charles was even worse. He attempted to reason with her, telling her that she and Mr. Darcy would never have gotten along anyway, that they were ill-matched, that she should count herself lucky and try to find a man more suited to the life she wanted to live. He didn't understand. None of them did.
Only dear, sweet Jane comprehended how hurt she was, how wounded her pride, how bruised her vanity. That he had been so near to her on so many occasions, and yet looked her over, was a blow to her self-worth. That he could prefer someone so different from herself challenged everything she had long believed to be true.
Could they not see how her world was set on its head? What was she supposed to do, now that every dream was lain waste to, every cherished hope lost?
After the wedding, a black day she refused to acknowledge as special in any way, she decided something must be done. She was not the sort of woman to collapse at the whim of a man. She was stronger than that. She saw the sniggers on the faces of her supposed friends, the ones who had known of her single-minded pursuit of him and seen it in action. She would show them how a true lady comported herself. She would not cower in the corner like a jilted miss. She would stand tall and show them what she was made of. Show him.
Oh, she knew that even if he realized his mistake (as she was sure he would—in short order), there was no way she could ever have him. Of course, Eliza could die in childbirth but she doubted that outcome. Country girls were oddly strong in that respect. But even though she knew he would never be hers, she did admit to a certain satisfaction in thinking about how he would wish he had wed differently. Perhaps even that he had wed her.
Her favorite fantasy, of course, involved Mr. Darcy realizing before a year was out that he had made a terrible mistake. He would explain all to her when they were both visiting Charles. It would be late and he would have had one too many glasses of brandy. She would come across him alone in the drawing room after returning to fetch her shawl or in the library long after everyone else was abed. He would unburden himself to her and she would become his confidant, his dearest friend, the one he turned to for solace and relief.
After a time of close friendship, he would tell her his feelings could not be repressed. He must tell her how he loved her passionately and beg her to become his lover, even though he knew she was engaged to a marquis. She would refuse him, firmly but gently, and for the rest of their lives, their eyes would meet across crowded ballrooms and their hands touch clandestinely under tables at dinner parties. Eventually, Eliza would succumb to some disease contracted from her vile relations and die. Caroline would comfort him once again, and after her husband perished in a tragic riding accident, leaving her a wealthy and established socialite, they would become lovers and eventually marry, but only after he begged her for months and apologized for slighting her so dreadfully all those years ago.
Alas, she was not so unrealistic to believe any of this would actually happen, but it was a pleasant day dream nonetheless.
A fortnight after the darkest day of her life, otherwise known as Darcy's wedding day, Caroline received an invitation to a winter house party. An old friend from school had recently married and returned from her wedding tour. She was hosting a large event for twelfth night and Caroline was invited to stay on afterward, along with several other guests. She decided to accept. She would join another newly-married friend—to satisfy the demands of propriety—and move on with her life.
She couldn't wait.
Mary Lyttleton was a consummate hostess. Her mother was a celebrated matron whose parties were famous in town and country, and now that she had married into the fabulous Lyttleton fortune, she had every intention of besting her dear mother. She had assembled a perfect guest list: two widows, two confirmed bachelors of a certain age, four recently-married couples, five long-married couples, a dowager countess, an earl (who accepted to be near his mistress—one of the aforementioned widows), two viscounts—one of whom was extremely single, and four young ladies like herself who had not been lucky enough to marry a wealthy man with an earl for an uncle.
Among the four young ladies was Caroline Bingley, who had accompanied her friend Amelia Wright-Hardy, and her new husband, Timothy Wright-Hardy. Amelia had been a Elwes prior to her marriage—a respectable and wealthy family, but with no recent ties to nobility. However, Amelia's stunning good looks and healthy dowry landed her a younger son of a viscount with a large estate in Somerset, and Caroline was hoping to emulate her success. Jonathon Taunton, the Viscount of Worthington, was to be in attendance, and Caroline was determined to make an impression.
The first night of the house party, she dressed for dinner with care. She had ordered several new dresses, all in the latest fashion, of course, and had insisted her maid learn the latest styles for arranging her hair. Overall, she thought she looked very well in her pale blue dress with her honeyed tresses piled artfully atop her head, two long curls hanging over one shoulder. She entered the drawing room with her head held high, and made sure to stand in front of the window and turn her neck just so, so that those in attendance might admire her delicate profile.
Her friend Margaret Waterston was with her and had a rather unfortunate bulbous nose, a fact Caroline used to her advantage. She always thought she looked best when standing next to a less attractive woman. Outings with her brother and his new wife, Jane, were exceedingly frustrating, thus her preference to stay on with her sister Louisa, who had grown quite splotchy of late.
Lord Worthington was standing near the fireplace, and Caroline held her pose until she was sure he had seen her and noted her elegance. She was seated far from him at dinner, but she intended to play for the company afterward and would ask him to turn her pages. Unfortunately, music was only called for while the ladies were awaiting the gentlemen and then the evening turned to cards. She attempted to partner him in whist, or to at least be at his table, but Mrs. Lyttleton arranged everything to her liking and that did not include Caroline being in the vicinity of the viscount.
The next three days proceeded in similar fashion. The Twelfth Night ball was approaching and Caroline, along with the other ladies in attendance, had been called on to help with the arrangements. She found herself with the dreary task of writing out place cards for the supper along with Miss Waterston and her distracting nose. She didn't know why they bothered, anyway. The guests would all be well in their cups come supper, and Twelfth Night was meant to be frivolous and care-free. She was certain their carefully-written place cards would be ignored.
Finally, after several tedious hours alone in a sitting room with Miss Waterston, it was time to dress for the ball. Caroline was dressed beautifully, her gown a multitude of greens and blues with matching feathers on her mask. She was meant to resemble a peacock, and her efforts did not go astray. The colors brought out her eyes, light blue with flecks of green, and her creamy skin was luminous against the darker fabric.
When she entered the ballroom, many heads turned in her direction, and had she not held her head quite so high, or been so impressed with her own image, she would have had considerably more success.
Eventually, it was the supper dance, and Caroline found herself dancing with a lithe man wearing a silver mask. Beneath it was a strong jaw and above thick black hair, but beyond that, she could not say much about him or that she even knew who he was. Jonathon, that is, Lord Worthington, had light brown hair and was slightly shorter, though the jaw was similar.
When the dance was over, the gentleman led her into the dining room and sat next to her, disregarding the place cards in front of them declaring them Mrs. Ashbrook and Mr. Cross. What was the point of having name cards at a masked ball, anyway?
The more she thought about it, the more she was convinced scheming Mary Lyttleton had given them an unnecessary task to annoy them and amuse herself. Caroline huffed lightly. No doubt Mary had wanted to get rid of them so that the other ladies might discuss them freely. She didn't know what they would say about Margaret Waterston—she never did anything remotely interesting—but Caroline had been the subject of more than a little gossip with the recent marriage of her brother to a (beautiful) country nobody and Mr. Darcy's marriage to the nobody's (impertinent) sister.
That Mr. Darcy had been her intended conquest was a subject of hilarity for many of her friends and she was sure they had spent many hours in the ballroom arranging flowers and laughing at her. With a delicate movement, she picked up the name card in front of her, outlined so perfectly by her own steady hand, and placed it in her lap where she proceeded to slowly shred it, piece by piece, until it was nothing but a pile of tissue fit for the fire.
"Have you enjoyed the ball, Miss Bingley?"
She was somewhat startled and answered haltingly, "Yes, I have so far. How did you know I was Miss Bingley? Have we been introduced?"
He smiled, but she thought it wasn't entirely friendly.
"Yes, we have. More than once, actually. I am a guest here. I arrived last evening and sat at your card table after dinner."
She continued to look at him with confusion, unable to place the gentleman.
"I am Brook Taunton, of Herefordshire."
She stared at him without comprehension, though his surname had caught her interest slightly. All her training had not been for naught and she answered, "Of course, Mr. Taunton, I did not recognize you in your mask." She did not recognize him at all, nor his name, but it would hardly be polite to tell him so.
To her surprise, he let out a bark of laughter.
"Miss Bingley, you do not remember me in the slightest. Do not pretend that you do."
She fumed, but said nothing.
"Perhaps if you spent less time staring at my cousin and more time paying attention to your surroundings, you might not be caught in these situations."
Caroline reddened and spat, "How dare you, sir! Wine must have loosened your lips, but I assure you, I am not suffering the same infliction. Good evening!"
She pushed her chair back noisily and stood, casting her eyes about the raucous dining room in search of her friend, Miss Waterston. She had just spotted Margaret's familiar nose beneath an unflattering pink mask and taken a step in that direction when she heard his voice from behind her.
"He'll never choose you, you know."
She stopped and turned slowly, her shoulders tense.
"He is half the way to proposing to Lady Sophia Stanford. I would have thought a woman with her ear to the ground would have heard of such news."
She could only stare at him, eyes bulging, and be thankful for her mask that covered her blush and hopefully any other sign of her discomfort. Lady Sophia Stanford! Daughter of Lord Marston, the earl. Of course. She should have known he would marry someone titled. But she had had such hopes… No matter, she would not be disappointed. It wasn't as if she had ever exchanged more than a few words with him. Now that she thought of it, he was quite dull, really. She was sure they wouldn't suit at all.
"Sit down before you draw more attention to yourself."
She jolted at the crisp tone and looked to her dining partner. Even with his face half-covered by a mask, his smug expression was all too visible.
"You, sir, are entirely too pleased with yourself," she said with a sniff as she sat down stiffly.
He laughed. "And you, madam, are entirely too sure of yourself."
She looked at him in surprise. "What do you mean?" she asked testily.
"Come, do not pretend innocence. You and I both know you fancy yourself prettier than most of the women here, if not all, and you look down your perfect little nose at nearly all your so-called friends."
His smug expression was firmly in place and Caroline seethed, her chest rising and falling heavily and her eyes ablaze.
"You forget yourself, sir," she bit out.
"No, I believe it is you who forget yourself, Miss Bingley," he said with a knowing look.
She felt mortification roll over her in waves and knew she was bright red from her ears to the daringly-low neckline of her dress. She could think of nothing to say in response and merely kept her eyes forward, looking intently at the candelabra in front of her. She could only hope this interminable dinner would be over soon so she could escape to her room. No one would notice her missing and she could send her maid down to tell Mrs. Lyttleton that she had a sudden headache. She just needed to get through the next hour and she could retreat in private.
She would make a new plan tomorrow. All was not lost. Her hopes for this house party could still be realized. Mr. Jamison, the widower, might take an interest in her, or perhaps old Mr. Ayles. He appeared a confirmed bachelor but perhaps she could change his mind.
Her mind rapidly went through all the guests that had already arrived and those that would be staying on after the ball. Surely there was one, just one, who would be interested in her enough to want to marry her. She only needed one. Of course, two fighting over her would be nice, but one would do.
She was so distraught with her horrid dinner and her futile performance over the last sennight that she could not even summon the slightest joy at the thought of two suitors. In truth, she was feeling rather desperate, and she was beginning to think no one would ever want her. First there was Mr. Darcy, then Lord Worthington, and now even this second son of a country gentleman fancied himself above her. How much more humiliation was she to endure?
"Miss Bingley, I beg your pardon. I meant no offense. The wine must have gone to my head."
Mr. Taunton's voice sounded contrite and she looked at him in surprise as he handed her his handkerchief. She looked at it questioningly and he gestured to her face, and it was then she realized that several tears had tracked silently down her cheeks, running beneath her mask and falling off her jaw.
She took the cloth and dabbed at her face, hoping no one was looking her way.
"Thank you," she said quietly as she handed it back to him.
He folded it neatly and placed it in the inside pocket of his jacket. "Do not worry, Miss Bingley. Your nose is not red nor swollen. You look just as lovely as you did when I asked you to dance."
She whipped her head around to face him. "You think I'm lovely?"
"Of course. Certainly a good sight better than the unfortunate girl in the pink mask. Did no one tell her it made her nose look ridiculous?"
She suspected he was trying to cheer her up and smiled slightly. "Her nose always looks like that, but I agree the color is a disaster."
He smiled brightly and looked around. "Let's see," he said as his eyes scanned the table filled with boisterous partygoers and plates groaning with food. "Look there, at the man in the gold mask. Does it not make his skin appear positively yellow? He should dismiss his valet immediately."
She laughed and looked at him with new eyes, before turning her attention to the other guests. "What about her?" she said, nodding in the direction of a matronly woman spilling out of her dress and draped in jewels. "Either her modiste does not know how to fit a gown, or the lady does not know when to put down the cake."
He laughed and they continued, pointing out gentlemen with waistcoats about to burst and ladies using thick necklaces to cover their wobbly necks. By the end of supper, Caroline had decided to stay a bit longer and even danced another set with Mr. Taunton toward the end of the night. Everyone was well pickled by then and sure not to notice a second dance with the same masked gentleman.
Over the next several days, Caroline's somewhat caustic relationship with Brook Taunton grew in familiarity and comfort. Together they would dissect the clothing and mannerisms of the others guests in their party and there was much laughing behind fans and mock-innocent expressions. Within a sennight, they could carry on an entire conversation without saying a word.
Caroline found in him something she had never before come across in a man: a male version of herself. She didn't suppose he would like to hear such a thing, so she kept her thoughts private. But spoken aloud or no, Caroline realized she had met her match, in wit if in nothing else.
Alas, he was not a good prospect. His father had been the second son of Lord Worthington, whose title had fallen to his elder brother and then on to that man's eldest son, Jonathon Taunton, present at this very house party. Edward Taunton, Brook's father, had inherited an estate from his mother and was given a significant sum from his father to improve it. Sadly, the now prosperous estate (nothing to Pemberley, but then so few estates were) would be inherited by Brook's elder brother. The man was in good health and had already married and produced a son, and according to Brook his wife was again increasing, so there was very little chance Brook would ever inherit the family estate. He had said nothing about another estate or a gift from his family.
She assumed he lived off an allowance from his father and was likely a barrister in town. He had said that was where he chiefly spent his time and there was no sign of regimentals. She didn't even consider that he might be a vicar—it was too hilarious to contemplate. What vicar would stand behind the pulpit, reciting verses, while all the while thinking Lady So-and-so's hat looked like a bird was nesting on her head?
She would have tipped over with laughter if it weren't so unladylike.
Perhaps he had a friend he could introduce her to? Someone with an estate and a house in town and an income of at least six-thousand a year. She would ask him.
She found an opportunity two days later in the conservatory. She had gone to get away from Mary Lyttleton's incessant bragging about her marriage and estate and to her surprise, she found the room quite peaceful and pleasant. She walked along a narrow path and examined the exotic plants until she ran into Mr. Taunton looking rather intently at an orange flower.
The usual niceties followed, and he offered her his arm with the ease of friends pressed into close proximity by a house party. Within a few minutes she had asked him if he had any friends that would do for her, in a delicate way, of course, and he had laughed at first, then stared at her silently for a long moment. Just as she was becoming uncomfortable, he broke away from her and turned on his heel, his rapid movement stopping her in her tracks and forcing her attention to his fervent countenance.
"Are you really so full of your own self-importance that you need a title to bolster it? You have your own money! You may choose as you wish! You have the opportunity to find a man with a small estate and build it up together, to be a part of a legacy. Or you could live year-round in town and have a comfortable income. Why are you so obsessed with nobility and the first circles? I can promise you they aren't as fascinating as they seem." He snorted. "It's nothing but dull parties and the same insipid conversation day in and day out. Is that what you really want for your life? Endless parades of meaningless fashion and leisure around the clock?"
He looked at her incredulously, his jaw tight and his eyes bold. She looked down sheepishly. He stepped back and sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.
"It appears that it is. Forgive me, I have been seeing things as I wished to see them and not as they are. You have my apologies and best wishes for the future, Miss Bingley. Good day."
He nodded and turned away sharply, his long legs taking him out of the room in six easy steps.
Caroline Bingley could only gape after him, and wonder at the sinking feeling in her stomach telling her she had made a terrible mistake.
The house party was to last another ten days and Caroline was sure she would be miserable every moment of it. It had been four days since her quarrel with Brook and nothing had improved. She had thought he only needed a little time to relax and get past his fit of jealousy (she was sure that was what it was, for what else could it have been?) and then things would go back to normal. But they had not. He had barely acknowledged her since their Conversation, as she had come to think of it. The night before when she had said goodnight in the drawing room, he had barely nodded. She thought she saw Mary Lyttleton smirking from her settee, but she ignored her and left with her head held high.
Just that evening, he had slighted her when it was time to go in to the dining room. He was the nearest man to her and everyone else was claimed. Instead of offering her his arm, he walked across the room and offered it to Miss Waterston. Margaret Waterston! She was a nice enough girl, but Caroline was at least three times prettier than her and much more fashionable. What was he thinking?
She watched the two of them throughout dinner. Why was he laughing? Surely Margaret hadn't said anything funny! She was such a mousy little thing. Kind, of course, and a friend, but nothing to Caroline herself. When the ladies retired to the drawing room, she stepped out onto the freezing balcony by herself, unable to bear the knowing grins of the married ladies, or worse, the sympathetic looks of the few kind women in attendance. When she reentered the room, Brook Taunton was standing by Margaret Waterston, asking her to play for them. She acquiesced and he escorted her to the instrument, then stayed to turn her pages for her. Her Brook, turning pages for Margaret Waterston! It was not to be borne.
She slipped out the side door while everyone faced the other direction and went straight to her room. She asked her maid to tell Mrs. Lyttleton she had a terrible headache and spent the night tossing and turning in her bed.
The morning brought no relief. Caroline put on her warmest day dress and sturdiest boots and bundled up for a walk. No one would be up for a few hours yet and she desired solitude and fresh air. She was stomping through the east gardens near the house when she realized she had suddenly become like Eliza Bennet. No wonder she goes on so many walks. She must have a great deal on her mind, thought Caroline.
Her thoughts were in a muddle. She had believed she was all a man should want in a wife. She was beautiful, fashionable, a good hostess, a capable manager, musical, artistic, talented. She knew how to entertain and was intelligent enough to converse on a variety of topics. And yet she remained disturbingly single. Why did no one want her?
She always let them choose the topic of conversation, unless, of course, she was talking to Brook. She deferred to their opinions and allowed them to feel superior or smarter than her, unless she was with Brook—he liked to be challenged. And she always ordered their favorite meals and wore their favorite colors to please them, except for Brook who loved yellow. It had always made her look sallow and she refused to wear it, no matter what he said.
What was she doing wrong? Was there something fundamentally unmarriageable about her? And why was Brook suddenly so interested in Margaret? He had never cared about her before. Was she missing something? Was Margaret attractive to men in some way that wasn't visible to women?
Caroline felt distraught emotionally in a way she had never felt before and couldn't understand why. She couldn't understand the people around her, or what she was supposed to do to achieve her goals, or how she was supposed to sort through all these odd, new feelings.
She made her way back to the house feeling no better than when she had left and more muddled in her mind, if that was possible. As she came around the corner, she saw a carriage being loaded in the drive. Her stomach dropped, a sudden suspicion racing into her mind.
"Excuse me," she called to the footman loading the carriage. "Who is departing today?"
"Mr. Taunton, ma'am," he replied.
They continued to strap a trunk to the carriage and Caroline watched in dawning horror as a man placed a basket of food inside and a stack of steaming blankets just warmed by the fire. He was leaving. Brook was leaving. They had no mutual friends, no prior acquaintance. She would likely never see him again. She felt sick and faint and dizzy all at once and stumbled toward an oversized planter to steady herself.
Leaving! He was leaving her, without even saying goodbye. After they'd become such good friends! After she'd treated him like she'd never treated a man before, with trust and openness and wholly without design. How could he do such a thing?
Suddenly his voice pierced the still January morning and she looked up to see him conversing with the driver as if it was an ordinary day, as if he wasn't ripping her very heart from her chest with his callous actions.
Caroline felt her shoulders fall back and her chin lift reflexively. No one treated Caroline Bingley like baggage that could be thrown away at a whim. She stomped over to his carriage and spoke to his back, surprised at the smoothness of her own voice.
"May I have a word, Mr. Taunton?" she asked.
He turned to face her, trying to disguise his shock and failing horribly. She didn't restrain the smirk that suddenly appeared when she realized she'd foiled his little plan of escaping without her notice.
"Of course, Miss Bingley," he said politely and gestured for her to walk back toward the planter. "What can I do for you?"
"You can begin with telling me what you are doing sneaking off so early in the morning without saying goodbye."
He breathed and closed his eyes for a moment. "I have business to attend to. I said goodbye to our hosts and asked them to convey my message to the remainder of the guests," he said quietly.
"That's it? You weren't going to say goodbye to me? After all your show of friendship, this is how you choose to end things?!"
"My show of friendship!" he said incredulously. "I am not the one who flirted and pretended and then asked for a recommendation!"
"I did not flirt!"
He scoffed.
"And I most certainly never pretended! Not with you! How dare you say such things? I thought you were my friend!" she cried, surprising even herself with her vehemence.
He released a bitter laugh. "Caroline, don't you think it's time to end the games? Do you truly not see?" he asked. She continued to look at him with sad, angry eyes and he sighed. "You don't, do you?"
"Don't what?"
"Caroline, I wanted to be a great deal more than your friend. But if you are not interested in the same, I'm afraid we are at an impasse. I truly wish you the best in your future, and I hope you find whatever it is you're looking for."
He bowed and she gasped, finally understanding him. Instantly, she was barraged with a thousand images. The two of them laughing at the ridiculous party guests, walking arm in arm in the gallery, dancing together at the ball, him turning the pages for her while she played his favorite song, the time his button had gotten caught in the fringe of her shawl and they'd laughed until their sides ached trying to untangle it. Then she saw more, images of the future.
Parties in London, summers in the country, anniversary dinners, a tall son just like his father, a house filled with laughter and camaraderie, a bed filled with passion. All at once she knew why she had been feeling so distraught and confused. She loved him. She had fallen in love with her friend and been too stupid to realize it.
And now he was walking away from her, toward a loaded carriage where she would never see him again.
"Wait!" she cried breathlessly. She stumbled forward as he turned toward her and she stopped just in front of him. "Wait. Don't go, Brook."
He looked at her with a question in his eyes and she looked back with her heart in hers.
"What are you saying, Caroline?" he asked softly.
"I'm saying I want you, too! I mean, if you want to be more than friends with me, I want to be more than friends with you," she said nervously. She saw the disbelief and the tiniest gleam of triumph in his eyes. "You said it yourself: I have my own money. We'll be fine. We can live in town and—"
He covered her mouth with his fingers. "Don't say another word. I understand you perfectly. Don't spoil the moment by saying you're rich and I am poor."
She laughed and he broke into an enormous grin.
"Does this mean you'll marry me?" he asked.
"If you'll ask me, you silly man," she retorted.
"Caroline, my match in every way, will you do me the very great honor of being my companion all my days?"
"Yes!" She launched herself toward him and he caught her gladly, spinning them both around on the frost covered gravel.
They finally broke apart when cheers from the driver and footmen caught their attention.
"I suppose we should go inside," she said, her cheeks red and her eyes cast down.
"You aren't getting shy on me now, are you?" he said teasingly. She raised her chin stubbornly and he tapped it affectionately. "That's my girl."
She took his arm and he led her back into the house.
"Now what's this talk of living in town? I agree it is enjoyable during the season, but summers are best spent in the country. Winters, too, I think."
"My brother has an estate. I'm sure we can stay there quite often, and of course your brother and cousins have estates. Surely we will not be without invitations!"
"True, but I think it would be better to spend the summer at our own estate, don't you?"
"Our own estate? I don't understand," she said slowly, her expression confused.
"Ah, well, I suppose you don't remember since it was mentioned during your embarrassing pursuit of my less dashing cousin," she smacked his arm, "but I do have a little property in Herefordshire."
Her mouth dropped open and he couldn't repress an ungentlemanly smile at her shock.
"It's only a small estate, fifteen or so tenant farms, and the park is only six miles round. A little less than seven thousand a year, nothing to get excited about," he said nonchalantly.
Caroline's chin was precariously low and her eyes were as round as saucers.
"Close your mouth, you look ridiculous," he said with a smile as he pressed her chin up.
"You, what? You have… Why didn't you tell…? How is this," she spluttered.
"Yes, I have an estate. You didn't know about it because you never asked and as previously mentioned, all your attention was focused elsewhere. I inherited it from my mother's brother who died without a child. Does that answer your questions?"
"Yes," she said primly, her dignity restored.
He laughed as she walked into the house with her head held high.
"I suppose I should write to your brother?" he asked, brimming with good humor.
"That would be advisable," she said regally.
"And procure a special license?"
"It is the most fashionable thing to do," he teased.
She took his hand and led him toward the sitting room. "Now let me help you with that letter."
Brook just laughed and followed her gladly.
One thought on "Life After Darcy"
somandyjo
My heart ached for her when she felt her humiliation. You have presented Caroline just how I always imagined it would go for her. I adore that she fell for Brook while thinking he was poor. 🙂