Owner Rob Good, who formerly managed Crusty's Pizza in McCall, admits he's more into Jimi Hendrix than Buddy Holly, yet the interior — with its long counter bedecked with black-and-white checkered tiles — still smacks of the decade when "Peggy Sue" topped the charts. The retro-looking sign out front also harks back to the days of the Eisenhower administration.
Good takes his menu well beyond the burger-joint status quo. The cooks hand-form the burger patties (made from Double R Ranch Angus beef), which get grilled in spattering butter and plopped on puffy Gaston's Bakery buns. Dill pickle slices are made from scratch, as is the soft-serve ice cream that spins away in a machine behind the counter.
I was surprised not to see hand-cut fries, though, with this level of scratch-cooking going on. But the skinny fries ($3.50 a basket), frozen and from a bag, were good and crispy during both visits.
Fries also get turned into chili cheese fries ($4), a basket of golden-brown fries gooped up (in a good way) with cumin-spiked chili and melted cheddar.
Burgers meet lots of butter at SkyVue. A Baby Butter ($2.50) was perfect for my daughter's small appetite, with its 2-ounce patty and sweet grilled onions (add 50 cents) sandwiched between a slider-sized bun.
Go big like I did with a Butter Bomb ($7), a fluffy bun filled with a stratum of juicy beef (two 4-ounce patties), lettuce chiffonade, sliced tomato, onion, dill pickle slices and a skiff of horseradish-tinged "special sauce." No other toppings were needed on this one.
Another good pick is the Butter Burger ($5), especially if the 4-ounce beef patty gets topped with gooey Swiss cheese (add 50 cents) and crisp slices of smoky bacon (add $1).
The butter-grilled burgers are no doubt a big draw at SkyVue, but it appears the chicken offerings still need some fine-tuning.
The chicken breast on my son's chicken sandwich ($6) had a golden hue thanks to a light, cornstarch coating, yet the bird underneath was dry and rubbery — making it messy to eat when the bun came apart around it. There were pickles and lettuce everywhere.
SkyVue serves wings in various forms, tossed in a gamut of gussied-up wing sauces. But next time I'll skip the ones made with boneless chicken breast ($7 for a pound) because the breaded nuggets were excessively chewy. A chili-garlic Thai sauce did its best to add much-needed moisture to the tough chicken chunks.
The traditional chicken wings ($7 for a pound), on the other hand, were juicy and tender to the bone. These drumettes and wings came coated in a vinegary and buttery buffalo sauce that nearly lit my mouth on fire, but the chunky blue dressing quickly cooled my palate.
I was unpleasantly surprised to find out that the veggie wings ($3 for a half-pound) were simply breaded broccoli flowerettes, which would have been fine if the little trees actually had a crispy coating. What I got was a pile of sporadically breaded, mushy broccoli tossed in a habanero-kicked Belizean sauce.
SkyVue will surely be busy this summer dishing up frozen treats.
A rich and creamy chocolate shake ($3.50 for a 16-ouncer) was perfect for a milkshake purist like myself.
My kids loved the sweet and salty caramel shake ($2.50 for a 12-ouncer) and a peanut butter shake ($2.50 for a 12-ouncer) with bits of Reese's Pieces (add 50 cents) stirred in.
We all had fun watching the root beer float ($2.50 for 16-ouncer) go through its fizzy chemical reaction once the vanilla ice cream mingled with the draft root beer (produced by Crater Lake Soda in Oregon).
The restaurant also serves a line-up of fun sundaes, like a Black and Tan ($3 for a regular size) made with chocolate ice cream swirled with caramel and chocolate sauces and chopped walnuts, crowned with fresh whipped cream. Need I say more?


text:
Marlene Elizabeth Smith (August 3, 1931 – March 1, 2009) was a Canadian figure skater who competed in both pairs and ladies' singles. As a pair skater with Donald Gilchrist, she became the 1949 North American silver medallist and a two-time Canadian national champion (1949–1950). As a singles skater, she is the 1949 North American silver medallist and 1952 national champion. She competed at the 1952 Winter Olympics.

Results

Ladies' singles

Pairs with Gilchrist

References

1931 births
Canadian female single skaters
Canadian female pair skaters
Figure skaters at the 1952 Winter Olympics
Olympic figure skaters of Canada
2009 deaths

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


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For those of you that have been playing fantasy football for a few years, you probably have a list of a few players who you won't draft for whatever reason - injuries, lack of production, poor performance in a playoff game for you etc. Players who you ultimately cannot trust.
The TNFF crew is back again to discuss some fantasy players that they are having trust issues with heading into the 2020 NFL season. Players they can't get behind or commit to in a dynasty league setting.
Tyreek Hill (WR - Kansas City Chiefs)
Yes, I am aware that Hill finished as the WR #3 in 2018 and the WR #9 in 2017. I am also aware that he is only 26 years old and that he plays with one of the best QBs in the game in Patrick Mahomes and on one of the most prolific offenses in the NFL.
Before you call me an idiot and skip ahead to read about the next player, let me try to explain my selection. There is no doubt in my mind that Hill, if healthy, will finish as a top 10 WR this year and for many years to come. My issue with Hill is his inconsistency from week to week. According to Mike Tagliere and his "Boom, Bust and Everything in Between" article, Hill has produced WR2 or better numbers in just 26-of-49 (44.1 percent) career games. This means that more than 50 percent of the time, Hill will produce WR3 or worse numbers!
Hill's boom weeks are massive and Hill alone can win you some weeks. However, do I want to risk Hill having a bust week during the playoffs? Can I trust him to have one of his boom games? Odds are he will have a bust week during the playoffs. I prefer consistency and a safe floor with my fantasy football players.
With a dynasty ADP of 1.10 (1QB league), I am happy to pass on Tyreek Hill and draft a more consistent WR or another position altogether.
- Joe "the editor Simonetti (@joesimonetti77)
Dalvin Cook (RB - Minnesota Vikings)
Dalvin Cook is one of the most exciting and electric running backs to watch in the NFL. There are very few backs in the NFL that are used as a three-down back but Cook is one of those guys. He is crazy elusive and can hit an open hole to take it to the house from anywhere on the field. He can catch the ball in space and do anything that you need him to do. Last year Dalvin Cook was a monster during the fantasy regular season as he averaged 22.8 PPR points/game. This was second only to Christian McCaffery.
Sounds great, eh? This is a player that is certainly worthy of that early first-round startup value in a dynasty league?
Nope! I just don't trust him!
Coming out of college, the dynasty community has always been high on Cook. He was being drafted in the top half of drafts in 2017 with the hopes of obtaining that three-down back that would help your fantasy team for years. Unfortunately, it has been years of disappointment. One of Pro Football Focus' biggest concern for Cook coming into his first year in the NFL was that he "suffered nagging muscular injuries throughout his career at FSU." Well … PFF was right! Year one for Cook ended abruptly in week four with an ACL tear in his knee. Year two for Cook was also another one full of injuries. That season in week two, he had a hamstring strain that caused him to miss a total of five games but he was rendered a non-factor for the majority of the year. He only had three games where he put up RB1 type of numbers.
Since Dalvin Cook has come into the league we have been paying top value for what he is supposed to do. There has never been a discount due to his injuries. If you laugh at that and say "It hasn't been that bad." Think of it this way … he has only played one more game since the beginning of 2017 than Will Fuller! At least with Fuller, we get an injury discount on his cost. The consensus RB ahead of Cook, Ezekiel Elliot has played 12 more games than Cook in just the last 3 years in the NFL. Throughout Cook's career, he has seemed like that really good looking significant other that keeps cheating on you (getting injured). Well, last year when he left me at the altar (injured during the fantasy playoffs) that was the last straw. I can't keep making excuses to all my friends that he will change and things will get better. To go along with his injury concerns, there are now contract issues as his rookie deal expires at the end of the year. I am selling him to someone else in my dynasty league and as someone that has top-five running back upside. I don't trust him and can't be a part of this relationship any longer.
I am moving on from Dalvin Cook for my new love interest in Baltimore Ravens, running back JK Dobbins. If my team was not looking like a contender this year I would target JK Dobbins and a 2021 first-round pick. If my team is a contender, I am trying to acquire JK Dobbins and another running back similar to Austin Ekeler, Kenyon Drake, even Chris Carson. Once I have him, together we will ride off into the sunset and win a future championship.
- Brian Bailey (@TheFFAviator)
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Stefon Diggs (WR - Buffalo Bills)
The one player that makes me want to seek professional help because I have trust issues with - well that's easy. That player is none other than the Buffalo Bills new wide receiver Stefon Diggs. Now before you get upset or bent out of shape, let me explain why.
You might be saying to yourself, Jim you're absolutely crazy. How can you have trust issues with a wide receiver who's coming off back to back 1,000+ yards receiving seasons. Well, it's for a couple of reasons.
First off, Diggs is far more volatile than you might realize. Last year he scored less than 10 PPR points in 6 of 13 regular-season games (46.15%). When he did hit though, he hit it big with 4 of 13 games going for 20+ points (30.7%), including a three week stretch from weeks 6-8.
A second point that draws concern to me is that in 2019, Diggs had his second-highest ADOT of his career with 10.97 yards and his highest yards per reception with 17.9. That is a full six yards higher than his career average before the 2019 season. It also correlates with the most air yards per target of his career (15.2)
My third area of concern for Diggs is his quarterback, Josh Allen. Allen isn't known for his accuracy and Diggs excels on deep routes on the right side of the field (30 of 63 receptions). In 2019, Allen had the third-worst completion percentage in the NFL at 58.9%, and second-worst of all full-time starters - just ahead of Dwayne Haskins at 58.6%. Allen is known more for his rushing capability than his arm and accuracy.
Combine all these concerns to go along with the history of wide receivers struggling in their first year with a new team, you can understand why I have trust issues with Diggs. The fact that Diggs is the WR23 in dynasty startups going ahead of the likes of Kennan Allen, Robert Woods, Tyler Boyd, and Jarvis Landry only adds to my mistrust. I can't justify the cost when 46% of the time he failed to get you 10 PPR points in 2019.
Note week two he was targeted seven times with one reception for 49 yards and a TD
The simple fact of the matter is that what you have to pay to acquire Diggs isn't worth the possible return. I'm not even going to get into my beliefs on Josh Allen and if he's the long term answer at QB for Buffalo (look for that article coming soon).
Too often in fantasy, managers cannot separate fantasy football from real-life football. Is Stefon Diggs a good football player? Absolutely. 100%! Nobody would argue with you. He's one of the best WRs in terms of route running and getting separation. He also creates opportunities for his teammates based on defenses having to account for his presence on the field. Just don't let the end of the season stat lines fool you and don't be sucked into someone that misses double digits fantasy points nearly half the time.
- Jim Nastic (@goldjacketqbs)
Austin Ekeler (RB - Los Angeles Chargers)
Trust is important. Sometimes to a fault, I've been known to place trust quickly in individuals. Believing the best in people and situations is a good quality to have, but far too often it can also be a cruel mistress. In fantasy football, as in life, trust should be earned, not given. Unlike in real life, I don't trust easily in fantasy football. Risk comes in many forms. Taking a running back with a low carry volume and likely pass-catching regression as the RB1 on my roster is a risk I'm just not willing to take.
That's right! I said it! If I were forced to place my trust in Austin Ekeler, I'd be sleeping with one eye open. The perception seems to be that Ekeler is a sure bet to challenge for top 12 status. The situation around him may not appear to have changed very much but the obvious difference is moving from the baby-making pylon Philip Rivers to the mobile journeyman in Tyrod Taylor.
For my money, the change at quarterback is all I need to know that Ekeler's certainty is a fickle beast.
Philip Rivers was historically great for a running back's target share. Only twice in the last 10 years have his running backs amassed less than 23% of his team's targets. And only once in those 10 years did he fail to target RBs more than 100 times. Rivers' lack of mobility and T-Rex throwing motion play perfectly into a heavy running back target volume. Tyrod Taylor (aka T-Mobile, aka TyGod) is a much different passer. He offers far more in the way of rushing ability and doesn't have much history throwing to a focal point receiving back. In his three years as Buffalo's full-time starter, Taylor only once gave his running backs more than 100 targets. That 2017 season was the only time Tyrod sent more than 23% of his targets to running backs as well. Tyrod's most targeted running back that season was LeSean McCoy who lead the entire team with 77 targets. Tyrod Taylor has always given wideouts and tight ends the trust, and Keenan Allen, Mike Williams, and Hunter Henry will command targets. The Chargers have a completely different team makeup than Taylor has ever been a part of.
All of this is to say that Austin Ekeler will almost assuredly see fewer targets in 2020. While most think that his carry volume is set to see a large increase, I'm not as confident. The Chargers have a track record of using a two-back system. Recently, Melvin Gordon handled the lion's share of rushing work while also soaking up targets of his own. Tyrod will likely have between 75 and 100 carries and the team likes both Justin Jackson and Joshua Kelley. With the increase in expected quarterback rushing and the team likely using a tandem at the position, it stands to reason that Ekeler may not exceed his 132 carries from 2019.
Austin Ekeler is a player who needs ample work as a receiver. More than 65% of his career fantasy points have been derived in the passing game, and in 2019 that number was over 76%. Ekeler will not score eight receiving touchdowns again this season. And if he doesn't eclipse 100 targets, fantasy rosters will suffer. Ekeler himself, his skewed volume, and his impossible efficiency are a fantasy outlier. These players can be useful when taken for their upside in the mid-rounds, but spending my second-round pick on an outlier at his ceiling is a Public Enemy to winning championships. You can't truss it!
-Travis Seel (@TSeel14)
Amari Cooper (WR Dallas Cowboys)
A tale as old as time - can you trust Amari Cooper? Some will tell you that you can trust him, while others will advise strongly against it. I think there ARE fantasy teams that can utilize a player with his frustrating skill set. With Cooper, there are some weeks you're over the moon, as you watch him rack up 11 receptions for 157 yards and a TD (week 10 in 2019), while other weeks you're wallowing in your sorrows to his abysmal 3 receptions (on 8 targets) for 38 yards and no TD (week 11 in 2019).
I, for one, am not willing to live with the risk. At the beginning of the offseason, I had come around on Amari Cooper - he's had a full season in the books to learn Kellen Moore's offense, he's built a rapport with Dak, and he signed a brand new contract extension. What could go wrong? Well, then something unexpected happened. WR CeeDee Lamb fell to the Cowboys at pick #17 in the NFL draft and Jerry Jones couldn't help himself. He scooped him up and now his team has THREE great WR options. I know what the narrative says - there are 190 vacated targets and somebody has to take them, right? Correct!! Let's break down the target totals and we can look at what to expect in 2020.
In 2019 the target distribution was:
Amari Cooper = 119 Targets
Michael Gallup = 113 Targets
Randal Cobb = 83
Jason Witten = 83
Ezekiel Elliott = 71
It's safe to assume Blake Jarwin will take most of Jason Witten's targets, but what about the rest of them? Cobb's 83 targets could EASILY be taken over to CeeDee and his playmaking ability, and I don't think it's unrealistic to think they integrate Tony Pollard into the passing game. The other big take away I have from these breakdowns is how involved Michael Gallup really was. This is a guy who had only 82 fewer yards, saw only SIX fewer targets, and just two fewer TD's than Cooper and is being drafted three rounds later! Are we REALLY sure Cooper is even the WR1 for this team in 2020?
As I stated above, Cooper DOES have fantasy value, but he's not a player I'm willing to TRUST on a weekly basis. I would rather buy the value dip on Gallup and role with his steady WR2 production.
Julien Barnett (@Julien_Barnett & @ThePointAfterFF)
Thank you for reading our article. Do you agree or disagree with any of TNFF's selections? Please leave a comment or feedback on Twitter @TrueNorthFFB or at our respective handles.
Edited by: Joe Simonetti (@joesimonetti77)
Graphic work: Dan Made Graphics (@DanMadeGraphics)

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Have you ever experienced a strange ringing sound in your ear that sounded as if a mosquito had gone in? Have you ever wondered what causes the ringing sound, and whether it is a manifestation of something more serious? If you suffer from this ringing sound (called tinnitus), then you should continue reading.
In this article, I will explore the common causes of tinnitus, and how you can distinguish the benign causes from the ominous ones.
The inner ear converts sound energy in the air to electrical energy so that it can be conducted along the hearing nerve to the brain for perception. This process of energy conversion is not totally efficient, and will result in the production of by-products. The main by-product is noise that is usually so soft that it cannot be perceived amidst the noisy din of daily living.
However, if you were to go into a quiet room, you will be able to perceive this by-product noise as a high pitch ringing sound in your ears. In ears that have degenerated with age or injured by excessive exposure to noise, the energy conversion is less efficient. The by-product noise then becomes louder and more perceptible. The tinnitus may become so loud that it can even be heard even as you are walking along a busy street!
Any form of external or middle ear hearing loss that blocks the perception of environmental noise. The inner ear by-product noises will then appear louder and perceptible.
Any type of inner ear injury that will cause inefficient conversion of acoustic sound energy into bio-electrical energy. The amount of byproduct noise is increased, and can be heard even in the presence of a noisy background environment.
The tinnitus comes from outside the ear. The noise is produced by anatomical structures that are near the ear, e.g. temporomandibular joint (lying just in front of the ear), arteries and veins near the ear, muscle contractions in the head and neck, and turbulent airflow in the nose and upper airways.
Anything that obstructs the external ear canal, like wax, foreign body or tumors will impair the passage of sound energy to the inner ear. Because the inner ear hears less of the environment, the by-product noises from the inner ear will appear louder and becomes more perceptible.
A patient of mine, Mr. Lim, visited me in my clinic complaining of right ear tinnitus for 6 months. He had been losing sleep and feeling depressed because of the tinnitus. He also found it difficult to concentrate on his work and to pay attention during night class. He had a habit of drying his ear with a cotton bud after showering.
When I examined him, I found a large piece of cotton wool blocking his ear canal. The piece of cotton wool had been resident in her ear canal for 6 months! The tinnitus disappeared instantaneously when the cotton wool was removed from his ear canal.
If you have lost your hearing because of a broken ear drum or middle ear infection, the by-product noise from the inner ear will appear louder simply because there is less environmental noise to mask it. Middle ear infections can also cause tinnitus through the production of bacterial toxins. These toxins can diffuse into and poison the inner ear. More by-products are then produced and eventually bring about tinnitus.
There are 2 tiny muscles in the middle ear that will contract when the ear is exposed to loud sounds. The contraction will stiffen up the middle ear bones and ear drum to reduce the loudness of the sounds reaching the inner ear. This contraction of the middle ear muscles protects the inner ear against exposure to loud noises.
The middle ear muscles can sometimes go into spasms and uncoordinated contractions (called myoclonus). When this happens, you will hear a clicking sound in the ear. The clicking sounds can become so loud that another person can hear it with a stethoscope. Tinnitus that can be perceived and verified by another person is described as being "objective".
Inner ear function will deteriorate with the ravages of time. Presbyacusis (presby = old, acusis = hear) or hearing loss associated with the degenerative effects of ageing causes inefficient hearing. Sound energy from the environment is being transmitted to the inner ear, but the inner ear is unable to fully convert all the energy into bio-electrical energy that the brain can recognize. This results in hearing loss and tinnitus.
Another common cause of inner ear damage is excessive exposure to loud damaging noise. This causes increased wear and tear of the inner ear – akin to jogging on the road without using proper shoes. Over time, the inner ear gets worn out and hears less efficiently. The extra by-products produced results in tinnitus.
The inner ear is affected by a large variety of lifestyle factors – diet, alcohol, tobacco, caffeine, salt, and monosodium glutamate (MSG). Some people are particularly sensitive to salt and MSG. I once treated a patient who would get severe tinnitus whenever she consumed food that contained excessive amounts of salt and MSG. Smoking can lead to tinnitus by causing a narrowing of the blood vessels that supply the inner ear.
Inner ear damage can also occur in SCUBA divers who do not observe the usual health precautions. I once treated a diver who continued to dive even though she had sinusitis and could not clear her Eustachian tubes.
During the dive, she tried to forcefully clear her Eustachian tubes, but to no avail. The increased pressure produced by the Valsalva maneuver was transmitted to the inner ear, causing a round window rupture, and she suffered an acute bout of vertigo, hearing loss and tinnitus.
There are many diseases that affect the body in general and are not specifically related to the ear. Yet they can give rise to disabling tinnitus and even hearing loss.
Conditions like anemia, diabetes, hypertension, abnormal lipid profile, high cholesterol level, kidney failure and liver problems can cause tinnitus by poisoning the inner ear with toxins and depriving it of a healthy blood supply.
Certain drugs like antibiotics, diuretics, and pain-killers can also cause tinnitus by modifying the chemistry within the inner ear.
Tumors can grow and press on the acoustic nerve, giving rise to hearing loss and tinnitus. The most common type of tumor affecting hearing is the acoustic neuroma. This is a benign tumor of the hearing nerve that normally affects only one ear.
Because these tumors are usually unilateral and affect only one ear, tinnitus and hearing loss is therefore more ominous if it affects only one side. A person with one-sided hearing loss should have his inner ears imaged with an MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) in order to exclude or confirm the diagnosis of acoustic neuroma.
This is tinnitus that is audible to another person using a stethoscope. The noises come from a source external to the ear – arteries, veins, joints, muscles, Eustachian tube and airflow in the nose and upper airways.
When tinnitus coincides with the pulse and heartbeat, it is described as "pulsatile". Pulsatile tinnitus comes from narrowed arteries in the vicinity of the ear. They may also be caused y the presence of a vascular tumor that is richly supplied with blood vessels, e.g. glomus tumor.
During pregnancy, or in people on crash diets (and losing weight rapidly), the Eustachian tube may become wider than usual (patulous Eustachian tube). The noise from the turbulent airflow in the nose and upper airways can then be transmitted easily to the ear. This gives rise to tinnitus that coincides with breathing. The patient can hear himself breathe.
Most types of tinnitus are not serious or life-threatening. However some people may worry excessively about life-threatening causes, take a pessimistic outlook, and are overly concerned about the worst case scenario. When this happens, the tinnitus becomes a bigger problem than it should be.
Although tinnitus does create some inconvenience, its impact is blown out of proportion if the sufferer worries excessively about it. It is important to manage the irrational fears and anxiety that a tinnitus sufferer experiences. Even if the tinnitus cannot be alleviated, at least its impact on life can be minimized and the quality of life enhanced.
Effective treatments are available for tinnitus. The treatment has to be customized for each individual because the causes for tinnitus differ from person to person.
Treatment can only be prescribed after a process of trouble-shooting to understand the specific factors at play in causing tinnitus. The diagnostic phase will include a thorough history taking, physical examination, endoscopic examination of the nose and throat, hearing tests, blood tests and imaging studies like CT scans and MRI.
In some situations, I would direct treatment at the annoyance and irritation that the tinnitus causes rather than the tinnitus itself. Annoyance reduction may be achieved with a combination of cognitive behavior therapy, medications and exercises. Many times, the loudness of the tinnitus decreases when the annoyance caused by the tinnitus is treated.
Improve the circulation, oxygenation and nutrition to the inner ear and brain, e.g. betahistine, niacin and carbogen (a mixture of 5% carbon dioxide and 95% oxygen).
Reduce the swelling of the inner ear that causes recurrent vertigo, hearing loss and tinnitus (Meniere's disease), e.g. steroids and diuretics.
Stabilize the connecktions between the inner ear hair cells and the hearing nerves, e.g. caroverine. Caroverine works on a specific type of tinnitus called cochlear-synaptic tinnitus.
Alleviate the stress and anxiety that comes with each attack of tinnitus, and the worry that it may be a manifestation of a more serious condition, e.g. sedatives, benzodiazepines, tranquilizers, and SSRIs (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors).
Supplement vitamins or minerals that are deficient in the diet, e.g. vitamin B complex, folate, zinc, and magnesium.
Chinese physicians have used gingko biloba leaves for centuries to treat asthma and bronchitis. Gingko has been shown to increase circulation in the body and brain. Most studies showed that 30% to 70% of subjects had reduced symptoms over a 6 to 12 week period. No serious side effects were observed. There were a few minor side effects that were not statistically significant compared to subjects treated only with placebo.
Certain techniques, like biofeedback, acupuncture, massage and aromatherapy, may help to alleviate tinnitus by reducing stress and allowing the tense body and mind to relax. Many people report that their tinnitus worsens when they are tired and stressed out from a hard day's work. Getting a good night's sleep and avoiding unneckessary bad stress will help to improve tinnitus.
Having some soothing background music while sleeping at night will help the mind relax as well as provide background noise to mask out the tinnitus.
People with tinnitus may benefit from hearing aids to enhance the perception of environmental sounds. The background noise will then suppress and block out the tinnitus. Masking is the technique of using external sounds to mask the tinnitus and to make it less disturbing. Masking machines look like hearing aids and come in both in-the-ear and portable models.
Many people also find relief from tuning a regular FM radio to an empty frequency station and listening to static. This static is the product of low frequency remnant sounds arising from the cosmic background microwave radiation, a relic from the birth of the universe during the Big Bang.
So next time if you cannot sleep because of tinnitus, you should consider listening to the birth of the universe!
Another popular method is to run a slightly noisy old electric fan, or to sleep with the bedroom windows open to let the sounds of traffic in. If you have an audio CD player, consider putting on a CD with the sounds of nature (ocean, jungle, waterfall, seaside, etc) or light music before going to bed.
The most common cause of tinnitus is over-exposure to excessively loud noise. As exposure to loud noise is usually avoidable, most cases of tinnitus are therefore preventable.
Avoid these noisy situations, or use hearing protection to reduce its damaging effects. Rock concerts, movie theatres, nightclubs, construction sites, guns, power tools, stereo headphones and loud musical instruments are just some of the things that can be hazardous to your ears.
If you experience temporary ringing sounds in your ears after being exposed to loud noise, you are at risk of suffering from hearing loss and tinnitus. If the tinnitus is causing you to worry that you might be suffering from a brain tumor, get your doctor to evaluate the problem for you.
If the tinnitus is affecting our quality of life and ability to perform and concentrate, your doctor may design a treatment strategy to reduce the impact of the tinnitus. No matter what the cause of tinnitus is, many tools are available that will help you manage and cope with the problem.
Get enough sleep and rest. Avoid sleep deprivation and excessive fatigue.
Avoid the use of nerve and brain stimulants, e.g. coffee (caffeine) and smoking (nicotine).
Accept the tinnitus as an annoying reality, and learn to ignore it as much as possible.
Know that the tinnitus will not cause you to go deaf, lose your mind, or cause death. Banish all catastrophic and terrifying thoughts from your mind.
Tinnitus is more disturbing at bedtime in quiet surroundings. Any noise in the room, such as the nearby sounds of traffic, or a CD of soothing music, will mask and cover up the irritating tinnitus and make them less annoying.
If you have significant hearing loss, a hearing aid can reduce your tinnitus by amplifying environmental sounds and masking the tinnitus.
A masking device may help reduce tinnitus by introducing external sounds. Many patients obtain relief only when the device is worn, while others find that tinnitus is reduced for hours even after the device has been removed.
Some patients become depressed when they are unable to cope with their tinnitus. These patients will benefit from tinnitus retraining therapy, tinnitus habituation, cognitive behavior therapy, physical exercise, and anti-tinnitus medication.
Stress and anxiety can amplify the perception of tinnitus, and increase the distress and annoyance caused by tinnitus. Patients can benefit from biofeedback, acupuncture, massage, aromatherapy, and stress management training.
Tinnitus is worsened by jaw (temporomandibular) or neck musculoskeletal disorders. In these cases, dental treatment or physical therapy may be helpful.


MUZAFFARABAD, Aug 15 (APP): The Prime Minister of Azad Jammu and Kashmir while terming Azad Kashmir the defense castle of Pakistan he said the threats from Indian Premier Narrender Modi was depicting his disappointment and he will be received befitting reply from the people of Azad Kashmir.
Independence day here at Azadi Chowk on Monday.
the policy of any Pakistani government but not a single Kashmiri was against the state of Pakistan and every Kashmiri have great affection towards Pakistan and Indian PM will get nothing from AJK except disappointment.
The AJK PM said Indian occupied regime has broken all previous records of barbarism in Kashmir, he continued as saying that Chengez Khan, Halaku, Alexander and English Empire came in our region but no one have such tyrannical records in their name he added.
Kashmir freedom moment and turn AJK into real base camp and he said that some constitutional changes would be made for playing active role in highlighting Kashmir cause effectively.
hatched from some political adolescents in Pakistan which was not in the interest of democracy he said adding that all issues could be resolved in democratic setup because democracy was flexible and he stressed the need for strengthening democratic system in Pakistan.
Islami Azad Kashmir and other leaders of different political and religious organizations also spoke on the occasion and expressed their solidarity with Kashmiri people and called upon the world community to move forward to play their role in resolving Kashmir dispute as per UN resolutions and wishes of Kashmiri people.


Investment Planning Book covera all details of investment avenues like Shares, Mutual Funds, Bonds, Bank Deposits, Pension Schemes, Real Estate, Commodities, Tax aving Schemes, etc. whose knowledge is essential for everyone to make their money grow.
This book also covers details about Insurance Planning, Retirement Planning and Children's Future Planning.
1. Why to Invest Money?


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   is evaluated as follows:

   1.Evaluate Expression.
   2.Call GetValue(Result(1)).
   3.Call ToBoolean(Result(2)).
   4.If Result(3) is false, go to step 7.
   5.Evaluate the first Statement.
   6.Return Result(5).
   7.Evaluate the second Statement.
   8.Return Result(7).

   Author:             christine@netscape.com
   Date:               12 november 1997
*/

var SECTION = "12.5-2";
var VERSION = "ECMA_1";
startTest();
var TITLE = "The if statement" ;

writeHeaderToLog( SECTION + " "+ TITLE);

new TestCase(   SECTION,
		"var MYVAR; if ( true ) MYVAR='PASSED'; MYVAR",
		"PASSED",
		eval("var MYVAR; if ( true ) MYVAR='PASSED'; MYVAR") );

new TestCase(  SECTION,
	       "var MYVAR; if ( false ) MYVAR='FAILED'; MYVAR;",
	       "PASSED",
	       eval("var MYVAR=\"PASSED\"; if ( false ) MYVAR='FAILED'; MYVAR;") );

new TestCase(   SECTION,
		"var MYVAR; if ( new Boolean(true) ) MYVAR='PASSED'; MYVAR",
		"PASSED",
		eval("var MYVAR; if ( new Boolean(true) ) MYVAR='PASSED'; MYVAR") );

new TestCase(   SECTION,
		"var MYVAR; if ( new Boolean(false) ) MYVAR='PASSED'; MYVAR",
		"PASSED",
		eval("var MYVAR; if ( new Boolean(false) ) MYVAR='PASSED'; MYVAR") );

new TestCase(   SECTION,
		"var MYVAR; if ( 1 ) MYVAR='PASSED'; MYVAR",
		"PASSED",
		eval("var MYVAR; if ( 1 ) MYVAR='PASSED'; MYVAR") );

new TestCase(  SECTION,
	       "var MYVAR; if ( 0 ) MYVAR='FAILED'; MYVAR;",
	       "PASSED",
	       eval("var MYVAR=\"PASSED\"; if ( 0 ) MYVAR='FAILED'; MYVAR;") );

test();

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


When we arrived in Michigan on Thursday we went straight to grandma and papa's for your big party to meet your family in Michigan!
It was a little chilly for August, so even though it was a pool party only a few of your brave cousins swam. Mommy really wanted to take you in but it was just too cold for you.
Everyone else hung out on the deck and in the house.
You got passed around from relative to relative and they all ate you up!!
You got to meet some of mommy's cousins kids for the first time too!
It was so great to have the whole family together!
You were so tired by the end of your party!
Everyone had a great time and loved meeting you and loving on you!!


She breathes so much life into this classic hymn! It's well worth a listen.
She's certainly the most successful American Idol.
She has a great voice, and performs beautifully, but I'd love to see her try out something new like Broadway classics. She probably has and I just wasn't paying attention.


The Minnesota Gophers and the Wisconsin Badgers have one of the best rivalries in the Big Ten. The rivalry is so strong it extends from the football field to the baseball and basketball venues! The Gophers and Badgers will play each other again this year in what will be one of the most exciting games of the season.
The Wisconsin Badgers have been one of the most competitive college basketball programs in the Big Ten! The Badgers are a staple in college basketball and can draw in crowds of fans for every game - both home and away.
You can expect nothing less than a competitive showing when the Gophers play the Badgers - whether the game is at Williams Arena or Kohl Center! Don't delay; purchase your Gophers Badgers basketball tickets. Watch the Gophers play the Badgers!


Went for a quick lunch with a friend of mine today & she chose Applebees. Chain restaurant food pretty much tastes the same wherever you go. I opted for a lunch combo with a half roast beef sandwich and fried chicken salad.
For $9, it was ok. The edges of the sandwich were toasted a bit much, but otherwise it was pretty good. I liked the honey mustard dressing they put on the salad.
I'm not big on chain restaurants, but the food at TGI Friday's is usually pretty good. They also have a killer vanilla bean cheesecake. For lunch today, though, I settled on a cup of broccoli cheese soup and half of a California Club sandwich.
Overall, it was a tasty lunch. The bread was very soft on the sandwich and anything that includes avocado is tops in my book. The soup was thick & cheesy. Total bill was $8.
I actually left the house today because I just couldn't miss Chocolate Sunday at Ruth Eckerd Hall. My friend Cathy and I ate at Grind House before heading over there. It was empty at noon, but I'm guessing it probably filled up as the football games started later in the afternoon.
She got a burger and I got the grilled ham and cheese with fries.
A little overly grilled in places, but still rather tasty. The bread was thick and crunchy and the ham had a nice saltiness to it. The fries were nice and crisp too. Less than $20 for the two of us.
As for Chocolate Sunday, it was really crowded. There were some interesting things to try and a few that I definitely wouldn't want seconds of. The chocolate avacado mousse didn't do it for me, neither did the sauerkraut chocolate cake. The chocolate dipped shrimp had so much cayenne pepper on it that I thought my mouth was on fire. I can't remember which restaurant had it.


text:
module Datajam
  module Chat
    module UninstallJob
      def self.perform
        # Delete all installed assets from GridFS
        fs = Mongo::GridFileSystem.new(Mongoid.database)
        Dir.glob("#{Datajam::Chat::Engine.root}/public/**/*.*") do |filepath|
          filename = filepath.gsub("#{Datajam::Chat::Engine.root}/public/", '')
          fs.delete(filename)
        end
        # Remove ChatArea instances from events
        Event.all.each do |event|
          event.content_areas.where(:area_type => 'chat_area').destroy_all
        end
        # Remove settings
        Setting.where(:namespace => 'datajam-chat').destroy_all
        Datajam::Settings.flush('datajam-chat')
      end
    end
  end
end


text:
Strauss Square Presents the Godfather of Reggae, Toots and The Maytals
Witness the legendary musical innovators, Toots & The Maytals, perform live at Strauss Square! This iconic band that inspired some of the most recognizable artists in modern music is coming to Dallas in support of their album, "Reggae Time," and promises to fill your evening with great tunes.
Toots is one of the true architects of reggae – so much so that "Do the Reggay," a 1968 single by Toots and his group, the Maytals, is credited with giving the genre its name. Classic songs written and recorded by Toots and the Maytals have been covered by the likes of the Clash and the Specials, and the group was featured in reggae's greatest breakthrough event – The Harder They Come, the 1972 Jamaican crime film that became an international sensation that earned them a cult following of devoted fans.
Toots & The Maytals have collaborated with a range from legends like Keith Richards, Eric Clapton, and Bonnie Raitt, as well as younger stars including No Doubt, the Roots, and Phish's Trey Anastasio. The caliber of these collaborators reveals the impact that Toots has had on several generations of rockers and rappers, while the many guest appearances from reggae icons Bunny Wailers and Marcia Griffiths show the respect granted to the man who might be the music's greatest living vocalist. Come experience this one-of-a-kind band's incredible live performance that is sure to be drenched in soul, rooted in gospel, and still breathtakingly powerful after almost four decades in the spotlight. They are performing live at Strauss Square on Tuesday, May 1st!
Step outside of our welcoming and comfortable community at Vail Village Club Apartments in Dallas, Texas for the day! This event is coming to town on Tuesday, and it promises to be a wonderful time!
Tuesday, May 1, 2018—7:30 PM
Strauss Square
2403 Flora Street


Stone Blue feels regal and exclusive and really holds its own in any situation.
Stone Blue feels regal and exclusive and really holds its own in any situation. This saturated colour can be used alongside anything from warm Brassica to create an interesting vintage look, to the cooler Mole's Breath for a much more contemporary feel. However when contrasted with classic Pointing woodwork it feels distinguished but familiar.


Samuel Parry is the music director of all the WACO ensembles, and founded the WA Charity Orchestra in 2008 at 18 years of age. Samuel was awarded the Pride of Australia Medal for his contribution to the community in 2017 through his work with WACO.
Samuel has a Bachelor of Music (Hons) in Multiple-Woodwind Performance and was the first student to graduate from WAAPA having studied flute, oboe, clarinet, saxophone and bassoon in a single performance degree. His research into community and charity orchestras of Australia earned him first-class honours.
He is currently the woodwind and brass tutor at St Peter's Primary School, and is casual oboist with the West Australian Symphony Orchestra and the Perth Symphony Orchestra, and has performed with the WA Youth Orchestra, Fremantle Chamber Orchestra, WAAPA Faith Court Orchestra and UWA Symphony Orchestra.
Sam Parry is not only an incredible musician and musical director, but also a joy to work with. His high expectations and goals for each WACO rehearsal and performance are achieved in an encouraging, stress free environment. Sam's vision offers players a once in a lifetime opportunity for many members and we love being a part of it.
© 2019 WACO. All Rights Reserved.


text:
Episode 1693 May 9, 2020
Leo is All ZOOMED Out...
Should I Upgrade My Blu-Ray Discs to 4k?
Scott Wilkinson ... Revoked
What's a Good Way to Project Lyrics at Church?
How Can I Get 4k With My AV Receiver?
Johnny Jet ... Grounded
How Can I Back Up Texts and Print Them?
How Can I Get Remote Internet Access On the Road?
What is a Good Soundbar for a Condo?
Should I Re-balance My Home Theater System?
Is There a Better Camera App Than the One on My Samsung Phone?
The Giz Wiz and the Hiplock
Are you tired of Zoom meetings yet? Are 4K disks worth upgrading to? Projectors for a church, AV receivers with 4K pass-through, backing up text messages for printing, internet for a laptop while traveling, a soundbar that a won't anger the neighbors, and more of your calls!
Internet and Web, Software, Mobile Phones, Hardware, Home Theater, Media
video conferencing, Tech news, zoom, physical media, 4K Blu-ray, Blu-Ray, 4K, media rights,
Scott Wilkinson ... Revoked, Johnny Jet ... Grounded, The Giz Wiz and the Hiplock
Watch Tom from California Comments
Tom wants to know how much better 4K Blu-Ray is over standard blu-ray. Should he upgrade? Leo says that 4K is 4 times more resolution than standard Blu-ray, but the big difference is the higher dynamic range (HDR). The colors are bolder, the blacks are blacker, and viewers can see more detail in extreme brightness and low light. But everything in the chain has to support 4K. The TV, the cables, the player. But Leo believes we're finally at the end of the road for physical media. So if anyone wants to upgrade to 4K for one last copy, do it because they want the HDR upgrade. If that's not important, the standard blu-ray is fine.
Watch Johnny from Atlanta, GA Comments
Johnny's church needs a way to show hymn lyrics, sermon notes, and bible verses to the entire congregation in a 4,000-foot sanctuary after the church reopens. Leo and Scott agree that he won't want a TV to show it because a 98" TV would cost in the tens of thousands of dollars, while a projector capable of projecting to 100" or larger is very affordable. Scott says he will also want to get an ambient light rejecting screen to help during the daylight hours. Scott also recommends Johnny go to ProjectorCentral.com and check out their church projection buyer's guide.
Watch Larry from Petaluma, CA Comments
Larry has 12-year-old florescent backlit TV and it's time to upgrade to 4K. It's in a surround sound system with a Denon receiver and he would rather not upgrade that as well. Leo says there is an "upgrade cascade" that happens when there is a home theater system. If an AV system drives video, then users have to upgrade it. But if it's just running the audio, they'll be fine. Just use the optical out on a new TV. Upgrade the ROKU box to 4K capable. But what's even more important is the HDR support 4K brings. Leo adds to take the Denon and plug it into the 4K TV along with a device and see what the TV is seeing. It'll likely be 1080p60, not 4K.
From Mike in the chatroom - HDMI 2.0/HDCP, which is supported by most current products, will do 4K.
Watch Linda from Los Angeles, CA Comments
Linda wants to know how to backup her iPhone text messages and print them out? Leo says to go into the settings on the iPhone and look to see that messages are being stored on iCloud. She can email messages, saved by conversation. Tap and hold, copy and then paste into an email message. She can also print messages directly from a Mac. Leo also recommends eCamm Phone View.
From the chatroom -https://www.easeus.com/iphone-data-transfer/three-simple-ways-to-print-out-text-messages-from-iphone.html.
https://imazing.com/guides/how-to-print-iphone-text-messages-sms-and-imessages
Watch Kathy from Southern California Comments
Kathy's daughter got a new job and she needs remote internet access. How can she do that without tethering to her phone? Leo says tethering her phone is probably the best option out there. But she could get what's called a MiFi card, which will provide cellular data and a wifi access point for up to five different devices. Contact the wireless carrier.
Watch Chris from Burbank, CA Comments
Chris lives in a condo and he wants a good soundbar that won't drive the neighbors nuts. Leo says that the low-frequency stuff from a subwoofer tends to go right through walls. He can get soundbars with subwoofers, even wireless ones. And they provide a richer sound from that soundbar. And there's a soundbar for every budget. Vizio is a great performance price for the money. Under $300. He can even get one supporting Atmos at Home. Klipsch is another brand.
Watch Paul from Columbus, OH Comments
Chris has a home theater system with a balancing mic to adjust the quality of his system for his home. Leo says that is a great thing to be able to do, especially if he will add speakers over time. So if you add a piece of furniture or a subwoofer, definitely rebalance the system.
Watch Ron from Charlotte, North Carolina Comments
Ron wants to know if there's a better camera app than the Samsung camera app. Leo says that Google's GCam is one. But it's just a generic camera. The Samsung camera can take advantage of a lot of features of a phone camera itself. But there are hundreds of camera apps on the Google Play store.
Creedance Clearwater Revival - Travelin' Band
Was (not Was) - Walk The Dinosaur
Teena Marie - It Must Be Magic
Evelyn Champagne King - Shame
Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers - Anything That's Rock n' Roll
Little Richard - Good Golly Miss Molly
Scott joins Leo and chimes in on a court case over whether people actually "own" the DVDs and digital media that they buy.
Website of the week - Andys Travel Blog: Grounded Planes.
Dick Debartolo
Hiplok Z Lok are reusable security ties designed to provide fast, conveniently added protection for shortstops. They can be used as basic security for bikes, luggage at the airport, etc.


text:
Azores Assignation
Ekleyen admin tarih 11 Ocak 2021
Edgar steadied himself against the bulkhead as the wake of a passing yacht sent his own ship to wallowing and scraping against the dock. He was hunched over the sink in the closely confined space, space being at a premium even in a Latitude 44 such as he'd sailed from Marseilles to the harbor town of Horta on Azores' Faial Island. He believed that he could find exactly what he wanted here, and he'd been preparing himself for the greater part of the morning to make the most of himself.
He was pleased enough with his form, fancying himself as looking a decade younger at least than his well-pampered fifty-two. He sighed at that thought, though, a decade younger not really making the difference he sought. It got no easier the older he got, although he found that a thick wallet helped considerably. He was leaning into the small mirror over the basin in the eternal search for gray hairs and plucking at the most noticeable ones; he was years beyond eradicating them all, and in Marseilles Tony had said his graying temples were distinguished, so maybe he should just make do with that thought. The wallowing of the ship certainly wasn't helping him in his quest, and at least he still had a full head of hair. There were men far younger than he was who couldn't say that.
He stood back as far as he could and peered into the mirror. Yes, everything seemed to be in as good an order as he could expect. He was really quite presentable. The thought of what he was about to do was arousing, and he felt the knob of his cock rub against the cotton of his stark-white cotton trousers. He had thought long and hard whether to wear anything under the trousers and was glad that he'd decided against it. He liked the feel of his cock being free and just below one thin layer of cloth.
Just one more thing: the hanky. He'd been intrigued to hear that they still followed the hanky code in the Azores. He was sorry that the code had gone out of style in Europe. The preliminaries could be a little difficult these days. It had always been so easy to tell when the hanky code was in vogue there. He reached over to his kit bag and pulled out the orange one. Yes, this was going to be an "anything, anytime, anywhere" day for him. At his age there was so little time and fewer and fewer opportunities. He no longer could be picky and spend time deciding exactly what he was interested in at the moment with any hope of finding a hookup. So, it was anything, anytime, anywhere for him—and he'd probably have to pay for it to boot.
While contemplating this, he dug into his kit and pulled out a tube of lubricant. Pulling down the rump of his slacks with one hand, he worked a glob of the lubricant into his hole with the other. He'd enjoy the squishy feeling of the lube inside his channel as he walked, and an anything, anywhere, anytime assignation could easily be one short on opportunity to prepare well enough. Pulling the slacks back over his plump rump, he dropped the tube in his pocket and opened the cabinet under the basin and selected three packets of ribbed condoms and pocketed those as well.
Edgar carefully folded the orange hanky and inserted it in his right shirt pocket, letting several inches of the hanky show. He'd selected a stark-white sports shirt to top his white cotton slacks precisely so that the bright orange hanky in his right shirt pocket could not be missed. Then, taking one last appraising look at himself in the mirror and convincing himself, by squinting, that he was seeing what he wanted to see, he turned, walked out on the deck of the tug-like yacht and across the teak deck and jumped up to the pier. Looking up at the tiers of buildings of the town of Horta rising up from the busy yacht basin, he smiled at the prospect of what lay ahead and set out for Peter's Café Sport.
At the café, Edgar selected a table back out of the sun, under the awning, near the side wall, and sat down, facing the yacht basin. There were few other patrons about at this time of the morning, which Edgar had been told was the best time for what he wanted. He ordered two Magna beers, which assured that the waiter wouldn't be back to fawn over him anytime soon. canlı bahis As he was nursing the first beer, he focused on exactly what he thought he was looking for.
The young man was perhaps in his mid twenties, dark-skinned, possibly Moroccan, but with handsome, chiseled features that hinted of French ancestry as well. Jet-black hair, close cropped, thick and curly. A three-day growth of beard that obviously was kept at that length because it suited the face well, although the impression was left that his hair grew quickly. Edgar contemplated how a hairy chest usually went with that—and was glad for that. Tall, well-muscled, but still looking very trim. The young hunk moved gracefully, like a dancer or an athlete as he picked out a table in the sun, on the same side of the café as Edgar, but choosing to sit facing the café rather than the yacht basin, so that he and Edgar were facing each other. He was sitting on the side of the table away from the other café patrons, as was Edgar. From the chest down only within the view of Edgar. He was wearing white, silky, draw-string shorts with a buttoned fly, and, similar to Edgar, a stark-white cotton sport shirt. Edgar sucked in his breath as he looked down at the young man's feet. He was wearing open-toed sandals. The feet were big and long, the toes long and plump.
And it was the sport shirt that caught Edgar's full attention. It was sleeveless, showing off the young man's well-developed biceps, and had button-down flaps on its shirt pockets. And attached to the right pocket was an unmistakable signaling device. Edgar's hands started to tremble and he had to set his Magna bottle on the table top. The young man had a black, rubbery cock ring, one of those ones with five knobs around the periphery, suspended from his right pocket. A giver. Exactly what Edgar was looking for. Edgar felt his knees go weak. The cock ring must be at least two inches across. His eyes went back to those long plump toes. Edgar could feel his cock stirring.
A waiter was at the young man's table, and Edgar heard him order a bottle of Cergal beer, but when the waiter was almost back at the bar near the door into the café's interior, the young man rose and took two steps toward him and changed his order to a bottle of Magna. He had turned away from Edgar, Edgar gasped audibly when he saw a mustard yellow hanky peeking out of the left back pocket of the young man's shorts. It was a color Edgar knew well; it declared over eight inches of available service.
Edgar's hand went to his lap. His cock was hard, and he rubbed across it through the material of his slacks. Thank god the Azores were still on the hanky code system. Less than a half hour and Edgar had found exactly what he wanted. It was almost too good to be true. Then Edgar chuckled. Reality was what you made of it, of course.
He looked up to discover that the young man was looking at him and was smiling. The young man slowly lifted his bottle of Magna almost to his lips. Edgar watched in fascination as the young man opened his lips and pushed his tongue out into the opening of the bottle and pushed it back and forth into the neck of the bottle. Then he extracted his tongue and turned the opening of the bottle until it faced Edgar. All of the time the young man was staring at Edgar with a little smile of challenge in his eyes. Edgar picked up his own beer bottle in a trembling hand and slowly closed his lips over and down the sides of the neck of the bottle, slowly pulled it away and then took it in again.
The young man pointed down in his lap, and Edgar looked down to find that the young man had unbuttoned his fly and the side of a thick, brown cock was showing below a thatch of curly black hair. Edgar fumbled around in a pocket, nearly overcome with arousal, and pulled out his wallet and set it down on the table and laid one of the condom packets on top of it.
The signaling was complete. The contract made.
The young man stood and slowly walked away from the café, up the cobble-stoned street rising beside the café and up into the town of Horta, away from the piers. Edgar stood, still trembling and followed the young man at bahis siteleri a distance of some twenty feet. The young man sharply turned to the right behind the back of the café and Edgar followed him back along a narrow path with the back wall of the café at one side and lush semitropical foliage pushing out into the walkway behind a short retaining wall on the other side. Far enough down the pathway that he could not be seen from the street, the young man sat down on the retaining wall. He was pulling off a sandal when Edgar reached him.
"Here suck these," the young man demanded in a rich, deep voice, in English kissed by a French accent, as Edgar sank to his knees on the pathway and took the long plump toes into his mouth and sucked on them. The young man had released his cock and was slowly pumping himself up.
"Now suck this."
Edgar sighed with pleasure as he turned his attention to the thick, brown cock.
"All of it. Take it all," the young man growled, as he palmed the back of Edgar's head and held his face close into his crotch. Edgar had all of the cock throated, but he began to gag as the cock lengthened and thickened inside him. He fought the gag reflex, though, because he was loving this, a vigorous young cock to suck on.
But then the young man was pulling out of him and standing and buttoning his fly.
"Come with me," he said. "I have a room nearby. I fuck you hard, yes? You pay me, yes?"
"Yes, yes, and yes," Edgar gasped out as he struggled back to his feet. Ninth heaven. Well worth the sail out to the islands.
In the small hotel room, less than a block from the café, the young man had only one question. "You know what the orange cloth means, yes?"
"Yes," Edgar said. "Anything, anytime, anywhere." But he was a little fearful when he said it because he could see what the young man had laid out on the nightstand next to the single bed—leather restraints, a ball gag, and a big, thick black rubber dildo.
In short order, Edgar was on his back, naked, on the bed; his wrists tied to the brass railing of the headboard over his head; the orange hanky stuffed in his mouth, held inside by the ball gag; two pillows under the small of his back, pushing his pelvis up off the bed, and a magnificently naked young man standing between his spread thighs and working the dildo inside his channel. The dildo was big and thick, but it wasn't as big as the nine incher pushing out of the black thicket of hair below the young man's belly.
Edgar was writhing and moving his pelvis off the leverage of his heels dug into the surface of the bed in countermotion to the invading, twisting dildo. The veins on his neck were bulging out as were his eyes, and he was screaming in muffled tones through the gag. Being taken hard. Loving every stroke of it.
When he was well open, the young man fiddled around in the pocket of Edgar's trousers and came up with one of the ribbed condoms, which he rolled onto his cock, barely being able to get it over what he was packing. He then pulled the dildo out, and almost teasingly, screwed it in one more time, to the bottom, to a depth and with the effect of lifting Edgar's pelvis off the pillows with a loud, muffled groan, pulled it out quickly, thrust it in again hard, and then pulled it out and exchanged it for a longer, thicker, throbbing, flexible brown cock. Pumping, pumping, pumping, while Edgar writhed and luxuriated under him.
Edgar achieved an ejaculation that far surpassed, both in force and in volume, any he had accomplished in his four month of cruising around the Mediterranean. He collapsed with a satisfied, exhausted sigh as the young man was still stroking deep inside him.
The young man smiled a sneery smile and said. "You want me to come too?"
Edgar wagged his head yes. He so wanted to tell the young man that he wanted him to strip the condom off and to fill him with his semen, deep inside him. But he was gagged and couldn't do that. A minor disappointment. But he wouldn't think about it, wouldn't let that mar the glorious fucking he was getting.
The young man was fumbling around in the pockets of Edgar's trousers bahis şirketleri again and came out with Edgar's wallet. Holding it up in front of Edgar's eyes, he said, in that deep, mesmerizing voice of his, "If you have enough for me in this wallet, I come. If not, I don't." He put his hand in the wallet and brought out the banknotes and fanned them out. "You are in luck. You have enough for bareback even. You want that?"
Edgar wagged his head yes vigorously, and watched in fascination as the young man withdrew from him and rolled off the ribbed condom.
The young man fucked him hard, fast, and deep then for several minutes, while Edgar arched up into him, spreading his thighs as widely as he could to get the full effect of the skin stroking on his channels walls. The young man ripped off the ball gag just before he ejaculated, and they cried out in unison at the prolonged bathing of Edgar's insides.
Edgar's blood was chilled while the young man was freeing him, when he said, "You came by yacht, did you not? I saw you walking up the pier. You have a nice yacht, yes? You have a lot of nice things on this yacht of yours, yes?"
"Umm . . . I don't . . ." Edgar murmured.
"We go to your yacht now, yes?" the young man asked, turning on that slightly sneery smile, which entirely changed the demeanor of his handsome face.
"No, no . . . I don't think . . ."
"We go to your yacht now yes." And it was no longer a question. The young man waved the saliva-slickened orange cloth in front of Edgar's face. "You signaled anything, anytime, anywhere. We go to your yacht now." He was holding Edgar close in to him and he took Edgar's mouth in his and kissed him brutally in a maneuver that ended in biting Edgar's lip and causing him to yip and gasp. The unexpected pain gave Edgar's dick a jolt. As brutal as the kiss was, it was also deeply sensual. Everything about this young man and everything he did to Edgar was arousing to Edgar.
The young man held Edgar's elbow to the threshold of pain as they stumbled down the cobble-stoned street and onto the pier. Edgar led him directly to his yacht, and when they were aboard, the young man pushed Edgar through the lounge and into the stateroom, pulling at Edgar's clothes and his own as they moved through the cabins. They were both naked again by the time they reached Edgar's berth. The young man pushed Edgar down hard on his belly on the berth and barked out, "up on your knees, chest down, and legs spread wide. Now!"
Edgar had barely gotten into the demanded position before the young man was saddled over his hips and was thrusting inside him again, bottoming quickly. He was holding Edgar up with a palm on his belly and was squeezing Edgar's balls and pulling on his cock with the other. His fucking was frenzied now, the sliding of the cock now completely unhindered, aided by the mix of lubrication and previous come inside Edgar's channel. Both were vocal now, the young hunk's deep bass drowning out Edgar's higher-pitched moans and groans and cries at the total magnificent fucking he was getting.
Edgar shot his load for a second time under the attention of the young man's strong fist—once more a large glob of cum in three strong spoutings. And then Edgar's knees gave out, and he sank stretched out full on the bed, with the young man coming down with him, his cock still deeply embedded, riding him hard for ten minutes more to his own ejaculation.
When he had come, the young man went into a slow collapse beside Edgar on the bed, both now stretched out full length on their sides, panting heavily, the slick sweat on the young man's curly-haired chest slicking up Edgar's trembling back.
Still churning languidly in a side-split, the young man brought his lips to Edgar's ear.
"Was that what you wanted, Ed? Did that do it?"
"Yes, Tony, that certainly did it. Did you see how strongly I came? This was just what I needed."
"Yes, I found it nice too, my love," Tony whispered. "But we could have had this fantasy back in Marseilles, you know. We didn't have to come all of the way to the Azores for this."
"Yes, but it pleases me, and I can afford it. Oh, god, to be as young virile again. I feel you rising again. I'm not sure I can . . ."
"Yes, you can . . . and you will," Tony growled in that low voice of his, already beginning to take control again.


There are many benefits associated with coworking spaces. The first benefit of utilizing the coworking spaces for your business is that you will enjoy reduced costs. Since the coworking spaces are far much cheaper than the conventional office outlets, you get to save more. Second, you get a ready to go space. This means that furniture such as tables and chairs are already provided in a coworking environment. Selecting the coworking space that will rhyme with all your working needs may, however, be a difficult task. Choosing the right coworking space for all your needs gives you a chance of enjoying most of the benefits that comes with these option. To choose a perfect coworking space, you will need to consider a number of factors.
Ownership of vehicles is the dream of many people, and this dream is influenced by many reasons. The preference of a person and the money that they have saved towards the goal of buying a vehicle is what usually determines the type of vehicle that one can buy. If you do not have enough money to buy a brand new vehicle, you can opt for second hand vehicles which have been used previously. Buying previously owned vehicles is one of the option that most people opt for, given that there are a lot of people in need of vehicles. This article will help you understand why the previously owned and used vehicles are beneficial to you.
For the people who know the importance of going about it, it is always necessary for one to get the preferred details on it. This requires one to incorporate manicure, pedicure, and body waxing service. The manicure and pedicure services maintaining and keeping nails to their shape and best outlook. The bikini service is known as removal of pubic hair using special designed kind of wax. It is considered relevant for one to settle on the best offering service provider to have this offered. If you are interested in maintaining your appearance through the above services and do not know how to go about it, see this page for more information.
It is important for one to look for the well-established company. To be comprehended on these services it is always important to understand this through other customers. It is necessary for one to understand this from the company page if they have any. It is always essential for you to inquire about the company's terms of service. It calls for one knowing if the company is well accommodating for what you need to be done.
You might find a lot of qualified and well-respected dentist in your area. Just like any other big cities, you can find a dentist in your area that is capable of diagnosing and treating different kinds of dental problems. There are also a lot of dentists that will be performing advanced procedures like surgery. There are also other specialty dental practices as well as oral maxillofacial surgeons, periodontists, prosthodontists, endodontists, radiologists, and orthodontists.
You can also search the internet if you are looking for a dentist. There are a lot of dentists out there that have their own website, from there you can find the services that they are offering. But before you do that, you need to take note of some important factors first.
As a result of the tough times we witness and happen to be in today, just all in an effort to see their costs lowered and as such enjoy better business profits, quite a number of the businesses out there have opted for the purchase of the used machinery and equipment. What has been established from studies has shown that such businesses that have managed to either maintain their businesses or grow them in times of recession happen to gain more in market share and get out of the recession stronger when the economy gets back to a boom.
Most people that own some business buildings are the ones that tend to put up the commercial roofs more. The commercial roofs are of different designs and shapes. Different companies manufacture them. These manufacturing companies have to be licensed for them to be allowed to carry out their business activities. These commercial roofing firms need to employ skilled employees so that they will be able to give the roofing services to people that need them. The article explains the factors that you need to put in mind while looking for the best commercial roofing company.
You should know that your family members more so the elderly and those with assisted living needs should be taken care of and finding the best nursing home for the is the best decision. There are so many reasons that contribute one to choosing the nursing home, and one of them is having a busy schedule at work and lack time to spend with them. It is essential that you get to take your loved one to the best nursing home that is well reputed since not all are the best and right to choose. In order for you to be in a position of making the right selection of the best nursing home you will adhere to the following factors.


If you want to avoid spending money on the storage of your motorcycle, then one solution is to keep it in your house or flat. The plus point is that this option is free, but it does have its disadvantages. With ground floor homes in particular, you risk your bike being seen by potential intruders; whilst it's something that could be taken in a potential burglary.
If you have a garage available at your property, then this presents a better option than simply storing your bike in your home. Once again, there's no cost involved and it won't take up any of your living space. If you're away for an extended spell of time though, there are no extra measures to protect your bike with relation to attempted break-ins.
You could look into spending money on a new bike shed. With thousands of products to choose from, you're likely to find one suitable to your needs. Whilst bike sheds make it much more difficult for someone to steal your bike, they do advertise that you're keeping one on your property to more determined intruders.
Another option for those not looking to part with any money is to ask if you can store your bike with friends or family. This can be useful for people without access to a bike shed or garage; or those living in small homes. The downside is the inconvenience that your bike is likely to cause them - and the subsequent lack of control related to how exactly it will be stored when you're not there.
If you want complete piece of mind, then a secure storage facility is always going to win out. Handily, at Motorcycle Delivery UK this is one of our specialties. We can store your bike in our 1250-square foot unit - which is dedicated entirely to the storage of our customer's motorcycles.
Situated on a busy, gated industrial estate; our facility is monitored by 24-hour remote CCTV and features a cutting-edge 175-decibel alarm system. This is now directly linked to the police. With prices starting from as little as £10 per week, you'd be hard-pressed to find better.
Here at Motorcycle Delivery UK, we also continue to provide a range of motorcycle transportation and delivery options to our customers. To speak to us about either of these things – or find out more about our secure motorcycle storage solutions – please don't hesitate to contact us today. You can do so by calling 07956 592 177; or by sending us an email to info@motorcycledelivery.co.uk.
UK Bike Deliverys are great,awsome service,and very affordable,I will always use them,and recommend them to family and friends!!!
These guys are great if you are wanting a bike piked up that's too far away for you to collect,very affordable and great service,I recommend to everyone.


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Fresh Faces Top National Swimmer of the Week Awards
by Jason Marsteller
19 February 2014, 09:11am
CARTHAGE, Wisconsin, February 19. PLENTY of new faces adorned the CollegeSwimming.com National Swimmers of the Week awards this week.
Special thanks to CollegeSwimming.com for providing the following snippets on their award winners!
Division I Women
The Women's Division I Philip Hunsaker CollegeSwimming.com Swimmer of the Week is University of New Hampshire Junior Katie Mann (Prince George, British Colombia). Mann set three new meet and America East Conference open records over the weekend, while winning two events. Mann won the 200 IM in a time of 1:59.12, more than a second faster than the previous record. She also won the 400 IM, breaking her own record by nearly a second (4:14.10). Finally in a time trial she shattered the 200 breaststroke record by nearly 2 seconds, clocking a 2:10.30. Mann was also on the winning America East Conference breaking 400 medley relay.
Division I Men
Zach Bunner (Marietta, Ga), a UVA Freshman is the Philip Hunsaker CollegeSwimming.com Men's Division I Swimmer of the Week. Bunner picked up two event wins at the Cavalier Invite Feb. 14-15, including the 200 fly and the 100 back. His time of 48.09 in the 100 back ranks as the 10th-fastest mark on UVa's all-time list and as the eighth-fastest time in the conference this year. His time of 1:46.58 in the 200 fly ranks 11th in the ACC this year.
Division II Women
Wayne State Senior Kayla Scott (Rochester, Mich) is the Philip Hunsaker CollegeSwimming.com Division II Women's Swimmer of the Week. At the GLIAC Championships Scott broke a NCAA Division II National Record in the 100 breast, finishing in a time of 1:01.33. Additionally, Scott posted impressive times in the 200 IM (2:04.53), 100 fly (57.19), and 200 breast (2:16.86). In relay action she contributed to the winning 200 medley relay (1:42.72), the winning 200 free relay which set a new meet record (1:32.84) leading off in an impressive 23.82, the winning and meet record setting 400 medley relay (3:44.17).
Division II Men
Winning the Philip Hunsaker CollegeSwimming.com Men's Division II Swimmer of the Week is Ashland Freshman Philipp Sikatzki. Philipp was also named the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Swimmer of the Meet. Philipp won three individual even, two in both meet and conference record times. Breaking Conference Records, he won the 100 fly (47.24), 100 back (47.10), while also posting an impressive win in the 50 free (20.21). He also competed on the second place 200 free relay, the third place 400 medley relay, the second place 400 free relay, and the third place 200 medley relay.
Division III Women
The Philip Hunsaker CollegeSwimming.com Women's Division III Swimmer of the Week is Johns Hopkins Senior Taylor Kitayama (Boulder, Co). At the Bluegrass Mountain Conference Championships Taylor placed third in the 200 IM (2:03.95), second in the 100 back (54.51), and second in the 200 back (1:58.59), finishing behind Division II record setter Caroline Arakelian (1:56.40). Taylor also contributed to some JHU relays, leading off the winning 200 medley relay in an impressive 25.72 (1:42.24), the second place 400 medley relay (3:47.08), and the winning 800 free relay (7:23.72).
Division III Men
The Men's Division III Philip Hunsaker CollegeSwimming.com Swimmer of the Week is TCNJ Senior Stephen Tarnowski. At the 2014 Metropolitan Collegiate Championships the Wildwood Crest Beach Patrol open water swimmer was second in the 500 free (4:31.55), first in the 200 free (1:38.16), and fourth in the 200 backstroke (1:51.24) while posting a 1:50.37 in the preliminaries. He also contributed to the second place 800 free relay (6:42.42), and lead off the second place 400 free relay (2:59.38) in a time of 45.33.


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Teamcenter 2007 Named One of the Year's Top 50 Technologies by START-IT Magazine
PLANO, Texas, November 21, 2007 – Siemens PLM Software, a division of Siemens Automation and Drives (A&D) and a leading global provider of product lifecycle management (PLM) software and services, today announced that its Teamcenter® 2007 PLM portfolio was honored as one of the year's Top 50 Technologies by the editors of START-IT magazine.
Teamcenter 2007 is the latest release of Teamcenter, the industry's most widely used PLM portfolio. Despite being launched less than two months ago on October 2, Teamcenter 2007 was selected from hundreds of applicants to receive this award due to its unique ability to enable manufacturers to enhance innovation while reducing their overall cost of PLM ownership. Boasting a complete service-oriented architecture (SOA), easy-to-use interface and comprehensive end-to-end PLM solution set, Teamcenter 2007 establishes greater productivity for manufacturers through a single source of product and process knowledge.
"The editors here at START-IT got a preview of Teamcenter 2007 shortly before its official launch date in October and we could see immediately it was a top candidate to receive this award," said Peggy Smedley, editorial director of START-IT. "This is the type of innovative technology that helps manufacturers enhance revenue opportunities and improve business practices – and that is exactly why it was selected as a winner."
START-IT magazine helps manufacturers take full advantage of the power of partnerships by emphasizing the importance of IT partnerships and how these partners are working together to reach their goals through the use of technology. The Top 50 Technologies Awards honor products that target the manufacturing space and help companies to improve their business practices. Winning products were gauged on their uniqueness and functionality in the market.
"We are honored to receive this recognition for all the effort that has gone into developing and delivering the world's first truly integrated PLM solution based on an SOA approach," said Steve Bashada, vice president of Teamcenter Applications, Siemens PLM Software. "While Teamcenter has received many awards over the past several years, the START-IT Top 50 Technologies Award highlights how Teamcenter 2007 marks a new era in PLM."
About Siemens PLM Software
Siemens PLM Software, a division of Siemens Automation and Drives (A&D), is a leading global provider of product lifecycle management (PLM) software and services with 4.6 million licensed seats and 51,000 customers worldwide. Headquartered in Plano, Texas, Siemens PLM Software's open enterprise solutions enable a world where organizations and their partners collaborate through Global Innovation Networks to deliver world-class products and services.
About Siemens Automation and Drives
The Siemens Automation and Drives Group (A&D), Nuremberg, Germany, is the leading manufacturer in this field worldwide. Products supplied by A&D include standard products for the manufacturing and process industries and for the electrical installation industry as well as system solutions, for example for machine tools, and solutions for whole industries such as the automation of entire automobile factories or chemical plants. Supplementing this range of products and services, A&D also offers software for linking production and management (horizontal and vertical IT integration) and for optimizing production processes. A&D employs 70,600 people worldwide and in fiscal year 2006 (to September 30) earned a group profit of €1.572 billion on sales of €12.848 billion and orders of €14.108 billion, according to U.S. GAAP. Further information about A&D is available in the Internet at www.siemens.com/automation.
Note: Siemens and the Siemens logo are registered trademarks of Siemens AG. Teamcenter is a trademark or registered trademark of Siemens Product Lifecycle Management Software Inc. or its subsidiaries in the United States and in other countries. All other trademarks, registered trademarks or service marks belong to their respective holders.


Glenn Hughes, also known as "The Voice of Rock", is a bassist and vocalist who fronted Finders Keepers in the 1960s, and the British funk rock band Trapeze. He was the lead vocalist for Black Sabbath in the mid 1980s and he joined forces alongside David Coverdale in the Mk. III & IV line-ups of Deep Purple.


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Premium Home Chevron icon It indicates an expandable section or menu, or sometimes previous / next navigation options. Tech
This startup, founded by ex-Google and Palantir staffers, uses AI to generate realistic voiceovers. Here's the 14-slide pitch deck ElevenLabs used to raise $2 million.
Riddhi Kanetkar
ElevenLabs cofounders, Mati Staniszewski (CEO), and Piotr Dabkowski (CTO).
ElevenLabs
London-based ElevenLabs has raised $2 million in pre-seed funding from Credo Ventures.
The startup has developed an AI voice tool that can generate realistic speech in different languages.
We got a look at the 14-slide deck used to raise the fresh funds.
A startup that has developed an AI-based voice tool that creates realistic speech output has raised $2 million in pre-seed funding from Credo Ventures.
London-based ElevenLabs, the brainchild of ex-Googler Piotr Dabkowski, the startup's CTO, and Palantir alumni Mati Staniszewski, CEO, has designed a platform that allows users to create text-to-speech voiceovers and audio dubs in different languages.
The company also conducts research into AI voice intelligence, so it can hone its product offering and provide realistic speech synthesis tools across a range of languages.
"We synthesize speech that takes context into account and conveys it accordingly," Staniszewski told Insider. "What we figured out in that research space is to understand the text, so we are able to produce something that wasn't possible before."
The research has been focused on developing text-to-speech models that can take context into account when delivering speech; this allows for the tool to generate "human intonation and inflection", and make the output as realistic as possible. The startup is now in the process of patenting its technology.
Its use cases span a range of sectors, from YouTube creators using it for dubbing their voices in different languages, to publishers using the platform to narrate audiobooks.
"We see a big set of tools for independent publishers, authors, and newsletter writers, who rely on long-form to tell a story," Staniszewski said. "A lot of current companies can create short clips of speech," he added, but ElevenLabs "can rely on context" to render "huge amounts of text."
As a research-oriented company, exploring voice cloning is also a growing focus for the team. The startup is developing a tool that can "create and replicate voices very quickly" — so users can generate long-form recordings in their original voice, without voicing the content themselves.
ElevenLabs currently offers a monthly subscription service, which includes a free tier for trying out the technology, and then a standard tier for creators.
Both first-time founders were debating which funding avenues to take, including whether or not to work with a startup accelerator — but ultimately decided against this route after they had been accepted onto a program.
"We knew what we needed to do in research, so we decided not to go down the accelerator route," Staniszewski said.
The startup's niche focus on AI in voice intelligence — a fairly nascent field in Europe — helped cinch their funding efforts. The pre-seed round was led by Czech-based early-stage venture capital firm Credo Ventures, which has previously backed UiPath and Apiary. Additional funding came from London-based pre-seed fund Concept Ventures, and angel investors such as Peter Czaban and Tytus Cytowski, among others.
With the fresh funds, the startup will launch its beta platform, and hone in on its product offering. Its long-term goal is to make speech accessible in any language, and a portion of the funds will fuel further research into automated dubbing.
Check out the 14-slide deck used to raise the fresh funds.
Features AI


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What Are Upstanders?
Frontline Upstanders
Citizen Upstanders
Celebrity Upstanders
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Press Release: Enough Project Applauds NBC for Law and Order SVU Episode on Uganda Rebel Group
Enough Team March 27, 2009 No comments
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Posted by Enough Team on March 27, 2009
Eileen White Read, 202.741.6376
eread@enoughproject.org
RELEASE: Enough Project Applauds NBC for Law & Order SVU Episode on Uganda Rebel Group
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Enough Project, which has served as adviser for an episode of the television series Law & Order Special Victims Unit scheduled to run on March 31, applauds NBC Universal and Executive Producer Dr. Neal Baer for the episode's sensitive portrayal of difficult and ongoing issues in Africa.
In the episode, entitled "Hell," a young female Ugandan turns up in New York City with a severe knife wound, and doctors notice that her body displays evidence of long-term physical and sexual abuse. The young African girl, when asked who hurt her, makes a stick drawing of a devil. The girl's character, and that of a young boy – a former "child soldier" – were written to symbolize the plight of survivors of the 22-year war in Northern Uganda waged by the Lord's Resistance Army, or LRA, a brutal rebel group known for abducting an estimated 20,000 children. The group forced thousands of boys to become child soldiers and girls to become sex slaves and "wives" to its commanders.
Information about the LRA and issues surrounding its activities were provided by Enough's Co-founder John Prendergast and Uganda-based policy researcher Julia Spiegel. As an educational tool to accompany the episode, Law & Order has been featuring the Enough Project on its website throughout the month of March. On the Enough Project website, a box on the home page sends visitors to a special section, "An In-Depth Look at the Lord's Resistance Army," featuring policy research reports, stories of survivors, multimedia content, and actions activists can take. As recent Enough Project reports have noted, the scourge of the LRA continues; although the unit was forced from Uganda in 2006, it has in recent years wreaked havoc in Democratic Republic of the Congo, southern Sudan, and Central African Republic.
"In our continuing commitment to bring the audience stories that resonate with timely social issues, SVU presents the plight of child soldiers, innocent children throughout the world who are being forced, often under threat of death, to commit atrocities against others," says Dr. Baer. "We have had the privilege of working with John Prendergast, who has guided us with his expertise and shown us that only by knowing the truth, can we act to stop this horror."
"Law & Order is taking on the very hard issue of child soldiers in a sensitive way," says Prendergast. "The death of Elijah, the former child soldier, illuminates the stories of thousands of children all around the world who are in captivity, forced to fight in wars and commit atrocities. The hell on earth referred to in the episode is the area of central Africa destabilized by the Lord's Resistance Army, a Ugandan militia that abducts children to act as child soldiers and sex slaves. Countering the LRA and freeing the child soldiers and concubines are urgent human rights priorities. International action is needed, and hopefully the Law & Order episode can contribute to galvanizing that action."
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382 Bedroom, 5 Star Hotel & Workspace at 61-65 Holborn Viaduct, London
Following the approval of planning permission in January 2020, demolition works have commenced on site and following completion it is expected that construction will commence shortly.
The Dominvs Group development designed by Sheppard Robson will contain a 382 bedroom 5 star hotel, in excess of 40,250 sq ft of workspace as well as a skybar, restaurant, meeting & event space and a spa.
The facade design provides a 40,000 sq ft green wall which will be the largest in Europe and will help to absorb some 8.5 tonnes of pollution each year, whilst producing 6.3 tonnes of oxygen. The estimated 400,000 plants within the living wall will also aid reducing the temperature in it's immediate vicinity by between 3 and 5 degrees Celsius.
Atop of the building will be a new public green space and roof top viewing gallery at the eleventh floor level, which will provide views across the area to St. Paul's Cathedral and the City of London.
The development will span the Network Rail assets of the former Snow Hill station and associated tunnels which now serve Thameslink, plus be adjacent to the Central Line Underground Tunnels, the City of London Corporation Services Subways and the Post Office Rail Tunnel. In many ways the development is as complex as our previous project at Camden Lock Village.
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Google's Street View Goes Into The Wild
By Steve Henn
Before Steve Silverman helped Google build its new Trekker, he built cameras for NASA to photograph the surface of Mars. Silverman says the Trekker is built to survive in intense conditions. It will boot up at 10 below zero Celsius or at 110 Fahrenheit. It will even work after being fully submerged in water.
Google's Street View maps are headed into the backcountry. Earlier this week, two teams from Google strapped on sophisticated backpacks jammed with cameras, gyroscopes and other gadgets, and descended to the bottom of the Grand Canyon. But this is just the first step in the search giant's plan to digitally map and photograph the world's wild places.
Luc Vincent — who runs Google's Street View — met up with a small group of reporters on the South Rim of the Grand Canyon this week.
Strapped to a backpack towering over his head was a set of cameras, arranged in what he called "a soccer ball configuration."
Steve Henn / NPR
Google's Craig Robinson and James Hoffacker prepare to hike into the Grand Canyon. Robinson is wearing the new Google Trekker — a Street View camera mounted to a backpack. The Trekker's two lithium ion batteries can last eight hours and power 15 cameras. The pack — designed and built by Google — weighs 40 pounds.
This contraption is the Google Trekker.
When you look at it on someone's back, it appears incredibly unstable — so top-heavy that the person would likely fall over.
But Vincent's team has spent the better part of a year trying to lighten the load. The Trekker — which has most of the gear crammed into Google's famous Street View cars — weighs only 40 pounds.
"It's not too bad," Vincent said. "The batteries are on the bottom, so it sort of compensates for the top-heavy camera on top. I've skied with it to test it, this winter. It was fine."
Earlier this week, the Google Trekker went on its first real trip.
An 'Iconic' First Trek
The Trekker has 15 specially designed lenses — carefully arranged inside a custom-made, brightly colored metal ball. On top, there are two black bumps holding the Trekker's twin GPS receivers.
And that soccer ball-like thing sits on a metal frame high in the air — above Vincent's head — so it has a clear shot of everything around him.
Google plans to use the Trekker to map and photograph places its Street View cars — and tricycles — can't go. And that's what brought Vincent's team to the Grand Canyon.
"This is iconic — this is were we have to go first," Vincent said.
When we met, the sun wasn't up. But Vincent was so excited, he was bouncing on the balls of his feet, even with the 40 pounds of gadgets strapped to his back.
"I feel awesome to be here," he said. "We have been working on taking this technology to the trails for a long time. I want to go places where we can go anyway, but by foot."
Google sent two teams down. As the sky lightened, James Hoffacker booted up an Android phone, attached to the other Trekker making the trip.
He was running through the system when Ryan Falor walked up and started teasing. Falor runs special collections at Street View.
"James is one of the engineers on the Street View team we recruited because he is one of the more athletically fit guys to carry all the gear down and back up for us," Falor said.
Falor laughingly assured me that Hoffacker wasn't there for his technical prowess — he was brought along for brawn. But building the Trekker was a technical challenge.
Each image the Trekker collects will have to be tagged with precise location data that records where it was taken and at what angle. Software will smooth out the gait of the hiker carrying it. It will even correct for differences in their heights. But to make this all work, the location data have to be precise. Relying on GPS isn't good enough — and deep inside the canyon, GPS probably won't work.
The Google Trekker team hikes down the Bright Angel trail heading toward the base of the Grand Canyon.
"So we have accelerometers, gyros, magnetometer as well as GPS — all of that sensor data is combined to place the images and place the orientation of the images right," Falor said.
Considering Hiker Safety
The end result will be a smooth, continuous eye-level view of the trail. It will allow anyone who is online — at home or with a smartphone — to virtually peer down the Bright Angel trail and see the sun stream over the rim of the canyon walls. The final product won't be posted for a few months, but if everything goes well, Falor promised it will be accurate.
"If people want to use this to know where to go, it has to be accurate," he said. Even more so back here, where a misstep could send you plunging. "You may not want to walk off a trail," he laughed.
Still, some worry that as Google maps the backcountry this way, more and more people will think they can wander into the wilderness with a cellphone and little else.
Maureen Oltrogge, who runs public affairs for Grand Canyon National Park, says each year the rangers rescue 200 to 300 hikers from the canyon. Often they are day-trippers who decide to try to hike down on a whim.
"It's really important if you are going to be taking any kind of hike to check in with our backcountry office, to do the research, to just come prepared," she said.
The weather in the canyon here can be extreme. The elevation on the north side is close to 8,000 feet above sea level. And the temperature deep inside the canyon can be 20 degrees higher than the rim.
"It can be in excess of 110 or 120 degrees in the inner canyon," Oltrogge said.
In the winter it can be frigid. Google, however, will only make these maps when the sun is shining. Rain on the lenses simply doesn't work. These maps won't include any information about temperature or weather — and won't tell you if trail conditions have changed.
Still, the photos will be panoramic — and as the teams got ready to drop over the rim and start their hike, the images promised to be gorgeous.
This is just the beginning. Google wants to send the Trekker on expeditions all over the world. Team members talk about everything from the Appalachian Trail to Antarctica — and one day maybe even Everest.
Steve Henn
Steve Henn is NPR's technology correspondent based in Menlo Park, California, who is currently on assignment with Planet Money. An award winning journalist, he now covers the intersection of technology and modern life - exploring how digital innovations are changing the way we interact with people we love, the institutions we depend on and the world around us. In 2012 he came frighteningly close to crashing one of the first Tesla sedans ever made. He has taken a ride in a self-driving car, and flown a drone around Stanford's campus with a legal expert on privacy and robotics.
See stories by Steve Henn