One of the most fascinating things about being in a city, is no matter how long you live there, it will always surprise you. Ask any Dubliner about wedding venues and they will reel off a long list of hotels, but what about something a little different? What about the hidden gems around Dublin that hold events, some of which the average Dublin citizen won't ever have thought or even heard of. Today we bring you a small selection of interesting, unknown, unique and even underground (really!) wedding venues in Dublin's fair city, all of which offer amazing options for a fabulous ceremony and some for a party after!
The Chocolate Factory is a creative studio based in an old Williams & Woods Chocolate Factory in the heart of Dublin city. This super cool arty space also has an incredible roof garden, the perfect location for some alternative wedding snaps!
On the other side of Stephen's Green there is a place you have probably passed on many an occasion, but never really noticed - the Stephen's Green Hibernian Club is on the section of the Green between Grafton Street and Dawson Street. The long dining room on the first floor looks out at the trees but the true hidden gem of the club is the Card Room with its magnificent glass domed ceiling.
Drury Buildings is the new cool hipster joint in Dublin 2 owned by Declan O'Regan who also owns Dublin hotspots Hogans, L'Gueuleton and the No Name Bar. Drury Buildings is the closest thing you will get in Dublin to a New York loft style wedding location.
Another Drury Street spot, Medley has a New York style loft style feel to it and is available for private hire complete with personalised catering from chef Andrew Rudd - a perfect choice for foodies looking for an intimate venue.
Located on the top floor of the historic Powerscourt Townhouse Centre is the Powerscourt Theatre an event space with a difference. The painted brick walls, large Georgian windows complete with blackout shutters and timber floors create the ideal unique surroundings perfect for an alternative style wedding ceremony (no receptions unfortunately).
Another very grand venue that's probably not on your radar is the President's Hall at the Law Society in Blackhall Place. Unfortunately the pictures on the website don't do it justice, but from what I can remember from being at my aunt's 50th there a few years ago, it's quite like the grand hall in the Royal Hospital Kilmainham - can seat a wedding reception of 200 comfortably.
From June to September The Royal College of Surgeons opens its doors for summer weddings. From open fires & high ornate ceilings, the original building has an air of luxury and warmth whilst the new side of the building offers a selection of rooms with a multi purpose design within a prestigious setting. With lots of capacity options this stylish city centre location could be the location of your dreams.
Before you going bringing a baby into the world at the Rotunda Hospital, you can try the place out for a different sort of big occasion - the Pillar Room is available to rent for exclusive functions including wedding receptions. Though probably only worth considering if you're planning on having a very big wedding - at 300 sq.m. this is a true banquet hall in the grand style.
Any other gems you know of?


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Q: Drush 9 sql:sync error: no database record could be found for source @local I just installed a new Drupal 8 and it comes with Drush 9, and I was trying to set up everything to use the command sql:sync or config:pull to have my local and staging syncronized but everytime I run the command 'drush sql:sync @local @stage' I get the following error

In SqlSyncCommands.php line 86:
[Exception]   Error: no database record could be found for source
  @local

Here's my self.site.yml
local:
  host: localhost
  user: root
  root: /var/www/html/new-drupal
  uri: http://new-drupal.local

stage:
  host: XX.XX.XX.XX
  user: root
  root: /var/www/html/new-drupal
  uri: http://new-drupal.my-staging.com

Searching around I found old versions of the aliases file that included this option:
'databases' =>
     array (
       'default' =>
       array (
         'default' =>
         array (
           'driver' => 'mysql',
           'username' => 'sqlusername',
           'password' => 'sqlpassword',
           'port' => '',
           'host' => 'localhost',
           'database' => 'sqldbname',
         ),
      ),
    ),

But checking the example file of the 9 version there's nothing about it: https://github.com/drush-ops/drush/blob/master/examples/example.site.yml
Did someone had the same problem and found a solution?

A: It's been a while since my conversion. I had similar issues and went with a least-configuration approach.
First, compare the results of the following commands to see if it exposes any problems:
drush site:alias
drush site:alias @self
drush site:alias @local

I don't have a self.site.yml file. I've named mine drush/sites/remote.site.yml and only have remote aliases in it. I do not define a @local alias and use the built-in @self alias instead.
In drush/drush.yml I have:
drush:
  paths:
    config:
      - ../docroot/sites/default/local.drush.yml

In docroot/sites/default/local.drush.yml I only have
options:
  uri: 'http://localhost:port'

With this configuration the results of drush site:alias @self is
'@self':
  root: /var/www/docroot
  uri: 'http://localhost:port'

And assuming I have a valid @stage alias in drush/sites/remote.site.yml I would just run
drush sql:sync @self @stage

If you want a @local alias maybe you should move it over to the local drush config instead.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Sonic Drive Media has announced the release of Dubstep Instrument Rack Presets for Ableton Live Volume 2, a soundset containing 31 Ultra Heavy Dubstep Patches for Ableton Live Suite which Utilize the Operator and Analog Synths.
Heavy Nasty Gritty Dirty Dubstep Presets for Ableton Live. Bring your Dubstep Tracks to the next level with the most up to the minute throbbing bass heavy sounds around. Crush speakers and melt Subs with these Colossal and Brutal sounds. Wobble Basses, Heavy Subs and Lazer Lead Basses round out this Bass heavy pack of Patches that will bring your Dark Dirty Dubstep to the top. Raise your output to the level of the world's most popular performers, such as Datsik, Skrillex, Excision, Doctor P, Downlink and more.
31 Deep Dark Nasty Basses, Wobbles and SubBass Instrument Rack Presets.
All Presets in this SoundBank take full use of the Instrument Rack's 8 Macro controls all programmed and ready for easy manipulation.
Instrument Rack Patches take full use of all Ableton Live's powerful synths, including Operator and Analog.
Ableton Suite required for Operator and Analog, version 8.2.2 or higher.
Dubstep Instrument Rack Presets for Ableton Live Vol 2 is available to purchase for $24.95 USD.


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Q: Add Custom Fields After Page Title I want to add my custom fields after the page title when you view it on the site.  How do I do this?
PAGE TITLE
[CUSTOM FIELDS HERE]
PAGE CONTENT

A: Use get_post_meta() in the theme template you want to modify. Like so...

If This Were Your Page Title

<?php echo get_post_meta(get_the_ID(), 'Your Custom Field Name', true); ?>

Easy peasy. :-)


A pioneer and very popular system plugin to replace all Joomla default icons both on front-end and back-end (admin area). Easy to use and highly customizable. Works with any Template and need no knowledge of coding.
Replace default Joomla! logo everywhere with control for Logo width and height. Now supports background video. Can add custom text and links also.


text:
Home » Tight-lipped board to look internally for school chief
Tight-lipped board to look internally for school chief
PW-S officials who have yet to discuss hiring plans publicly will look within for interim leader, president says
BILL SCHANEN IV
Port Washington-Saukville School Board members who emerged tight-lipped from a 90-minute closed session Monday did not discuss their plan to replace the superintendent they hired just last year but apparently intend to consider internal candidates before looking outside of the district.
After board President Brenda Fritsch reconvened the open session of the meeting and paused briefly for board discussion, of which there was none, member Sara McCutcheon made a motion to authorize Fritsch to contact the "administrators discussed in closed session" to determine if they are interested in applying for the job Supt. Dave Watkins will leave on June 30.
The board approved the motion by a 7-2 vote, with Brian Stevens, who is vice president of the board, and Doug Mueller voting against it.
In an interview Tuesday, Fritsch said the board has identified four district employees who are or will soon be certified to work as school superintendents. She said she will contact those employees to see if they're interested in applying for the superintendent job.
Stevens said in an interview Tuesday that he voted against the motion because he believes the board should consider both external and internal applicants at the same time to ensure it's considering "the best candidates for the district."
Since accepting what was described as both Watkins' resignation and retirement on Oct. 3, the board has yet to publicly discuss in any detail how it plans to replace him.
The agenda for Monday's meeting called for the board to consider in open session several issues related to the hiring process, including filling the vacancy internally or with an outside candidate, recruitment options including the use of a consultant, the interview process and ways to receive public input. It discussed none of those items publicly and, in fact, adjourned immediately after voting on McCutcheon's motion.
Stevens said board members discussed many of those issues in closed session.
"This is maybe not the best way to go about this process," he said. "We probably could be doing this a little smoother. It's just that Dave's resignation was so unexpected. I think we're all a little shell-shocked."
Mueller did not respond to messages.
Fritsch said during an interview that if the board hires an internal candidate, it will be as an interim superintendent. She said the title would not reflect an intention to necessarily replace the person with a permanent superintendent at some point but rather to denote a trial period during which the performance of the candidate selected for the position would be evaluated.
Of concern to the board is that the next superintendent continues the initiatives started under the new administration, in particular the district's strategic planning process, Fritsch said.
"The board feels strongly that we've made a lot of progress recently, especially in the strategic planning process, which is really still in its infancy," she said. "We really want to keep the continuity going in the district."
The board is working quickly, Fritsch said, to determine if there are internal candidates to consider because if there are not, it will look outside the district for the next superintendent and will want to begin advertising in December.
But Stevens said the board doesn't have a clear plan in place.
"We really don't know what the next step will be," he said.
It remains unclear if the board would hire a consultant to conduct the search as it did last year when it hired Watkins, although several members have already said they don't believe the board should repeat the costly and time-consuming process.
Watkins, hired in June 2021 and paid $185,000 a year, stunned school officials by telling them ahead of the Oct. 3 board meeting that he will retire at the end of the school year.
While the resignation of a top administrator is consequential in any district, it is particularly so in the Port Washington-Saukville school system where, after only 14 months on the job, Watkins is the second longest-serving of its four top district office administrators.
Upon submitting his resignation earlier this month, Watkins, a former top administrator in the St. Paul, Minn., school system, said accepting the job of Port Washington-Saukville school superintendent was an opportunity to be closer to relatives, noting that his father-in-law died within days of he and his wife moving to Wisconsin and his father passed away in October 2021.
"Those losses have provided us with an opportunity to reflect and prioritize our thoughts around the future," he said.
Watkins described his decision to retire as strictly personal and difficult.
"I want to be clear, this has nothing to do with our School District," he said. "Decisions like this don't come easily."
Last year, when Mike Weber announced in January he was retiring after 21 years as superintendent, the board hired the Oak Park, Ill., firm School Exec Connect for $16,800 to conduct a search for the district's next leader.
The company's consultants met with district and community groups to develop a superintendent profile that was used to select two finalists — Watkins and Joe Koch, deputy superintendent of the Waukesha School District and a 1997 Port High grad who, like his parents Mary and the late Fran Koch, taught at the school.
In June 2021, after deliberating for hours during three closed meetings, a divided board voted 6-3 to offer a contract to Watkins.
Stevens, who voted against hiring Watkins, said at the time he thought Koch better matched the superintendent profile created by School Exec Connect.
Matthew Uselding, who has since stepped down from the board because he moved out of the district, and Danielle Bartlein said at the time they voted against offering the contract to Watkins because they objected to the way in which the board conducted the hiring process, although neither would elaborate on their criticisms because they did not want to divulge closed-session proceedings.
"For me, this was kind of a protest vote," Uselding said in June 2021. "I was frustrated with the process and disappointed with the way the board conducted itself over the last month. I thought we just didn't do our best work during our closed-session meetings."
Bartlein echoed those comments at the time but earlier this month praised Watkins.
"He has done wonderful things for this district and we're happy for him," she said.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


In the 1980s, the hilly Qianyanzhou region in Jiangxi Province, southern China, faced severe soil erosion due to deforestation and unsustainable farming practices. Fertile red soil was being washed away causing crop yields to tumble.
But a remarkable change has taken place in the last 30 years thanks to a government-backed land-use plan which has seen the upper hills reforested, citrus orchards planted on moderate slopes, and rice paddies in valley bottoms. Within a few years, this mosaic of sustainable land use was yielding higher incomes. Biodiversity and environmental quality, as well as the microclimate, improved.
Huimin Wang, the director of an ecological research station in Ji'an, Qianyanzhou region, briefed UN Environment on the problem and the centre's role in restoring the landscape.
Another key element of the restoration process was agroforestry, supported by the local government: farmers continued to grow cash crops such as peanuts, sesame and vegetables among the restored orchards, and breed Silkie chickens (black-boned with fluffy plumage) in orchards and forest plantations. This ensured economic returns in the early stages of the project and helped improve soil fertility. As well as building dams and ponds, government agencies provided loans to households to help them get started.
According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, about 21.9 per cent, or 206,861,000 hectares of China, was forested in 2010. In just one decade, the Qianyanzhou restoration drive has increased China's total forest area by 74.3 million hectares. Qianyanzhou's forest coverage has increased from 0.43 per cent to nearly 70 per cent.
Forests are a major, requisite front of action in the global fight against catastrophic climate change, thanks to their unparalleled capacity to absorb and store carbon. Forests capture carbon dioxide at a rate equivalent to about one-third the amount released annually by burning fossil fuels. Stopping deforestation and restoring damaged forests, therefore, could provide up to 30 per cent of the climate solution.
Every day people make decisions about what to eat, sometimes opting for colorful fruits and veggies, sometimes finding the smell of bacon irresistible. At the end of the day people are controlling their own health. What is remarkable though, is the possibility that something one swallows today could have a lasting effect on future offspring – children, grandchildren, great grandchildren. New research is finding a generational impact of certain chemicals. This time it's not the bacon we're worried about – but plastics and the toxins within them.
Twenty years ago, researchers at Washington State University discovered accidentally that the now-infamous bisphenol A (BPA) was leaching out of plastic cages, harming the mice within. The contamination caused abnormalities in mice eggs and fertility. Numerous subsequent studies found BPA exposure affects adult fertility and health across species, including monkeys, fish, and humans. Known to decrease sperm count in rats and to cause breast cancer in women, BPA was banned in 2012 by the FDA from being used in baby bottles and sippy cups. Yet BPA is still used in many products, including epoxy resins used to coat canned foods. A 2004 study of 2,517 people found that 93% had detectable quantities of BPA's by-product in their urine.
Since the toxic effects of BPA came to light, several replacement bisphenols were quickly brought to market by chemical companies and are now in widespread use. Twenty years after the BPA toxicity discovery, by remarkable chance, the same Washington State University lab recently noticed again that something was amiss with their mice. This time the mice were housed in cages comprised of replacement bisphenols, largely believed to be safer than BPA. The researchers subsequently performed controlled studies with several of the replacement bisphenols including BPS, a widely used replacement.
Results demonstrated that the new bisphenols behaved similarly to BPA, causing health problems including detrimental effects on fertility in both males and females, reported in Cell Biology in September 2018. Scientist Sarah Hunt explained, "This paper reports a strange déjà vu experience in our laboratory." What the lab discovered once with BPA, it was seeing again with the replacements. Perhaps most troubling were the long-lasting effects of the toxins. Even if all bisphenols could be magically eliminated today, the toxic effects would still last about three generations through the germline of people already exposed. This means bisphenols ingested today could affect the fertility of one's great grandchildren.
The bisphenol case demonstrates that FDA bans do not necessarily solve the root problem. Chemical companies tend to roll out similar chemicals to those that have been banned, because this is the easiest way to bring something to market quickly. But more testing is needed before chemicals are released into the environment. Long term problems such as generational infertility and cancer risk often cannot easily be examined in clinical trials, and environmental effects are not rigorously analyzed prior to release.
The Washington State University study also proved that damaged and heated plastics are particularly deadly, as the damaged cages leached more toxins. This should serve as a warning for those who microwave food in plastic containers for their families. And it should remind us that discarded plastic bottles degrading in oceans and rivers are releasing toxins that cause irreversible infertility.
The current estimate of plastics in our oceans is approximately 150 million metric tons. By 2050, the amount is expected to 'outweigh the fish,' according to Jim Leape, co-director of the Stanford Center for Ocean Solutions. A recent study has determined microplastics (small plastic particles) are present in every river and lake in Britain. And they have been found in tap water, everywhere from the Environmental Protection Agency in Washington, DC to the Trump Grill in New York. A study of 159 drinking water samples on five continents found that 83% of those samples were contaminated. Plastics are everywhere, from the highest mountains to the deepest parts of the ocean and Arctic. Nanoplastics less than 50 nanometers long have even been found in plankton, which is ingested by fish that humans eat.
Scientists are finding that plastics are disrupting marine mammals' ability to reproduce. Many forms of plastic including polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and Bisphenol A are endocrine disruptors, meaning they affect the hormonal systems of animals. An orca of adult age called Lulu, researchers recently found, was barren as if she was a juvenile. Analysis revealed very high levels of PCBs in her lipid tissues. One orca pod off the coast of Scotland has not produced a calf in 25 years. Despite bans on PCBs 30 years ago, toxins remain in orca mothers' milk, and are passed from mother to baby. A recent study published in the journal Science predicts that half the world's population of orcas will be extinct in just a few decades due to PCB poisoning. Researchers have also found that despite the PCB ban in Europe, levels of PCBs have not decreased, indicated that they may be leaching out of landfills. Hormone disruptors have also been found to impair male frogs' fertility, and to cause tadpoles to more frequently develop ovaries rather than testicles, thus skewing the proportion of males to females. Similar problems have been found in fish. Reproductive risks associated with endocrine disrupting chemicals span species.
Bisphenol A is known to decrease sperm count and to cause cancer in many species. Its counterpart replacement plastics (BPS, BPF, BPAF, BPZ, BPP, BHPF… to name just a few), researchers have recently discovered, are no better. Whether these pollutants have already affected humans is anyone's guess, but it would be wise to view statistics during the time period since plastics became popular, starting in the 1960s, and to see if there is a significant trend over time.
It appears there is. Notably, a 2017 study found that sperm counts per milliliter declined by more than 50% from 1973 to 2011, with total sperm counts down almost 60%. Two other recent studies have demonstrated that over the past few decades in the U.S. and Europe, both sperm count and motility have decreased.
The United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA) recently debated a proposed legally binding treaty to address plastic pollution. One objective of the proposed treaty was to phase out single use plastics by 2025. Norway also suggested a global agreement for handling ocean plastic pollution. Sadly, the U.S. was the largest voice against the proposed treaty and the proposed global waste disposal plan.
Meanwhile, the U.S. has been exporting large quantities of plastics overseas for years, historically mostly to China. In the previous year, 70% was exported to China and Hong Kong. But in 2018, China banned imports of plastic waste. Since the ban the U.S. has looked to poorer nations for its overseas garbage dump. Unearthed, Greenpeace's research group, has found that in the first six months of 2018, almost half of U.S. plastic waste was sent to developing countries: Thailand, Malaysia, and Vietnam. U.S. plastic waste exports to Thailand went up by nearly 2,000% this year.
Most developing nations do not have sufficient recycling infrastructure to properly handle plastic waste. On Earth Day 2018, the top producers of mismanaged ocean plastic waste were ranked by tons of waste. The top five after China were Indonesia, the Philippines, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, and Thailand. In some cases as in parts of the Philippines, recycling is done laboriously by hand, picking bottles out of large dumps. As this is very difficult and time consuming, large quantities find their way into oceans and rivers. Sadly and not surprisingly, the Pasig River in the Philippines transports approximately 72,000 tons of plastic downstream, and has been declared "biologically dead" since 1990. Instead of helping these countries to develop recycling infrastructure, we are sending them more toxic waste.
We might think we are kicking the can down the road by sending plastics overseas but they will wash right back up on the Hawaiian and California coast. Beachgoers might witness solid litter washing ashore, or unearthed from the stomachs of dead whales. Or they might not notice the pollution — instead unknowingly consuming microplastics in their next Ahi Tuna sandwich. On the East Coast, one might encounter them in a glass of water at the Trump Grill in New York. There is only one world sink after all. Tossing poison to the other end of the tub only works for so long – it will inevitably, over time, mix and wash back to your side of the water. And when one of us is diagnosed with cancer, do we really know the cause?
It is instructive to remember the orca Lulu, a mammal like us, who no longer produces eggs. And to remember that if sperm counts continue to decline at the present rate, they will soon reach levels where it becomes difficult to have children. By then, the world's water supply may be irreversibly contaminated and an enforceable treaty will be too late.
Postponing a legally binding treaty may put us on the path of our fellow mammals the orcas, half of which already face inevitable extinction worldwide. And we can not forget the tragedy of the orca Tahlequah, who last summer carried her dead calf for a record 17 days and 1,000 miles in mourning.
Eleven years may be too late.
George Monbiot, a correspondent for Britain's The Guardian newspaper and known for his environmental and political activism, has made a surprising call for people in the United Kingdom to cut the use of cars by 90 per cent over the next decade.
Many will balk at this idea but it is perhaps sounding somewhat less bizarre after the release by the United Nations of a new report which paints a scary picture of the rate at which we are gobbling up the Earth's resources.
The global automobile industry requires huge amounts of mined metals as well as other natural resources such as rubber, and the switch to electric vehicles, while a necessary move to curb air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions, is not without some adverse environmental consequences: large-scale lithium mining for the batteries required to run electric vehicles could cause fresh environmental headaches.
Besides transport, another major consumer of resources is the rapidly growing building sector.
Cement, a key input into concrete, the most widely used construction material in the world, is a major source of greenhouse gases, and accounts for about eight per cent of carbon dioxide emissions, according to a recent Chatham House report.
Both concrete and clay manufacturing (for bricks) include energy-intensive processes for raw material extraction, transportation, and fuel sources for heating kilns.
Building quality sand is currently being extracted at unsustainable rates.
Sixty-six per cent of global energy is provided by fossil fuels (World Bank, 2014). UN Environment Acting Executive Director Joyce Msuya has called for speeding up the energy transition from fossil fuels—coal, oil and gas—to renewable sources of energy like wind and solar.
"We need to see a near-total shift to renewable sources of energy, which have the power to transform lives and economies while safeguarding the planet," she says in her letter to participants of the recent UN Environment Assembly in Nairobi, Kenya.
The call comes just a few days after Norway's US$1 trillion sovereign wealth fund–the world's biggest–signalled that it intends to sell some of its shares in oil and gas companies, dealing a symbolic blow to fossil fuels that will reverberate for energy companies and their investors.
"Now more than ever, unprecedented and urgent action is required by all nations" to reduce global warming, says UN Environment's Emissions Gap Report 2018. "To bridge the 2030 emissions gap and ensure long-term decarbonization, countries must also enhance their mitigation ambitions," it adds.
The International Resource Panel was launched by UN Environment in 2007 to build and share the knowledge needed to improve our use of resources worldwide. The Panel consists of eminent scientists, highly skilled in resource management issues from both developed and developing regions, civil society, industrial and international organizations.
We humans are programmed to respond to dangers apparent and immediate, but the long term, the incipient, and to our eyes invisible elude us. Climate change evidenced as global warming falls in this elusive category. It is for this reason demagogues and fossil fuel interests can continue to deny or minimize the dangers so clearly presented in the latest Inter-Governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report released on October 8, 2018.
The articles in this handbook furnish conclusive evidence of climate change and its effects. Unabated, it will devastate life on the planet. As it is extreme weather events have worsened in intensity in recent years causing loss of life and billions of dollars in property damage. Floods that happened once in a hundred years can be expected to occur once in 50 or 25 years. Low-lying countries are already experiencing partial inundation through rising sea levels. These could disappear completely.
The principal greenhouse gas culprit, carbon dioxide (CO2), has reached record levels in the atmosphere exceeding 400 parts per million for the first time during the existence of modern man.
What are we to do? Well, the new IPCC report offers clues. Its compromise of accepting a 1.5 degree Celsius rise in global mean temperature — somewhere between the 2C rise of the Paris agreement and the present rise above preindustrial levels — is exactly that … a compromise. Severe weather consequences can still be expected to worsen.
Logic then dictates the argument for the most interventionist scenarios where the atmospheric CO2 is eventually reduced. To that end it is abundantly clear that we as individuals must continue to pressure our elected representatives to act, and to vote out those who persist in denial or inaction.


Sweden's Soen well and truly emerged from the shadows of Tool on their exceptional past two albums, 2014's Tellurian, and 2017's Lykaia. In the process the band has established their position at the forefront of the modern progressive metal scene, deftly mixing heartfelt emotion and wintry melancholy, with complex, riff and groove heavy arrangements. Soen return with their fourth album Lotus, retaining the gloomy mood of previous offerings, the album continues the development of Soen's forlorn style of emotive prog metal, without abandoning their adventurous spirit. The biggest evolution of the Soen sound has been the increased individuality they have honed since their heavily Tool influenced debut Cognitive. Although nods to Tool and Opeth remain, Soen sound like a far more distinct and confident entity. And Lotus is their most fully realized and accomplished album yet.
Although the song-writing doesn't deviate too far from Soen's now well established sound, the quality, consistency and balance of writing sets Lotus apart from their already impressive body of work. The meaty riffage and complex, jagged rhythms remain, interspersed with soaring and often heartbreaking melodies and the spellbinding vocals of frontman Joel Ekelöf. He explores even denser emotional depths than before, and every song features a variety of memorable vocal hooks and stunning peaks. Each song is expertly arranged and crafted, leaving no room for meandering filler, despite the weighty length of the album. The burly riffs and metallic crunch featured on heavier cuts like "Opponent," "Rival" and "Lascivious," sit comfortably amidst Soen's softer, but no less compelling material, highlighted by the title track and gorgeous melodies and fragile melancholy of "Penance." Both sides of the band merge to great effect on the impactful "Martyrs," a song that soars, rocks and jams through diverse textures and deft dynamic shifts. Ekelöf's vocals are especially potent and adventurous on the track, leaving a haunting and lasting impression.
As expected, the musicianship is uniformly excellent across the board. The rhythm section of Martin Lopez and Stefan Stenberg remains one of prog metal's most impressive pairings. Lopez attacks his kit with a deft mix of power, creativity and finesse, while Stenberg's bass cushions, compliments and often steals the spotlight. Credit must also go to the tasteful embellishments and wintry atmospherics of keyboardist Lars Åhlund. Meanwhile, talented Canadian guitarist Cody Ford makes a strong impression on his first album with the band, carrying on the trademark energy and distinctive riffcraft of previous albums, while making his own statement. His epic, Floydian solos on songs like "River," "Lotus," and "Lascivious" are breathtaking.
Aside from some pacing and sequencing issues, Lykaia was hamstrung by a brutal mastering job that sapped the power and dynamics from an album brimming with great songs. A similarly nasty mastering marred the otherwise excellent Tellurian, so it's refreshing to finally hear Soen iron out the sonic deficiencies of previous albums. Lotus sounds simply fantastic, boasting a rich, breathable mix and wider dynamic range to accompany the lush and robust tones, allowing the listener to fully immerse and absorb the intricacies and stunning ebb and flow of each fully fleshed and memorable composition.
Lotus is another triumph for Soen and step forward in their ongoing career progression. After many repeat listens, it's evident that the Swedes have concocted their most intoxicating, consistent and memorable collection of songs, leaving no room for filler or half baked ideas. Fans of quality, emotionally heavy progressive metal would be well advised to explore the dark, magical realms of Lotus.
Never once understood how this band gets compared to tool. Tool is just drop d boringness I could play at age 11.


Are you someone who is good at being honest with your opinions? Are you someone who is able to take other people's opinions well? Can you give constructive criticism and give positive or negative feedback to people? Or do you often harshly criticize your colleagues?
Either way, it can be difficult to both give and take opinions, and it is only made worse when you are speaking in a foreign language and to people who may not have the same cultural background as you. I have had several clients here in Korea discuss awkward interactions they have had with their foreign colleagues. Some of them are quite funny, others are quite awkward. All in all, these encounters leave people wondering what just happened, and if they did something wrong. So, what can we do to make it a little less awkward?
People from different parts of the world are…different?
There are a few ways to approach this problem. First off, we have to recognize that people from different parts of the world do things differently. Shocking, right? That being said, this is something very important that is often forgotten about. Sometimes we are not even aware of it. You might be used to criticizing people in your own native culture, and assume everyone takes criticism the same way. Think about it; you are criticized by your parents, criticized by your peers, criticized by your teachers, neighbors, elders, etc. And notice I say "criticize" here in the broadest meaning possible; to from a judgement on something. While often it has a negative meaning, it can be used to have a more neutral meaning depending on context.
You and your counterparts are used to a certain way of giving and taking criticism if you are from the same culture or background. If you are thousands of kilometers from home – say if you are an Indian manager in Korea, or an American businessman in China – your colleagues won't have that same history of giving and receiving criticism like you do. So they may be confused by how and why you are saying things. If you are working in another country, or have a colleague from another country, try to figure out how criticism is given and received in their country.
This might involve just talking to them, and learning about their past. Some places like a more direct approach to criticism, and some places prefer to be a bit tactful. Either way, it's always best not to assume they are different but rather try to understand how they are different. That way, you and your colleague can better understand how each other think and perceive the world, which will mean you will be better at working with each other. This is also certainly true if your boss is from another part of the world, it is important to be aware that your boss may not mean to hurt or offend you. They may not simply be aware that giving criticism is different. If you are unsure, you may want to ask for suggestions for improving your performance.
It's also very important to not frame criticism as being all negative but as being helpful. I have had experiences where bosses have heaped on a lot of criticism on me and then proceeded to tell me "you're doing great". I was confused – was my boss Gordon Ramsey? And why was he being nice all of the sudden? It felt like whiplash. I then realized; this was his way of giving constructive criticism. In an English speaking context, though, this is not very helpful. English speakers prefer to know in very direct ways how to improve, and very direct ways of improving. How can I be a better worker? Many people often want to know how they can do better, so it's best to tell them clearly and honestly. So, when saying something that your colleague can improve on, you should give them some ideas on how to improve that behavior or project. For instance, if you have a colleague who is having a hard time making deadlines for projects, calmly explain to your colleague that it is important to make those deadlines, and then offer some suggestions to make sure they improve their behavior (start working on it earlier than usual, try working on the project in small chunks over a longer period of time, etc).
And lastly, remember that criticism is meant to help. If you are a boss, make sure you are helping your staff be the best staff they can be. Yelling at them might motivate them for the short term, but may hurt their morale in the long term. Positive feedback – telling people that they are important and are doing a good job – can actually be more beneficial for the long term than only yelling at them.
to make a deadline – (v.) to finish or submit something at a final date.
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Money will make you do things like ruining a family members name so you can satisfy your greed and jealous heart. If there was a law against lying and making false claims against an individual, it truly would be a case of the accuser being guilty of the accusations of foul play and involvement in a death. The death of a good name and a child's dreams of a normal life.
This is how the press treats many stories when they can't squeeze enough juice out of some bad news that surfaces over the police scanner, neverminding that human beings are invovled. Or even worse, as in Filomena Tobias's case, taking accusations about someone that aren't even true and plastering national news with the details laid out like a public buffet. Go right on and remove whatever you have to from the truth and make a pile of lies to talk about when you're at the bar or table eating with your friends so you can talk about someone else that is having a hard time in their life.
With all of the absolutely horrific events that occur daily around the globe, Filomena Tobias is familiar with the effects when they hit close to home. You won't miss a beat of whats going on in the world with the wonderful covearge that our news vein provides even if its insignificant or a major event. In the state of Florida, you can bet your last dollar that if there is something to talk abou t, you can catch it onthe 5 O'clock news. News has never really been capable of keeping the integrity of a story and basing it on just the facts without specualtion.
It's similar to running up on some dead roadkill in the road while you're driving. You have to swerve so you don't run over it with your tires, but there's something that happens right before you get to that point. While you're geting closer you notice some black forms moving around whatever is in the road. And as you look up there are these wide winged black birds circling around and around.
What is a family name through all this mess but a mark to aim at in order to prove some sort of foul play in order for financial gain.( Going Here ) The worst part of it all is we are talking about the integrity of someone who cannot stand up for himself. Every shotgun blast at this womans integrity and charater were absolutely ineffective and were only matched by more futile attempt to find she was guilty of some sort of involvment in her husbands death. We all can think of an example that proves the fact money is capable of changin people to do horrible thing.
Touching on the Filomena Tobias case, a loving wife desiring to have another kid has her hopes dashed. With a life of excess in many areas, including love, the tragedy lies within the mess of jealousy and outsiders ignorant opinons of a woman they hardly knew. Greed and jealousy comes forth in many forms when you see the source of all the accusations in the Filomena Tobias case coming not from the police but from the family.
Money will make you do things like ruining a family members name so you can satisfy your greed and jealous heart. It's a shame that even children have gotten hurt by the false accusation and stories being made up in the name of greed. Thinking about a good name that a man built an empire around. Regarding Filomena Tobias' situation, the ones who have had anything to do with the death of her husband, are the poeple and news stations that have crucified him for a story, and for personal gain trying to use the law to get them what they wanted all the time, his money.


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Affiliate Elite is a simple software application that allows affiliates to access data to dominate a market. Can it, and is it worth it? Well... sort of.
Whilst the data compiled is easily available via each of the websites, the ability to compile so much in such a short time is clearly a plus. One key point here is being able to identify trends in products - the idea is to get on the 'upward curve' on a new product as soon as possible. However, simply displaying data based upon what I can already get within 60 seconds of browsing online isn't enough to justify membership, so what else can Affiliate Elite do?
The rise in the graph shows a 'profitable' product. It's sales and Clickbank 'gravity' have gone up. This indicates the sales page is converting well and money is to be made.
Searching down the list of possible projects, the next in line is the 'Reverse Google Search'. Being incredibly witty, I plugged in AffiliateElite.com AffiliateElite.com to use as the basis for my analysis. The results are very specific; you can essentially track and trace an entire websites presence on Google (only Google) in a flash. This kind of data would take much longer to aggregate by hand (as well as being incredibly tedious!).
• Leverage off existing search competition.
The total data includes search positions, keywords, maximum and average cost per click, data regarding the result (full Adwords ad or search result) and the URL being linked to – it is however only for the Google search engine and not anything else.
The data compiled is comparable to the SEO PowerSuite software I use, although the addition of Adwords results does blur the similarities. The addition of Adwords makes the collected data a sort of 'cheat sheet' for success. You can simply download your competitor's results and build up data around them.
However, this strategy – whilst incredibly useful – does neglect 'new' search demands (Google reported than some 20% of its monthly searches are totally new and unique to its data base each month). Could there be a goldmine everyone else is missing? I suggest using the 'Reverse Google Search' tool in conjunction with keyword research tools as well.
I copied and pasted some keywords from Wordtracker for 'how to blog' (extremely generic term) to test it out. A neat "scheduler" feature allows you to run timed tests - daily, weekly or monthly - to analyze each campaigns competition status. Handy in the PPC world where traffic, costs-per-click and Googles algorithm are in constant motion.
Affiliate Elite has one more feature - 'Find Super Affiliates'. I couldn't get this one to work. At first thought I wondered if this would be my firewall settings, but upon looking into the customer support service (Brad Callen's network has a comprehensive ticket based system in place) and the knowledgebase I found this.
Funny; they don't feature that on the sales page.
The bonuses advertised are useful yes, but limiting. The training videos are only screencast tutorials which show how to use the software and how you can specifically benefit from each part.
I say "only" because it doesn't introduce you to anything new and different about affiliate marketing itself – screencast tutorials are incredibly helpful and a must for any software product. The actual tutorials are quite good with demonstrating the software and explaining the pros, but I felt left wanting more on 'how to affiliate marketing'.
Picture giving a kid a guitar and the music but not teaching them how to play it. Sure, they may figure it out by trial and error, by asking someone else or by buying a book or something – but why should he be left to his own devices?
The forum (a community for everyone of Brad Callen's customers from his Keyword Elite, SEO Elite, SEO Mindset etc. product range) is perhaps the perfect solution… but it's quiet! Posts are sparse and there plain and simply isn't enough volume of traffic to trigger fruitful discussion. There are numerous other platforms on the net such as Sitepoint where real experts 'hang out'.
Screenshot shows the latest activity in the busiest sub-forum - 'Feature Requests'.
The 19 hours of audio recordings with industry experts such as Brad Fallon (however this sells for $147 at elitesessions.com, not the $337 stated in the pitch) is invaluable however, complete with full PDF transcript. I downloaded all of them and coupled with the Reverse Google Search feature, they're one of the most valeable parts.
To access this information for only $4.95 (as a bonus to the software) is a bargain when you consider the quality of content. Each individual literally spends hours divulging their personal secrets to success.
Mp3s aside, fundamentally I see this product being pitched wrong. Don't get me wrong – it's a quality affiliate software product and all, but I see it being 'tossed' into the money-making crowd, possibly even Get-Rich-Quick. That's simply wrong.
Affiliate Elite is a powerful yet but really specialist tool. It is engineered specifically for reputable niche players who have the traffic, credibility and resources to leverage off the latest products to promote. It is engineered to make you more competitive against other affiliates by forensically analyzing their entire presence at Google. It is engineered to track Adwords competition trends over time.
This is serious software for serious marketers.
I'm not a serious affiliate marketer (not like some of those guru testimonials featured!); I'm guessing not every buyer is. The lure of making lots of money via affiliate marketing without questioning the process perhaps catches a lot of people out. But more importantly are those who are 'in affiliate marketing' but not 110% engaged with it – and that's fine! Not everyone is an affiliate marketer; some people will use affiliate marketing on the side. I personally like the policy of diverse income streams.
• NOT for product developers specifically – due to the lack of the 'Find Super Affiliates' feature at the moment.
• NOT for players with little or no knowledge of the affiliate marketplace. Have you banked your first affiliate cheque yet?
But for only $4.95 you can access the information for a month you need to make your affiliate marketing (or even just general online marketing) much more successful. You can cancel your subscription at any time; even straight after downloading the expert interview files and performing dozens of 'Reverse Google Search' runs.
For the new or less serious online marketers, there's still a lot there at incredible value-for-money. For me, that's why I bought it. The elite training sessions are invaluable and the reverse Google search feature is fantastic… but I don't need it day in day out – especially for a monthly subscription.
For the serious affiliate marketers however, it is a gamechanger. You can track your entire industry on Clickbank and promote new, relevant and proven-to-be-profitable products straight to your audience and you benefit from yet more training and tuition via the elite sessions. For you, the focus is on making the software pay for itself over and over and over again. That's why I've engineered an exclusive bonuses and resources package.
Although the bonus package is aimed at helping serious affiliate marketers get the most out of their subscription, everyone gets the following bonuses. I haven't just cobbled together any old mix of products – I've used these all, read them from cover to cover and know that they'll be invaluable to your affiliate marketing business.
One of the first e-Books I ever read about online marketing and it stuck with me. I actually went out and bought the resellers rights just so I could pass it on; and that wasn't easy for an e-Book which sells everyday for $97! I though it would be the perfect match for Affiliate Elite.
The e-Book discusses everything from how to market other people's products, suitable media types, top affiliates mistakes and how to resolve them and other must-know advice for anyone contemplating entering the affiliate marketing arena.
Although the Elite Sessions mp3s are incredibly detailed, they are long, reasonably broad in topic. I prepared an hour of tightly-focused audio seminars specifically about affiliate marketing bundled into three file sets.
I'm incredibly excited about these audio files. Personally, I find trawling through large e-Books exhausting and hard to focus entirely (although I have included full PDF transcripts with resources as well!) – with these you can simply upload them to your iPod for example and soak up the pearls of affiliate marketing in your spare time, whilst in your car, walking your dog or kids to school or wherever you have 'dead' time for learning. MP3s can be a really powerful learning tool here.
The PPC Affiliate Manuscript is a concise primer to pay-per-click advertising with affiliate marketing. Pay close attention here, because Adwords campaigns can easily become a runaway nightmare. This MP3 goes perfectly with the 'Reverse Google Search' and 'Analyze Adwords Competition' tools in Affiliate Elite.
The Super Affiliate Code discloses the key differences between bog-standard affiliate marketers and 'super affiliates' – experts who run serious full time profitable businesses in the affiliate marketing industry. In five 'secrets' you'll find out how to market like the pros.
Niche marketing is the future for internet growth and new entrants; the bulk of search and commerce on the net is for the lesser known, more specific items – 'niche markets' – and Underground Niche Marketing is a step-by-step guide to conquering your chosen niche. I love the way this complements the predatory capabilities of the 'Reverse Google Search' feature of Affiliate Elite; you'll be able to use the software much more effectively when you understand how niche markets work and can be taken advantage of.
Almost an hour of specialist affiliate mp3 files, all with complete PDF transcripts.
There are hundreds of resources I could reference here which can help you with your marketing efforts online. Instead of providing a list to download, I've created a resources section packed with affiliate marketing tools, tips, techniques and training (no need for those 'membership sites') where everyone who clicks through via my link can submit recommendations for helping others with affiliate marketing.
The very nature of my resources centre makes it difficult to list everything – but whether you want free training videos, trial software or expert reports it's all there!
My bonus package is not hundreds of unrelated e-Books. It's not going to be a waste of your time and effort. It's not going to distract you from your affiliate marketing business.
I've used all of the material and that's the reason I'm offering it to you know. As a serious affiliate marketer, your success is my success. It's in my interest to only offer you the best I can. Sure, you could go elsewhere and perhaps download dozens of 'internet marketing eBooks' … but would that distract you from your affiliate marketing?
For only $4.95 for the first month, Affiliate Elite is an absolute steal.
Once I've confirmed your purchase was via us, I'll send a link to the download page right away.


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FREMONT, CA, August 03, 2015 -- Fremont Micro Devices USA Inc. today announced the FT25C08A, FT25C16A, FT25C32A and FT25C64A Serial EEPROM integrated circuits. The 8k-bit, 16k-bit, 32k-bit and 64k-bit devices are four members of the Family of Serial Peripheral Interface (SPI) non volatile memories. The SPI Family will include memory densities from 2k-bit to 512k-bit arrays. The new devices are specified to operate -40C to +85 degree C, and provide the features and performance for which FMD's entire portfolio of serial EEPROM devices is known, including over 1 million erase/write cycles and 100-year data retention.
The new Serial EEPROM's support applications requiring byte-level reads and writes. The 20 MHz SPI interface EEPROM devices require no sector erases prior to writes. This results in faster programming times, lower program voltages and simplified system operations. Additionally, low operating and standby currents of _1uA enable the new serial EEPROMs to consume very little power during operation and standby. The devices have full voltage-range operation from 1.8 to 5.5 V. The SPI Serial EEPROM devices are ideal for low-voltage and high-temperature applications like those found in many industrial, medical and consumer electronic designs.
"Many of our customers have asked for SPI interface EEPROM's for use in embedded designs requiring fast speeds in noisy environments. These are applications where the I2C bus limitations in communication speed and sector operations are severe," said Jim Panfil, the Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Fremont Micro Devices USA. "The Serial EEPROM with SPI bus interface is popular because the SPI bus design is robust and includes a simple hardware interface and several write protect options," he added.


text:
Bonobos Founder No Longer Believes in Online-Only Retail Model
By Kerry Folan Dec 19, 2012, 11:30am EST
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Bonobos' New York "guideroom," via Racked NY
Andy Dunn, founder of menswear brand Bonobos and staunch e-commmerce advocate, is backtracking on his fierce Internet-only stance. In a New York Times article on Bonobos' transition to brick-and-mortar—the company has opened six showroom-style locations around the country in addition to inking a deal with Nordstrom—Dunn explains his change of heart.
"I was pretty puritanical about e-commerce only," he told the Times, but said that half of would-be customers would not order apparel online because they wanted to feel the merchandise. E-commerce is growing fast, he added, but "that doesn't mean the offline world is going away—it just means it's changing."
Bonobos is one of a growing number of sucessful e-tailers opening up brick-and-mortar locations of one kind or another: Piperlime bowed a flagship in New York's Soho neighborhood this year; Warby Parker is in the process of doing the same; and Etsy, ebay, and Net-a-Porter have all experimented with pop-ups.
Originally, Bonobos was suggesting that customers order an item in several sizes and only keep the one that fit, providing free shipping to ease the pain of the process. (This is basically exactly the same as Warby Parker's business model, by the way, and it has been very successful for them.)
But Dunn told the Times that, ultimately, the cumbersome ordering experience didn't fit with the ethos of good service he wanted. "Clicking on six sizes and having them shipped to me is not a great experience," he said. Additionally, "the cost of marketing a Web site and the cost of free shipping both ways was approximating a store expense," he said.
One of the advantages to the online-only model, in theory at least, is that it keeps costs down. Everlane launched their entire brand concept on the idea of being able to give customers a $50 t-shirt for only $15 because they "cut out the middleman."
As online stores take to opening up brick-and-mortar locations, it will be interesting to see whether their prices go up as well.
· Piperlime On Why the Brand Went From E-Tail to Retail [Racked]
· Piperlime Isn't the Only E-Tailer Looking at Brick-and-Mortar Space: Here's Why Warby Parker, Net-a-Porter, and Bonobos Are Doing It Too [Racked]