Baltimore Screening Pass-palooza: "Bohemian Rhapsody"!
It's here! It's here! The screening for the Freddie Mercury/Queen biopic Bohemian Rhapsody! And I've got passes y'all. Synopsis!
This looks so amazing…but you know you wanna. So let's go!
What: ADMIT TWO passes for the B'more screening of Bohemian Rhapsody!
REMEMBER – SEATING FOR SCREENINGS IS FIRST COME FIRST SERVED AND NOT GUARANTEED. SO GET THERE EARLY TO GET YOURSELF A SEAT.
2 Responses to Baltimore Screening Pass-palooza: "Bohemian Rhapsody"!


TL:DR Played for 5 minute and wasn't interested enough to play even 99 cents to remove the ads.
There are more ads than game. The looks like it tried to shove as many ads as it could all over the place. During the game, after several level plays, on the menu, there probably more places I didn't list....but they are everywhere. To be fair, for 99 cents you can remove the ads. I assume all of them... But it's hard to believe they could find all of them to remove and I'm sure the one on them menu would still be there. It's a button that you have no idea what it is until after you push it.
Ok, what about game. You are two circles, one is stationary while the other loops you twice, the second time it will start to diminish, so you have to place it on a floor or wall before it goes away. The seemingly random generated building floats in open air, and gives you one or twice paths to select but if you miss the path the game ends and gives you a count of how many steps you made. The are several power downs to disrupt any rhythm you are have along with the changes to perceived perspective.
Ah, it seems another Ketchapp game has crossed my path.
Ketchapp is a great game creator, and I've enjoyed many of their games (Circle, Don't Touch The Spikes, Jelly Jump, Endless Sky, ooh, especially that last one!) And as with all of their games, quite a few ads. However, they aren't as overtaking as most people seem to think. Especially if wifi is off, only small ones (or none at all) will appear. This game is alright, although I didn't really understand how it worked at first! One circle spins, hovering, around the other, and you must tap when it's on the path. Took about 10 tries to understand that, so I guess I'm not of the intelligent persuasion. Worth your time, but not as good as some other Ketchapp games. Time to go play for a bit, and then I'm back to Endless Sky!


You might go crazy trying to piece it all together. The buzz for The Conjuring had a spinoff prequel, Annabelle, in the making even as the movie hit theaters. Love it or hate it, horror makes money. A more traditional sequel, The Conjuring 2, is leading to two further spinoffs, The Nun and The Crooked Man. And this summer a prequel to the prequel, Annabelle: Creation, came out. Only Annabelle isn't really so much a prequel since it doesn't have to do with Ed and Lorraine Warren. In any case, I finally had a chance to watch Annabelle: Creation and found it one of the more stunning examples of the genre in a long while. Intelligent, intricate, and slotted into the series in ways that required serious thought, it works as a stand-alone film or as part of a series. And, like much horror, it is deeply invested in religion.
First of all, the orphans moving into the Mullins' large home are from a Catholic orphanage that has been closed. They are overseen by Sister Charlotte, so we expect religion to interdigitate with the horror here. Confession of sins, prayer, and crucifixes appear amid the unfolding lives of the girls in an isolated house inhabited by a demon. Some of the tricks we've seen before, but there's enough new here to reinforce the thesis that religion and fear are close kin. Despite all this, and having a priest on call, no exorcism takes place. The doll, Father Massey declares, is just a doll. After the house has been blessed, there's no need to fear. Of course we've already seen what comes next so we know the priest is wrong.
Some people watch horror to be scared. Others of us watch it looking for something a bit deeper. Not for everyone is religion a source of fear. We do, however, tend to cling to our beliefs because the world is such an uncertain place. We're aware that we won't last forever. Horror exploits that openly and without shame. Threats are constant and unrelenting, even if contrived. Religion is often a place to find consolation in the face of fear, so it becomes even more frightening when the place to which you've fled is the very place that's out to get you. Annabelle: Creation is aware of this dynamic. The crucifixes, the Bibles, the prayers—none of this helps. What's more, the girls manage to pull themselves together for safety when there are no men around. The real danger, after all, is inhuman.
This entry was posted in Current Events, Monsters, Movies, Popular Culture, Posts and tagged Annabelle, Annabelle: Creation, demons, Ed and Lorraine Warren, horror movies, The Conjuring, The Conjuring 2, The Crooked Man, The Nun by Steve Wiggins. Bookmark the permalink.


text:
Trajectory Inc. is an American technology company that focuses on solving the problems facing the global book publishing market. It was founded by Jim Bryant in 2011 and is headquartered in Marblehead, Massachusetts.

The company is known for pioneering the development of a series of deep learning algorithms that are used to analyze and recommend books.

History

Since its founding in 2011 by Jim Bryant, Trajectory established relationships with over 300 eBook distributors located on six continents. In 2013, the company quietly acquired the assets of startup Small Demons, which gave them access to the HarperCollins' e-book library for analysis and data extraction. Trajectory went on to establish other partnerships with major publishers, thus growing its algorithms' ability for book recommendation.

In 2014, the company invented a standardized way to compare and contrast the flow of sentiment through works of fiction.

In January 2015, Trajectory announced that it had invented a method to generate book recommendations based on the content of the book. It is believed to be the first company to successfully demonstrate this.

The company is also noted for its penetration in the Chinese e-book distribution market, where most notably it formed a pact with Tencent Literature in March 2015 to distribute over 200,000 Chinese titles in North and South American distribution channels and English titles across the Chinese company's customer base of 820 million active users. Also in the spring, Trajectory announced agreements with Chinese distributors Xiaomi and Dangdang.

In 2015, Trajectory announced agreements with Peoples Education Press, Zhejiang, Anhui, Diamond Comic Distributors, Gardners, the Association of American University Presses and others. In September of the same year, the company won the Book Industry Study Group's Industry Innovation Award for their re-imagination of and unique approach to the industry.

Customers

Trajectory works within both the publishing and distributing sectors of the e-book market and has announced relationships with a broad range of major participants in the global book supply chain.

Publishers

Among its clients, Trajectory's publisher partners include including, Macmillan, Abrams, MIT Press, Peoples Education Press, Anhui, Zhejiang.

Distributors

Trajectory's distributor partners include: Tencent Literature, Xiaomi, Dangdang, Amazon, Apple, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Google and over 300 other partners.

Natural Language Processing and Machine Learning

In order to improve discoverability for books in publishing and distribution channels, Trajectory uses Natural Language Processing (NLP) and implements "Deep Learning" techniques that were the first of their kind to recommend books based on proprietary algorithms. These algorithms parse the text of the book and categorize data based on certain features like sentiment, parts of speech, genre, and keywords, and match it to the previously processed books in their database to generate suggestions. This content analysis contrasts current recommendation methods used by major companies like Amazon or Netflix that are powered by sales data and user reports. As the Natural Language Processing Engine parses more and more books in English, Chinese, Spanish, and German, the algorithms recommending capabilities improve transliterally.

References

External links

Book selling websites
Bookstores of the United States
Companies based in Marblehead, Massachusetts
Technology companies established in 2011
Ebook sources
Ebook suppliers
Electronic publishing
Internet properties established in 2011
Online retailers of the United States
Publishing companies established in 2011
Self-publishing companies
American companies established in 2011
Retail companies established in 2011

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


CanolaInfo partner and registered dietitian Manuel Villacorta posted on his blog, Whole Body Reboot, to mark Hispanic Heritage Month, noting food is central to Latin cultures. He shared various culinary attributes of canola oil, including its neutral taste that allows the natural flavour of Latin dishes to shine. The piece also highlights canola oil's nutrition benefits, including its heart healthfulness, especially important because Hispanics and Latinos are at an increased risk of heart disease.


text:
Archaeological sites, Art, Beyond Rome, Rome, Tips & tricks
Seven Tips To Travel Ethically in Italy
Every time you travel, you have an impact on your destination.
As much as we avid travelers like to think to the contrary, that's not always a good thing. Your waste is now your destination's waste, your carbon footprint its carbon footprint. The choices you make of what to eat and buy can commercialize the agricultural systems and undercut the artisanal production of your destination. The list of potential harms goes on — which is why "invasive tourism" is such a risk for cities and sites worldwide.
That's as true for top destinations in Italy as it is anywhere else. Just recently, the head of the Vatican Museums announced that the 20,000 or so daily visitors to the Sistine Chapel are damaging the frescoes with their dust, sweat, and carbon dioxide. Ruins are deteriorating, artisans' shops closing down, and the center is commercializing — thanks to lots of global forces, not least of all tourism.
Luckily, though, with just a little forethought, you can travel ethically. And you have the power, both with your pocketbook and the other choices you make, to preserve that art, support that culinary tradition, and help those people you like so much.
Here, just a few easy things you can do to make sure that you're helping — not harming — the places in Italy (and elsewhere!) that you love visiting.
1. Never, ever touch the frescoes. Or paintings. Or sculptures. Or tapestries. The number-one way to harm most art is to touch it, transferring the natural oils from your skin onto its surface. That wears everything away from paint to bronze.
For proof, just check out the corners of doors, say in the Vatican's Borgia apartments, that have been frescoed; because these are easy to grab as you go down a hall, they're usually almost entirely worn away. Or check out the medieval bronze statue of St. Peter in St. Peter's Basilica. Hundreds of years of pilgrims kissing and touching its right foot have — you guessed it — worn away the right foot. So please, if you like art, stand and gaze at it. But never, ever touch it.
Be careful with that camera flash, too — it damages cloth and tapestries, as well as some painting. Always be sure it's okay before the bulb goes off.
2. Eat only foods in season. When tourists demand out-of-season products, like artichokes in November, that either forces Italy to import the food in question (that Roman artichoke isn't so Roman, and isn't so "green," if it's from France!), or screws up local agricultural rhythms and the environment as farmers try to adapt to commercial forces. Be aware: Learn what you can, and can't, expect to be in season where you're going. For a quick read-over of what is in season when you're visiting Italy and other tips on how to eat responsibly when traveling, check out Katie Parla's excellent tips for how to be a conscientious eater.
Pizza with fiori di zucca at Da Francesco, Rome? That's something you should only be eating between July and November…
3. Don't buy plastic water bottles. Yes, they're everywhere. Yes, Italians buy them, too. But the effect is terrible. In the Cinque Terre each August alone, 400,000 plastic bottles are found littering the park and its beaches. Venice, which manages 20 million visitors each year, gets trashed with 13 million plastic bottles. And even if you dispose of your plastic bottles properly, remember that that waste has to go somewhere in Italy. (If you're in Naples, of course, that garbage might just stay there).
Italy is taking steps to eradicate the problem: The Cinque Terre banned plastic bottles this past September. From now on, visitors will have the option to buy a 1 euro metal bottle and to refill it at the park's fountains. But for areas of Italy that haven't yet legislated the matter, do the same. Buy a glass or metal bottle and refill it. That's especially easy in Rome, where there are 2,500 nasoni spewing cold, fresh water around the city.
5. Walk, or use local transportation. Italy's cities are great for walking. But if you have to get somewhere faster, take the metro or bus. It's much "greener" than individual taxis — and cheaper and pretty easy to use, too.
6. Stay in agriturismi. They're super-cheap (think €30 to €50 per night), in every destination you could possibly want to visit in Italy, usually in beautiful settings, and they often include a home-cooked meal with ingredients all harvested or slaughtered right there. (Now that's hyperlocal).
Typical Tuscan agriturismo: the Agriturismo Sant'Apollinare
Sound too good to be true? It's not. There are few more-rewarding places to stay overnight than an agriturismo, or "farm stay." And far from the slightly-backwards, eating-in-the-kitchen-with-the-farmer's-family image the word sometimes conjures, nearly every agriturismo I've stayed at has been beautiful and clean, with super-friendly but not-obtrusive owners. Some even go up to the "luxury" scale, like the beautiful Fontanaro agriturismo in Umbria (pictured at top of page). It's got a pool and gorgeous villas — but makes all its own wine, honey, and olive oil, too.
Olives at Fontanaro, Umbria
Since many agriturismi don't even have websites, one of the best ways to find them is simply to type "agriturismo" into Google Maps for the destination you're looking for. You'll be surprised at just how many crop up.
6. Try to limit your air travel. Flying back and forth from Europe to the U.S. emits three to four tons of carbon. That's more emissions than 20 people living in Bangladesh will cause in a whole year. To reduce that impact, take trains, ferries or other transport whenever you can. Consider purchasing a "carbon offset" for your flight, and try to make fewer, longer trips rather than short journeys.
7. Think before you buy. Obviously, that's true with every purchase you make, whether at home or abroad. When you buy a scarf from a Rome vendor that was made in China, your coins vote for outsourcing; when you buy handmade leather gloves in Florence, you vote for local artisans.
Be aware, too, that not all local products are necessarily "ethical." I posted several weeks ago about the coral industry on the Amalfi coast. Yes, buying a coral necklace supports local jewelry-makers, but it supports the destruction of the coral reefs, too. Decide what's important to you — but try to be aware of the local issues, both cultural and environmental, first.
agriturismiagriturismoartcarbon footprintcarbon offsettingCinque Terreconservationcultural heritageeating responsiblyenvironmentalismethical tourismethical travelgreen travelItaly travel tipsplastic water bottlespreservationsustainable tourismtravel in Italy
Underground at the Colosseum: How Do You Get There?
Rome's Carnival of Horses, for BBC Travel
Enjoy Martedi in Arte… Throughout 2011
location mallorca says:
I like the post.I have to travel to Italy during my next vacation.The tips suggested in the post helps me so much during my travel and also helps other travelers which want to travel ethically in Italy.Thanks for sharing this post.
I'm glad it helps! Thanks for stopping by.
I visited Italy in April 2009 and hope to return in 2011. I went to Venice, Milan, Pisa, Lucca, Florence, Rome, Naples, Capri and Pompeii. any suggestions for other places to visit?
I absolutely loved Venice because of the water and Lucca because it was soooo green and beautiful.
Here's a pic from Lucca, Italy. Please vote if you think it is beautiful!
http://contest.shutterfly.com/contests/showentry/703674
J Vered says:
I do think it's important to support local industry. Remember though as you drink your morning favorites, realize that your coffee, chocolate, tea, and sugar are not produced in Italy either.
Good point. We all have to do what we can!

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


The Trump Spa at Doral is located in Miami. Add The Trump Spa at Doral to your Miami travel itinerary, and discover new vacation ideas by using our Miami journey planner .
I have been coming here for years and last weekend was not a good experience. We had issues with reservations before we even arrived there. They messed up on our reservation times or would forget to place a service. It was a pain because when we would reserve the confirmation it would be something different than was discussed over the phone. Then when we got there they pre-charged us for regular massages and facials instead of the spa month prices. The topper is I never got my massage because the masseuse had an emergency. I was very understanding because I was told they had voided my services, however on Monday I looked at my account and the charges had gone through. I have been trying to contact them and they say they will call me back, but I have yet to hear from someone. I contacted my bank and they told me that if they had submitted a refund it should have already shown on their end. It is terrible that after they cancelled on me, I'm the one after them for my money back. I gave it two stars, because I did get my facial and enjoyed it. I also think the lady from the front desk was very nice and apologetic about the situation, which is why I was fine with what she told me. But now I am just frustrated with the whole situation and don't plan on going back. I'm going to need a massage after this mess.
I had an awesome experience at this spa. I purchased the Spa Signature Day Package, which includes basically everything. I loved each experience. I felt each staff treated me like royalty. The facility was clean and well-kept. The lunch was delicious. Must recommend the ceviche. My favorite was most definitely the massage, but it's all worth a try.


Sales, operational and accounts contact names, and email addresses.
Company telephone numbers (Including mobile numbers).
Bank details to enable payment to you.
Deferment / EORI numbers (If applicable).
Sales and purchase invoice activity.
We will only use this information when we are trading with you and will never sell or pass on the information we hold for you. If we do not receive an email from yourselves, we will contact you accordingly and keep your details on file.
We retain the data for 18 months, it is securely destroyed at that time.
Your well within your rights to object to us processing your data, asking us to delete it or stop using it if there is no reason for us to continue to use it. If there's a reason why we need to continue to use it we'll let you know and keep you informed of our decision, if there isn't we'll do as you've asked.
For any situation where you have given us you consent you can take it away. Just let us know if you change your mind.


text:
<?php

  /**
   * controller which handles the MB promotion.
   */
class MBPromoteController extends ReplaceToolsController {

	/**
	 * display the database information
	 */
	public function onDefault() {
		// Pull live config
		$runtimeConfig = $this->zrt->getLive();

		$params = array();
		$params['category'] = 'MB Promote';

                $pools = array_keys($this->zrt->getLists());
		$results_pool = array();
                foreach($pools as $pool) {
                        if (startsWith($pool, 'MB_', true) === true && endsWith($pool, '_MASTER', true) === true) {
                                array_push($results_pool,$pool);
                        }
                }
                ksort($results_pool);
                $params['pools'] = $results_pool;
                $ips = $params['ips'] = array();
                if ($params['pools']) {
                        $ips = $runtimeConfig[$params['pools'][0]];
                        $params['ips'] = $ips;
                }

                $params['ips_display']=array();
                $i = 1;
                foreach ($ips as $value) {
                        $params['count'][] = $i - 1;
                        $params['ips_display'][]='[' . $i++ . '] ' . $this->getFriendlyName($value);
                }

		// Load log info
		$changeLog = $params['changeLog'] = $this->zrt->getChangeLog();
		$params['revisions'] = array_keys($changeLog);
		// Get live rev and refresh runtime config
		$currentRev = $params['currentRev'] = $this->zrt->getLiveRev();
		$runtimeConfig = $this->zrt->getLive();

		$this->render('mbPromote/lookup.tpl',$params);
	}

	/**
	 * verify with the user to get confirmation before actual replacement.
	 */
	public function onVerify() {
		// Pull live config
		$runtimeConfig = $this->zrt->getLive();

		$params = array();
		$params['category'] = 'MB Promote';

		$params['subcategory'] = 'Verify Details';
		$lists = $this->zrt->getLists();

                if (isset($_POST['pools'])) {
			$masterPool = $params['masterPool'] = $_POST['pools'];
                        $shard = $params['shard'] = $_POST['ips'];
                        $display_shard = $params['display_shard'] = $shard + 1;
			$masterIP = $params['masterIP'] = $lists[$masterPool][$shard];
			$masterIPFriendlyName = $params['masterIPFriendlyName'] = $this->getFriendlyName($masterIP, false);
                        /* Now the master pool is known, replace _MASTER with _SLAVE */
                        $slavePool = $masterPool;
                        $slavePool = str_replace('_MASTER', '_SLAVE', $slavePool);
                        $params['slavePool'] = $slavePool;

                        $status = false;
                        if (isset ($slavePool) && is_array($lists[$slavePool])) {
                            if (isset ($lists[$slavePool][$shard])) {
                                $params['slavePool'] = $slavePool;
                                $replacementIP = $params['replacementIP'] = $lists[$slavePool][$shard];

                                if (isset ($replacementIP)) {
                                    if (strstr($replacementIP,'promoted')) {
                                        $params['replacementIPFriendlyName'] = "This slave is already promoted.";
                                        $params['replacementIP'] = FALSE;
                                    } else {
                                        $params['replacementIPFriendlyName'] = $this->getFriendlyName($replacementIP, false);
                                        $status =  verifyMBServer($replacementIP);
                                        if (!$status) $status = getErrorMessage();
                                    }
                                } else {
                                    $status = "Slave Pool has no IP at that shard position";
                                }
                            } else {
                                $status =  "Slave Pool " . $slavePool . " does not have the same shard position";
                            }
                        } else {
                            $status =  "Slave Pool " . $slavePool . " does not exist";
                        }

                        $replacement_verified = $params['replacement_verified'] = $status;

		}

		// Load log info
		$changeLog = $params['changeLog'] = $this->zrt->getChangeLog();
		$params['revisions'] = array_keys($changeLog);
		// Get live rev and refresh runtime config
		$currentRev = $params['currentRev'] = $this->zrt->getLiveRev();
		$runtimeConfig = $this->zrt->getLive();

		$this->render('mbPromote/verify.tpl',$params);
	}

	/**
	 * complete the replacement and display the result.
	 */
	public function onComplete() {
		// Pull live config
		$runtimeConfig = $this->zrt->getLive();

		$params = array();
		$params['category'] = 'MB Promote';

		$params['subcategory'] = 'Complete';

		if (isset($_POST['finalize'])) {
			$lists = $this->zrt->getLists();
			$params['shard'] = $shard = $_POST['shard'];
                        $params['display_shard'] = $params['shard'] + 1;
                        $masterPool = $params['masterPool'] = $_POST['master_pool'];
                        $slavePool = $params['slavePool'] = $_POST['slave_pool'];
			$masterIP = $params['masterIP'] = $lists[$masterPool][$shard];
			$params['masterIPFriendlyName'] = $this->getFriendlyName($masterIP, false);
			$slaveIP = $params ['replacementIP'] = $lists[$slavePool][$shard];
			$params['replacementIPFriendlyName'] = $this->getFriendlyName($slaveIP, false);
			$params['promoteStatus'] = $result = $this->zrt->replaceServers($masterPool, $masterIP, $slaveIP);
                        $this->zrt->replaceServers($slavePool, $slaveIP, str_replace($slaveIP, 'promoted-' . $slaveIP, $slaveIP ));
		}

		// Load log info
		$changeLog = $params['changeLog'] = $this->zrt->getChangeLog();
		$params['revisions'] = array_keys($changeLog);
		// Get live rev and refresh runtime config
		$currentRev = $params['currentRev'] = $this->zrt->getLiveRev();
		$runtimeConfig = $this->zrt->getLive();

		$this->render('mbPromote/complete.tpl',$params);
	}

	 /**
         * handle the ajax request. When the server is selected, return the value of the key.
         */
        public function onAjaxSelect() {
                if(Types::safeGetExists('key')) {
                        $runtimeConfig = $this->zrt->getLive();
                        $key = $_GET['key'];
                        $values = $runtimeConfig[$key];
                        $result = array();
                        $i=1;
                        foreach ($values as $value) {
                                $result[]=array('value'=>$value, 'display'=> '[' . $i++ . '] ' . $this->getFriendlyName($value));
                        }

                        // Obtain a list of columns
                        foreach ($result as $key => $row) {
                                $display[$key]  = $row['display'];
                        }

                        print json_encode($result);
                }
        }

  }

        /* Stores error details for custom Error Handler */
        $custom_error = array("errno" => "", "errstr" => "", "errfile" => "", "errline" => "");

       /**
	 * Arm with custom Error Handler to get details about the error
	 *
	 * @param	int	$errno	  err number
         * @param	string	$errstr	  human readable message
	 * @param	string	$errfile  name of the file where the error occurs
         * @param	int	$errline  the line number in the file where the error occurs
         *
	 * @return	boolean	True if handled or false to let the internal error handler take over
	 */
        function customMCErrorHandler($errno, $errstr, $errfile, $errline)
        {
            global $custom_error;
            if (!(error_reporting() & $errno)) {
               // This error code is not included in error_reporting
               return true;
            }

            $custom_error ['errno'] = $errno;
            $custom_error ['errstr'] = $errstr;
            $custom_error ['errfile'] = $errfile;
            $custom_error ['errline'] = $errline;

            return true;
        }

       /**
	 * Get the error details if the errno is set
	 *
	 * @return	string  human readable error message when errno is non zero
	 */
        function getErrorMessage() {
            global $custom_error;
            return $custom_error['errstr'];
        }

	/**
	 * Verify a MC server by trying to connect to it
	 *
	 * @param	string	$ip	Ip of server of form ip:host
	 *
	 * @return	boolean	True if we could successfully connect
	 */
	function verifyMBServer($ip) {
		$result = false;
		$memcache = new Memcache();

		$server = "";
		$port = "11211"; // default MC port
		$serverArray = explode(":", $ip);
		switch (count($serverArray)) {
		case 2:
			$port = $serverArray[1];
			// pass throught to case 1
		case 1:
			$server = $serverArray[0];
			break;
		}

                //Save the original error handler
                $old_error_handler = set_error_handler("customMCErrorHandler",E_ALL | E_STRICT);
		$result = $memcache->connect($server, $port, 1);
                //Rearm the original error handler
                if ($old_error_handler) set_error_handler($old_error_handler);

		return $result;
	}

        function startsWith($haystack,$needle,$case=true) {
            if($case){return (strcmp(substr($haystack, 0, strlen($needle)),$needle)===0);}
            return (strcasecmp(substr($haystack, 0, strlen($needle)),$needle)===0);
        }

        function endsWith($haystack,$needle,$case=true) {
            if($case){return (strcmp(substr($haystack, strlen($haystack) - strlen($needle)),$needle)===0);}
            return (strcasecmp(substr($haystack, strlen($haystack) - strlen($needle)),$needle)===0);
        }

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Brain & Nerves - Spinal Cord Disorders: BMP in cervical fusion.
I had fusion surgery in March 2009 using a cadaver bone. After recovery, I felt pretty good until the middle of June. At that time, my old symptoms started returning. At my check-up in early July, you could see that about 50% of the cadaver bone was gone and the space was narrowing. At yesterdays check-up it is more like 70% gone. The doctor says we need to re-do the surgery soon and he wants to use BMP inside a spacer instead of another bone. Has anyone had this procedure in the neck? I have read good things about the procedure in the back but I see a lot of warnings about this in the neck.
Re: BMP in cervical fusion.
Your situation sounds similar to mine. I had a failed fusion after an ACDF. However, rather than "re-do" the original surgery, my new surgeon went in through the back of the neck and wired the bones together and used BMP in the back. He said that by stabilizing the bones from this additional point, the bodies of the vertebrae usually end up fusing on their own in time. I did not have BMP in the original surgery. Can you try to get a bone growth stimulator?
There is so little of the cadaver bone left, I am not sure a stimulator would help. The bones are fusing but the cadaver bone is shrinking. My doctor would prefer to go in from the front if possible. He discussed a plastic spacer with a sponge in the center. The sponge would hav the BMP on it so the bone would grow through the sponge and the spacer would stay as additional support while the bone grows.
If only my insurance would have paid for an artificial disc, I would not be having this problem.
I had the plastic cage with BMP last February (for broad C6/7 bulge with marked cord compression and nerve impingement - symptoms 2 years+ but was in appalling agony before last Christmas). I did not wear a collar. At 4 months the Consultant was delighted with my progress and said I had fused as well as some patients he had seen after a year. I am still doing well at the 6 month mark but only time will really tell how successful the surgery has been.
I took calcium supplements but am not sure if this made any difference.
I am sorry to hear you are not fusing as well as expected - I am sure you are feeling low at the moment at the thought of going through all this again but fingers crossed that this time you will get sorted out properly and permanently.
rehmlh - I was meaning that you should try to get a bone growth stimulator after this next surgery. I just had another surgery to fix a non-union, and I am doing so much better now than I had been after the original surgery. It is no fun to have a failed fusion, so if you can fix this now, I would go for it. It's not living your life with the pain caused by the lack of fusion. In my case, the donor bone had completely dissolved, too. There was just a space left and no indication that there had been any graft there at all, but the bones on either side did show some growth, just not enough to span the gap left by the graft. Good luck!!!
I will ask the my md about a stimulator. How long do you have to wear it? Is it on 24-7 or is it something you use a few times a day?
I have to wear mine 4 hours a day, which isn't bad. The doctor has me on it for 6 weeks, then a new CT to see if it is working. I have heard that some people wear it for as much as 9 months, but I think it will only be about 12 weeks for me if everything goes as planned. I think having a history of a failed fusion might put us at higher risk for it again, and I know I don't want to chance it with having to have ANOTHER surgery at this level again. Good luck. I'm glad they caught this for you pretty early.


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Get Ready to Run: Homecoming
Kathryn Immonen and Sara Pichelli close out volume three with a bang!
In celebration of Rainbow Rowell and Kris Anka's RUNAWAYS and "Marvel's Runaways" heading to Hulu on November 21, take a look at the team's major adventures as seen on Marvel Unlimited!
In the grand tradition of RUNAWAYS volumes, the third crashed to an end that shocked everyone. RUNAWAYS #11-#14 by writer Kathryn Immonen and artist Sara Pichelli began innocently enough—at the Stein's Malibu house with Nico, Karolina, Victor, and Chase throwing a prom for themselves as Molly, Klara, and Old Lace watched TV.
Runaways (2008) #11
Added to Marvel Unlimited: November 23, 2009
Writer: Kathryn Immonen
Penciller: Sara Pichelli
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What is Marvel Unlimited?
But their night of fun came to a fiery end when a drone crashed into the home. As the group rushed to see if Klara and Old Lace were okay, they discovered a tragedy: Old Lace seemed to have died saving Klara's life.
As Chase felt his dinosaur companion's heart stop, Klara woke up. Extremely disturbed by the events of the evening, she covered the entire building in her plants, trapping the crew inside. Meanwhile, a man named Hunter Stein—who heard the accident occur—made his way to the house. A paramilitary group, responsible for the drone, also arrived to recover their lost machine.
Nico used her powers to free the group of Klara's plants, accidentally losing track of Old Lace's body in the commotion. Though when the Runaways saw the armed men searching the rubble, Nico conjured up a log cabin for them to hide away in.
Hunter Stein worked to remove the heart from the recently destroyed Leap Frog before finding a fleet of other amphibian-themed vehicles that the kids—having escaped the cabin and the soldiers—took off in.
Now in recovery, Chase left the group to retrieve a few supplies—and ran into a girl that looked just like Gert. She didn't respond to the name, and when Chase tried following her…he stepped into traffic and got hit by a car.
Unaware of the incident, the Runaways shared a sweet moment, deciding to live up to their team name and remain on their own—discussing their bond as one of their own lied in an emergency room fighting for his life.
Though close to death at the end of RUNAWAYS #14, Chase seemed relatively fine when he next appeared in S.W.O.R.D. #2 and then again in DAKEN: DARK WOLVERINE #17-#19, when Wolverine's son got hooked on a drug called Heat. While tracking down the drug's makers, Daken discovered a connection to the Pride, made himself known to the Runaways, and joined them to take down the drug lord.
Following that, the kids appeared in AVENGERS ACADEMY #27-#28 when they successfully recovered Old Lace from an alternate dimension.
Next up, Chase and Nico become victims of Arcade's madness in the pages of AVENGERS ARENA and AVENGERS UNDERCOVER with the final installment of Get Ready to Run!
In this article: Runaways
Women of Marvel Chills with the Female Heroes of the 2000s
Lorraine Cink sings the praises of Kate Bishop, the Runaways, and more heroes who made their debut in the new millennium!
Today in Marvel History: The Debut of 'Runaways'
16 years ago today, the world was introduced to the Runaways...
ALERT: Old Lace Wants You to Know 'Marvel's Runaways' Will Be Back for Season 3
The hit Hulu original series returns!
The Worst Things Marvel Characters Have Done for Their Kids
They want the best for their kids… even if it means causing a lot of problems for many, many others.


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Dupont C8 Lawsuits
A number of product liability lawsuits have been brought against chemical giant DuPont and its spinoff company Chemours Co., alleging that the companies released millions of pounds of a toxic chemical called C8 into the air and the Ohio River from its West Virginia plant, causing thousands of people to suffer devastating, chronic health conditions, like ulcerative colitis, thyroid disease, and kidney and testicular cancer. If you or a loved one has suffered a serious injury allegedly linked to drinking water contaminated by C8, contact a knowledgeable product liability lawyer today to explore your possible compensation options.
Dupont C8 Free Case Review
DuPont C8 Lawsuit Information
In February 2017, DuPont and its spinoff company agreed to pay nearly $671 million to thousands of Mid-Ohio Valley residents affected by C8, a man-made chemical used to make Teflon that has been linked to cancer and other serious side effects. According to lawyers representing the plaintiffs, DuPont covered up evidence dating back to 1980 that C8, also known as perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), was toxic and caused cancer in rats, and said nothing to the government or public, despite knowing that the chemical was present at dangerous levels in drinking water in Ohio and West Virginia. This global settlement resolved all of the approximately 3,500 DuPont C8 claims pending in federal courts as part of the Ohio multidistrict litigation (MDL), some of which dated back to 2001, involving physical injuries caused by C8 contamination in the air and drinking water.
According to DuPont, the lawsuits involved in the Ohio MDL included about 30 wrongful death claims, 270 claims of testicular or kidney cancer, and more than 1,300 claims of thyroid disease. Prior to this settlement agreement, in 2005, DuPont settled a class action lawsuit in the amount of $70 million, which was distributed to individuals affected by C8 water contamination from the company's plant in Parkersburg, West Virginia. That same year, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ordered DuPont to pay $16.5 million in civil administrative penalties for its improper use and disposal of C8.
Reasons to Bring a C8 Lawsuit
C8 lawsuits brought against DuPont by individuals exposed to the harmful chemical in the air and their drinking water allege:
That the company knew for decades about the toxic effects of C8, but withheld this information from the public and the medical community
That DuPont could have replaced C8 with another chemical, but kept using it because it was cheaper than alternatives
That the company took part in a "cover-up" that put individuals across the country at risk for serious health problems
That DuPont failed to issue warnings about the potential for C8 to make its way into people's drinking water
The 200 or so plaintiffs with cancer are expected to receive at least $1 million. At the lower end, those with high cholesterol could receive awards in the five figures.
What is C8?
The chemical C8 is a soap-like powder known as a "surfactant" because it is slippery and reduces the surface tension of water, and in 1951, DuPont began using C8 in the production of the nonstick coating Teflon, even though the company's chief toxicologist warned that the chemical was toxic. Over the span of several decades, DuPont reportedly released nearly 2.5 million pounds of C8 into the environment of the mid-Ohio River Valley, and the chemical found its way into the drinking water of thousands of area residents. To date, trace amounts of C8 has been found in 94 public drinking water systems spanning 27 states, exposing as many as 6.5 million Americans to a chemical that has been linked to kidney cancer, thyroid disease, testicular cancer, ulcerative colitis, high cholesterol and pregnancy-induced hypertension.
How a C8 Lawsuit Could Help
Individuals adversely affected by exposure to C8 may be able to recover compensation from DuPont for:
Cancer and other chronic illnesses
Hospital visits and medical bills
Ongoing medical care for alleged C8-related injuries
Loss of income due to the inability to work
History of DuPont's C8 Chemical
DuPont has known about the potential toxic effects of C8 for decades, and as early as 1982, the company was warned about the "great potential for current or future exposure of members of the local community from emissions," by its medical director, after DuPont's own research showed workers there were getting sick. However, the company continued using the chemical, and by 1984, DuPont confirmed that C8 was getting into people's drinking water by sending out workers to collect jugs of tap water from local schools and gas stations. That same year, minutes from a corporate meeting show that the company deliberately chose to continue using C8, after deciding that none of the alternative chemicals were "economically attractive." In 1995, an internal document from DuPont expressed growing concerns "about the potential long term human health effects of these materials considering they all appear to have long biological half lives." It wasn't until 2006, in a voluntary deal with the EPA, that eight major American chemical companies, including DuPont, agreed to phase out C8 by 2015. Unfortunately, because C8 is formed by one of the strongest bonds in organic chemistry and does not biodegrade, it's expected to post a risk to human health for years to come.
Dupont C8 Resources
DuPont to pay $670 million to settle C8 lawsuits


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Home / Departments / Finance Department / Special Assessments
The state of North Dakota Century Code, Chapter 40 authorizes cities to use special assessments to fund infrastructure improvement projects.
Special assessments are not property taxes. Special assessments divide the cost of an infrastructure project between the properties that will benefit from the improvements the construction brings to the area. The various types of special assessment improvement projects include: sidewalks, street paving and lighting, water mains, storm and sanitary sewers, and flood plain projects.
Special assessments are not the only way to fund needed projects for our infrastructure. The City of Williston also uses federal and state funding, bonds, sales tax and general fund money as resources for development.
Special Assessment Process
How do we determine that a project is necessary? There are a variety of ways, such as:
Individual Petitions | Property owners interested in starting a petition for work in their area should contact the City Engineer's Office and they will explain the process and how to get started.
Growth | As Williston grows, the installation of infrastructure is sometimes necessary in the new areas.
Maintenance | Maintaining our infrastructure is an important part of the City's Capital Improvements Plan. City staff actively plans for the replacement and possible upgrades to systems as they age and reach the end of normal life cycle.
After a project has been determined to be needed, a special assessment district is created. The work to create a special district involves the City Commission; the City Engineer; the assistance of special consultants, if needed; the City Auditor; the Special Assessment Commission; and the Williams County Tax Equalization Board.
The project will enter a design and construction phase, competitive bids are solicited and awarded and the construction of the project begins.
Property owners are notified of the project and the cost assigned to their property. Property owners may attend any public hearings of the Special Assessment Commission to ask questions or request changes in the benefit for the projects assigned to their property. The hearings are normally held once per year, in the fall.
Questions regarding the payment of special assessments can be directed to the City Auditor's office at 701.577.8100.
Special Assessment Commission
The President of the City Commission appoints three residents of the city to serve as members of a Special Assessment Commission in accordance with North Dakota Century Code Chapter 40-23. Special Assessment Commissioners are appointed for six year terms and serve along with the City Auditor. They meet as needed to review projects and assign benefits to properties.
Current Special Assessment Commission members are:
John Voll
Jory Meyer
Abutting Property: A property directly adjacent to public improvements.
Access Easement: Allows owners of property who do not have direct access to a public street to pass through the adjoining land to access their property.
Adjustment: A change to the area or front footage of a benefited property to more accurately represent the true benefit that property receives from an improvement in comparison to other properties in the assessment area.
Arterial Street: A main street that gathers traffic from collector and local streets. Arterial Streets are designated in the City's Transportation Plan. Arterial Streets may also be designated by the City Commission for the purposes of allocating Special Assessments. The term Arterial Street is synonymous with Arterial Road and Arterial Highway.
Arterial Street Service District: An area serviced by a network of Local and Collector Streets that are connected to an Arterial Street.
Collector Street: A street that gathers local traffic and funnels it to arterial streets. Collector Streets are designated in the City's Transportation Plan. Collector Streets may also be designated by the City Commission for the purposes of allocating Special Assessments. The term Collector Street is synonymous with Collector Road and Collector Highway.
Equivalent Lot: Where each lot or property is treated the same regardless of its size, shape or length.
Front Footage: The number of lineal feet a property occupies on the street (measured across the front of a property).
1. Long Side Footage: the number of lineal feet along the long side of a property located at the intersection of two streets.
2. Short Side Footage: the number of lineal feet along the short side of a property located at the intersection of two streets.
3. Rear Footage: the number of lineal feet a property occupies on an alley (measured across the rear of the property).
Improvement of Boulevards and Other Public Places: Includes those items listed in North Dakota Century Code§ 40-22-01(3).
Local Street: A street other than an arterial or collector street. The term Local Street is synonymous with Local Road and Local Highway.
Municipal Street System: Includes those items listed in North Dakota Century Code § 40-22-01(2).
Private Drive: A roadway, whether named or not, that leads from a public street to one or more private properties and is owned and maintained by private individuals or organizations rather than the City.
Square Footage: The aerial extent of a property measured in square feet.
Unit: A measurement or figure determined by the Special Assessment Commission as a means to divide a special improvement district, e.g., for a specific project all parcels less than 7,500 square feet may be considered one unit or an Equivalent Lot.
Water Supply System or Sewerage System: Includes those items listed in North Dakota Century Code§ 40-22-01(1).
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Home/Gadget/Review Huawei MediaPad M5 Android Tablet
Review Huawei MediaPad M5 Android Tablet
hey everybody its la inside but now we're taking a look today at the Huawei media pad m5 10.8 this is an Android tablet which is kind of an unusual thing these days we haven't seen too many name-brand Android tablets lately even Google has stopped pushing them but this one's actually not bad and there's a 10-inch version which is what we're looking at today and there's also an 8 inch version that should perform about the same because it has the same processors we're gonna take a deep dive and see what this tablet can and can't do in just a second but I do want to let you know in the interest of full disclosure if this is unknown from Huawei so we're done with this it goes back to them all the opinions you're about to hear are my own nobody is paying for this review nor is anyone reviewing or approving what you're about to see before it was uploaded so let's take a closer look now at the hardware one of the things that I really like about Huawei's products is that they feel a lot like Apple products and sometimes people get mad at me for saying that but the reality is they have very effectively made things that are very high quality that don't cost as much as the Apple stuff does and you've got a nice glass display here with a very nice display all-metal design on the back here it just feels nice to hold and I think they've done a nice job with this as they've done with a few other products we've looked
at from them recently now this is the 10.8 version it costs three hundred and twenty dollars there's a pro version that has a pen that one will run about four hundred and ten dollars it even comes with the pen there's also an 8.4 inch version for 279 and I believe they all have the same processor so the performance you're going to see on this one should be the same on the others but we didn't get the pro in from Huawei so we don't have a pen to demo in this video unfortunately now the 10.8 version here has a 2560 by 1600 display it is very sharp it looks really nice and it's a high DPI display as well so it's nice to read for text and whatnot it's also very bright as well so I was pleased with how the display looks on this it's got a high silicon Kirin 960 processor built in that is I believe huawei's own ship and as you'll see in a few minutes it comes close but not yet exceeding the fastest Android tablet we've ever looked at the Nvidia shield k1 we're there yet but we're getting there which is good to see here we've got four gigs of RAM on this one 64 gigs of storage I believe the base model comes with 32 but it does have I think adequate RAM for an Android tablet it's running Android 8 Oreo it doesn't feel as skinned it has prior versions of Huawei products do it's not going to be a stock Android experience but it's a little less iOS like than I've seen out of Prior Huawei tablets that we're really mimicking the iOS look and feel this one feels a little closer to stock Android but is not all
the way there the 10.8 version here weighs 498 grams or 17.5 6 ounces it supports 802 11 Wi-Fi up to AC so it feels like it's got decent Wi-Fi connectivity the battery life on this one will also run you about 10 hours if you're doing basic tasks like email and web browsing and that sort of thing if you get into gaming and whatnot you'll obviously burn that battery down a bit quicker but I still think you'll have decent all-day battery life out of this for most tasks as I mentioned there are some similarities to Apple products here including the lack of a headphone jack there is no headphone jack to be found on this one all you've got is a USB type-c connector here at the bottom so if you want to hook up wired headphones they do give you a USB c2 headphone adapter cable in the box but it'll be something you'll have to remember to take with you it does of course support bluetooth so you should be okay there next to it is a micro SD card slot I believe there are versions of this tablet that support LTE as well so you might be able to get it on your mobile network if compatible but this one appears just to have a single SD card slot there for augmenting its onboard storage you've got a power switch here volume rocker over here two speakers on the back they sound very nice it's a very clear and crisp and loud sound really decent here for a
relatively thin tablet so that's good they really kind of though push you into this landscape mode because this is a sixteen by nine tablet so it's a little better for movies perhaps than it is for reading just given how tall and thin the display looks when it's in landscape mode that's one thing that I prefer on the eye is that they have a more square aspect ratio so it's a little better for reading but if you are a movie watcher I think this is a good aspect ratio for that beyond that though there isn't anything else really to talk about for ports it looks like it's got some pogo plugs down here maybe for a keyboard case we did not get that with our review unit here the camera on the back is a 13 megapixel camera looks okay you can see it has some pretty decent detail to it it will shoot video at 4k at 30 frames per second it will also do 1080p at 60 and 30 frames per second video quality looks pretty good but there's no stabilization built into the camera so you'll pick up footprints and that kind of thing but generally I don't really look at tablets as cameras but if you want to take a picture or do a video it should look okay but you might want to be careful about walking around while you're shooting a video with it and one last hardware feature is the fingerprint sensor you've got one
here on the side that works also as a home button for your device there's also a little haptic feedback motor inside that'll give you a little vibration when you push that as well so you've got that available to you it's also a multi-user tablet so people can log in with their own fingerprint and get their own profile which is one feature of Android that I really like especially on tablets it's easier to share one because more than one person can use it performance on the tablet is great actually I was really impressed with how quickly it browses the web and does all the things that people typically do with their tablet so it really feels like a snappy and responsive device here the picture quality on the display is excellent a text is very sharp and again a really decent overall tablet experience and if you're watching online video like YouTube or twitch or Netflix I think you'll have a very good experience here as well we've got YouTube running with one of my 1080p 60 videos and it's playing back just fine here I'm not seeing any drop frames maybe one or two here but nothing really all that noticeable and it really feels like a decent viewing experience with a very very nice display that has a nice natural range of color to it so it's very pleased with the video playback on here as well and it does a pretty nice job playing games – we ran GTA vice sity and had a very good experience there was a very good frame rate and
no issues with that game whatsoever goat simulator which is also pretty graphically intensive ran very nicely on the tablet as well so I was pleased with the performance that we were getting out of it playing games and we also ran the 3dmark sling shot gaming benchmark to see if we're getting close to the Nvidia shield k1 tablet that Nvidia tablet came out about three or four years ago now and has yet to be exceeded by another Android tablet it is that powerful and unfortunately this one isn't quite there yet we got a score of 2511 which is much better than many Android tablets we've looked at over the last couple of years but still not better than the shield k1 but nonetheless you can get a lot of decent Android games to run on here I think it'll also be pretty good for emulation so I was curious to see how well it might handle the dolphin emulator and while it does run the games and they look okay it doesn't perform anywhere near the full speed that you would want for a good playable experience so we're probably running at about 10 or 15 frames per second if that here so we're not quite there yet on some of the higher-end emulation some of the flagship phones now are running the dolphin emulator at full speed but not this particular tablet but I think it'll be fine for you know doing the Dreamcast and the PlayStation one and a number of other 8 and 16-bit consoles but we're not quite there yet
for some more modern stuff but we're getting there and it's good to see there is some movement now in tablet performance because over the last couple of years it's kind of been in decline so I'm a bit encouraged by this but we're not again quite there just yet so overall I am quite pleased with what they put together here it feels like a very nicely constructed product it's got a nice display it's a lot less expensive than an iPad and in some cases you could probably buy two or three of these compared to what one iPad costs and if you're not doing all that much on your tablet beyond watching video or browsing the web you really don't need an iPad for that and I think you'll do quite well with one of these and have a pretty similar experience for again far less money so that's gonna do it for the huawei media pad m5 and until next time this is LAN Simon thanks for watching this channel was brought to you by the lime TV supporters including gold level supporters Chris alligretto the four guys with quarters podcast Tom Albrecht Gerard Newberg in Cali an Kumar if you want to help the channel you can by contributing as little as a dollar a month head over to LAN TV slash support to learn more and don't forget to subscribe
Read More: Review Barnes and Noble's Cheap Android Nook Tablets – $49 for 7, $129 for 10.1
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offers research questions that could be answered in future versions of this paper and. Page numbers begin on and with page 1. Type your name next to the page.
Writing a research paper is an important skill you need to learn. ... Citing Sources: Most high schools use the MLA (Modern Language Association) format.
This writing format provides guidelines to researchers and writers in formatting research papers and other reports, especially when referencing sources.
Can include a technical paper, publication, issue brief, or working paper. ... How to Cite a Report in MLA 7 ... Choose Source Type ... provide students with the tools they need to do credible and ethical research, while ... MLA Format (8th ed.).


Okay, so this isn't art, but it's a bit of fun. We, like much of North America, are having a pretty warm Spring here in Edmonton, but Spring has had a lot of false starts here. It gets warm and the snow melts, then it snows again. Thankfully, with the warm weather, the snow hasn't been sticking around. Yesterday the weather folks put out a winter storm warning saying we were going to get 25cm of snow. While enjoying a sunny day at 11C, it seemed hard to believe that a snow storm was on the way, but just in case they were right, I set up my tripod to take a before and after shot.
The right side of this image is from yesterday afternoon around 5pm. There was no snow in sight. At about 4am this morning the storm hit Edmonton. The left side of the image is from 8am after we'd been hit by more than 15cm of heavy snow.
The forecast is calling for above-zero temperatures for the next week so hopefully this return to winter will be brief.
We're finally enjoying winter here in Edmonton. The cold blast has passed and we're hovering just below 0C. The camera is sitting quietly on the desk and we're out having fun in the snow. Yesterday, it was sledding at a local hill. Today, it was downhill skiing. I hope you're having fun too!
A little fun with reflections.
Seriously, who would force their kids to come out modelling for photos when it's -30C outside? Not me. I just asked and she agreed. Honest! Still, judging from the pose, there was still a little bit of 'hurry-it-up-Dad!' going on.
The above is my first time with a technique or method that has earned the name the "Brenizer Method" (Brandon Brasseaux shared this technique in a recent post). It's named for the photographer who popularized the method. Mr Brenizer seems to prefer calling it bokehrama because it is simply a panorama shot with a shallow depth of field. The exaggerated shallow depth of field really makes your subject pop.
I shot 49 images, but this is a stitching of fewer than half the images. My decision to select just fewer images was primarily subject size in the frame, but also the processing to include a greater number of images was testing my patience. I used a 100mm lens set to f2.0 for the images. Manual focus allowed me to retain a consistent focus throughout the images.
To give you an idea of my proximity to my model, the initial frame is just her head and shoulders. I was pretty close.
Give it a try if you like, but make sure you leave plenty of time for your computer to crunch away. This is processing intensive.


Eagle Flight Days is a summer celebration in the town of Eagle that draws visitors from throughout Vail Valley for parades, concerts, an adventure carnival, a running race, a horseshoe tournament, food events and more. Happening each summer in June or July for more than 50 years, Eagle Flight Days began as a celebration to commemorate the county seat's 1922 move from Red Cliff to Eagle, Colorado. Eagle Flight Days continues on as a family-friendly event that brings a festive atmosphere and loads of fun to Eagle, a hip down-valley town with Western flair, cool cafes and excellent mountain biking trails.


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Browse > Home / Interviews / Ray Park – G.I. Joe: Retaliation (DVD)
August 2, 2013 by Kiko Martinez
Ray Park – G.I. Joe: Retaliation (DVD)
Actor Ray Park reprises his role as Snake Eyes in "G.I. Joe: Retaliation."
Although you might not recognize his face (since it's usually under some kind of makeup, mask or prosthetic), chances are you've seen actor Ray Park in at least two or three blockbuster films over the last 15 years. In 1999's "Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace" Park disguised himself behind red and black face paint to play the film's main villain, Darth Maul. The following year, Park used an elongated tongue to fight mutants as Toad in the first "X-Men." He then hid his entire face behind a sleek black mask to play Snake Eyes in 2009's "G.I. Joe: Rise of the Cobra." In "G.I. Joe: Retaliation," Park reprises a role for the first time in his career when he suits up as Snake Eyes again as rejoins his covert military unit.
During our interview, Park, 38, discussed the types of action figures he played with as a kid and admitted what role he initially wanted in "Phantom Menace."
"G.I. Joe: Retaliation" was released on DVD and Blu-ray July 30.
What were your initial thoughts about returning to play Snake Eyes for this sequel especially since you've never reprised a character before?
Well, I was always training just in case I got that call to come back. I had been attached to other films that had more than a one-picture deal, but I was never brought back. So, when I got the call from the producers that they wanted me to come back as Snake Eyes, it was the best news ever.
Since this is the second time you play him, do you still have to pay special attention to the long history behind G.I. Joe and what fans of the brand will expect?
To me it was a continuation of what I had researched in the first movie. I grew up with G.I. Joe in the 80s. I wanted to be a ninja and a samurai, so I wanted to study martial arts. I did the research because I didn't want to disappoint the fans. I had to do the same when I played Darth Maul. I had to live up to that character.
You were a kid when the G.I. Joe toy line hit store shelves in the 80s. Were those the dream toys you wanted to own?
Well, growing up in Scotland when I was about 3 or 4 I had something called Action Man. They came with these big plastic tanks. I remember sitting on top of them. It was like the British version of G.I. Joe. Then my brother got into another toy line called Action Force. The toys were a lot smaller. I remember I had Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow from G.I. Joe so we would play with all of them together. We had Star Wars toys and He-Man toys. I remember seeing some special forces on TV and thinking if I was going to be in the military I wanted to be one of those guys who was propelling down the building and crashing through the window. To me, that was the real deal.
Not many people get the chance to play a character they admired as a kid.
Yeah, I was a big fan. I was talking to my brother about the film and he was reminding me about stuff I used to do as a kid. I remember the two toys I always wanted to have as a kid were a Lightsabre and a ninja sword.
Yeah, why don't kids play like that nowadays? Most kids I see are playing games on their iPhone or iPad. None of them are playing with toy swords and action figures.
A lot of kids don't, but my son likes playing with all the G.I. Joe stuff and Star Wars stuff. I had been collecting some toys just in case I was ever to have kids and then that day came. So, they found the stash I had up in the loft. So, they'll play with toys, but they'll also go outside and play on the zipline and jump on the trampoline. It's great to see them out playing and not on iPads or iPhones. Actually, I like to show my kids how to put the action figures in cool poses. The good action figures actually bend and do splits. Back in the day you couldn't do that. When I was a kid, I would always try to get my toys to do the splits, but I would always pop a leg off.
So, you let your kids open all your collectibles? I thought you weren't supposed to open those kind of action figures.
I'd buy one to play with and then one I can put away just in case I can score something later.
Do you consider your role as Darth Maul a turning point in your career?
To me, Darth Maul was my first acting job. I was always worried I didn't look scary enough. Before my [contacts] were put in and my horns were put on, I thought I looked like a panda. Even looking at yourself in the mirror with the contact in, you still don't really see it. When I see the movie now, sometimes I think, "I could have done this differently" but I was enjoying it in the moment. I was a big "Star Wars" fan. I didn't want to play a bad guy. I wanted to be a Jedi. But I'm really glad I got to be the villain because I always get to fight different people. I've always been a physical person anyway.
Zulay Henao – Fighting
Michael Matzdorff – Feed the Fish (DVD)
Joseph Julian Soria – Mission Park
Gonzalo Menendez – 12 Rounds DVD & Dark Blue
Tags: Darth Maul, G.I. Joe: Retaliation, Interview, Ray Park, Snake Eyes
Films Seen
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Our students and their achievements are the greatest gifts.
I could not have asked for a better teacher. She is very personable, encouraging and comfortable to work with. As I have noticed, all of the instructors have a very calming effect on the students. They are so polite. The life guards are also encouraging.
ALL THE SWIM VOLUNTEER TEACHERS ARE CARING!!!


The study of money and money-related material is called numismatics. At the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, which opened to students in 1795, the campus library has accumulated over many decades an array of currencies issued by various governmental authorities and by private banks, insurance companies, and other businesses. Today, the North Carolina Collection (NCC) cares for the library's numismatic holdings, which total over 10,000 pieces. Among some of the other moneys preserved in the NCC are a small number of Greek and Roman coins, scores of American colonial and Revolutionary-era bills, Bechtler coins from North Carolina's gold rush, thousands of treasury notes from the Civil War, United States coinage, railroad stocks and Confederate bonds, commercial and military scrip, modern city parking tokens, novelty notes, and currencies from South America, Europe, Asia, and Africa. While the collection is highly diverse in its geographical representation, its largest subcategories relate to bills of credit and notes produced for circulation in North Carolina during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.
For more information about North Carolina's numismatic past, refer to the A Brief History of North Carolina Money. Also see The History of the University Library's Numismatic Collection to learn more about the establishment and subsequent development of this public reference collection.
The numismatic collection currently contains thirty-eight examples of North Carolina paper money from the colony's issues of 1748, 1754, 1757,1758, 1760, 1761, 1768, and 1771.
There are currently fifty-five specimens of currency from this period in the collection, including examples of North Carolina's wartime "smallpox issue" printed in Wilmington in 1779.
The collection preserves a variety of moneys issued by governmental authorities and businesses during this period. Of special interest are extremely rare treasury notes issued by the State of North Carolina between 1815 and 1824.
The University Library's Herman Bernard Collection contains twenty-four different varieties of gold coins struck by the Bechtler family during North Carolina's gold-rush era.
The collection contains specimens of North Carolina bank notes and other currencies issued in the state during the decades prior to the Civil War. It also holds hundreds of examples of currencies from other southern and northern states in this period.
More than 3,300 North Carolina treasury notes from the Civil War are preserved in the North Carolina Collection, as well as hundreds of Confederate notes and other types of money issued during the conflict.


Play in one of our highly competitive and well organised five a-side tournaments. Play against teams from all over the South East of England.
A minimum of 5 games and a maximum of 8 games per team.
If you would like to participate in one of the future tournaments then contact us or download the relevant forms from our sign up page and send them to the address at the bottom of the forms.
All tournament entries are on a first come first served basis.


text:
State Attorney: No Jameis Winston announcement imminent
Jeff Burlew and Jennifer Portman
State Attorney Willie Meggs said there will be no announcement today on his decision whether to charge Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston in connection with the alleged rape of a fellow FSU student in December 2012.
"We are tying up some loose ends," Meggs said Friday morning. "Hopefully, we will have a quiet day."
Meggs said he is taking a very deliberative approach because of the high-profile nature of the case and the scrutiny his decision is sure to receive.
"I'm going to try to have all of our I's dotted and T's crossed," he said. "Hopefully, don't overlook anything we could do."
On Thursday, Meggs said he planned to meet with his staff to determine what else must be done before deciding whether to press charges against Winston in the sexual-battery investigation.
"We're still investigating the case, and hopefully we'll have a decision about what we're going to do in the very near future," Meggs told reporters. "We have made a lot of progress this week. We've worked pretty diligently on it. We've interviewed and talked to a lot of people."
But Meggs said his office will speak with the woman who accused Winston of sexually battering her before making a final determination.
"We obviously have to talk to our victim before we do anything." he said. "We will be speaking to our victim. What day is another story. Soon, hopefully."


Another host team turned the tables on the team that vanquished them a year ago, as American School In Japan's girls soccer team dethroned defending champion Kadena on penalty kicks in Saturday's ASIJ Soccer Festival final.
Students, teachers and parents attend a Month of the Military Child assembly April 15, 2019, at the Amelia Earhart Intermediate School on Kadena Air Base, Japan.
Kubasaki High School students were treated with a barbecue lunch for the Month of the Military Child, April 17, in Camp Foster, Okinawa, Japan.


Announcing "Speaking Truth to Power"
––As part of the 2018 Next Wave Festival, BAM and Onassis Cultural Center New York will present Speaking Truth to Power, a fall series of theater productions, conversations, and film screenings that explores the concept of free speech as a form of resistance, and examines the challenges facing individuals, societies, and movements that seek to employ it. While freedom of speech is considered a cornerstone of our democratic freedoms, ancient Greeks wrestled with the extent to which the power to speak freely could degrade the very institutions designed to protect that right. The debate about the role of truth––who is able to speak it and the potential dangers posed to our society when it is either permitted or restricted––rages on.
This robust series comprises two theater productions; four humanities programs; a four-part film series; a conversation and film event; a visual art installation; and an exhibition of materials from the BAM Hamm Archives.
Packed with striking scenes, frenzied emotion, and choral songs of great power and beauty, The Bacchae is considered to be one of Euripides' greatest surviving works. Dionysus, the god of wine, ritual madness, fertility, and theater, returns in disguise to his birthplace in Greece. As revenge for a personal slight, Dionysus plans to spread his cult among the people of Thebes. His adversary, King Pentheus, imprisons Dionysus in order to suppress his influence and the spreading disorder of his followers. This misguided attempt to thwart the will of a god leads to catastrophe for Pentheus and his entire family. With a new translation by Aaron Poochigian, Anne Bogart and her groundbreaking SITI Company present the play as a modern reminder: if we don't respect the inherent wildness of humanity, we may fall prey to the tyranny of excessive order or to the frenzy of collective passion.
Mark-Anthony Turnage's groundbreaking and profane 1988 two-act opera, Greek, is now a cult classic in the modern chamber opera repertoire. Composed and set in Britain's Thatcher era, and based on the in-your-face stage play by Steven Berkoff, Greek's bleak humor and exploration of social and political unrest continue to resonate. Scottish Opera/Opera Ventures' acclaimed new production is presented in its New York premiere, and the engagement also marks the New York premiere of the opera.
Greek is a retelling of Sophocles' tragedy Oedipus Rex , set in cockney-accented north London. An aimless young man, Eddy, longs for a better life away from his family. His father tells him of a fortune teller's prophecy years earlier that Eddy would sleep with his mother and murder his father. Eddy storms off, disgusted, brawling his way across a turbulent city rife with strikes, gas rationing, violence, and plague. Following a row with police, Eddy escapes into a café, where he argues with the café manager and kills him. The distraught café manager's wife falls in love with Eddy and they make a life together. She tells him of her young son who was lost in the Thames River years ago. Years later, Eddy's parents find him and finally tell him how they rescued him from the river. Horrified, Eddy realizes the fortune teller's prophecy has come true.
Ran (1985) Dir. Akira Kurosawa Oct 1 at 7pm, BAM Rose Cinemas The legendary Japanese director's final film is a blistering, visually spectacular re-imagining of one of the greatest theatrical investigations of political power dynamics, Shakespeare's King Lear.
The Arbor (2011), Dir. Clio Barnard Oct 15 at 7pm, BAM Rose Cinemas This mesmerizing, endlessly inventive hybrid of documentary and fiction breathes life into the tragic story of Andrea Dunbar, the Bradford-born playwright who shot to fame with her raunchy, Thatcher-era satire Rita, Sue and Bob Too.
Whose Streets? (2017) Dirs. Sabaah Folayan and Damon Davis Oct 29 at 7pm, BAM Rose Cinemas Plunging the viewer onto the front lines of protest in Ferguson, Missouri in the aftermath of Michael Brown's killing, this electrifying dispatch offers an urgent documentary portrait of contemporary activism in action.
Taxi (2005), Dir. Jafar Panahi Dec 3 at 7pm, BAM Rose Cinemas Banned from making films by the Iranian government, director Jafar Panahi posed as a taxi driver to craft this resourceful, exceptionally moving, and quietly thrilling treatise on the myriad social challenges in his home country.
Theater director Lee Breuer; original cast member, musician and former member of the Blind Boys of Alabama, Sam Butler; and composer Bob Telson join BAM Executive Producer Joseph V. Melillo in conversation about The Gospel at Colonus, originally performed in the BAM Harvey Theater during the first Next Wave Festival in 1983. Slated for a revival by the Public Theater at the Delacorte this September, the production tells the story of Oedipus at Colonus in the context of an African-American Pentecostal church service, with Oedipus performed by the current line-up of the Blind Boys of Alabama. The discussion will be followed by a screening of Book of Clarence , a feature-length documentary essay that follows the life of legendary, blind gospel singer and founding member of the Grammy award-winning Blind Boys of Alabama, Clarence Fountain. Fountain led the Blind Boys of Alabama for 60 years and together they originated the role as the musical manifestation of Oedipus in the original production of The Gospel at Colonus.
The Onassis Cultural Center New York and BAM are pleased to present a new co-commissioned artwork by Brooklyn-based Greek artist Ioanna Pantazopoulou. Titled A.M.T.P. (A Mad Tea Party) , this sprawling hanging sculpture suspends from the ceiling as a topsy-turvy, upside-down tea party with cups and saucers on chairs, architectural teapot mountains, and colorful dusters and crystals under a life-size fake palm tree. Dining accouterments become undomesticated, while furniture is sliced like food. Dissected and reconfigured, very practical objects transform into the unworkable. Such deconstruction guards against the belief that the world is simple and can be known with certainty. In deconstructing material culture—a manifestation of capitalistic power—and embracing disorder, Ioanna's work criticizes our often-tacit acceptance of excess and invites audiences to reinterpret our relationship to materialistic consumption that has become endemic in contemporary society.
This exhibit explores the Academy as a forum for public discourse featuring remarkable thinkers and activists such as Frederick Douglass, Eleanor Roosevelt, Helen Keller, Paul Robeson, Angela Davis and many others.
For press information, contact Sandy Sawotka, ssawotka@BAM.org, 718.636.4190.
Bloomberg Philanthropies is the Season Sponsor.
The Bacchae and Greek are part of Speaking Truth to Power, Co-Presented by BAM and the Onassis Cultural Center New York.
Leadership support for BAM Cinema programs provided by The Thompson Family Foundation.
Time Warner Foundation is the Major Sponsor of BAMcinématek.
Support for the Signature Artists Series provided by the Howard Gilman Foundation.
Programming in the BAM Harvey Theater is endowed by the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation.
Leadership support for opera at BAM provided by Aashish & Dinyar Devitre, and The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.
Major support for opera at BAM provided by Sarah Billinghurst & Howard Solomon, and The Francena T. Harrison Foundation Trust.
Major support for theater at BAM provided by The Achelis and Bodman Foundation; The Fan Fox & Leslie R. Samuels Foundation; The Francena T. Harrison Foundation Trust; The SHS Foundation; and The Shubert Foundation, Inc.
Chubb is a Lead Sponsor of BAM.
Delta Air Lines is the Official Airline of BAM.
The Brooklyn Hospital Center is the Official Healthcare Provider of BAM.
BAM 2018 Next Wave Festival supporters: The Achelis and Bodman Foundation; Rose M. Badgeley Residuary Charitable Trust; Sarah Billinghurst & Howard Solomon; brigittenyc; Citi Foundation; Con Edison; The Gladys Krieble Delmas Foundation; Epstein Teicher Philanthropies; The Fan Fox and Leslie R. Samuels Foundation; The Francena T. Harrison Foundation Trust; The Rita and Alex Hillman Foundation; The Kovner Foundation; The Ambrose Monell Foundation; Henry and Lucy Moses Fund, Inc.; National Grid; Samuel I. Newhouse Foundation, Inc.; Donald A. Pels Charitable Foundation; The Reed Foundation; The Jerome Robbins Foundation, Inc.; The Morris and Alma Schapiro Fund; The Scherman Foundation, Inc.; The SHS Foundation; The Shubert Foundation, Inc.; Starry Night Fund; The Harold and Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust; and Viacom.
Your tax dollars make BAM programs possible through funding from the City of New York Department of Cultural Affairs and the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and the New York State Legislature. The BAM Next Wave Festival is supported in part by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts. The BAM facilities are owned by the City of New York and benefit from public funds provided through the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs with support from Mayor Bill de Blasio; Cultural Affairs Commissioner Tom Finkelpearl; the New York City Council including Council Speaker Corey Johnson, Finance Committee Chair Daniel Dromm, Cultural Affairs Committee Chair Jimmy Van Bramer, Council Member Laurie A. Cumbo, and the Brooklyn Delegation of the Council; and Brooklyn Borough President Eric L. Adams. BAM would like to thank the Brooklyn Delegations of the New York State Assembly, Joseph R. Lentol, Delegation Leader; and New York Senate, Senator Velmanette Montgomery.
General Information BAM Howard Gilman Opera House, BAM Rose Cinemas, and BAMcafé are located in the Peter Jay Sharp building at 30 Lafayette Avenue (between St Felix Street and Ashland Place) in the Fort Greene neighborhood of Brooklyn. BAM Harvey Theater is located two blocks from the main building at 651 Fulton Street (between Ashland and Rockwell Places). Both locations house Greenlight Bookstore at BAM kiosks. BAM Fisher, located at 321 Ashland Place, is the newest addition to the BAM campus and houses the Judith and Alan Fishman Space and Rita K. Hillman Studio. BAM Rose Cinemas is Brooklyn's only movie house dedicated to first-run independent and foreign film and repertory programming. BAMcafé, operated by Great Performances, offers varied light fare and bar service prior to BAM Howard Gilman Opera House evening performances.


Agreeable or acceptable to someone. I asked, and it's all right with them if we come over after dinner. It's all right with me if you want to watch that movie—I heard it's funny.
agreeable to someone. If you want to ruin your life and marry Tom, it's all right with me. I'll see if using the car is all right with my father.


text:
Magee Degree Boosts NW Financial Services
Ulster graduate Sarah McFaul, BSc (Hons) Business Studies with Options, receives her award at the annual Department of International Business. Heather Magee presented her with the Londonderry Junior Chamber Prize for Industrial Practice. Professor Dolores O'Reilly (right) Head of Department of International Business praised the graduates' achievements and dedication to studies
The University of Ulster is breaking new ground at Magee with an innovative degree that gives graduates a vital first step to careers as qualified accountants with specialist expertise in managerial finance.
Accountancy governing body, Chartered Accountants Ireland, has signalled its support for the full-time course which combines accounting and managerial finance and starts in September.
The new accounting programme in the North West marks a major expansion of professional and business education provision at Magee. It is expected to boost prospects for business development in the North West.
New degrees in management information systems and creative advertising technologies are being planned for next year.
The new BSc Honours Accounting and Managerial Finance is an important step forward in the University's plan for radical expansion at Magee.
A development plan unveiled last year envisaged the campus doubling in size, with more courses, new infrastructure, an additional two research institutes and a bigger student population.
The strategic plan identified a demand for more professional and business services education.
Professor Dolores O'Reilly, Head of the Department of International Business said "At present we are in the process of seeking professional recognition from Chartered Accountants Ireland. This will mean that for the first time the North West will have an accounting programme that is recognised by the profession. That means it will combine academic and professional accreditation, giving successful students a head start in a variety of financial services careers."
The Department is part of the Ulster Business School, the University's internationally respected think tank which recently expanded its courses at Magee with a Master of Business Studies course that has attracted students from abroad.
Professor O'Reilly gave details of the new degree at an awards ceremony for high-achieving students in her Department.
Professor Deirdre Heenan, Dean of Academic Development, said: "The new degree adds further prestige to the campus and city. It is an exciting time for Magee and I congratulate the dedicated team who have brought this innovative course through from initial concept to final validation.
"Each year hundreds of students achieve a potentially life-changing ambition when they obtain degrees at Magee. The University is in the frontline of the drive to regenerate Derry so that these graduates and other young people can get well-paid jobs that contribute to the region's growth."
Professor Marie McHugh, Dean of the Ulster Business School, said: "The Ulster Business School, through its Department of International Business, is committed to fulfilling the University's vision of being a 'leading provider of professional education for professional life' in the North-West region. The new accounting and managerial finance degree further enhances our existing portfolio of successful under-graduate and post-graduate programmes at Magee."
A team of academics and key figures in North West financial services has worked intensively over the past year on the design and skills content of the new degree. Professor O'Reilly praised "the pivotal role" of Mr Gerry Murray, one of Northern Ireland's most respected chartered accountants and economic analysts.
She added: "Gerry's expertise and advice has been invaluable. Across the North West, key accountancy practices have given their full support too. They have all played a big part in achieving this breakthrough for professional business education at Magee."
Mr Murray is a partner in the Londonderry chartered accountants' firm, McDaid, McCullough, Moore, which is one of the North-West's biggest accountancy practices.
He said: "The new degree course fills a major gap in professional accountancy education here. It is the start of a process which should see more and more top-quality students obtaining graduate entry into accountancy and other financial services via a degree that is now available for the first time 'on our own doorstep' in Derry."
The initiative comes in the wake of other recent Magee firsts and progress in the University's plans for the campus, including obtaining an option to expand on 30 acres of land at Northland Road which are owned at present by Foyle and Londonderry College.
The first class of 30 trainee solicitors from the Graduate School of Professional Legal Education at Magee received their certificates at Magee's recent summer graduation ceremonies. The institute is the sole provider of professional legal education in the North West.
For the first time also, students will be able to take a degree in information and communication technologies at Magee and a degree in creative computing will also be launched. Next year the campus will host a Distinguished Fulbright Chair, one of just four UK institutions to receive the coveted US academic accolade.


This league will be limited to 10 teams. There are currently 8 spots left.
To claim a spot simply put your fantrax e-mail or username in your post followed by your requested team name. I'll update this list as we go.
4. Could go El the way!
last call to claim your spot before I open it to friends and the general public to join!
We just autodrafted, I decided to pick up Brady to match my name.


Why is it important to preserve lighthouses?
Lighthouses are living history. They are a glimpse into our nation's past when the only means of effective transportation between distant places was by water. When a lighthouse disappears, a piece of our heritage is lost forever. People need to see and touch objects from the past in order to really understand where we are today.
Concord Point Lighthouse has been saved, but its future will only be ensured by your continued support and concern. Everyone can help by making a gift to the Friends. Your donations go directly towards preservation and restoration of the Light Station.
Please contact us for more information on memorials or bequests at 410-939-3213.
Be sure to include a note with your check if you'd like to make your donation in honor of a loved one.
*Friends of Concord Point Lighthouse is a registered non-profit organization for tax purposes.