text:
import minecraftturtle
import minecraft
import block

def tree(branchLen,t):
    if branchLen > 6:
        if branchLen > 10:
            t.penblock(block.WOOD)
        else:
            t.penblock(block.LEAVES)

        #for performance
        x,y,z = t.position.x, t.position.y, t.position.z
        #draw branch
        t.forward(branchLen)

        t.up(20)
        tree(branchLen-2, t)

        t.right(90)
        tree(branchLen-2, t)

        t.left(180)
        tree(branchLen-2, t)

        t.down(40)
        t.right(90)
        tree(branchLen-2, t)

        t.up(20)

        #go back
        #t.backward(branchLen)
        #for performance - rather than going back over every line
        t.setposition(x, y, z)

#create connection to minecraft
mc = minecraft.Minecraft.create()

#get players position
pos = mc.player.getPos()

#create minecraft turtle
steve = minecraftturtle.MinecraftTurtle(mc, pos)

#point up
steve.setverticalheading(90)

#set speed
steve.speed(0)

#call the tree fractal
tree(20, steve)

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


You're on the hunt for your first shortboard.
Easy paddling, fast take-off and stable surfing.
Made to the highest eco-standards, verified by Sustainable Surf's Ecoboard Project.
Gets into waves easier and faster allowing quicker surfing progress.
Five twin-tab fin boxes, with thruster M7 fin set included.
The NSP Fish is a new shape for 2018. Stable and wide, with a flatter rocker – they're fast and fun! The perfect board for ripping in all conditions.
– Wide nose creates more volume for added bouyancy providing more stability, faster paddling, and easy entry into the smallest waves with quick acceleration.
– The slight hip behind the front fins reduces the area under the back foot creating a pivot point for snappy turns. Boxy and full rails also add to the overall volume and forgiving nature of this model.
– A tri-fin thruster setup guarantees speed and liveliness, with enough hold to ride out a line.


July 30, 2018 // Franchising.com // COVINGTON, La. - With one location already open and operating in San Antonio, The Lost Cajun - a family-friendly restaurant focused on authentic Cajun food and hospitality - is expanding its local footprint even further. The Louisiana-based franchisor is set to open its second San Antonio location on August 13.
The new restaurant - located at 226 W. Bitters Road - will be owned and operated by 30-year food business veteran, Barry Kruger. In addition, Kruger also owns The Lost Cajun's San Antonio location on Hausman Road and its Lubbock location on Milwaukee Avenue.
Kruger signed a development agreement for a total of three restaurants to be opened through 2020. Barry discovered the chain while on a ski trip to Colorado.


Libby, Montana. For some, perhaps especially those living in western Montana, as I do, Libby brings to mind dark images of the defunct W.R. Grace vermiculite mine, asbestos-related diseases, and EPA Superfund sites. Ugly stuff, about which you can learn more with a little Web surfing. There's much more to Libby, and to Lincoln County, MT, than hundreds of millions of dollars spent on an environmental cleanup that may never end. A casual drive through Libby will show you a nice little town of fewer than 3000 residents, in a densely wooded county tight against the borders of Idaho to the west and British Columbia, Canada to the north. Libby straddles the Kootenai River; upstream from town about twenty miles (thirty-two km) is 422 foot (129 m) high Libby Dam, which holds back the 90 mile (145 km) long Kootenai Reservoir. This is a huge liquid playground, the reservoir and river and surrounding low mountains a Mecca for fishing and boating, hiking and camping, skiing and snowmobiling, any outdoor activity imaginable.
The area leading into Kootenai Falls, located on the river about six miles (ten km) downstream from Libby, is set up like a city park, with a large parking lot, a picnic area, and vault toilets. The first tenth of a mile (160 m) is a paved path providing wheelchair access through the picnic area. The falls are another quarter mile (300 m) from the picnic area. The walk includes a foot bridge over a double set of railroad tracks. Once beyond the tracks the area feels very much like wilderness. While the falls drop only about forty feet (twelve m) through stair-stepped bedrock, they are very wide. The panorama at the top of the page shows the entire falls. After the initial drop a rock island splits the water into the Left Channel and the wide Middle Falls. Tahiti Falls, a third, very pretty smaller drop only about twenty feet (six m) high, is to the right of the main channel. In all it's very impressive, a raucous cascade moving a high volume of water, the roar from which makes casual conversation impossible.
Prior to our July trip Pat and I had twice visited Kootenai Falls, for only a couple of hours and in mid-afternoon. I made no photos during either trip. I've long wanted to return, both to figure out how to capture the falls in photographs, and to do so in good light. For this trip we'd be camping at McGillivray campground, a lovely and secluded US Forest Service site located several miles above Libby dam. We arrived late in the morning, set up camp, which our little camper makes very quick and easy, made lunch, and then drove the twenty-five miles (ten km) back to Libby and on to the falls. Things quickly went downhill from there.
Half of the parking lot at the Kootenai Falls trailhead. The other half, out of view to the left, looked the same.
The parking area gave the first sign that things had changed since our last visit. On a Monday afternoon at 2:30 we had to wait for someone to leave, making space avaiable to park our car. Chaos reigned; cars, pickups, and RVs packed the lot, people wandered everywhere. As we approached the trailhead we could see why: a small snackbar, cleverly named "Trail Head Grill" had been installed, selling burgers, ice cream, and drinks. More a mob than an orderly queue, people surrounded the rough little wooden structure and occupied several nearby picnic tables. We made our way through the crowd to the narrow paved path. Lines had formed at both of the vault toilets. People filled the benches along the path and the tables in the picnic area. Bottles, cups, plastic forks and spoons littered the trail. Most of the kids, and many of the adults, had their faces in their smartphones. Just another day in a natural wonderland.
After plowing through the mayhem and debris of the picnic area we made our way along the busy trail to the falls, where we found dozens of people climbing the rocks onto every part of the falls. A couple of fallen logs, likely placed there for the purpose, bridged the outflow from little Tahiti Falls, providing access to Middle Falls. One can skip the balancing act and walk on the rock directly to the brink and the base of Tahiti Falls. Although somewhat cloudy, the harsh midday light precluded photography for me, but even in perfect conditions, photos devoid of people would not have been possible.
The Kootenai Falls playground. Middle Falls at left, Tahiti Falls at right. The Left Channel is not in this photo. This cell phone snapshot was made just after a large group of people had walked out of the view.
To be fair, it's great fun climbing around on the large blocks of rock, and on this warm July day close proximity to the falls provided a cooling mist. Kids couldn't resist getting wet, older folk couldn't resist acting silly and making selfies, and all these vacationers, a conclusion based on the many out-of-state license plates I'd seen in the parking lot, seemed to be having a wonderful time. With late afternoon upon us and the crowd showing no sign of thinning, I gave up any thoughts of photographing the falls in evening light. I suspected the mountains west of the area would block the sun before it got low enough to provide nice light on the falls. I'd seen enough, and had made a few snapshots with my phone, so I could spend the evening reviewing those and thinking about compositions, how I might work the area in the morning. I had a hunch conditions would be less manic at the fringes of the day, when the light would likely be better for pictures anyway. I hoped this clot of people would prefer to sleep late, and that's just how it went.
After retracing our route back to the car and escaping the parking lot we aimed for our campsite. In the entire campground only five sites had been taken; we had no close neighbors. Silence reigned; we heard nothing but bird chatter and the sough of a slight breeze through the pines. The edge of the campground, which is several miles above the dam, looks down perhaps seventy feet (21 m) to the reservoir. It's a delightful walk through the trees along that ridge. I neither saw nor heard another human.
Tuesday morning dawned cloudy, and considerably less windy than Monday afternoon. We arrived at the empty parking lot at 6:20 and made our way to the falls. Hoping to get a few pictures made before people arrived and started climbing around in my shots I started out working quickly. The pano rig came out first, as it takes a bit of time to set up. After making a few frames to stitch later into panoramas, we wandered the area, setting up to get the photos I'd envisioned the previous evening. I did most of the work with my 24-70mm lens and a polarizer to reduce glare on the pools below the falls. I sometimes used a variable neutral density filter to get slow shutter speeds, producing a silky effect in the flowing water. Some of these worked out nicely. I also had fun climbing to the brink of Tahiti Falls and using my long zoom to fill the frame with falling water. These are the photos I'd thought most about during my planning the previous evening.
A part of Kootenai Falls: Middle Falls at left, Tahiti Falls at right.
I worked the area for about three hours. In that time a group of three men arrived with fishing gear. They crossed the log "bridge" and, from the brink of Middle Falls, did whatever fishermen do. By the time they arrived I'd finished with that part of the area and had begun working around Tahiti Falls. I could hear nothing but the roar of the water, the sound of solitude. When I wrapped up my work we walked back to our car in the otherwise empty parking lot. We stopped in town for a late breakfast at a nearly empty restaurant. It had been a really good morning.


The bull put spread is a useful tool for producing income. A bull put spread is a credit spread created by selling a put while simultaneously purchasing a put with the same expiration date at a lower strike price, farther out-of-the-money, on the same stock.
This strategy is best implemented in a moderately bullish market to provide high leverage over a limited range of stock prices. While the profit on this strategy can increase by as much as 1 point for each 1 point increase in the price of the underlying, the total investment is far less than that required to buy the stock. This strategy has both limited profit potential and limited downside risk, as illustrated by the risk graph below.
You would enter a bull put spread only if you feel confident the stock price will end at or above the strike price of the short put. You want to derive income from that opinion, and are willing to take a limited risk that you may be incorrect. A big advantage of the credit spread over selling naked puts is the lower margin requirement. With the bull put spread you only need to put up the difference in strike prices less the credit received.
In the example above, the stock is currently trading at $50. You could sell a January 50 put for $5.00, and buy the January 45 put for $3.00, resulting in a net $2.00 premium ($200 total) credited to your account. You need to maintain $500 (the difference between the strikes) in margin to cover the risk of this position, so you would only need an additional $300 of capital to do this trade.
By comparison, you would need to put up roughly $1,000 (or more, depending on your broker's requirements) to sell a naked put at the 50 strike price in January. That's a big difference!
The maximum profit for the bull put spread occurs when the price of the underlying stock is above the strike price of the short put. In the example above, that is $200. Even if the stock price falls below $50 and the option holder exercises the short put, you can always exercise your long put to cover the assignment. That means your maximum potential loss on this bull put spread is limited to $300.
The Bull Put Spread allows you to put time decay in your favor. It is a trade with limited risk and limited reward. You need to watch this trade because the risk/reward ratio is relatively unfavorable (you can lose twice as much as you can potentially gain in this example). To exit a bull put spread, you need to sell the lower strike put and buy back the higher strike put. Of course, as long as things go your way you can let the options expire worthless. In that case, you keep the full premium that you initially received.


Guided boat dolphin watching tours start in the season from Kilrush Marina and from Carrigaholt. The nearby coast is popular for bird watching! A sign near the house gives an introduction to local wildlife.
A 10 minute drive will take you to renowned Greg Norman designed Doonbeg golf links, luxury hotel and spa. Other renowned golf courses in the proximity include Kilkee links, Kilrush, Spanish Point and Lahinch - all less than half an hour from the house. Ballybunion in County Kerry can easily be reached via the Shannon Car Ferry. Green Fees are available on all of these courses.
The area has excellent sea and freshwater fishing opportunities. The coast near the house is popular for shore angling. Sea angling trips from Doonbeg, Kilkee and Carrigaholt are a unique adventure which shouldn't be missed! More about fishing in West Clare as well as about Atlantic and Shannon Estuary Charters can be found here.
White Strand (5 mins.) is a safe "Blue Flag" beach for the whole family. Doughmore Strand (behind the golf course) is well known for excellent surfing conditions, for its beautiful sand dunes and for the long beach walks which are possible there. More beaches are in Kilkee, Quilty, Spanish Point and Miltown Malbay. Kilkee also has a gym with an indoor pool, open all year.
Kilkee has a beautiful sheltered beach and is also starting point of scenic Loop Head Drive leading along spectacular cliff scenery to Loop Head Lighthouse.
The market town of Kilrush with it's modern marina is less than a 20 minutes drive away. Boat trips from the marina to historic Scattery Island and dolphin watching trips are highly recommended. Kilrush Woods occupies 170 hectares east of the town and was formerly the Vandeleur Demesne. The wood with forest trails contains beautiful, mature trees planted in the 18th century. The revived Vandeleur Walled Garden specialises in sub-tropical and southern hemisphere plants.
The town of Miltown Malbay is hosting the annual Willie Clancy Summer School each July which attracts thousands of visitors who are passionate about traditional Irish music and dance. The famous Cliffs of Moher and its state of the art interpretive centre Atlantic Edge is also only a 40 min. drive away, as is the carst terrain of the Burren, a haven for walkers, climbers and botanists.
West Clare is considered to be the lively heart of Traditional Irish Music! The pubs in the village have traditional music entertainment regularly during the season. Comerford's pub is also home to the singer's club, dedicated to preserve the traditional singing of Ireland. The music festivals in Kilrush and Miltown Malbay each summer attract thousands of music enthusiasts.


text:
ACCEPTED

#### According to
Index Fungorum

#### Published in
Biblthca Lichenol. 65: 66 (1997)

#### Original name
Gyalideopsis epithallina Lücking

### Remarks
null


Amazon Streaming TV Box Release Date Set For 2014, But Can It Beat Hulu And Netflix?
Home / TV Shows / Amazon Streaming TV Box Release Date Set For 2014, But Can It Beat Hulu And Netflix?
by tvmarketupdated on October 26, 2015 March 1, 2014 Leave a Comment on Amazon Streaming TV Box Release Date Set For 2014, But Can It Beat Hulu And Netflix?
The Amazon streaming TV box set is set to have a release date in March of 2014, but how will it hold up against competitors like Hulu, Netflix, or even Redbox?
For the most part, Roku and Apple TV are the biggest competitors that would compete with the Amazon set top box. After all, if you own either a Xbox One or PS4 you can just download the Amazon app and start streaming to your heart's content.


Since joining WJE in 2012, John "Jack" Nuttmann has been involved in a wide variety of projects, including facade failure investigation and condition assessment, roofing and waterproofing consulting, construction period services, and repair document development for new and historically significant buildings and structures. Mr. Nuttmann has also been actively engaged in field testing for air and water penetration resistance, both in forensic capacity and in the context of new construction, using ASTM and AAMA voluntary guide specifications and test standards.
Building Enclosure Council - Washington, D.C.


text:
This information was printed from: www.cebc4cw.org/program/massachusetts-adolescent-outreach-program-for-youths-in-intensive-foster-care/
Massachusetts Adolescent Outreach Program for Youths in Intensive Foster Care (MA Outreach)
Note: The MA Outreach program	was not responsive to the CEBC's inquiry. The following information was obtained from publicly available sources.
Youth Transitioning Into Adulthood Programs
Target Population: Youth in foster care who will be aging out of the foster care system or recently have
The MA Outreach program assists teenage intensive foster care youths in preparing to live independently and to achieve permanency after exiting care. The goals of the program are to help youths earn high school diplomas, continue education, avoid nonmarital childbirth, avoid high-risk behaviors, avoid incarceration, gain employment, attain self-sufficiency, and avoid homelessness. Other goals include supporting youths' participation in higher education, achieving permanency through a connection to a caring adult, and identifying a support network.
The program representative did not provide information about a Logic Model for Massachusetts Adolescent Outreach Program for Youths in Intensive Foster Care (MA Outreach).
Publicly available information indicates there is some training available for this program.
Greeson, J. K., Garcia, A. R., Kim, M., & Courtney, M. E. (2014). Foster youth and social support: The first RCT of independent living services. Research on Social Work Practice, 349-357
Age — Not specified
Race/Ethnicity — 66% White and 27% Hispanic
Status — Participants were youth in the foster care program within the Massachusetts Department of Children and Families.
Location/Institution: Boston, Massachusetts
This article examines the effectiveness of the Massachusetts Adolescent Outreach Program for Youth in Intensive Foster Care (Outreach) as compared to support as usual (SAU) on changes in social support. Using data from the Multi-Site Evaluation of Foster Youth Programs (MEFYP), this program focused on the outcome of social support for the Outreach program. Participants were randomly assigned to either the Outreach program or SAU. Measures utilized include the MEFYP Social Support Scale and questionnaires regarding gender, race, and ethnicity. Results indicate at follow-up that effects of the program on the extent of social support did not differ between those in the Outreach program and those who received SAU, regardless of the racial/ethnic background of the young adults in the study. Additionally, the Outreach program did not contribute to elevated levels of social support as compared to SAU. Limitations include generalizability to other ethnic populations and sample consisted solely of youth receiving intensive, treatment-oriented foster home placement.
No reference materials are currently available for Massachusetts Adolescent Outreach Program for Youths in Intensive Foster Care (MA Outreach).
Mark E. Courtney
Agency/Affiliation: Massachusetts Department of Youth Services
Email: markc@uchicago.edu
Date Research Evidence Last Reviewed by CEBC: June 2016
Date Program Content Last Reviewed by Program Staff: August 2016
Date Program Originally Loaded onto CEBC: August 2016

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Soccer-Ferencvaros fans upset by biometric 'intrusion'
By Sandor Peto BUDAPEST, Oct 10 (Reuters) - The thousands of fans gathered below the sculpture of a huge eagle, the symbol of 28-times Hungarian champions Ferencvaros, shouted "down with the scanner". Draped in the club's trademark green-and-white shirts and scarves, the fans had met on a sunny autumn afternoon outside the club's stadium to demonstrate against the introduction of a bimoetric identification system used for entry to home matches. Ferencvaros, known as 'Fradi', were not playing at home that day. Their fans, such was their anger, had chosen to boycott an away match against arch-rivals Ujpest. From this season palm vein scanners have been introduced to secure access to the brand new $61 million Fradi stadium. A Hungarian invention, the scanner identifies a fan based on five million palm vein data points. Other clubs could now follow in introducing such technology, Peter Gyorgydeak, Managing Director of the Hungarian developer Biosec Kft, told Reuters. STRICTER REGULATIONS Biometric identification systems are already in use in the soccer world. But it takes five seconds for the face recognition system used in the stadium of Dutch club ADO Den Haag to identify someone, which may be too long, Gyorgydeak said. "Here you hold your palm there and you are identified in a second," Gyorgydeak said. The system does not record any pictures. It only holds a multiple encrypted hashcode of the vein structure of two palms of each fan and an identification number, separately stored from other personal data to prevent any misuse. Still, the scanner was the last straw for the hard core of Fradi fans who had been upset anyway by the introduction of club cards, a rise in ticket prices and ever stricter regulations of the behaviour of soccer fans in and around the stadium. "What is this madness? Will they implant a chip into us the next time?" said Balazs Magyar, a spokesman of the Fans With No Personal Right Movement, which organized the anti-scanner rally. "New stadium, new fans? This will not work," he added. Ferencvaros have tried to shed a reputation for hooliganism and CEO Pal Orosz said such technology was needed to help prevent trouble in the stadium. "We like it or not, the world goes into this direction," he said. "We have no choice, given that the UEFA has very strict requirements... Whoever ignores those will be severely fined." ATTENDANCE DECLINE? Fan rights activist Magyar disagreed, saying a boycott of matches by thousands would cause a big loss in ticket revenues, adding that in some European countries football associations were loosening rules rather than tightening them, fearing a decline in match attendance. "We will stay off matches until Hungarian football leaders seriously change their thinking," he said. "The scanner is only a symbol of that, even though a very important symbol." Szebasztian Huber, editor of the Fradi fan website ulloi129.hu said many fans also fear that technological developments would help clubs pass Hungarian Football Association fines -- which they regard as too strict -- on to them. Stricter stadium rules also puzzle fans because the number of violent incidents in and around Hungarian stadiums is much lower than 10 or 20 years ago, he added. "The culture of soccer fans is different everywhere, in some countries (vein scanners) would be tolerated, while elsewhere fans could be upset," Huber said. "Launching the system highlighting its comfort functions could increase tolerance." Laszlo Szollosy, a 66-year old pensioner arriving for a Ferencvaros home match from the country town Eger, admitted that the system is quite fast, saying that he had no problem with it as he never committed any wrongdoing. "But fines are flying for small things today; you cannot say anything and that irritates me more than the scanner. In the past stadiums were freedom of speech sanctuaries," he added. The scanners may spread despite the bad feelings. Gyorgydeak said Biosec have had enquiries from Western Europe, Russia and the United States, and was in talks with possible buyers in the sports and financial sectors. The second such system will be installed in an amusement park as a way of cash-free payments. He said the original idea came years ago when a Florida beach published a tender for a value deposit system that cannot use physical objects as keys. The Hungarians missed the tender but developed the system. Zoltan Zilai, 56, sitting in his wheelchair at the stadium where he has been selling snacks since 1986, said he hoped that was not the direction the world was going. "Not good for business, less people come... Is a Fradi fan an underdog in this world who even has to get his veins scanned?" (1 US dollar = 242.45 Hungarian forint) (Reporting by Sandor Peto; editing by Justin Palmer)


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Charlotte Observer
NC woman loved her 57 feral cats. After her death, property owner wanted them gone.
Joe Marusak
The elderly Mooresville woman had the best of intentions, Abigail Jennings can say with certainty now.
Friends described her as kindhearted, which is why the woman would never have shooed away the hungry feral cat that showed up in her yard, Jennings said.
Or, soon enough, the second one.
Before the woman knew it, more cats and kittens dropped by. And then, even more.
She never turned a single one down.
Not the one people later named Miss Lady. Or Casey. Or Fluffy. Not Rusty or Mama Kitty.
In less than a year and a half, 57 cats and kittens called the woman's yard home.
The population "had exploded," Jennings said.
The feral cat population "exploded" in this Mooresville yard, Lake Norman Lucky Cat volunteers said.
Then the woman died, with no one left to care for the new residents.
The property owner wanted them gone. Immediately, Jennings said.
Had Animal Control showed up recently, the cats and kittens would have been trapped and carted to the county animal shelter for an uncertain fate, Jennings said.
Such feral arrivals "are too often labeled unadoptable and euthanized," Jennings told The Charlotte Observer in an email.
Help for cats
But volunteers with Lake Norman Lucky Cats, the nonprofit cat rescue organization Jennings founded and serves as president, showed up, too.
They trapped them and placed friendly cats and kittens for adoption, Jennings said, in partnership with two other local nonprofit animal welfare groups, Lake Norman Humane and Maggie Mayflower Rescue.
Caretakers took the cats in and got them spayed or neutered, rabies and distemper shots and any needed medical care.
They gave them food, water and shelter, Jennings, who is also president of Lake Norman Realty, told the Observer.
"These cats are truly Lucky Cats," she wrote.
Need is great
Lucky Cat has helped thousands of cats in the region in its more than 20 years, but "the need remains great," Jennings said.
The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly increased the feral cat population, Lucky Cat Executive Director Robin Byrd said.
"Due to pandemic-related shortages, veterinary spay/neuter services have been limited, resulting in an explosion in community cat and kitten populations," she said.
Rising clinic fees also play a role, Jennings said.
All of which is why she calls this year's annual fundraiser by her organization "one of the most critical in our history. Funds are needed more than ever to continue our work in light of rising clinic fees and the COVID cat population explosion."
The Fall Fix-a-thon Raffle has a $25,000 goal to cover the costs of 250 community cats, "and we hope to help even more through the generous support of the community," Jennings said.
As the Mooresville case shows, "feeding a stray cat is a kind act, but feeding and not fixing can turn into a serious problem," Jennings said.
Not all of them survived, she said.
A kitten the volunteers named Woody had Bot fly, or cuterebra, larvae removed from his neck. He weighed only a pound, was malnourished "and, unfortunately, he was too far gone to recover," Jennings said.
"But at least his final days were in love and care vs suffering alone on his own," she said. "Many other cats and kittens would likely have shared this fate without our intervention."


Thursday evening (September 6th), which coincidentally was Roger Waters' 75th birthday, those present at the Lucius gig at the atmospheric Union Chapel, in Islington, London, were party to a real surprise.
During their set, Roger himself appeared to perform a couple of acoustic numbers with the band, the first song being Mother and the second, Goodnight Irene. BD contributor Rob Whitmarsh said about "this most magical night [that] I never imagined I'd be seeing Roger Waters performing a couple of songs in a church. The lighting was incredibly low (candle light and a couple of low level lights behind them), so my photos reflect this. I tried using a flash a couple of times, but it just reflected the air due to the atmosphere (probably candle smoke rather than dry ice).
Our thanks to Marcelo Paulo De Souza for the picture shown here (click the thumbnail) and for additional information about the show. Rob's pictures will be here shortly!


text:
January 17, 2020 by Talking Pulp	in Comic Review, Reviews and tagged action, adventure, Ant-Man, Archangel, Arnim Zola, Attuma, Avengers, Baron Zemo, Beast, Black Widow, book, Captain America, Captain Marvel (Mar-Vell), comics, Diablo (Marvel), Doctor Doom, Drax the Destroyer, Enchantress (Marvel), Fantastic Four, fantasy, George Perez, Gerry Conway, Ghost Rider, Hate-Monger, Hercules (Marvel), Hulk, Human Torch, Iceman, Inhumans, Iron Man, Jim Shooter, John Buscema, Krang (Marvel), Magneto, Marvel, Namor, Namorita, Red Skull, review, Roy Thomas, Sal Buscema, Scarlet Witch, sci-fi, Silver Surfer, superhero, Thanos, The Champions, The Shroud, The Thing (Marvel), The Vision, Thor, Tiger Shark, Tony Isabella, Wasp, Wonder Man	| Leave a comment
Published: March 4th, 2015
Marvel Comics, 458 Pages
This was a comic book series that I had wanted to read for a long time. I was collecting all of the single issues, in an effort to get the whole shebang before reading any of them, as I wanted the full experience.
However, I found the beefy collected edition at Ollie's Bargain Outlet for like $4.95. So I couldn't pass up that deal and because tracking down the whole series, as well as its crossovers was taking some time.
Anyway, this wasn't exactly what I had hoped it was but it was still a really fun comic, especially as a fan of Doctor Doom, who is mostly the main character, alongside Namor, throughout the series' run.
What I had hoped (or assumed) this was, was a book that put two villains together like a tag team in an effort to see them fight their regular nemeses. I expected more of a mix up of villains but the vast majority of this pairs Doom and Namor. And honestly, most of the time, they're at odds with each other, so "team-up" isn't all that accurate.
Other villains come into the series towards the end. We get to see Red Skull, Arnim Zola, The Hate-Monger, Magneto and a few others. But most of this is Doom having schemes that typically involve Namor. It pits them (well, mostly Doom) against superhero teams like The Avengers, the Fantastic Four and the '70s version of The Champions but it also sees Doom come into conflict with other major villains.
For the most part, this is a really fun and energetic series that highlights what was great about '70s Marvel. However, the series kept switching writers and artists and some of the issues aren't nearly as great as the more solid ones.
It's definitely better written in the first few issues, as those duties were handled by the great Roy Thomas. Towards the end, the book gets more exciting, as a lot of characters get wedged in but the earliest stories were just better written tales.
All in all, this is definitely worth picking up for those out there that are into '70s Marvel and/or Doctor Doom. If you can find the collected trade paperback for as cheap as I got it, you should definitely pick it up and give it a shot.
Pairs well with: the Avengers and Fantastic Four comics of the '70s.
January 13, 2020 by Talking Pulp	in Comic Review, Reviews and tagged Absorbing Man, action, Adam Kubert, adventure, Alpha Flight, Andy Kubert, Annihilus, Apocalypse, Arcade (Marvel), Archangel, Avalanche (Marvel), Banshee, Beast, Bishop, Blink, book, Brood, Bullseye, Cable, Callisto, Captain Britain, Colossus, comics, Copycat, Cyclops, Dani Moonstar, Daredevil, Dazzler, Deadpool, Deathbird, Destiny (Marvel), Diablo (Marvel), Doctor Doom, Domino, Emma Frost, Exodus (Marvel), Fabian Nicieza, Fantastic Four, fantasy, Forge, Gambit, Gideon, Gladiator (Marvel), Green Goblin, Gwen Stacy, Havok, Hawkeye, Hulk, Iceman, Iron Man, Jean Grey, Jeph Loeb, Jubilee, Karma (Marvel), Kitty Pryde, Larry Hama, Legion, Magik, Magma, Magneto, Mark Waid, Marvel, Mister Sinister, Moira MacTaggert, Morph, Multiple Man, Mystique, Nick Fury, Nightcrawler, Polaris, Professor X, Psylocke, Pyro, Quicksilver, Rasputin (Marvel), review, Rogue, Sabretooth, Sauron, Scarlet Witch, sci-fi, Scott Lobdell, Sebastian Shaw, Shadow King, Shi'ar, Starjammers, Storm, Strong Guy, Sugar Man, Sunfire, Sunspot, superhero, The Blob, The Kingpin, The Owl, The Thing (Marvel), Thor, Warren Ellis, Wolfsbane, Wolverine, X-Factor, X-Man, X-Men, X-Treme	| Leave a comment
Published: 1995-1996
Written by: Scott Lobdell, Jeph Loeb, John Francis Moore, Mark Waid, Warren Ellis, Fabian Nicieza, Larry Hama, Howard Mackie, Terry Kavanagh
Art by: Roger Cruz, Terry Dodson, Steve Epting, Andy Kubert, Adam Kubert, Carlos Pacheco, Joe Madureira, Tony Daniel, Salvador Larroca, Chris Bachalo, Ken Lashley, Steve Skroce, Ian Churchill, Joe Bennett
Marvel Comics, 1462 Pages
I've really only heard great things about The Age of Apocalypse storyline since it started back in 1995, an era where I wasn't really reading comics for awhile, except for Dark Horse's Star Wars stuff.
In fact, the last major X-Men related event that I had read before this was X-Cutioner's Song, a pretty good epic. But shortly after that, I got pretty burnt out once the top Marvel guys went off to form Image and then those comics were constantly hindered by delays and irregular schedules.
Based off of all the praise I heard, I always wanted to read this but it was such a massive story, spread over multiple collected volumes that I never really wanted to fork out the over $100 it would cost to buy the whole shebang. So, all these years later, I took advantage of a massive X-Men sale on Comixology and got the entire saga with its prelude for about $20.
Now that I've read it, I'm glad I only spent $20 because like Game of Thrones, all my friends and all the critics lied to me about how great this was. It's not, it's a clusterfuck of biblical proportions showcasing a lot of the things that were wrong with mid-'90s comic book art from the major publishers.
I'll start with the art and just come out and say that this was mostly an eyesore to look at. The biggest reason was the colors, which relied so heavily on what I assume are digitally created gradients and overly vibrant colors that this was like staring into the asshole of a tropical fruit salad for hours. Everything is too busy, every single issue collected is made to be overly grandiose and if everything is larger than life and overly vivid, then that becomes the norm and thus, makes everything kind of boring.
Additionally, there is such a mix of different artistic styles that it becomes jarring as these collections jump from issue to issue every twenty pages or so. Some of the artists had great pencils but many of them illustrated in a style that didn't feel like Marvel and instead felt like the artists were trying to emulate indie comics from Image and Valiant. Besides, the stuff that was illustrated well, ended up being wrecked by the primitive gradients and crazy colors that looked like a giallo film puked all over a box of Prismacolor markers.
When it comes to the narrative side of this, that's also a mess.
This suffers from trying to be way more ambitious than it needed to be. The whole story is comprised of about seven or eight different subplots that are and aren't intertwined. Some of them merge towards the end into the bigger story but some stuff just happens within this new timeline. But the story jumps around so much that it makes the whole thing hard to follow as a singular body of work. This is the same problem I have, right now, with all the new X-Men related titles that are tied to a bigger narrative but don't feel connected as much as they should. But this is what happens when you have a half dozen different titles and different writers, all of whom want to explore different territory in their own way while being trapped within a common framework.
In fact, the only plot I actually enjoyed was the one that dealt with the characters that aren't tied to the X-Men.
There was a two issue miniseries called X-Universe, which focused on what other Marvel characters were up to during this event. We check in on this timeline's version of Gwen Stacy, some of the Avengers, Fantastic Four, Doctor Doom and a few others. I found this more interesting and it showed me that this alternate timeline could provide the right sort of environment for cool and refreshing takes on old characters.
While I should probably feel the same way about all the X-Men related characters and their stories, it is hard to focus on any of them because of how this jumps around so much. When I got to the non-X-Men characters, it felt like a nice break from the X-clusterfuck I was pushing myself through.
Ultimately, I was really disappointed in this. I kept powering through it because I was hoping that all these subplots and characters would unify into something coherent that clicked at the end but that didn't happen. We eventually get to a resolution but it's not all that satisfying.
On a side note (and spoiler alert): the way that Magneto kills Apocalypse is pretty f'n badass.
Pairs well with: other big X-Men crossovers of the '80s through '00s.
Documentary Review: Marvel Studios: Assembling a Universe (2014)
December 18, 2019 by Talking Pulp	in Documentary Review, Reviews, TV Review and tagged 2010s, 2014, Anthony Mackie, art, Avengers, Black Widow, Bobby Moynihan, Captain America, Chris Evans, Chris Hardwick, Chris Hemsworth, Chris Pratt, Clark Gregg, comics, culture, Disney, documentary, Dominic Cooper, Edgar Wright, Emily VanCamp, Falcon, filmmaking, Groot, Guardians of the Galaxy, Gwyneth Paltrow, Hawkeye, Hayley Atwell, history, Hulk, Iron Man, James Gunn, Jeph Loeb, Jeremy Renner, Joe Johnston, Joe Quesada, Jon Favreau, Joss Whedon, Kenneth Branagh, Loki, Louis Leterrier, Mark Ruffalo, Marvel, MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe), Ming-Na Wen, Nick Fury, Peggy Carter, review, Robert Downey Jr., Robert Redford, Samuel L. Jackson, Scarlett Johansson, Sebastian Stan, Shane Black, Star Lord, superhero, Thor, Tom Hiddleston, TV, Vin Diesel, Winter Soldier	| Leave a comment
Release Date: March 18th, 2014
Music by: Brian Tyler
Cast: Hayley Atwell, Shane Black, Kenneth Branagh, Dominic Cooper, Vin Diesel, Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Jon Favreau, Kevin Feige, Clark Gregg, James Gunn, Chris Hardwick, Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston, Samuel L. Jackson, Scarlett Johansson, Joe Johnston, Louis Leterrier, Jeph Loeb, Anthony Mackie, George R.R. Martin, Tom Morello, Bobby Moynihan, Gwyneth Paltrow, Chris Pratt, Joe Quesada, Robert Redford, Jeremy Renner, Mark Ruffalo, Sebastian Stan, Emily VanCamp, Ming-Na Wen, Jed Whedon, Joss Whedon, Edgar Wright (uncredited)
ABC Studios, Disney, Marvel, 42 Minutes
After watching the beefy but solid Star Wars documentary Empire of Dreams, I noticed that Disney+ also featured a similar made-for-TV documentary about the making of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. I figured I'd check it out, as it originally aired in 2014, on the cusp of the MCU reaching its peak.
Unfortunately, this isn't as compelling as Empire of Dreams and it plays more like a Marvel produced production used mainly to pimp themselves out and market Captain America: Winter Solider and the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. TV show. But I get it, this played on ABC, which like Marvel, is owned by Disney.
It's still an informative piece with a lot of insight into the making of the first Iron Man movie, which opened the floodgates for the rest of the MCU.
It also expands beyond that and delves a little bit into each movie up to the then still in-production Guardians of the Galaxy. In fact, I think that this was the first real peek into the Guardians of the Galaxy production.
The best part about this short feature is the interviews with the stars and filmmakers who helped bring this universe to life. I especially liked hearing the enthusiasm that Robert Downey Jr., Scarlett Johansson, Gwyneth Paltrow and Jon Favreau had with the early Iron Man pictures.
Overall, this isn't a must watch but it's worth your time if you are a big MCU fan.
Pairs well with: other filmmaking documentaries about blockbusters. Empire of Dreams, immediately comes to mind.
Comic Review: Avengers, Issue #6 – First Appearance of Baron Zemo & The Masters of Evil
December 10, 2019 by Talking Pulp	in Comic Review, Reviews and tagged action, adventure, Ant-Man, Avengers, Baron Zemo, Black Knight, book, Captain America, comics, first appearance, Iron Man, Jack Kirby, Marvel, Masters of Evil, Melter, Radioactive Man, review, Rick Jones, sci-fi, Stan Lee, superhero, Thor, Trapster, Wasp	| Leave a comment
Published: July 8th, 1964
Written by: Stan Lee
Art by: Jack Kirby, Chic Stone
Marvel Comics, 24 Pages
I recently read Avengers issue #8, the first appearance of Kang the Conqueror and I really enjoyed it. And since I actually now own a high quality original issue of this comic, the first appearance of the original Baron Zemo and his Masters of Evil, I figured that I'd read this one too.
Granted, the comic I own is graded and slabbed, so I read this digitally. It's actually free for Comixology Unlimited members.
I've got to say, I enjoyed this issue immensely. Even more so than the Kang issue.
This was a pretty high energy issue that was mostly action, as the Avengers didn't fight one big villain but instead, fought a group of villains that were very aware of each hero's weakness.
The story also ties back to the death of Bucky and how personal that tragedy was for Captain America. We learn that Zemo was behind Bucky's death and that gives some added emotional weight to the story, cementing him, immediately, as one of Cap's greatest rivals.
I loved Stan Lee's writing here, especially his dialogue. I also appreciated the extra layers added to the plot that called back to past events that existed before Stan was even writing comics.
This is, of course, all enhanced by the stupendous artwork of Jack Kirby, who is still my favorite person ever to draw Captain America. He also really gives Zemo a presence and style that no one else has been able to replicate with the same sort of impact.
For those of you that just like old school comics when stories were told over just one issue, this is a great representation of that bygone narrative style.
Pairs well with: other Stan Lee and Jack Kirby era Marvel stuff, especially The Avengers and Fantastic Four.
Comic Review: X-Men: Mutant Massacre
November 11, 2019 by Talking Pulp	in Comic Review, Reviews and tagged action, adventure, Ann Nocenti, Apocalypse, Archangel, Arclight, Avalanche (Marvel), Beast, book, Boom Boom, Caliban, Callisto, Cameron Hodge, Cannonball, Chris Claremont, Colossus, comics, Cyclops, Cypher, Dani Moonstar, Daredevil, Dazzler, Emma Frost, Fallen Angels, fantasy, Franklin Richards, Hela, Hellfire Club, Iceman, Jean Grey, John Romita Jr., Kitty Pryde, Louise Simonson, Magik, Magma, Magneto, Marvel, Moira MacTaggert, Mystique, New Mutants, Nightcrawler, Power Pack, Psylocke, Pyro, review, Rogue, Rusty, Sabretooth, Sal Buscema, sci-fi, Sebastian Shaw, Selene, Skids, Spider-Woman, Storm, Sunspot, superhero, The Blob, Thor, Vanisher, Walter Simonson, Warlock (New Mutants), Wolfsbane, Wolverine, X-Factor, X-Men	| Leave a comment
Written by: Chris Claremont, Louise Simonson, Walter Simonson, Ann Nocenti
Art by: John Romita Jr., Walter Simonson, Sal Buscema
Well, not all giant X-Men crossover events can be created equal.
This one started off with a bang though. Sadly, it withered away in the second half, as it crossed over into non-X-Men-related titles and became a narrative clusterfuck that slowed down the story's momentum to a complete halt.
The main reason I wanted to read this was to have a bit of background context before jumping into the following big event The Fall of the Mutants. While I had never read either crossover in their entirety, I had read parts and I knew that the stories had a very close association.
The focal point of the story shows the Marauders invading the Morlocks' sewer hideout where they murder the shit out of them. Only a few actually survive and that's mostly due to the X-Men, X-Factor and the New Mutants involving themselves in the ordeal.
As this collection rolls on, the story spins off into issues of Thor, Daredevil and Power Pack. This is where the narrative starts to become a mess. And once we get to this point, a lot of the issues rehash some of the same shit, over and over.
What I was excited to see was Apocalypse show up and the actual breaking of Angel. I thought that he would actually be turned into Archangel in this story but I guess that happens just after, which was kind of disappointing, as I've never got to read that actual story. I assumed it would happen here once Angel had his wings destroyed and was nailed to the sewer wall with about half the story left.
There were a lot of deaths in this but none that really hold any weight or matter to the bigger picture.
But I guess this helped plant the seed for The Fall of the Mutants and the introduction of both Archangel and Mister Sinister.
Pairs well with: other big X-Men crossover events from the '80s and '90s.
Comic Review: Avengers, Issue #8 – First Appearance of Kang the Conqueror
November 9, 2019 by Talking Pulp	in Comic Review, Reviews and tagged action, adventure, Ant-Man, Avengers, book, Captain America, comics, first appearance, Iron Man, Jack Kirby, Kang the Conqueror, Marvel, review, Rick Jones, sci-fi, Stan Lee, superhero, Thor, Wasp	| 2 Comments
Art by: Jack Kirby, Dick Ayers
This is one of the comic books that is pretty high up on my bucket list. I still don't own it but I wanted to read the story, so I bought a digital copy on Comixology for under two bucks.
While this isn't technically the first appearance of the character that would become Kang, this is his first appearance as Kang. Before this, he appeared as an Egyptian pharaoh-looking villain named Rama-Tut in Fantastic Four number 19 and Fantastic Four Annual number 2.
For the most part, this was a cool read. It had that great Stan Lee style to the action and dialogue and it featured art from my favorite artist of all-time: Jack Kirby.
While this isn't the start of a big multi-part story, a lot happens in these 22 pages and you get a real sense of who Kang is and what he is capable of. It is a pretty solid Lee/Kirby era intro to one of their greatest villainous creations.
I wouldn't consider this a must read but it will probably be enjoyed in an old Avengers collection alongside other stories from the time.
I personally love Kang, though, so I probably enjoyed this more than the average bear.
Comic Review: 1985
October 10, 2019 by Talking Pulp	in Comic Review, Reviews and tagged Abomination, Absorbing Man, action, adventure, Ant-Man, Avengers, Baron Zemo, Batroc, book, Bullseye, Captain America, Captain Marvel (Monica Rambeau), Colossus, comics, Cyclops, Doctor Doom, Doctor Octopus, Electro, Fantastic Four, fantasy, Fin Fang Foom, Galactus, Hate-Monger, Hawkeye, horror, Hulk, Human Torch, Iron Man, Juggernaut, Klaw, M.O.D.O.K., Mark Millar, Marvel, Mole Man, Molten Man, Nightcrawler, Red Skull, review, Rhino, Sabretooth, Sauron, sci-fi, Shocker, Silver Surfer, Spider-Man, Spider-Woman, Stilt-Man, Storm, superhero, The Blob, The Lizard, The Mandarin, The Sandman (Marvel), The Thing (Marvel), The Vulture, Thor, Trapster, Ultron, Wasp, Wendigo (Marvel), Werewolf by Night, werewolves, Wolverine, Wrecking Crew, X-Men	| Leave a comment
Published: July 22nd, 2009
Written by: Mark Millar
Art by: Tommy Lee Edwards
This comic book was cool as hell!
It sort of reads like it's a season of Stranger Things but where the small town is haunted by Marvel villains instead of weird shit from the Upsidedown. This also came out in the decade before Stranger Things, so it was kind of ahead of the curve but like Stranger Things, knew how to tap into '80s nostalgia in a brilliant way.
But this was also written by Mark Millar, a true master of his craft.
What's unique and cool about this comic is that it doesn't take place in the Marvel Universe, it takes place in our universe.
The story follows a young boy in 1985. He is having issues like any normal '80s kid dealing with divorced parents. He bonds with his father pretty strongly though, as they both have a deep love of comic books and are experts on Marvel lore. At the same time, Marvel villains start showing up in the real world because there are no heroes here to stop them.
Overall, this was a really neat idea and for the most part, I thought it was superbly executed.
1985 is incredibly imaginative but it really worked so well because the art fit the concept and the tone. While Millar deserves credit for a great story, Tommy Lee Edwards gave it so much more life than just words on paper. And his style works better for the setting than having that sort of standard Marvel art style.
This is one of those comics that I'm happy to have discovered as an adult but wish would have been around when I was a kid. If you know a kid that loves Marvel but they've never read this, I think that they'll probably love the hell out of it.
Pairs well with: the Stranger Things comics, as well as other Mark Millar stories.


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The Unearthly
Season 3, Episode 67 • Drama, Thriller, 14-Dec-1991
In the theater, the crew watches as a mad scientist searches for a youth serum, and performs experiements on his patients in an isolated sanitorium in THE UNEARTHLY (1957). Meanwhile, on the SOL, Crow and Servo learn to appreciate Gypsy for all the little things she does around the ship. This episode features the shorts "Posture Pals" and "Appreciating Our Parents."
John Carradine Dr. Charles Conway
Tor Johnson Lobo II
Allison Hayes Grace Thomas
Myron Healey Mark Houston
Sally Todd Natalie Andries
Up Next in MST3K: SEASON 3 (1991-92)
Santa Claus Conquers The Martians
In the theater, the crew watches as a group of Martians, eager for their own Christmas back on Mars, abduct Santa and two children in "Santa Claus Conquers the Martians" (1964). Meanwhile, on the SOL, Joel and the bots share essays about Christmas. This episode features the song "(Let's Have) A P...
In the theater, the crew watch as an American ninja and his young sidekick protect local businesses from corrupt cops, thugs, and sleazy businessmen in "Master Ninja I" (1984). Meanwhile, on the SOL, Joel and the bots reveal the many alternatives to nunchucks. This episode features "The Master Ni...
Castle Of Fu Manchu, The
In the theater, the crew watches as the wicked Doctor Fu Manchu uses an ocean-freezing chemical in an attempt to take over the world in "The Castle of Fu Manchu" (1969). Meanwhile, on the SOL, the film causes Joel and the bots to suffer emotional breakdowns.


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Is Usher Dating 'Basketball Wives' Star Evelyn Lozada's Daughter?
By Peyton Blakemore Nov 8, 2018
usher-dating
Not to fear, Usher Raymond IV is still on the market.
Despite multiple claims that stated the "No Limit" singer was dating Shaniece Hairston (the daughter of Basketball Wives star Evelyn Lozada), Usher and the 25-year-old model are nothing more than carpool buddies.
Earlier this week, a source told Page Six Shaniece and Usher attended Diddy's 49th birthday party together, sparking dating rumors. "They came together and left together," said the insider. However, a spokesperson for Shaniece's mother, Evelyn, later told the news site that the two's relationship is completely platonic. "Shaniece is not dating Usher. They were all going to the same destination and just so happened to share a car," the spokesperson explained. "They are not dating."
Evelyn also shot down dating rumors on her Instagram Story. "LIES!!!!" she captioned an article referencing Usher and Shaniece's possible coupling. "Fake News."
Shaniece would have marked Usher's first public girlfriend since his split from his wife Grace Miguel back in March.
Usher and Grace called it quits after ten years together (they were only married for two). "After much thought and consideration we have mutually decided to separate as a couple," the couple said in a joint statement following news of their uncoupling. "We remain deeply connected, loving friends who will continue supporting each other through the next phases of our lives. The enormous amount of love and respect that we have for each other will only increase as we move forward."
The two tied secretly wed in Cuba, back in September 2015, after getting engaged in January of that year. The former couple dated for over five years, going public in 2009, just after the singer's split from his first wife, Tameka Foster.


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Argyle is a town in Lafayette County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 436 at the 2010 census, down from 479 at the 2000 census. The village of Argyle is located within the town.

Geography
The town is in northeastern Lafayette County, with its eastern border following the Green County line. The village of Argyle is in the southeast part of the town.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of which , or 0.15%, are water. The East Branch Pecatonica River flows north-to-south through the eastern part of the town, passing the through the village of Argyle. The Yellowstone River joins the East Branch from the west, north of Argyle village. The East Branch feeds the Pecatonica River, which flows southeast to the Rock River in Illinois.

Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 479 people, 178 households, and 145 families residing in the town. The population density was 13.5 people per square mile (5.2/km2). There were 210 housing units at an average density of 5.9 per square mile (2.3/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 96.66% White, 0.21% Black or African American, 1.25% Native American, 0.21% Pacific Islander, 0.21% from other races, and 1.46% from two or more races. 1.67% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 178 households, out of which 33.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 72.5% were married couples living together, 3.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 18.0% were non-families. 14.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 4.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.69 and the average family size was 2.97.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 25.3% under the age of 18, 5.2% from 18 to 24, 27.8% from 25 to 44, 22.1% from 45 to 64, and 19.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 118.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 110.6 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $39,519, and the median income for a family was $40,500. Males had a median income of $30,000 versus $22,500 for females. The per capita income for the town was $17,609. About 9.0% of families and 12.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.6% of those under age 18 and 4.5% of those age 65 or over.

References

Towns in Lafayette County, Wisconsin
Towns in Wisconsin

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Daniel Pulver singled through the right side.
Schwerer doubled to left center.
Richie O'Neil reached first on an error by 3b; Tanner McCarn advanced to second.
Cappiello doubled down the rf line.
Nick Black singled to left field.
Miles Hardy reached first on an error by 1b, bunt.
Johnson reached first on a throwing error by 3b.
Daniel Pulver doubled to left center.
Nick Barrientos walked; Nick Black advanced to second; Daniel Pulver advanced to third.
Richie O'Neil singled to center field, 2 RBI; Nick Barrientos advanced to second; Nick Black scored; Daniel Pulver scored.
Ondrejcak to p for Theiss.
Brad Vigna to cf for Miles Hardy.
Delas pinch hit for Johnson.
Delas walked; Garcia advanced to second.
Phillips pinch ran for Delas.
Larry Wood to p for Brogan Fischer.
Merriman reached on a fielder's choice; Phillips advanced to second; Garcia out at third p to 3b.
Williams pinch ran for Merriman.


text:
Q: Isomorphism of finite dimensional topological vector space with $(\mathbf{R}^k,\mathcal{R})$ Let $(T,\mathcal{T})$ be a topological vector space over $\mathbf{R}$ with finite positive dimension.
Is it true that there exists an isomorphism between $(T,\mathcal{T})$ and $(\mathbf{R}^k,\mathcal{R})$, for some integer $k>0$ and topology $\mathcal{R}$?

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


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To see the difference...
ML using C.D's photography
"TO SEE THE DIFFERENCE - TO SEE DIFFERENTLY"
Over many years, Madelaine Linden and Caroline Duchesne exchanged ideas and were sparring partners as Linden began to insert some of Duchesne's photos into her work. "Because my painting begged for it" as she says. They share a sense of humour, their taste for the surreal, morbid and impossible.
One lives in England, the other in Germany. The advent of digital photography opened up the scope of the photographic medium, and their viewpoints converged to the point where they suddenly realised that, in some areas, they had become almost one, albeit contributing different eyes and skills.
Duchesne describes her technique as "Multiple imagery, as it describes the relationship between brain/eye and film/pixels. Without the enormous complexity of the one we cannot create the other". This complexity is also the basis of the Photoshop software approach, which Linden uses like a paintbrush and paint: working in and with multiple levels.
Linden had been in search of a picture language in which the implicit uniqueness of the artist steps back, the origin and creatorship become unimportant. "The glare/scrutiny/view, the original handwriting combining it is the only thing that matters", she says, eclipsing the vanity of the artist and allowing the picture to becomes the "star". The development, the continuation of the idea comes into the forefront: composition and transformation emerge from the confrontation. Individuality, uniqueness merge in a complex testimony as intricate as each idea.
See some examples under "ML using C. Duchesne's photography".


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From Community College of Philadelphia to Peirce College – Meet Efrain Aponte, Jr.
Efrain Aponte, Jr. began college as an 18-year-old traditional student. He aspired to pursue a career in Information Technology, so he took his young and eager mind to the Community College of Philadelphia (CCP) to begin working toward a degree. At age 24, after many years of part-time classes, Efrain graduated with his associate's degree in Computer Information Systems.
But Efrain struggled with where to go next after graduation. "I found myself contemplating on whether I should either seek employment in my desired program of study, or perhaps enhance/elevate my education," Efrain recalls. His family and friends advised him to look around and see what colleges were available to him that would be willing to accept his credits from CCP.
That's when he discovered Peirce College. "I learned that [CCP] had recently partnered with Peirce College in terms of credit transferal, all while finding out that Peirce has a brilliant IT program," he says. "I spoke with an advisor one week before I registered, and I was delighted to discover that over 95% of my classes/credits from CCP would be transferred."
That wasn't all Efrain discovered in his research of Peirce College. "In addition [to the credits transferring], I would also qualify for a scholarship—due to my associate degree—that would eventually aid me per my education." Knowing this, Efrain felt motivated to continue his education at the age of 25 at Peirce College in the fall of 2014.
Efrain quickly transitioned into Peirce, finding support and flexibility everywhere he looked. "The administration at Peirce College [e.g. faculty, staff, professors, advisors/specialists, students] have guided, assisted, and even molded me towards success in my 2+ year tenure.
"Peirce (re)introduced me to online classes/learning, and with their recently implemented 'Peirce Fit' format, it enabled me to decide if I wanted to enjoy the pleasures of on-campus learning, or learning while embracing the comforts of my own home."
After starting his educational journey as a traditional-aged student, Efrain could see how different going to college was as a working adult learner. "By the age of 25 and with a job [two in 2016, thanks to the work-study program at Peirce], I did notice that things were clearly different; it was a little more challenging to handle both work and school," he says.
But Efrain didn't let the challenge of work/school balance get in his way. Just a few weeks ago, he graduated from Peirce College with a Bachelor's of Science in Information Technology with a concentration in Networking, Administration and Information Security, while also receiving the Margaret Obozian Excellence in Writing Award at Commencement.
Efrain found his path by continuing his education and earning his bachelor's degree, but not without taking many days and nights to deliberate over all his options. He advises anyone who is considering going back to school to "see if they have online learning [options], rather than [just] traditional on-campus education, which could optimize your chances of managing work/children/responsibilities alongside school. This way, you can perform your respective duties throughout the day, and then prepare to partake in your collegiate duties during, say, the evening and/or on weekends."
Congratulations to Efrain Aponte, Jr. on graduation and his award! We look forward to watching him continue to soar into the Information Technology field.
If you wish to begin your educational journey or continue on, like Efrain did, contact an Enrollment Specialist today at 215.670.9000 or admissions@peirce.edu. Or if you're interested in learning more about the partnership between CCP and Peirce College, contact Tom Tschop at 215.670.9203 or ttschop@peirce.edu.


Joseph Bertolozzi's Bridge Music Listening Stations have been re-installed for their 4th season.
They remain in place at the towers of New York's Mid Hudson Bridge from April 1 thru Oct 31. The Park Radios play year round on 95.3 FM within the parks that flank the bridge, namely Waryas Park in Poughkeepsie, NY and Johnson-Iorio Park in Highland, NY.
While the radios play 24/7, the Listening Stations move to winter homes, including the Mid Hudson Children's Museum, to avoid the extremes of winter in the Hudson Valley.
Here are directions from the east and here they are from the west.


Luc Richard Mbah a Moute, PF 22 MIN | 3-10 FG | 0-0 FT | 1 REB | 3 AST | 3 STL | 0 BLK | 1 TO | 6 PTS | -6Other than the fact that Luc shot the ball entirely too much last night — including a 2-8 1st half — I only have one note on Embiid's mentor and that was a nice assist he had in the 3rd Q.
Brandon Davies, PF 19 MIN | 3-7 FG | 2-3 FT | 2 REB | 3 AST | 0 STL | 0 BLK | 0 TO | 8 PTS | +3Outside of one ill-advised 3PA from the top of the arc, I thought Davies played solid basketball last night. I still don't want him on the roster next season, but last night he was tolerable.
Michael Carter-Williams, PG 35 MIN | 9-19 FG | 4-5 FT | 11 REB | 7 AST | 0 STL | 0 BLK | 4 TO | 24 PTS | -11MCW started out the game by shooting 2-5 in the 1st Q, but a strong 2nd Q in which he scored 8 straight for the Sixers at one point helped produce a near triple double.
Hollis Thompson, SG 29 MIN | 3-6 FG | 0-0 FT | 1 REB | 2 AST | 0 STL | 0 BLK | 1 TO | 7 PTS | +5Obviously I am not a fan of #31, who started again last night, did absolutely zip in the 1st Q and scored his only bucket of the 1st half right before the intermission. Still, he did score 5 points in the 4th Q to help make this game interesting and overall he shot the ball decent;y, so I'll give him a passing grade.
JaKarr Sampson, PF 12 MIN | 1-1 FG | 1-2 FT | 3 REB | 1 AST | 0 STL | 0 BLK | 1 TO | 4 PTS | +14Let's not get too excited about Sampson's stat line from last night. He banged home a 3PA in the last minute of the 2nd Q, but other than that he was a non-factor.
Robert Covington, SF 17 MIN | 3-6 FG | 0-0 FT | 1 REB | 0 AST | 0 STL | 0 BLK | 0 TO | 9 PTS | -3A 3ball in the 2nd Q led to his 76ers "breakout" performance for this journeyman forward.
Jerami Grant, SF 13 MIN | 2-6 FG | 0-2 FT | 3 REB | 0 AST | 1 STL | 1 BLK | 0 TO | 4 PTS | -3As the scouting report reads, Grant is athletic as hell but he struggles to score the ball.
Alexey Shved, PG 28 MIN | 7-16 FG | 3-3 FT | 4 REB | 4 AST | 2 STL | 0 BLK | 0 TO | 19 PTS | +1I have mentioned before that when the Sixers acquired Shved an NBA scout told me that he was a solid all-around player and I think he's proven that to be true. His 10 point outburst in the 1st half was highlighted by a crossover to a lefty-layin in the opening quarter that produced and AND1; as well as a jumper that he splashed home off a beautifully executed pick-n-roll in the 2nd Q. His 5 points in the 4th Q helped bring the Sixers back to a competitive / respectable result level in this game. Lastly, Shved handled the ball a great deal last night and had ZERO turnovers.
Nerlens Noel, PF DNP COACH'S DECISION MIN | FG | FT | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | PTS | As I Tweeted last night…Do you remember Samuel L. Jackson's character from the movie "Unreakable"? Well, #4 is quickly gaining a rep as the Elijah of this roster.
I'd liked that he gave KJ 30 minutes of run last night. I did not like that he played 10 guys in the 1st Q as he searched for a way to get the Sixers going after a sluggish start.
Both teams started out slowly last night. The short-handed Spurs began the game shooting 7-21 in the 1st Q and threw the ball away a number of times. The 7-6 started off this one at a 5-15 clip and that extended out to an 8-25 streak.
The Spurs got things going in the 2nd Q thanks to a 9-0 run to start the stanza and 10 points in the 2nd from Aron Baynes. Of course it helped that the Sixers went 4+ minutes without a basket in the mid-2nd Q. The result was that the Spurs led 61-46 at half and if the Sixers had not scored the last 6 points of the 2nd Q it would have been even uglier.
The Sixers defense is horrific. I know, I know…tell you something that you don't already know. The SAS were so wide open in the perimeter it was scary. Despite the above mentioned terrible start in the 1st Q, the Spurs managed to end the 1st half with 61 points (season high for Spurs) on 49% shooting from the field and 54.5% on threes. They also scored 22 points in the paint and out rebounded the Sixers by +14.
Appparently Brett Brown was surprised that Noel, who is now listed as day to day, pulled himself out of the line up after warm ups. "It kind of surprised me he didn't play," Brown said. "I think the lesson is everybody in the NBA is injured." Was that a shot? I think that was a shot, right?!?!
At least the 76ers were "competitive" in all four of their losses on this homestand, losing by an average of 7.15 points per game to Portland, Brooklyn, Dallas and SAS. The 3 teams from the Western Conf. will certainly be in the playofs. The Nets…well, there is no silver lining in losing to those scrubs.
In case you have been off-line for the last 24 hours…First-round pick Dario Saric, who is playing in Turkey, was named Euroleague MVP for November after averaging 15.5 points and 7.8 rebounds per game. So we got that going for us which is nice…Also t he 76ers can tie the 2009-10 Nets (0-18) for the worst start in NBA history Wednesday at Minnesota, with a potential chance to break the record at home Friday against OKC who allegedly will have Durant and Westbrook in the lineup.


Distance from hotel to Donald Sangster International Airport, 105 minutes.
Discover a sprawling paradise where the foliage is so rich and luscious, with a veritable rainbow of flowering trees and plants, that it's easy to escape the cares of the outside world. From a tranquil mountaintop to the white sand beach to the fairways of the championship golf course, this Ocho Rios resort and spa is surrounded by the incredible natural beauty of Jamaica. Spanning a luxuriant stretch of the Jamaican coastline, Sandals Ochi Beach is created to enchant you with two distinctive resort experiences in one. The Seaside & Ochi Beach Club is home to babbling brooks, fragrant gardens and the chicest beach club in Ocho Rios, where cool drinks and even cooler vibe are enjoyed at stylish beach party by day, and the hottest outdoor lounge in the Caribbean at night. More…..


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Adding to their notable discography of rock n' roll treats, The Delta Riggs are thrilled to return with a new single and space-age video accompaniment, 'Reality'. The single is the fourth offering from the band's highly anticipated fourth studio album 'Modern Pressure', out September 6 on Inertia Music. "'Reality' is a song for the dreamers […]
Donald Glover, a.k.a. CHILDISH GAMBINO kicks of his run Splendour side shows this Sunday night in Perth. The Grammy, Golden Globe and Emmy-Award winning artist has today confirmed that CHANNEL TRES will join him in Melbourne and Sydney – taking the excitement levels of fans in these cities up a notch, or two. Tickets are on sale now. For […]
BRISBANE'S PAVILION DROP VIDEO FOR NEW SINGLE 'HELLFIRE', ANNOUNCE LAUNCH SHOW
Brisbane's Hard Rock/Metal newcomer legends Pavilion are today announcing the imminent and explosive arrival of their brand new single 'HELLFIRE'! The four-piece outfit are unleashing the single into digital stores and streaming platforms this Friday July 12 and will be available on Friday at http://ffm.to/pavilion_hellfire. In the meantime, they are unveiling their filmclip for their debut […]
FOXBLOOD RELEASE THE STUNNING NEW SINGLE – MESS LIKE ME
Foxblood continue striving for new heights and with their sophomore album Grief & Mercy Sleep due August 5th they have a brand new single and video, the cinematic 'Mess Like Me' Building on of the hype surrounding lead single Kill The Lights, Mess Like Meopens the world of Foxblood and explores it's thematic content, love, addiction and sacrifice. Director and artist Drew Kendell is instrumental in […]
BEASTWARS NAB NZ #1 ALBUM CHART SPOT, DROP NEW VIDEO FOR WOLVES & PREY, TOURING AUSTRALIA THIS WEEK
New Zealand's mighty Beastwars have proven that the people OBEY THE RIFF! The metal outfit's4th album 'IV' took home the #1 spot of the NZ Top 40 Music Charts over the weekend – and now they are releasing their video for single "Wolves and Prey" ahead of their Australian Tour dates! Their entire New Zealand tour run […]
ROB THOMAS ANNOUNCES DATE FOR ADELAIDE + SPECIAL GUESTS CONFIRMED
Rob Thomas's welcome return to Adelaide, performing at a day on the green at Leconfield Wines, McLaren Vale on Sunday, November 10. Last in Adelaide to headline the 2016 Adelaide 500 Post-Race concert to an audience of over 30,000, Rob Thomas also headlined a sold-out Leconfield Wines concert in February 2010. Some of Australia's most popular singer-songwriters have […]
DREAM STATE REVEAL HUGE NEW SINGLE + VIDEO 'PRIMROSE'
Welsh four-piece Dream State have released their huge new single 'Primrose' via UNFD. Alongside their track 'Hand In Hand' revealed in March, 'Primrose' is the first taste of new music from the band since their debut EP Recovery (20 million streams and counting) back in 2018. On the new track, Dream State vocalist CJ says: "Sometimes life will put you to the test, we […]
Introducing Brisbane's Newest Venue The Outpost
Within the four walls of The Fortitude Music Hall, lies The Outpost. Brisbane's newest 300 capacity multipurpose venue that will feature a diverse program of artists, an impressive drinks menu featuring a cocktail list curated by the talented team at Proof & Company, and a 3am licence. The Outpost's legacy stems from Brisbane dive […]
THE DANDY WARHOLS SELL OUT MELBOURNE SHOW & ANNOUNCE EVEN TO SUPPORT 25TH ANNIVERSARY SHOWS
American indie psych-pop legends, The Dandy Warhols whose worldwide hits include Bohemian Like You and We Used to be Friends, have just sold out their one night only25th Anniversary show in Melbourne on Sunday November 3 at The Forum – five months ahead of touching down in Oz. Tickets for the band's Sydney show on Wednesday November 6 at The Enmore Theatre are still available but to avoid disappointment fans shouldn't […]
MICHAEL SWEET The Voice Of Stryper Australian Solo Acoustic Shows
With a successful 2018 tour with STRYPER under his belt, MICHAEL SWEET is heading back to Australia, thanks to Silverback Touring for his first ever solo shows down under this November. Expect to hear the STRYPER hits, his solo material, plus a few surprises, and a story or two, in a series of intimate acoustic shows along the East Coast. He's fronted one […]


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'Describe the Night': A Tale of Adversity, Told in Adversity
Despite the devastation of Hurricane Harvey, the Alley Theatre miraculously managed to open Rajiv Joseph's timely new play on time.
BY TREVOR BOFFONE
On Monday, Aug. 28, the last thing playwright Rajiv Joseph imagined he'd be doing was volunteering at the George R. Brown Convention Center in downtown Houston, then a Hurricane Harvey shelter. While rains continued to flood the city, Joseph was busy writing P.A. announcements for the shelter: what time showers were arriving, when meals would be served, when lights on and off were, where there were warm dry clothes, etc.
For Joseph, the process wasn't unlike rehearsing a new play. After getting feedback from his stage manager, Lori Lundquist, Joseph realized that he sounded like a "vice principal reading morning P.A. announcements." But the playwright powered through his new job. "Writing is probably the only marketable skill I own in the world, and I was actually able to use in the middle of this disaster," admits Joseph. "Once this is read out loud for 5,000 people, it will be the biggest audience I've ever had."
Of course Joseph, the author of such plays as Bengal Tiger in the Baghdad Zoo and Guards at the Taj, wasn't in town to do flood rescue work. On the other side of downtown Houston, the Alley Theatre was set to premiere his new play, Describe the Night, but the theatre was taking on floodwaters at an alarming rate. The Neuhaus Theatre—the company's 310-seat theatre, where the show was supposed to begin performances on Sept. 15—was completely underwater. While Joseph was personally safe amid the chaos, one thing was clear: Describe the Night was in danger.
But the Alley was committed to the show going on, somehow. The theatre cancelled its annual production of The Santaland Diaries and moved the planned world premiere of Lawrence Wright's Cleo to April 2018, plans to open Describe the Night continued along an alternate path while the theatre building recovered.
Commissioned and developed by the Alley, Describe the Night is an epic saga spanning 90 years of Russian history, interweaving the stories of seven people over three separate time periods and locations, from the tale of a Russian writer traveling with the Red Cavalry in 1920, to KGB machinations around the fall of the Berlin Wall, to the 2010 crash of a plane carrying most of the Polish government in Smolensk, Russia. In many ways, Joseph's play is about persistence and the human bonds that we form when faced with adversity. So is the story of how Describe the Night miraculously opened on time.
SETC Professional Screening Application Opens September 15th
J.K. Simmons to Aspiring Actors: Listen, Listen, Listen


But unlike other women whose educational credentials could make other men squirm in embarrassment and insecurity, the new Batangas governor has no college degree to speak of. And what makes her victory even more special is the fact that Santos-Recto, a female, won in a province known as "barako country" – where men are expected to dominate. Two, she is an actress. And like it or not, other showbiz denizens who have thrown their hat into the political arena did not exactly give stellar performances as public servants. In fact, majority of showbiz celebrities who ran for office last May were clobbered at the polls, with some people even snickering at the news of these actors' defeat.
But not Vilma Santos-Recto. But then again, Santos-Recto, or "Gov. Vi" to her constituents, did not exactly get to the position of governor empty-handed. On the contrary, she had already set a record of sorts when she became the first female mayor of Lipa City in 1998.
"I must admit that initially, my being an actress was a plus factor, and it was a definite edge when I first ran for mayor of Lipa," she admits. "But during my first term, some people also underestimated me especially since I was not from Lipa (she is from Pampanga and Nueva Ecija), I was from show business and I was a small woman. Of course it's different if you have the height," she laughs, recalling those days when the men would merely give a slight nod of acknowledgement, at times grudgingly, in response to her greetings.
But the multi-awarded actress soon proved that she was not just acting out a role as local chief executive; rather, she meant business, and she was in it for real. During her watch, the economy of Lipa City boomed, with infrastructure improvements that put the city on the radar of big time developers and investors that steadily increased government revenues year after year. "I eventually earned their respect because they discovered that lalaki akong kausap (I am also a man to talk to) and second, I am straight. If there's an immediate solution at hand, then let's not wait for tomorrow or next week to do it. People are tired of waiting and of lip service, so let's get them what they need if we already can. But if there's nothing I can do about something at this time, then I tell the people so they will not also keep on hoping," she discloses.
"If there's one thing that people appreciated from my administration, it's the fact that I did not politicize my position. Even the barangay captains who did not support my candidacy were not deprived of the services their constituencies needed. Whether these leaders were political allies or not does not matter – I will give them what they need because it is the people who will benefit.
"Perhaps it's because I am a woman and a mother. A mother's heart is different; a woman's pulse is different," she adds. Which is probably the reason why one of her priorities is to uplift the quality of education in her province. She recalls a time when, during her tenure as mayor, she was "frustrated when grade school students took this exam and 70 percent did not pass. You know what I did? I gave a big allocation to have the day-care centers upgraded to Montessori level. We cooperated with the school of Mrs. (Precious) Soliven of OB Montessori and had the day-care teachers trained by them. Even the educational materials, we upgraded.
The neophyte politician could not understand why she would become a target. "I was not doing anything wrong, I was just serving the people. I wasn't part of a syndicate. So Ralph made me go on a two-week leave and I prayed and prayed. Of course I was afraid, I have children, I am a mother, and I felt that it was not even worth it to sacrifice my family. But then I also realized that the people who voted for me – I also won by a landslide – gave me their trust. They believed in me and were counting on me, so it would not be right to disappoint them, so I went back to work albeit with enhanced security," says the governor, who admits that yes, she knows how to use a gun and in fact practices at the shooting range in her Lipa home.
Asked if she misses making movies, the 53-year-old actress gives a big smile. "I miss acting, I miss my showbiz career. In fact, I already have an offer, but I will have to ask the people of Batangas first like what I used to do in Lipa. Lipeños used to ask me 'Mayor, why aren't you making any more movies? We miss seeing you act!' And I would tell them, 'You want me to make movies and then you will hit me with rumors that I wasn't going to work?' But then during flag ceremonies I would ask them, "Please allow me to make a movie, that's my racket. I earn a lot there. If you don't, then I'd steal from you'!" she says in jest.
For someone who started working at the age of nine and has been a virtual public property since her teenage years, the life of Vilma Santos-Recto is an open book. She is a "survivor for all seasons," as STAR entertainment editor Ricky Lo called her. She was at the height of her career in the '80s when she found herself bankrupt and facing a possible lawsuit from the Bureau of Internal Revenue, her properties mortgaged. "I was so trusting. I would just sign checks and anything they put before me. So there I was, pregnant with Lucky and I owed Php9 million without knowing why!" Edu, who was then a budding actor, was very supportive and wanted to help her get out of her predicament. It took her four years to pay off her obligations ("When I saw the last billing statement of P50,000, you could not imagine the joy and relief I felt!") – but it cost her her marriage to Edu Manzano.
But the sad experience taught the actress to be smart with her finances. "Ngayon wala akong utang (I don't have any debts to this day)," she proudly declares. And it naturally helped that she has her beloved Ralph by her side. While it pains her that her husband lost in his re-election bid as senator, she takes it as a blessing in disguise. "Perhaps the purpose was for him to help me, since this is already the whole of Batangas we are talking about. Hindi na biro ito (This is no joke). They say politics and showbiz are the same, but no way, malayo. Show business is more manageable even with all the intrigues. Politics is more tough. If you are not strong, you would buckle under the pressure. The attacks here are more personal, and the system is really different," she reflects.
This entry was posted in ARTICLES and tagged ARTICLES, Philippine Star, Vilma Santos-Recto: Breaking the Mold. Bookmark the permalink.


If you are wanting to have literally thee best grinder on the market than this is the one to get. It is nice to have the bigger one whenever you have giant nugs but cut it into smaller pieces and watch it disappear with ease. This pocket grinder grinds up so much and holds even more in the middle chamber. Its very light and so smooth when you use it. It gives you so much pollen and the easiest to clean with a simple q tip amd alcohol. I personally am buying one for my girlfriend and brother for Christmas. I have the extract tool by Cali crusher and will soon have the universal nail that looks like a chess queen. I love the medical tools they provide and will always be a customer.


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Midea Patents AI-Powered Rice Cooker
Sure, it's not a full-fledged robotic chef with hands and cooking moves modeled after Master Chef winners, but a smart rice cooker system patented by Midea looks like it will use some cutting-edge artificial intelligence technology to train itself to make a pretty good bowl of rice.
As described in the patent titled "Multi-Purpose Smart Rice Cookers," the system is armed with a food-storage chamber with multiple compartments that can hold different types of rice and other ingredients like fruit, beans or nuts. Each compartment has a gate which can open and transfer food to the cooking chamber below in predetermined amounts. Above the top of the food storage chamber is a camera that identifies food and feeds information to the system's machine learning feature.
The Machine Learning Model for Midea's Smart Rice Cooker
Awarded on December 15, Midea's patent also describes a multi-phased process to build the capabilities of the artificial intelligence over time to power the smart cooking. The first phase, training, would use image-based neural network systems like AlexNet or GoogleNet to train itself to understand the food.
The next phase in building out the AI smarts happens once the system is in the consumer home. Here, Midea's rice cooker would get in-the-field updates to increase its understanding of food and cooking, but also learn and adapt its understanding of the process based on consumer cooking behavior.
Over time, the system would be able to personalize the food based on a user's personal preferences and health and nutrition needs, as well as environmental factors such as season of the year or temperature. The system would also be able to understand optimal taste configurations of food based on ingredients.
Finally, the Midea smart rice cooker will connect to the home network, where it could be part of a smart kitchen system that incorporates profiles of different users as well as work in concert with other cooking appliances or home systems.
While patents are often just intellectual property land grabs to horde future potential product concepts and features and keep them from the competition, Midea's huge market share — particularly with rice cookers (29 percent online and around 43 percent in brick and mortar) — makes it worth wondering if the company plans to roll out a cooker with this tech some time in the future . The company also announced in June it was working with Chinese tech (and AI) giant Baidu to codevelop AI-powered smart appliances, so it's also conceivable this rice cooker concept shows up as part of a Baidu/Midea lineup of products at some point.
Miele Introduces The Dialog, A High-End Oven Powered By RF Solid State Cooking Technology
Over the past few weeks, high-end appliance manufacturer Miele hinted at a forthcoming new product they said would reinvent cooking. The luxury provider of ovens and other home appliances invited journalists from around the globe to join them in Berlin to get a first hand look at this miraculous new product they planned to unveil at IFA, Europe's largest consumer electronics trade show.
And so this week at a splashy launch event complete with celebrity chefs and multi-course meals, Miele unveiled the Dialog, a new wall oven powered by RF solid state cooking technology.
RF solid state cooking uses radio frequency powered by semiconductor technology as a heat source, unlike traditional microwaves which use antiquated technology (by today's standards) originally developed for radars used for military applications in World War 2. And unlike microwave technology, RF cooking allows for much higher precision cooking because the RF signals provide a feedback loop to help the oven understand and target specific zones within the cooking cavity.
An illustration of RF solid-state cooking utilizing closed-loop feedback to target heating
And while the introduction of the Dialog marks the first time a luxury home wall oven brand will incorporate RF solid state cooking technology into one of its products, Miele is not the first company to announce (nor ship) a solid state RF cooking product. Two very different products were announced last year from Wayv Technologies and Midea. The Wayv Adventurer, which was originally expected to reach market this year, is a portable RF cooking device. Midea, a Chinese appliance manufacturer, announced they were working on a product called the 'Semiconductor Heating Magic Cube'.
And while neither of those products have shipped, the IBEX One, a cooking appliance targeted for the professional kitchen, has. The IBEX One is a new product from commercial kitchen equipment conglomerate ITW, the company behind well known pro kitchen brands such as Vulcan and Hobart. The IBEX One, which has a MSRP of $18,000, is targeted at high-volume fast casual and lodging food establishments.
So while the Miele Dialog may not be the first product to have RF solid state cooking built in, there's no doubt that the entry by a luxury brand will raise the awareness of the technology and spur other brands to accelerate plans to introduce their own RF cooking products into the consumer market. Companies like Whirlpool and Panasonic have already spent significant effort researching RF energy technology. Both are 'promoter members' of the RF Energy Alliance, an organization focused on creating awareness for RF energy applications like RF solid state cooking. Both Midea and Miele are members of the group.
The Miele announcement is a big win for Goji Food Solutions, a company which has 147 issued patents in the area of solid stage RF heating. The company is a spin-out of Hobart Group, where Goji founder and chairman Shlomo Ben-Haim amassed hundreds of patents around the use of RF energy for medical applications. The Miele announcement is the first design win publicly announced utilizing Goji's technology.
The early reviews of the Dialog are impressive as the company pulled out all the stops to showcase the unique power of RF cooking. At the launch event this week, the company wowed the audience by cooking fish enclosed within a block of ice, a clever way to demonstrate the high precision heat targeting capabilities of RF cooking. RF solid state cooking from Goji utilizes algorithms to interpret sensing data gathered from what is a feedback loop from signals used to heat the food, allowing the oven to target very precise cooking zones (including, as demonstrated, fish within ice). This type of demonstration is a powerful way to showcase the differences between RF cooking and microwave technologies, and judging by the early reviews it certainly seemed to capture the imagination of journalists.
In addition to RF cooking, the Miele Dialog also incorporates cooking automation capabilities that mixes the capabilities of RF cooking and the other heating methods incorporated into the product such as convection and broiling.
The Miele Dialog is expected to ship next April and will have an MSRP of around $10 thousand. The product will first be made available in Europe and is expected to eventually make it to the US market.
Want to learn more about RF solid-state cooking? Listen to my podcast with Goji Solutions President Yuval Ben-Haim and hear Ben-Haim and others talk about RF cooking at the Smart Kitchen Summit in October.


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Q: How to get the category There is a cycle that outputs products
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                  echo $permalink;
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        echo get_the_post_thumbnail($have_post->ID, 'full', array('alt' => $have_post->post_title, 'data-product_id' => $have_post->ID)); ?>

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Need to show the category of current product here. I cant get the category. Please help

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A: You could use get_the_terms to get the correct terms. I believe it's product_cat the correct taxonomy.
$terms = get_the_terms( $have_post->ID, 'product_cat' );
foreach ($terms as $term) {
    $product_cat_id = $term->term_id;
    $product_cat_name = get_cat_name($product_cat_id);
    break;
}

A: Try get_the_category( $post->ID );


The cable lets you charge and sync your C-type devices either with your laptop or PC.
The cable allows fast charging and high-speed data transfer, saving much of your time.
It is made up of genuine Huawei material that doesn't allow it to tangle or tear away with regular use.
The lightweight cable is perfect to carry along and doesn't add extra bulk to your baggage.
The USB USB C Cable is designed to be compatible with any device with Type-C port connectivity.
Dual Use: The Huawei official charge and sync cable allow you to charge your devices or sync them with your laptops and PC. Not only this, you can charge and transfer data considerably at higher speeds, reducing the charging time significantly as compared to other standard USB C cables.
Supreme Quality: The cable is the official and genuine Huawei-made product. It has a plastic coating with several protective layers that avoid over-charging and increases the life of your device's battery. The cable has an output of 5A and charges your devices fast.
Small compact head: The wire has a small compact head that allows you to use this cable with a case on your device. So no more worrying about removing your case before charging.
Safe to Use: This lead has been put through a high-temperature test to make sure it will not set on fire or meltdown if too much power is passing through. It can charge C-type connecting devices such as Huawei, Galaxy S8/S8+/Note 8, Google Pixel 2/XL/2 XL, and Nexus 5x/6p.