MPs from different parties, opposing the move to carve out Telangana state, described the decision as "unfortunate".
The Samajwadi Party, an ally of the UPA government, accused the Congress of dividing the people of Andhra Pradesh.
"It's unfortunate. The Congress wants to divide the country. Our voices were ignored and they didn't let us speak on the Telangana Bill," SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav said. "We have never seen such scenes before. The Telangana Bill was passed in chaos. What happened in the Lok Sabha is shameful," Yadav said.


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COVID-19 Latest: Abbott Extends Statewide Disaster Declaration
KUT 90.5 | By KUT Staff
Published September 7, 2020 at 7:53 AM CDT
Gabriel C. Pérez
Social distancing signage outside the Palmer Events Center during the City of Austin's budget hearing on Aug. 12.
This post has local news on the coronavirus pandemic from Monday, Sept. 7. If you have a news tip or question, email us at news@KUT.org.
Do you think you have the coronavirus? Here's how to get tested.
How to get help (and help) in Austin
Find mental health support
Track the spread in Texas
Sign up for coronavirus email alerts
Abbott extends statewide disaster declaration
Gov. Greg Abbott extended his disaster declaration for all Texas counties in response to COVID-19 on Monday.
The declaration, which he originally issued March 13, allows the state to access a variety of resources as it tries to slow the spread of the coronavirus.
"Renewing this Disaster Declaration helps ensure that we have the resources and strategies in place to help communities across Texas respond to COVID-19," Abbott said in a press release. "I urge Texans to take precautionary steps to protect their health by wearing a mask, social distancing, and sanitizing their hands. Working together, we will slow the spread and keep our communities safe."
The proclamation can be found here.
Travis County's COVID-19-related death total nears 400
Austin Public Health reported 69 new cases of COVID-19 in Travis County on Monday, up from 38 reported Sunday. The seven-day average of daily new cases is 75. One more death was reported, bringing the county's death total to 395.
There are now 127 people reported to be hospitalized with the virus in the five-county region (Travis, Williamson, Hays, Bastrop and Caldwell), three more than yesterday. APH reported a total of 15 new COVID-19 hospital admissions in the region Monday. The seven-day average of new admissions is 19, up slightly from 18.6.
The area is still in stage 3 of APH's risk-based guidelines. At this stage, officials encourage people to avoid gatherings of more than 10 people.
Austin ISD expands use of WiFi-enabled buses
The Austin Independent School District is expanding the hours buses will provide free internet access to students as the school year begins.
Starting Tuesday, the WiFi buses will operate from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The service will continue through Oct. 5, when the district plans to start a gradual phasing-in of in-person classes.
AISD is also doubling the number of buses going out. They will be parked in neighborhoods where need is the greatest. Go here to find a map of locations.
Travis County sees 115 cases over the weekend and one death
Austin Public Health reported 115 new cases of COVID-19 in Travis County over the weekend — 77 on Saturday and 38 on Sunday. One more death was reported, bringing the county's death total to 394.
On Sunday evening, 124 people were reported to be hospitalized with the virus in the five-county region (Travis, Williamson, Hays, Bastrop and Caldwell). On Saturday, there were 129.
There were 40 new COVID-19 hospital admissions reported in the region over the weekend — 22 on Saturday and 18 on Sunday. The seven-day average of new hospital admissions is 18.6. The average has hovered around 18 for the last week.
The area is in stage 3 of APH's risk-based guidelines. At this level, people are encouraged to avoid social gatherings and any gatherings of more than 10 people.
Virtual classes begin for AISD tomorrow
Tuesday is the first day of virtual classes for the Austin Independent School District. Students will spend the first four weeks of school learning remotely.
Some students who need specialized help may be allowed on campus on a case-by-case basis. Only 25% of teachers and staff will allowed within each school building the first two weeks. That increases to 50% by weeks three and four. Starting Oct. 6, families can choose between on-campus learning or continuing remote learning.
High school students can choose a hybrid model – a mix of remote and on-campus classes. AISD says it plans to phase-in students who choose in-person learning between Oct. 6 and Nov. 2. Find out more at AustinISD.org.
What's happening statewide? Check out special coverage from KERA for North Texas, Houston Public Media, Texas Public Radio in San Antonio and Marfa Public Radio.
If you find this reporting valuable, please consider making a donation to support it. Your gift pays for everything you find on KUT.org. Thanks for donating today.
HealthCOVID-19Coronavirus
See stories by KUT Staff
High School Football: Beloved Fall Tradition Or Unnecessary Coronavirus Risk?
Athletic associations in more than 30 states allow high school football to be played during the coronavirus pandemic. Parents, boosters and fans say it's needed. But is playing safe?
This Austinite Is Part Of The COVID-19 Vaccine Trials. She's Worried The Process Is Being Rushed.
Lee esta historia en español. As phase 3 trials for a potential COVID-19 vaccine get underway this month, some are sounding the alarm that the process…
As School Year Begins Remotely In Del Valle, Teachers And Administrators Step Up To Meet Needs
Marisa Charpentier
Lee esta historia en español. When she's not logging online to teach her class of third-graders reading and writing, Jennifer Martin has been doubling as…

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BMW – History Of The Vehicle Organization
Posted on September 14, 2019 By adminPosted in Automobile Cars
With regards to the car business, BMW is without a doubt one of the most-known abbreviations on the planet. More or less, BMW represents Bayerische Motoren Werke, or just Bavarian Engine Works, and it is an incredibly famous producer of cruisers, four-wheeled autos just as plane motors. What makes BMW so mainstream and regarded in the car business is its duty to greatness and quality, and everything began right around a century prior, in 1916. It was then when Bayerische Motoren Werke was established, and it was likewise then when motors have entered an entirely different time. BMW at first turned over as a motor centered organization that contemplated and attempted to upgrade the presentation of motors as we as a whole know them – gradually, the organization moved from essential cruiser motors to plane motors that would alter air transport.
Everything began with Karl Friedrich Rapp's desire to improve and reexamine the motors and to make them more dominant than any time in recent memory – and it was likewise Rapp who really laid the basis for BMW. Directly before the principal World War, the interest for elite airplane motors has soar, and this is the manner by which Karl Friedrich Rapp's rising to progress began. The BMW organization is really the immediate aftereffect of blending three distinctive assembling organizations in one: The Fahrzeugfabrik Eisenach which was situated in Thuringia, the Bayerische Flugzeugwerke situated in Bavaria (which had some expertise in air ship motors) and, to wrap things up, the Rapp Motorenwerke organization which worked in vehicle motors – the last before long progressed toward becoming Bayerische Motorenwerke.
As referenced above, BMW began as a flying machine motor maker, and it did that for over 10 years – it was not until the late 1920s when BMW really turned into a full-time car producer that additionally offered BMW adjusting, after buying one of the industrial facilities referenced over (the Fahrzeugfabrik Eisenach). Rapp's fantasy was to push the presentation of its motors to an unheard of level, and this is the manner by which the principal line of extravagance vehicles developed, harking back to the 1930s. These vehicles profoundly changed the manner in which individuals saw autos and, above all – comfort. Including no under six chambers, these extravagance vehicle line was really the forerunner of the principal sports vehicle fabricated by BMW, a vehicle that immediately picked up reputation among games aficionados because of its best in class motor joined with its streamlined plan. In any case, the delight of BMW as a vehicle producer was brief, as the organization needed to stop its generation of cruisers and autos when World War II began, as the organization began to make airplane motors once more.
It was not until the late 1940s when BMW was in the groove again and it re-began its generation of cruisers and cars: BMW began to concentrate more on cars instead of bikes, given the extreme interest for four-wheeled vehicles. It must be said that BMW delighted in an incredible accomplishment in the cruiser assembling field, given the way that it figured out how to set the principal world record-breaking speed towards the part of the arrangement, with its 750cc bicycle that arrived at the amazing pace of 216.75km/h. Not exactly 10 years from that point onward, BMW formally discharged its first roadster, the outstanding 328 model. A couple of years subsequent to restarting its vehicle creation, BMW concentrated on extravagance cantinas which turned out to be enormously famous inside not exactly a year. Throughout the following couple of years, BMW wound up more grounded and increasingly well known, and it in the end got the permit to begin building vehicles under the legitimate and tremendously prevalent Moves Royce brand.
Most Significant Achievements For BMW
All through its 99 years of presence, BMW has appreciated an abundance of historic accomplishments, and everything began with the foundation of the BMW organization as we probably am aware it today, which occurred in 1916. The second most significant achievement was the assembling of the primary bike conveying the BMW logo, the acclaimed BMW R32, which occurred in 1923. As referenced above, BMW quit assembling cars and cruisers during WWII, and the first BMW vehicle (the 501 model) was produced in 1951, which additionally denoted the start of new and promising time for this car producer.
In 1972, the BMW Motorsport GmbH was established, and after one year, so was the eminent BMW historical center alongside the organization's base camp. In 1994, the organization began to extend its business to the US of America, and it was likewise then when the organization purchased the Wanderer Gathering. After four years, Moves Royce would go to the organization, and one year after that the principal vehicle of the BMW X-arrangement was made. In 2004, the organization discharged a minimal class of autos known as the BMW 1-arrangement, trailed by the arrival of the BMW I-arrangement in 2013, the world's first line of electric vehicles that didn't discharge any ozone harming substances, as they were altogether pushed by a 100% electric engine.
BMW Outside Of Germany
In spite of the fact that BMW was just delivering and selling its flying machine motors, bikes and cars locally, it gradually began to extend its viewpoints all through Europe, trailed by Africa and, in the long run, by North America. BMW opened its first assembling plant in South Africa, thinking back to the 1970s, and it rapidly ended up one of the organization's columns, with a huge number of cars fabricated every year. Over two decades later, BMW opened one more assembling plant in South Carolina, which ended up celebrated for two of the brand's top of the line models: the BMW X arrangement (X5 and X6 specifically). The South Carolina assembling plant is one of the organization's most gainful plants, as it delivers in excess of 100,000 vehicles every year (around 600 autos every day). Last, yet not least, the English industrial facilities ought not be disregarded either (particularly those situated in Goodwood and Oxford), as they have some expertise in assembling top of the line 4-chamber BMW motors.
To whole everything up, this is the short history of BMW vehicles and how they rose to notoriety consistently. Vehicle proprietors should realize that BMW fixes are directed in all nations where the organization's auxiliaries are available, and it is of most extreme significance to settle on the administrations of a completely confirmed and master BMW fix focus, for example, AP Autocare, as this is the best way to make sure that your present vehicle parts are supplanted with authentic, top notch segments that accompany the BMW quality certification!


Please note: students must be members of an the accounting student organizations in order to attend the last two Spring Showcases on February 5th and February 7th.
The Accounting Club was established more than 30 years ago to recognize and encourage an active interest in the profession of accounting and to keep abreast of advances and trends in the accounting field. The organization provides a place for students with similar academic interests to meet, create friendships, communicate ideas, and acquire valuable knowledge of the accounting profession.
This is a great opportunity to get involved, meet new people, build your resume, and network with potential employers.
* Business casual dress is required.
Beta Alpha Psi was founded in 1919 and the Kappa Eta Chapter was chartered at Texas State University—San Marcos in 2001. Since their inception the national office has recognized them each year with the superior chapter award. This included their pledge year which has only been awarded to two chapters. Their chapter maintains this honor by obtaining pledges, members, and officers that commit themselves to the highest standards.
The mission of NABA is to address the professional needs of its members and to build leaders that shape the future of the accounting and finance profession with an unfaltering commitment to inspire the same in their successors. The Association shall unite through membership accountants, finance and business related professionals and students who have similar interests and ideals, are committed to professional and academic excellence, possess a sense of professional and civic responsibility, and are concerned with enhancing opportunities for minorities in the accounting, finance and business related professions. The Texas State chapter was founded in 2004.
For more information, please contact Texas State NABA President, Christian Pitre, at cmp104@txstate.edu .


No matter the brand, no matter the size, no matter the mode of failure, we can handle it.
Our experienced service team has been servicing and maintaining some of the most critical systems for our customers for decades. Whether on-site or in-house, we have the team to get the job done right, and get you back up and running.
We have achieved some of the highest service qualification levels in the industry. Why rely on someone who might know a little bit about servicing your equipment, when you could rely on the experts.
Call our service department today for more information.


In ship repair, we believe that it is of most essential to have a high quality metal workers. Steel works, as one of our core targets, is what we do daily either alongside, underway or wherever it is necessary.
We are doing steel works daily, SRC renews steel appr. 500 tons annually - from simple steel renewals to manufacturing and installation of different constructional elements of the ship, such as ship sections, deck sections, foundations, radar masts etc.
SRC is a licenced representative of SPS Overlay (a metal-elastomer-metal composite) by Intelligent Engineering – the revolutionary technology developed and patented in UK. SPS Overlay technology is approved by all major Classes (LR, ABS, DNV GL, BV). SPS Overlay delivers simpler fabrication, improved performance and increased safety. These advantages offer owners significant economic benefits.
SPS Overlay is used to reinstate existing structures or to convert them to new uses. It is applied on-site that is many times faster than the conventional "crop and replace" and minimizes expensive 'below deck' work. Both uses save labour, time out of service and money.
SPS Overlay applications include ship and bridge decks and other maritime structures such as tank tops, ramps, hulls and helidecks. Special working practices have been developed for extreme conditions, such as a 'no hot work' solution which eliminates the need for welding in the repair of offshore oil & gas structures.
Opportunity to strengthen structures (ice conditions or loads) without additional stiffeners.


Put your Facebook performance into context and find out who's strategy is working best. Just add your page and get a free social media report that compares you to Svěrací Kazajka. Download the sample report or learn more about our Facebook benchmarking tool.


Some people revel in the process of executing every single step in the home theater build process, painstakingly picking out color swatches and test-driving cup holders. And then there are those who have their eye on the prize: kicking back and enjoying their favorite flicks. First Impressions Theme Theatres is in the business of helping the latter group with its complete architectural and interior design-engineering services for dedicated personal cinemas. Its services include end-to-end building, shipping, and installation projects. The company handles all woodwork, upholstery, seating, and special effects packaged into a comprehensive, performance-based contract.
Your favorite celebrities and movie characters need not be strictly relegated to the big screen in your home theater. With life-size cardboard cutouts, you have yet another choice when it comes to decorating ideas.
Let's face it—everything's better with snacks. If you want a truly authentic moviegoing experience at home, you gotta have your concessions in order. Plus, what's a movie screening without the familiar sound of crinkling candy wrappers, the smell of buttery popcorn in the air, and a Milk Dud or two on the floor? Add in some professional-grade signage, and your guests will never want to venture to the local cineplex again. Better buy your Duds in bulk.
In the past, we've shown you options on how you can decorate your home theater with movie-prop replicas from some of your favorite blockbusters. But how about we take that a step further with props that were actually used on set? Hold the knife that Arnold Schwarzenegger wielded in Terminator 2, sport a helmet used in a battle scene in Gladiator, or try on one of Jet Li's costumes from The One. Then show them off to your friends when they come by for a weekend double feature.
Acoustic treatments have long been considered home theater eyesores. While they're essential to sound quality, their lack of style, to put it nicely, has left a lot to be desired. But many manufacturers have realized you can have it all and are now offering more aesthetically pleasing options. Here are five examples.
As home theater technology continues to advance and evolve, so must the accessories and accoutrements that add to the overall viewing experience. Whether you're looking for more comfortable seating options, a better solution to hide your components, or a mount that can suit your family's multiple needs, there are plenty of products out there to choose from. These 11 models represent a sampling of the latest and greatest home theater mounts, racks, chairs, and cabinets.


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HomeEventsPlanters Bank Presents… "Psyco" at Roxy Regional Theatre this Sunday
Planters Bank Presents… "Psyco" at Roxy Regional Theatre this Sunday
Alfred Hitchcock's "Psyco" plays at the Roxy Regional Theatre this Sunday.
Clarksville, TN – Join the Master of Suspense on a chilling journey as an ill-fated traveler meets one of cinema's most notorious psychopaths when Planters Bank Presents… Alfred Hitchcock's "Psyco" at the Roxy Regional Theatre this Sunday, October 17th, 2021 at 2:00pm.
One of the most shocking films of all time, Hitchcock's landmark masterpiece changed the thriller genre forever.
Ill-fated traveler Marion Crane (Janet Leigh) goes on the run after stealing $40,000 from one of her employer's clients. Taking a wrong turn in a storm, she arrives at the isolated Bates Motel and falls prey to the motel's strange proprietor, the twitchy Norman (Anthony Perkins), who is constantly at the beck and call of his unseen mother.
Rating: R / Running time: 109 minutes / Release year: 1960 / Director: Alfred Hitchcock / Cast: Anthony Perkins, Janet Leigh, Vera Miles, John Gavin, Martin Balsam / Licensing: Swank Motion Pictures
Tickets are $10.00 (adults) and $5.00 (ages 10 and under) and may be reserved online via the button below, by phone at 931.645.7699, or at the theatre during regular box office hours (9:00am to 2:00pm, Monday through Friday, and one hour prior to show times). Popcorn, assorted candy and drinks will be available as concessions.
Health and Safety Precautions
Facial coverings masking the nose and mouth are REQUIRED inside the Roxy Regional Theatre (except when actively eating or drinking) for everyone, regardless of vaccination status. The Roxy Regional Theatre reserves the right to change this COVID-19 policy at any time and will communicate any necessary changes electronically or in person.
Don't forget to make your reservations for our upcoming movies, including such favorites as Disney's "Hocus Pocus", "Elf", National Lampoon's "Christmas Vacation", "The Santa Clause" and "It's A Wonderful Life". For our complete schedule of films and more information, please visit www.roxyregionaltheatre.org/filmseries
About the Roxy Regional Theatre
The Roxy Regional Theatre is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to producing professional live theatre and promoting the arts, with emphasis on education, in Clarksville, Middle Tennessee and the Southeast. The theatre is located at 100 Franklin Street in Historic Downtown Clarksville.
For more information, visit www.roxyregionaltheatre.org.
Planters Bank Presents
Roxy Regional Theatre
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Home » Frequently asked Questions on Health » Which test should I take to diagnose fungal infection?
Which test should I take to diagnose fungal infection?
Answered by: Dr Kamlendar Singh | Senior Consultant, Dermatology and Venereology,
Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, New Delhi
Q: I am a 28 years old man having fungal infection with some redness, inflammation, itching in the penile region, more specifically on the head of the penis and the other area below it. The doctor prescribed Flucanozole tablets for this. I also consulted a skin specialist and he diagnosed it to be candidiasis and gave me Nizral tablets with Candid cream to be applied on the affected area and told me not to take Fluconazole. Even after completing the 7 days of treatment, the red sores were still present and not much improvement was seen, although the pain and itching had gone. I visited the skin doctor again and he was also surprised to know that the redness was still there and changed my medication, which was for herpes. As per my understanding signs for herpes are generally blisters in the genital area with flu like symptoms, however I have never had any blisters there, it was just rashes and inflammation, which had got a little severe and resulted into certain red sores. What is the most reliable and comprehensive test that would help rule out the chances of herpes? What is the problem that I am having?
A:If till now you have not had any kind of sexual activity, it is very unlikely that you have genital herpes. It is true that the classical lesions of herpes are grouped tiny vesicles, but in a small number of atypical cases it may not be so. The clinical picture maybe non specific and go undetected. Further, serological test may be false positive and even false negative. Therefore in some cases diagnosis becomes evident during follow up. When in doubt, the diagnosis of fungus can be confirmed by KOH examination of the scrapes from an appropriate affected site. There are other conditions in which one can have red spots on the genitals.
How can I get rid of pre-mature greying of hair?
Why am I suffering from itching and skin rashes?
What is wrong with my skin?
What causes abscess in the teeth?
What causes rashes on the abdomen during winter?
What causes darkening of facial skin?
How To Avoid Hyperthermia In Summer: 12 Foods That Reduce Body Heat


Very happy Christmas and a healthy 2019!
Translas – the Dutch welding torch manufacturer – has extended its product range and now offers a whole line of mobile filtration units under the name ClearO2.
- The new fume extraction unit Clear02 W100 is developed to make the job of the welder safer and easier.


Can Urol Assoc J. 2015 Nov-Dec;9(11-12):E805-7. doi: 10.5489/cuaj.2833. Epub 2015 Nov 4.
Isolated penile torsion in newborns.
Department of Pediatric Surgery, Koc University School of Medicine, Istanbul, Turkey.
We reported on the incidence of isolated penile torsion among our healthy children and our approach to this anomaly.
Between 2011 and 2014, newborn babies with penile torsion were classified according to the angle of torsion. Surgical correction (penile degloving and reattachment for moderate cases and dorsal dartos flap technique in case of resistance) after 6 months was advised to the babies with rotations more than 45°.
Among 1000 newborn babies, 200 isolated penile torsions were found, and among these, 43 had torsions more than 45°, and 4 of these had angles greater than 90°. The mean angle of the rotations was found 30.45° (median: 20°). In total, 8 children with 60° torsions were previously circumcised. Surgery was performed on 19 patients, with a mean patient age of 12 ± 2 months. Of these 19, 13 babies were corrected with degloving and reattachment. This technique was not enough on the remaining 6 patients; therefore, derotational dorsal dartos flap was added to correct the torsion. After a mean of 15.6 ± 9.8 months, residual penile rotation, less than 15°, was found only in 2 children.
The incidence of isolated penile torsion is 20% in newborns. However, rotation more than 45° angles are seen in 4.3% of male babies. Correction is not necessary in mild degrees, and penile degloving with reattachment is enough in most cases. If the initial correction is insufficient, dorsal dartos flap rotation is easy and effective. Prior circumcision neither disturbs the operative procedure nor affects the outcomes.


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Dingle Bay Delight - Krystal and Richard's Ballintaggart Wedding by Ed Peers
With both Irish and Greek roots, Kyrstal and Richard combined their traditons to say I do in the gorgeous Ballintaggart House. You will just love the beautiful wedding portraits captured by Ed Peers. This is one real wedding not to be missed, with portraits galore, sneaky Dingle pints and simple and sweet decor, brides take note!
Off we go to Dingle this morning - one of our favourite little Irish towns, to celebrate the wedding of Krystal and Richard. After a long friendship, they knew they were meant to be when sparks flew one evening while they were out with friends. A surprise proposal in Spain and a token ring and the pair were on their way to planning their dream wedding. With both Irish and Greek roots, Krystal and Richard combined their traditions to say I do in the gorgeous Ballintaggart House. You will just love the beautiful wedding portraits captured by Ed Peers. This is one real wedding not to be missed, with portraits galore, sneaky Dingle pints and simple and sweet decor, brides take note!
Richard and Krystal knew each other for ten years before they got together officially. It wasn't until a chance meeting that sparks began to fly...We hadn't seen each other for a few years and one night we bumped into each other while we were out with friends and got talking. Something was different this time and we both realised there was something there that was more than friendship between us. After a few dates, things had quickly developed into the start of a relationship and after only a few months, we had fallen in love with each other and both knew it was for keeps.
Richard planned to take Krystal completely by surprise when it came to the proposal. Krystal was hoping for a ring on her birthday, but when the time came and passed with no sign of a ring, she began to wonder would Richard ever propose... While we were on holidays in Spain we headed out for dinner. Out of the blue during the meal Richard stood up and then got down on one knee. I was so gobsmacked that to this day I don't remember exactly what he said but I do remember the question at the end of his little speech, 'Will you marry me?' He presented me with a ring and in floods of tears and complete shock, I said yes. He popped the ring on my finger and sat back down. The ring was actually a piece of costume jewellery as he was too afraid to choose the ring himself. A wise decision as it turned out, when we went shopping for my ring, I didn't even know what I wanted. I spent the whole evening with the biggest grin on my face, staring at a ring that after a few days made my finger green!
Krystal and Richard had a few priorities when it came time to plan their wedding. Firstly, they wanted to get married in Dingle, in the same church where Richard's parents, grandparents and sister had gotten married. They also wanted to find a non-traditional venue for the reception, that would allow them to put their own stamp on the place. So the couple headed to Dingle in search of the right place. Krystal was a little dubious that they'd find a venue in Dingle since she had never been to the town, but when the concierge at their hotel suggested Ballintaggart House, they drove over straight away to check it out. As it turns out, it ticked all the boxes... John, the owner explained that we would have a lot of freedom in decorating the house with our own touches and could do things the way we wanted, music to my ears!
Krystal's lace gown is stunning and her bouquet with cream and brown tones is beautiful against the soft lace.
Babys breathe is such a sweet pew end decoration, so simple and sweet.
Venue and date booked, Krystal started working on plans for the invitations, which she wanted to be personal and give their guests a sense of what was to come. Krystal came across Grace & Saviour, a One Fab Day favourite, and asked Grace to come up with an invitation design that could incorporate things from both their Irish roots and Krystal's Greek background. The finished invitations included a monogram based on Greek headdresses that were used in Krystal's parent's wedding, as well as lavender to signal their Irish roots. Krystal then displayed the headdresses on the top table during the ceremony.
As for the flowers, Krystal knew she wanted to work with a friend from London, so she enlisted Jessie of John & Jessie's Flowers to help her come up with arrangements with gypsophilia also known as Baby's Breath like her own parents' wedding. They also used jars that were based on old-fashioned milk canisters that reminded Krystal of the summers she spent on her uncle's farm in Ireland helping milk cows.
After the ceremony, Richard and Krystal popped off for a sneaky pint and what a photo-op for Ed!
The couple had lots of family and friends travelling to Ireland for the wedding, so the day before the celebrations Krystal and Richard held a rehearsal dinner to make sure their guests got a chance to get to know each other before the big day.
Krystal and Richard took a detour with Ed down to the beach for these amazing photos. The colours are so romantic and Ed captured the beauty of Krystal's bridal look - don't you just love her veil!
Back at Ballintaggart House the couple greeted their guest and the party got started...
Krystal's bridesmaids wore soft pink dresses that were beautiful against Krystal's lace gown and bouquet.
The couple had The Hitmen Trio play at the reception, they included a few Irish songs to their set which the guests throughly enjoyed... I don't think I'll ever forget walking in to find half the guests jumping up and down to Fields of Athenry.
There's that beautiful lavender again with the menus - a lovely way to show your Irish roots.
The decor for the reception was kept pure and simple. White table settings with craft paper place cards, menus to match the ceremony booklets, designed by Grace of Grace and Saviour, lavender and twine elements and a stunning floral arrangement that ties in beautifully with the brides own bouquet.
Krystal's advice for couples planning their own weddings comes hard-earned. On the weekend of the wedding, the van that was driving their wedding supplies (including the wedding dress!) to Ireland broke down before it even made the ferry. Thankfully, the supplies arrived several hours late and the wedding party was able to go into overdrive and get the venue decorated by 3am the night before the wedding! Krystal's words of wisdom... Try to relax if you can. The planning process will always have its stressful moments but things always work out in the end.
And there's a delicious looking Cloudberry Bakery masterpiece - yum!
Congratulations, Krystal and Richard! A huge thanks goes to Ed Peers for sharing his work with us at One Fab Day! To see more of Ed's work pop over to www.edpeers.com
Reception: Ballintaggart House
Photographer: Ed Peers
Cake: Cloudberry Bakery
Flowers: John & Jessie
Bridesmaids dresses: Dessy @ Confetti & Lace
Wedding Dress & Veil: Pronovias
Shoes: Jenny Packham at Debenhams
Groomsmen suits: Bride & Groom
Stationery: Grace & Saviour
Reception Music: The Hitmen Trio
Videographer: Diga Video Productions
Make Up & Hair: Clodagh Cluskey/Kerry Fleming
Ceremony Music: Aoife & Deidre Granville
Car: Connolly Chauffeurs
Ceremony: St Mary's Church, Dingle
Simply the Dream: A Wedding in Killruddery & Avoca
Sweet Mint & Navy - A Summer Garden Wedding
Siobhan Byrne Photography
Sharon Hoey


My friends occasionally ask how much the natural/local/organic lifestyle costs. My answer: You're not going to save money.
Though there are tremendous health benefits to changing your diet, getting past the almighty dollar is still hard. It's easy to love the idea of buying that locally-produced granola, but it's not so easy to justify the $9 price tag.
Local food will almost always cost more than food produced on an economy of scale and shipped in from distance. In some cases, prices will be about equal.
There is, however, one notable exception. You will usually save money on in-season foods bought at a farmer's market. How do you know what's in season? It's whatever is at the market.
Indeed, corn is wicked cheap right now. So are blueberries (though blueberry fields will be shutting down shortly). Cucumbers and zucchini are practically free.
There is one more option to buying local and saving money: Pick the produce yourself. For a few dollars, an hour or two, and some fuel, you can come home with lots of inexpensive, local, and in-season produce. PickYourOwn.org has a well-maintained list of pick-your-own farms around the United States.
We've been trained by years of artificially-deflated food prices to think that $4 for a dozen eggs or gallon of milk is expensive. It's not. The prices of local food tend to be exactly what we should be paying for them. From there, finding a good deal is just a matter of hitting the farmer's market at the right time of year and stocking up when the getting's good.


As increasingly customers in the present day want to shop from the internet, you just can't afford not to have a web-based order option and online fee system on your web site. The person goes online to pay hire, HOA dues, vacation home rental costs, inn fees or a church donation. Many processors (comparable to those listed beneath) act as both the service provider account as well as the fee gateway. I believe they've two sorts: one is for issuing the payment (largely for affiliate or service homeowners), then one other one is for receiving cost.
Some providers do not include the mounted fee; others charge a monthly charge (say $50) for using the app as a substitute of the fastened price. The online cost course of begins when the visitor clicks the button to pay on-line for membership charges or an occasion registration, or to make a donation or buy one thing from your on-line retailer. You too can get Online Cost Processing system which is also delivered preserving in thoughts the necessities of the merchants.
It's highly secure because it uses a PIN-based mostly authentication course of compared with the signature-primarily based bank card payment process. These processing systems are highly preferred by the retailers as they're very secure. We are going to gladly support you in selecting essentially the most applicable payment techniques for your needs. You do not have to worry as a lot about safety, since clients enter their payment data on a third get together web site—and also you might even have much less abandoned shopping carts since customers can use an existing account to pay.
Online shopping in Hong Kong has been a choose of the day for a while now, as most of the e-commerce web sites provide totally different gives with handy strategies of constructing payments using fee Asia cost gateway system. Stripe's core business is an API that lets developers easily combine on-line funds into their website. With the period of digitization and technological enlargement, on-line means have been taking up the paperwork to completely digital work.


Let's act like your name is Candy or would you prefer Chardonnay?
Said, "How you do it so good?"
She said, "I'm just getting started, boy"
I said, "Let's take it to the bed"
And she said, "No, let's do it right here, baby"
I know all the spots that drive you crazy"


text:
Q: FTP - Batch file hangs on put / Creates zero bytes file I have created a bat file that uses ftp to put a file on another location (code below). If I log on to the location manually I can place the file without a problem.
However, when running the batch file the process hangs at the put command. It does indeed place a file there but it is zero bytes and it never increases.
Any help with this problem would be much appreciated.
ftp -s:%0
goto done
open ftp.domain.co.uk
Username
password
cd NewFolder
put C:\Test.txt
bye
: done
@echo off
exit

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
[act-ma] Paul Zaloom's "White Like Me: a Honky Dory Puppet Show" at	MassArt -- October 21-22
Mary Curtin marycurtin at comcast.net
Mon Oct 3 10:28:34 PDT 2016
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Political satirist and puppeteer Paul Zaloom will perform his
<http://www.puppetshowplace.org/zaloom> "White Like Me: a Honky Dory Puppet
Show" on Fri. & Sat., Oct. 21 & 22, @ 8 pm, in Mass. College of Art's Tower
Auditorium, located at 621 Huntington Ave., Boston, MA 02115.
<http://www.zaloom.com/> Paul Zaloom's performance is his response to the
ongoing national dialogue on race. This outrageous political comedy uses
Zaloom's high-def, low-brow signature style to explore white privilege. Last
year, Zaloom's show was branded "a questionable puppet show" by Senator John
McCain. However, the NY Times has called Zaloom "one of the most original
and talented political satirists working in theater today." The show is
being presented by  <http://www.puppetshowplace.org/> Puppet Showplace
Theater to launch its annual adult "Puppets at Night" series. For more
info.:  <http://www.puppetshowplace.org> www.puppetshowplace.org, (617)
731-6400,  <mailto:info at puppetshowplace.org> info at puppetshowplace.org.
--submitted by marycurtinproductions (on behalf of Puppet Showplace Theater
and Paul Zaloom)
c/o Mary Curtin
PO Box 290703, Charlestown, MA 02129
617-470-5867 (cell),  <mailto:marycurtin at comcast.net> marycurtin at comcast.net
"dedicated to staging insightful entertainment, particularly in
non-traditional venues"
<http://www.marycurtinproductions.com/> www.marycurtinproductions.com
<http://www.facebook.com/marycurtin> www.facebook.com/marycurtin
<http://twitter.com/marycurtin> http://twitter.com/marycurtin
<https://www.pinterest.com/curtinmaryc/> www.pinterest.com/curtinmaryc/
<http://www.dirtywaterbrassband.com/> www.dirtywaterbrassband.com
<http://www.facebook.com/dirtywaterbrassband>
www.facebook.com/dirtywaterbrassband


text:
Is Gender a Social Construct?
The hierarchical structure of gender is upheld in order to maintain social control.
Gender is used by nation states for greater administrative control.
Stereotypes and normative scripts around gender have developed such that people face societal pressure to buy into them, and potentially face social consequences for not doing so. In this way society continues to construct gender and expect different behaviour on the basis of gender.
Patriarchal societies have an interest in perpetuating a societal system traditionally run by men. They do this through the idea of fixed gender identities and roles.
Foucault argued that when sex and sexuality become an object of knowledge, the people who control this knowledge become increasingly important as they have an influence on behaviors. The same happens with gender, as part of the same discourse.
Hierarchical structures based on biological sex have evolved in many species – all with lesser cognitive abilities than Homo sapiens, with no evidence that there is any conspiracy of one gender to control another.
If gender is a social construct meant to exalt the masculine and suppress the feminine, it is unclear why a biological male would chose to identify as a female, to his own disadvantage.
This could be true even if gender is entirely biological and immutable.
Many now and former totalitarian countries (the USSR, China,
Ethiopia, (pp. 101-116) etc.) have used gender equity as a means of social control.
Gender roles are necessary for society to function healthily. Without them there would be confusion and chaos.
Men are naturally more powerful than women.
Some studies have found that children raised in same-sex families have
worse academic outcomes and are twice more likely to have emotional
problems. This shows that gender differences are the natural basis of families and thus our society.


The 900 Series Door Closer is part of Cal-Royal's finest Grade 1 door closers. With features such as non-handed universal installation, adjustable closing and latch speed and adjustable back-check, the heavy duty commercial door closer is well suited for office building, shopping centers and other commercial buildings.
Closer Body Projection from Door: 2-7/8"


text:
« Irrational behaviour take 2
Erisian fields »
Pluto no go
"Even as the finite encloses an infinite series, and in the unlimited limits appear, So the soul of immensity dwells in minutiae. And in the narrowest limits, no limits inhere. What joy to discern the minute in infinity! The vast to perceive in the small, what Divinity!."
Jakob Bernoulli
It seems the controversy over Pluto's demotion as a planet is not going to go away just yet awhile. Many astronomers (from Gr. astro-nomos, literally "naming, arranging, regulating of stars") feel that a decision like this shouldn't have be made by only 4% of the International Astronomical Union's membership, and that given the cultural ownership of the word, perhaps even wider consultation is necessary. Dr. Tony Phillips is one. As NASA's website production editor and webmaster at Spaceweather.com, his views have a higher profile than most and he's now running a poll on the subject which you can vote in and contribute your comments to.
Astronomers at the IAU's General Assembly voted on August 24th to define a planet as:
"… a celestial body that (a) is in orbit around the Sun, (b) has sufficient mass for its self-gravity to overcome rigid body forces so that it assumes a hydrostatic equilibrium (nearly round) shape, and (c) has cleared the neighborhood around its orbit." (full text)
Clause (c) in the IAU's definition seems most unsatisfactory. While appreciating that it attempts to define in some vague way a gravitational threshold above which a large body is either able to attract matter into orbit or repel it ("clearing the neighbourhood"), it looks very shakey in the instance of Mercury who's clear neighbourhood likely has far more to do with its proximity to the Sun than its own gravitational strength, which isn't even sufficient to create an atmosphere. At only 4,880km diameter, compared to Pluto's 2,296km and 2003 UB313's 2,400km, Mercury looks much more comfortable amongst the dwarf planets than it does next to Earth (12,756km) and Venus (12,104km), let alone Saturn (120,034km) and Jupiter (142,740km). And even taking into account its considerably greater density, giving it a higher mass and proportionately much stronger gravitational pull than Pluto, the exclusion of Pluto still seems somewhat arbitrary and not wholly justified.
It seems absurd in any case to try to draw rigid group distinctions between a collection of heterogeneous bodies. While Pluto plainly is something of a maverick in the company of the larger outer planets, it's still about drawing a notional line on a continual sliding scale of magnitude. The decision on whether something is a planet or not consequently has to be as much cultural as scientific. Possibly even psychological and philosophical into the bargain.
The discovery of new planets has proceeded in tandem with human progress and scientific exploration, and has come to be associated with it, so it feels instinctively "wrong" that the number of planets should become fixed. It's tantamount to saying we can go no further. Trying to define "planet" scientifically purely to satisfy our desire to be "scientific" about something when it's clearly not very appropriate to do so is poor reasoning and would seem to indicate a retrograde step in our progress. How pertinent that this should be reflected in the IAU shrinking our solar system from 9 to 8 planets! While Pluto was in retrograde motion relative to the Earth at that.
The IAU's inital draft proposal didn't, on the face of it, seem much better since this would have resulted in an increase in the number of planets from 9 to 13 (or 12 if Pluto-Charon is considered a unit). It felt like too great a step … increments of one seem to make far more sense.
But it's pertinent to consider (from L. con-siderare, literally "with the constellations") all that Pluto represents symbolically, whether purely by association with the Roman deity it's named for, or in astrological terms (from Gr. astro-logos, literally "the word, intelligence, reason of the stars"), in relation to the collective psyche. From the time of their first discovery, the planets have represented archetypes in the collective psyche (which indeed the Roman and Greek gods they are named for also did). The Plutonic is something that's been emerging into the light of day out of the Jungian shadow of the collective mindset since its discovery in 1930. That year saw a sea-change in German politics with the rise of National Socialism, and all it precipitated, with its eventual revelation to the world of the depths of depravity humankind was capable of sinking to. Society's greatest danger to itself and to the Earth lies in that shadow territory – what lies buried in the unconscious underworld – and we are still largely unconscious of what potential resides in all of us, and of all that's going on behind the scenes in our name. (As it happens, Jung's perceptions of the human psyche were also coming to prominence around the time of Pluto's discovery.) This step by the IAU seems to symbolise a wider scale attempt by those in positions of "authority" to bury the Plutonic back down in the depths out of sight again. Highly pertinent in view of all the questions that are being asked of the events of 9/11 and beyond, but a backward step for the cause of ethical open government, even a disastrous (from L. dis-astrum, literally "against the stars") one.
"I'm saying that we should trust our intuition. I believe that the principles of universal evolution are revealed to us through intuition. And I think that if we combine our intuition and our reason, we can respond in an evolutionary sound way to our problems."
It's not just Pluto we need to bring back into the light of consciousness either. 2003 UB313, codenamed "Xena" by her discoverers, has been waiting for her official name for an unprecedented amount of time now – over a year. To demote her from planetary status before she even received her official name (= conscious recognition) seems like the greatest of insults, not to mention having ominous implications for our future psychological wellbeing and the health of the planet. Is it any accident that the demotion of the giant asteroid Ceres (the Roman Earth Goddess) from planet to asteroid coincided with the Industrial Revolution and the consequent rape of the Earth? "Xena"'s formal recognition and restoration to planetary status seems crucial. We really could do with the services of a warrior princess around the place right now.
In the light of this more symbolic interpretation of the IAU's original proposal, it's beginning to look as if the conference would have been better advised to accept that considerably more enlightened vision of our solar system. For it was also to have admitted Ceres, symbolically bringing back to consciousness a need to care for the Earth, and Charon (Greek for 'fierce brightness') who, as ferryman of the newly dead across the Acheron to Hades, is the link between Mercury/Hermes (= conscious wordly rational mind) and Pluto/Hades (= the primordial underworld of the collective unconscious).
So we've kept Mercury (how indeed could we let it go?) but denied Pluto and ourselves the opportunity for the fierce brightness of an enlightened and compassionate appraisal of our collective shadow and what it's doing to ourselves and the planet. Perhaps it's some deep unconscious recognition of this that's bringing out so much mourning for this decision?
One of 2003 UB313's discoverers Mike Brown also has some interesting comments on the controversy, and his thoughts about his discovery in the wake of the IAU's decision.
"Everything you see has its roots in the unseen world. The forms may change, yet the essence remains the same. Every wonderful sight will vanish; every sweet word will fade, But do not be disheartened, The source they come from is eternal, growing, Branching out, giving new life and new joy. Why do you weep? The source is within you. And this whole world is springing up from it."
Jalal al-din Muhammad Rumi
Tags: dwarf planet, IAU, International Astronomical Union, Pluto
This entry was posted on Thursday, September 7th, 2006 at 3:52 pm	and is filed under Astrology, General science. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.


Tanya Pottinger (right), Human Resources Generalist, Gershow Recycling, poses with Brian Schaaf (left), a member of Longwood High School's Class of 2018.
Mr. Schaaf was awarded a one-time scholarship in the amount of $1,000 from Gershow Recycling. As a leading environmental recycling company, Gershow awards the competitive scholarship to graduating seniors who have displayed exemplary efforts in the fields of environmental science or engineering while in high school and plan to continue to pursue higher education degrees in either of these areas of study.


Imbalanced classes put "accuracy" out of business. This is a surprisingly common problem in machine learning (specifically in classification), occurring in datasets with a disproportionate ratio of observations in each class.
In this guide, we'll explore 5 effective ways to handle imbalanced classes.
Let's say your client is a leading research hospital, and they've asked you to train a model for detecting a disease based on biological inputs collected from patients.
But here's the catchâ?¦ the disease is relatively rare; it occurs in only 8% of patients who are screened.
Well, guess what? Your "solution" would have 92% accuracy!
For patients who do not have the disease, you'd have 100% accuracy.
For patients who do have the disease, you'd have 0% accuracy.
First, please note that we're not going to split out a separate test set, tune hyperparameters, or implement cross-validation. In other words, we're not going to follow best practices (which are covered in our Data Science Primer).
For this guide, we'll use a synthetic dataset called Balance Scale Data, which you can download from the UCI Machine Learning Repository here.
This dataset was originally generated to model psychological experiment results, but it's useful for us because it's a manageable size and has imbalanced classes.
It has 1 target variable, which we've labeled balance.
While these results are encouraging, the model could be overfitted, so you should still evaluate your model on an unseen test set before making the final decision.
*Update: One of our readers, Marco, brought up a great point about the risks of using SMOTE without proper cross-validation. Check out the comments section for more details or read his blog post on the topic.
For example, let's say you wished to predict credit card fraud. In your dataset, each method of fraud may be labeled separately, but you might not care about distinguishing them. You could combine them all into a single 'Fraud' class and treat the problem as a binary classification.
Anomaly detection, a.k.a. outlier detection is for detecting outliers and rare events. Instead of building a classification model, you'd have a "profile" of a normal observation. If a new observation strays too far from that "normal profile," it would be flagged as an anomaly.


I have a local install of WordPress I use for getting updates and testing them. It is a single site install if it matters.
"You have reached your maximum enabled sites for automatic updates. You may change which sites are enabled or upgrade to a higher membership level here »"
I'd love to re-enable the automatic updates... any ideas how to make that happen?
It is possible you've somehow linked another account? I've checked your account, and you shouldn't have any limit like this.
If the site you're working with is listed, go ahead and click the "x" to remove it for now.
Now sign in again to the WPMU DEV Dashboard plugin (inside your Wordpress dashboard) Be sure to choose "already a member"
Let me know if this resolves the problem or if you're still having issues.
I followed the steps you suggested. I was able to remove the API key, but when I went to the site to remove it, it did not show up. There was another membership account, but I checked on that and it was not there either.
So you have multiple memberships? Are you sure you're signing back in with the same credentials for your Gold Membership?
Feel free to contact us via email (contact form) and we can verify the exact username for you.
If resetting it doesn't fix it, I'm not sure what else to check actually. Let me get in touch with our lead developer on this to see if he has any ideas.
I upgraded from bronze to gold two days ago, and I am having a similar problem with my local installation. I have followed the instructions from this discussion with not solution.
Thanks for letting us know. Sorry to hear you're having this issue. I've checked your account and this could be related to the space in the folder name of your local installation. As a general rule, the internet doesn't play well with spaces in folder names or URLs. Can you try renaming that folder and relinking your site?
Actually, the problem seems to have resolved itself. I will change the name just in case. Thanks for the information though.
Thanks for letting me know this is working again! Let us know if you have any more issues.
I'm having the same problem. None of these steps worked for me. I paid for the FrameMarket theme and I expect to be able to use it.


Hello Skstarkiller , I hope you are doing well today!
It looks like the settings are incorrect. Would you please grant support access to your site from WOMU DEV > Support so I can have a closer look?
Hello Skstarkiller , I hope all is well!
I've change the port from 456 to 25 and Secure SMTP to TLS connection type and the email sent succsefully.
Would you please try it from your end and confirm that is working?
Just tried sending a test and got a pop up that says "Failed to send test email! Make sure that entered email is correct and also check outgoing email settings"
I am also unable to replicate this issue on your website. The test email worked fine for me. Just to make sure we are on same page, I am attaching the screenshot. I tested it from Admin -> eNewsletter -> Settings -> Outgoing Emails -> Test Connection.
If you are still getting this error then could you please tell us where exactly you are getting it and also share the screenshot if possible.
When I go to actually send out the newsletter.
Well, my and Nastia's test shows that the SMTP is working fine. Have you actually made a plugin and theme conflict test ?
If no then please run a plugin/theme conflict test as described in our getting support manual (flowchart).
Let me know how it went! If the issue is still there then please send in FTP and WordPress credentials directly via our secure and private contact form in following format.


Why is it that companies are automatically drawn to using large screens when it comes to providing an "interactive customer experience"? Where's the novelty in that?
Customers want to be able to engage with the signs they see, and large screens don't necessarily encourage that. Most of the time, the easiest way for customers to engage with companies is to start small, with the screen we know all too well: that of our cell phones. It can be as simple as that.
In 2016, digital signage was described as having "immediate appeal as a way to connect with customers," and as "part of a growing infrastructure that will join forces with some of the most exciting (and hyped) technologies of the next decade; IoT, wearables, beacons and so on." We agree. Our product brings this 2-year-old prediction to life. However, where major companies are taking the "giant screen" path, we see the value of applying digital signage techniques to the smaller screens we all carry around with us every day. A smaller screen only means a more intimate interaction.
Large screens also necessitate a constant audience. In other words, since they can't easily be picked up and carried around, someone always needs to be physically in front of them for them to be useful. The mobile screen of your cell phone is exactly that: a way to interact from wherever you are. And chances are you're looking at it a lot more than surrounding signs.
If large screens are only interacted with when people are standing in front of them, that means they cannot lucratively be used to advertise a future event. On the other hand, we see ads on our phones all the time.
While any form of digital signage is a step in the right direction, we know the technology has much more potential. In this case, the smaller the screen, the greater the impact. The grand, be-all and end-all of solutions is a lot closer than we think.


Submitted on Tue, 26/05/2009 - 13:47.
Submitted on Fri, 22/05/2009 - 14:10.
Submitted on Thu, 01/01/2009 - 05:18.
Submitted on Fri, 24/10/2008 - 22:07.
Submitted on Fri, 06/06/2008 - 16:41.
Submitted on Tue, 27/05/2008 - 09:27.
Submitted on Thu, 31/01/2008 - 17:15.
Submitted on Sat, 26/01/2008 - 01:59.
Submitted on Wed, 09/01/2008 - 10:26.


Machined Ceramics, Inc. has over 17 years of experience in the production of precision machined ceramics. Industrial ceramics are used for a wide range of industries, including manufacturing, communications, aerospace, medical and automotive applications. Machined Ceramics employees work to create a prototype according to there customer�s specifications. They also can do production runs of the parts, once they are approved for use.
Fortune 500 companies, Research Universities, Aerospace facilities, and National Laboratories contract with Machined Ceramics to have parts designed and produced. The company Is certified by the US Department of Defense and falls under the Federal Government category of a small woman-owned company. Machined Ceramics supports many local associations, University and Church Events.


Coupon Rate is the interest rate that is paid on a bond/fixed income security. It is stated as a percentage of the face value of the bond when the bond is issued and continues to be the same until it reaches maturity. Once fixed at the issue date, coupon rate of bond remain unchanged till the tenure of the bond and the holder of the bond gets the fixed value of interest at fixed predetermined time intervals.
Coupon Rate is calculated by dividing Annual Coupon Payment by Face Value of Bond, the result is expressed in percentage form.
Step 1: In the first step, the amount required to be raised through bonds is decided by the company, then based on the target investors (i.e. retail or institutional or both) and other parameters face value or par value is determined as a result of which, we get to know the number of bonds that will be issued.
Step 2: In the second step, firstly amount of interest and frequency of payment is decided, and the total annual interest payment is calculated by multiplying the amount of interest with the frequency of payment.
Step 3: In the final step, the amount of interest paid yearly is divided by the face value of a bond in order to calculate the coupon rate.
Let's take an example to understand the calculation of the Coupon Rate formula in a better manner.
Company ABC issued a bond of Rs. 100 Face Value and Rs. 10 as half-yearly interest.
Now, if the market rate of interest is lower than 20% than the bond will be traded at a premium as this bond gives more value to the investors compared to other fixed income securities. However, if the market rate of interest is higher than 20%, then the bond will be traded at discount.
As we know, an investor expects a higher return for investing in a higher risk asset. Hence, as we could witness in the above example, unsecured NCD of Tata Capital fetches higher return compared to secured NCD.
Coupon Rate of a bond is determined after considering various factors, but two of the key factors are interest rates of different fixed income security available in market at the time of issue of bond and creditworthiness of the company.
The coupon rate of a bond is determined in a manner so that it remains competitive with other available fixed income securities. However, the coupon rate of newly issued fixed income securities may increase or decrease during the tenure of a bond based on market conditions, which results in the change in the market value of a bond. Market Value of a bond is a derivation of difference in coupon rate of bond and market interest rate of other fixed income securities. If interest rate of a bond is below the market interest rate, the bond is said to be traded at discount, while if the interest rate of bond is higher than market interest rate, the bond is said to be traded at premium and similarly, a bond is said to be traded at par if interest rate of bond is equal to market interest rate.
The coupon rate is also depended on the creditworthiness of the company. Companies need to undertake credit rating of the bond from a credit rating agency before issuing of the bond. Credit rating agencies assign a credit rating to the bond issue after assessing the issuer on various parameters riskiness of the business in which company operates, financial stability, legal history, default history, ability to repay money borrowed through bond etc. Credit Rating hierarchy starts from AAA and goes up to D, with 'AAA' being most safe and 'D' being Default. Generally, bonds with a credit rating of 'BBB-and above are considered investment grade. Higher the rating of a bond means higher safety and hence lower coupon rate and vice versa.
Coupon Rate Formula helps in calculating and comparing the coupon rate of differently fixed income securities and helps to choose the best as per the requirement of an investor. It also helps in assessing the cycle of interest rate and expected market value of a bond, for eg. If market interest rates are declining, the market value of bonds with higher interest rates will increase, resulting in higher yield and hence higher return on investment and vice versa in increasing market interest rate scenario.


text:
'use strict';

var trackticsKiss = require('..');

function resetKmq() {
    global.window._kmq = [];
}

describe('Tracktics KISSmetrics Plugin', function() {
    var subject;

    beforeEach(function() {
        subject = trackticsKiss();
    });

    it('should define name', function() {
        expect(subject.name).toBe('KISSmetrics');
    });

    describe('#trackPage()', function() {
        var url;

        beforeEach(function() {
            url = '/some/url';
            resetKmq();
            subject.trackPage(url);
        });

        it('should push expected data to _kmq queue', function() {
            expect(global.window._kmq[0]).toEqual(['record', 'Pageview', { Page: url }]);
        });
    });

    describe('#trackEvent()', function() {
        var action, properties;

        beforeEach(function() {
            action = 'click';
            properties = { event: 'Download' };
        });

        describe('when no additional properties are specified', function() {

            beforeEach(function() {
                resetKmq();
                subject.trackEvent(action, properties);
            });

            it('should push expected data to _kmq queue', function() {
                expect(global.window._kmq[0]).toEqual(['record', properties.event]);
            });
        });

        describe('when additional properties are specified', function() {

            beforeEach(function() {
                resetKmq();
                properties.plan = 'Pro';
                subject.trackEvent(action, properties);
            });

            it('should push expected data to _kmq queue', function() {
                expect(global.window._kmq[0]).toEqual(['record', properties.event, { plan: 'Pro' }]);
            });
        });
    });

    describe('when window._kmq is already defined', function() {
        var kmq;

        beforeEach(function() {
            kmq = [];
            global.window._kmq = kmq;

            trackticsKiss();
        });

        it('should preserve window._kmq', function() {
            expect(global.window._kmq).toBe(kmq);
        });
    });
});

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Parshat Beshalach
The People of Israel are trapped between the sea on one side and the advancing Egyptians on the other. They cry out in desperation. (14, 9-12) Moshe is commanded to raise his staff and stretch his hand over the waters to part the sea. The people enter the sea.
Simple enough, or so it seems. Yet the sages explain that the actual entry into the sea was more complicated. The Torah tells us that "the Children of Israel entered into the sea, on dry land." When they first entered the sea was still the sea, only once they entered did it turn into dry land.
According to Chazal the people decided to enter the sea in the face of crashing waves, not a dry path surrounded by walls of water. It was a human decision, and a slightly violent one at that. Their descent into the sea was an expression of their frustration with injustice and their desperation in the face of an intractable problem. This bold decision changed reality and turned the sea onto dry land. What prompted the people to act in such a way? The social dynamic that preceded this decision is debated in the midrash:
And the Children of Israel entered into the sea, on dry land." Rabbi Meir said it one way, and Rabbi Yehudah said it a different way.
Rabbi Meir said it one way: When the tribes were standing by the sea this one said 'I will go down into the sea first' and the other sad, 'I will enter the sea first.' While they were standing and arguing the Tribe of Binyamin jumped and went down into the sea first,,, and the heads of the Tribe of Yehudah started to throw stones at them…
… And Rabbi Yehudah said it a different way: "And the Children of Israel went into the sea…" When the Children of Israel stood by the sea, this one said, "I will not go down into the sea first," and this one said, "I will not go down into the sea first"… And while they were standing and discussing Nachshon son of Aminadav jumped and fell into the sea. (Mechilta d'R.Y, Beshalach- Masechta d'Vayehi, Parsha 5)
According to Rabbi Meir all the tribes wanted to jump into the sea, but the Tribe of Benjamin beat them to it. Consequently, they were targeted by the Tribe of Yehudah for inappropriately seizing control. The midrash then informs us that both tribes were rewarded for their actions: the Shechinah would reside in the portion of Binyamin and the monarchy would be given to the Tribe of Yehudah.
Rabbi Meir views the entrance into the water as a coup, an act of brazenness. In a way the Tribe of Binyamin was ahead of their time; they didn't just speed up the process, they circumvented it. On the other side of the scale there are the defenders of law and order, the Tribe of Yehudah, who stand opposed to the avant-garde jumpers from Binyamin and bring balance to the revolution. These and those act in the service of God. These and those are rewarded for their actions.
Conversely, Rabbi Yehudah believed that none of the tribes wanted to jump into the water. While they were procrastinating, trying to drum up volunteers, Nachshon ben Aminadav from the Tribe of Yehudah jumped in. According to Rabbi Yehudah his leap can be seen as an expression of leadership, audacity, and bravery. (It seems like the Hebrew language agrees with him, since it has turned Nachshon's very name into an adjective for courage.)
A third approach is advanced in Midrash Tehillim. It is brought as part of a discussion between Rabbi Tarfon and his students. He asked them what Yehudah did to merit the monarchy. He offered several suggestions but each one was rejected by his students. Finally, Rabbi Tarfon turned to his students:
He said to them: If so, by what did he merit (to rule)?
They said to him: [It was] in the merit of his leap into the waves of the sea, for all the tribes were standing and not one would go down into the sea, rather one said, "I will go down first," and the other said, "I will go down first." But Yehudah sanctified the Name of the Holy One, blessed be He, and went down. And this is the reason he merited [to receive] the monarchy. As it says, "Yehudah became His sanctuary" (Tehillim 114, 2) Because Yehudah sanctified [God's name], therefore, "Israel became His dominion," [God gave Israel dominion, kings]. And because Yehudah made God's Name known, the name of Yehudah was made great amongst Israel. (Midrash Tehillim Buber, 96)
According to the students Yehudah was given the monarchy because he actually jumped into the sea while everyone else was still just discussing it. Rabbi Meir viewed Binyamin's action as pushy; he criticized them for making something happen before it's time. Yet Rabbi Tarfon's students see the same action performed by Yehudah as appropriate; for them it is a source of merit and it turns Yehudah into a leader.
These midrashim offer us three different points of view; three different situations and states of mind that lead to such a leap. Rabbi Tarfon's students see the deliberations of the different tribes as pathetic attempts to cover up their own reticence and hesitation. A leader needs to act. Sometimes a leader can't wait for things to develop and processes to play themselves out; sometimes a leader has to create the process, ignite the spark. But Rabbi Meir sees this leap differently, as a brazen act that broke through the bounds of accepted community practice. Such actions may not stem from bravery so much as a thoughtless lack of consideration. So even if it turns out that such a leap was the right thing to do still society must respond to restore balance. And yet for Rabbi Yehudah, while it may be against the current, this leap into the water is necessary to move the people from their paralyzing fear of change. And it has immediate results, both changing the world and the way the people perceive it.
Every generation has a similar experience, the feeling that they are closed in at all sides, stuck between a rock and a hard place. It's not always advancing Egyptians and crashing waves, but while the dilemmas may change they always seem to lead us down a dead end road. The ones who are hesitant or afraid of leaping into the water are not going to find us a way out. The problem can only be solved by those who are willing to leap into the water, those who turn it into dry land through the sheer force of their will. This is what Rav Kook says about those who avoid forging new paths:
In the settled world there are weak ones, those who are respected and proper, and are scared by the question: "Who among us can dwell with the devouring fire? Who among us can dwell in the everlasting burning?" But they really should not be afraid, rather it is a sin perpetrated by those who are weak willed, the scared sycophants, and "trembling took hold of them." (Orot Zironim, pg. 121-123)
There are others who refuse to surrender, who search for some way out, even if it is "choppy" or dangerous. But not all trailblazers are equal. They have different motives and so the types of change they instigate are also different. Some of them start fights that others have to put a stop to, sometimes by force, in order to fix the situation. The revolution that these people start is a multi-step process; change for the better does not come about immediately. Rav Kook describes these people as follows:
Their stirrings are alive and they will not be calmed. It is apparent in the brazen faces of the generation, the principled evildoers, those who sin not because they can't control their hunger- but instead to elicit anger… yet the spark of courage contained in their will is a point of holiness. (ibid)
Finally, there are those that break the mold. They don't abide by the norms, they break through and forge new paths, but they do so thoughtfully and intelligently:
"Tzaddikim, brave as lions- through the brave spirit of their clear and courageous intellect, and the courage of their sentiment, and practical revelation that is stable and clear- they reveal the truth of the repairs and the constructs."
Despite the obstacles that stand in their way these trailblazing tzaddikim are ready to make it their responsibility to forge a new path, one that we will recognize as true.


text:
Fractyl Health Appoints Kelly Barnes to the Company's Board of Directors
LEXINGTON, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Fractyl Health, an organ editing metabolic therapeutics company focused on pioneering a new approach to the treatment of type 2 diabetes (T2D), today announced the appointment of Kelly Barnes to the company's board of directors.
Kelly Barnes has a storied 30+ year career as a visionary, forward-thinking, and transformational leader at PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC). She will join Fractyl Health's board, bringing her depth of audit experience, thought leadership in healthcare innovation, and exceptional communications skills to bear, as the company progresses its novel therapeutic approaches to one of the most burdensome diseases of our time.
"Type 2 diabetes is an urgent health care crisis that is exploding globally. New approaches that can change the trajectory of this disease are sorely needed in order for us to be able to improve the health of our society," said Ms. Barnes. "I am thrilled to join the Fractyl Health board as it works to fulfill its mission."
"We are witnessing an exciting and important time in how we understand and treat type 2 diabetes, with a shift from chronic blood sugar management to therapeutic approaches targeting the disease's root cause and aiming to modify the progression of disease," said Harith Rajagopalan M.D., Ph.D., Fractyl Health Co-Founder and CEO. "Kelly's experience in leading healthcare transformation will be a crucial asset on our board as we advance the development of our therapies for T2D."
Kelly Barnes is a retired partner from PwC. Ms. Barnes worked at PwC from 1988 to 2020, most recently serving as Global Health Industries Leader from 2018-2020 and as US Health Industries Leader from 2009-2020. Ms. Barnes currently serves on the board of directors of Included Health and is a member of the Executive Advisory Board for the Walton College of Business at the University of Arkansas. She earned a B.S. in business administration and an MSA in accounting from the University of Arkansas.
About Fractyl Health
Fractyl Health is focused on pioneering a new approach to the treatment of T2D. Despite advances in treatment over the last 50 years, metabolic diseases in general, and T2D in particular, continue to be a principal and rapidly growing driver of morbidity and mortality in the 21st century. Fractyl Health's goal is to transform T2D treatment from chronic blood glucose management to disease-modifying therapies that target the organ-level root causes of the disease. Fractyl Health's lead product candidate, Revita, is designed to remodel the duodenal lining via hydrothermal ablation (i.e., duodenal mucosal resurfacing) in order to edit abnormal intestinal nutrient sensing and signaling mechanisms that are a potential root cause of metabolic diseases. Revita is for investigational use only in the US and received Breakthrough Device Designation from the FDA. Fractyl Health is a private organ-editing metabolic therapeutics company based in Lexington, MA. For more information, visit www.fractyl.com or www.twitter.com/FractylHealth.
Fractyl Health
Appoints
Kelly Barnes
As the sixth most-funded project ever in the history of Kickstarter, the DELTA Pro broke records to raise over €10.6 million
Visa Pioneers Cloud-based Payment Acceptance
DEWALT® To Premiere New Innovation for the Commercial Concrete and Masonry Construction Industries at World of Concrete® Trade Show
Intricacies Of A Successful Land Air Manatees Animal Transfer Underscores The Deep Expertise Of Seaworld, DHL Express, And Columbus Zoo Teams


There are millions of details and things to know about every single person in the world, so it feels strange to sit down and choose the few that people might find the most important.
I'm Lilly Moore, a 20-year-old girl who spends most of her time trapped in a tower of metric spaces, initial topologies, hyperexponential distributions and quasilinear partial differential equations (i.e. my degree course). Sometimes we get a bit of sunlight and study the epidemiology of malaria, construct models of brains and replicate the World Model. And other times we invent pancake theorems, play table tennis with the Tea Guy and go on Secret Agent Quests throughout uni in search for Rare Problem Set Solutions.
In the evenings, I manage to get out and spill my deepest thoughts out into poems and stories, blog posts and videos.


Justice for Deepan | Born in Canada but currently STATELESS.
Journal article on Deepan Budlakoti's case: "The Extraordinary Statelessness of Deepan Budlakoti: The Erosion of Canadian Citizenship Through Citizenship Deprivation" by sociologist Daiva Stasiulis has been posted on the website of the European Union Democracy Observatory on Citizenship, a network composed by european lawyers and and political scientists experts working on citizenship, and increasingly on citizenship deprivation. Visit the website here.
This entry was posted in Media Coverage on 14/02/2017 by admin.
Aujourd'hui, on rencontre un homme sans statut à Montréal, le gouvernement canadien veut hacker votre téléphone, le Honduras revendique un état sans corruption, des photographes syriens s'unissent pour montrer leur pays sous un nouveau jour, le Stampede à Calgary et le dark web au service des malades.
Pour regarder l'emission, cliquez ici.
This entry was posted in Media Coverage, TV on 14/07/2015 by admin.


text:
package org.openo.nfvo.emsdriver.northbound.client;

import java.util.Properties;

import org.openo.nfvo.emsdriver.commons.constant.Constant;
import org.openo.nfvo.emsdriver.commons.utils.DriverThread;
import org.openo.nfvo.emsdriver.configmgr.ConfigurationInterface;
import org.openo.nfvo.emsdriver.messagemgr.MessageChannel;
import org.openo.nfvo.emsdriver.messagemgr.MessageChannelFactory;

public class NorthMessageMgr extends DriverThread{

	private MessageChannel alarmChannel = MessageChannelFactory.getMessageChannel(Constant.ALARM_CHANNEL_KEY);
	private MessageChannel collectResultChannel = MessageChannelFactory.getMessageChannel(Constant.COLLECT_RESULT_CHANNEL_KEY);
	private ConfigurationInterface configurationInterface ;

	private boolean threadStop = false;

	@Override
	public void dispose() {
		//
		new AlarmMessageRecv().start();

		new ResultMessageRecv().start();
	}

	class AlarmMessageRecv extends Thread{
		long timeStamp = System.currentTimeMillis();

		public void run() {
			while(!threadStop){

				try {
					if(System.currentTimeMillis() - timeStamp > Constant.ONEMINUTE){
						timeStamp = System.currentTimeMillis();

						log.debug("ALARM_CHANNEL Msg size :"+alarmChannel.size());
					}

					Object obj = alarmChannel.poll();
					if(obj == null){
						continue;
					}
					if(obj instanceof String){
						//http
						Properties properties = configurationInterface.getProperties();
						String msbAddress = properties.getProperty("msbAddress");
						String url = properties.getProperty("alarm");
						String postUrl = "http://"+msbAddress+url;

						HttpClientUtil.doPost(postUrl, (String)obj, Constant.ENCODING_UTF8);
					}

				} catch (Exception e) {
					log.error("AlarmMessageRecv exception",e);
				}
			}
		}
	}

	class ResultMessageRecv extends Thread{
		long timeStamp = System.currentTimeMillis();

		public void run() {
			while(!threadStop){

				try {
					if(System.currentTimeMillis() - timeStamp > Constant.ONEMINUTE){
						timeStamp = System.currentTimeMillis();

						log.debug("COLLECT_RESULT_CHANNEL Msg size :"+collectResultChannel.size());
					}

					Object obj = collectResultChannel.poll();
					if(obj == null){
						continue;
					}
					if(obj instanceof String){
						//http
						Properties properties = configurationInterface.getProperties();
						String msbAddress = properties.getProperty("msbAddress");
						String url = properties.getProperty("dataNotifyUrl");
						String postUrl = "http://"+msbAddress+url;
						HttpClientUtil.doPost(postUrl, (String)obj, Constant.ENCODING_UTF8);
					}

				} catch (Exception e) {
					log.error("AlarmMessageRecv exception",e);
				}
			}
		}
	}

	/**
	 * @return the configurationInterface
	 */
	public ConfigurationInterface getConfigurationInterface() {
		return configurationInterface;
	}

	/**
	 * @param configurationInterface the configurationInterface to set
	 */
	public void setConfigurationInterface(
			ConfigurationInterface configurationInterface) {
		this.configurationInterface = configurationInterface;
	}

}


text:
Bristol woman acted as personal assistant to sex workers at brothel
Bristol Crown Court heard she tried to protect foreign women brought into the UK via Bristol to work at Cheltenham brothel
19:33, 5 JUN 2020
Mark Viner (l), Rosana Gomes and Lezlie Davies (r) were sentenced at Bristol Crown Court
A Patchway woman described by a judge as "essentially a thoroughly decent woman" helped in the running of a brothel.
Rosana Gomes acted as a sex workers' personal assistant to book rooms at the sex den in Cheltenham.
Bristol Crown Court heard she was a caring bit player who tried to protect foreign women brought into the UK via Bristol to ply their lucrative trade.
Following an investigation by the South West Regional Organised Crime Unit three people admitted offences related to the enterprise.
Police admit failings in GBH investigation and say sorry to accused man
Man 'bombarded' woman with messages and sent her sexually explicit photos of herself
Mark Viner, 62, who was extradited from his Barcelona home to face justice, pleaded guilty to keeping a brothel, two charges of arranging or facilitating a person with a view to their being exploited, under the Modern Slavery Act, and money laundering between January 2016 and December 2018.
Gomes, 44, of High Six Gardens in Patchway, and Lezlie Davies, 62, of Millennium Plaza in Warwick Place, Cheltenham, pleaded guilty to assisting in the management of a brothel.
Judge William Hart jailed Viner for 69 months.
He handed Gomes and Davies 12-month community orders with 10-week curfews putting them under house arrest over the summer.
Millennium Plaza, Cheltenham
The judge told key offender Viner: "You plead guilty on the basis these women were in the business of supplying sexual services and you did not coerce, pressure or control them."
He told Gomes: "You indirectly assisted in the management of those premises.
"You are essentially a thoroughly decent woman."
Kannan Siva, prosecuting, told the court Viner rented out a flat in Millennium Plaza, Cheltenham, as a brothel - charging £80 a day or £500 a week to sex workers for the privilege.
See the crime rates in your neighbourhood, powered by In Your Area:
Mr Siva said Portuguese speaker Viner paid for two Brazilian women to fly from Paris to Bristol, where he picked them up and drove them to Cheltenham in order to supply sexual services.
The court heard he also admitted money laundering some £388,000 into his bank accounts - money not from his brothel rental earnings but other proceeeds of crime.
When he was arrested in his family home in Spain police found prestige cars and designer clothes, Mr Siva said.
Viner's friend Davies lived as a sub-tenant in the next door flat to the brothel, "kept an eye" on what was going on and sometimes helped women with lifts, the court heard.
Gomes acted as the womens' PA, booking rooms and helping with adult services profiles online.
The court heard there was evidence of her being protective of the women concerning customers, as well as being concerned about their sexual health.
The investigation began in January 2018 after an anonymous letter was received by Gloucestershire Police which detailed allegations against Mark Viner and Lezlie Davies.
Since then, specialist teams at the SW ROCU have worked to gather extensive evidence which led to today's guilty pleas.
Anyone with suspicions about this illegal activity, either victims, offenders or locations, is encouraged to report it to police on 101 or 999 if a crime is in progress.
If you need help or you think someone may be the victim of modern slavery or exploitation, you can also call the confidential UK Modern Slavery Helpline, which is open 24/7, on 08000 121 700 or visit their website
Learn to spot the signs of modern slavery, including sexual exploitation, labour exploitation, domestic servitude, criminal exploitation and child exploitation
You can also report any suspicions to independent charity Crimestoppers. They never ask for your personal information and do not track your device. You can call them on 0800 555 111 or fill in their anonymous online form.


We are currently looking for experienced Rails engineers that are passionate about shipping products our users love!
We're seeking our first engineering hire to take the lead (in collaboration with our technical cofounder) implementing new features.
HRmango is looking to hire a key Senior Software Engineer.


Physical Description  p. of music,  p. ; 35 cm.
Note "As originally introduced in America by Mazie King." ; "The season's great success!" ; Advertisements for songs published by Will Rossiter on p. .
Cover Art Description Illustrated t. p. in orange, black and white / Starmer; photo. of Mazie King and Ten Doner dancing and a separate photo. of Mazie King.
Subject - Library of Congress King, Mazie -- Portraits. ; Doner, Ted -- Portraits. ; Piano music. ; Popular instrumental music -- United States -- 1911-1920. ; Dance music.
Composer Cobb, George L., 1886-1942.


text:
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Not today, thanks
Banned from the stock market, Vicky Zhao is back stronger than ever
Dec 4, 2020 (WiC 521)
Zhao: the actor-director is dominating the air waves right now
Actress Rachel McAdams was 25 when she appeared in Mean Girls, a 2004 movie in which she played a teenage bully. Tom Holland was 24 when he was cast as teenage superhero Peter Parker in the Spider-Man franchise. In both cases the actors were somewhat older than the characters they portrayed.
But it will be hard to beat Carina Lau, 54, who plays a woman half her age in the TV drama Eighteen Springs, which is based on the late Eileen Chang's 1930s Shanghai novel Half a Lifelong Romance.
To give her a more youthful appearance, Lau's hair is tied in a double ponytail and the camera lens is heavily filtered to be more forgiving. However, netizens haven't been convinced, complaining that the age gap between Lau and the 27 year-old character she plays is simply too big to ignore.
"This is just ridiculous. Carina Lau is the same age as the actress who plays her mother on the show," one netizen mocked.
Others questioned why an established actress like Lau would even consider the role (the pay cheque probably helps).
Lau could learn a few things from Zhao Wei, who has pivoted away from acting to directing as a means of resuscitating her career. Last week, Zhao also released Hear Her, an eight-episode monologue series about women's rights. It has been streaming on Tencent Video since mid-November.
Inspired by the BBC's 2018 short-film series Snatches: Moments from Women's Lives, which features an all-female line-up of writers and actors, the first episode of the Chinese show, directed by Zhao herself, follows the story of an internet influencer, played by actress Qi Xi, who is insecure about her physical appearance and hides behind heavy makeup and beautifying camera filters.
In the second episode, starlet Yang Zi plays a character who comes from a broken family and has to put up with an overbearing mother. She says in her monologue: "The greatest love you should have given me is to love yourself first."
In an interview, Zhao says she first watched the British programme two years ago and was inspired to make a show that tells similar stories about the struggles of Chinese women.
The series also addresses some of the issues faced by women in China today, including the pressure to marry and have children by a certain age and some of the challenges encountered in the workplace.
Although she doesn't direct all of the episodes in the series, Zhao is said to have personally invited various stars, including A-listers like Yang Mi (who will appear in the yet-to-be-aired eighth episode) and Bai Baihe, to appear.
"They (the women) need more encouragement, and they also need to confront their various problems and face head-on the different challenges," Zhao explained.
Reviews online have been complimentary, with netizens saying that they find the portrayal of the characters very realistic. "The show directly pokes at our sore spots, exposing our vulnerabilities. Because the content is so real, audiences can recognise snippets of themselves, or other women they know, in the stories," one admirer wrote.
"The content of the stories is very meaningful: self-confidence and substance are so important," another claimed.
The slew of new projects point to how Zhao has redeemed herself after a career dip in 2017, when she talked up a takeover bid for a little-known animation studio despite lacking the financial resources to complete the deal (see WiC389). At the time, regulators claimed that Zhao and her husband had "seriously misled the market with fake information" and barred the actress from China's securities markets for five years.
Her rebound only goes to prove the 44 year-old's resilience and celebrity clout. Her recent role as the director-mentor on Be Ready (see WiC471), a reality acting competition also streamed on Tencent Video, has also helped her rehabilitation in the industry. Zhao is gentle with her feedback for contestants, who she also directs in short films. These potted dramas have consistently come out on top in the competition, beating the contributions of more famous filmmakers like Chen Kaige.
Nevertheless, Zhao still has her critics, some of whom have been accusing her of hypocrisy in her latest series. The actress recently signed up as brand ambassador for the domestic cosmetics label Legend Age, which crops up regularly on Hear Her. "So on the one hand you are talking about appearance anxiety but on the other you are touting facial masks. What a way to mislead audiences," one netizen thundered.
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