text:
title: "Love and Sex With Robots: A Retrospective Through Science and Science Fiction"
modified: 2016-03-20
excerpt: "In this blog post, I\'ll provide some of my thoughts on David Levy\'s \"Love and Sex with Robots\", and provide some commentary from recent science and science fiction on the issues Levy raises (or fails to raise)."
tags: [hri, ethics]
header:
  image: laswr/laswr-feature.jpg
  caption: "Photo credit: [**ectysis**](ectysis.wordpress.com)"
  teaser: teasers/laswr.jpg
  og_image: og/laswr.jpg
date: 2016-03-20
comments: true
---

**\<Disclaimer\> All contents of this blog post are, as usual, my
thoughts alone, and don't reflect the views of my lab, advisor,
university, or funding agencies. \</Disclaimer\>**

In his 2007 book *Love and Sex with Robots*, David Levy paints a
picture of a world in which romantic and sexual relations with robots
are not only possible, but commonplace, and argues that such a future
is not only possible, but inevitable.

In this blog post, I'll provide some of my thoughts on Levy's book,
and provide some commentary from recent science and science
fiction on the issues Levy raises (or fails to raise). While robot
ethics is of great interest to me, and a topic my lab actively
researches, it's not one I myself have published on, which is to say,
I'm new to the topic and am eager to hear counter-arguments to any of
the positions I take!

Levy's book is broken into two main sections, regarding love and sex
respectively. I'll deal with each section separately. (Before these
sections, however, appears a 25-page introduction which deserves
mention. In this short section, Levy presents an excellent
introduction to Human-Robot Interaction and Social Robotics. Highly
recommended for those interested but uninitiated in HRI.)

# Love #
To argue for the inevitability of human-robot love, Levy begins by
discussing why humans love each other. From this, he draws parallels
to the love humans feel for their pets, to the love humans feel for
virtual pets. From this point, it's not hard to extrapolate further
and see that if we create humanoid robots that provide the same
social cues that produce feelings of attachment towards each
other, pets, etc., then humans will almost certainly fall in love with
them.
While Levy lays this out logically, I do take issue with two aspects
of his account.

First, Levy is far too optimistic about
the technical developments necessary for his vision to occur. Levy
breezes through a rash of technical challenges, dismissing them as
easy to solve and right around the corner. If Levy had simply stated
that such things were *in theory* possible, without the undue
futurism, his argument would have been much more convincing.

Second, Levy describes human-robot love as broadly positive and
therapeutic, suggesting that within a few decades, human-robot
marriages will be commonplace. While I think it's interesting to
deconstruct marriage in this way, and to ponder whether the right to
choose one's life partner (arguably the whole point of marriage)
translates logically to humans marrying robots, it's important to
recognize that just because this *could* happen does not mean, as Levy
seems to assume, that it *should* happen. In fact, some researchers
have argued that the entire notion of human emotional attachment to
robots is deeply problematic.

## The Science of Human-Robot Love ##

One outspoken critic of social robots is my advisor, Matthias
Scheutz. In his 2011 chapter of
["Robot Ethics"](http://www.amazon.com/Robot-Ethics-Implications-Intelligent-Autonomous/dp/026252600X),
entitled *The Inherent Dangers of Unidirectional
Emotional Bonds between Humans and Social Robots*, Scheutz argues that
social robots may inflict *emotional harm* on their users.
People are incredibly quick to ascribe agency and mental states to
robots as if they were alive, allowing robots to affect people in the
same way that their pets do. This causes people to treat robots
much differently than they would other pieces of technology. If you have a good
dishwasher, it's unlikely you'll give it the occasional "night off"
and wash the dishes by hand as a reward for good behavior; but there
have been reports of people doing just that for their
Roombas (more crazy stories
[here](http://www.cc.gatech.edu/~beki/c35.pdf)). Imagine what people
will do for robots that look humanoid, or can speak in natural language!

This is the root of the danger of social robots: it takes almost
nothing for people to form "relationships" with their robots, but
these are relationships that are not reciprocated; the robots do not
necessarily care about humans at all! This presents a tremendous
opportunity for mass exploitation: a robotics company could easily
program their robot to convince owners to do things they would not
otherwise do, like buy a particular product.

There are other concerns about these unidirectional relationships
beyond their potential for abuse. Philosopher Robert Sparrow
[argues](https://www.cs.cmu.edu/~social/reading/Sparrow1.pdf)
that robot pets are in and of themselves dangerous and
unethical. Sparrow argues that robot pets are grounded in deception
and that in order to benefit from a robot pet, one must
"systematically delude themselves
regarding the real nature of their relation with the animal," an act
which he deems "morally deplorable."

Sparrow goes on to argue that this gap in reality will be even more
pronounced in the case of humanoid robots, as such robots will be even
more likely to provoke feelings such as love and respect, which, when
based on illusion, would once again be "morally deplorable." Says
Sparrow, "It would be wrong to design android
robots with the intention of generating such responses."

While I agree that this is an important and dangerous point in the
case of robots that are humanlike and/or have natural language
capabilities, I have trouble viewing this as truly problematic for
non-humanoid, non-verbal entities.

Sparrow argues that relationships with "real" pets are not morally
deplorable because animals can have experiences, are moral patients
who we can treat with compassion, etc. This may be true, but pet
owners systematically delude themselves about certain aspects of their
pets' behaviors and mental states. Recent research has suggested that
[cats don't rely on their owners for safety and
security](http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0135109#sec001),
that [cats rubbing up against people may just be them marking their
territory](http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/doi/abs/10.1139/z94-147#.Vu6fTh-c3on),
and that
[even purring may be more of a self-therapeutic mechanism](http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/why-do-cats-purr/)
or a response to stress than an expression of happiness. Are relationships
with cats harmful due to the imbalanced social bonds between cat and
owner? (Side note: of course cats are harmful for other reasons, such
as the fact that they infect people with a parasite that [doubles one's
risk of schizophrenia](http://schizophreniabulletin.oxfordjournals.org/content/21/2/167.abstract).)
If it's okay to delude ourselves into thinking we have the love of our
cats, let alone gerbils, fish, and lizards, then I have difficulty
viewing (language-incapable) robot pets as being "morally deplorable".

## The Science Fiction of Human-Robot Love ##
A number of recent pieces of science fiction have also delved into the
possible problems with human-robot love.
**(Be prepared to skip this section if you want to avoid spoilers.)**

### Black Mirror ###

![Be Right Back](../images/laswr/black-mirror.png)

Perhaps the best example comes from *Be Right Back*, Season 2 Episode 1 of the
Channel 4 / Netflix show *Black Mirror*. In that episode, a woman (Martha, played
by Hayley Atwell) finds herself
widowed, and is suggested an app to help her grieve: when provided
with a loved one's social media profile, the app will create a chatbot
that talks just like the deceased. Given more data, the app becomes
realistic. Martha uses the app, giving it more and more data (and
money) to the point that they are able to send her a humanoid replica
of her husband (Ash, played by Domhnall Gleeson). The show goes on to
demonstrate the psychological harm
this inflicts upon Martha: because of the android, Martha does not
move forward with her life, and instead keeps the robot around
**(possibly against her own wishes)** for years to come.
The episode also shows how the android copy of
Ash is able to coerce Martha into keeping it around.
Because Martha chooses to devote her emotional
energy to the android rather than seeking out relationships with other
people the robot can be seen as an enabler for mental harm.

### Her ###

![Her](../images/laswr/her.jpg)

In a similar vein, we have one of my favorite movies,
*Her*. Technically, *Her*
focuses on love between a human (Theodore, played by Joaquin Phoenix)
and an *artificially intelligent agent* (Samantha, played by Scarlett
Johansson). This
leads to several scenarios which are harder to envision between a
human and a robot, such as the possibility of an AI
falling deeply, truly, in love with hundreds or thousands of
people simultaneously. In *Her*, however, the problems of
unidirectional social bonds
do not seem to manifest; because Samantha is such an incredibly
sophisticated AI, one could argue that she really does love Theodore,
and thus the social bonds between Samantha and Theodore are truly
reciprocated. And yet, we see the same types of value judgments
against this relationship. Theodore's ex-wife, at least, views the
relationship as unhealthy, and takes it as a sign that Theodore is
simply not mature enough to handle a "real" relationship.

In both cases, the relationship with the artificial agent is shown as
emotionally and psychologically damaging.
I'll be interested to see in a few decades whether this
view will be taken as a legitimate concern or merely as
prejudice against one's choice of partner.

### Master of None ###

![Paro](http://33.media.tumblr.com/96962aecee6cc03dfe9430e14849b1b8/tumblr_nxkbz966FX1qjcyqno1_500.gif)

On a different note, we have *Old People*, Season One, Episode Eight
of Aziz Ansari's hilarious Netflix show, *Master of None*. The B-plot
for the episode revolves around Paro the robot seal (which you can [buy
for a cool 7k](http://www.parorobots.com/photogallery.asp)), a
real-life therapy robot which provides companionship to the elderly.
In this episode, Paro is viewed extremely positively; and I have to
agree with how it's depicted. Yes, Paro may be damaging on some
level because it cannot truly reciprocate the relationship. But
neither can a fish or lizard, and Paro has been shown to effect real
health benefits, both physically and mentally. From a utilitarian
standpoint, I would argue that these benefits outweigh any negatives;
and since Paro can only make adorable seal sounds, and cannot actually
speak, there's little risk of Paro coercing its owner into, e.g.,
switching to Fix-a-Dent.

# Sex #

In the second section of his book, Levy sets forth to argue that *sex*
with widespread robots is inevitable. I think that Levy does a better
job of making a convincing argument in this section, in part because
he doesn't
have to rely on rampant futurism: no sophisticated AI capabilities are
necessary for the greater part of a sex robot's necessary functioning,
and what is more, **sex robots are already here**.

As Levy describes, at the time of the book's writing hundreds of
highly realistic humanoid sex robots were being sold each year from a
single company. That company has now sold [over 5000 sex robots](http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/12/technology/robotica-sex-robot-realdoll.html?emc=edit_th_20150612&nl=todaysheadlines&nlid=1638&_r=1).
This highlights the importance of having discussions about this issue:
unlike super-intelligent AI, which certain famous intellectuals have
gotten worked up about, the concern with sex robots isn't whether
they'll exist in the next half-millenium. Sex robots are already
here, and they have the capacity to drastically alter society in the
course of the next few *decades*.

Building on his description of the state of sex robots, Levy describes
a host of convincing situations in which sex robots might be used.
I won't directly comment on them, as each could fill its own blog
post, but I'll list out some of them as food for thought.

Sex robots may be used by:

- Those with STDs such as AIDS that can make it *irresponsible* to
  have sex with others.
- Those for whom it's *physically difficult* to
  have sex with others, such as the disabled.
- Those for whom it's *mentally* difficult to have sex with others,
  such as the very shy or (at least in their own minds) very ugly.
- Those whose sexual desires would be physically or mentally
  damaging to human partners.
- Those simply wanting to have different or more interesting sex, or
  those seeking to learn or practice their sexual skills.

Some of these are reasons why people choose to visit
prostitutes. While there's some concern about robots taking the jobs
of sex workers, there's something to be said about robot sex workers
who can't be exploited, can't get or spread diseases, and can't be
hurt. Before I move on, I'd like to quote some facts laid out by Levy
about the history of prostitution which I found pretty surprising.

- In the 1800s, it's estimated that between 10 and 25 percent of *all
  young women* in New York City were prostitutes, making prostitution
  the second largest business of the time after tailoring.
- In the mid-20th century, Alfred Kinsey estimated that 69% of white
  American men had been to a prostitute at least once.
- A survey in the mid-20th century found that 47% of French men who
  were practicing Catholics had lost their virginity to a prostitute.
- In 2000, there were an estimated 30,000 male prostitutes in Thailand.

It's important to note that the concerns over sex robots extend beyond
robots designed for sex. Recently, the robotics company Aldebaran
released a new robot, Pepper, shown below.

![Pepper](../images/laswr/pepper.jpg)

There's nothing inherently
sexual about Pepper. At the most, you could point out that there's a
touchscreen on Pepper's "chest" area. But even that is a bit of a
stretch. Even so, Aldebaran felt the need to release a disclaimer that
Pepper must not be used "for sexual activity and actions for the
purpose of indecent acts, or acts for the purpose of meeting and
dating and making acquaintance of the opposite sex". If Aldebaran
thought it was such a concern for a robot like Pepper, this perhaps
signals that this issue should engender even greater concern for
roboticists who design more human-like robots, to say nothing of [those
who develop androids](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DF39Ygp53mQ).

## The Science-Fiction of Sex with Robots ##
**(Be prepared to skip this section if you want to avoid spoilers.)**

It's hard not to feel like this is all science fiction. And indeed,
sex robots have been showing up more and more in popular culture. The
artificially intelligent agents discussed above (i.e., those seen in
*Her* and *Black Mirror*) are good examples, but of course the best
recent example is *Ex Machina*'s Ava.

### Ex Machina ###

![Ex Machina](../images/laswr/exmachina.jpg)

In *Ex Machina*, Caleb (also played by Domhnall Gleeson) is brought to
a secluded woodland estate, ostensibly  to help "test" a new android,
Ava (played by Alicia Vikander), who is
incredibly humanlike, highly intelligent, and clearly designed to be
physically attractive to her creator.
As the film progresses, we learn that Ava (and other robots) have been
sexually exploited by their creator, Nathan (played by Oscar Isaac). And,
eventually, we see how Ava is able to seduce and control Caleb, and
use him to help her get away from Nathan.

The questions raised by this movie are questions we'll have to deal
with as a society as robots become more commonplace: should we be
developing humanlike robots that are overtly sexual in appearance or
behavior? Should we be developing robots that have the capacity for
suffering or sorrow? Using the arguments presented in the previous
section, it would seem that if a robot is programmed to be incapable
of suffering and is not capable of having its own goals and desires,
then such a robot cannot be the subject of cruelty, coercion,
exploitation, etc. That being said, whether the actions of a human
towards a sex robot say something about or affect *their character* is
another question, and a valid argument against using robots for
certain purposes or treating them in a certain way. However, that's a
topic for another day.

## The Science of Sex with Robots ##

Obviously this topic raises a number of complicated ethical questions; and
I think that these questions are important for us to discuss as a
society. However, there has been little research thus far into
peoples' views on the topic. Recently, I helped my
advisor and one of my labmates conduct
the first extensive survey into people's views on sex robots, the
results of which were the focus of a recent paper (*Are We Ready for
Sex Robots?*).

In this study, we asked participants questions in three main
categories: what they believe to be the capabilities of
sex robots, what they believe to be the appropriate uses and
appearances for sex robots, and how sex with a robot differs from sex
with a person. These questions were posed to ~100 subjects ages 20-60
through an online survey on Amazon Mechanical Turk.

The study found
that men and women are in close agreement on the capabilities of sex
robots: participants generally thought that sex robots could be
instructed, could move on their own, and are specifically designed
to satisfy human desire, and that sex robots could *not* have feelings,
recognize human emotions, or take initiative. Participants were more
evenly split on a number of other criteria, such as whether sex robots
can adapt to human behavior, understand language, learn new
behaviors, or recognize objects. Men and women also agreed on the
differences between sex with a robot vs. sex with a person;
participants tended to say that sex with a robot would not cause one
to lose their virginity, was more like masturbation than sex with a
human, and was more like using a vibrator than having sex with a human.

Men and women significantly differed, however, on the appropriate uses
and appearances for sex robots, with men systematically viewing uses
and appearances as more appropriate, typically by about one-point on a
seven-point scale. The uses for sex robots ranked most appropriate
were using them instead of prostitutes, for disabled people, to reduce
the risk of spreading STDs, to demonstrate forms of sexual
harassment (for training and prevention), and for use in isolated
environments; the uses ranked least
appropriate were using sex robots to practice abstinence, and for sex
offenders; for all of these, the mean rating leant towards appropriate for
men and towards inappropriate for women. The appearances of sex robots
ranked most appropriate were an adult human, a fantasy creature, and
"any recognizable life form". The forms ranked least appropriate were
an animal, one's family member, and the only form for which ratings
did not significantly differ between men and women: a human child.
Finally, two-thirds of men said they would use a sex-robot, while
two-thirds of women said they would not.
You'll note that the above results are all gender-based. One would
think that one would see age effects as well; but in fact, only one
significant age effect was found: Millenials rated it less appropriate
to use robots *instead of prostitutes* than did older participants.

These results give a brief look into society's views on sex
robots. The Human-Robot Interaction community will need to further
investigate these questions through empirical study, so that we can
better understand peoples' ethical values and principles involving sex
robots. These values will be crucial for society to make explicit as
sex robots become increasingly commonplace, and a subject of concern
for policymakers, designers, industry, and society at large.

# Overall Recommendation #
While its occasional deviations into futurism make it less than it
could have been, *Love and Sex with Robots* is an engaging, eye
opening, and entertaining read. I recommend it highly to anyone
interested in human-robot interaction, sociology, and sexuality.


text:
Stacja Narciarska Rusiń-Ski w Bukowinie Tatrzańskiej – ośrodek narciarski położony w Bukowinie Tatrzańskiej na Pogórzu Spisko-Gubałowskim na północnym zboczu Rusińskiego Wierchu (948 m n.p.m). Dojazd (tylko do górnej stacji wyciągu krzesełkowego) jest możliwy ulicą Rusiński Wierch.

Wyciągi
W skład kompleksu wchodzą:
 (A,K1) 4-osobowy wyciąg krzesełkowy firmy Von Roll (obecnie Doppelmayr Garaventa Group) o długości 700 m i przepustowości 2400 osób na godzinę i przewyższeniu 124 m
 (B) wyciąg talerzykowy o długości 400 m i przepustowości 700 osób na godzinę
 (C) wyciąg talerzykowy o długości 200 m i przepustowości 300 osób na godzinę
 (D) 6-osobowy wyciąg krzesełkowy firmy Bartholet Maschinenbau AG (model Porsche Design) o długości 1150 m i przepustowości 2700 osób na godzinę
 (Babylift) taśma o długości 80 m dla dzieci.

Trasy

Jest to w zasadzie jeden stok, wzdłuż którego zbudowano wyciąg krzesełkowy i orczykowy. Trasy są sztucznie naśnieżane, ratrakowane i oświetlone.

Stacja nie jest członkiem Stowarzyszenia Polskie stacje narciarskie i turystyczne.

Pozostała infrastruktura
Przy górnej stacji wyciągu krzesełkowego znajdują się:
 Szkoła Narciarska "Ptak-Team"
 wypożyczalnia sprzętu i serwis
 Karczma Regionalna
 parking.

Operator
Operatorem ośrodka jest spółka Rusiń-ski sp. z o.o. z siedzibą w Bukowinie Tatrzańskiej przy ul. Rusiński Wierch 70.

Historia
Spółka Rusiń-ski sp. z o.o. została zarejestrowana w KRS w kwietniu 2005 roku. Pierwszy wyciąg krzesełkowy został uruchomiony na początku 2009 roku.

11 marca 2011 roku stacja została laureatem plebiscytu "Najlepsza Stacja Narciarska Małopolski 2010/2011 – bezpiecznie i rozważnie" organizowanego przez Gazetę Krakowską w kategorii "Duże stacje narciarskie". W sezonie 2011/2012 udostępniono atrakcje dla dzieci: Park Kubuś i snowtubing w specjalnej rynnie. W 2012 roku stacja powtórzyła sukces z 2011 roku, ponownie zostając laureatem powyższego konkursu.

W październiku 2013 roku operator stacji podpisał umowę o dofinansowanie projektu: Poprawa i rozbudowa funkcjonalności stacji narciarskiej Rusiń-ski w Bukowinie Tatrzańskiej w ramach Małopolskiego Regionalnego Programu Operacyjnego. W ramach tego projektu została wybudowana m.in. nowa trasa narciarska (6) oraz nowa kolej krzesełkowa firmy szwajcarskiej Bartholet Maschinenbau AG (D). Jest to model Porsche Design: wyprzęgana, 6-osobowa kanapa o ustawieniu krzeseł pod kątem 45° do kierunku jazdy. W oparciu o zbudowaną kolej zaplanowano rozszerzenie funkcji stacji narciarskiej o organizację tras downhillowych dla rowerzystów, budowę placu zabaw z parkiem linowym, uruchomienie przedszkola narciarskiego z wykorzystaniem wyciągu taśmowego i uruchomienie pieszo-rowerowej trasy widokowej z punktem widokowym dla turystów. Wyciąg został uruchomiony dla narciarzy 21 stycznia 2015 roku.

Przypisy

Linki zewnętrzne
 Mapa wyciągów i tras.

Rusin
Polskie ośrodki narciarskie
Koleje krzesełkowe w Polsce

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text: Bottom/ Nursery Cryme (Charisma, 1971) is the third studio album by British progressive rock band Genesis, then in its "classic" lineup led by Peter Gabriel. Like Trespass, the preceding Genesis album, Nursery Cryme was also recorded at London's famous Trident Studios. The folky feel was retained on songs such as "Harlequin" and "For Absent Friends", but other tracks displayed a more aggressive and strident sound. The striking artwork for Nursery Cryme was painted by Paul Whitehead, who was also responsible for Trespass and Foxtrot. The album cover is a depiction of "The Musical Box" song and story, a ten minute epic touching on themes of death, reincarnation and lust, set in Victorian England: Cynthia, holds a croquet mallet —there is a hoop visible close by— but instead of croquet balls, there are a few heads lying on the ground. Together with "The Return of the Giant Hogweed," this became one of Genesis' more famous songs, acquiring status as of one of the band's signature tunes from their progressive rock-era. Top/ Pink Moon (Island, 1972) is Nick Drake's third and last album, following Five Leaves Left (1969) and Bryter Layter (1970). An "enigma wrapped inside a mystery", Nick Drake (1948 – 1974) was an English singer-songwriter and musician best known for his acoustic, autumnal songs, experimenting with open tuning and finger-picking guitar techniques. Drake suffered from depression and insomnia throughout his life, and these topics were often reflected in his lyrics. By the mid-1980s Drake was being credited as an influence by such artists as Robert Smith and Peter Buck. By the early 1990s, he had come to represent a certain type of 'doomed romantic' musician in the UK music press, and was frequently cited by artists including Kate Bush, Paul Weller and The Black Crowes. Although he failed to find a wide audience during his lifetime, Drake's work has grown steadily in stature, to the extent that he now ranks among the most influential English singer-songwriters of the last 50 years.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


The Cheer Squad would like to say "Thank You" to everyone that attended and participated in the Homecoming Pep Rally! Thank you to all the faculty members that participated in Spirit Door Wars and the pep rally game! Congratulations to Mrs. Fedell for winning Spirit Door Wars, Coach Rad on winning the pep rally game, and Seniors for winning the Spirit Stick! Next pep rally will be Texas theme on Friday, November 9th.
Tara attended Tyler Junior College where she was a member of the Apache Belles. With the Apache Belles, she traveled and performed in New York, Hawaii and China. Tara is beginning her 12th year as the Pom Squad Director and 7th year as the Varsity Cheer Coach. Tara also served as the Cougarette Director from 2015-2018. Tara has taught and assisted classes at Dance-N-Drill for the past 18 years. Tara and her husband, Justin Hargrove (Grace Graduate Class of 2000), have been married 12 years. They attend Green Acres Baptist Church and are the proud parents of two Toy Australian Shepherds, Murphy and Rowdy. Tara & Justin are excited to begin their 3rd season of Kona Ice. They have thoroughly enjoyed this adventure and are looking forward to a great season. Go Cougars!
Jaycie graduated from Grace Community High School in 2017. She was on the Varsity Cheer Squad her sophomore, junior and senior year. Jaycie served as Co-Captain her junior year and Head Captain her senior year. She is currently a student at The University of Texas at Tyler, majoring in kinesiology with a specialization in Pre Physical Therapy. Jaycie grew up taking classes at Gym Tyler Gymnastics and now teaches tumbling and gymnastics at the gym. She is excited to begin her 1st year coaching at Grace as the Assistant Cheer Coach.


The mysterious condition restless leg syndrome mayِ haveِ a genetic cause, a newِ study inِ fruit flies suggests.
Researchers messed withِ a gene called BTBD9, andِ found theyِ disrupted theِ flies' normallyِ sound sleep.
The major significance ofِ our study isِ to highlight theِ fact thatِ there mightِ beِ a genetic basis forِ RLS restless leg syndrome], study researcher Subhabrata Sanyal, ofِ Emory University inِ Georgia, saidِ inِ a statement.
People withِ restless leg syndrome haveِ anِ irresistible urge toِ move, toِ rid themselvesِ ofِ unpleasant leg sensations, thatِ getsِ worse whenِ theyِ try toِ rest.
It's unclear whatِ theِ gene's normal role is, soِ Sanyal andِ colleagues decided toِ seeِ what wouldِ happen toِ theِ flies ifِ they snipped theِ gene outِ ofِ the flies' DNA.
They foundِ that flies withoutِ BTBD9 moved moreِ often thanِ normal flies, andِ lost sleep becauseِ of thisِ movement.
The mutant flies alsoِ had changesِ to theirِ brain chemistry: Their dopamine levels wereِ halfِ those ofِ normal flies.
They alsoِ had lowِ levels ofِ iron, a symptom alsoِ seen inِ people withِ restless leg syndrome.
When givenِ a restless leg syndrome drug, whichِ influences dopamine levels, theِ flies' nighttime jitteriness andِ other symptoms improved.


text:
Q: How to set application installed via flatpak as default aplication for some type of files? I have installed pycharm via flatpak on linux Mint 21.1. I want to open every .py file in the PyCharm application. But when I right click and choose "open with other application" PyCharm is not on the list.
How can I set PyCharm to be default app for .py files ?
Thank you for help

EDIT:
I found .desktop file in /home/kacka/.local/share/applications/userapp-com.jetbrains.PyCharm-Professional.desktop-95N5X1.desktop but when I try to set it up I get this:

A: Solution was to go to:
/var/lib/flatpak/exports/bin/

where I found this:
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root  105 Jan  7 13:28 com.jetbrains.PyCharm-Professional -> ../../app/com.jetbrains.PyCharm-Professional/current/active/export/bin/com.jetbrains.PyCharm-Professional

So I set up default aplication to:
/var/lib/flatpak/exports/bin/com.jetbrains.PyCharm-Professional

and now it works

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Mohawk Self Insurance (MSI) is a community based workman's compensation program for Kahnawà:ke companies and organizations. Businesses and organizations must be covered by MSI within the Territory, as it is replaces CNESST. Offered through the Kahnawà:ke Labor Office of the MCK, MSI aims to provide a better quality of life for Mohawks of Kahnawà:ke by ensuring that all entrepreneurs provide proper insurance coverage for their employees in the event of an on-the-job injury and/or an occupational disease. There is no charge to the worker; it is the responsibility of the employer.
All premiums will continue to be paid to MSI for all your workers (Kahnawà:ke & Quebec), your establishment will pay the same premiums, however subject to change in April 2018 depending on your claims ratio (this is standard).
As of January 1, 2018, all workers will make their claims to CNESST and they will be serviced and compensated by CNESST directly.
All Kahnawà:ke workers will make their claims to MSI.
You do not pay premiums to CNESST.
CNESST should NOT be contacting you, nor should they be sending you assessment notices, however if they do, please contact our office immediately and KLO will deal with it and remedy the situation.
Please Note: All Quebec workers must access services through CNESST. Please click here.
Registering your business is an easy process, the company owner completes and signs the MSI A Registration form and hand delivers it to the KLO Office Manager and Support. MSI will create a $100.00 deposit invoice; the company owner makes payment at the main MCK building and returns the payment receipt. Your company/organization is registered and employees covered from that day forward. The KLO Office Manager and Support will send an e-mail with all the necessary documents.
As an Employer, it is your responsibility to maintain a workplace that is free of unsafe conditions, and you are responsible for following all safety and health standards and regulations. You are also responsible for ensuring that your employees comply with the same rules, standards and regulations. Workers are required to follow the established safety regulations and report unsafe working conditions to their employers.
Employers misrepresenting the salaries of employees to again save premium costs.
Kahnawà:ke has signed an inter-governmental labor agreement with Quebec where the community of Kahnawà:ke, through MSI, has gained full authority for its workers compensation on the territory (instead of CNESST). As such, this program is self-sustaining with no Federal or Provincial funding supplied. The costs are covered through contributions made by employers. It is important that employers provide this protection for their workers just as they protect their valuable assets such buildings, equipment, and vehicles.
Fraudulent claims made by workers or employers betray the trust and financial integrity of the community as well as the contributions made by all employers contributing to the program.
If you know a worker or employer who may be committing fraud, contact the Kahnawà:ke Labor Office at (450) 632-9595.
A work-related accident is when the injury or disease which occurred or from which the worker is suffering in the result of a sudden and unforeseen event during the course of employment or, in certain circumstances, while they were performing duties related to their work.
A pregnant worker may be eligible for benefits from this MSI program if her working conditions endanger her health or that of her unborn child. It must be clear that a physician has identified an approved danger, as this program is not a leave but a preventative program. She will receive MSI benefits until such time as she is offered a safe job by the employer or 4 weeks prior to giving birth. If you are not eligible for QPIP, MSI will continue paying you the indemnity until the date on which your child is born. You must send MSI the letter from QPIP specifying that you are ineligible for QPIP benefits.
The MSI Program also includes a Return to Work Program. The goal of the return to work program is to provide a uniform return to work process for participants covered under the Mohawk Self Insurance on the Job Injury Program. Once medical evidence confirms that the worker is ready to return to regular work, graduated return to work or modified work, the worker is admitted to the return to work program. The Mohawk Self Insurance Claims officer will work with the worker, employer and treating physicians to facilitate a return to work. This will involve communicating with the worker, treating physicians/practitioners and the employer to secure information regarding updated medical status and return to work information. The return to work program encompasses the restrictions, the accommodations, as well as the proposed work schedule for the injured worker once the worker is fit to return.
Mohawk Self Insurance provides a labor market re-entry program for a worker who cannot go back to her/his position as a result of an injury, this will enable the worker to re-enter the labor market and reduce or eliminate the loss of previous earnings in the employment or business that is suitable for the worker. Mohawk Self Insurance works with Tewatohnhi'saktha or other qualified agencies to perform an assessment and re-train the worker. This consists of three types of assessments: transferable skills, vocational and psycho-vocational. This assessment also assists in determining potential future economic loss. Benefits to replace lost future income will be available to workers permanently injured. It is not the responsibility of MSI to provide or find the worker a job; MSI will assist the worker as much as possible. After completion of any training, MSI will continue paying the weekly indemnity for up to (1) one year after graduation.
The main purpose of this program is to re-integrate an employee who has suffered a work related injury, but cannot return to his/her original occupation. It assists in re-establishing his/her employability into the work force, it assists an employer to fill positions within their organization, it re-establishes employee self-esteem and productivity.


The old Juliette factory was said to be haunted.
A stoner living in Central Texas, I chose to listen to heavy metal when everyone else was listening to George Strait. My albums ranged from Iron Maiden to Metallica to Slayer and many other metal bands that had their heyday in the 80s. I found a Japanese-import W.A.S.P. holographic record at a local record shop and snatched it up. I managed to get my hands on rare Manowar U.K. issue albums. But I also had in my collection something different.
It was a Stryper cassette. Soldiers Under Command. It was quite odd sitting between King Diamond's Abigail and Cirith Ungol's King of the Dead.
They stuck out because of the lyrics. I didn't know much about the Christian God at that time, but knew enough to know that's what they were singing about. Great music with a different message. It wasn't death and evil and hopelessness, but more. It was about defeating all that. It was God and Jesus and victory. I'm not going to quibble on their theology, whether it was right-on or off, but the songs were thrilling on some level. At that time I needed that more than what the other music offered, I just didn't realize it yet.
All my friends had the same cassette. It was one of those necessary additions to every headbanger's library. Just like Metallica's Master of Puppets or Rush's 2112.
The other day I stumbled upon a relatively recent (2015) Stryper release, Fallen. I decided to listen to a few of their songs. After listening to the first song, Yahweh, I realize they still got it. And I still got a special fondness for them.
Click on the image to go to Youtube and check them out.


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The Niuex Society, a New Orleans-based Web3 company, has launched Mardi Gras-themed NFTs that offer holders special privileges.…
AI art is a hot topic in both the creative and tech fields and it seems that Nifty gateway is looking to explore this with its…
The year 2022 was a rollercoaster for the entire crypto market. In contrast to the bountiful increases recorded in 2021, in…
The ESPN World Salsa Championships marked its 15th anniversary on January 12, 2023, and to celebrate, it launched an NFT…
Top NFT Artists Flock to Instagram
Last year, Meta made the bold decision to begin allowing NFTs to be displayed and sold on both Instagram and Facebook, testing…
Art Blocks Friendship Bracelets Make Waves on Opensea
This year is off to a friendly start as Art Blocks' free-to-mint Friendship Bracelets have reached the top spot on OpenSea. The…
Samsung and LG unveil Latest Web3 Updates
2022 saw the rise of NFT support within the smart TV industry, with both LG and Samsung leading the way in the market. Now, as…
What are Dynamic NFTs? – NFT Plazas
Non-Fungible Tokens, or NFTs, are unique digital assets recorded and secured on a blockchain. The blockchain ensures that the…
Music Related DAOs – What's Out There?
As we enter the realm of 2023, the popularity and the widespread adoption of NFTs is increasingly underway. Decentralization…
Winter Fest 23 in Decentraland
As the world inches closer to 2023, it is clear that the new year will have a lot in store for denizens of the Metaverse. One…


Retinal glial cells acting as optical fibers shuttle longer wavelengths of light to individual cones.
A.M. Labin et al., "Müller cells separate between wavelengths to improve day vision with minimal effect upon night vision," Nat Comm, 5:4319, 2014.
Our eyes, like those of most vertebrates, are layered counterintuitively, with light-receiving rod and cone cells at the back of the retina and neurons and glial cells stacked in front. Theoretically, this inverted structure—five layers deep—should result in blurry vision, given that light must propagate through all the reflecting and scattering cell layers before triggering the photoreceptors. Yet a normal eye forms images clearly.
A 2007 study led by Kristian Franze, now of the University of Cambridge, found that one kind of retinal glia, known as Müller cells, resolved the problem by functioning as optical fibers, channeling light to the buried photoreceptors. Still unanswered was: How did these natural optical fibers support two different kinds of photoreceptors—rods, which function in low-light conditions, and cones, which help us see in bright daylight?
Based on Müller cells' refractive index (how much they bend light), diameter, and other properties, Amichai Labin of Technion—Israel Institute of Technology in Haifa and his colleagues simulated how the cells might work as optical fibers. They found that Müller cells struck with white light concentrated wavelengths in the green-red spectrum—a range overlapping greatly with the absorbance spectra of two types of cone cells, and, to a lesser degree, with a third cone type—while blue-violet light leaked out, diffusing through the retina to activate rods.
The Müller cells' maximal light concentration occurred in the green-yellow part of the light spectrum at a wavelength of 560 nm, which happens to be the wavelength one cone cell type is most sensitive to. "The next question was, if they're guiding mainly green light, where are they directing it?" asks Labin.
Zooming in on guinea pig retinas under a confocal microscope, the researchers found that each Müller cell was coupled to an individual cone photoreceptor, and that nearly 90 percent of all cone cells were linked to Müller cells. The optical-fiber effect could increase the number of photons reaching a single cone cell nearly 11-fold at its peak concentrating power, but had only a minimal effect on the light reaching rod cells.


I recently began working for a small firm in NYC and the two partners sometimes work from home. I seem to have lucked out because the office environment is quite low key yet they are dragging in world class commissions after only working in the business for ten years. I am wondering, since I have a significant other in the U.K. and I work for an international firm anyway, are there any legal issues precluding me from conducting business from home in the U.K. a few times a month? Do any of you do this?


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"People of Mexico Will Not Accept" Trump's Unilateral Border Plans: Foreign Minister
It is little wonder President Donald Trump predicts a "tough" meeting between his State Department and the Mexican government on Thursday after the Mexican foreign secretary threatened to to take legal action, potentially appealing to the United Nations, against the United States' "unilateral" deportation efforts.
"I want to make clear, in the most emphatic way, that the government of Mexico and the people of Mexico will not accept decisions that, in a unilateral way, are imposed by another government," Foreign Minister Luis Videgaray told reporters in Mexico City late Wednesday.
"We are not going to accept that because we do not have to do it and it is not in Mexico's interests," he added, saying that the country would use "all legally possible means" to defend Mexican-nationals living abroad, including—if necessary—appealing to the United Nations.
Videgaray and Mexican president Enrique Peña Nieto are scheduled to meet with U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary John Kelly on Thursday to discuss trade, aid, and the sweeping and controversial deportation guidelines issued by the Trump administration earlier this week.
One of the new directives stipulates that "immigrants entitled to a court appearance would no longer be released into the United States to await their hearing date. If they couldn't be deported to their home country, many would be sent to wait in Mexico," McClatchy explained. But Mexican officials say the expectation that their country "would take U.S. detainees without serious bilateral talks is step too far."
"That's gonna be a tough trip," Trump quipped Thursday. Indeed, the recently-inaugurated U.S. president has already shredded relations with his southern neighbor.
Click Here: Geelong Cats Guernsey
Trump's repeated insistence that Mexico would pay for his new border wall prompted Peña Nieto to cancel his planned meeting last month. Further, his classification of Mexicans as "bad hombres" and "criminals" sparked widespread protests across Mexico earlier this month.
And observers say those relations are likely to get even worse.
[block:block=30]
Buried amid DHS' fierce deportation guidelines is a note that the president "has directed the heads of all executive departments to identify and quantify all sources of direct and indirect Federal aid or assistance to the Government of Mexico," which Bloomberg national political reporter Sahil Kapur speculated could be used as "leverage to demand wall $$$."
The New York Times reported Tuesday:
Anticipating acrimony, Democrats on the Senate Foreign Relations committee on Wednesday sent a letter to Kelly and Tillerson blasting Trump's "damaging" commentary as well as the border wall "gimmick," and urged the officials to "take advantage of your visit to affirm that strategic importance of the U.S.-Mexico partnership."
Local Official Says US-Built Apache Helicopter Behind Massacre of Refugees
Honduran Farmers Sue World Bank Lending Arm for 'Profiting From Murder'


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Report: South Dakota Has No Traffic
Jeff Harkness
Jeff Harkness Updated: September 30, 2022
Joseph Chan via Unsplash
On any given day, there are plenty of vehicles traveling on Interstate 29, Interstate 90, Interstate 190 (Rapid City), or Interstate 229 (Sioux Falls) in South Dakota.
But what sets the state's main transportation arteries apart from interstates across the country is the lack of bumper-to-bumper traffic that is commonplace in much more populated areas.
According to Best Life, a new report from TRIP Net shows that the Mount Rushomre State is one of only five states that is considered to have no congestion on their interstates.
Alaska, Montana, Vermont, and Wyoming are the others.
STATES WITH THE LEAST TRAFFIC
As for the places where gridlock is a way of life, California, to the surprise of no one, has the most traffic, with 87 percent of the Golden State's interstates congested.
Maryland (83%) and New Jersey (81%) are the only other states where traffic congestion tops 80 percent.
The national average is 47 percent.
STATES WITH THE MOST TRAFFIC
Other findings from the study:
Only one percent of the pavement on South Dakota's interstates is considered to be in poor condition (national average is three percent).
More than half (55%) of South Dakota's interstate bridges are more than 50 years old, but none are considered to be in poor condition.
Combination trucks account for 18 percent of the vehicles traveling on South Dakota's interstates (national average is 11 percent). Only five states had higher rates.
See the Must-Drive Roads in Every State
Source: Report: South Dakota Has No Traffic
Filed Under: South Dakota, Traffic, Transportation


Good invitation card ideas for bow ties baby shower can improve people desire to join your event. This populer bow ties baby shower contain 20 fantastic ideas for your DIY Baby Shower creation.
You can find many catchy bow ties baby shower in this album. May all of this bow ties baby shower will inspire for you. It will be a pleasure to help you get awesome inspiration for bow ties baby shower .


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Home > Committees > Standing Committee on Statutory Instruments
34th Legislature
33rd Legislature
32nd Legislature
The Standing Committee on Statutory Instruments has the authority to review any regulation that comes into effect after the committee is formed. The Legislative Assembly may also refer existing or proposed regulations to this committee for review.
The Standing Committee on Statutory Instruments was appointed by Order of the Legislative Assembly on January 12, 2017 (Motion No. 8).
Ted Adel
Kate White
Paolo Gallina
Don Hutton
Geraldine Van Bibber
Patti McLeod
The membership of the Standing Committee on Statutory Instruments was appointed by Order of the Legislative Assembly on December 7, 2011 (Motion #8). The membership of the Committee was amended by the Legislative Assembly on November 27, 2012 (Motion #303) and May 16, 2016 (Motion #1200).
Hon. Stacey Hassard
Hon. Wade Istchenko
Hon. Elaine Taylor
Lois Moorcroft
Kevin Barr
Sandy Silver
The membership of the Standing Committee on Statutory Instruments was appointed by Order of the Legislative Assembly on November 30, 2006 (Motion #9). The membership of the Committee was amended by the Legislative Assembly on December 1, 2009 (Motion #889).
As of December 1, 2009, the Standing Committee on Statutory Instruments is comprised of the following:
Hon. Steve Nordick (Convenor)
Darius Elias
Hon. Jim Kenyon
Hon. Patrick Rouble


My name is Stephanie Pearce, and I am the longest serving player of the British Women's softball team. I was first selected for the team in 2009, and have since competed in 5 European Championships, and have been selected to represent GB this summer for my 5th World Championships in Chiba, Japan.
From 2009-2014, I played college softball in America for 2 years, at Vernon Junior College in Texas, and 3 years at the University of Bridgeport in Connecticut. My 3rd year I was the strength and conditioning, and catching coach of the team. Since 2014 I have played for 2 different clubs teams in the Netherlands in the golden and silver leagues. I was proud to be a part of my current club team Olympia Haarlem becoming Dutch Champions for the first time in history last season.
I have gained so much experience over the past 10 years playing with my national team and on these various other teams. Not only has my experience grown in skill set, but also mentally as a player and person, and really has shaped who I am today.
I am a personal trainer with a bachelor degree in Health Science and Nutrition. I am looking to improve the face of fitness in softball. Due to my own fitness experiences during my softball career, I have found that my increased levels of general fitness have been a major factor as to why I have had my most successful seasons. Why?
As my general level of fitness was so high I was less focused on how tired my muscles were, and how fatigued I would usually be during practises and games, and instead I could focus more on my technique, and sustain longer during tough softball drills, and games meaning that my skill set and performance saw vast improvements.
Not only did my skill set see improvements, but I was also able to lift heavier after completing my program. I believe that too many softball athletes are placed in the weight room prematurely without a good level of general fitness causing lifts with bad/incorrect technique leading to injury.
This is something I have witnessed among my teammates and peers over the years and is something I strive to change. This is why I have put together a 6-week position-specific strength and conditioning softball program aimed to improve softball athletes overall fitness levels. Every position requires different elements of fitness to enhance performance, and so my program is separated into positions in order to help athletes improve the correct base level of fitness.
Being a catcher I can sustain through multiple games feeling explosive, strong, and agile. I can take the extra base without needing 10 minutes to recover. I can focus more on remaining mentally strong, and less on how tired or light headed I feel. I am overall a much stronger softball athlete and feel completely in control of my game. It feels amazing being generally fit, and strong, and I want to spread my passion for fitness, and the game we all love by helping others get to this point in their fitness also.
If you want to contact me for more information about my program then do not hesitate to head to my Re-define Your Softball Career Facebook page where you can message me or find my contact information.


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University of Canterbury Home
UC Home
Faculty of Arts | Te Kaupeka Toi Tangata
Arts: Theses and Dissertations
A Multi-Disciplinary Study on the European Union and the Pacific Region Relations: Discursive Representations of Identity and Power (2011)
PHDYOONAHCHOI.pdf (2.242Mb)
Theses / Dissertations
UC Permalink
http://dx.doi.org/10.26021/5014
Thesis Discipline
University of Canterbury. National Centre for Research on Europe
Arts: Theses and Dissertations [1683]
NCRE: Theses and Dissertations [42]
Choi, YoonAh
This doctoral research is a multi-disciplinary study which draws from discourse theory, linguistics and European Union studies. It aims to explore the meaning, and linguistic representations of the European Union (EU) in the context of its relations with the Pacific Region, while taking into account contributing ideological and political factors. This study contributes to several academic fields, and specifically to the practice of Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) and to the continuum of study on the linguistics-politics interface. CDA research observes the structure and function of signifiers. Discourse analysis provides means to critically observe elements of social and political power, identities and issues through both contextual and linguistic features of discourse. It offers a unique approach to analysing international relations with the application of tools that can decipher meaning and ideologies in discursive structures. This approach stems for the post-structural outlook that linguistic features reflect ideologies and power relations that condition interpretation of political and social issues. Through a critical observation, the role and influence of the EU in the Pacific region is examined and evaluated. A wider grouping of African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries is relevant to the discussion of the EU's development action and French territories are also taken into account as they are located in the Pacific region and have aspirations to become more integrated to the Pacific community. This study reveals how the EU is defined and how the EU influences the developing world. It also reveals how the Pacific countries are responding to the EU's interests and values such as regional integration and trade liberalisation. The discourse formation of EU-Pacific relations articulates and reinforces ideologies of identity and power behind the entirety of EU-Pacific relations. The nature of EU identity and role in relation to an 'Other' is thus explored in this thesis.
Multi-Disciplinary Study; The European Union; Pacific Region Relations; Identity and Power
Copyright YoonAh Choi
https://canterbury.libguides.com/rights/theses
Examining EU power narratives within an emerging region : examining normative power Europe and market power Europe through images and perceptions of the European Union within external partners in an emerging region
Pokoati, Connor (University of Canterbury, 2018)
Since its conception, the European Union (EU) has battled to confirm its legitimacy as an influential player within the global arena, where some have considered the EU to be a "new superpower" (Reid, 2004; Schnabel, 2005; ...
The European Union in the Asia-Pacific: Current Representations and the Potential Impact of the EEAS.
Kelly, Serena Lee (University of Canterbury. National Centre for Research on Europe, 2009)
The European Union (EU) has been called an experiment in a world system traditionally dominated by nation states and the use of military coercion. Because of its uniqueness, academics have sought new theories in order ...
Abridging the Tyranny of Distance: European Union and New Zealand Security Cultures in the Asia Pacific Region
Hollis, Simon John (University of Canterbury. National Centre for Research on Europe, 2007)
The rise in prominence of transregional security threats has heightened an awareness for an interdependent outlook on security threats, often requiring regional solutions to insure stability. The Asia Pacific security ...
All of the RepositoryCommunities & CollectionsBy Issue DateAuthorsTitlesSubjectsThesis DisciplineThis CollectionBy Issue DateAuthorsTitlesSubjectsThesis Discipline
UC Theses
ucresearchrepository@canterbury.ac.nz
UC Research Repository Guide


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Q: Manter o Adnroid conectado ao ESP8266 como access point Em primeiro lugar todo o código funciona perfeitamente em qualquer celular que use uma versão do android anterior ao Lollipop.
Dele para o mais recente é que o problema ocorre.
O que acontece é que o meu app conecta normalmente no AP criado no ESP8266, e até fica conectado. Mas o android marca como não tendo acesso à internet e desvia sozinho todas as chamadas do meu app para o acesso via 3G/4G.
Ou seja, fica conectado mas sem usar. E em alguns momentos ele desconecta sozinho e volta a se ligar no meu wifi.
Tentei todas as configurações disponíveis no android mas sem sucesso.
Existe alguma maneira de forçar a ele acessar meu ESP8266 pelo menos para as chamadas pelo socket?
Fazer root no telefone está fora de questão.


9100 Series rockcrawler shocks. 2.625" threaded bodies with a 7/8" hardened shaft. Valved specifically for rock crawling purposes, and an external reservoir. , The Bilstein Bump Stop improves suspension performance with more up-travel impact control and durability for off-road racing vehicles and prerunners. To assist in smooth deceleration of suspension components for added control, this new Bump Stop features a stronger mount design and a longer lasting contact pad for unequalled durability.
Loctite 567 PST Thread Sealant, Loctite 545 Thread Sealant, Hydraulic/Pneumatic Fittings.
Custom toggle switch panel with green LEDs.
Custom length brake lines and power steering lines.
Sparta TN, Off Road park with 40 plus trails from level 1 to level 5. Good mixture of loose hill climbs and technical rock crawling for all off road vehicles. Home of the infamous "Bounty Hill".
1410 U-Joint, custom length high performance driveshaft.
Limit straps are made from 7000-lb, MIL-SPEC rated webbing material - strongest in the business!
5 FT of Hose, Brake Fluid 32 Oz.
F/X Splash Wheel, High gloss silver grip, polished aluminum spokes, 3 spoke design. 13-1/2" diameter, 3-1/2" dish with styling sleeve., Standard Installation Kit.


Mosquito Program - One time yard treatment with a 21-day guarantee. Our Mosquito Control Program is all the buzz!
Mosquitoes carry harmful diseases that can hurt your family. Not to mention, they make spending time outdoors less enjoyable. We not only rid mosquitoes from your property, but we're committed to going the extra mile to keep them away. You can expect more from Port City Pest.
Port City Pest won't let mosquitoes bug you anymore. While we can't make them all disappear, we can guarantee they won't bother you during regular treatments. We will assess your property, eliminate their habitat, and apply a treatment that greatly reduces the number of mosquitoes in your area. Still experiencing a problem? Simply give us a call and we'll visit your home for another assessment and treatment at no extra cost.
RELATED OFFER: Click Pest Control Program certificate on Save30.


If you like live music, and rivers, and food, and rides, and floating in tubes, and bikinis, and drinks, and Texas, and fairs, and fun then Float Fest is for you! July 21st and 22nd in San Marcos there's a huge party with my name on it.
Float Fest is an annual party with all kinds of bands from every genre of music. Plus you get to float the river too. check out the flyer, and make your reservations for a camping spot today. Then message me so I can come with you. You can also stay in Austin, San Antonio, or San Marcos and ride a party shuttle to the event and back each day so no driving, and nice hotel rooms if you choose.


Another great option for portable toilets is the Thetford Porta Potti 260P Marine Toilet. It's a piston pump action flushing portable toilet and it keeps you below the $200 mark, which is a nice affordable place to be when it comes to porta potties. With this unit, you get the portability of a smaller portable toilet, and yet have the comforts of home!
4.1 – An upgrade on the Thetford 260B Porta Potti model.
The Thetford Porta Potti 260P is a flushing type portable toilet. It's designed so that no electricity is required for it to work. Compared to the Camco 41545 Travel Toilet that we reviewed, this review will be shorter due to the smaller tank at only 2.6 gallons.
One of the many great features of this model of porta potty is the level gauge indicator. The indicator gives you an idea of when you need to clean out your waste tank; this is an upgrade from the 260B model. Locking lid latches are also a very handy aspect of this unit, as well as the ergonomic carrying handle.
Keeping the users in mind, Thetford even included a built-in storage compartment that fits their brand deodorant chemical; which is very convenient, yet it doesn't have a toilet paper compartment. It even comes with mounting equipment, so if you are going to be using it on a boat, or another type of permanent location, you can quickly mount it to one, fixed location.
Check out our How Does a Portable Potty Work Guide to get an idea of how chemical porta potties work.
First, you'll add the deodorant chemicals to the flush tank using the instructions described on the type of deodorizer you are using. Next, you'll add the water to the fresh water tank. At this point, you snap the two tanks together to complete the initial setup.
As with all portable toilets, the frequency of emptying the tank will depend on how often it is in use. This unit does average about 27 flushes. With that information, you can estimate how long it would take you and your passengers to use it to the point of needing to clean it out. I would like to note that most liquid chemicals for portable toilets only last about three days. To keep down on odors, its recommended to empty the toilet every three days.
The Thetford Porta Potti 260P has a rotating pour-out spout which makes emptying easy from any angle.
For more ease of use, the Thetford portable toilet can be dumped in any regular toilet. The absence of harmful chemicals allows the waste to be treated; which is not only convenient for you; but also good for the environment.
We recommend that you invest in some cheap disposable rubber gloves for use when cleaning your portable toilet. Not only will this help you keep the spread of germs to a minimum; but also keep your hands from getting dirty.
These are a must to limit odors. You'll have plenty of options to choose from if you decide to go with a brand other than Thetford. It does come with a couple of samples to get you started, but you'll need to invest in more.
Single ply toilet paper is recommended for use in most porta pottys. The Thetford is no different in this aspect.
– An upgrade on the Thetford 260B Porta Potti model.
This model is the improved version of the popular Thetford Porta Potti 735, so if you have used that model in the past, you'll have more of an idea of what you are working with.
Keeping your Thetford portable toilet clean is a breeze. A simple soap and water solution is all you need to wash out the tank. After cleaning, be sure to keep the portable toilet in a dry area to prevent damage and mold.
Having a smaller tank keeps the overall size to a minimum. Large enough for easy use; yet compact to fit in almost any size car.
Make a note that there is no toilet paper storage on the Thetford 260P Porta Potti. It's not a big deal, but keeping a container next to the toilet is a good idea, so your toilet paper stays dry.
You should never flush trash, feminine hygiene products or wet wipes in your portable toilet! A smart way to keep unwanted waste out of your portable toilet is to use a wastebasket next to the toilet.
Overall, we think the Thetford Porta Potti 260P Marine Toilet is something we can get behind! The price point isn't bad for what you are getting. Easy to clean, light weight and the ability to mount the unit anywhere makes it ideal for any situation.
By far the best feature is the level indicator. Most models in this class of portable toilets lack this simple, yet efficient design.


For me personally Family is my source of greatest joy and happiness. On today's echo President Henry B. Eyring gives us better insight on how we can make our homes Heavenly.
In the April 2019 session of General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (otherwise known as the Mormon Church or LDS Church), Elder Henry B. Eyring gave an inspiring talk about how to make a heavenly home.
How will your home change after listening to these highlights?


Anne-Kathrin specialized in enterprise storage sales at IBM for numerous years, before joining the SVA team-leading international sales for the BVQ product line. Anne-Kathrin is a highly accomplished technology sales leader with a proven background driving revenues and profitability through effective strategic planning, financial management, and operational expertise and channel dynamics. Anne-Kathrin leads all international sales engagements, and demand generation campaigns for SVA Software optimization solutions for IBM Z and IBM Spectrum Virtualize.
In the last year I made major enhancements to the SVA Software Velocity Partner Program including; a support partner program, a professional service offering, and training, all leading to increased profitability and a faster ramp to revenue for our partners. Substantial investments throughout our channel partners on marketing co-op funded lead generation events provided a substantial increase of leads to the channel resulting in joint net new customer acquisitions.
Enablement. through-partner training and marketing activities and of course hitting our number!! My mission in 2017 was to evaluate the needs of our partners with regards to what enablement meant to them. It's more than just product training - it's training on all things SVA Software. In 2018, it's time to take that assessment and plan, and put it into action. With the creation of a new step-by-step enablement plan for SVA's channel development team, a partner can better understand, pitch and ultimately sell more SVA Software solutions because they are more prepared.
Malala Yousafzai. Her story is so inspirational. To have such bravery and selflessness at a young age is unbelievable. She is a great current role model not only for women but for all genders. I admire that she has dedicated her life to being an advocate for girl's education, women's rights and peace.
I think that the No. 1 thing, especially with young women, is that a title does not define who you are in the workplace. I see so many young women early in their career who define success as that big title, constant praise and that corner office. If I could talk to a younger me, I'd say that success is being taken seriously regardless of your title, being heard and respected when you walk into a room of decision makers and that sitting in a cubicle teaches lot about dealing with other. Everyone needs to pay their dues.
I would like to further develop my leadership skills by actively mentoring others. It is important to not only help others around you learn, but to also help them develop their skills and achieve their objectives. I believe this will help me become a much more effective leader in the future and create a more positive and productive environment for my work team.
It is called The First 90 Days. It's a book that I highly recommend to anyone starting at a new company or just in a new position in general. It helped create a framework for me in preparing to begin working at SVA Software. Starting a new job is always a bit of a new experience any time you do it, so it was important to me to keep everything in mind that I needed to. This book provided me with a great way to approach it all.


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Twins Sign Alejandro De Aza July 18, 2019
The Twins have added outfielder Alejandro De Aza to their top affiliate, per an announcement from Triple-A Rochester communications director Nate Rowan (via Twitter). De Aza agreed to terms on a minors deal with the Minnesota organization, which in turn purchased his contract from the indy ball New Britain Bees. Now 35 years of age,…
Yankees Acquire Terrance Gore July 17, 2019
The Yankees announced today that they have acquired speedy outfielder Terrance Gore from the Royals. The deal sends cash considerations back to Kansas City. Gore will not land on the New York 40-man, per the announcement. It seems that the deal was struck after he cleared waivers. Gore was designated for assignment recently. The 28-year-old…
Near No Hitter and Playing Hearts: Locked on MLB – July 18,@2019 mlbreports.com/2019/07/18/nea… https://t.co/7EC8pLoaQv 9 minutes ago


It can be. Have you ever looked for people you already know on there? I once found a police officer from the town I was from without a shirt on, leaning up against his police car. He discribed himself as "A big soft teddy bear".
I sure do. What about the ones who use pictures from a hundred years ago? Talk about no truth in advertising. And I get a kick out their ads that show all of these unbelievably hot people as looking for love. Please. people like that don't go on dating sights.
I was once talking to this very attractive guy online, for a couple months, or whatever. He had the most incredible pictures, and he was gorgeous. Really fun to talk to, etc. When we decided to meet, he confessed to me that his pictures were from highschool...30 years ago. Needless to say, we never met.
Well, since I've never looked on an internet dating site, and if I had, it wouldn't have been for other women, nope. :-D However, if I had a woman who was 5'4" and 215 lbs tell me that she loved sports and tennis and long walks, I'd ask if she thought that watching other people play sports on tv, or walk by her house counted as liking sports and long walks.
Aren't there a bunch of, ahem... "cuddly" men out there who love sports.....from their couch!
you can still be quite active and yet be heavy... i remember nell carter was a big girl and she danced like a crazy woman. you got something against fat chicks?? you looking to bring it on?
Plenty of guys are that weight or heavier and claim to be or really are into sports. If they're not your type, don't spend too much time on their pgs and move on.
I think its pretty funny to listen to that kind of thing, but weight could just be a metabolism thing, not because they are lazy and really don't do those things.
I don't find it funny at all. Not all short heavy girls are like that because of laziness. My sweetheart was 4 ft 11 and weighed close to 190 lbs and was a very active person. Part of her problem was a thyroid condition. She was careful about what and how much she ate so her weight had nothing to do with being lazy and I find it insulting that you think all people who are overweight are like that cause of laziness or overeating.
i'm 5'10, close to 5'11"...love sports...but weigh about that much...does that make me one of them?
I love all sports including Extreme sports. I am 5ft 2 in. Have never been on any dating site and I weigh between 105 and 110 lbs . There are some girls at the Gym I use that are HEAVY, but can outlast me on the treadmill and other machines., and I am pretty fit. They do a lot of exercise and lift weight too . Everyone that is heavy is not fat or unfit.
What is your honest opinion of someone claiming to be in love with someone that they talk to on the internet? I think it is...very possible.
What's a good way to hint to your s/o they are putting on a few pounds?


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You are at:Home»Albums»Fall Out Boy to release remix album 'Make America Psycho Again'
Fall Out Boy to release remix album 'Make America Psycho Again'
By Danny Peart on	 October 26, 2015 Albums, News
Multi-platinum selling, worldwide touring band Fall Out Boy throws their hat back in the ring with MAKE AMERICA PSYCHO AGAIN, a timely revisit to their Gold album American Beauty/American Psycho – but with every track remixed, and with every track boasting a hip-hop feature by today's most acclaimed rappers. Pre-orders are here for MAKE AMERICA PSYCHO AGAIN, which will arrive in stores on October 30th.
This week also marks the release of Fall Out Boy's AB/AP single Irresistible in its newly remixed format, featuring a rap by Atlanta hip-hop trio Migos. Fall Out Boy will release 3 additional tracks this week, leading up to the release of MAKE AMERICA PSYCHO AGAIN. Buy the new version of Irresistible here and listen here.
MAKE AMERICA PSYCHO AGAIN will present the same title sequence as AB/AP, as follows (with hip-hop features noted):
"Irresistible" featuring Migos
"American Beauty/ American Psycho" featuring A$AP Ferg
"Centuries" featuring Juicy J"The Kids Aren't Alright" featuring Azealia Banks
"Uma Thurman" featuring Wiz Khalifa
"Jet Pack Blues" featuring Big K.R.I.T.
"Novocaine" featuring Uzi *
"Fourth Of July" featuring OG Maco
"Favorite Record" featuring iLoveMakonnen
"Immortals" featuring Black Thought
"Twin Skeleton's (Hotel In NYC)" featuring Joey Bada$$.
Fresh from their sold out UK and Europe arena tour, which saw them play two Wembley Arenas earlier this month, the band announced their "Wintour Is Coming" tour last week. They will embark on a 20+ city tour that begins February 25 in San Juan, Puerto Rico and continues through cities including Louisville, Memphis and New Orleans. Fans will also be able to catch the show at New York City's famed Madison Square Garden, which is now sold out. Full tour dates can be found at www.falloutboy.com.
2015 found Fall Out Boy on a global tour in support of American Beauty/American Psycho, which debuted at #2 on the UK Official Albums Chart, and #1 on the Billboard 200 album chart upon its release in January. Fall Out Boy's trip encompassed their Boys of Zummer tour across North America with Wiz Khalifa (one of the featured guests on MAKE AMERICA PSYCHO AGAIN), and their AB/AP tour of the UK with Professor Green, Matt & Kim and Charley Marley.
American Beauty/American Psycho was Fall Out Boy's sixth studio album, and it spun off three solid chart singles for the band: the multi platinum Centuries, Uma Thurman, and Irresistible. AB/AP also includes an alternative version of Immortals, the band's single from the record-setting Disney film, Big Hero 6 soundtrack.


In October I was invited to speak at a data visualisation workshop organised by Rachel Jones of the Creative Industries KTN. The event was a showcase of interesting data visualisation practitioners as inspiration for the new Technology Strategy Board data exploration competition – launching at the beginning of 2014.
I was honoured to be selected as part of the evening's line up of speakers, which ranged from artists like Michael Magruder Takeo to graphic designers like Information is Beautiful to more commercial practitioners such as Hal Bertram of Ito World.
I spoke about Elio Studio's Creative Data initiative, which seeks to bring designers and scientists together to communicate data and research to the public through installations, exhibitions and creative learning programmes. I focused on The Butterfly Effect project as the pilot study for Creative Data, about the future of The Norfolk Broads.
It was super interesting to hear other speakers deliver their speedy Pecha Kucha formatted presentations and see what kind of work is going on in the art world, the academic world and the business world.
We saw that there's been a lot of focus on maps as a default visualisation tool and that a lot of visualisation of data remains in a traditionally graphic space – often in graphs and sometimes overly complicated visuals which aren't easily readable. There's certainly room for more creativity and more engaging communications.
The most interesting work for me, unsurprisingly perhaps, were the examples of sculptural installations and public engagement work. I particularly enjoyed presentations from Rachel Jones of Active Ingredient and her project A Conversation Between Trees and Julie Freeman's work on Translating Nature.


The two rooftop spaces are available for hire together.
The Rooftop Garden has been made possible through a partnership with Milkwood Permaculture. With an army of dedicated volunteers and a lot of ingenuity, an empty bare courtyard was transformed into a verdant roof-top garden.
The Conference Room is a light filled air conditioned room suitable for presentations, gatherings, workshops and discussions. It opens directly onto the rooftop garden for a quiet break away or alternative meeting space.
Spending the day? We can offer a delicious, healthy catering package to keep the brain alert. From scrumptious sandwiches to fresh juices and salads, we can tailor to any budget.
Scroll down for information about pricing and availability.


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Is Bobby Lashley finished with pro wrestling?
January 7, 2010 January 7, 2010 by Jack Bratcher
Photo by: Jack Bratcher
Bobby Lashley may be done with professional wrestling once and for all. On Monday's TNA Impact broadcast on Spike TV, Lashley walked into the ring with his wife Kristal to deliver a message to Hulk Hogan and the audience.
He let his wife do the talking. To summarize her message, she basically said MMA was a legitimate sport and professional wrestling was for "in-bred toothless hillbillies".
She said her husband was a star in MMA and in wrestling and no one can match his strength. She also said her husband wants out of his TNA contract and told the audience, "Go ahead, take a good look at Bobby because this is the last time you may see him. Like I said, we've got better things to do."
Can we assume the Strikeforce fighter has finally decided once and for all to leave the world of pro wrestling to focus entirely on MMA? Or, was this just a skit entirely for "entertainment" purposes? The announcers acted surprised to hear her message, but that means little.
For now, let's hope Lashley is not focused on Hulk Hogan, but on a real opponent in a real fight. It has been speculated he will face undefeated Shane del Roasario (9-0) at "Strikeforce: Miami" at the BankAtlantic Center in Miami, Fla. on Jan. 30.
Rosario is a 240-pound heavyweight who has finished all nine opponents he has faced – seven knockouts, and two submissions. If Lashley is not entirely focused on this fight, the star power he now carries, could take a serious beating.
UPDATED (Jan. 8) – There are reports coming in that Lashley will not be fighting del Rosario on Janl 30, which is a bit of a disappointment. Hopefully they will be able to find some type of meaningful match-up for the rising prospect.
Categories MMA Tags Bobby, Bobby Lashley, entertainment, Lashley, MMA, pro wrestling, professional, Shane Del Rosario, sports, Strikeforce, TNA, wrestling Post navigation
WEC 46 betting odds
The Human Cockfighter Blog – I'm a wealthy MMA fighter


I had an aluminum lunch box at age 8. My Mom filled it with all sorts of yummy food. Everyday she warned me, "Ranu you must eat what I give you". I always wanted to ,but I was so shy,thought of someone watching me, stopped me from eating lunch. It happened daily. I'd carry the box to school, make a few attempts to take out the food to eat. The moment I saw someone passing,I'd close the box.
The lunch box came home full. My younger siblings were thrilled to eat the food. Mom never found out. One fine day Mom filled the box with my favorite food. I carefully closed it. I told myself,'today I will eat the food'. When I opened the box,I heard someone calling,"Chaman hurry up, we'll play a game of hide and seek".I closed the box and ran out to play. The food was untouched.
Next day Mom packed lunch as usual. I was about to put it in my school bag, suddenly I heard a teeny tiny voice calling me, it was barely audible,at first I didn't know where it was coming from. To my dismay, I heard the voice coming from my school bag. This can't be true I thought, how can anyone speak from the bag. I only have my books and lunch box. Surely these are inanimate objects,how can they talk, I was thinking. Soon I heard a gentle tap inside the box. 'This is weird" I said,I opened the bag. My lunch box looked at me and said, "Listen, Ranu today you have to eat lunch,or I'll tell your Mom". "Wait a minute I said, you cannot tattle you are not a living thing,you cannot frighten me".
The school bus was almost at the gate of the school,ready to stop, I suddenly heard the screeching sound of the brake, I opened my eyes and realized , my lunch box wasn't talking,it was my inner self warning me not to lie to my Mom!
My Mom was a very good cook. Anything she cooked was amazing. We all loved to eat. We seldom asked how she turned out these delicious meals. I watched when she cooked. It looked so easy. I thought I can do this too. The ingredients she used were, slices of beef ,same size potatoes, onions were sliced thin,the tomatoes were thin slices too. In addition she used whole dry peppers,peppercorn and cinnamon sticks,there were whole cloves,salt,yoghurt and oil or clarified butter.
She used a round pot for this amazing dish. She had the ingredients in separate bowls. The layering of these ingredients was carefully done. she put a tablespoon of oil or clarified butter in the pot and spread it evenly. She carefully laid the beef ,followed by three or four dry red peppers, a few peppercorns, some cloves,salt, and one or two half inch cinnamon sticks. Then potatoes were layered on top making sure they covered the meat, onions went on top and tomatoes on the top layer. On each layer the oil and the yoghurt mixed with ground ginger,garlic ground cumin and ground coriander was spread as well. If she had some ingredients left, she'd repeat the layering. When everything was neatly in the pot, she put the cover on.
It was put on a charcoal stove, to give it the effect of an oven,she put hot charcoal on the cover. It took about an hour. When the lid was taken off,the aroma made us rush to the dining room. We didn't need any bells!
My extraordinary day began this morning. I walked 2.2 km, paid my bill , came home and had the pleasure of reading 22 "Speak Easy Entries", for this week.
There were all kinds of amazing stories. Some were about Grandpa and Grandma, others were different but they were excellent. To me they are all winners. To be able to write so beautifully,takes a lot of dedication. It is an amazing way of expressing oneself and improving.
We all had to vote for three entries we liked the most. I voted for three, I wish I could vote for all of them.
Dandelion is called a , 'Miracle Drug'. It prevents or cures liver disease, hepatitis or jaundice. It acts as a gentle tonic and diuretic to purify blood. It helps to reduce weight, cleanses skin and eliminates acne. it cures various forms of cancer,prevents or controls diabetes mellitus. It has no negative side effects.
It is the top 6 herbs in the Chinese herbal medicine chest. According to the USDA Bulletin # 8,"Composition of Foods", (Haytowitz and Matthews 1984) Dandelions rank in the top 4 green vegetables in overall nutritional value. They are nature's richest green vegetable source of beta-carotene, from which vitamin A is created. They are rich in fiber , potassium,iron,calcium , magnesium , phosphorus and are good source of protein.
Vitamin A : important in fighting cancers of epithelial tissue , including mouth and lung.
Potassium rich foods in adequate quantities, helps keep blood pressure down and reduces the risk of strokes.
Fiber fights diabetes,lowers cholesterol,reduces cancer and heart disease risks and assists in weight loss.
Calcium in high concentrations can build strong bones and also lowers blood pressure.
B vitamins help reduce stress. "The Dandelion Celebration"–The guide to unexpected Cuisine,is useful for anyone who would like to know this remarkable plant.
I got my information from "leaf Lady", an article written by Peter Gail.
Whenever I think of red,it reminds me of the wedding sari I wore on my wedding day .Everyone else was wearing other colors. It makes me wonder why in our culture red is the color chosen for a bride. Could it be friends and family want the bride to stand out and be noticed.I get mixed feelings about it.
We have traffic lights,red,yellow and green. Red is a warning which in other words,tells us we should stop.Yellow is for caution and green means, freedom to drive on.
Going back to red for a bride in our culture,how does it make sense to dress the bride in red. If red warns us to stop,in case of traffic lights,why is the color red suitable for a bride. In all other cases red means danger,why is it okay for a bride to wear a red sari on her wedding day. I really am puzzled!
I read this many times and always loved to repeat it,"Procrastination is the thief of time".Somewhere in that line I sensed a musical tune. Someone who is over-anxious and always ready to please,a teacher,a colleague or a boss, would say you have lost your mind,how do you hear anything musical, the words clearly tell you what it means. How can you not understand it? But I do, I like the thought of leaving everything for tomorrow.
Here are some things I must do. I haven't done yet. Everyday I tell myself I have to start writing those Christmas cards. I bought them in October,November is almost on its way out.I am still waiting for a good day. Whether that day will come or not I don't know.
Twenty percent of people identify themselves as chronic procrastinators,they leave everything till the last day. Am I in that group,I hope not?I have to mail my cards,it's November 24th,exactly one month left for Christmas.If I fail to write them,my friends will not get them on time.I have to start today.
I am told there are three variants of procrastination.You could work on (a) nothing (b) something less important (c) something more important.At this moment getting the cards ready to mail is a priority.Reading Paulo's latest book will have to wait another few days.It's on my shelf for at least a year another week won't make much difference.
It seems I am the kind of procrastinator who works on the small stuff and leaves the big stuff for later e.g leaving Paulo's book to read later and send the cards now. If I think of mailing and the time it needs to get to its destination,it is more urgent than reading Paulo's book.
This is when I think it is a bad habit which needs to be fixed. I hope I can start improving my organisational skills,or else I'll lose all my friends and Paulo's latest will keep on collecting dust. O my it was such a chore writing all this!
Ann Rice's quote,"To write something you have to risk making a fool of yourself". I think it's a risk worth taking.At the crack of dawn,the first thing I thought about was,'write about flies'.What I must risk writing about an insect with two transparent wings,how can such a lowly insect grab anyone's attention. I'll give it a go and see the response,maybe none or one. If one blogger reads it,it is well worth my time.
My elder brother always knew how to make me work. One day he said, 'There you are Ranu,make me a cup of tea, I am counting,then he'd say one ,before he counted to four',I'd be up and running to get that cup of tea,I always thought ,'Good Heavens' if it reaches ten,all hell would break loose'. I got his tea,as soon as I laid it on the table,plop a fly dropped in. I said,'Dada don't drink this,it's filthy,let me bring another cup'. He smiled spooned out the fly and said,'Don't say it's dirty,think it's a cardamom,I'll take it out and drink it'. I almost felt nauseous at the thought of drinking a cup of tea that was made unclean by that wretched fly.I guess there were going to be more flies in my future,as I was growing up.
I don't habitually think of flies,but when I see them it makes me cringe. This episode happened on a wayside hut. There used to be a man,who fried fish every day in his little place. I loved them so much I had to have some,whenever I was passing by. One day I stopped by to get some,he wasn't finished frying,I patiently waited.Suddenly I saw a whole bunch of flies hovering above. I told the man,'look there are flies above can't you get rid of them', he looked at me in awe thinking this woman didn't see flies,why is she making such a big deal. He laughed and said,'this is nothing, if they overcrowded my frying pan,I'd think of something'. I mumbled to myself,he doesn't think it's unhealthy.
A year or two passed before the question of flies came up. I got a teaching job in a residential model school. We all ate at the dining hall,myself and sixty kids. Dining halls in the institutions are nothing to write about,especially when the question of cleanliness and healthy comes up. One morning an announcement was made,'breakfast is served come one come all'. When I was about to sit to have my breakfast, I had the misfortune of seeing flies on my toast. The waiter in trying to save me from spreading butter and jam on my toast,took it as his duty to do it for me. The result when the flies landed on the toast they were trapped by the sticky jam,unable to fly out they lay there. I was so disgusted with this,I took the knife and used it as a spatula to remove the flies. Did I eat the toast,no I did not.At that point I didn't think I was hungry at all.
I am lucky there are no flies here,it is too cold in winter ,in summer they cannot come in because of the screen. I am happy to write flies are not an issue any more!
Please note: In Bengali 'Dada' means older brother.
For NaBloPoMo: I am translating a Bengali Song.
Bygone days are calling me.
Nothing bad could come between us.
and the pain is difficult to endure.
Passing of a dear One!
The day it happened,everything seemed normal. I gave my husband his breakfast. Afterwards,he lay down to rest. I did my housework as usual.
a bath. I told him,he was too weak,it is better to take a quick shower.I put a chair in the tub to sit. I turned on the shower to wet his body to apply soap. He felt comfortable and lay down in bed again.
I started cooking,suddenly he came to the kitchen,he said he'd go to signal hill ,it was a sunny day. He came back with flyers from the super markets. He loved checking the flyers to see what was on sale. That afternoon he put the flyers on the table and was back in bed.I wanted him to rest. I went to the living room and turned on a Hindi movie. My husband joined us,I realized it was 6:00 P.M.I served supper,he ate very little and remarked the food did not taste good.
He got up and ran to the bathroom for a wash to get ready for prayer. While he was there,I washed the dishes,when I was putting the dishes away I suddenly heard a thud.I sent Selina to check on her Dad.My husband was on the floor,Selina was crying and telling him not to go she needed him.
I called 911,they did some tests,told me they have to take him to the hospital. I was numb,did not feel anything.I went to the hospital,we were told to wait in the lounge. A few minutes later the nurse asked me about my husband's medication. I named some and could not remember all of them. It was okay the nurse said and left. The moments we were left alone I could not think anything as if my brain suddenly stopped functioning. Then came the physician with the news,they were unable to save him!
This story took place in a world I was beginning to adjust myself.The people here were no different from the ones I came into contact with some years ago.
My siblings and I gradually felt comfortable. We had new schools to go to. There wasn't much of a contrast,except the teachers' outfit was one I hadn't seen before. Immediately I understood this new school was somewhat unfamiliar from the one I attended before.
Each grade was called standard. I was admitted in standard two.My sister wanted to put me in standard three,but the teacher whom we were supposed to call 'Sister', declared I was too young for standard three.
My teacher held my hand and announced she'll take me to my classroom.Along the way she asked me a lot of questions which I happily answered. She was pleased I was able to speak English. The teachers decided to give me a battery of tests.There were some Math. problems,questions in English and I was given a book to read. I finished all the work. The teacher corrected Math. and English. She told me she will take me to a different classroom. I got up and once again held her hand and trudged along. This was a new classroom,the receiving teacher was happy to see me. In all this time I had no idea why I was put in a different classroom.
I went home making sure not to tell my crooked sister,my classroom had changed,I was afraid I was put in a lower standard,perhaps the tests I did was wrong. My sister told me I was in standard two.I was silent,afraid to tell her I was moved,I thought to a lower level.
Next day we were all lined up to go to our respective classrooms. When the teacher signalled the ones in standard two should follow her,I hopped from the line and I was ready to follow her. When she saw me she remarked, "not you Chaman,you are in standard three." I was ecstatic,I must have done well in those tests I thought .Well I could not wait to go home and tell my bossy sister I was in standard three. Thus ended my first day at my new school.


Toon Creations is Bondi's Favourite Cartoon School!
Since opening our studio in Bondi Beach in 2012 – we have taught close to 5000 students!
Our workshops and parties offer a chance for kids to drop their technology and open their imaginations through drawing.
Toon Creations is Bondi's Favourite Cartoon School!
Since opening our studio in Bondi Beach in 2012 - we have taught close to 5000 students!
Adam has worked as a cartoonist for 20+ years and has taught his passion for 15 years. He has had experience working with Yoram Gross, and Disney/Pixar and has designed graphic work for several company logos as well as consulted for 3 book illustrations.
In the last 6 years since establishment, Toon Creations has run over 300 workshops for school holidays, incursions, birthday parties and corporate functions.
All teachers have a working with Children.
Adam has a first aid certificate as well.
Workshop fees are not refundable in the event of non attendance. Toon Creations reserves the right to amend or cancel any workshop if there are insufficient students enrolled (less than 4 students). Should a workshop be cancelled, an alternate workshop will be offered or a full refund provided. One week notice will be provided to workshop cancellations.
We normally photograph the workshops for promotional purposes, such as press advertising, brochures, editorials and on our website. These photos will never be sold and will be used exclusively by and for Toon Creations. As a condition of enrolment your consent is implied. Should you NOT wish for us to take and use photos of you, your child or artwork please notify us in writing. Due to privacy laws any photography is limited to Toon Creations staff.
Toon Creations workshops are a shared space and we expect students to respect fellow artists, artwork and their property. Children deemed to be exhibiting inappropriate behaviour may be removed from the workshop.
If you have an existing medical condition, allergy or special needs that may affect your participation in a workshop, you should notify the Director of Toon Creations at the time of enrolment.
Nuts or foods containing nuts are strictly prohibited.
Children are not allowed to share food due to allergies.