text:
La  (abrégée ) est une communauté de communes française créée en 2003 dans l'Est du département de la Haute-Saône en France.

Historique
La communauté de communes a été créée par un arrêté préfectoral du .

En 2010, elle installe son siège dans l'ancienne maison du directeur de la filature de Ronchamp. La restauration complète de cette usine entre 2015 et 2017 pour en faire un centre destiné au sport, à la culture et à l'artisanat constitue le plus important chantier mené par la collectivité avec un coût de  d'euros (subventionné à 52 %).

La commune d'Errevet, jusqu'alors isolée, intègre l'intercommunalité le , qui regroupe alors .

La loi portant nouvelle organisation territoriale de la République (loi NOTRe) du 7 août 2015 prévoit que les établissements publics de coopération intercommunale (EPCI) à fiscalité propre doivent avoir un minimum de ,  sauf si la plupart des communes qui la constitue sont situées en zone de montagne et pour lesquelles le seuil est abaissé à . Rahin et Chérimont, dont seules 3 communes, regroupant à elles seules , sont classées « zone de montagne », n'est alors pas concerné par cette dérogation, et a donc vocation à fusionner avec d'autres structures intercommunales.

Le préfet de la Haute-Saône a toutefois présenté en octobre 2015 un projet de révision du schéma départemental de coopération intercommunale (SDCI), proposant que Belverne et Échavanne quittent Rahin et Chérimont pour intégrer la communauté de communes du Pays d'Héricourt, et Clairegoutte et Frédéric-Fontaine devant rejoindre la communauté de communes du pays de Lure, permettant ainsi à la communauté de communes de bénéficier du seuil des intercommunalités situées en zone de montagne

.

Le SDCI définitif, approuvé par le préfet le 30 mars 2016, confirme, sous réserve du classement effectif de Champagney et Clairegoutte en zone de montagne, le départ de :
 Clairegoutte et Frédéric-Fontaine, devant rejoindre la communauté de communes du pays de Lure ;
 d'Échavanne, rejoignant celle du Pays d'Héricourt ;
Rahin et Chérimont voyant son territoire ainsi réduit à Champagney, Échavanne, Errevet, Frahier-et-Chatebier, Frédéric-Fontaine, Plancher-Bas, Plancher-les-Mines et Ronchamp.

Champagney et Clairegoutte sont classées « commune de montagne » en juillet 2016.

Le , Belverne rejoint la communauté de communes du pays d'Héricourt.

Le site du Massif vosgien, inscrit au titre de la loi du 2 mai 1930, regroupe 14 Schéma de cohérence territoriale (SCOT) qui ont tout ou partie de leur territoire sur le périmètre du massif des Vosges.

Toponymie
Le nom de cette collectivité évoque les deux principaux éléments géographiques qui la constitue : la vallée du Rahin au nord et le massif du Chérimont au sud.

Territoire communautaire

Géographie
Les différentes communes composant cette communauté sont situées dans la vallée du Rahin et aux alentours. Cette vallée est située dans l'est du département de la Haute-Saône et la région française de Bourgogne-Franche-Comté.

 Topographie et paysages

Le territoire est situé dans une vallée intercalée entre le Chérimont et les Vosges du sud qui forment un ensemble de collines et de montagnes boisées. Les principaux sommets qui détachent du paysage sont la Planche des Belles Filles (), le ballon Saint-Antoine (), le Roc du Plainet () et la colline de Bourlémont () au nord ainsi que la Blanche Pierre (ou balcon d'Éboulet, ) au sud.

 Hydrologie
La vallée est traversée par le Rahin, qui prend sa source non loin du col du Stalon, entre le ballon de Servance et le ballon d'Alsace. Il existe également deux ruisseaux de taille secondaire : le Rhien et le Beuveroux. Le canal de la Haute-Saône est une construction inachevée.

 Loisirs, patrimoine et tourisme
 Randonnées pédestres ;
 Planche des Belles Filles (sports d'hiver, cyclisme) ;
 bases nautiques : le bassin de Champagney et les ballastières ;
 musées : Maison de la Négritude et musée de la mine Marcel-Maulini ;
 principaux monuments : chapelle Notre-Dame-du-Haut (classée au patrimoine mondial de l'UNESCO) et chevalement du puits Sainte-Marie.

 Transports

Le principal transport en commun est l'autobus, la communauté de communes est desservie par les lignes saônoises 10, 12 et 15.

Les gares de Ronchamp et de Champagney, sur la ligne de Paris-Est à Mulhouse-Ville sont desservies par le réseau TER Franche-Comté qui effectuent des missions entre les gares de Vesoul et de Belfort ou de Montbéliard

Les principaux axes routiers sont la route européenne 54 et les départementales 619, 4 et 16.

Composition
La communauté de communes est composée des  suivantes :

Démographie

Organisation

Siège
Le siège de l'intercommunalité est installé dans la filature de Ronchamp, 20 rue Paul Strauss.

Élus

La communauté de communes est administrée par un conseil communautaire constitué, pour la mandature 2014-2020, de 31 délégués représentant chacune des 10 communes membres, répartis sensiblement en fonction de l'importance de leur population, soit :
 8 délégués pour Champagney ;
 7 délégués pour Ronchamp ;
 4 délégués pour Plancher-bas ;
 3 délégués pour Frahier-et-Chatebier et Plancher-les-Mines ;
 2 délégués pour Clairegoutte ;
 1 délégué pour Échavanne, Errevet et Frédéric-Fontaine.

Le conseil communautaire du 17 avril 2014 a réélu son président, René Grosjean, maire de Frahier-et-Chatebier, ainsi que ses 6 vice-présidents, qui sont :
 Mireille Lab, élue de Ronchamp, conseillère départementale de Lure-1, chargée des  services aux personnes, de la jeunesse et des équipements et évènements culturel ;
  Marie-Claire Faivre, maire de Champagney , conseillère départementale de Héricourt-1, chargée de l'environnement et du développement durable ;
  Didier Viltet, élu de Plancher-Bas, chargé de la communication, des nouvelles technologies, du système d'information géographique et du déploiement du très haut débit ;
  Fabien Reuter, maire d'Échavanne, chargé des équipements et évènements sportifs et de la gestion des sentiers ;
  Michel Galmiche, maire de Plancher-les-Mines, chargé de l'économie et du tourisme ;
  Jean Marconot, maire d'Errevet, chargé du  programme local de l'habitat (PLH), du bois énergie, du  et des Gens du voyage.

En juin 2014, le conseil communautaire a modifié la composition du bureau, constitué pour la fin du mandat 2014-2014, de deux vice-présidents supplémentaires :
7. Benoît Cornu, élu de Ronchamp, chargé du tourisme ;
8. Vincent Schiessel, maire de Frédéric-Fontaine, chargé du logement et du
ainsi que d'un conseiller communautaire délégué : François Dupont (Belverne) et d'un autre membre, Gilles Grosjean (Clairegoutte). Ils ont des suppléants.

Liste des présidents

Compétences

L'intercommunalité exerce les compétences qui lui ont été transférées par les communes membres, dans les conditions déterminées par le code général des collectivités territoriales. Il s'agit de :

Compétences obligatoires
 L'aménagement de l'espace ;
 Le développement économique.

Compétences optionnelles
 La politique du logement ;
 La voirie ;
 La protection et mise en valeur de l'environnement ;
 Les équipements culturels et sportifs et les équipements de l'enseignement préélémentaire et élémentaire ;
 L'action sociale ;
 Le tourisme.

Compétences facultatives
 Adhésion au Pays des Vosges Saônoises ;
 Maintien et développement des services et animations à destination des familles et des jeunes ;
 Les technologies de l'information et de la communication ;
 Appui aux communes membres dans le montage de dossiers administratifs et techniques ;
 Le patrimoine ;
 La communication ;
 L'espace-projet.

Régime fiscal et budget

La Communauté de communes est un établissement public de coopération intercommunale à fiscalité propre.

Afin de financer l'exercice de ses compétences, l'intercommunalité perçoit la fiscalité professionnelle unique (FPU) – qui a succédé à la taxe professionnelle unique (TPU) – et assure une péréquation de ressources entre les communes résidentielles et celles dotées de zones d'activité.

Elle perçoit également une bonification de la dotation globale de fonctionnement et collecte la redevance d'enlèvement des ordures ménagères (REOM), qui finance le fonctionnement de ce service.

Projets et réalisations

Les compétences énoncées ci-dessus lui permettent de générer des activités dont les résultats sont aujourd'hui clairement identifiés :
 La gestion du service des Ordures Ménagères sous forme de redevance basée sur la composition des foyers ;
 Le fonctionnement financier du Point Emploi Formation intercommunal rattaché à la Mission Locale Lure-Luxeuil-les-Bains ;
 La participation et le soutien au festival des Musicales de Clairegoutte et du Rahin et Chérimont, depuis 2004 ;
 L'organisation de spectacles Côté Cour à destination des scolaires, ainsi que les transports de ceux-ci ;
 La gestion des espaces publics numériques (EPN) décentrés sur Plancher-Bas, Champagney et Ronchamp, en proposant des ateliers de bureautique (débutants et perfectionnement), de photo numérique, de création de site Internet ;
 Dans le cadre du maintien des activités industrielles et du développement global de l'emploi, la création d'une zone d'activités intercommunale de type Pôle de Développement Economique ;
 Le soutien à l'office de tourisme intercommunal de Ronchamp et la mise en œuvre les projets touristiques comme le cinquantième anniversaire de la chapelle Notre-Dame-du-Haut en 2005 ;
 La mise en place du Passeport Découverte pour une offre commune des sites touristiques de la Chapelle Notre-Dame-du-Haut de Ronchamp, du Musée de la mine Marcel-Maulini de Ronchamp et de la Maison de la Négritude et des Droits de l'Homme de Champagney ;
 La réalisation d'une étude sur la signalétique routière et touristique ;
 L'intervention lors de l'accueil d'une classe d'étudiants du Lycée Agricole de Valdoie sur la thématique du paysage ;
 La participation logistique à l'organisation de chantiers internationaux de jeunes pour la restauration du cimetière de Clairegoutte.

Notes et références

Voir aussi

Article connexe
 Liste des intercommunalités de la Haute-Saône

Liens externes

 .
 .
 .

Bibliographie

Rahin et Cherimont


Deckard brings us into conversation with these Puritan greats and artfully displays for us their insights into life and relationships. Every Christian counselor ought to pull up a chair and listen in and learn from this conversation.
"the skillful hands and pastoral heart of Sean Lucas graciously lead you to a different understanding of this book and its hero, an understanding of the mysterious and marvelous goodness of God and grace of Christ, the true hero. That's where we can put our trust".
Our history shapes who we are today. Brain Cosby has done you a huge favor. He's made reading church history easy and fun-and even devotional and worshipful. All you need to do is take up this book and read.
Dr Steven Lawson is exactly the church history writer the church needs today. John Knox is exactly the church history figure the church needs today. And here we have them both together. Read this book, and pray for a measure of the passion for the gospel you will read about in these pages.
What a delightful mix of historical wisdom, biblical truth, and real-world application. In these pages you'll hear the early church martyr Ignatius tell you, "Marriage is God's good gift." Keep reading and you'll see how good and glorious of a gift it is.
This gets inside the lives of people from another culture. An essential resource for launching children into the adventure of missions. Prepare for take off!
Reams of false teaching abound about heaven. Here a skillful pastor-theologian draws our eyes to Scripture's vision of our eternal home.
… full of biblical wisdom, robust theological reflection, and warm and inviting piety.


text:
Vöhrum/Eixe/Landwehr  ist eine Ortschaft der Stadt Peine im Landkreis Peine in Niedersachsen mit etwa 7600 Einwohnern.

Geschichte
Am 1. März 1974 wurden die vorher selbstständigen Gemeinden Vöhrum im Landkreis Peine, Eixe im Landkreis Peine und Landwehr im Landkreis Burgdorf in die Stadt Peine eingemeindet und zu einer Ortschaft zusammengeschlossen. Sie besteht aus den Ortsteilen Vöhrum, Eixe und Landwehr. Jeder Ortsteil führt ein eigenes Wappen.

Politik

Ortsrat
Der Ortsrat, der die Ortsteile Vöhrum, Eixe und Landwehr vertritt, setzt sich aus neun Mitgliedern zusammen. Die Ratsmitglieder werden durch eine Kommunalwahl für jeweils fünf Jahre gewählt.

Bei der Kommunalwahl 2021 ergab sich folgende Sitzverteilung:

Ortsbürgermeister
Ortsbürgermeister ist Ingo Reinhardt (Wählergemeinschaft). Frühere Ortsbürgermeister waren:
 1974–2006: Bernd Leunig (SPD)
 2006–2016: Ewald Werthmann (SPD)
 2016–2021: Dirk Franz (SPD)

Vereinsleben
Es gibt den Heimat- und Kulturverein Vöhrum-Eixe-Landwehr e.V.

Weblinks

Einzelnachweise

Ortschaft von Peine

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


For the second day of Instant Breakfasts, I have another quick dosa that was really so fast and easy to make. With the rains falling nonstop, and power fluctuation, we ran out of our Dosa batter and I had to resort to this quick breakfast.
While I mostly imagine a situation for some themes, I ended up making use of the theme to the maximum. I have another traditional Rava Dosa that we make. That is also quite instant. This version is much quicker.
In a bowl, take the rava and rice flour together. Add the buttermilk and mix well. Add salt, rest of the ingredients and mix well. Let it rest for 15 - 20 mins.
Heat a tawa till it is hot, simmer. Take a ladleful of rava batter and pour on the tawa in a circular movement. Spread it as a regular dosa, once the batter is poured as a circle. We will not be able to spread this as the regular dosa. Sprinkle oil or ghee. Once its cooked on the bottom, flip it to the other side.
The batter should be really thin, the moment the batter touches the hot pan, pores will be formed. That way you know you have the right consistency. Cook on both sides and serve with coconut chutney!
White Pumpkin Paratha ~ Roti Mela!
Never get bored of this instant rava dosa, all time favourite.
I love rava dosa.This looks delicious.
Rava dosa looks so lacy and delicious.
My favorite..Love those golden color crispy dosa.
Curry leaves chutney or Karivepaaku pachchadi ~ Andhra Special!


Here is just a few of the main markets and industries we serve and provide storage products & professional services to. The applications and implementation of each storage system offered on our Web site are tailored to meet your specific requirements in the space you have available.
Call for our free site survey and proposal for a great start to see how our systems will help save you space in storing your materials. Call us today for more information click on a link for more information.


"Wikihow is not a good resource for anything. 90% of the content on the website is seemingly written by middle school children that don't have a clue what they are talking about. The other 10% isn't worth sifting through all the crap in order to find."
"I had a birthday party coming up for my child who was turning 6. He wanted a party themed around super heroes. This Wikihow article gave me some good resources to help me plan and throw a great party that everyone enjoyed. "
"this is a basic party planning agenda. It will give you the basic steps on where to get started on your party. Very easy to follow."
"Great layout. Pictures are great. Lots of information but easy to read and seeing the pictures as I go along is great"


Judy Brumble is a new defendant in a $25 million mortgage fraud case in which she allegedly facilitated the scam by acting as a real estate agent for home builder F. Jeffrey Miller.
Emanuel M. Kind has followed Ricky L. Hamilton in admitting to collaborating in a mortgage fraud scam and agreeing to testify against former councilwoman Sandra McFadden, who is accused of lying about her income, down payment source, and intended use of a property for a mortgage.
Michael Hershkowitz and Ivy Woolf-Turk were arrested and charged with using development company Kingsland Group Inc. to defraud investors of $27 million that was to be used in apartment building renovations.
Mortgage-related identity theft is expected to grow as many adjustable-rate mortgages reset and borrowers who may have stolen identities to get such loans will likely default and be discovered as creditors seek payments.
Indiana's attorney general requested 90-day suspensions for the appraiser trainee license of Jennifer Marie Lyons and the appraiser license of her father, Richard L. Roberts, alleging they overvalued several houses in mortgage deals connected to J.T. Real Estate Investments LLC.
Mortgage broker Ricky L. Hamilton admitted he collaborated in a mortgage fraud scam and will testify against a former city councilwoman who allegedly lied on a mortgage application about the property's intended use, her income and down payment source.
Prudential California Realty suspended two top-producing real estate agents, Joseph Babajian and Kyle Grasso, who along with two licensed appraisers were indicted for a mortgage fraud scheme involving properties with inflated values.
Three criminal cases in New York each involve attorneys accused of mortgage-related crimes. One of the cases involved at total of 26 people in a massive subprime mortgage fraud scheme.
Foreclosures are most likely to increase in the Midwest, with nonprime loans originated last year just now making their way to foreclosure. Fraud and collateral risk is also rising amid increasing foreclosure stocks.


text:
MDisrupt's Chief Commercial Officer on Building & Innovation
by MDisrupt Guest Author | Jul 30, 2021
Greg Nagy is a seasoned global executive in life science and medical technology, with expertise in go-to-market strategies. Previously, Greg was chief marketing officer at Drawbridge Health and VP of global marketing at Topcon Eyecare, and has held leadership positions at other biotech and medical device companies, including Solta Medical and Amgen. Here, he talks about his path from engineer to healthcare technology commercial expert and what it takes to thrive in a startup.
1 Healthcare from the inside out
2 Building right, from the beginning
3 Bringing innovation where it's needed
4 Making a difference
5 Dog joy
Healthcare from the inside out
MDisrupt: What led to your interest in healthcare?
Greg Nagy: Just a pure fascination with the human body, and a genuine interest in helping people.
When I was just a teenager, I got hit by a car while I was walking to the bus stop. I was thrown about 50 feet from the impact and had a major concussion, a fractured hip, fractured shins, and severely injured my knee.
I went to an all-boys Jesuit high school, and our motto was "Men for others." When the accident happened, it was a lesson in experiencing a traumatic event surrounded by others who lived by that motto and really wanted to help.
Having your life flash before your eyes, your perspective really changes. It makes you value your healthcare support system, and is a reminder that anything can happen at any time to make you or your loved ones the "patient." That's part of why I chose healthcare—it's personally fulfilling and I feel like I can make a real impact on improving people's quality of life.
Building right, from the beginning
MDisrupt: You call yourself a "recovering engineer." What brought you to engineering and then into marketing and commercialization?
Greg Nagy: I was always interested in science and medicine. When I started college at UC San Diego, they had recently established their program in bioengineering. I found it fascinating to apply engineering tools to clinical applications in biology and medicine. This led me to an opportunity to develop drug discovery automation for a company that was acquired by Vertex Pharmaceuticals, and later a very large-scale global drug discovery operation for Amgen.
After completing my MBA, two things stood out: I really wanted to be a "builder," which is easier at small companies, where you can build and scale products from the beginning. And I was drawn to the commercial side, because there is a whole lot of strategy involved in bringing healthcare products to market.
I discovered along the way that there were a lot of products that were fantastic, but never made it in the market. And a lot of terrible products made so much money. The difference was about how they entered the market. I wanted to be part of that downstream success story, so I transitioned from engineering into product management. That allowed me to get my feet wet on the commercial side, but still be upstream in product development and connected with the engineers. To be effective commercially, it's super-impactful to be able to talk to scientists and technologists in their own language.
MDisrupt: What do you like about being part of a startup?
Greg Nagy: I'm a builder. To me, that's the most exciting thing—building in a place where there's a lot of freedom. Some structure is needed, but you've got a blank sheet of paper. I'm enticed by that.
At a startup, it's like there's a fire behind you—if you slow down you'll get burned. You don't experience that in bigger companies because you're comfortable and there are lots of resources and established processes. And I thrive in that uncomfortable position. It makes me get up every day and have to think hard and strategically about how we do the next thing.
Bringing innovation where it's needed
MDisrupt: What attracted you to MDisrupt in particular?
Greg Nagy: I met MDisrupt's Founder and CEO, Ruby [Gadelrab], when hiring her for a branding project at my previous company, Drawbridge Health. I was super-impressed with the people she surrounded herself with, and by the phenomenal respect for her in the industry. When she said, "Can you help me build MDisrupt?" it was an easy decision to say yes. The fact that there was already a great team in place, with some resources and market traction, was appealing too. I saw this as a chance to make a profound impact in an industry that really needs change.
MDisrupt: Is there anything you've learned since coming to MDisrupt that's surprised you?
Greg Nagy: I didn't realize how many folks want to engage in innovation, but just don't know how to get involved. Despite what you read about doctors being overworked, I don't think it's the overworking that bothers them. I commonly hear that they would love the opportunity to be more involved with innovation—not just using products, but guiding their clinical development. We can help them get involved and help them contribute upstream of patient care. And being here gives me a perspective on how much opportunity there is in the digital health market.
Digital health is absolutely exploding right now—record amounts of funding, large IPOs, and an increase in M&A activity. Most importantly, tons of breakthrough healthcare innovations are coming to doctors and their patients to improve quality of life. It is an exciting time for MDisrupt: We have the opportunity to make a real impact, working with some of the brightest minds in healthcare to bring life-changing digital health products to market and ensuring that clinicians and patients have the information they need to choose the best products that are the right ones for them.
MDisrupt: How do you see the role of marketing and commercialization in digital health startups?
Greg Nagy: I think it's got a tremendous role. Successful companies understand how to get the product to market and to the masses efficiently. It requires a delicate balance to get to commercial scale while preserving precious capital. Quite literally, it's a race against the clock.
The more we can speak the language of both sides—science/technology and commercial—the more great technologies we can help bring to market. To me, that's where we can add the most value. There are hundreds of digital health companies starting every month. How do we make sure they actually make a difference for people? I think there's been a lot of missed opportunity for humankind, because a lot of products get shelved.
MDisrupt: Co-workers say they appreciate your calmness. What helps you be that calm guy?
Greg Nagy: I'm always surprised to hear that. I think I'm more like a duck—looks calm on the surface, but paddling really hard underneath.
In startups, there are always lots of ideas and changing priorities. You have to be that person who steers straight down the middle: "This guy is not overreacting and he's confident about what he's doing." I think that confidence is important to feel and to project. By tuning into the challenges people at some of these digital health companies are dealing with, I can show them confidence very quickly out of the gate.
Dog joy
MDisrupt: One last question—why'd you get your dog?
Greg Nagy: The dog got me! I'm a "foster fail." Frida, a Great Dane named after artist Frida Kahlo, was adopted from a rescue group in Southern California. After just a few weeks of fostering, we fell in love with her and she is now part of the family. I didn't want a dog—didn't want to give up my freedom—but now we take her everywhere. You forget about everything else when you're throwing the ball for your dog. It brings so much joy to everyday life.
At MDisrupt we believe that the most impactful health products should make it to market quickly. We help make this happen by connecting digital health innovators to the healthcare industry experts and scientists they need to responsibly accelerate product development, commercialization, adoption, and scale.
Our expert consultants span the healthcare continuum and can assist with all stages of health product development. This includes regulatory, clinical studies and evidence generation, payor strategies, commercialization, and channel strategies. If you are building a health product, talk to us.
Raising the Bar on Digital Health: Clinical Outcomes are the New Standard
Another year beginning is a great time to take stock. For those of us who work in digital health, there has been an...
Announcing the Digital Health Founder's Fellowship
Attention Digital Health Founders: We are now accepting applications to attend the Digital Health Founder's...
Optimizing product/market fit through user research
Most digital health companies understand the importance of achieving product/market fit (i.e., the degree to which...

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
The 2018 Elevation Awards
This past weekend was the much anticipated 2018 Elevation Awards. Artists from all genres flocked to the New Providence Ballroom in the BahaMar Convention Centre for the 2nd Annual Award Show. Last year I attended the show as media, but this year I attended the show as a nominee. I was nominated for Blog of The Year and this was also the first year for the category. I was grateful for this addition because while the world was quickly accepting vloggers and recognising them, there weren't really awards for bloggers. Going into it, I simply new I was not going to win because I was going against Ianthia Smith (fiancé of Farreno Ferguson of F.Dot Photography) and of course she won. I was excited for her to win. Honestly I don't know what I would've done or how I would've felt had I won, so I really think it's for the best. Simply being nominated and recognised for six years of hard work was enough for me. I went with my mum and one of my best friends Krista because they are two of my biggest supporters.
I've always thought that the Elevation Awards has the potential to be a local MTV Music Awards in terms of nominees walking the red carpet in wearable art made by local fashion designers and musical performances that are concert worthy. While the fashion was gorgeous, very little was Bahamian designed, HOWEVER, the performances were amazing!
Possibly the most outstanding performance of the night was by Judah the Lion who gave us an a riveting steampunk drama. A very close second was a group of young Christian rappers called Christ Gang who brought a lot of energy to the Pre-Show. And of course I loved the performances by Bodine, Wendi (who opened the show) and Duchess who made her stage debut as a solo artist last night singing her new hit single, "Mr. Lover."
Here's the Complete List of Winners:
Best Short Film of The Year: Cinemorphesis
Best TV Show of The Year: On The Record
Photographer of The Year: Stanlo Photography
Blog of The Year: Mini Skirts & Microphones - Ianthia Smith
Vlog of The Year: Who Dat?
Visual Artist of The Year: Jamaal Rolle
New Artist: Sanjardo B
Bahamian Song of The Year: Qpid - Gimmie My Culture
Community Development: Get Fit With Smith
Gospel Song of The Year: Jonathan Farrington & Grace Generation - Free
Male Artist of The Year: Julien Believe
Music Video of The Year: Wendi - I ain't Missing It
Entertainer of The Year: Naughty
Contemporary Song of The Year: Sammi Star - I Iz What I Iz
Video Producer of The Year: Kyle Ferguson
Female Artist of The Year: Bodine
People's Choice Award: DJ Ovadose
It was interesting to hear so many new names, but of course they were really only new to me. In the moment, I thought some artists were snubbed or overlooked. For example, Who Dat? winning consecutively, Naughty winning entertainer of the year when literally anyone else in the category was a better option and Julien Believe winning Best Male Artist over Judah. The room was eerily quiet when Julien won and I'm not sure anyone really knew how to react. So I spoke to an organiser, to get some answers. Apparently, during the vetting process, nominees are asked to submit a complete portfolio along with a few other requirements; without this the nominee would not even be considered.
Of course no one likes to lose so there were mixed reactions to the award show. Some left before it was over, and some didn't bother to show at all. Then there were the ones that took to social media to throw digs. No one wants to think that awards and recognition are only for an elite circle in society, but when it's the "elite circle" mocking the establishment, you kind of begin to wonder what more could they want? I learned last night that Bahamians would rather diss your work or event before they support it. And they're really only happy to see their friends win. The tasteless comments were rather unfortunate. Sure this year was NOWHERE as good as last year's, with far more technical glitches and a lack of organisation, but the entertainment made up for it. I stayed up until the People's Choice Award because it was really late and I had to get my mother home. But something incredible last night happened that cannot be overlooked.
There was a very touching moment during the show when the host realised that a young 10 year old girl he had used as a part of a bit and buried her mother that same day. As a show of good faith and support, Demetrius not only gave the girl a brand new cellphone courtesy of BTC, $100 and offered to pay her next semester tuition, but he also encouraged the entire audience to donate to her. And the ENTIRE audience got up and gave something. It was very touching. I genuinely hope that the donations are put to good use for the girl.
FINAL VERDICT: Last year's award show was much better, but it could also be that we were so enamoured by the fact that it was something new. I have a lot of ideas for how the entire experience can be improved on next year that I will sit down with the organisers and discuss. I believe in what Elevation Media is trying to do. Bahamians work hard and we really have to learn to celebrate one another. There are so many creatives in this country, maybe next year artists from the various family islands can be recognised as well. I don't take any part of this experience for granted and look forward to watching the show grow and expand to become a force to be reckoned with. See you next year!
April 09, 2018 / Olivia Russell/ 4 Comments
elevation awards, 2018, award show, live events, concert, music, fashion
How to Avoid The Toxic Trap of ...
10 (Almost) Free Ways to Have a ...


text:
THE SLENZ PROJECT
Yay! It's a 2nd runner-up EDUBLOG
'Oscar' to SLENZ Project Team
'Phenomenal' result for team from Aotearoa/New Zealand
The SLENZ Project Team at work … the final 2009 meeting. Key players, Terry Neal and
Aaron Griffiths at the head of the table, and Dr Clare Atkins, in black, left.
A chance meeting in Second Life three years ago between Dr Clare Atkins (SL: Arwenna Stardust), of the Nelson-Marlborough Institute of Technology, and education-online tools developer and Second Life builder Aaron Griffiths (SL: Isa Goodman) came to a climax this week with a second runner-up place for the SLENZ Project in the prestigious, international EDUBLOG 2009 awards in the "best educational use of a virtual world" category.
The placing for the the team from New Zealand was greeted with elation by SLENZ Project team members – "the best Christmas present ever "- and seen by independent educators, academics and education institution administrators as "fantastic", "phenomenal" and "unprecedented."
The New Zealand team won its second runner-up place in a competition which pitted it against 14 of the world's best "virtual world" education organisations. The winner of the title was Virtual Graduation at the University of Edinburgh; the first runner-up, Virtual Round Table Conference; with the SLENZ Project sharing second runner-up status with ISTE's Second Life island.
'Set a benchmark'
"I think this is just phenomenal," said Scott Diener, one of the world leaders in Second Life education and associate director, IT services, Academic Services, at The University of Auckland, in a message to the team. "The SLENZ team has truly set a benchmark against which other developments should measure. I hope I can say 'I am so proud of you' without it sounding pretentious…because I am so proud of you."
Tony Gray, the chief executive of the Nelson Marlborough Institute of Technology which hosted the SLENZ Project initially on its island of Koru in Second Life, said in a message to Atkins on hearing the news: "This is a fantastic outcome and significantly achieved through your passion and commitment to the project. I am very proud that NMIT should have first of all taken a lead and secondly that we can show a peer-reviewed achievement as a result."
The SLENZ Project grew out of that first meeting between Atkins and Griffths who both dreamed of seeing "students interacting with each other and their international peers, with the Second Life environment, with teachers, domain experts, inspirational speakers from all over the "real" world". The project was funded by the New Zealand Government's Tertiary Education Commission. It has been completely developed under Creative Commons license with all builds freely available for use or acquisition by anyone with "full permissions."
The EDUBLOG placings were chosen by public vote.
The SLENZ Project creations – 1. The Otago Polytechnic's Birthing Unit during
a Jokaydia un-conference presentation
The SLENZ Project creations – 2. The Kowhai Island arrival pad.
The SLENZ Project creations – 3. Manukau Institute of Technology's
Foundation (Bridging) Learning Pilot Programme
"I don't think either of us ever really imagined that only three years later we would have been part of a team that had not only helped to realise that dream but had succeeded beyond our wildest hopes," Atkins said today commenting on the award to the NZ$500,00 project . It was designed to determine whether there were benefits from providing education in a virtual world and, if so, how those benefits could best be harnessed.
"The SLENZ project has been a very large part of my 'real' and 'second' life for the last two years and I sincerely hope that its successes will enable us to continue the work that it has begun," Atkins, who is joint co-leader of the project, said. " I think we have demonstrated, not only that the immersive and engaging experiences of multi-user virtual worlds have an enormous potential to enhance learning for all kinds and levels of tertiary students, but also that a small virtual team from New Zealand can create global-award winning experiences.
"Gaining this award is a recognition of the world-class work being done in Second Life by our educators, our designers and our developers and this is just the beginning," she said. "I would like to thank those at the TEC who decided to take a bit of a gamble and fund the SLENZ project.
'Brave decision'
"It was a brave decision to take in 2007 when education in this kind of environment was truly in its infancy but I believe that we have proved worthy of the trust that they displayed in us and that we have set the stage for some really exciting developments in the next few years. The use of environments such as Second Life will change the way we teach and learn in the 21st century and I hope we have helped to sketch out the early plans of how this might be achieved.
Acknowledging the work of the development team, the Steering Group members, SLENZ friends and support staff who enabled the project to run so smoothly,Terry Neal (co-Project Leader) "for keeping us all on track with such good humour" and Tony Gray (CE, NMIT) for not only supporting the project but believing in it, she singled out Griffiths for "both sharing the dream and for using his incredible 3D building and scripting talent to actualise it."
Describing the award as "thrilling," Project co-leader Terry Neal, of BlendedSolutions Ltd, said, "From the very beginning we wanted to share our journey so others could learn from what we could do well and what we could do better. I'm proud of what we have achieved, but its nice to know others value it too.
"It has been a wonderful team effort. Each of us has contributed in a different way but no subset of the team could have achieved what the team has. I'm also proud that even though we are in such a small country we can still foot it with the rest of the globe when it comes to what is happening in virtual worlds.
"But we really need to build on what we have achieved over the last 18 months and maintain the momentum through the recently formed New Zealand Virtual World Group (NZVWG)."
'Lil, happy dance'
Aaron Griffths Second Life alter ego, Isa Goodman, "smiled and did a lil, happy dance" inside Second Life, on hearing the news, according to Griffiths, the SLENZ Project's lead developer.
Griffiths added, "This is a great achievement and I think all the team should be proud of what we have accomplished. It is wonderful to have peer recognition that we have done something right in our attempt to explore the educational possibilities of virtual worlds and I hope that New Zealand will not now drop the ball as this award, I believe. recognises, we are up there with the best.
"On a personal level I am very proud to have produced builds that have been received so well," he said. "I believe it gives some credence to the methodologies used in them and in particular to the Foundation Studies build, which was deliberately designed to capture some of the elements of play that an environment like Second Life allows.
"It showed I think a possible pathway for developing learning that can engage and be fun and still have a positive outcome in terms of student achievement."
The core SLENZ team members who worked on the project, besides Neal, Atkins and Griffiths, included from time to time, Merle Lemon, Sarah Stewart, Todd Cochrane, Leigh Blackall, Ben Salt, Henry Work and John Waugh.
The SLENZ Project's final fling – the Koru Xmas Party 2009
Filed under: Education, Education in Second Life, Education in virtual worlds, Second Life, SLENZ Project, Virtual Worlds | Tagged: Aaron Griffths, Ben Salt, Clare Atkins, EDUBLOG 2009, Henry Work, John Waugh, Leigh Blackall, Manukau Institute of Technology, Merle Lemon, Nelson Marlborough Insitute of Technology NMIT, Sarah Stewart, Scott Diener, SLENZ Project, Terry Neal, The University of Auckland, Todd Cochrane, Tony Gray |	3 Comments »
ascilite 2009 – AUCKLAND, NZ
Virtual worlds might not be quite there
but ASCILITE shows the way forward
Second Life – 'This will change everything…' Scott Diener
The Auckland University-Boise State collaborative post-partum haemorrhage
nurse training scenario, presented by Scott Diener (Pix: Merle Lemon)
When Scott Diener (pictured right), associate director, IT services, Academic Services, at The University of Auckland, first saw the NTSC internet browser Mosaic, he had an ephiphany. "This will change everything," he thought. And it did. Without it there probably would be no WorldWideWeb as we know it today.
He had the same epiphany when he first saw and used the virtual world of Second Life, he told educators and researchers from around the world who attended the ascilite 2009 conference held in Auckland early in December: "This will change everything," he thought, especially in higher education.
Arguing that higher education had not changed since the 14th century and before – it still takes place in a protected environment with protected knowledge based on the notion of scarcity with students, although the chosen few, often not engaged – he asked, rhetorically, "What if we had Global access to all knowledge?" And then after praising the Google goal of releasing all books in all languages on the net but noting the futility of tertiary institutions repeating the same basic courses with the same knowledge ad infinitum in the age of the Internet, he said, "… we don't need to redevelop education. We need to share."
Sharing, he said was the only way to solve the tertiary education needs of the world's burgeoning population. The provision of tertiary education even now could not keep pace with the population trends. Today the world with 7 billion people needed to create 2500 universities the size of Auckland University (40,000 students) every year, year on year to keep up with demand. Within 20 years, he said, it would need another 200,000 universities, another 400 million university teachers and 40 million lecture theaters of the same size as the giant Owen G. Glenn Building auditorium at The University of Auckland, would be needed.
"It's impossible," he said, adding that the challenge was how to provide education to the world differently.
The only practical solution, he suggested, was virtual education in virtual worlds such as Second Life and the 200 plus other virtual worlds or some derivative of them.
Describing the benefits of virtual worlds such as Second Life for tertiary education, Diener said, their major difference to other on-line learning methods, was that they provided a real sense of self and the suspension of disbelief, a sense of place and sense of emotion.
Virtual worlds which immersed students enabled educators to adopt problem-based learning approaches which worked, he said, adding the challenge was realise the benefits through the emergence of these constructivist pedagogies into main stream teaching.
He urged the conference participants to focus on the emerging new spaces in virtual worlds, but not to replicate the architectural spaces they had in the real world into new virtual spaces.
"Don't fall into the trap of shoveling the same old stuff into the new spaces," he said.
Urging innovation in virtual worlds, he said, their uptake by mainstream tertiary institutions could change everything in education as it was known today and provide possibly the only answer to the world's future tertiary education needs for all.
But, Diener warned, the educational benefits of virtual worlds could be locked away from the rest of the world and in fact were being closed-up by some large tertiary institutions which had already "locked their builds down" returning virtual worlds to the world of 14th Century education, when learning was only for the privileged.
"Please don't lock the systems down," he said, noting his UofA project and the New Zealand SLENZ Project builds were released under Creative Commons license." Share them with others," he said. " Open them up to collaboration with others."
Later in another presentation Diener, along with in-world and real world collaborators from Boise State University, Idaho, and Wyoming, demonstrated the University of Auckland's innovative Second Life presence and medical centre teaching system on the Second Life island of Long White Cloud.
The post partum haemorrhage simulation real-world presentation team.
Filed under: Education, Education in Second Life, Education in virtual worlds, Second Life, Sl Conferences | Tagged: ascilite 2009, Scott Diener, Second Life, Second Life Education, SLENZ Project, University of Auckland, virtual world education, Virtual Worlds |	5 Comments »
SLENZ in 14 international finalists
for top Edublog 2009 award
Your vote will count! Click Button TOP RIGHT and vote.
The SLENZ (Seoncd Life Education New Zealand) Project team has been honoured by being named among the 14 finalists for an EduBlog 2009 Award in the category, "Best Educational Use of a Virtual World 2009."
The award is among those which "celebrate the best educational blogs on the web".
Although the SLENZ Project originated from an isolated small country – one might say at the end of the earth – the nomination shows again that Kiwis can compete on an even footing with the rest of the world when it comes to internet applications, such as virtual worlds, despite in-country broadband limitations and the "tyranny of distance."
It demonstrates that virtual worlds can create a world without borders: that ordinary New Zealanders – anyone – can collaborate across time zones, national borders, cultures, ethnicities and languages to provide benefits throughout the world.
Dr Clare Atkins (SL; Arwenna Stardust) (pictured right), the SLENZ Project co-leader said that she was delighted, when told of the SLENZ nomination in the final list.
She appealed to readers of the SLENZ Update: "If you have enjoyed reading the SLENZ blog we are really pleased. We would love it if you felt a strong need to show your appreciation by voting for us."
The other finalists include prestigious virtual world groups such as: CANVAS (Children's Art in the Virtual Arena of Scotland); DEN SL Blog; Edunation; ISTE's Second Life island; Reaction Grid; School of Nursing, University of Kansas; SIGMS in Second Life; Sloodle; The International Schools Island (isi); The UC Davis Virtual Hallucination simulation; Virtual Graduation at the University of Edinburgh; Virtual Macbeth – Angela Thomas; Virtual Round Table Conference.
"For SLENZ to even be listed amongst these groups is absolutely wonderful, " SLENZ Update editor/writer, John Waugh (SL: Johnnie Wendt) said. "While I would love for the SLENZ Group to win the award I am very conscious of the calibre of the other finalists – they are the best in the world from a myriad of educational uses and I have accessed them all."
He wished the other finalists luck and concluded with a call for SLENZ Update readers and their friends to vote for Second Life Education New Zealand at Edublog.
The Second Life Education New Zealand Project was funded by the New Government's Tertiary Education Commission. It has been designed to determine the benefits of using virtual worlds for education and how best these benefits can be captured.
The work of the team has been completely "transparent" with all documentation/discussions etc included on this site. The team's builds and findings have all be done under Creative Commons attribution, are all OpenSource, and freely available to all educators as "full perms" packages.
Filed under: Education, Education in Second Life, Education in virtual worlds, Second Life, SLENZ Project, Virtual Worlds | Tagged: Clare Atkins, Edubog 2009, John Waugh, New Zealand, NMIT, Second Life, SLENZ Project, TEC, Tertiary Education Commission of New Zealand |	1 Comment »
ascilite 2009
VW leaders establish New Zealand
virtual worlds' education group
The University of Auckland's Dr Scott Diener presents at
ascilite 2009 …. he is one of Australasia's leaders in
virtual world tertiary education.
The New Zealand Virtual Worlds Group (NZVWG), an independent, not-for profit association for people interested in virtual worlds and their use for education in New Zealand has grown out of the recent ascilite (Australian Society for Computers in Learning in Tertiary Education) 2009 conference held in Auckland, New Zealand.
The four-day conference, the leading Australasian forum on computers in education, saw a number of presentations on the successful use of virtual worlds – particularly in Second Life – for learning, including an impressive keynote address by one of the Australasian leaders in virtual education, Dr Scott Diener (pictured above), of The University of Auckland.
The conference in the Owen Glass Building at The University of Auckland was attended by delegates from across the world and the leaders of virtual world education in New Zealand, Diener, Dr Clare Atkins, of NMIT (Nelson Marlborough Institute of Technology) and Terry Neal, of Blended Solutions.
The formation of the group followed a symposium initiated by the SLENZ Project team about the future of Virtual World education in New Zealand and what could be done to promote and encourage it, which was led SLENZ Project co- leader, Dr Clare Atkins (pictured right), and grew out of subsequent conversations between Atkins, Diener and and SLENZ Project co-leader Terry Neal (pictured left).
"The group has been set up to further education in multi user virtual environments and virtual worlds in New Zealand," Dr Atkins said. "We will be looking not only at teaching in MUVEs but also how other aspects of education including administration, libraries, marketing etc., can benefit from virtual worlds."
Initially the group will operate from a Google Group which has been set up "to get the initial ideas flowing,"Atkins said, noting that, as yet few, if any concrete decisions have been taken on anything except the pressing need for such an association.
Although the group has been formed by members of the SLENZ Project, which was funded by Tertiary Education New Zealand, it is independent from that project and also virtual world platform independent.
Issuing an invitation to New Zealand educators and others interested in virtual world technology and education, Atkins said, ""We would like to encourage you to be part of these early discussions! We need everyone's ideas, thoughts, comments etc. We hope you feel like joining us."
The two aspects of the creation of the group that the founding team was most set on, she said, were:
It should be independent and not for profit. Although institutions/organisations may choose to support the association in some way it would not be affiliated with any particular one.
It should encompass the broad spectrum of virtual worlds or MUVEs and interpret education in the broadest of terms – all sectors, all aspects.
To join one should go here.
Filed under: Distance education, Education, Education in Second Life, Education in virtual worlds, Second Life, Sl Conferences, SLENZ Project, Virtual Worlds | Tagged: ascilite, ascilite 2009, Blended Solutions, Clare Atkins, NMIT, Owen Glass, Scott Diener, SLENZ Project, Terry Neal, The University of Auckland, Virtual Worlds |	4 Comments »


Prabhudheva-starrer "Mercury" will have its world premiere at The Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles (IFFLA) next month. A masterclass with "The Big Bang Theory" star Kunal Nayyar will also be held at the fest. The 16th edition of the annual festival will take place between April 11-15 here.
Best known for his role as Rajesh Koothrappali on "The Big Bang Theory", Nayyar's career has spanned television, features and the stage. He is also known for doing voice work in the animated feature films "Trolls" and "Ice Age: Continental Drift".
Nayyar will discuss his career beginnings, his path to stardom on American television's popular comedy, and to advise the next generation of artistes on how to gain a foothold in a competitive industry.
Director Karthik Subbaraj's forthcoming silent thriller "Mercury" focuses on five long-time friends, all of whom are maimed as a result of their town's mercury poisoning, who come together for their high school reunion. But a moment of mischief and misfortune during the after-party puts them on a one-way road to hell.
An impressive panel of jurors will preside over IFFLA's features and shorts competitions.
The features jury will include director Haifaa Al-Mansour, film critic Carlos Aguilar and actress Sujata Day.
The shorts jury will include religious scholar and writer Reza Aslan, and director Aneesh Chaganty, and screenwriter Guinevere Turner.
The fest's full line-up will include opening night gala film "In the Shadows" with Bollywood actor Manoj Bajpayee in attendance, closing night gala "Village Rockstars" directed by Rima Das, Hansal Mehta's "Omerta" with the director in attendance, Naseeruddin Shah-starrer "The Hungry", and a memorial tribute screening of the late star Sridevi's 1989 hit "Chandni".
Ceasefire violation by Pakistan in Balakot sector of Poonch.


text:
Seattle Artist Natasha Marin Launches "Reparations" Website
by Rich Smith • Jul 19, 2016 at 10:30 am
"What if a stranger restored your belief in humanity, if only for a moment, by supporting you and allowing you to claim something you need in a material way?" asks Natasha Marin on her website. Natasha Marin
On July 15, Natasha Marin, a conceptual artist living in Seattle, started a Facebook group called Reparations. Yesterday, the group bloomed into a website. In the "about" section, Marin describes Reparations as a "social media experiment" that will last through the end of the year
The way it works is pretty straightforward. A person of color makes a request, and a white person can elect to fulfill that request. Some requests so far include a man named Kito asking for money to buy a service dog to help manage his mental health issues, a person named Osiris requesting an angel investor to help them get their business off the ground (or, failing that, a networking dinner with someone who could help in some way), a person named Ana who wants rent money and/or a Chakra cleanse, and a man named Mike who just needs some food.
Alternatively, a white person can offer a service or good, and a person of color can choose to accept it. Local poet and teacher Tara Hardy is offering a free workshop for artists of color who would like to "make a living by going on tour." Karyn Schwartz of Sugar Pill, an apothecary on Capitol Hill, can provide "herbal & natural well-being consultations, classes/workshops for groups on natural strategies for stress management, and free flower essence formulas for additional support."
Want a stick-and-poke tattoo or graphic design services? Ask local writer Jocelyn MacDonald and Jorge Silva Rodighiero, respectively. Need a massage (sort of)? Vanessa Skantze, who has been practicing yoga for 20 years, is happy to help. Other offers include a beer, a lesson on how pot a plant, and money.
To work out the details, white people connect with people of color and vice versa via Facebook. So far, white people have successfully given people of color car rides, money, a trip for four poets to relieve some stress at the Hot House Spa, and advice on revamping a CV.
It's not yet clear how far participants will take the concept. Stay tuned.
To get this delivered to your inbox, subscribe to The Stranger's Slog AM newsletter.
Rich Smith
Rich Smith writes about politics, books, and performance for The Stranger. You can hear his impersonations of Bernie Sanders and Jeff Sessions on Blabbermouth, and you can read his poems at www.richsmithpoetry.com
Follow Email More articles
The Case for Lowercase 'R' Reparations
Is Seattle Artist Natasha Marin's Social Experiment, Reparations.me, Just a White Savior Arena?
by Rich Smith


We had a week and a half to black out all existing line striping, crack fill 20,000 linear ft of cracks, apply 2 coats of sealer and do a complete lay out of the new parking set up while the plant was on shut down. Although weather did not comply with us raining 4 days we completed the project on time seal coating 1.5 million sq. ft. The line striping lay out plan that the client provided was not correct from the engineer and we had to set up the parking lot using surveyors points. Hardest job to date.


text:
Constructing a Hall of Fame Out of Non-Hall of Famers
SportsBaseball
In line with how things have gone in recent times, the announcement of the vote on Sunday from certainly one of the Baseball Hall of Fame's eras committees was followed by loads of debate.
The 16-member jury of players, executives and writers assembled for the Contemporary Baseball Era Players Committee unanimously agreed to elect Fred McGriff, a slugging first baseman, while it rejected Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens, two of essentially the most achieved players in baseball history, almost actually due to their connections to performance-enhancing drugs.
McGriff's election may not sit well with those that consider the Hall of Fame is a spot just for the perfect of the perfect. But with 493 home runs and 52.6 profession wins above alternative, McGriff is nowhere near the worst first baseman ever elected to Cooperstown.
Many top-tier players are excluded from the Hall of Fame — and never all of them were connected to drug use. Other players have been elected with lesser statistics. This has led to some confusion about what constitutes a Hall of Fame profession, and that is all ahead of the announcement in January of the writers' ballot for the category of 2023, which incorporates a candidate, Carlos Beltrán, who may encourage much more debate.
One technique to evaluate the candidates is to check, at each position, the highest player who is just not within the Hall of Fame, using profession wins above alternative, as calculated by Baseball Reference, to the worst Hall of Fame player. For instance, below, catcher Wally Schang is just not within the Hall of Fame, but catcher Rick Ferrell is.
(For every position, a player was required to have spent a minimum of 51 percent of his profession there, apart from a relief pitcher, who qualified at 75 percent. Players elected primarily for off-field contributions weren't included, as were players from the Negro leagues since the available statistics don't paint a good picture of their total value.)
Wally Schang
Profession WAR: 47.9, which is best than eight of 18 Hall of Famers
Lowest WAR amongst Hall of Fame catchers: Rick Ferrell, 30.8
You would possibly have expected to see Thurman Munson's name here, but Schang has a narrow edge over each Gene Tenace (46.8 WAR) and Munson (46.1). In 19 seasons opened up over five franchises from 1913 to 1931, Schang hit .284 with a .393 on-base percentage. He didn't have much power, but he was considered a great defensive catcher and he won 4 World Series. He appeared on the writers' ballot five times but peaked in 1960 when he got 11 votes.
In 18 seasons, Ferrell had a lower batting average (.281) and on-base percentage (.378) than Schang, but he had a great fame as a defensive catcher and was lauded for his durability. Ferrell never managed even 1 percent on a author's ballot, but he was elected by the veterans' committee in 1984.
Rafael Palmeiro
Profession WAR: 71.9, which is best than 13 of 19 Hall of Famers
Lowest WAR amongst Hall of Fame first basemen: George Kelly, 25.6
While never a dominant player, Palmeiro compiled his technique to 3,020 hits and 569 homers, making him certainly one of only seven players within the 3,000-500 club. But his profession led to ignominy after he followed up a strident performance in front of a congressional committee, through which he wagged his finger and shamed steroid users, by testing positive for the anabolic steroid stanozolol five months later. He lasted 4 years on the writers' ballot, peaking at 12.6 percent of the vote, and received fewer than 4 votes from Sunday's committee.
Kelly was a solid player, winning two World Series with the Recent York Giants and leading the league in home runs once. His election by the veterans' committee has typically been attributed to his former teammates' voting him in.
Lowest WAR amongst Hall of Fame second basemen: Bill Mazeroski, 36.5
Sweet Lou did every thing well. He collected 2,369 hits and 244 home runs, had a .363 profession on-base percentage and played terrific defense throughout his 19 seasons. His exclusion is probably a results of his value coming from so many various places, which makes nothing particularly stand out. He fell off the writers' ballot after one yr because he was named on only 15 of 515 ballots.
Mazeroski couldn't hold a candle to Whitaker offensively, with a .299 profession on-base percentage and 138 home runs. But he delivered certainly one of the most important hits in major league history when his walk-off homer gave the Pittsburgh Pirates a shocking World Series title in 1960 and that, coupled together with his strong defensive fame, was enough for the veterans' committee in 2001.
Profession WAR: 117.6, which is best than 21 of twenty-two Hall of Famers
Lowest WAR amongst Hall of Fame shortstops: Phil Rizzuto, 42.2
Rodriguez won the A.L.'s Most Useful Player Award 3 times and finished his profession with 3,115 hits, 696 home runs, 2,086 R.B.I., 329 stolen bases and a World Series ring. He was an excellent defensive shortstop who transitioned into being a wonderful third baseman. All of that was ruined for voters by his steroid use. The extent of his use won't ever be known, but he has admitted to using drugs from 2001 to 2003 with the Texas Rangers and was suspended for the whole 2014 season after an M.L.B. investigation revealed more use. In his first yr on the writers' ballot, he received 34.3 percent of the vote.
Rizzuto was a .273 profession hitter who didn't have much power, but he played good defense, was beloved by the whole baseball world and won seven World Series titles as certainly one of the faces of a permanent Yankees dynasty, which was enough for the veterans' committee in 1994.
Profession WAR: 70.1, which is best than six of 13 Hall of Famers
Lowest WAR amongst Hall of Fame third basemen: Freddie Lindstrom, 28.3
It's hard to jot down off 2,077 hits and 316 home runs as an aside in a player's profession, but with Rolen the story was all the time his defense. Standing 6 feet 4 inches and weighing 245 kilos, he looked like a hulking first baseman but patrolled the best side of the infield like a shortstop, leading to eight Gold Glove awards and 21.2 defensive wins above alternative. He was named on 63.2 percent of the ballots in last yr's writers' vote — his fifth yr on the ballot — and stands an honest likelihood of election next month.
If Rolen were elected, the highest spot on this list would go to Graig Nettles, a longtime Yankees great, who had 68 WAR over 22 seasons.
Lindstrom was a terrific player early in his profession, considered by lots of his peers to be amongst the perfect to ever play the sport, but injuries meant his profession wouldn't live as much as expectations. His last standout yr got here when he was 24.
Barry Bonds
Profession WAR: 162.8, which is best than 21 of 21 Hall of Famers
Lowest WAR amongst Hall of Fame left fielders: Chick Hafey, 31.2
Major League Baseball's profession record-holder in home runs (762) and walks (2,558), Bonds won seven M.V.P. Awards, holds the single-season home run record with 73, stole 514 bases and was an above average fielder for many of his 22 seasons. On talent, he is taken into account by many to be the perfect player in baseball history, but his connections to performance-enhancing drugs, particularly in his surge as a hitter late in his profession, have kept him out of the Hall of Fame. In 10 years on the writers' ballot, he steadily improved, peaking at 66 percent last yr, but he was named on fewer than 4 ballots in Sunday's committee vote.
Hafey won a batting title and two World Series, but he is usually considered among the many least deserving Hall of Famers. The gap between him and Bonds is so large that you could possibly add Ted Williams's profession WAR to Hafey's and also you'd still be 9.6 wanting Bonds's.
Lowest WAR amongst Hall of Fame center fielders: Lloyd Waner, 29.6
Appearing on the ballot for the primary time this yr, Beltrán was a effective all-around player, with 435 home runs, 312 stolen bases, 2,725 hits and a .837 profession on-base plus slugging percentage. His defensive fame is maybe overblown, as advanced statistics indicate he was a poor fielder within the second half of his profession, but in his prime he could do every thing. His standing for voters could have been harmed by his central role within the Houston Astros' elaborate sign-stealing scheme in 2017.
If Beltrán were elected next month, the highest spot on this list would go to Kenny Lofton, the speedy leadoff hitter for several teams, who had 68.4 WAR.
Waner hit .316 for his profession and picked up 2,459 hits, but all indications are that he was a below-average outfielder, didn't do much as a base runner and is among the many least achieved Hall of Famers. His election is a head-scratcher attributed by some to his connection together with his brother, Paul, who was a much better player and more deserving inductee.
Lowest WAR amongst Hall of Fame right fielders: Tommy McCarthy, 16.2
It is difficult to contextualize Evans's numbers due to inflation of the steroids era, but he hit 385 home runs, 332 of which got here between 1976 and 1989 — the fifth most within the majors during that span. Perhaps underappreciated in his era for a strong .370 on-base percentage, he won eight Gold Glove awards and was beloved in Boston. He lasted only three years on the writers' ballot, falling below the 5 percent threshold to remain on the ballot when he received only 18 votes in 1999.
McCarthy, a nineteenth century player for multiple teams, helped pioneer the hit-and-run play and is credited with 468 stolen bases, but his election by the veterans' committee in 1946 is widely considered one the Hall of Fame's biggest mistakes.
Don Baylor
Profession WAR: 28.5, which is just not higher than any Hall of Famer
Lowest WAR amongst Hall of Fame designated hitters: Harold Baines, 38.8
Baylor had three 30-homer seasons, won one Most Useful Player Award, led the majors in R.B.I. once and stole 52 bases in 1976. But he was a one-time All-Star, never had even 4 WAR in a single season and was good, not great, for many of his 19 seasons. He lasted two years on the writers' ballot but never got greater than 2.6 percent of the vote.
All 4 designated hitters within the Hall of Fame (Frank Thomas, Edgar Martinez, David Ortiz and Harold Baines) have more WAR than Baylor. Few would argue Baylor should join them, and lots of have suggested there's already one too many D.H.s within the Hall due to Baines's controversial election by the Today's Game Era Committee in 2019.
Lowest WAR amongst Hall of Fame starting pitchers: Rube Marquard, 34.7
The one pitchers in baseball history with more WAR than Clemens are Cy Young (165.6) and Walter Johnson (152.3). Clemens's 354 wins and 4,672 strikeouts are eye-popping, particularly for his era, and his seven Cy Young Awards drive that time home. He won the M.V.P. Award in 1986, struck out 20 batters in a game twice, won two World Series rings and was an 11-time All-Star. His connections to performance-enhancing drugs resulted in his falling off the writers' ballot after the utmost 10 tries, together with his peak coming in his final yr when he was named on 65.2 percent of the ballots. He received fewer than 4 votes from Sunday's committee.
Marquard led the N.L. in wins once (26 in 1912) and losses once (18 in 1918), had a robust 1.58 E.R.A. in 1916 and … that's about it. The writers never gave him greater than 13.9 percent of the vote, but he was inducted by the veterans' committee in 1971.
Reliever
Tom Gordon
Profession WAR: 35.0, which is best than five of nine Hall of Famers
Lowest WAR amongst Hall of Fame relievers: Bruce Sutter, 24.5
Like a somewhat lesser version of Dennis Eckersley, Gordon was a solid starter for plenty of seasons before turning into a great reliever. He had a 17-win season in addition to a 46-save season and is certainly one of only five pitchers with 130 or more wins and 150 or more saves. Despite having 7.2 more profession WAR than Billy Wagner, Gordon received only two votes in his lone appearance on the writers' ballot in 2015. Wagner, who saved 422 games, crossed the 50 percent threshold last yr in his seventh appearance on the ballot and still stands an honest likelihood of getting in with three more ballots to go.
Sutter, who died in October, led the league in saves five times and was a pioneer of sorts for the fashionable closer, which helps explain his election despite his modest profession statistics in 12 seasons.
Famers
NonHall


text:
Ministry Leadership
Urban Youth
Worldview & Ethics
John M. Frame, DD
Belhaven College, DD
Yale University, MPhil
Westminster Theological Seminary, BD
Princeton University, AB
Teaching Career
D. Trimble Chair of Systematic Theology and Philosophy, Reformed Theological Seminary
Professor of Systematic Theology and Philosophy, Reformed Theological Seminary
Founding faculty member (taught apologetics and theology courses), Westminster Theological Seminary, California (1980-2000)
Professor of Apologetics and Systematic Theology, Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia (1968-1980)
Balanced time between teaching and extensive academic research
Other Career Highlights
Discerning media critic and talented musician, playing both organ and piano
Local ministry work, training pastors and lay leaders
Ordained by the Orthodox Presbyterian Church
Associate pastor in churches in Pennsylvania, California, and Florida
Considered one of the foremost scholars on the thought of Cornelius Van Til and has been published extensively on Van Til's writings
Activity in various professional societies and organizations for decades, including the Evangelical Theological Society and the Society of Christian Philosophers
Articles in The Westminster Theological Journal and Christian Culture
Author of several books, including Apologetics: A Justification of Christian Belief, A History of Western Philosophy and Theology, Doctrine of the Knowledge of God,Apologetics to the Glory of God, Salvation Belongs to the Lord, and The Doctrine of the Word of God.
Foundations of Systematic Theology
Making Biblical Decisions
Topic / Category
All Course Categories
Christian Apologetics(16)
Christian Counseling(5)
Church History(12)
Correctional Ministries(9)
Hermeneutics(6)
Ministry Leadership(16)
New Testament(38)
Old Testament(35)
Spiritual Formation(12)
Systematic Theology(17)
Urban Youth(6)
World Missions(10)
World View & Ethics(5)
Basic(30)
Advanced(112)
All Items Aaron Smith, PhD Abraham Friesen, PhD Alice Mathews, PhD Allen P. Ross, PhD Bishop Vincent Mathews, Jr., ThD Bruce K. Waltke, PhD Bruce Wilkinson, DD C. Fred Dickason, ThD Chaplain R. Steve Lowe Cloud/Townsend Craig L. Blomberg, PhD D. A. Horton Dan Doriani, PhD Darrell L. Bock, PhD David Mathewson, PhD Deb McCormick Dennis E. Johnson, PhD Douglas K. Stuart, PhD Elisabeth Selzer, PhD Garth M. Rosell, PhD Gordon Lewis, PhD (Deceased 2016) Gordon T. Smith, PhD H. Phillip Hook, ThD (1932-2011) Haddon W. Robinson, PhD (1931-2017) Hans F. Bayer, PhD Harold L. Longenecker, DD (1926-2014) Harold W. Hoehner, PhD, ThD (1935-2009) Harvie M. Conn, LittD (1933-1990) J. Herbert Kane, LHD (1910-1988) J. Oliver Buswell Jr., PhD, DD (1895-1877) James Banks, DMin James M. Grier, ThD (1932-2013) John Beck, PhD John C. Whitcomb, ThD John D. Hannah, PhD, ThD John H. Gerstner, PhD, DD (1914-1996) John M. Frame, DD John R. Lillis, PhD John R. W. Stott, DD (1921-2011) John S. Feinberg, PhD John Trent, PhD John Worgul, PhD Jonathan Chao, PhD (1938-2004) Joseph Williams, MA Karen Swanson Kenneth B. Mulholland, DTheo Kenneth O. Gangel, PhD (1935-2009) Knut Heim, PhD Larry J. Crabb, PhD Lehman Strauss, LittD (1911-1997) Leon J. Wood, PhD (1918-1977) Louis Goldberg, ThD (1923-2002) Lubbertus Oostendorp, ThD (1912-1992) Lucy Mabery-Foster, PhD (Deceased 2002) Mark Young, PhD Martin Deacon, MA Matt Friedeman, PhD Michael P. Green, PhD Our Daily Bread University Paul Gardner, PhD Pete Alwinson, DMin Peter Toon, D.Phil. (1939-2009) R. Laird Harris, PhD (1911-2008) Ramesh Richard, PhD Reggie M. Kidd, PhD Richard C. Gamble, ThD Richard E. Averbeck, PhD Richard L. Pratt, Jr., ThD Richard O. Rigsby, PhD, ThD Robert A. Kolb, PhD Robert Harp, DMin Roger R. Nicole, PhD, ThD (1915-2010) Roger S. Greenway, ThD (1934-2016) Scott Redd, PhD Scott T. Carroll, PhD Seth Tarrer, PhD Sid Buzzell, PhD Simon Vibert, DMin Stephen Um, PhD Steve Brown, LittD Stuart E. Lease, DD (1930-2004) Terry C. Hulbert, ThD (1925-2014) Thurman Williams, DMin Tite Tiénou, PhD Victor M. Matthews, STD (1921-2008) Vincent Bacote, PhD W. Robert Godfrey, PhD Walter C. Kaiser, Jr., PhD Wilbur M. Smith, DD (1894-1976) William D. Mounce, PhD William D. Taylor, PhD
© Our Daily Bread University - Premium 2021
© 2021 Our Daily Bread University – Premium


This is one of the first quilts Marian ever made. The pattern is called Nine-Patch, and it's machine pieced and hand quilted.
It occurs to me that all the non-quilters out there, which is most of you, might appreciate a terminology primer. There are three basic steps to making a quilt. First you cut out the pieces as specified by the design you're making. This step, oddly enough, doesn't really have a name. Second, you sew the pieces together, either by hand or machine. This is called piecing. Third, once you have the quilt top sewn together, you place it against the backing with batting in between. Then you sew the top and the backing to each other using fancy stitching patterns. This can be done either by hand or machine, and it's called quilting. So there you have it.


text:
CHILD RELOCATION ATTORNEYS IN FAIRFIELD COUNTY
Relocating With Your Child Involves Much More Than Packing Your Bags
When you have a child with another person, you are tied to that person indefinitely, whether you are married, unmarried or divorced. All decisions involving where you live — or more importantly, where you move — must be made in light of how those decisions will affect your child and his or her relationship with the other parent.
Our law firm offers extensive experience in advising parents in complex child custody and parenting disputes, including move-away cases and related child custody actions. Our child relocation lawyers in Norwalk, Connecticut, represent parents in Greenwich, Wilton, Westport and throughout Fairfield County who are seeking to relocate with a child or are objecting to the other parent's request to relocate with the child.
Can I Relocate Out-of-State With My Child?
Whether the issue of relocation arises prior to a divorce, during divorce or custody action between unmarried parents, or post-judgment, the court's focus remains on the best interests of the child. When a parent's decision to relocate arises before or during such legal action, the issue of relocation will be addressed within child custody determinations as a whole. The parent's choice to relocate may, among many other factors, be considered when the court evaluates what custody arrangement is in the best interests of the child. Post-judgment relocations, however, require prior consent of the non-relocating parent or approval by the court in a separate custody action.
If you wish to relocate out-of-state or if you wish to relocate a significant distance from the other parent (while remaining in Connecticut) — thus impacting an existing parenting plan — you must demonstrate the following to the court:
That the relocation is for legitimate purposes: Are you moving to start a new job? Do you wish to relocate to be closer to more family? It is important for the court to evaluate whether the reasons for the move stem from a legitimate purpose or simply to deprive the other parent from spending time with the child.
That the proposed location is reasonable: Is the proposed new home/location sensible, given the reasons for the move?
That the relocation is in the best interests of the child: Will relocating result in a better paying job, enabling you to provide better opportunities for your child? Will relocating result in a better support unit for the child? Are there better schools and education opportunities at the proposed new location? Will the child still be capable of maintaining a relationship with the non-relocating parent?
Is Relocating In the Best Interests of Your Child?
The need to relocate may arise due to new employment opportunities, education opportunities, social and familial engagement and many other reasons. However, courts look at the entire picture and make a decision of whether or not to approve child relocation based upon the best interests of the child. While courts may assess many other factors, the general issues considered by the court involve:
What are the parents' reasons for seeking or opposing relocation?
What is the quality of relationship between the child and each parent?
How will relocating impact the quantity and quality of the future contact with the non-relocating parent?
To what extent will relocating impact the child and relocating parent's lives economically, emotionally and educationally?
How feasible is it to preserve the relationship between the child and the non-relocating parent through parenting time/visitation arrangements?
For Experienced Advocacy, Call Our Child Custody Lawyers in Connecticut
Parental and child relocation disputes can be emotional, frustrating and complex. It is important to have an experienced attorney who can help you understand the law and help you achieve a child custody solution that protects your wishes and remains focused on the best interests of your child.
From our offices in Norwalk, Connecticut, our family law attorneys represent mothers and fathers in divorce and child custody-related disputes in communities throughout Fairfield County. Call us or contact our family law firm by e-mail for a complimentary initial consultation with an assertive Fairfield County child relocation attorney.


I've been hearing talk about Eminem getting mad at 50 Cent for something...is this true? If so what happened?
Now where's them fuckers? Whose got them fuckers...?
He's on till the break of dawn and they're starting chocolate train from dusk..."
why would 50 cent do that if he is in the song?
Haha, 50 wouldn't do that John.


I really have to get one of these!
These guys get their buddy good by turning his cubicle into a small house. Looks like a lot of work but well worth it.
This is what happened to my desk when I was out of town for the holidays. Good stuff.
We decided to play a little joke on our boss. Great office prank!
Genius prank by some witty coworkers.
This guy almost got away with it.
Great idea to hide beer at the office!


text:
On Location with Danger
By Blythe Rainey-Cuyler
An eerie green glow transformed the small park at midnight. Caught by the dim security lights around the park's parameter, it made the trees shimmer with luminescent color as the park's splashing fountain shot reflections of vivid green water.
Two men leaving the No Name Bar across the street laughed as they saw the glow, knowing it was caused by the town's anonymous pranksters again coloring the fountain's water.
No one, except a foraging squirrel, saw the man sitting inside the fountain, leaning against its rim, soaked in glowing green water and quite dead.
One Month Earlier
Why didn't I pack warmer clothes? I'm so very cold. The night's fog blurred Kay's vision of the steep stairs, now slippery with moisture, which led her down into the small town. She gripped the wet, narrow iron railing with one hand, and hoped she was almost at the end of the poorly lit stairs. On her left was a tiny, old wood church surrounded by trees whose branches drooped over the stairs, causing her to duck under them on her descent, and on her right was a large Mediterranean–styled villa behind elaborate wrought iron fences. Too cold and anxious to mull over the contrast, Kay continued her perilous downward journey.
She stopped at a small landing to button her thin, red silk jacket up to her chin, regretting her choice of black silk slacks and flimsy ballet shoes, chosen for a romantic dinner. As she cautiously stepped down from the landing onto the next stair, she looked beyond it and saw a sidewalk lit by a streetlight at the end of the next flight of steps. Kay tried not to hurry, knowing she'd slip if she did so, but she took the last stairs with less caution eager to end her strange, cold descent. Glad to reach level ground, she stood on a sidewalk devoid of people and wondered which way to turn.
Drifts of fog occasionally obscured the deserted street and the dimly lit park across from it. Beyond the park was a blackness which Kay assumed was San Francisco Bay. Most of the town's stores, now all dark, ran along her side of the street. Suddenly, a swift-moving car appeared from her right and drove past, leaving the street silent again. The disconcerting silence was broken by the clicking sound of a woman's high heels approaching from Kay's left, but a finger of the drifting fog hid the figure. When it cleared, Kay saw a tall, blond woman warmly dressed in black slacks and a grey fur vest over a black turtleneck. What looked like a medium-sized dog on a leash walked in front of the woman.
As the two came closer, Kay suppressed her surprise. The clicking sound was being made by the tiny hoofs of a small goat, not by the woman's shoes. Accustomed to seeing unusual people doing odd things on her hometown's Sunset Boulevard and not reacting to them, Kay simply smiled and said, "Hi, I'm lost. Is there a bar nearby?" Both she and the woman laughed at the question's implication before Kay added, "Actually, I'm supposed to meet my husband at a bar, but I wasn't given its name."
The goat and the woman looked closely at Kay. The woman, chuckling, said, "Welcome to Sausalito! You're looking for the No Name Bar. I just passed it. It's about a half-block away."
Kay responded with a warm, "Thank you!" before the woman and the goat continued their hoof-clicking journey and Kay began to walk in the opposite direction. The bar wasn't hard to find; there was a hanging sign by double wood doors which stated "Bar". Muffled jazz music could be heard through the large lit window of its dark façade. Sitting inside, along a counter that ran the length of the window, were men and women talking and drinking, but not looking out onto the sidewalk. They were haloed by cigarette smoke.
Kay pushed open one of the heavy doors and entered a narrow, long room filled with people at small, round tables listening to a jazz trio on a "postage-sized" stage. There was a bar to her left, obscured by people crowded along it. She stayed by the closed door savoring the sudden warmth before standing on tiptoes to see over the crowd. The Bohemian ambiance of the place reminded her of the funky folk music bars in Venice Beach which she, against her parents' wishes, had frequented during her college days at U.C.L.A.
As Kay began to politely make her way farther into the bar, searching for Craig, she was oblivious to the looks she received. Her strawberry blond hair, curling into fog-induced ringlets, and her face, pretty even with a very pink nose chilled by the cold, were worthy of the glances. Her scanning of the bar was rewarded when she saw her six-foot, four-inch husband standing at the back of the room, smiling and waving over everyone's head. Seeing him and his tousled blond hair, now mostly grey, caused Kay to have familiar thoughts that added radiance to her responsive smile. God! How he lights up a room! No wonder the studio loves 'their' Craig Harris and his box office draw. His handsome, welcoming face, known world-wide, quicken her heartbeat.
When she walked into Craig's arms, Stanley Wiseman, the director of the film, Dangerous Cargo, that had brought them to the Northern California filming location, stood to greet her and indicated the empty chair at their table. His boyish face, close-cropped brown hair, and jean-clad lithe body belied his forty-seven years. He still fit the film industry's description of him as "The Boy Wonder Director".
As the three of them sat down at the table containing two half-filled coffee mugs, but no wine glasses, Kay knew this was a business meeting and wondered at the odd choice of venue. She was amused to see that Craig, although he probably wouldn't admit it, had reacted to the chilly weather by donning jeans and three top layers consisting of a white shirt, a red wool crew neck sweater, and a navy pea coat, now unbuttoned. Kay sensed tension at the table and noted the crumbled napkins by the mugs. Stanley was the first to speak, "I'm sorry about keeping Craig away from dinner at the hotel and having him call asking you to meet us here. We have a few location changes, and I needed to go over the revised shooting schedule with him. We had sandwiches earlier. May I get you something?"
"For now, a bowl of peanuts would be fine," she responded. In a light tone Kay added, "And don't worry, I'm used to schedule changes. What I'm not used to is this cold weather in early July, for god's sake! Or those slippery stairs that go down hills into a deserted town. Well, deserted except for a woman walking a goat." She paused, disappointed to get no reaction to her goat encounter, and continued, "And whoever suggested those stairs as a way for me to get here from the hotel will have to answer to me. Also, what's with this unnamed bar, fellows?"
Craig laughed as he rubbed Kay's cold hands. "The weather's typical for July here, honey. And this bar has been a writers' hang-out for many years. Writers such as Jack Kerouac, Evan Connell, and Lawrence Ferlinghetti drank here. Maybe the owner asked all the writers to name the bar when it opened, and, being writers, no one could agree. Hey, I'll get you a warm drink, okay?" Kay noticed he didn't comment about the stairs as he signaled one of the two busy waiters, who looked awe-struck as he took Craig's order for an Irish coffee and some peanuts. Kay was pleased to see that the waiter seemed to be the only one in the bar with that reaction. Then it became obvious to her Craig and Stanley were halting their business discussion while waiting for the order to arrive, talking about the weather and her reaction to it.
Once it arrived, Kay took a gloriously hot sip through the heavy cream topping, put the glass mug down, picked up some peanuts, and, with her hand half-way to her mouth, said, "Wait a minute. Something's not right." The men looked at her, concerned. "No, guys, it's not the drink. Where's Joe?"
Craig gave a quick laugh and said, "Ha! I was wondering when you'd ask. Stanley's embarrassed by Joe's presence."
Stanley wouldn't meet Kay's eyes and looked down at his now empty coffee mug before he looked up and said, "I've never gotten used to being around mega stars and their bodyguards, although maybe Craig's an exception. He's more like a normal person." Both Kay and Craig laughed briefly before Stanley continued, "Even though Joe's discreet, just knowing he's around and armed bothers me. Besides, he's not needed here. I picked this place to meet on purpose. Look around. Everyone here is either a writer or pretending to be, and they all like to think they're above 'Hollywood nonsense'. See, over there is the movie actor Sterling Hayden, just a regular guy with a sailboat in the harbor."
Kay exchanged an amused look with Craig at Stanley's awkward explanation of Joe's absence before she again asked, "So where's our pal Joey?"
"Just being very discreet. See if you can spot him," Craig answered.
Kay looked around the room. There were no familiar faces, except for Sterling Hayden's. She was amused to note the inordinate number of women going past their table to the restroom, trying to hide their interest, but wanting to be close to Craig. Sorry, ladies, he's not available. And he doesn't really notice you.
The jazz trio, on a break, mingled with the patrons while the two waiters delivered drinks. One of the waiters, whose back was toward her, was laughing with a bearded man as he handed him a beer mug. It was her "aha" moment, hearing that laugh. Turning to Craig, Kay asked, "Since when did Joe take up being a waiter?"
"Since Stanley got permission from the owner to let him fill in for the regular waiter who's now relaxing in the back room. It was either that or having Joe sit outside in the back patio."
"For heaven's sake, Stanley!" Kay responded. "Be a mensch and tell Joe he can take off that dingy apron and join us!" Craig smiled at her scolding "The Boy Wonder Director".
With a nod from Stanley, Craig caught Joe's eye and beckoned him over. After tossing the apron behind the bar, the young, good-looking blond man with the muscular build walked over to them, smiled at Kay, and asked, "Want another Irish coffee, pretty lady?" She grinned in response and remembered she had once felt as Stanley did now toward the bodyguard. When she and Craig had begun dating, she had been uneasy with Joe's constant, armed presence. Then she had realized his necessity because of the seemingly endless alerts about potential danger from over-zealous or deranged fans. There had even been death threats. Kay came to appreciate Joe's professionalism, his sense of humor, and the warm friendship and regard the two men shared. Joe was her friend now, too.
Joe found an empty chair and pulled it over to the threesome to join them. Soon Craig and Stanley were talking about the revised shooting schedule while Joe listened silently, knowing that Craig's schedule would be his also. Kay wasn't following the conversation, preoccupied by intrusive thoughts of the tumultuous events that had brought her to this chilly town. She signaled to a waiter, who was now wearing Joe's discarded apron, for another warm drink.
(End of Chapter One)
Copyright 2017-2019 Blythe Rainey-Cuyler | Privacy


I've uploaded an Excel file using FileUpload control, got the inputstream and put it into a byte array. Now, I need to extract the cell data from the byte array. I guess it is possible if I understand to interpret BIFF stream. I dont know where to start.
We have only one habitable planet yet. Consider the Environment.
Wow! no reply. Does somebody atleast know the structure of the workbook stream. I know I'm asking a rare question.


text:
E Brian Howard Visit Author's Page
April 4, 2013 Is It A Book Or An App? Digital Publishing Combines The Two In A New Medium
Fifty years ago Marshall McLuhan famously coined the phrase "The Medium is the Message." What he meant was that the medium on which you receive content significantly influences your perception of the message. This is a point that is often missed in commentary about the rise of the e-book. A tablet is a fundamentally different medium than a paper book and requires a different approach.
First, a little context. The popular electronic reader, the Kindle, was introduced less than six years ago. Yet adult e-book sales are already outpacing adult hardcover sales.
December 18, 2012 How 6 New Tools Change the Equation for Writing and Self-Publishing Your Book
When writers first exchanged pen and paper for word processing systems we didn't realize how firmly it put us on the path toward self-production and self-publishing. The jury's still out on whether the creative process was altered for better or worse. Marshall McLuhan, an early media pundit, recognized back in 1962 how "the divorce of poetry and music was first reflected by the printed page."
In contrast, today's tools marry writing and publishing, bringing artists ever closer to the end product with click-of-a-button e-book creation capabilities built into the writing tools.
September 1, 2012 Inside the Ebook Test Kitchen
It doesn't seem so long ago—and that's because it wasn't—that referring to "the cutting edge of ebook technology" was redundant. Ebook technology itself was the cutting edge: File-based delivery of tomes was the driving force behind all of the messy disruption in so many publishing houses in the last 10 years.
January 4, 2005 Will Print Be Extinct ? Again?
It's been more than a decade since the first mass of commercial Web sites were launched and far longer since people began predicting the extinction of print. In March 1999, Princeton University history professor Robert Darnton wrote an article in the New York Review of Books that read: Marshall McLuhan's future has not happened. The Web, yes; global immersion in television, certainly; media and messages everywhere, of course. But the electronic age did not drive the printed word into extinction, as McLuhan prophesied in 1962. McLuhan, an English professor, media analyst and book author, predicted the demise of the printed word 43 years


text:
Q: Svg to jpg or png file using Paperclip in Rails 5.1 I've been using paperclip for a while, allowing my users to upload svg files to it. The problem here is i would like to convert that svg file into a png (or jpg, it doesnt matter). But i dont know if there is a convert_option value to transform it, or if we can do something about it.
When i run

convert file.svg file.png

in my console, i'm getting

attribute not recognized: n
attribute not recognized: u
attribute not recognized: n
attribute not recognized: u
convert: unable to open image `#': No such file or directory @ error/blob.c/OpenBlob/2701.
convert: no decode delegate for this image format `' @ error/constitute.c/ReadImage/504.
convert: unable to open image `#': No such file or directory @ error/blob.c/OpenBlob/2701.
convert: no decode delegate for this image format `' @ error/constitute.c/ReadImage/504.

I'm using macosx with imagemagick

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


The Fosters - Jennifer Lopez Shares One Of Her Own Beautiful #FostersFamilyStories - 1002. "
Actress Jennifer Lopez attends SAG-AFTRA Foundation Conversations.
Jennifer Lopez on Casting Latinos in 'The Boy Next Door': "That's Gonna Change Things"
Jennifer Lopez is celebrating her 49th birthday today. Yes, you read that number correctly — and it's just one more reason to admire her.
Jenny from the Block appears to be a bodycon jumpsuit and embellished pumps while perched on a stool, with her killer curves were on full display.
Singer-actor Jennifer Lopez reportedly forced her beau Alex Rodriguez to fire attractive female staffers because she didn't want beautiful women around him.
Case in point is Khloé Kardashian, who just so happens to take her tips from Guess's latest history-making spokesmodel: Jennifer Lopez.
Jennifer Lopez isn't shy about flaunting it.


text:
(-) Congo, Democratic Republic of
(-) Congo, Republic of
(-) Lao People's Democratic Republic
(-) Energy
(-) Congo, Democratic Republic of (8)
(-) Congo, Republic of (2)
(-) Iraq (13)
(-) Lao People's Democratic Republic (15)
Global gas flaring inches higher for the first time in five years
Newly released estimates from satellite data show a 3% increase in global gas flaring globally in 2018 to 145 billion cubic meters (bcm).
Zubin Bamji | June 14, 2019
Energy, Extractive Industries
Measuring electricity access amidst active conflict: Lessons from Yemen
The conflict in Yemen is entering its fifth year. The humanitarian and economic costs are devastating, and the country's ailing infrastructure is collapsing. Public electricity is almost…
Ghassan Khaled Ismail Al-Akwaa | May 07, 2019
Disaster Risk Management, Energy, Fragility Conflict and Violence, Poverty
A Glimpse of Light in Yemen: Enabling a booming solar industry through entrepreneurship and innovation
The conflict in Yemen, raging since early 2015, has had a devastating impact on the country's infrastructure. Saana, the largest city in Yemen with a population of almost 2 million people, is…
Sara Badiei | March 29, 2018
Fragility Conflict and Violence, Energy, Environment
This International Women's Day: let's design infrastructure better
Photo: Carol Mitchell | Flickr Creative Commons As the backbone of development, infrastructure provides vital support for the twin goals of poverty reduction and shared prosperity. Considering the…
Caren Grown | March 08, 2018
Energy, Gender, Infrastructure & Public-Private Partnerships, Urban Development, Transport
Using satellite data to gauge terrorist incomes
The growing availability of satellite imagery and analysis means that all kinds of things we used to think were hard to quantify, especially in conflict zones, can now be measured systematically…
Quy-Toan Do, Jake Shapiro | November 09, 2017
Fragility Conflict and Violence, Energy
These winning photos capture the future of sustainable cities
Also available in: Français | Español | العربية The premise behind the Sustainable Cities photo competition was simple. [[tweetable]]We wanted to learn what people around the world "see" when they…
Xueman Wang, Dini Djalal | October 31, 2017
Climate Change, Energy, Environment, Poverty, Social Development
Tunisia and Italy shine light on how regional electricity trade can help stabilize the region
The Middle East and North Africa region has never faced such significant stress on its ageing infrastructure like it does today, with one of the most telling being the substantial increase in the…
Sameh Mobarek, Moëz Cherif, Fanny Missfeldt-Ringius | April 21, 2016
Energy, Trade
How the Middle East and North Africa can benefit from low oil prices
The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) is a region of extremes. It has the highest unemployment rate in the developing world, with the rate for women and young people double the average. MENA…
Shanta Devarajan | April 11, 2016
Middle East moves from power cuts to sustainable energy and lower emissions
The agreement reached by 196 countries at Paris to collectively work to limit the growth of global average temperatures to well below 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels is a landmark…
Charles Cormier | December 17, 2015
Climate Change, Energy, Environment