text:
Harbor_Scene
German-born American Hudson River School Painter, 1830-1902 Bierstadt was born in Solingen, Germany. His family moved to New Bedford, Massachusetts, in 1833. He studied painting with the members of the D??sseldorf School in D??sseldorf, Germany from 1853 to 1857. He taught drawing and painting briefly before devoting himself to painting. Bierstadt began making paintings in New England and upstate New York. In 1859, he traveled westward in the company of a Land Surveyor for the U.S. government, returning with sketches that would result in numerous finished paintings. In 1863 he returned west again, in the company of the author Fitz Hugh Ludlow, whose wife he would later marry. He continued to visit the American West throughout his career. Though his paintings sold for princely sums, Bierstadt was not held in particularly high esteem by critics of his day. His use of uncommonly large canvases was thought to be an egotistical indulgence, as his paintings would invariably dwarf those of his contemporaries when they were displayed together. The romanticism evident in his choices of subject and in his use of light was felt to be excessive by contemporary critics. His paintings emphasized atmospheric elements like fog, clouds and mist to accentuate and complement the feel of his work. Bierstadt sometimes changed details of the landscape to inspire awe. The colors he used are also not always true. He painted what he believed is the way things should be: water is ultramarine, vegetation is lush and green, etc. The shift from foreground to background was very dramatic and there was almost no middle distance Nonetheless, his paintings remain popular. He was a prolific artist, having completed over 500 (possibly as many as 4000) paintings during his lifetime, most of which have survived. Many are scattered through museums around the United States. Prints are available commercially for many. Original paintings themselves do occasionally come up for sale, at ever increasing prices. Related Paintings of Albert Bierstadt :. | Wooded Hillside | Sunset on the Mountain | A Rocky Mountain Sheep, Ovis, Montana | The Sunset at Monterey Bay | Olevano |
Adrien Manglard
France (1695 -1760 ) - Painter
John Opie
English Painter, 1761-1807,English painter. He was born in a tin-mining district, where his father was a mine carpenter. He had a natural talent for drawing and was taken up by an itinerant doctor, John Wolcot (the poet Peter Pindar, 1738-1819), who was an amateur artist and had a number of well-connected friends. Wolcot taught Opie the rudiments of drawing and painting, providing engravings for him to copy and gaining him access to country-house collections. Opie's early portraits, such as Dolly Pentreath (1777; St Michael's Mount, Cornwall, Lord St Levan priv. col.), are the work of a competent provincial painter and owe much to his study of engravings after portraits by Rembrandt. His attempts at chiaroscuro and impasto in Rembrandt's manner gave his pictures a maturity that clearly startled contemporary audiences expecting to see works by an untutored artist. Thus in 1780, when a picture by him was exhibited in London at the Society of Artists with the description 'a Boy's Head, an Instance of Genius, not having ever seen a picture', Opie was hailed as 'the Cornish Wonder'. When he himself arrived in London, where he was promoted by Wolcot and his paintings were exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1781 and 1782, he was seen as a phenomenon, impressing even Joshua Reynolds, who is reputed to have remarked that Opie was 'like Caravaggio and Velasquez in one'.
Charlotte Wahlstrom
painted Lake landscape at dusk in 1887


text:
Q: Connect tuxedo Services in Spring boot Is there any possibility to connect tuxedo Services in Spring boot application using Oracle JCA tuxedo resource adaptor?

A: You can refer below project
https://github.com/corbtastik/joltdemo

Spring Boot to Jolt API Microservice
Project Setup
cd into src/main/resources
run install.sh to add jolt.jar to local maven repo, $ ./install.sh
confirm jolt.jar installed to: $HOME/.m2/repository/oracle/jolt/1.0/jolt-1.0.jar
References
Tuxedo Fundamentals
Oracle Tuxedo
Jolt Overview
Jolt Javadoc
Install
push jolt-web
push jolt-api
push api-gateway
test endpoints then proceed
cf create-route dev cfapps.haas-68.pez.pivotal.io --hostname jolt
cf map-route api-gateway cfapps.haas-68.pez.pivotal.io --hostname jolt
cf unmap-route api-gateway cfapps.haas-68.pez.pivotal.io --hostname api-gateway

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Working with Mike, the owner of The Refinery, we came up with an identity mark that matched the atmosphere of his shop, which feels a lot like a tattoo parlor or cigar lounge.
It has that gentleman's club vibe, but also has a bit of an industrial edge. The hand-drawn skull and crossbones captures that energy, with the skull also looking "refined" and the crossbones being substituted for a pair of barber scissors.
The typography helps support a high class feel that properly represents the quality of the service you'll get at The Refinery.
I also delivered three versions of the logo - seen below - to be used for different types of products and media.


text:
LektorBenjamin May
PowieściPowieści klasyczneKlasykaEnglishFiction
George Orwell's nineteen Eighty-Four is one of the most definitive texts of modern literature. Set in Oceania, one of the three inter-continental superstate that divided the world among themselves after a global war, Orwell's masterful critique of the political structures of the time, works itself out through the story of Winston Smith, a man caught in the webs of a dystopian future, and his clandestine love affair with Julia, a young woman he meets during the course of his work for the government. As much as it is an entertaining read, nineteen Eighty-Four is also a brilliant, and more importantly, a timeless satirical attack on the social and political structures of the world.
Data wydania6.05.2021
Wydawnictwo Page2Page
© 2021 Page2Page, 2021 George Orwell (Audiobook)

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Your personal information is completely safe and confidential when you do business with Stuart Palmer Plumbing Ltd.
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Here are all the current road needs that have been reported to us. You can check to see if the issue that you would like to report is already listed. A status of "Reported" means that we have been made aware of the issue. A status of "Started" means that we have begun working on the issue.


Some users test photo, user said there is still a little bit of waves,but much better same as other brands, acceptable.
That's called perception distortion, as explained with your first images on this thread loooong ago it's not something that can ever be "fixed" except learning about angles and lenses.
Read this and take note of the first image that's plain to see.
Thank you for your feedback, we would like to reassure you that we are dedicated to providing the best possible user experience for our customers and have taken your feedback very seriously. We have been taking time to make improvements and increase photo shooting options.
Our models featuring our new Motion Eye™ Camera, including XZ Premium, XZs, XZ1 and XZ1 Compact, feature a wide-angle lens. This lens enables an immersive experience by providing the ability to capture more scenery in the shot, however it may also yield perspective distortion when shooting photos. Whilst this distortion is consistent with similar wide-angle lens cameras in the industry, we have listened to your feedback and developed a new optional setting in the camera menu called 'Correction for image distortion' to minimize the distortion effect. It will be available via an upcoming software update on XZ Premium, XZs, XZ1 and XZ1 compact.
Thank you for your patience with this matter and thank you once again for your valuable feedback.
Any ETA for this update coming for XZ1 Compact?
Everyone knows perception distortion,it just xzp has most serious one, the deformation is closest to the center,try compare to other phones. Other brands shoot portrait the head deformation will not be so close to the center. This is an indisputable fact. Different wide angle problem,But still can be repaired by software.
Thank you very much Emir for sharing this information.
Well, This fix is much better than without anyway anyway anywayyyyy.
So maybe it can still improve.
Yes but that software is called Photoshop.
This is something that EVERY photographer knows about, it's simple physics, items closer to the lens look bigger, if a solid shape has one end closer then that end is enlarged in comparison to the other end.
You can't change this ever without serious image manipulation and cropping.
Sorry but you were told this on the original pictures, and I'm pretty sure that you're the only one out there that would want a heavily cropped image that takes ages to post process in order to correct bad photography practices.
Thank you for solving the problem. This is my first Xperia and i really love it was only disappointed by the distortion. Now i can recommend this to everyone i know.
P.S. i wish someone replied in this thread earlier that they are already planning on a fix and not let this issue blow over.
I did, long ago, you're words were along the lines of *it doesn't matter about other brands being same, I want what Sony promised"


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Harry and the Hendersons (1987) – A Review
09/19/2016 HapStuff Comedy 1
An ordinary camping trip becomes the discovery of a lifetime when The Hendersons accidentally hit a Bigfoot! What would you do upon finding an eight-foot tall unconscious Bigfoot – well, take him home of course!
The hairy guest begins to make himself at home with the Hendersons and they learn he's not a scary monster at all. 'Harry' soon becomes a beloved member of the family.
There are problems that come with Harry staying with them though. Along with breaking up the house and eating corsage's, Harry is pursued by a Bigfoot hunter who won't rest until he can track Harry down and kill him. The Henderson's small Seattle town becomes panicked when Harry begins to make appearances all over the place. Can the Henderson's protect Harry from becoming a giant stuffed trophy?
I find it a little hard to believe that this family comedy is the most popular Bigfoot movie that has been made. Where are the thrillers, the mysteries, the dramas about the discovery of a Bigfoot? Come on guys! Someone must be able to come up with some more stories about this mythic creature. Is the best they can think up for Bigfoot is him just watching television in a suburban home?
Anyway, Harry and the Hendersons is a safe, innocuous little family-friendly flick. There's nothing wrong with it. It's silly, it's cute, it yanks at your heart and makes you want to go 'aww'. Kids should love it. I showed this to my nephews and they thought it was a great movie.
It's a pretty by-the-numbers story. I mean you shouldn't be surprised as to how it's told or how the story progresses. Family hits Harry, they take him home, at first their scared of him, then they learn he's nice and start to like him Plenty of sight-gags of big old Harry wreaking the house. They try to keep him a secret. The mean Bigfoot hunter finds out where he is. Harry leaves. The family has to find him before he's caught or killed. A narrow escape! The kindly old Bigfoot scholar arrives to help. The mean hunter is defeated. A tear-filled ending with Harry returning to his home in the woods.
Sorry if I spoiled anything. The original movie trailer is a perfect synopsis of the story though, so Universal didn't feel like keeping a mystery of much of it to audiences in 1987- other than what Harry looked like!
I remember when this first hit theaters and they really tried to keep Harry's appearance a secret. It was sort of like what they did with Gremlins – try to amp up people's curiosity. That's one aspect that has disappeared since it's first theatrical run.
When me and the nephews were gearing up to watch it they kept asking me what will Harry look like. Their questions were immediately answered when the DVD was popped in and we all saw Harry's big smiling mug on the menu screen. The big reveal in the movie was somewhat muted by that DVD menu. But what the heck the movie is practically thirty years old.
Along the way there are a few cute gags, but most of them are silly. Harry's makeup by the great Rick Baker that Kevin Peter Hall had to wear is a success. The makeup and Hall's performance makes Harry a pretty lovable character. There's a nice music score by Bruce Broughton. John Lithgow and Melinda Dillion do their parts admirably.
There are some cool little Spielberg-type of touches, not surprising since this came from Amblin Entertainment and frequent Spielberg cinematographer Allen Daviau worked on this.
The one Spielberg moment that really stood out to me was Harry's first reveal as a flashlight is spinning on the kitchen floor and we just catch glimpses and shadows of Harry until the light finally rests on his face. That scene reminded me how they used a very similar technique in an early episode of Ash vs Evil Dead last year.
Around the midway mark I really thought the movie was starting to drag. When Harry leaves the Hendersons, he's out on his own wandering around scared in the town and the police are closing in. It all felt padded out. I don't think this needed to be an hour and fifty minutes. I really felt the films length at that point especially. Twenty or so minutes could have been cut from this.
I don't have very much more to say about Harry and the Hendersons. I never saw it before and would never have watched it if it wasn't for my nephews. It's harmless, inoffensive entertainment. I guess there was demand for more Harry adventures since it later turned into TV show. I never saw that. And this time really have no plans of ever watching any of that TV series.
Wildcats (1986) – A Review Back To School (1986) – A Review The Monster Squad (1987) – A Review
M. Emmet Walsh
CKulik
I remember the TV show, but can't say I want to revisit or the movie. One interesting thing is that not only did Rick Baker win the Oscar for Best Makeup for HARRY & THE HENDERSONS, but he also considers this is finest work onscreen. For that reason alone, I'd say HARRY is worth seeing but you're right in that it really is too juvenile and silly to rise about average. I'm surprised nobody has thought to remake this film, let alone try another Bigfoot on film story: I think the giant, mythical or not, deserves something more than HARRY and a couple of BOGGY CREEK films. Great review, once again!
Rambo: First Blood Part II (1985) – A Review
It's Now Official – Q Will Return In Skyfall!
Django Unchained (2012) – A Review
Kiss Them For Me (1957) – A Review
New Bond Pictures Revealed
Deadlock (2021) – A Review
The Assignment (2017) – A Review


The elbow is a hinge joint made up of 3 bones - humerus, radius and ulna. The bones are held together by ligaments to provide stability to the joint. Muscles and tendons move the bones around each other and help in performing various activities. Elbow dislocation occurs when the bones that make up the joint are forced out of alignment.


Games: a range of poker variants and tournaments including Texas Hold'em, Omaha, Razz, Five Card Poker and more.
It's been awhile since we've seen a new poker venue emerge and the new Guts Poker site has been well worth the wait. Guts Casino has been a long running favourite of ours, beloved for its wide range of high quality casino games from leading game developers like NetEnt and Microgaming, and the newly launched Guts Poker site is the perfect accompaniment for those who want to take their online poker play to the next level.
Guts Poker is powered by the acclaimed Microgaming Poker Network, featuring a heap of poker tables and tournaments available around the clock, along with several alluring promotions to boost your winnings further. With hundreds to thousands of active players online at any given time, Guts Poker is recommended for those wanting to hone their poker skills and challenge players from all over the world in a safe and reputable space.
$1K welcome bonus – Every player who signs up for an account with Guts Poker is rewarded with up to $1,000 in free money. This generous welcome bonus is released in $5 instalments, where for every $25 you deposit to your account you'll automatically receive an additional credit of $5. There are no wagering requirements attached to this offer, just cold hard cash. The only catch is you only have 60 days from registering to take advantage of this bonus, so don't hesitate to make your first deposit.
$10K Sit 'n' Go Challenge – if sit 'n' go's are your thing, opt-in to the $10K SNG Challenge to earn points that could put your name on the leaderboard to earn you a pay-out portion of some big prize pools. There are four tiers to join, with your total score calculated by the total amount of points you manage to gather in 10 consecutive SNGs.
The Guts Poker software, by the MPN, is available in two forms – either in instant play mode with games accessible directly over your web browser, or by downloading the exclusive Guts Poker client. The best part is, since September 2016 the poker client is available not just for PC users, but Mac users too.
The software download comes recommended by the Guts team, but both play formats provide access to the same poker tables and promotional offers, so the choice is yours. Whichever way you choose to play, poker games are available for free play and real money bets.
To download the poker client head to Guts.com and click on the Poker link.
If you already have an account with Guts Casino, you can use the same login details to play at Guts Poker, you'll simply need to create a poker alias for yourself which will be displayed when you're playing at any of the poker tables or participating in any tournaments.
For those who are entirely new to Guts, follow our links to register for an account with Guts and take advantage of this fabulous welcome offer of up to $1,000 in free money.
Once you have your poker alias all set up, choose to either download the poker client or use instant play. You'll then be redirected to the poker table lobby, where you can select from the room variants using the tabs at the top of the page. Select the poker game you with to join, click on 'join table' and once the game loads, use the chips to place your bets and start playing.
What poker variants are available at Guts.com?
Guts Poker has a special focus on tournament style play, with tonnes of tourneys available to suit all bankrolls. To see which poker tournaments are active, click on the tournaments tab at the top of the poker client – from here you can switch between these tournament categories: All, Guaranteed, Satellites, Freerolls and Specials.
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When playing in the Guts Poker rooms, you also have the option of playing at one of the Anonymous Tables, which means your alias and avatar are only visible to you and you can't see other players' information. These Anonymous Tables are recommended for players who are extra cautious about their online privacy.
For an instant reply, click on the live chat option to speak directly with a customer service representative.


text:
Careers / Anatomy of a Developer: What Drives This Tech Pro?
Anatomy of a Developer: What Drives This Tech Pro?
By Dennis McCafferty
This report covers a range of developer-related topics, including salary information, job satisfaction levels, employment status and demographic information.
Seasoned Workforce
58% of the developers surveyed have at least six years of programming experience, and 35% have at least 11 years.
Top Median Salaries for Developer Jobs
Engineering manager: $145,000, Executive: $145,000, Data scientist: $95,000, Back-end Web developer: $95,000, Mobile developer: $85,000
Next Five Median Salaries for Developer Jobs
Desktop developer: $85,000, Full-stack Web developer: $85,000, Database admin: $75,000, Front-end Web developer: $75,000, System admin: $65,000
Top Forms of Formal Education
B.S. in computer science: 41%, Online classes: 27%, College courses in computer science or related field: 25%, Master's degree in computer science: 12%
DIY/On the Fly
69% of the developers surveyed claim to be self-taught, while 46% said they learned through on-the-job training.
More than three-quarters said they are satisfied with their job, and 36% said they "love" their job.
What Developers Like to Do at Work
Learn new technologies: 66%, Build something new: 59%, Have control over product decisions: 45%
Creative License
55% of the developers surveyed said they check in or commit code (building code rather than fixing bugs) multiple times a day.
Developers' Biggest Challenges
Unspecific requirements: 33%, Unrealistic expectations: 32%, Poor documentation: 32%, Fragile code base: 30%, Inefficient development process: 30%
Working Status
83% of the developers surveyed are employed full-time, while nearly 10% describe themselves as freelancers, contractors or self-employed.
Well-Positioned
Three out of 10 developers said they're not actively looking for a job, but are open to new opportunities. 14% said they are actively looking for a new job.
Criteria for Accepting a New Job
Attractive salary: 61%, Work-life balance: 52%, Company culture: 43%
14% of the developers surveyed like to think of themselves as "hackers,'' while 9% said they are professional "ninjas," and another 9% think of themselves as "rock stars."
51% of them believe in aliens.
View All Slideshows >
When it comes to what tasks they like to do on the job, developers want to learn new technologies while building code, according to a recent survey from Stack Overflow. The resulting "Developer Hiring Landscape" report covers a wide range of developer-related topics, including salary information, job satisfaction levels, employment status and demographic information. With respect to compensation, engineering managers and developers who have attained executive status rank at the top. But data scientists and back-end Web developers are doing pretty well too. As for the demographics: The average developer is male, lives in the United States, is between 25 and 29 years old, and works for a company with 20 to 99 employees. Most are happy about the work they do: It helps that a majority of them actually get to check in or commit code multiple times a day, instead of just fixing bugs. The report also reveals how much formal education developers have completed, and how many consider themselves self-taught. It even includes a fun fact about whether these developers believe in aliens. More than 56,000 developers from 173 countries took part in the research.
This article was originally published on 2016-05-16
Dennis McCafferty is a freelance writer for Baseline Magazine.


text:
Update June '10
with GM Nigel Davies
Despite its modest appearance 1.g3 has been played by some of the greatest players in history. Leonid Stein, Victor Korchnoi and Bent Larsen were all regular exponents of this move, no doubt liking the possibility of throwing their opponents on their own resources. I have also played this opening move with some regularity.
1.g3 [A00]
The benefits of playing 1.g3 are manifold. Whilst it is an eminantly sound opening move (1...g6 is, after all, quite playable for Black) there are no books or DVDs on it that I know of. Whilst there are many transpositional possibilities into more regular openings there is a huge scope for originality.
The first four games in this month's update are devoted to what can only be described as Reversed Modern/Pirc formations. Bilek - Geller is an example of a Reversed Modern Defence in which White would have done much better were it not for his 9.Kh2 and then subsequent reluctance to bring the king back to g1. Stein - Book was a rather happier game for White which exploited Black's 4...Bg4 and then nervy looking 5...Bf5.
In my own game, Davies - Lev, Black tried to exploit White's 'Modern Attack' with 5...Ne7, trying to keep the f-pawn free to advance:
Whilst there is much logic to this approach Black's game certain contains a number of responsibilities. Both sides have improvements but I believe that White's chances are better.
Stein - Averbakh featured a reversed Pirc Defence with White using his extra tempo to play 5.c4:
I'm unconvinced that White had much in this game (11...Raxd8 appears to be equal for Black) but it nevertheless demands consideration.
The other line considered this month is 1.g3 g6 2.Bg2 Bg7 3.Nc3!?, as featured in four Larsen games against Gheorghiu, Calvo, Lehmann and Panno:
After playing 5.f4 against Larsen - Gheorghiu he switched to the more flexible 5.a3 in Larsen - Calvo and Larsen - Lehmann and I tend to think it is a more unpleasant move for Black to meet. There again Black probably just does better to play 3...e5 as Panno did in Larsen - Panno.
There are plenty of other features to 1.g3 which I will try to explore in subsequent updates. It's an interesting way to open the game which throws both players on their own resources.
That's all for this month! Nigel Davies
Please remember to point out and send your games to me. Drop me a line at the Flank Openings Forum, or subscribers can write directly to NigelDavies@chesspublishing.com.


Enter 2012 Nature Hills Nursery Green America Awards for a chance to win!
Win up to $2,000 in plants for your local community garden or community "greening" projects by entering the 2012 Nature Hills Nursery Green America Awards.
The Green America Awards honor community groups, nonprofit groups and other organizations that are literally "greening" their communities, parks, schools and public spaces by planting trees, shrubs and other plants. The award program is sponsored by Omaha-based Nature Hills Nursery, the largest online nursery and garden center in the United States with more than 10,000 products available for direct shipping to consumers.
Applications for the 2012 Nature Hills Nursery Green America Awards are now available online at the website. The deadline for applications is June 17. Applicants also can visit the NatureHills Nursery Facebook page to apply, and winners will be determined by votes on the Facebook page.


text:
This article was published on January 5, 2016
Web developers rejoice; Internet Explorer 8, 9 and 10 die on Tuesday
Owen Williams
Former TNW employee
Owen was a reporter for TNW based in Amsterdam, now a full-time freelance writer and consultant helping technology companies make their word (show all) Owen was a reporter for TNW based in Amsterdam, now a full-time freelance writer and consultant helping technology companies make their words friendlier. In his spare time he codes, writes newsletters and cycles around the city.
Internet Explorer has long been the bane of many Web developers' existence, but here's some news to brighten your day: Internet Explorer 8, 9 and 10 are reaching 'end of life' on Tuesday, meaning they're no longer supported by Microsoft.
A patch, which goes live on January 12, will nag Internet Explorer users on launch to upgrade to a modern browser. KB3123303 adds the nag box, which will appear for Windows 7 and Server 2008 R2 users still using the old browsers after installing the update.
It's great news for developers who still need to target older browsers — not needing to worry about whether or not modern CSS works in these browsers is a dream, and it's much closer with this move.
End of life means the browsers will no longer receive security updates or any other kind of patches, leaving those running them wide open to new vulnerabilities in the future.
The nag can be disabled by those in enterprises who haven't made the upgrade yet, through the registry, though it's probably easier just to jump onto Internet Explorer 11.
What's even bigger about the end of life for these versions is that this means Internet Explorer 11 is the last version of Microsoft's old browser that's left supported, as the company continues to transition customers to Edge on Windows 10.
If you're still using any version of Internet Explorer below 11, it's time to upgrade now, before it's too late.
➤ The new "End of Life" upgrade notification for Internet Explorer [Microsoft KB]
Published January 5, 2016 - 10:58 pm UTC


text:
Blu-ray Review: Rio (2011)
Related Review:
Rio 2 (2014)
Eye-poppingly gorgeous CG animated feature from Fox Ice Age franchise creators Blue Sky animation is given the luxurious Blu-ray high definition treatment for this charming fish-out-of-water (or domesticated-bird-in-the-sky) flick Rio.
Sunny family fare, Rio centers on a rare Minnesota macaw (Social Network's Jesse Eisenberg) that's persuaded to fly south to Brazil along with his adorably mousey bookish bookshop owner (voiced by Funny People's Leslie Mann) in order to mate with the last exotic feathered creature of his kind and save their species' line.
Although slightly underwhelming given its predictability in plotline once we venture to new terrain, Fox's family film is otherwise infectious. Comprised of Pixar cuteness and Dreamworks's Madagascar-inspired dance fever via a penchant for getting funky at the drop of a computer-drawn hat in several sequences, Rio is sweet, snappily paced, refreshingly wholesome thanks to its large avoidance of crass scatology or a need to be so pop-culturally referential that it's dated by the time it hits disc.
Amazingly crisp, clear and clean in is visual presentation, while I'm sure it's an absolute stunner in 3D Blu-ray so if you've got the technology then flaunt it by all means, the 2D version is so superlative that it puts the drab, lifeless color scheme and cold, hard lines of Disney's recent Mars Needs Moms release to shame.
As a love letter to Brazil – complete with a celebration of Carnival -- Rio plays like a kid-tested, film geek approved CG animated and certifiably tragedy free Black Orpheus replacement for the preschool set in its commitment to setting. And furthermore, considering the selection of an unexpected starting location via my old stomping grounds of Minnesota, the creativity just keeps on coming and is particularly evident throughout in its unwillingness to adhere to traditional gender stereotypes in animated movies.
An antidote to princess-centric damsel in distress storytelling that's overly-reliant on hero's journey motifs, Rio helps differentiate itself from usual fare and avoid parroting previous hits like Disney's affable Beverly Hills Chihuahua, by going against what's expected with the decision to make Anne Hathaway's beautiful Brazilian bird the wiser, experienced alpha to Eisenberg's earnest newbie wimp male.
Text ©2011, Film Intuition, LLC; All Rights Reserved. http://www.filmintuition.com Unauthorized Reproduction or Publication Elsewhere is Strictly Prohibited and in violation of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. FTC Disclosure: Per standard professional practice, I received a review copy of this title in order to evaluate it for my readers, which had no impact whatsoever on whether or not it received a favorable or unfavorable critique.
Labels: Blu-ray Review
TV on Blu-ray Review: Sons of Anarchy -- Season Th...
Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: High and Low ...
DVD Review: The Entitled (2011)
Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: Something Wil...
Blu-ray Review: The Count of Monte Cristo (2002)
Blu-ray Review: The Tempest (2010)


I have wanted a Corvette all of my life. Ann listened to me say how much I wanted one for 35 years, so for my 60th birthday she "twisted my arm really hard" and we bought our Quick Silver 2001 Convertible. That was August of 2011. We took delivery of the car on Thursday and joined the club Saturday. We have been friends with Fred & Linda Horky for many years and I went on several road trips with Fred when Linda wanted to stay home. Due to this experience I knew several members before Ann and I joined. Also, Fred sent out an email to everyone in the club introducing us to everyone before our first meeting. Being a member of Corvettes Limited of Central Georgia is one the added bonuses to Corvette ownership.
Now fast forward three and a half years. The love for Corvettes has spread to Ann. After driving every car she thought she might like she too felt that a Corvette was best for her. So, a trip to Atlanta landed her a beautiful 2003 50th Anniversary Convertible. She has not stopped smiling.


The practical usage and the stylish look are an easy way to give your parties and home events some sparkle.
- The practical usage and the stylish look are an easy way to give your parties and home events some sparkle.
- Also the perfect gift for Thanksgiving, Christmas gift, hostess gift or thank you present.


The Pakistan Railways (PR) Sunday categorically rejected the wrong impression given by a section of media that the Khushal Khan Express, which met an unfortunate accident at 6 in the morning between Massan and Sohan stations, was inaugurated by the prime minister.
A spokesperson of the Pakistan Railways, in a press statement here, cleared that Prime Minister Imran Khan had inaugurated the Mianwali Express, which was running smoothly on its route between Rawalpindi and Mianwali.
The Sunday's incident, he said, took place ahead of Dawood Khail Railway Station.
The spokesman termed all the stories baseless, misleading and contrary to facts.


Honored to announce our featured Non-Profit Organization dear to our hearts iGlow Mentoring.
The vision of our annual black & white ball is to highlight the positive things going on in our community and provoke change. This year we are acknowledging people who believe in injecting positivity in our communities with our BuzzZin OFF Awards. Our mission is to continue in bringing our communities together to strengthen one another through www.IndustryBuzzZ.com Media platforms and affiliates.
Event Host: Anthony Walker "The Storyteller"
GET YOUR TICKETS TODAY!! CLICK HERE!!
This event will be televised.
If you would like to be a proud partner email us at Marketing@IndustryBuzzZ.com for your partnership package.
SAVE THE DATE!!! DON'T MISS IT!!


This Halloween I'm really trying not to buy any more stuff. Because I already have more Halloween stuff than a person needs. So I've been trying to stay out of the stores...because if I don't see it, I won't need it right?
I'm pretty sure you know what happened, before I knew it I was home with a new pack of Halloween straws. And if that's all I end up buying this Halloween season, I can guarantee someone has cast a spell on me.
You can see why I ended up with these straws, just the right amount of cute and creepy, right?
And they were a dollar.
Next, I had to figure out what to do with them. That was easy.
OREO's...Spider topped Chocolate Covered OREO's!
Along came a spider...or a dozen spiders.
Black Wilton Candy Melts from any craft store.
15 Halloween spider and web straws from the Dollar Store.
The lollipop sticks were from my drawer.
I made the spiders using purple, orange and neon green fondant (add neon green food color to white fondant).
The mini spider is from a Wilton spider web set.
Roll and cut a dozen spiders and let dry.
Once the spiders are dry, add royal icing eyes.
Place a tiny bit of royal icing to the back of the eye and stick on the spider.
Insert a lollipop stick into the center of each Double Stuf OREO.
Dip the OREO into the melted black candy melts and let dry on wax paper.
Add a bit of candy melt to the back of the spider and place on the OREO.
Cover the lollipop stick with the straw.
It's a Tangled Web I Weave!
Cool straws. I need to go get some! I too have tried to stay out of the stores and keep my Halloween spending to a minimum, which is incredibly hard for such a huge Halloween fanatic. But, like you, I have more than I need.
Your spider pops are the perfect toppers for your straws.
Cute, cute idea.....again another winner.
Kids will really like this. One could also just add googly eyes if you didn't want to mess with fondant.
Did one bag of candy melts cover the dozen cookies?
Can you direct me to your homemade fondant recipe please?
These are SO super cute Kim!!
Thanks Tiffany, I agree, you can never go wrong with a dollar store purchase!


Stanisalv Grof presents at the Global Transpersonal Symposium- "Revision and Re-enchantment of Psychology: Observations and Insights from Half a Century of Consciousness Research".
Jim Fadiman talks about "New Directions for Transpersonal Psychology" at the Global Transpersonal Symposium.
Bill Kaspari talks to South Bay IANDS about his search for meaning after the death of his son as outlined in his book, "The Galilean Pendulum".This program was aired on KMVT15 Community Media.
Mel Van Dusen interviews renowned cardiologist Pim van Lommel about his research into the near-death experience and it's implications for a radically new paradigm for living in the 21st century.
Mel Van Dusen continues his interview with renowned cardiologist Pim van Lommel about his research into the near-death experience and it's implications for a radically new paradigm for living in the 21st century.
Amit Goswami, Ph.D. talks about quantum physics and God.
Physicist Amit Goswami talks about the struggle between spirituality and science, and introduces the quantum view of reincarnation.
Amit Goswami talks about the quantum view of the near death experience, reincarnation, and The Tibetan Book of the Dead.
Mel Van Dusen interviews scholar of religion, Huston Smith, about death and the near death experience.
Alan Ross Hugenot asked some big questions after is near-death experience in 1970 and he is interviewed here by Mel Van Dusen abou this findings as outlined in his book "The Death Experience: What it is like when you die".


text:
Lebanese President meets McCain in Beirut
Arab World 9 January 2010 07:12 (UTC+04:00)
The former U.S. presidential candidate, Republican senator John McCain began on Friday a visit to Lebanon for talks with top Lebanese officials on the current regional issues, Xinhua reported.
McCain, who is accompanied by a delegation from the U.S. congress consisting of Senators John Barrasso and John Thune, met with Lebanese President Michel Suleiman at the Presidential Palace, local news site Naharnet reported.
Suleiman told McCain that the situation is stable on the Lebanese side of the borders with Israel, as Lebanon commits to the implementation of Resolution 1701.
The Lebanese president called the international community, topped by the United States, to pressure the Israeli side regarding the implementation of Resolution 1701 and the halting of all kinds of violations against Lebanese sovereignty.
Suleiman urged McCain to reconsider the bill adopted by the U.S. congress on sanctioning Arab satellite channels that are deemed as "inciting hatred" against the United States, among them the Lebanese TV network Al Manar.
Earlier, the local Central News Agency said that McCain will meet Speaker Nabih Berri, Prime Minister Saad Hariri and a number of political leaders "in order to hear their stances regarding the means of reaching a just and comprehensive peace in the region."
McCain will also discuss Lebanon's call for the international community "to pressure Israel in order to oblige it of implementing international resolutions and withdrawing from occupied territories", added the Central News Agency.
He will also discuss the stances of the various Lebanese leaders on the issue of Hezbollah's resistance in the face of Israel.
McCain's visit to Beirut came before the arrival of U.S. special envoy for Middle East peace George Mitchell to the region for talks with the leaders of Lebanon, Syria, Israel, Jordan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and the Palestinian authority on their stances regarding the peace process.
The Central News Agency's report revealed that a top U.S. security official will visit Lebanon next week to discuss Lebanon' s military needs before the expected visit of Defense Minister Elias Murr to Washington by the end of January.
Iran's companies can offer technical services in Azerbaijan's Karabakh
Weekly review of Azerbaijani currency market
Azerbaijan's import of grain from Russia's Stavropol for 2020 revealed


text:
TN Techs - Managed IT Services
The Way IT Should Be
Microsoft Productivity
Post author By TN Techs Blog
Microsoft Teams is a lot of things. It's a video conferencing tool, a team messaging channel, and a tool for in-app co-authoring, just to name a few. During the pandemic, the popularity of Teams skyrocketed.
User numbers for MS Teams jumped from 20 million in November 2019 to 75 million in April 2020. As of this year, Microsoft reports a user count of 270 million for the platform. This makes it the most popular business tool for team communications.
But one of the things that makes the app popular is also one that can make the setup complex. Microsoft Teams has many moving parts, but to use them effectively they need to be well organized. Additionally, users need to have a chance to learn the system and train on best practices.
What Can Microsoft Teams Do?
First, let's look at the different areas of Microsoft Teams and what it can do. Then, we'll give you a simple setup checklist to help your team get up and running productively.
You can think of Teams as a virtual office in the cloud. It's a centralized hub where teams can communicate, collaborate, and manage tasks. There is also an external communication component to Teams. You can use the app to video conference with anyone. You can also invite guests to a chat channel.
Here are some of the features of MS Teams:
Siloed chat channels
Security for team communications
Integration with Office apps
Integration with 3rd party apps
Video and audio conferencing
VoIP phone system (with an extra add-on)
Keep all team resources in a single place
Microsoft Teams Versions
Some good news for small businesses is that there is a free version of Microsoft Teams. If you sign up for a Microsoft 365 business plan, you get the app included, but with a few more features.
Microsoft has also been pushing MS Teams for personal use. So, you can use it to keep your departments better coordinated at work. Or to manage family video calls or PTA meeting collaboration. It's a versatile and scalable virtual office platform.
Easy Checklist for Setting Up Microsoft Teams
1. Set Up Your Teams/Departments
One of the advantages of Teams is that it allows you to set up specific areas for your groups to collaborate. You do not want everyone to set these teams up on their own, or you could end up with an unorganized mess.
Some ideas for setting these up:
Set up teams by department (accounting, marketing, etc.)
Add a company-wide team (where everyone can collaborate)
Set up teams by role (office managers, executives, etc.)
Typically, if you mirror the hierarchy of your organization, that's a good place to start. Team areas are secured so only those users invited can see or access any of the content in that team.
2. Add Team Members
For each team, add the members allowed to take part in that team. These would be people that can see the resources posted in that team area. It would normally be the members of the department or group that the team is designed for.
3. Set Up Team Channels
The next level beneath the Team is the Channels. These team channels help organize conversations. For example, within a team set up for your marketing department, you may decide to add three channels. This keeps conversations more focused and makes it easier to find things.
For instance, you could have channels for:
Offline Advertising
Team channels are another area that you want to control. Don't let everyone set up channels without a plan, otherwise, things get messy fast.
4. Set Up Team Tabs
Tabs are a great way to foster productivity. Say that employees on your accounting team need to access a tax reporting website. Inevitably, there can be time wasted asking for that link or a login. This is especially true if someone is filling in for a co-worker.
You can add that website link and info to the Tabs area at the top of the team channels. Just click the plus sign to add a new resource and consolidate things for your team members.
5. Schedule MS Teams Training
One of the reasons that company initiatives fail is that users weren't properly enabled. If users aren't trained on using MS Teams, then they'll revert to using whatever they used before. This negates the benefits of moving to Teams when not everyone is onboard.
Work with a Microsoft professional to train your teams. We can provide tips on the most productive features. As well as short-cut their learning curve quite a bit! Make sure to have a realistic timeframe. You should also survey users on whether they feel they need more training.
Need Some Help Implementing Teams in Your Organization?
We can help you over many of the roadblocks that organizations face when starting with Teams. Contact TN Techs today for a free consultation to enhance your collaboration and productivity.
Featured Image Credit
This Article has been Republished with Permission from The Technology Press.
Cybersecurity Microsoft
What Is Microsoft Defender for Individuals & What Does It Do?
When you hear about Microsoft adding security apps to M365, it's often the business versions. But the pandemic has changed the way that we see the workplace. It's now a hybrid world. One made up of several connected "mini-offices" located in employee homes.
The outsourcing market has also contributed to the change in company networks. Freelancers are often contracted to work the same hours as employees. This means less overhead and taxes to pay. Approximately 68% of large consumer products companies outsource a part of their workforce.
What we're getting at is that the need for home devices and network security has never been greater. Company data is now at the mercy of employee devices, situated in homes across the globe.
55% of employees use their own devices and software to work from home.
Microsoft has been at the forefront of this huge shift in the work environment. Its latest release is another example of how it has positioned its products to address new needs.
The latest security offering by Microsoft is not for business plans. It's for Personal and Family users of Microsoft 365. The company announced Microsoft Defender for Individuals on June 16, 2022. This is a brand-new digital home security tool.
The Basics of Microsoft Defender for Individuals
Microsoft Defender is a new app that Microsoft 365 subscribers can download. Anyone with a Personal or Family plan can access it for no extra cost.
According to Microsoft, there was a main driver for offering Microsoft Defender. It was to protect the digital life of small businesses and families. Small companies will often use consumer Microsoft 365 plans. This is because they are less expensive than the business plans.
This app brings many digital protections together into one dashboard. These include the following.
Online Security Visibility
Most families have several devices connected to their network. This includes computers, tablets, and smartphones. It can be hard to know which are vulnerable before a hacked device infects the others.
Microsoft Defender gives you visibility into the security status of your devices. It does this in a single place. So, you could see if that new phone of Sally's has antivirus enabled. You can also easily add or remove devices.
Device Safeguards
The app includes extra protections from online threats. These are in the form of help from antivirus and anti-phishing protection.
You can use it to continually scan devices for threats, both new and existing. You also gain control of scanning customization. For example, you can note certain apps as safe and tell Microsoft Defender what to scan.
Real-Time Alerts & Recommendations
Hackers use automation and AI to unleash their attacks and help them spread. This means that it's often a race against the clock to stop a breach from getting worse.
To react fast, you need to know something is wrong. Microsoft Defender helps you by giving you real-time alerts. These also come with recommended actions. So, you not only know something is wrong, but you also know what to do about it.
What Else Should You Know?
Here are a few other important things you should know about using Microsoft Defender for Individuals.
Where Can You Download It?
You can download Microsoft Defender for Individuals from Microsoft here. You need to have a Microsoft 365 subscription to either the Personal or Family plan.
What Devices Can Use It?
You can use Defender to secure and monitor the following devices:
Windows: Windows 10 version 19041.0 and higher
Mac: Intel Macs from Catalina 10.15 and higher, and Apple silicon-based devices from 11.2.3 and up
iPhone: iOS 13.0 or later
Android: Android OS 6.0 or later
How Many Devices Can You Add?
Microsoft Defender allows you to watch the security of many of your home or work devices. The M365 plan you have will dictate how many.
If you have Microsoft 365 Personal plan, you can receive protection on up to 5 devices at the same time.
If you have Microsoft 365 Family plan, you can receive protection on up to 30 devices at the same time. (5 devices per person, 6 people total)
What Are the Key Differences Between the Personal & Family Plans?
Both plans can access the many different Office and other Microsoft applications. The main difference is how many people and devices can use the Microsoft 365 services.
Microsoft 365 Personal: $69.99 US/year, 1 person, 5 devices
Microsoft 365 Family: $99.99 US/year, 6 people, 5 devices per person
So, if you want to sign up even 2 people, you're saving quite a bit with the Family plan. Even more, if you have six people total using the service.
What's the Difference Between Microsoft Security on Windows & Microsoft Defender?
Most Windows users are already familiar with the Microsoft Security app. It comes pre-installed on Windows. Microsoft Defender differs from this app in several ways.
Microsoft Defender:
Is not pre-installed on Windows. You must download it.
It's a cross-device application used on many different devices
It includes features for online security
It includes alerts and security tips
Learn More About Defender & Microsoft 365 Today
Are you looking to get more from your Microsoft 365 subscription? We can help! Contact us today to schedule a free, no pressure consultation with our M365 experts.
Internet Explorer Has Lost All Support (What You Need to Know)
After being the main entry to the internet in the late 1990s and early 2000s, Internet Explorer (IE) is gone. As of June 15, 2022, Microsoft dropped the web browser from support.
IE ushered in the age of connection to the world in 1995 and held a majority of the browser market share for many years. But the release of newer technologies like Google Chrome made it less relevant.
In 2014, Internet Explorer still held about 59% of the global market share, with Chrome at 21%. But just two years later, IE lost its top spot to Chrome and trailed behind another newcomer, Safari.
In 2015, the writing was already on the wall when Microsoft released a new browser, Edge. With Edge destined to take IE's place as the official browser installed on Windows systems.
It's inevitable, the longer technology is driving work and home life, that we're going to lose some of our favorites. Adobe Flash Player is another technology that used to be widely used and is now gone.
So, now that IE has reached its end of life (EOL), what happens next?
Microsoft Will Redirect Users to IE Mode in Edge
According to Microsoft, now that IE is officially out of support it will redirect users. Over the next few months, a new experience will happen. Those opening this outdated browser will instead land in Microsoft Edge with IE mode.
To ease the transition away from Internet Explorer, Microsoft added IE Mode to Edge. This mode makes it possible for organizations to still use legacy sites that may have worked best in IE. It uses the Trident MSHTML engine from IE11 to do this.
When in IE mode, you'll still see the Internet Explorer icon on your device. But if you open it, you'll actually be in Microsoft Edge.
Microsoft Will Be Removing Internet Explorer Icons in the Future
Microsoft isn't yet getting rid of the IE icons that appear in places like the taskbar and Start menu on Windows. But it will in a future update. Users can expect to see those removed at some point.
Edge Will Import Browser Data from IE
What about your favorites, saved passwords, and other settings that you have in IE? Microsoft Edge will import these from Internet Explorer for you, so they're not lost. This will include things like your browsing history and other data stored in the browser. You'll then be able to access these in the Microsoft Edge's settings area.
With IE Retired, What Do You Need to Do Now?
Uninstall the Browser
It's risky to keep older technology that is no longer supported on your system. Cybercriminals love to exploit older tools that are not receiving any security updates. This leaves an open invitation to breach your network. Manufacturers are never going to address these because they retired the software.
Outdated technology costs enterprises approximately 47% more when they suffer a data breach. As compared to those with updated tools.
You should transition your stored information to Microsoft Edge (or another trusted browser). Then uninstall IE from your device or devices.
Ensure Employees Know How to Use IE Mode in Edge
A scenario that businesses want to avoid is what happened to many organizations in Japan. Several government and corporate users weren't prepared for the retirement of IE.
It was reported that IT and engineering departments received many calls for help. This was due to unpreparedness for the browser's demise. Although it came with warnings, it was a shock to many that used legacy sites that need IE to work. This included the customers of government agencies, financial institutions, and other organizations.
This left them scrambling to try to figure out what to do at the last minute. They still needed access to employee attendance management, and other online tools.
Of course, with IE mode in Edge, this transition didn't need to be so chaotic. But without communication or training, more than 20% of affected users hadn't figured out what to do.
Make sure you communicate with your team what to do. Companies can automate IE mode for their users so that it launches automatically.
Train Employees on Microsoft Edge Features
Microsoft Edge has a lot of benefits over IE and other browsers. It's faster and more responsive than Internet Explorer. It also has comprehensive security controls (including password breach monitoring). And has unique features such as "collections."
But with all new tools, if you want employees to use them proficiently, they need to have a chance to learn them. Take the time to transition right, and have your employees trained on Edge.
Need Help Upgrading Your Digital Tools?
You don't have to panic when a technology you use retires. We can help you upgrade well ahead of any deadlines. Contact us today to schedule a no pressure consultation.
© 2023 TN Techs – Managed IT Services


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text:
We know firsthand that sustainability is the key to prosperity.
That's why we help organizations access opportunities for sustainable growth
Business Strategy	Public Policy
We are committed to bringing sustainability to a region that's ready for a new chapter.
Sustainable Business Growth
The future is green. We help your organization get a solid business foothold in this growing sector.
Public Policy for Peace
We help achieve peace. The region is ripe for wise public policy and peace-building.
What do peace and prosperity look like in a business plan?
At the Mashora Group, our mission is bigger than a balance sheet.
We've experienced the effects of regional conflict and the erosion of opportunity firsthand. But, we know that sustainable business is the key to lasting peace. We work with businesses, investors, governmental agencies, and NGOs and believe in a comprehensive, collaborative approach.
We partner with those who share our vision of a brighter future in the Middle East and Africa.
The groups we serve have bold ideas and positive intentions. What they might lack is an awareness of local context. They need experts in policy, and access to the right partners, to see their projects put into motion. That's where our understanding of local context is key.
What can the Mashora Group do for you?
Conditions are rapidly changing throughout the Middle East and Africa. So, our approach to consultancy is multi-faceted and flexible. We are able to assist in a wide variety of projects and settings, including:
Conducting data-driven research for governments, investors, and businesses
Facilitating introductions and discussions between public and private stakeholders
Assisting organizations that engage in Peace-building efforts with strategy development
Guiding the creation of green technology initiatives and turning them into actionable plans
While these hint at the scope of our work, they don't necessarily convey the impact we help you create. We excel at bringing great ideas to light, improving public trust in government and business projects, and turning opportunities into reality.
To learn more about our expertise in these areas, and how we can put it to work for you, contact us to schedule a consultation.
A different kind of strategic partner.
It's easy to see a wealth of potential throughout the Middle East and Africa. Generational changes are on the horizon. A vast volume of international trade exists. New technologies and perspectives are blending with existing relationships and traditions.
To execute positive change in this kind of environment takes more than policy. Initiatives require an understanding of the opportunity, and the skills to see it through. To accomplish anything real, you need people who can help you get it done.
What separates us from our peers is the depth of local knowledge and commitment we bring to the table. We aren't outsiders looking for an opportunity; we are local experts seeking to improve the future for millions of people. No one works harder than we do to create lasting change. We strongly believe that economic prosperity is the key to lasting peace and we are determined to make it a reality.
Let's work together for a brighter tomorrow.
Whether you're looking to establish a foothold in the region or move your sustainable project forward, we can help. We have the insights you need to get past the planning stage and make a lasting mark on the world.
To find out more about how we can help, contact The Mashora Group today to schedule a consultation. We are happy to meet with you and explore the opportunity to work together.
Navigating challenging environments
Lack of data, fragile infrastructure, and weak institutions might scare most consulting companies, but not us. With more than a decade of combined work experience of our team in challenging contexts, we are confident we can navigate our way through your target country and deliver results.
Expertise and Talent
Our work mechanism involves cooperating with the best available expertise and talent to provide you with the strategic advice and assistance you need.
We keep an eye on your end goal but understand that the path towards it may require pivoting. We believe smart strategies are developed with flexibility as a key component.
We combine international comparative experience with deep local know-how. A one-size-fits-all has no place in our dictionary. Whether its Africa or the Middle East, we speak the language and we are familiar with the setting.
Business Strategy Contact
Public Policy Contact
Legal: Terms of Use PolicyAcceptable Use PolicyCookies Policy
Copyright © 2020 Mashora Group. All Rights Reserved
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> Yes, other information associated with the head node in the list.
> And just using the proposed syntax in issue 75.
of lists) or really just the head of the list?
Would that be a viable alternative?
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text:
Vladimir Putin and Silvio Berlusconi named in criminal case over 240-year-old bottle of wine
A winery director in Crimea allegedly opened one of the most expensive bottles of wine in the world for the two politicians
Lizzie Dearden
Vladimir Putin and Silvio Berlusconi spent two days touring Crimea
(Russian Presidential Press and Information Office)
Ukrainian prosecutors are preparing criminal charges against a woman who allegedly uncorked a 240-year-old bottle of wine for Vladimir Putin and Silvio Berlusconi.
The Russian President and former Italian Prime Minister, said to be firm friends, were on a tour of Crimea when they visited the famous Massandra estate.
The pair spent the weekend together on the peninsula, which was annexed by Russia more than a year ago as the Ukrainian crisis continued.
Vladimir Putin on a tour of the Massandra Winery in Crimea
One of their trips was to the Massandra winery, the oldest in Crimea, which has gained a global reputation for its fine products since it was founded in the 1890s.
Footage broadcast on Russian television showed Mr Berlusconi examining a vintage bottle from its vast cellars during a tour, and asking the winery's director if he could try it.
Berlusconi joins Putin to tour Crimea
Putin's aides deny conversation with Elton John
Ukrainian MP says country 'inching towards peace' with Russia
Yanina Pavlenko duly obliged, Russian newspaper Promyshlennie Vedomosti reported, with a witness describing how she uncorked a precious bottle of Jeres de la Frontera.
Also known as Massandra Sherry 1775, it is one of the oldest and most expensive wines in the world, according to the winery's website.
Mr Berlusconi in the cellars of the Massandra Winery
Ukrainian prosecutors for Crimea, who are working in exile, say the bottle was worth more than $90,000 (£58,000), Radio Free Europe reported.
When the peninsula was annexed, Massandra only owned five of the famous bottles, after two were sold at Sotheby's auctions, with the personal authorisation of then Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma.
The successful bidder paid almost $50,000 (£32,000) at the 2001 auction, which then went to the government to fund the development of Massandra and wine-making in Crimea.
Ukrainian prosecutors are reportedly looking into filing embezzlement charges against Ms Pavlenko, who is also wanted for alleged "treason" after voting in favour of the Russian annexation of Crimea.
"This is one of the five bottles that constitute not only Massandra's or Crimea's heritage, but the heritage of all Ukrainian people,'' Nazar Kholodnytsky, first deputy prosecutor for Crimea told the Associated Press in Kiev.
Vladimir Putin and Silvio Berlusconi walking along a seaside esplanade in Yalta, Crimea
Mr Putin and Mr Berlusconi are both reportedly named in the case over "large-scale misuse of property".
During the two-day trip to Crimea, they also laid flowers at a war memorial, toured the seaside, inspected an archaeological dig and visited three palaces and a cathedral.
Massandra was Ukrainian government property before Russia's annexation of Crimea in March 2014, but has since been nationalised by the Kremlin.
Additional reporting by PA
Silvio BerlusconiVladimir Putin
1/4Putin and his friend Berlusconi in trouble over very expensive wine
Putin and his friend Berlusconi in trouble over very expensive wine
Russian Presidential Press and Information Office


text:
13 February 2014 / SF News / Eve Batey
[Updated] BART Riders Exposed To Potentially Fatal Disease By UC Berkeley Student
BART spokespeople sent a rather alarming message to media Thursday afternoon, saying that East Bay passengers might have been exposed to the measles.
According to BART spokesman Jim Allison, "a person infected with the contagious disease traveled on BART in the East Bay last week. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says measles has been virtually wiped out in the United States thanks to vaccinations but the disease still poses a risk to those who have not been vaccinated."
A KQED compilation of California Department of Health data suggests that Bay Area parents are choosing not to vaccinate their children against diseases like the measles in greater and greater numbers, making this a real concern for many BART riders.
Allison says that "the person infected with measles traveled between El Cerrito del Norte and Downtown Berkeley stations on Tuesday, February 4 through Friday, February 7 between 8 to 10 am and in the afternoon/evening commute hours."
Measles is an airborne virus that can remain in the air for as long as two hours. According to the CDC, "measles is so contagious that if one person has it, 90% of the people close to that person who are not immune will also become infected with the measles virus."
Symptoms typically kick in between a week to two weeks after infection. If you think you might have been exposed, and you have any symptoms, which include:
Blotchy rash
Red, watery eyes
Feeling run down, achy
Tiny white spots with bluish-white centers found inside the mouth
...Then stop reading this and go to the doctor right now. We're not messing around here, this disease can be fatal.
Update: BCN/Danville.com reports that the infected person is a UC Berkeley student who "was not vaccinated and was likely infected with the disease during a recent trip abroad." The student also "spent time in the Berkeley community" and "attended classes on the UC Berkeley campus."
[CDC]
[Danville.com]
Vallejo Man Steals U-Haul Truck, Crashes It In Oakland, Calmly Waits For Cops On Loveseat
A 22-year-old man from Vallejo stole a U-Haul truck early Thursday morning and proceeded to drive it down 14th Avenue in Oakland over 90 mph, proving once again that Vallejo is the Florida
World's Largest Solar Power Plant Opens On CA-Nevada Border
Have you heard about the Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System? It's a totally innovative project backed by Google, NRG Energy, and Brightsource Energy, located across five square miles of desert on the California-Nevada
Eve Batey


text:
Do Wind Operations "Work", and Should They be Declared to Punters?
Last month Bruce Millington, in the Racing Post, argued strongly that because of the dramatic effect that wind operations can sometimes have on horses, the fact of having one should be declared to the betting public ahead of the horse racing. It was a forceful article and it even had an implication that in some way the public was potentially being deceived by a conspiracy of owners and trainers. This prompted a lot of discussion, correspondence and social media traffic, the vast majority of which equally strongly appeared to agree with Mr. Millington. From the owner / trainer perspective, there was more caution and this, in turn, prompted another debate about how many aspects of training and veterinary treatment of the racehorse should be declared, and what, if any, limits there should be on such disclosure.
The Owners for Owners default position in racing is always to advocate transparency. We believe that owners, racegoers, punters and all stakeholders involved in the sport should have full access to information where it is demonstrably relevant. The counter-argument is that it can sometimes be difficult to interpret information, but this argues for releasing not just the facts but also information and education to raise the overall knowledge and awareness of the challenges of training racehorses and keeping them fit, both physically and mentally. So why not apply this principle and disclose the fact that a horse has had a wind operation?
However there are clearly some practical difficulties in this, not least that there is no such thing as just a singular "wind operation". Horses' wind has been a subject of concern and conjecture for centuries. Some make no noise but the wind is poor, while others can be roaring like a steam-train but the wind is fine. There are over 20 veterinary procedures that can be used to improve or optimise a horse's airways, palate and larynx, with the common ones being a hobday, palate cauterisation, tie-back, tie-forward and release of epiglottic entrapment (which is what happened to Cue Card, allowing him to win the King George). Some trainers give wind operations to horses almost as a matter of course from an early age, while others believe that as horses strengthen and mature the wind can naturally improve. And of course there are just as many different options available for bridles, tongue-ties and bits to facilitate breathing, and there are constant innovations with these; as an example, some trainers have recently started importing spoon bits from Australia which seem to have a positive effect in keeping the horse's tongue and soft palate down. So which, if not all, of these procedures and trainer practices should be declared, when, how and how often?
Not surprisingly, the debate then spilled over into all aspects of training. In some countries it is mandatory to weigh the racehorse and declare that weight to the betting public ahead of racing. As an indication of fitness that sounds very sensible – assuming of course that you can track and relate that weight to what is deemed to be the optimum for that horse. Should ulcer treatment be declared? Or the horse's blood profile? How about recent gallops? And for that matter the gallops surface that the horse has been on, and whether it has been in a water treadmill, etc., etc. Eventually information disclosure would push the boundaries and become ridiculous. Apparently there is a BHA study under way at the moment looking to provide guidelines, and while there will probably be more disclosure it is equally important to define the limits on it.
While the debate was going on, one of our horses, Thady Quil, who had previously had a cauterisation of the palate, had a tie-forward. Unfortunately the cauterisation hadn't "worked", and he was pulled up in his last run. What effect would declaration of that cauterisation have had on the betting public? At the moment there is no requirement to declare the tie-forward. Throughout the treatment we have had very interesting discussions with the veterinary surgeon looking after our horse, who is adamant that surgery as such is rarely a "miracle cure", and that what he is doing is applying procedures that will hopefully help the horse to control his wind – but most importantly it is a voluntary rather than involuntary action on the part of the horse. There is a strong interplay between the physical modifications brought about by the operation and the confidence and ability of the horse to trust and control his breathing …. and how on earth could you declare how well that has been achieved?
Clearly you couldn't, but it shows that there are absolutely no certainties whatsoever in this area. Information release to the public therefore needs to come with a health warning – wind operations don't always "work". Indeed when I asked the vet for his views on releasing the details he joked that it would put him out of business if everyone knew how difficult it is to predict the outcome. Don't bet blind on wind ops!!
Labels: betting public, BHA study, disclosure, horseracing transparency, racehorse fitness, racehorse information disclosure, racehorse surgical procedure, Racing Post, veterinary procedure, wind operations
Graham Willetts 15 February 2016 at 18:12
Our sad owner experience last Autumn (the death of Edgardo Sol) prompts me to make a couple of points.
Firstly, I suspect in many if not most cases it is the trainer who takes the initiative solely in arranging wind ops. Owners in my view are often passive onlookers in the process or perhaps more accurately 'blinded by science' and convinced by the prospect of racing success. (A dubious assumption, as you indicate).
Secondly, there is no such thing as a safe operation. Many of these procedures are carried out under general anaesthetic. For various reasons our horse was unable to cope with this; what makes our sense of loss even more acute is that we now realise the potential positive benefits may have been illusory or very limited in nature.
I do feel there are some aspects of the practice of wind operations which need more consideration than they seem to be attracting, certainly in relation to risk to the horse.Is it ethical to be carrying out so many of them when we know to our cost they can cost horses their life-perhaps in exceptional circumstances, but if it is difficult to 'predict the outcome' and they don't work in many cases, should the practice be more selective rather than 'routine'?
Do Wind Operations "Work", and Should They be Decl...
Will the Change in Media Contract From Channel 4 t...


text:
Fama Thiam had reason to abandon her basketball dream, instead she fulfilled it
Jeff Metcalfe
Fama Thiam is realizing her American dream.
The hard way.
Not that it was ever going to be easy, coming to the U.S. from the West African country of Senegal when she was 16. She spoke her native Wolof and some French but no English, making it next to impossible to navigate all that went wrong during her first six months in Arizona.
Recruited to play on a club basketball team with promises of a college scholarship and even a path to the WNBA, Thiam was among a dozen girls and boys eventually removed from the now closed Elite 1 Academy by the Arizona Department of Child Services because of inadequate living conditions at a group home in Surprise.
"When I moved here, obviously I was so excited because my dream was coming true," Thiam said. "But as soon as I stepped in my house I knew in my belly there was something wrong. This is nothing like what they told me. I didn't even bring basketball shoes because they say they will give me everything, you don't need to worry about anything."
The reality was she had to worry about everything down to the basics of food. "Some days, we don't even eat," after a five-hour practice, she said.
Thiam, who first left home at 14 to train in the Senegal capital of Dakar, was afraid to tell her parents what she was experiencing in the U.S. Nor could she bring herself to return home: "Me being me, I don't give up."
Foster home offers safety net
Aubrey Laird already was familiar with the foster care system through her then job as a program supervisor with Arizona Children's Association when she received a call in April 2017 asking if she could take in Thiam and another 17-year-old African girl left homeless after being removed from their group home.
"I was helping people get their homes licensed and wanted to help kids out," Laird said. "I had two kids in care, a biological daughter and then I got Fama and the other girl. So I was completely immersed in that whole system, but I love it and I wouldn't change it for anything. It's a tough role, but when you see the kids are thriving and able to do what they came here to do, it makes it all worth it."
The emotional scars from Thiam's first six months in the U.S. were not easily erased.
Laird remember her often staying in her room as if not allowed to leave. "I think she was nervous. It was just because she had been treated so poorly by Americans when she first got here that she thought maybe this is how everybody is in America."
Soon enough, Thiam realized Laird and others including her ELL (English Language Learner) instructor Timothy Barmettler for four hours per day at Gilbert Highland High School were different. "She said I was the nicest person she had ever met," Laird will never forget. "It just broke my heart because in my opinion, I wasn't doing a whole lot for her. Just meeting her basic needs, but in her mind that was monumental."
Graduating after one school year (2017-18) at Highland with the right credits for college wasn't possible. So Thiam returned for a second year also of basketball, still too raw for major college but talented enough as a 5-11 guard to interest junior college recruiters.
"Some people would scoff at the idea of playing junior college where Fama looked at it as an opportunity," said Todd Holthaus, going into his 14th year as women's basketball coach at Pima Community College in Tucson. "She has always been appreciative of that. She signed with us early. She just wanted to make a decision so she could focus on her next step. She just wanted to be at a place where she knew she could work and get exposure."
Full-time student and job
Work is the norm for Thiam, whether in school or to improve her offensive game or full time at Walmart to pay expenses because she couldn't qualify for financial aid at Pima without a green card and to help her large family (she is one of 10 children) in Senegal.
"It it were only me, I could just sit home and do school and basketball," Thiam said. "But I something better for my siblings and my parents. My dad and mom did a lot of things for me to get here. My dad had to sell his car. I can't sit around when I have free time. I have to go do something."
Thiam started as a freshman at Pima on a 25-win team that qualified for NJCAA Division II nationals that were cancelled in March due to COVID. She returned home to Mesa to complete the semester online, started working at a Walmart then transferred to another when she returned to Tucson.
But the big picture priority remained the same, reinforced by every Walmart shift. To spin her Pima credentials (8.7 ppg, 5.1 rebounds, 3.8 assists) and athletic potential into an NCAA Division I scholarship.
For Ryan McAdams, that didn't take much convincing.
Path to Division I
As head coach at Eastern Arizona College for seven years, McAdams knew all about Holthaus' program and success at Pima. Also that Pima was a school he wanted to recruit after joining Brooke Atkinson's staff at New Mexico State in 2017.
He first saw Thiam at a Pima practice in fall 2019 before she ever played a game for the Aztecs. "Fama stuck out to me very, very boldly because of her electric athleticism," he said. "I had a vision of that kid, if she does some things to improve her skill set, she could be special. She was always someone I had on my mind."
DeAudra Brown, also an NM State assistant, felt the same, and Thiam likely clinched an offer with a 17-point, nine-rebound performance against NJCAA Division I power Central Arizona College on Feb. 1.
McAdams worked his connection with Holthaus. He talked to Babacar Camara, a former professional basketball player from Senegal who has befriended and helped to train Thiam. Camara's cousin is Toronto Raptors' forward Pascal Siakam, who had a positive experience in three seasons (one as a redshirt) at New Mexico State.
"The uniqueness of Fama's situation created some very thorough and genuine conversations," McAdams said. "That's nothing she consciously created, it's just her situation. I've been recruiting kids from Africa for a long time. Some don't know where they're going when they get on a plane. It can be very scary for these kids."
No one is more protective of Thiam than her foster mom, whose family now includes another basketball player, 6-3 Mariam Traore from Mali, a senior at AZ Compass Prep in Chandler. "I only wish I could take more," said Laird, now working at New Horizons Behavioral Health Services in Mesa. "I wish I could help them all."
But she's done plenty for Fama alone including arranging for her father Ahmadou Thiam to make a surprise visit to the U.S. for her high school graduation.
"Aubrey knows how much my dad means to me and my family," Fama said. "Aubrey was really a blessing. She gave me everything I needed to be successful."
Fall flush with success
Achievements that once seemed unreachable are stacking up for Thiam this Thanksgiving.
On Oct. 16, four years to the day after arriving in America, she received a green card granting her permanent U.S. residency. That culminated a lengthy process that began when Thiam still was a juvenile under a special immigrant classification for children involved in state court cases related to abuse, neglect and abandonment.
On Nov. 6, Thiam turned 21. Five days later, she signed a letter of intent to play for New Mexico State starting in 2021-22 after her second season at Pima, starting Jan. 4 if allowed.
Because of NCAA/NJCAA allowances due to COVID, Thiam will have three years of eligibility after her transfer instead of the standard two coming from junior college and still could be playing for the Aggies at 24. She also now, with a green card, is eligible for academic aid such as a federal Pell grant in addition to her athletic scholarship.
"She's mature beyond her years already," McAdams said. "Maybe now she can downshift, cut a few hours at Walmart and be a college kid. Her life changes in the last few months have been immense.
"We don't know how good she'll end up being. There's no replacement for work ethic, focus and concentration. You never know what can happen when someone has access to Division I resources."
Fama translates to fame or renown. She's already achieved a measure of that in life, raising her ceiling in basketball closer to what she dreamed about growing up in Africa. "Every time I think about my journey," she said, "it's pushing me to go forward and keep going and never give up."
Reach the reporter at jeff.metcalfe@arizonarepublic.com or 602-444-8053. Follow him on Twitter @jeffmetcalfe.


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An early morning Shinkansen to Kyoto. The perfect cone of Fujiyama in the distance, a department store bento box, seasonal mochi.
"even the fish are a bit drab," wrote a disappointed western tourist on tripadvisor, but i only read that afterwards; we came upon the temple gardens at random, biking kyoto in search of japan's longest wooden building.
And then, Japan's longest wooden building. Inside, a reverent procession of silent tourists without cameras, and 1001 carved statues of Kannon, who represents mercy. A candle and thoughts for a friend at home whose 2014 was challenging.
Biking through narrow inner city streets. Stopped for shopping: unexpected new shoes, an artfully folded handbag, scraps of bright fabric.
Dinner at the train station: soba for a long life, or to let go of hardship. Edamame, pickles.
Temple-hopping, taking silent, frozen back streets between crowded places.
To Kiyomizudera for the bell ("struck once for each of the 108 earthly desires believed to cause human suffering" – wikipedia), and countdown to midnight.
& then, on New Year's Day, it snowed.
(More pictures from that trip).
This entry was posted in Travel and tagged Japan, New Year's Eve on December 31, 2015 by Moira Clunie.


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text:
Q: Design and implementation for a job pool with dependencies I have a collection of data, with "agents" that operate on that data. I have also built up an dependency list between the agents because some agents depend on what other agents do. I also have a structure set up to enforce what data within the collection of data can be accessed or mutated by each agent. I am stuck on how to implement this design, a job pool seems too simple to handling the dependencies  . My question is related to how to actually implement this type of design. The design is very similar to FlowBased programming(if I understand it correctly), but data is operated on in bulk.
My first thought was to have a tree heirarchy of the tasks that need to be done:
    Root
   /  |  \
 a1   a2  a3
  | /
 a4

For example, I can run a1, a2, and a3 concurrently. But to run a4, a1 and a2 need to be finished.
What would the best tools to set this up? Should I use a signal/slot implementation, roll my own Channels, use futures and promises to emulate a channel/signal/slot system? Maybe make each Node have a number of dependencies, and when each dependent agent finishes a counter is incremented when the next Node is called until it matches the number of deps. Or this could be implemented as a "gate" type of structure that holds the number of deps and sends a signal or w/e to the agent when the deps are satisfied.
I could make make my own TaskManager that does the scheduling, but I'd rather call each top-level Node once, and have the hierarchy automatically traversed. Is their something else entirely I could try. I'm interested in any crazy ideas you might have.
I'm leaning towards something like this, using "signals" and "slots":
+----------+    +----------+
|  Actor1  |    |  Actor2  |
| update() |    | update() |
+----|-----+    +----|-----+
      \____    _____/
           \  /
         +---v---+
         |  Gate |
         +---|---+
             V
        +----------+
        |  Actor4  |
        | update() |
        +----------+

How is this type of problem typically tackled? I would like to keep it somewhat generic and use popular libraries if I can. I also need good response times since this will be running in the update() loop of a game engine.

A: You have an object which encapsulates data, and agents working on that data, which together are the underpinnings for the Visitor design pattern. According to the Gang of Four, the intent of the Visitor patter is to

Represent an operation to be performed on the elements of an object/structure. Visitor lets you define a new operation without changing the classes of the elements on which it operates.

The abstract base visitor, visited classes would have at least the following functionality:
class DataElement
{
 public:
   virtual ~DataElement() = default;
   virtual void Accept(DataVisitor*);
 protected:
   DataElement() = default;
};

DataElement::Accept(DataVisitor* v)
{
    v->gendata(this); // double dispatch
}

class DataVisitor
{
 public:
   virtual ~DataVisitor() {} = default;
   virtual void visit_SpreadData(SpreadData*) = 0;
   virtual void gendata(DataElement*) = 0;
 protected:
   DataVisitor() = default;
};

For the chain of responsibility that you are setting up, using a Mediator would be a good start - intent:

Define an object that encapsulates how a set of objects interact. mediator promises loose coupling by keeping objects from referring to each other explicitly, and it lets you vary their interaction independently.

For that we would modify at least the DataVisitor class to contain a private mediator class. The abstract mediator base class might look something like:
class Mediator
{
 public:
   virtual ~Mediator() = default;
   virtual void mediate() = 0;
   std::list<DataVisitor*> get_visitors() const
 protected:
   Mediator() = default;
   virtual void CreateVisitors() = 0;
   std::list<DataVisitor*> visitors_;
};

In a concrete mediator class, the one that specifies the behavior in your diagram, the main ingredients are:

*

*define private std::mutex, std::condition_variable, and possibly a threadsafe queue;

*in CreateVisitors(), push a1, a2, a3, a4 onto visitors_ list;

*create thread methods for each a_i, a1_thread(),a2_thread(),a3_thread() will run immediately, while a4_thread() will wait for the completion of a1, a2, possibly using the results of gendata() (via notify_one()) which have been pushed to the queue;

*fill in mediate():
std::vector threadv;
threadv.emplace_back(&ConcreteMediator::a1_thread, this);
...
threadv.emplace_back(&ConcreteMediator::a4_thread, this);
std::for_each(threadv.begin(), threadv.end(), std::mem_fn(&std::thread::join));

This is a pretty unsophisticated setup, but it certainly maintains the loose coupling (Mediator) and scalability (Visitor) that you desire.


Every Oil and Gas Operator who to any extent is responsible for, has control over, or is engaged in an offshore project, or whose acts or omissions could adversely affect the health and safety of persons engaged in such a project, has a duty of care to ensure the project is carried out safely and efficiently. To ensure the project can be carried out to meet with best industry practice and legislation, within the geographical area of operation, the Operator may require a Client Representative to support the onshore and offshore worksite as instructed by the end Client.
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Monitor the safety & efficiency of operations.
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