text:
Rhyme, Writing, Revenge, and All That Jazz
Each spring, dozens of students are recognized for exceptional creative and academic accomplishments. A sampling of award-winning work illustrates the diverse talents and interests of a select few.
They range from fresh-faced teenagers to seasoned grad students, small-town kids to urban sophisticates. Depending on your point of view, the topics explored by this year's recipients of departmental and university recognition range from esoteric (examining the effect of two parallel tethers on atomic force microscope distributions) to altruistic (working on sustainable development in rural areas of Uganda) to downright enviable (conducting a photographic investigation of Gothic architecture in England and France).
There are, of course, the usual, remarkable suspects—those who earn the top grade point average in the department or are singled out as most outstanding for cumulative performance within and beyond the classroom. There are others who are tapped for the potential they have shown. The Divinity School, for example, awards a preaching award to fledgling pastors, an encouragement of sorts rather than a "best of" prize.
In selecting the students you will meet on these pages, we strove for a broad cross-section of class years and disciplines.
Tracy Gold: Giving voice to emotion
Megan Morr
Horseback riding and writing have been Tracy Gold's passions from a young age, and her writing is often inspired by her experiences riding. Gold, a rising sophomore from Towson, Maryland, attended Carver Center for Arts and Technology, a public magnet school, where she concentrated in literary arts. She plans to major in English and tentatively hopes to pursue a career involving some combination of teaching and writing. Gold is this year's recipient of the Academy of American Poets Prize, awarded through the English department for a poem or group of poems by an undergraduate.
"This poem originated from an assignment for [English professor] Deborah Pope's class, 'Writing and Memory.' The assignment suggested writing about a place. I combined two places, as well as my own experiences with those of a friend from home, whom the poem is mostly about. Seeing (and smelling) this dead deer, mutilated so mysteriously, triggered memories of my friend's father's mysterious and traumatic death. Though I did not always get along with this friend, I had grown up with her at the barn, and her father's death changed not only my relationship with her, but my relationship with my own father.
"In writing this poem, I was trying to accomplish what I want in all of my poetry—to give voice to emotions and experiences that changed me, in a way that will allow readers to identify with these emotions and experiences enough potentially to change them, too, or at least make them think. Yet, in the initial stages of writing, my only goal is to get it out. There are some topics (in my opinion, the best topics) that give me an ultimatum: Write, or go insane. This poem was inspired by one of them."
The Smell of a Dead Buck's Bones
She knows the smell of a dead buck's bones:
it is the smell of burning leaves;
of the red jacket covered with white horse hair,
mud and sweat;
of the stagnant water pooling in the stream
she's trotting by
when her horse spooks
at the dead buck.
Thin grey antlers jut out of his coated head,
crushed against his ribcage.
His eyes—still glassy
stare into the empty skeleton.
His hind end lies a few strides beyond his head,
legs spread out in the pose of a fully extended run,
as if his spine
split mid leap.
it is the leather of the brand new Mercury Mariner
that her father
shot himself in.
The bloody parts were replaced
and every day now, she drives it to the barn
where she rides through fields of
dead bucks, burning leaves and stagnant water.
She doesn't know how he died;
Was he hit by a car, left to drag himself to the field,
almost reaching the forest?
Did he sell his liquor store only to crawl
from the bed to the couch and back again,
hitting his wife and screaming at his daughter
between drunken stupors?
"I hate my father"
she would say,
before he died.
She was quiet, at his funeral:
the smell of a dead buck's bones,
burning leaves, and brand new leather.
Corey Sobel: Scripting a cultural disconnect
Although he came to Duke on a football scholarship, Corey Sobel's pivotal field experiences have had nothing to do with athletic success. Sobel '07 designed his own Program II major, "Writing Conflict: Reporting International and Ethnic Violence," to focus on the intersection of philosophy, political violence, and journalism.
Last summer Sobel lived and worked in Nakuru, Kenya, where he wrote educational materials about HIV/AIDS for Kenyans living with the disease. When he returned to campus in the fall for his senior year, Sobel signed up for a series of screenwriting classes. The resulting screenplay, WinterSummer, won the Reynolds Price Award for Scriptwriting, given by the department of theater studies to an undergraduate for the best original script for stage, screen, or television.
"What struck me the most about Kenya—about HIV in Sub-Saharan Africa in general—is that, among all the gender issues and problems with domestic violence in the region, the most nefarious manifestation was when disloyal husbands or boyfriends traveled, became infected with HIV, and then came home and forced their (otherwise abstinent) significant others into having unprotected sex. The script, my first, was a way of considering this kind of abuse, its implications for African men, its consequences on African women.
"One of the central characters in the play is Robert McCain, a twenty-five-year-old American man who has traveled with his church group to Kenya. There, he meets Joyce Odhiambo, a young Kenyan woman whose husband died of AIDS. Joyce refuses to be tested and is living with the stigma of having had an HIV-positive husband. Robert reintroduces her to the possibilities of her life, and the two fall in love. But the Americans' time [in Kenya] has run out, and they have traveled to Nairobi to catch their flight back to the U.S. In this scene, Robert is considering his life, wondering if there's anything worth returning to in America."
Excerpt fromWinterSummer
FAIRVIEW HOTEL LOBBY Robert is trudging down the front staircase with his luggage, hung over from last night. It is about 10 a.m., and the lobby is filled with people coming in and going out.
He reaches the base of the stairs and looks around. He sees American Woman #1 in one of the red leather chairs behind him. He tries to look away but she catches his attention and smiles. He has no choice but to go over and sit in the chair next to hers.
American Woman #1 has her feet resting on top of several large suitcases. She is smiling though exhausted in posture. She watches Robert take a seat.
American Woman #1: Out of Africa, huh?
Robert: (surprised at the allusion) Yeah.
American Woman #1: I'm sorry we didn't arrange to stay longer. It's a shame, all the things we couldn't…
She doesn't finish and exhales and looks at Robert and smiles.
American Woman #1: This is the first time I've been outside the country.
Robert: Haven't been to Canada?
She laughs at this, not acknowledging the sarcasm.
American Woman #1: Do you think about all the places we flew over, on our way here?
Robert is looking down at his lap and shakes his head.
American Woman #1: I was looking at the television screen in front of me on the plane. There was the line…
Robert: That showed where the plane was.
American Woman #1: Oh yes. And, for the eight hours from London to Nairobi, I didn't watch a single movie. Not a TV show. I just watched the plane nudge over Europe, and then over the Mediterranean, North Africa. We flew over France and Italy. Did you look?
Robert: I was in the aisle.
American Woman #1: (smiling apologetically) My face was pressed against that cold window, and I watched mountains in France. I was amazed, seeing them all red and brown and yellow. I've never thought of France as having these mountains, looking so bare in the summer time.
A pair of housekeepers giggle as they walk by. We can hear the clatter of the nearby restaurant.
American Woman #1: I began to cry when we went over the Sahara.
Robert is surprised by this, looks up at the woman. She is getting a bit flustered and looks like she's deciding whether or not she should cry.
American Woman #1: And now I can say I've been to Africa. Everyone I'll talk to at home, my kids, even my husband. They'll assume that everything between America and Kenya, that I've covered that.
Robert is watching her now.
American Woman #1: But I haven't seen anything, have I? I've been to two countries in the world. I can tell people I've seen the Sahara. But what if they ask me about it? I can't tell them about the heat or the sun or what I wore to stay cool. All I'll be able to talk about are colors, shapes. And my children will ask me about Kenya. And there, well I'll tell them about children with torn clothing and food that hurt my stomach. Bottled water, animals I've dreamed of seeing since I was a little girl.
Robert waits for more but the American Woman has caught herself. She looks up at him. She smiles.
American Woman #1: I'm fifty-five. How old are you?
Robert:Twenty-five.
She nods.
American Woman #1: It's strange sitting here, knowing you'll never step foot on this floor again. Isn't that just weird?
She waits for Robert to respond. When he doesn't, she smiles and becomes quiet. We can hear the chatter of American women coming down the stairs.
American Woman #1: I just wish we'd arranged for a few weeks longer. I know I'll be sitting in the house, watching television. And I'll start to think about spending that time here. I know, it's just going to make me sad, thinking about that, thinking about this place.
The American women catch sight of American Woman #1 and Robert and head over. She sees her friends and sucks in her breath and then exhales in resignation. Robert is looking at her, and she smiles and pats his leg and stands to meet the others. We are left looking at Robert…
Lydia Wright: Firsthand encounters with history
Donna Edmondson
Growing up in West Virginia has strongly influenced Lydia Wright '07. Her surroundings instilled in her a love of mountains and an unusual perspective on the issues of the working class, education, and oppression. As a history major, she concentrated on modern America with a special focus on social and labor history. Last summer, with the help of a Deans' Summer Research Fellowship, Wright was able to travel to archives in West Virginia, the District of Columbia, and Pennsylvania to investigate a subject that had sparked her interest in history: education and labor issues in West Virginia's coal company towns. The thesis that resulted from that research, "A Miner's Education: Schools in the Coal Company Towns of Southern West Virginia, 1863–1933," was awarded the LaPrade prize by the history department for best senior honors thesis.
"The initial inspiration for this thesis came from my own experiences as a student in the public schools in West Virginia. As I came to understand the ways in which power and politics influence, and have always influenced, the actions and curricula of public schools, I reflected on my own education. We received two full years of West Virginia state history, in which the early twentieth-century battle between coal companies and union miners was portrayed in a decidedly pro-union light. This approach to historical teaching led me to wonder how subjects such as history and government would have been taught to students experiencing those struggles in the 1910s and 1920s.
"I first approached the subject with many preconceived notions about what I would find, mostly involving the evil coal companies using education to oppress the children of miners. As I proceeded with my research, however, I found history to be much more nuanced and complex. Coal-company actions were motivated by a variety of factors, including not only a desire to produce a contented, obedient working class, but also real pressure put on them by workers who wanted good schools for their children. In many ways, my thesis raises as many questions as it answers. But by delving into the complicated world of politics, education, and corporate power, the thesis attempts to challenge the idea of schooling as isolated from the society in which the schools operate."
Excerpt from A Miner's Education: Schools in the Coal Company Towns of Southern West Virginia, 1863–1933
While it lasted, coal company involvement in school development brought many positive additions to the lives of local residents. Company funds paid to build many new schoolhouses, which were often furnished with the most modern equipment and facilities. The supplementary salaries [the companies] provided allowed school boards to entice highly qualified teachers to work in these new schools. As both miners and their children learned to read and write, illiteracy rates dropped. Immigrants acquired English-language skills in company-sponsored night schools, and vocational education for both young and old helped make coal mines safer places to work.
But the positives on the company school ledger were balanced by the negatives. Because companies decided how and when to support local schools, the educational expansion serviced the business needs of the industry as much as the intellectual betterment of company town residents. The schools' funding depended on the coal industry's prosperity, as both direct company donations and taxes drawn from the one-industry economy fluctuated with the market. Company and government officials tailored the curricula to the particular conditions in the coal towns, equipping children to succeed in mining, but little else. With such intricate connections to industry, local schools, like the company towns that they served, declined when King Coal no longer thrived in the West Virginia mountains.
Kristina McDonald: Understanding conflict
Psychology graduate student Kristina McDonald wants to know why people are more likely to seek revenge in some circumstances and not others. And what are the larger implications for groups engaged in conflict? Her dissertation proposal, "Interpretations and Belief Systems Associated with Revenge Motivations," received the 2007–08 Kenan Dissertation Fellowship in Ethics, presented to a graduate student in any discipline whose forthcoming dissertation has a substantial ethics focus.
McDonald is collecting data over the summer and early fall from children, adolescents, and young adults in the Durham community. She'll work with undergraduate research assistants to analyze the data, and write the results for her dissertation, which she plans to defend in the spring of 2008.
"On a daily basis, individuals may face situations in which they are teased, left out of groups, betrayed, and treated badly by both peers and loved ones. Coping with being wronged is a difficult social task that humans must master. When confronted with various types of minor as well as major provocation, individuals could choose to respond in many ways, one of which is to seek revenge.
"Yet, revenge motivations are potentially damaging for people's psyches, as well as for their relationships. Nietzsche wrote that feelings of vindictiveness were 'self-poisoning' or damaging to the self. There is also evidence that taking revenge does not improve how one feels or decrease the pain felt from the original offense…. Revenge may not gain anything for the retaliator and may just prolong a cycle of violence by promoting the continuation of the aggression chain, ultimately hurting the avenger more.
"My dissertation will help scientists and interventionists understand the perceptions and behavior of people in provoking interpersonal situations, experiences that many face in their daily lives. Understanding how and why children and adults retaliate when provoked has great implications for character education in elementary and secondary schools….
"Additionally, my dissertation addresses an ethical challenge that is also a concern for intergroup conflict and national relations. Research on revenge seems particularly relevant now, when there is increased violence among ethnic and religious groups. Questions about the ethics of retaliation are also central to our government's policies about foreign relations and how to handle aggression toward our nation. While all the factors pertinent to revenge in interpersonal situations may not be relevant to revenge between groups, it seems that understanding more about personal revenge motivations may also be helpful for understanding revenge on the larger world stage."
Todd Hershberger: Inspiration for improvisation
Todd Hershberger's Concerto for Free Improvising Alto Saxophonist and Jazz Orchestra had its world premiere this spring as part of the annual Milestones Gala Concert, co-sponsored by the music departments of Duke and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The performance featured the North Carolina Jazz Repertory Orchestra and German soloist and composer Frank Gratkowski, with Hershberger conducting the half-hour piece. The concert was the culmination of a process that had begun years earlier, when Hershberger A.M. '03, Ph.D. '08, casting around for dissertation ideas, heard Gratkowski perform at a small, now-defunct club in Carrboro, North Carolina.
Hershberger had written music for solo instruments and a variety of ensembles, including the Ben Adams Sextet, the Lawrence Chamber Orchestra, and several at the University of Kansas (his undergraduate alma mater). But something about Gratkowski's performance that night captured his imagination.
Concerto for Free Improvising Alto Saxophonist and Jazz Orchestra won the music department's William Klenz Prize in Composition. To listen to the work, visit www.duke.edu/~tbh5.
"I was astounded at the way Frank's approach to improvising combined the traditions of avant-garde jazz and experimental classical music," says Hershberger, a bassoonist who plays locally with the musical collective pulsoptional. "Over the course of the next year, I became involved in learning more about the tradition of free improvisation—which is the tradition that Frank does most of his playing within. On a return trip to the area, Frank invited me to participate in a recording session with him, so when it came time to submit my dissertation proposal, I presented the idea of writing an original score" inspired by these musical traditions in general, and by Gratkowski's work specifically.


text:
Features October 2013 Issue
Atypical Addison's Disease — Only One Hormone Missing Instead of Two
"With standard Addison's disease you have relatively classic findings, and it's easy to confirm the diagnosis," says Tufts internal medicine veterinarian Orla Mahony, MVB, DACVIM. "Once you have a reasonable index of suspicion, you should be able to" pinpoint it. But there's a type of Addison's disease called Atypical Addison's, which is a deficiency of just cortisol, not cortisol and aldersterone, "and that may be harder to recognize," Dr. Mahony explains, "because it doesn't produce profound changes on routine lab work. Unless you measure cortisol levels in the blood," which are not regularly measured as part of general laboratory blood screenings, you can miss it.
The clinical signs are somewhat similar to those of classic Addison's disease — diarrhea, loss of appetite, lethargy, weakness. You may also observe vomiting and weight loss. Blood test signs include elevated white blood cell count, anemia, high cholesterol, and low blood sugar. If that's the case, and a dog's sodium and potassium blood levels look normal and all other routine blood screenings check out, the veterinarian may still want to administer an ACTH stimulation test, which can diagnose or rule out Addison's definitively because it checks to see if cortisol levels rise in response to an outside push from a drug that stimulates the pituitary to stimulate the cortisol-secreting adrenal glands. If the cortisol levels don't rise, Addison's is the problem.
Treatment starts out with daily replacement of cortisol with prednisone. No synthetic form of aldosterone is needed, whether as daily pills or monthly injections. But with the atypical form of Addison's, Dr. Mahony says, "we discuss with the owner that the second hormone may be needed with time." It's possible that atypical Addison's is simply the traditional form of the disease in its early stages, before the adrenal glands give out to the point of secreting insufficient amounts of both cortisol and aldosterone.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Hysterectomies in the United States, 1965-84.
iv, 32 pages : illustrations ; 28 cm.
Vital and health statistics. Series 13, Data from the National Health Survey ; no. 92.
DHHS publication ; no. (PHS) 88-1753.
Authors: Robert Pokras and Vicki Hufnagel.
Hysterectomy -- United States -- Statistics.
Hospital utilization -- United States -- Statistics.
Diagnosis related groups -- United States -- Statistics.


text:
Q: Can I tell an undefined action argument from a null? Let's say I have a POST action that receives some specific model from some form. If one of the model properties is not defined in the form and I try to access it, I will get a null (assuming the field was nullable). On the other hand, if I were to include the property in the form, but put an empty value there, I would still get a null. Is there any way for me to tell those two states apart?
I mean, functions such as UpdateModel ignore undefined properties, but respect defined nulls. This suggests that it should be possible to tell one from another, but how to do that?

A: I solved my original problem differently so I no longer needed the functionality described above, but today for one reason or another I needed to check if QueryString contains a key (and preferably in a case insensitive way). Since I wasn't able find such method in QueryString (maybe it has some obscure name or I didn't just search enough), I wrote an extension:
public static class NameValueCollectionExtensions
{
    public static bool HasKey(this System.Collections.Specialized.NameValueCollection collection, string keyToFind, bool caseSensitive = true)
    {
        foreach (var key in collection.Keys)
        {
            if ((!caseSensitive && key.ToString().ToLower() == keyToFind.ToLower()) || (key.ToString() == keyToFind && caseSensitive))
            {
                return true;
            }
        }
        return false;
    }
}

Incidentally this should allow checking if action argument was defined (like Flater suggested). For example:
bool someKeyIsDefined = Request.QueryString.HasKey("SomeKey", false);

Apparently this can be also done using the AllKeys property which returns the list of keys as good old string array and you can process it using linq.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
President Ramaphosa sends good wishes to China
President Cyril Ramaphosa has extended his best wishes to the government and people of the People's Republic of China for the upcoming Chinese Lunar New Year and Annual Spring Festival.
The Lunar New Year is celebrated to usher in a New Year on the day of the first sighting of the new moon in line with the traditional Chinese calendar.
This year has been declared the Year of the Rabbit.
"My dear brothers and sisters from China and all Chinese communities around the world, I wish you all a happy Lunar New Year and a prosperous Spring Festival 2023.
"On behalf of the government and people of South Africa, I wish the government and the people of China, including here in South Africa, a happy and fulfilling time of goodwill, celebration and friendship, as you renew bonds between friends or reunite with family during this period," President Ramaphosa said.
The President said that this year, relations between South Africa and China will reach a significant milestone.
"As we enter the New Year, we are also celebrating the 25th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the Republic of South Africa and the People's Republic of China in 1998.
"In addition, South Africa will succeed China as Chair and host of the next BRICS Summit, during which we hope to receive His Excellency, President Xi Jinping in South Africa. These occasions provide ample cause for celebration," President Ramaphosa said.
Source: South African Government News Agency
Festive season fatality statistics show a 13.9% decrease
US Treasury Secretary Yellen Kicks Off Africa Tour in Senegal


text:
VACANCY: Accountant at Mshel Homes Ltd
WANTED: A Sales Representative at Ramos Casket
New Jobs at Sterling Bank Plc
Drivers needed at Amach Security Services Limited
New Jobs at The NLNG Ship Management Limited (NSML)
AllMastersPhDPostgraduateUndergraduate
Johnson & Johnson Global Mental Health Scholarships 2021/2022 for study at…
Apply for African Institute for Mathematical Sciences (AIMS) 2021 Masters degree…
Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) Undergraduate, Masters & PhD Scholarships Programme 2021/2022…
Apply to the Bristol University Think Big Scholarships 2021 for study…
Jobs and Scholarships Daily Updates
Home Scholarships PhD
Get Local and Foreign PhD Scholarships today.
Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) Undergraduate, Masters & PhD Scholarships Programme 2021/2022 (Fully Funded)
Apply for Open Doors: Russian Scholarship Project 2020/2021 for International Master's & PhD Students
World Bank ACECoR Masters and PhD Scholarships 2020/2021 for young Professionals
ABE Initiative SDGs Global Leader Masters and Ph.D. Scholarship Program 2021 for young African Leaders (Fully Funded to Japan)
Apply for Thomas Sankara PhD Scholarships 2021
Apply for Mo Ibrahim Foundation Governance for Development in Africa Initiative (GDAI) 2021 Ph.D. Scholarships for study in the United Kingdom (Fully Funded)
Apply for Czech Government Scholarships 2021/2022 for Undergraduate, Masters and Doctorate studies in Czech Republic
Apply for Harvard University Academy Scholars Programme 2020 for International PhD Students
Apply for Singapore International Graduate Award 2021 Scholarships for PhD study...
Singapore is the gateway to some of the fastest-growing economies in the Asia Pacific region. And with SINGA, you can pursue your PhD education in Singapore, establish global links and take your research career to greater heights.
The Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung (KAS) Masters & PhD Scholarships 2020/2021 for study in...
The Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung awards scholarships to international master students and graduates in order to enable study and research at universities in Germany. This way, we actively promote intercultural dialogues, the formation of international networks as well as the internationalization of universities and science.
Get a Unicaf Scholarship and Study for an Accredited Bachelor, Master's...
Generous Unicaf scholarships are available for all programmes in Africa and cover a large percentage of tuition fees for eligible applicants, depending on their financial situation. The payment of the remaining fees can be paid in monthly installments, to ease the financial burden on students. More than $100 million worth of Unicaf scholarships have been awarded to more than 30,000 students around the world to earn internationally recognised degrees so far.
AAI One World Scholarship Program 2020 for Students in Austria
The One-World Scholarship Programme is directed at students from developing countries at universities in Salzburg or Tyrol. It is meant to contribute to the peaceful coexistence of people from different countries of origin by enhancing equal opportunities, dialogue, intercultural know-how and partnership.
DAAD/CERAAS Masters and PhD Scholarships 2020 for Sub-Saharan African Students (Funded)
The programme aims at fostering strong, internationally oriented higher education systems in Sub-Saharan Africa with the capacity to contribute to sustainable development. To this end, scholarships are granted for development-related Master or doctoral studies for individuals who plan to pursue a career in teaching and / or research at a higher education institution in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Apply for University of Ghana Nestlé PhD Scholarships 2020 for Research...
The University of Ghana has, through a 5-year Memorandum of Understanding, received a grant from Société des Produits Nestlé SA to support PhD students in conducting interdisciplinary research in the broad areas of Food and Nutrition Security, and Climate Change.
Engineering for Development (E4D) Doctoral Scholarships 2020 Zurich Switzerland
The Engineering for Development (E4D) doctoral scholarships promote doctoral research for the benefit of underprivileged people in low-income countries. It awards two doctoral scholarships per year and promotes innovative projects that are directly relevant for improving the livelihoods of underprivileged people in low-income countries.
The African Leadership Centre/ King's College London Africa International PGR Scholarships...
The African Leadership Centre and King's College London announces funding to support African students for full-time PhD studies at King's College.
The University of Louvain (UCLouvain) PhD Scholarships 2020
The University of Louvain (UCLouvain) holds a competition for awarding PhD scholarships to citizens of developing countries. By doing so, UCLouvain hopes to contribute to reinforcing the capacity building in Cooperation for development, but also to create new partnerships between UCLouvain and these partner institutions.
CHEVENING Essay Competition 2021 for Undergraduates
The Chevening Alumni Association of Nigeria (CAAN) has received funding from the Chevening Alumni Programme Fund (CAPF), to organize an essay competition for young people in Nigeria, as part of its community service endeavours.
World Bank & Financial Times' blog/essay writing competition 2021 for students
This is your chance to get creative. This competition builds on the World Bank Group's recent reports. Realizing the Future of Learning and Reimagining Human Connections.
Apply for Deloitte Risk Advisory Academy – Graduate Programme 2021
As a young graduate employed in the Risk Advisory Academy, you will be upskilled to serve clients with distinction so that we continue to be entrenched as the strongest and most valued brand amongst our competitors. Our professionals need to have the acumen to handle complex situations and multiple responsibilities simultaneously, balancing long-term projects with the urgency of immediate operational demands. We are committed to establishing and empowering the firm by creating an environment of continuous learning and enriching career opportunities.
Call for Nominations: World Food Prize Laureate 2022 ($250,000 Prize)
The World Food Prize is awarded for a specific, exceptionally significant, individual achievement that advances human development with a demonstrable increase in the quantity, quality, availability of, or access to food through creative interventions at any point within the full scope of the food system.
Johnson & Johnson Global Mental Health Scholarships 2021/2022 for study at London School of...
London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine is offering up to four Johnson & Johnson Global Mental Health Scholarships to students accepted onto the 2021-22 MSc Global Mental Health programme.
Apply for African Institute for Mathematical Sciences (AIMS) 2021 Masters degree in Mathematical Sciences...
The AIMS Structured Master's Program runs over three semesters. The requisite skills phase of the AIMS course builds a standard core set of problem-solving skills: estimation, computation, approximation, modelling, data analysis and statistics. The elective review phase allows students to apply these skills in some of the most exciting areas of science.
The IsDB Scholarship Programme is more than just a scholarship programme in the traditional sense of a straight financial assistance to the outstanding and qualified students. It is also a tool for the improvement of the socio-economic conditions of the Member Countries and Muslim communities.It is basically a scholarship programme and a development programme at the same time, since the scholarship is given as an interest-free-loan (Qard Hasan) to the students and as a grant to their communities /countries to which they belong.
Jobs and Scholarships Daily Updates was established with the purpose of assisting Africans achieve their full potentials by seizing the latest opportunities around the world! This platform was launched in August, 2019 and has influenced millions of lives positively in Sub-Saharan Africa. It is proudly managed by Olastep Networks.
Contact us: admin@jobsandschools.com
© Proudly Managed by Olastep Networks
We send you jobs / scholarships and more directly to you!


Gross margin is profitability percentage that shows the ratio between gross income and revenue. Gross margin is usually calculated when there is a need to compare company's competiveness and effectiveness ignoring the impact of capital structure and administration (overhead).
* All financial data must be of the same period which normally should be 12 months, but the best period is last four reported financial quarters (12 months). It is also normal to calculate gross margin for one quarter but it requires more careful interpretation.
** Gross income from non-recurring activity can be eliminated depending on the purpose of calculation.
This margin may tell a lot about company's core activity's effectiveness but only when it is compared correctly. Gross margin varies very strongly over industry groups and may be from 5% to 60% so it is very important to compare gross margin with gross margins of similar companies that belong to the same industry niche. Gross margin also can be compared to gross margin of previous periods of the same company. Gross margin normally is higher and more stable than net income margin or operating margin, but not as informative as EBITDA margin.
Gross profitability is calculated only for non-financial companies while for financial companies other financial ratios are used. Some companies in their financial statements use gross margin to represent gross income.


Businesses that generate hazardous waste are encouraged to contact the State of Vermont Environmental Assistance Office (EAO) for compliance assistance in managing hazardous waste. To contact the EAO, please call 800-974-9559.
The EAO offers compliance assistance at NO COST, and it is a confidential, voluntary program that assists Vermont's small businesses and municipalities in achieving compliance with environmental regulations and promotes cooperation between the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) and the regulated community.
The Compliance Assistance Program encourages businesses to use pollution prevention (waste reduction) as a means of achieving compliance and reducing their overall regulatory burden whenever possible. Prevention is often the most cost effective way to deal with environmental compliance issues.


text:
< > Effective - 28 Aug 2013, 2 histories, see footnote (history)
67.5092. Definitions. — As used in sections 67.5090 to 67.5102, the following terms mean:
(1) "Accessory equipment", any equipment serving or being used in conjunction with a wireless facility or wireless support structure. The term includes utility or transmission equipment, power supplies, generators, batteries, cables, equipment buildings, cabinets and storage sheds, shelters, or similar structures;
(2) "Antenna", communications equipment that transmits or receives electromagnetic radio signals used in the provision of any type of wireless communications services;
(3) "Applicant", any person engaged in the business of providing wireless communications services or the wireless communications infrastructure required for wireless communications services who submits an application;
(4) "Application", a request submitted by an applicant to an authority to construct a new wireless support structure, for the substantial modification of a wireless support structure, or for collocation of a wireless facility or replacement of a wireless facility on an existing structure;
(5) "Authority", each state, county, and municipal governing body, board, agency, office, or commission authorized by law and acting in its capacity to make legislative, quasi-judicial, or administrative decisions relative to zoning or building permit review of an application. The term shall not include state courts having jurisdiction over land use, planning, or zoning decisions made by an authority;
(6) "Base station", a station at a specific site authorized to communicate with mobile stations, generally consisting of radio transceivers, antennas, coaxial cables, power supplies, and other associated electronics, and includes a structure that currently supports or houses an antenna, a transceiver, coaxial cables, power supplies, or other associated equipment;
(7) "Building permit", a permit issued by an authority prior to commencement of work on the collocation of wireless facilities on an existing structure, the substantial modification of a wireless support structure, or the commencement of construction of any new wireless support structure, solely to ensure that the work to be performed by the applicant satisfies the applicable building code;
(8) "Collocation", the placement or installation of a new wireless facility on existing structure, including electrical transmission towers, water towers, buildings, and other structures capable of structurally supporting the attachment of wireless facilities in compliance with applicable codes;
(9) "Electrical transmission tower", an electrical transmission structure used to support high voltage overhead power lines. The term shall not include any utility pole;
(10) "Equipment compound", an area surrounding or near a wireless support structure within which are located wireless facilities;
(11) "Existing structure", a structure that exists at the time a request to place wireless facilities on a structure is filed with an authority. The term includes any structure that is capable of supporting the attachment of wireless facilities in compliance with applicable building codes, National Electric Safety Codes, and recognized industry standards for structural safety, capacity, reliability, and engineering, including, but not limited to, towers, buildings, and water towers. The term shall not include any utility pole;
(12) "Replacement", includes constructing a new wireless support structure of equal proportions and of equal height or such other height that would not constitute a substantial modification to an existing structure in order to support wireless facilities or to accommodate collocation and includes the associated removal of the preexisting wireless facilities or wireless support structure;
(13) "Substantial modification", the mounting of a proposed wireless facility on a wireless support structure which, as applied to the structure as it was originally constructed:
(a) Increases the existing vertical height of the structure by:
a. More than ten percent; or
b. The height of one additional antenna array with separation from the nearest existing antenna not to exceed twenty feet, whichever is greater; or
(b) Involves adding an appurtenance to the body of a wireless support structure that protrudes horizontally from the edge of the wireless support structure more than twenty feet or more than the width of the wireless support structure at the level of the appurtenance, whichever is greater (except where necessary to shelter the antenna from inclement weather or to connect the antenna to the tower via cable);
(c) Involves the installation of more than the standard number of new outdoor equipment cabinets for the technology involved, not to exceed four new equipment cabinets; or
(d) Increases the square footage of the existing equipment compound by more than two thousand five hundred square feet;
(14) "Utility", any person, corporation, county, municipality acting in its capacity as a utility, municipal utility board, or other entity, or department thereof or entity related thereto, providing retail or wholesale electric, natural gas, water, waste water, data, cable television, or telecommunications or internet protocol-related services;
(15) "Utility pole", a structure owned or operated by a utility that is designed specifically for and used to carry lines, cables, or wires for telephony, cable television, or electricity, or to provide lighting;
(16) "Water tower", a water storage tank, or a standpipe or an elevated tank situated on a support structure, originally constructed for use as a reservoir or facility to store or deliver water;
(17) "Wireless facility", the set of equipment and network components, exclusive of the underlying wireless support structure, including, but not limited to, antennas, accessory equipment, transmitters, receivers, power supplies, cabling and associated equipment necessary to provide wireless communications services;
(18) "Wireless support structure", a structure, such as a monopole, tower, or building capable of supporting wireless facilities. This definition does not include utility poles.


Real estate is still the best investing game in town, but the ups and downs that followed the housing crash a few years ago have given rise to a number of "urban legends" about the state of the housing market today – and those myths are stopping investors from taking advantage of the very real opportunities in income property today. Here's a look at five myths about real estate investing – and why. as Jason Hartman says, they're dead wrong.
The sweeping changes to mortgage lending standards that followed the housing crash and the string of lawsuits against the big banks were aimed at imposing some accountability on the mortgage lending market, and protecting consumers. In that way, the new regulations do make it harder for marginal buyers to get financing – and that means fewer foreclosures down the road. But lenders are still free to make whatever loans they choose – though for those that fall outside the standards of the Qualified Mortgage Rule, they won't have legal protections if the loans fail.


Dll Files Fixer Crack is a software that can be used to correct all Dynamic Link Library file errors. It has a high reputation and perfect software.
Dll Files Fixer Key is an excellent software that is used to optimize their system in an active way. This software is very useful which is added for those users who need to optimize their system. It can control the speed and performance of your operating system. It allows you to detect all DLL errors that happening in your systems such as malware or Trojans. This software can adjust all the bugs immediately. It is the best optimization software for everyone. It manages your system or keeps up to date.
Dll Files Fixer allows you to access in a comprehensive way. It is an easy and simple software that resolve all the errors and bugs quickly. It works in an effective way. This software automatically solves all the errors in your operating system. You can get the perfect solution for all the Windows problems. It is compatible with all Windows. It works with both 32 Bit or 64 Bit. It has the graphical user interface. It comes with advanced features.
It automatically scans the DLL files and updates them.
It resolves your all PC problems in a short time.
It has defragmented Registry to reduce the startup time.
Firstly, install the DLL Files Fixer Crack.


Computer Vision - If hours in front of a screen for school or work has triggered red eye, computer vision training can help. In addition to following the 20-20-20 rule (every 20 minutes, look at an object 20 feet away for 20 seconds) and adjusting your workspace for optimal vision, we can prescribe drops to help tear production.
Conjunctivitis - An eye exam for conjunctivitis (pink eye) is important to distinguish between viral, which may be able to be treated at home with a cold, wet washcloth; and bacterial, which requires antibiotic eye drops or ointment.
Contact Lenses - Improper contact lens care causes red eye. If you are following all directions, including regularly cleaning lenses and removing them at night, and still experience red eye, we can fit you for a different type of lens, such as daily disposables and lenses with moisture-rich materials like hydrogel.
Dry Eyes - Chronic dry eyes can leave your eyes red and irritated. Diagnosis starts with identifying and removing triggers, including allergens and bad eye habits. Treatment includes artificial tear drops, medicated drops and the insertion of tiny punctual plugs to retain your natural tears.
Injury: Whether you have scratched your eye with a fingernail or sustained an impact injury, a red-eye from injury requires immediate care at our optometrist in Wichita. At your exam, we will screen for infection, check for punctures and broken blood vessels and administer the proper treatment to prevent vision loss and promote healing.
Glaucoma: If you suddenly develop painful, bright-red eyes accompanied by halos around lights, vision loss or nausea, urgent care is required to lower intraocular pressure and prevent permanent vision loss from acute angle-closure glaucoma.
Red eye help is a phone call away. Call your Wichita eye doctor to schedule your next appointment (316) 942-7496.


This website is the latest incarnation of my blog, Oxford2Osaka (previously GaijinAbroad). My name is Ed, a currently 21 year old student, living in Japan.
This is me in Kyoto, November 2013.
This blog is a place for me to write about my experiences and adventures in this country, and anywhere else in the world, a place to display the hundreds of photographs I take, and a place to keep memories.
From the time of writing this post, I have a little under eight months left here in Japan, and I want to make the absolute most of it. Everything I do, I want to write about here for all others to read, and for me to come back to after I have left this amazing country.
If you have any questions about me, travelling, studying or working in Japan, do not hestitate to leave a comment on any of my posts. You can also follow me on twitter @oxford2osaka for day-to-day titbits.


Do you believe that you were created for a purpose? That you have a specific task to do when you were created?
The Prophet Jeremiah believes so. He actually heard the Lord say so.
The way I see it, everything seems pre-planned, in the same manner that it was pre-planned when Jesus was born on earth. But the catch is, all these memories will be wiped out as soon as you're born. You'll have to discover it along the way. The family you'll be born into, your birthplace, the era, people you'll meet, events, books, etc will give you the clues to your purpose. You are given an inner compass to figure out the right from the wrong and the grace to follow it. Above all, you have the free will to follow that compass. As with any compass, it points to a specific direction so you don't get lost.
The second reading specifies this direction. Love.
We may get distracted with our talents and gifts and forget our true purpose. When it becomes confusing, the inner compass to love will set us to the right path. Where the heart and mind is inclined to pure love, there lies our purpose.
I found it helpful to swap the word love for "I". The power of confession is the basis for this exercise. Whatever you declare will come to be.
I am patient, I am kind. I am not jealous, I am not pompous, I am not inflated, I am not rude, I do not seek my own interests, I am not quick-tempered, I do not brood over injury, I do not rejoice over wrongdoing but rejoice with the truth. I bear all things, believe all things, hope all things, endure all things.
At first it will sound like a bunch of lies. It feels fake. But this enables me to look at my weakness because I flinch the most, at the words that ring untrue. But now, I'm able to focus on where I should try to do better.
And because we are all created to love, these words will stir up our memory and will help us remember our origin and true purpose. We shall be moved to love and be love.
Let us read this declaration of love everyday until it becomes natural and true to our ears. At the end of the week, see if the exercise was effective.
With the Psalmist we pray.


Touch the screen to open apps, flick through photos and browse the web.
Watch videos and see pictures on the 2.6'' QVGA display.
Slide open the keypad for fast, easy messaging.
Typing on the keypad is fast and convenient – just like you're used to.
Get straight to your favourite apps with a simple swipe to the left or right of your home screen.
Manage your call and data costs by choosing the right SIM for you.
Keep one SIM inside the phone, then swap between multiple SIMs with the easy-swap slot.
Your phone remembers messaging and other settings for up to five SIMs.
Switch easily between two SIMs inside your phone with one touch of a button.
Save on data costs – the efficient Nokia Browser reduces the amount of data downloaded.
Web pages load faster than ever before, meaning less waiting time.
A handy web app catalogue helps you find your favourite websites and services.
Check Facebook and Twitter updates easily from the same view.
Post photos and videos to your social networks for your friends to enjoy.
Get new apps at the Store, right from your phone – apps for messaging and more.
Put fun at your fingertips with the latest games for touch-screen phones.
Give your phone a personal touch – get lively ringtones, themes and more.
You'll always have a map in your pocket with Nokia Maps on your phone.
Maps for your region are preloaded, saving you data download costs.
Plan the best walking or bike routes to places you want to visit.
Share your location with friends through MMS.
See what's nearby and find what you need – restaurants, stores and more.
Play your favourite tracks on the built-in MP3 player.
Simply touch the screen to play music, skip songs or change stations.
Enjoy music with friends on the powerful built-in 106 phon speaker.
Take hundreds of songs with you on the included 2 GB microSD memory card.
Tune in to music and news with the FM radio.
Maps preloaded, with network-based location information* Your service provider may charge for the data transmissions required to locate your position while using Nokia Maps. The availability of particular products, services, and features may vary by region. Please check with your local Nokia dealer for further details and availability of language options. These specifications are subject to change without notice.


text:
UKRAINE CRISIS ESCALATION WINNERS, LOSERS & HOW TO PROFIT
An investor's guide to which kinds of assets gain and lose from continued Russian-Ukrainian tensions, likely outcomes, chronology of Russian invasion of Crimea,and more. RSX, SPY, BA, VET
The following is a partial summary of the conclusions from the fxempire.com weekly analysts' meeting in which we share thoughts about key developments worth a special report – this one on winners and losers if the Ukraine-Russia crisis escalates
What began as an internal struggle has morphed into a 21st century East-West cold war drama, with this conflict seen as the battle that determines whether all currently independent former FSU satellites will remain free or again disappear under Russian hegemony.
That's the simplified picture that gives this crisis its drama.
Why All The Fuss?
The whole crisis is over the future political, cultural and economic orientation of Ukraine and whether it moves in the direction of becoming more like Western Europe or more like a Russian vassal, with all the economic and political changes implied.
On November 21, 2013, Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych's government announces it is abandoning an agreement that would strengthen ties with the European Union, and instead seek closer cooperation with Moscow. Protesters fearing an end to their chances for greater political and economic reforms, take to the streets. The protest movement picks up momentum.
On December 1st, a protest of about 300,000 people at Kiev's Independence Square leads to activists seizing Kiev City Hall.
As a show of support for his cash-strapped political ally, Russian President Vladimir Putin announces Moscow will provide economic aide, including the purchase of $15 billion Ukrainian government bonds and a price discount on Russian natural gas.
The protests continued and hit a turning point January 22nd with the first protester deaths at the hands of riot police, and by February 22nd, after further street clashes, the Prime Minister resigns, the parliament repeals harsh anti-protest laws, President Yanukovych flees after a coup and opposition leader Yulia Tymoshenko is released from prison. On the 24th, Ukraine's interim government issues a warrant for Yanukovych's arrest.
The next day, pro-Russian protests erupt in Crimea, which is about 60% ethnic Russian. On February 26th Putin orders military exercises near the border. On February 28th Russia intervenes militarily in Crimea. The US and Europe threaten sanctions and offer economic aid. Putin indicates he is not looking to attack Ukraine but merely protect the rights of Russians in Crimea, where the Parliament votes unanimously to secede from Ukraine and schedules a popular vote for March 16th.
For a more detailed timeline of events see here
At this point the focus of the conflict is on who controls Crimea, Ukraine or Russia.
On Friday, European indexes fell hard[UK/FTSE 100 -1.24%, Germany -2.01%, France -1.15%, Spain -1.33%, STOXX50 -1.49%] on signs of escalating tensions over Crimea:
Crimea's legislators voted Thursday to secede from Ukraine and join Russia. There will be a popular vote on March16th that is widely expected to pass, given the Russian majority in the Ukraine. Russians claim Crimea was always meant to be Russian. Even when Khrushchev gave Crimea to Ukraine, Ukraine itself was part of Russia and he did so a purely symbolic act. Ukrainians are that the Russian majority is there only due to Stalin's deporting rebellious locals like the Tartars as punishment of opposing him.
Reports Friday of a Ukrainian military base in Crimea under siege by Russians, and reports of confrontations between Ukrainian and Russian troops
A US warship entered the Black Sea
U.S. President Barack Obama ordered visa bans and asset freezes for unidentified persons who were deemed responsible for threatening Ukraine's sovereignty.
Economic Effects Of Continued Escalation
First, let's be clear that we don't see appetite on either side for a prolonged escalation. This will likely be a slowly evolving conflict, with Russia winning control of parts of Ukraine while the in the near term the West does little, given Europe's dependence on Russia for a third of its gas and the lack of vital strategic interests that might justify military action.
However if there should be a continued escalation, here's a review of the likely market effects and ideas on how to play some of them.
General Effects
Biggest Losers: Russia, Ukraine, And Those With The Most Economic Exposure To Them
Unless otherwise noted, the specific economic damages noted below impact most those closest to the conflict: the combatants, those with the most economic ties to them either via proximity or extent of economic relationships. In other words, slower economic growth in Europe, with those directly involved in the conflict suffering the most, followed by those in closest proximity and with highest exposure to the Russia, Ukraine, and its neighbors.
This slower growth comes in a variety of forms and challenges. Here are the most important ones.
Investor Flight From Russia, Thus Lower Asset Prices, Higher Risk Premiums
Even a radical shift in the Ukraine towards the West was no material military threat to Russia. The invasion smacks of a return of the old militaristic Russia. Diplomatic and economic sanctions might not do much to hurt Russia, however market reactions could be the real problem.
Many foreign investors could flee, given the Kremlin's proven willingness to put its military ambitions ahead of the country's economic interests. Foreigners are estimated to hold 70% of Russian stocks.
The use of force to keep Ukraine, or parts of it, in Russia's orbit will further deepen investor mistrust of Russian institutions, reinforcing Russia's image as riskier business environment with a leadership still stuck in the Soviet era mindset and not quite ready for prime-time capitalism. Those investors who stay in Russian assets will demand higher returns, and thus lower prices, as a risk premium for doing business in Russia versus other emerging markets. We're already seeing that happen. For example, Russian stocks trade at the cheapest forward earnings multiples across emerging markets, about 4.7x their estimated 2015 earnings. In comparison, shares in another troubled emerging market Turkey, trade at more than 7x earnings. Much of that discount is already due to corporate governance fears (aka corruption) and lack of faith in local institutions (i.e. property rights and personal liberties not well protected).
Higher Energy Prices, Particularly In Europe: Energy prices in Europe have jumped since the start of the crisis. Russia is one of Europe's main energy suppliers. This trend may well be more enduring. If the US allows more energy exports, it will find an eager market in Europe that may well accept higher transport costs in return for freedom from Russian coercion. Much of Europe's gas from Russia comes via pipelines that pass through Ukraine, so any military threat to those pipes could send prices soaring.
Falling Risk Asset Prices: The threat of war reliably produces selloffs as investors flee risk assets and buy classic safe haven assets (those that tend to rise in times of fear).For example:
Specific Effects: Losers
Russian and Ukrainian assets, particularly those traded on liquid markets like currencies and stocks (market reactions show up quickly): Currencies of both Russia and Ukraine have been hurt by the recent emerging market turmoil, and this crisis accelerates the depreciation of both currencies. Russia already had to:
Sell over $10 billion of its dollar reserves this morning in exchange for rubles in the open market in order to prop up the value of the ruble. The IMF estimates that at the end of January, Russia's stock of foreign reserves totaled $457.2 billion.
Hike benchmark rates from 5.5% to 7% once to protect the ruble's value, but at a cost of raising borrowing costs, yet another drag on the economy and aggravates inflation threats.
Ukraine has less to lose, if for no other reason than it is already considered at high risk of default. For example, a 6 month Ukraine government note yields nearly 50%.
As noted above, nations and firms with the most exposure to the region will also suffer from a prolonged escalation. For example, foreign companies with major assets or deals that the conflict puts at risk.
Boeing (BA): Has large contracts to supply aircraft to Ukraine
Renault: Has production facilities in the area
Germany's Stock index is particularly vulnerable because so many German companies do business in the affected areas.
Oil companies: Royal Dutch Shell (RDS-A) and Chevron (CVX) have exploration agreements with Ukraine, and ExxonMobile (XOM) is working on one of its own. Risk is limited as this time as these are well diversified mega-cap firms.
In the event of an outright war, European assets in general would suffer, for a variety of reasons, but those perceived has having greater exposure or proximity would suffer more. For example, assets related to Poland, Hungary, Georgia, the Baltic States, etc.
Russian Gas Exports: the crisis and Russia's explicit and implied threat of using gas supplies as leverage will encourage its European customers to seek and lock in alternative supplies, even if more expensive, as a counter weight.
European Gas Consumer Nations: They may have to choose between buckling to Russian pressure (likely) and accepting more expensive short or long energy alternatives. Russia supplies about a third of Europe's gas. As Fraser Nelson of The Telegraph wrote about Thursday's EU summit's reaction to the Russian invasion:
Leaders agreed, in effect, to be jolly annoyed about Putin's annexation of Crimea. They may even cut up some oligarchs' Harrods storecards. But to go much further? Difficult, when Russia is supplying a third of Europe's gas. As Finland's Europe minister candidly put it: "There isn't that much that we could do, at the end of the day. And I think the Russians know that."
Europe is a recession-struck continent dependent on a Kremlin-controlled energy price. Putin cleverly cut Gazprom tariffs to the region last year, ramping up its dependence on Russian gas to record levels. And in so doing, he effectively bought EU foreign policy.
Here's a look at Russian gas exports to Europe
Source:Twitter.com/Ed Conway(via businessinsider.com here
01 Mar. 09 21.39
Specific Effects: Winners
Energy suppliers not threatened by the turmoil. They're in a position to benefit from the sudden lack of competition and very profitable supply vacuum. The same hold true for any other supplier that is able to fill a market vacuum or sudden greater demand. Certain weapons makers are an obvious example. The US and Canada could hurt Russia by simply allowing more energy exports as their shale boom produces an energy surplus.
US energy producers and potential exporters: Arguably America's biggest policy tool against Russia is the threat of US energy exports. Washington is debating removing limits on energy exports now that it suddenly has a surplus.
a) In the past 6 years the explosion in shale oil and gas production has sent American crude output soaring by 60 per cent, taking the country into a thoroughly unexpected era of energy abundance. US gas prices have fallen by two thirds; factories and jobs are flooding back to former rust belt states. By the end of this decade, America will be exporting more energy than it imports.
b) This gives the US the ability to threaten to undercut prices on natural gas, which is Russia's primary export in an otherwise struggling economy. See here for details.
European gas suppliers with European production. For example, Vermillion Energy (VET). It not only has an excellent track record, it is one of the few Europe-sourced gas producers that pays you in Canadian dollars, a far healthier currency than the EUR for long term appreciation and wealth preservation, as I discuss in my book.
Assets and currencies with minimal exposure to the crisis.
Safe haven assets and currencies, and those with little or no exposure to the region of conflict. In the past trouble in Europe meant normally higher risk currencies of Australia and New Zealand rise simply because they're believed to be less influenced by troubles in Europe. The USD and JPY, traditional safe haven currencies, should also benefit.
Weapons makers: Russian is building up its drone forces, and Ukraine needs modern versions of pretty much everything, if someone would please fund the purchases.
U.S. Treasury Bond Prices: Investors seek these classic safe-haven assets in time of crisis, and the U.S. government not only has a good credit record, but an enormous military to defend it. The bellwether 10-year Treasury note yield fell to 2.61% Monday; yields fall as demand increases.
USD: In times of extreme fear the USD soars, as the most liquid, trusted currency backed by an economy that is better equipped to endure any turmoil.
Likely Outcomes
All sides don't want to lose face, nor do they want a protracted military conflict. That means the likely outcome is Russian control of at least parts of ethnically Russian Ukraine while the West responds with some kind of sanctions, so this won't end fast. Ukraine is in Russia's backyard. It is not a vital strategic interest for those who signed treaties to defend it, the US and UK, nor is there any popular support in either nation to sacrifice blood and money for Ukraine. Therefore treaties to protect territory will be ignored/reinterpreted, whatever. Until Europe secures replacements for Russian gas, expect little action at all beyond mostly symbolic sanctions that won't risk a gas cutoff to Europe.
Meanwhile, Russia must realize, as did OPEC, that withholding sales of your primary export product is a dual-edged sword. You risk sacrificing needed market share for the sake of politics. The crisis will encourage Europe to seek alternative energy sources, and move the US to expedite increased energy export capacity for its strategic as well as economic benefits.
Geopolitical Ramifications
The lesson of the US failure to honor its defense obligations to Ukraine will be noted in Jerusalem and Tokyo, as well in Teheran and Beijing, and other capitals where the US still needs its security treaties and the threats they imply, to be taken seriously if the US is to be able to efficiently promote its interests and those of its allies.
Don't be surprised to see further Chinese aggressiveness with Japan over the disputed islands, or more flagrant Iranian development of its nuclear program and terror support.
To be added to Cliff's email distribution list, just click here, and leave your name, email address, and request to be on the mailing list for alerts of future posts.
DISCLOSURE /DISCLAIMER: THE ABOVE IS FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY, RESPONSIBILITY FOR ALL TRADING OR INVESTING DECISIONS LIES SOLELY WITH THE READER.
Category : Special Reports
Tags : ADRU, BNZ, CURRENCIES AND RISK APPETITE, CURRENCIES AS RISK ASSETS, CURRENCY RISK RANKINGS AND USES, CYB, DIA, EUFX, EUO, EURX, FEU, FEZ, FXA, FXB, FXC, FXD, FXE, FXEN, FXF, FXY, GLD, HOW CURRENCIES RESPOND TO MARKET SENTIMENT, JYF, PHYS, QQQQ, RSX, SDS, SPY, THE SENSIBLE GUIDE TO FOREX, UDN, UUP
← Lessons For The Coming Week: Implications Of US Jobs Report, Ukraine, & More
EURUSD WEEKLY OUTLOOK: Clarifying The Mixed Technical & Fundamental Picture →
Netflix call: Streamer sees strong retention, and buyback intentions


SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) — An undocumented immigrant suspected of fatally shooting a 32-year-old San Francisco woman in broad daylight at the San Francisco waterfront last month attended his preliminary hearing Tuesday.
The hearing included testimony from three police investigators and photographic evidence captured by tourists that appear to place the suspect at the crime scene.
Tuesday was the first of a two-day preliminary hearing before San Francisco Superior Court Judge Brendan P. Conroy regarding the July 1 homicide of Kathryn "Kate" Steinle.
Less than an hour after the fatal shooting, which occurred at about 6:30 p.m. on July 1, San Francisco police arrested Juan Francisco Lopez-Sanchez, an undocumented immigrant from Mexico, on suspicion of murder after detaining him a couple blocks away.
Lopez-Sanchez, who is believed to be in his 40s or 50s, was deported from the United States on five previous occasions and has a criminal history with seven prior felonies, according to immigration officials.
However, Lopez-Sanchez was released onto the streets of San Francisco by the San Francisco Sheriff's Department in April when the department chose not to honor a federal immigration detainer, claiming it was against city policy to do so.
The Steinle homicide has since spurred a national debate on sanctuary city laws and the role of local law enforcement when dealing with federal officials.
Judge Conroy listened to the testimony of three police investigators assigned to the homicide who interviewed witnesses as well as the suspect.
Assistant District Attorney Diana Garcia, the prosecutor in the case and defense attorney Matt Gonzalez, chief attorney in the San Francisco Public Defender's Office, questioned the investigators as Lopez-Sanchez sat in the courtroom in shackles, listening with the assistance of a Spanish interpreter.
San Francisco police Sgt. Nico Discenza, a homicide detective assigned to the case, said he interviewed the two people who were with Steinle when she was shot.
Discenza testified that he interviewed Steinle's father, James Steinle, and a family friend, Kay Williams, a couple hours after the homicide occurred.
The father told the detective that the three of them had gone to the San Francisco Ferry Building and were just partaking in "tourist stuff" prior to the shooting. He said they were taking photos on the pier, including a "selfie" of the three of them.
The "selfie," which was booked into evidence, shows all three smiling and both the father and daughter wearing sunglasses.
Discenza said the father told him he had his arm around his daughter when "he heard a pop" and heard his daughter say, "Dad, help me, help me." She then fell to the ground and he crouched down with her as she collapsed.
The father heard someone yelling for help and then a man arriving to help. The man noticed that the victim had been shot in the back and they tried to tend to her wound, according to Discenza.
The father told Discenza that he didn't see who shot his daughter and that nobody had bothered them or had any problems with them prior to the shooting.
Discenza said he also interviewed a witness who was staying at Hotel Griffon and was watching a San Francisco Giants baseball game when she heard a "bang" outside her window.
The witness, a 32-year-old third grade teacher from out of town, Maria Moreno, told Discenza that her hotel room had a view of Pier 14 and that she could see a commotion on the pier.
"She heard a bang" which she identified as a gunshot, Discenza said. She then heard screaming and saw people moving toward the middle of the pier, where a woman was lying and someone was rendering aid.
Discenza said the witness recounted seeing a man in dark clothing moving in the opposite direction of the crowd.
The witness told Discenza that the man was walking away from the pier, headed south on the Embarcadero.
"He appeared to be peacefully walking away from the area," Discenza said, paraphrasing what the witness told him.
The witness described to Discenza that the suspicious man was wearing a dark-colored pea coat, with a gray hooded sweatshirt underneath, and dark pants. He had dark skin, possibly African American, and had a balding patch of hair on the right side of his head, according to Discenza's description provided by the witness.
Discenza said Moreno took photographs of the man from her hotel room in case it would be useful later. She told police she didn't see a weapon or anyone with the man.
She then went out to the Embarcadero and showed the photos she had taken of the man to the police officers at the scene.
Police emailed the images of the suspect to law enforcement personnel, identifying the man as a homicide suspect.
Less than an hour after the shooting, Lopez-Sanchez was taken into custody and Moreno confirmed that he was the man who she saw walking away from the pier after the shooting.
San Francisco police Sgt. Conroy Tam, also a homicide investigator, interviewed witnesses following the shooting as well.
Tam, a certified Cantonese interpreter, interviewed witness Michelle Lee in Cantonese. Lee was with her family on the pier when the shooting happened.
The witness told Tam that her family had been taking photographs by the water prior to the shooting. She said she noticed a man sitting on one of the swiveling chairs on the pier.
He was apparently swiveling around and around, wearing all black and described as a black man, Tam said.
Moments later she heard a gunshot and saw a woman lying on the ground and a person wearing all black walking away, Tam told the courtroom.
Lee told Tam that she had a "gut feeling" that this was the same man who she had noticed swiveling in the chair earlier.
The witness shared the photos she and her family had taken at the pier with police.
In at least one of the photos, which Lee had cropped her family out of, the photos showed the man in dark clothing sitting on the chair as Steinle walked further out onto the pier, her back to the camera and the San Francisco Bay Bridge in the background.
San Francisco police Sgt. Anthony Ravano, also a homicide investigator, interviewed a woman in her 50s who was near Pier 14 when the shooting happened and led police to the firearm that may have been used in the shooting.
The witness had been walking south on The Embarcadero heading to dinner with two friends when she heard a bang and saw an object come off the pier and land in the water "with a big plop," Ravano said.
She told Ravano that she then saw a man pull a gray hoodie over his head and run from the pier.
She described his jacket as dark-colored, possibly green, and showed the investigator the spot in the middle of the pier where she saw and heard an object enter the water.
Video surveillance footage also showed a splash in the water just after the shooting and a dive team was called to the scene on the afternoon of July 2.
Within half an hour, the divers had recovered a firearm from the bottom of the San Francisco Bay. The weapon was then booked as evidence and tested by the crime lab, Ravano said.
Ravano said he also interviewed the victim's boyfriend, Atticus Honore, who had lived with the victim prior to her death. Honore provided police with additional photographs from his girlfriend's cellphone to help with the investigation.
Ravano said that during his interview with Lopez-Sanchez, he lied, telling the suspect that there was DNA evidence and gunshot residue tying him to the homicide, even though there wasn't any such evidence at the time.
Ravano said Lopez-Sanchez then admitted to firing a gun on the pier.
Judge Conroy said the preliminary hearing would continue at 9:45 a.m. on Wednesday.
Gonzalez said outside court Tuesday that ballistic evidence in the case was likely to be heard in court on Wednesday.
© Copyright 2015 by CBS San Francisco and Bay City News Service. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


text:
Home / Queerly Digital
21 October 2020 / Entertainment Latest
Queerly Digital: Halloween With 'Carmilla' and 'Daughters of Darkness'
A fun double feature for your Halloween viewing… by David-Elijah Nahmod Welcome to Queerly Digital, a regular column about LGBT cinema on DVD, Blu Ray and streaming platforms. A new...
Queerly Digital: From Zero To I Love You
From Zero to I Love You is available on DVD and streaming platforms now… by David-Elijah Nahmod Welcome to Queerly Digital, a regular column about LGBTQ cinema on DVD, Blu...
21 April 2020 / Entertainment Latest
LGBTQ Cinema On DVD/Blu-Ray: The Queen
Frank Simon's 1968 documentary The Queen is an essential queer time capsule… By David-Elijah Nahmod Welcome to Queerly Digital, a regular column about LGBTQ cinema on DVD, Blu...
04 February 2020 / Entertainment Latest
LGBTQ Cinema On DVD/Blu-Ray: Sorry Angel
The fear of AIDS looms through Sorry Angel, the drama from French filmmaker Christophe Honore… By David-Elijah Nahmod Welcome to Queerly Digital, a regular column about LGBTQ cinema...
04 December 2019 / Entertainment Latest
LGBTQ Cinema On DVD/Blu-Ray: Papi Chulo
A comedy-drama written and directed by John Butler and starring Matt Bomer and Alejandro Patiño… By David-Elijah Nahmod Welcome to Queerly Digital, a regular column about LGBTQ cinema...
17 September 2019 / Entertainment Latest
LGBT Cinema On DVD/Blu-Ray: To A More Perfect Union
A couple fight for love, marriage and equality… By David-Elijah Nahmod Welcome to Queerly Digital, a regular column about LGBTQ cinema on DVD and Blu-ray and streaming platforms....
19 August 2019 / Entertainment Latest
LGBTQ Cinema On DVD/Blu-Ray: The Re-Released 'Before Stonewall' Documentary
This recently restored documentary examines LGBTQ life before 1969… Before Stonewall First Run Features 87 minutes When Before Stonewall: The Making Of A Gay And Lesbian Community was...
LGBT Cinema On DVD/Blu-ray: A Moment In The Reeds
Looking back at the 2017 Finnish romantic drama film written and directed by Mikko Mäkelä in his feature directorial debut… Director Mikko Makela establishes himself as a major talent with this,...
LGBT Cinema on DVD/Blu-ray: Will And Grace: The Revival Season One
The first season of the new "Will and Grace" has just been released on DVD… Will & Grace (The Revival) Season One (2018) Starring: Eric McCormack, Debra Messing, Sean...
22 August 2018 / Entertainment
LGBT Cinema on DVD/Blu-ray: Battle Of The Sexes (2017)
The true story of the 1973 tennis match held between Billie Jean King and the ex-champ Bobbie Riggs that was known as The Battle of the Sexes… Battle Of...
LGBT Cinema on DVD/Blu-ray: Maurice (1987)
31 years after it's release we take a look back at the 1987 British romantic drama film based on the novel Maurice by E. M. Forster… Maurice (1987) Director:...


Reese Witherspoon dropped by the Ellen DeGeneres Show on Wednesday (May 17) to talk about the success of her hit series Big Little Lies and revealed how the show brought a new element to her relationship with her mom Betty Reese. The 41-year-old, whose mother was in the audience, opened up about the inappropriate texts she received from Betty after watching the popular HBO drama. Recalling the moment she shared a snapshot of her mother's message on Instagram, Reese explained how her mom enjoyed the intimate scenes. "When she said, 'I'm watching Big Little Lies.' I was like, 'Oh did you like it?' She just replied, 'Yes, there was a lot of...'," she revealed to a rapturous applause from the audience.
The mother-of-three also hinted that a second series of Big Little Lies is on the cards, the show which she also co-produced alongside Nicole Kidman. She explained: "We hope so. I mean, I feel like it's - Nicole and I produced as well, so we've been talking to the writer, Liane Moriarty, who wrote the book, about just new ideas of what these characters could do." She added: "But it seems like people just love the characters, so hopefully we can go on."
Reese plays wealthy mother Madeline Martha Mackenzie in the gritty drama, which also stars Shailene Woodley and Alexander Skarsgård as well as Laura Dern and Zoë Kravitz. The story follows three mothers who have children in the same class at school but who conflict with the other mums. The tension between the parents slowly grows until a murder is committed.


#heels #size5 #newlook worn them once. Size 5. But of mud on one of them. Would clean off easy.
Really lovely shoes. But have got scuff marks As seen in photo.
Black glitter ballet pump size 5. Apart from the inside there are in fine condition!


text:
Citizen – "The Fusion of Technology and Beauty"
Overview history
With the mission of supplying better products and services to all citizens in the world, Citizen Co., Ltd is one of the largest watch manufacturers who responsible for 22% of the world total watch production.
In 1918, a Tokyo jeweler, Kamekichi Yakamazi started the Shokosha Watch Research Institute producing pocketwatches. In 1924, the first commercial model was produced under the brand "Citizen". Citizen is one of a few companies whose names were not given by their founder. This name was given by Mr. Shinpei Goto, the mayor of Tokyo. At that time, making a pocket watch in Japan was very difficult. This name represents the desire of turning it into a common and popular item with all citizens all around the world. But it is not until 1930 that Citizen Watch Co., Ltd was founded with Yosaburo Nakajima appointed as the president. In 1936, the first wristwatch was completed. The very first wrist watches of Citizen required daily touch with their users as the coil needed winding manually every day. In 1936, Tanashi factory was constructed. Since then, the company began expanding beyond the borders of Japan by exporting its watches into Southeast Asian and the South Pacific market. Due to the eruption of the World War II the Japanese economy geared itself to support the military, in 1941 Citizen started producing machine tools.
After the World War II, Japanese industry was ruined with terrible loss. As well as the whole country Citizen had to rebuild. In 1945 the president position was taken by Shinji Nakajima but not long after that, it was taken by Eiinchi Yamada in 1946. Under his management, the company achieve significant growth rate. This success is contributed by Citizen trading Co, a subsidiary established in 1949, responsible for marketing, importing and exporting. In 1952, the first Japan-made watch with calendar was introduced.
Thanks to great effort, Citizen was able to resume export to other countries such as China, Southeast Asia, America and Europe. The timepiece industry in Japan was then dominated by four companies: K. Hattori (we know as Seiko today), Citizen, Ricoh and Orient. In 1965, Hattori and Citizen produced more than 80% of Japanese watch manufacture. Along with Seiko, Citizen has also made breakthrough in the history of watch production with these inventions: Japan's first shock resistant watch released in 1956, the first wristwatch with an alarm in 1958 and Japan's first water resistant watch in 1958.
Japanese timepiece manufacture experienced a hard time in early 1960s. Ricoh and Orient's watch making area decreased and resulted in their loss in status as watch makers. The market was monopolized by two main competitors, Citizen and Seiko. In order to survive and avoid direct competition with Seiko, Citizen decided to diversify its product range: In 1964, technology research laboratory was established; at the same year, Citizen Business Machines was started. A year later, Citizen began producing business machines (Adding machines, camera shutters). In 1967, Citizen Jewelry was established (this subsidiary was merged with the mother company later). In addition to broadening their product range, Citizen also extended their overseas market. At the end of 1965, they opened an office in former West Germany and started exporting full-fledged timepieces to Europe which was a real challenge to compete the reputation of Swiss horology.
After this period, along with watchmaking, Citizen has gained a lot of success in the field of precision machinery and machine tools. They successfully acquired the German machine tool maker Boley G.m.b.H. Nowadays, more than 50% of the sales figures are based on precision equipment, robots, computer units, printing machinery, LCD, quartz oscillators, jewelry and healthcare products.
One of Citizen's best products is their Eco-Drive systems. As their names, they are environment friendly as there's no need to change batteries. It was breakthrough in the history of watch manufacture in Japan so it was given the Japan Environment Association's Eco Mark for environmentally friendly products.
Models with Eco-Drive system helped Citizen overcome the slump caused by the proliferation of cell phones. They are still popular in North-America and accounted for one third of Citizen's revenue in 2000. However, in the time of booming technology, Citizen has to adapt by adding new features to their timepieces. In 2003, they introduced the World's first full metal case radio-controlled watch with a built-in antenna.
Although watches are not the main source of revenue (about 40%), Citizen is well known for their horology and stay one of the world's leader in manufacturing watches.
Related reviews:
Best Citizen Eco Drive dive watches
Citizen Eco Drive field watch BM8180-03E review


text:
/* global APP */

import JitsiMeetJS, { JitsiTrackErrors, browser } from '../lib-jitsi-meet';
import { MEDIA_TYPE } from '../media';
import {
    getUserSelectedCameraDeviceId,
    getUserSelectedMicDeviceId
} from '../settings';

import loadEffects from './loadEffects';
import logger from './logger';

/**
 * Creates a local video track for presenter. The constraints are computed based
 * on the height of the desktop that is being shared.
 *
 * @param {Object} options - The options with which the local presenter track
 * is to be created.
 * @param {string|null} [options.cameraDeviceId] - Camera device id or
 * {@code undefined} to use app's settings.
 * @param {number} desktopHeight - The height of the desktop that is being
 * shared.
 * @returns {Promise<JitsiLocalTrack>}
 */
export async function createLocalPresenterTrack(options, desktopHeight) {
    const { cameraDeviceId } = options;

    // compute the constraints of the camera track based on the resolution
    // of the desktop screen that is being shared.
    const cameraHeights = [ 180, 270, 360, 540, 720 ];
    const proportion = 5;
    const result = cameraHeights.find(
            height => (desktopHeight / proportion) < height);
    const constraints = {
        video: {
            aspectRatio: 4 / 3,
            height: {
                ideal: result
            }
        }
    };
    const [ videoTrack ] = await JitsiMeetJS.createLocalTracks(
        {
            cameraDeviceId,
            constraints,
            devices: [ 'video' ]
        });

    videoTrack.type = MEDIA_TYPE.PRESENTER;

    return videoTrack;
}

/**
 * Create local tracks of specific types.
 *
 * @param {Object} options - The options with which the local tracks are to be
 * created.
 * @param {string|null} [options.cameraDeviceId] - Camera device id or
 * {@code undefined} to use app's settings.
 * @param {string[]} options.devices - Required track types such as 'audio'
 * and/or 'video'.
 * @param {string|null} [options.micDeviceId] - Microphone device id or
 * {@code undefined} to use app's settings.
 * @param {boolean} [firePermissionPromptIsShownEvent] - Whether lib-jitsi-meet
 * should check for a {@code getUserMedia} permission prompt and fire a
 * corresponding event.
 * @param {Object} store - The redux store in the context of which the function
 * is to execute and from which state such as {@code config} is to be retrieved.
 * @returns {Promise<JitsiLocalTrack[]>}
 */
export function createLocalTracksF(options = {}, firePermissionPromptIsShownEvent, store) {
    let { cameraDeviceId, micDeviceId } = options;

    if (typeof APP !== 'undefined') {
        // TODO The app's settings should go in the redux store and then the
        // reliance on the global variable APP will go away.
        store || (store = APP.store); // eslint-disable-line no-param-reassign

        const state = store.getState();

        if (typeof cameraDeviceId === 'undefined' || cameraDeviceId === null) {
            cameraDeviceId = getUserSelectedCameraDeviceId(state);
        }
        if (typeof micDeviceId === 'undefined' || micDeviceId === null) {
            micDeviceId = getUserSelectedMicDeviceId(state);
        }
    }

    const state = store.getState();
    const {
        desktopSharingFrameRate,
        firefox_fake_device, // eslint-disable-line camelcase
        resolution
    } = state['features/base/config'];
    const constraints = options.constraints ?? state['features/base/config'].constraints;

    return (
        loadEffects(store).then(effectsArray => {
            // Filter any undefined values returned by Promise.resolve().
            const effects = effectsArray.filter(effect => Boolean(effect));

            return JitsiMeetJS.createLocalTracks(
                {
                    cameraDeviceId,
                    constraints,
                    desktopSharingExtensionExternalInstallation:
                        options.desktopSharingExtensionExternalInstallation,
                    desktopSharingFrameRate,
                    desktopSharingSourceDevice:
                        options.desktopSharingSourceDevice,
                    desktopSharingSources: options.desktopSharingSources,

                    // Copy array to avoid mutations inside library.
                    devices: options.devices.slice(0),
                    effects,
                    firefox_fake_device, // eslint-disable-line camelcase
                    micDeviceId,
                    resolution
                },
                firePermissionPromptIsShownEvent)
            .catch(err => {
                logger.error('Failed to create local tracks', options.devices, err);

                return Promise.reject(err);
            });
        }));
}

/**
 * Returns local audio track.
 *
 * @param {Track[]} tracks - List of all tracks.
 * @returns {(Track|undefined)}
 */
export function getLocalAudioTrack(tracks) {
    return getLocalTrack(tracks, MEDIA_TYPE.AUDIO);
}

/**
 * Returns local track by media type.
 *
 * @param {Track[]} tracks - List of all tracks.
 * @param {MEDIA_TYPE} mediaType - Media type.
 * @param {boolean} [includePending] - Indicates whether a local track is to be
 * returned if it is still pending. A local track is pending if
 * {@code getUserMedia} is still executing to create it and, consequently, its
 * {@code jitsiTrack} property is {@code undefined}. By default a pending local
 * track is not returned.
 * @returns {(Track|undefined)}
 */
export function getLocalTrack(tracks, mediaType, includePending = false) {
    return (
        getLocalTracks(tracks, includePending)
            .find(t => t.mediaType === mediaType));
}

/**
 * Returns an array containing the local tracks with or without a (valid)
 * {@code JitsiTrack}.
 *
 * @param {Track[]} tracks - An array containing all local tracks.
 * @param {boolean} [includePending] - Indicates whether a local track is to be
 * returned if it is still pending. A local track is pending if
 * {@code getUserMedia} is still executing to create it and, consequently, its
 * {@code jitsiTrack} property is {@code undefined}. By default a pending local
 * track is not returned.
 * @returns {Track[]}
 */
export function getLocalTracks(tracks, includePending = false) {
    // XXX A local track is considered ready only once it has its `jitsiTrack`
    // property set by the `TRACK_ADDED` action. Until then there is a stub
    // added just before the `getUserMedia` call with a cancellable
    // `gumInProgress` property which then can be used to destroy the track that
    // has not yet been added to the redux store. Once GUM is cancelled, it will
    // never make it to the store nor there will be any
    // `TRACK_ADDED`/`TRACK_REMOVED` actions dispatched for it.
    return tracks.filter(t => t.local && (t.jitsiTrack || includePending));
}

/**
 * Returns local video track.
 *
 * @param {Track[]} tracks - List of all tracks.
 * @returns {(Track|undefined)}
 */
export function getLocalVideoTrack(tracks) {
    return getLocalTrack(tracks, MEDIA_TYPE.VIDEO);
}

/**
 * Returns the media type of the local video, presenter or video.
 *
 * @param {Track[]} tracks - List of all tracks.
 * @returns {MEDIA_TYPE}
 */
export function getLocalVideoType(tracks) {
    const presenterTrack = getLocalTrack(tracks, MEDIA_TYPE.PRESENTER);

    return presenterTrack ? MEDIA_TYPE.PRESENTER : MEDIA_TYPE.VIDEO;
}

/**
 * Returns track of specified media type for specified participant id.
 *
 * @param {Track[]} tracks - List of all tracks.
 * @param {MEDIA_TYPE} mediaType - Media type.
 * @param {string} participantId - Participant ID.
 * @returns {(Track|undefined)}
 */
export function getTrackByMediaTypeAndParticipant(
        tracks,
        mediaType,
        participantId) {
    return tracks.find(
        t => t.participantId === participantId && t.mediaType === mediaType
    );
}

/**
 * Returns the track if any which corresponds to a specific instance
 * of JitsiLocalTrack or JitsiRemoteTrack.
 *
 * @param {Track[]} tracks - List of all tracks.
 * @param {(JitsiLocalTrack|JitsiRemoteTrack)} jitsiTrack - JitsiTrack instance.
 * @returns {(Track|undefined)}
 */
export function getTrackByJitsiTrack(tracks, jitsiTrack) {
    return tracks.find(t => t.jitsiTrack === jitsiTrack);
}

/**
 * Returns tracks of specified media type.
 *
 * @param {Track[]} tracks - List of all tracks.
 * @param {MEDIA_TYPE} mediaType - Media type.
 * @returns {Track[]}
 */
export function getTracksByMediaType(tracks, mediaType) {
    return tracks.filter(t => t.mediaType === mediaType);
}

/**
 * Checks if the local video track in the given set of tracks is muted.
 *
 * @param {Track[]} tracks - List of all tracks.
 * @returns {Track[]}
 */
export function isLocalVideoTrackMuted(tracks) {
    const presenterTrack = getLocalTrack(tracks, MEDIA_TYPE.PRESENTER);
    const videoTrack = getLocalTrack(tracks, MEDIA_TYPE.VIDEO);

    // Make sure we check the mute status of only camera tracks, i.e.,
    // presenter track when it exists, camera track when the presenter
    // track doesn't exist.
    if (presenterTrack) {
        return isLocalTrackMuted(tracks, MEDIA_TYPE.PRESENTER);
    } else if (videoTrack) {
        return videoTrack.videoType === 'camera'
            ? isLocalTrackMuted(tracks, MEDIA_TYPE.VIDEO) : true;
    }

    return true;
}

/**
 * Checks if the first local track in the given tracks set is muted.
 *
 * @param {Track[]} tracks - List of all tracks.
 * @param {MEDIA_TYPE} mediaType - The media type of tracks to be checked.
 * @returns {boolean} True if local track is muted or false if the track is
 * unmuted or if there are no local tracks of the given media type in the given
 * set of tracks.
 */
export function isLocalTrackMuted(tracks, mediaType) {
    const track = getLocalTrack(tracks, mediaType);

    return !track || track.muted;
}

/**
 * Returns true if the remote track of the given media type and the given
 * participant is muted, false otherwise.
 *
 * @param {Track[]} tracks - List of all tracks.
 * @param {MEDIA_TYPE} mediaType - The media type of tracks to be checked.
 * @param {*} participantId - Participant ID.
 * @returns {boolean}
 */
export function isRemoteTrackMuted(tracks, mediaType, participantId) {
    const track = getTrackByMediaTypeAndParticipant(
        tracks, mediaType, participantId);

    return !track || track.muted;
}

/**
 * Returns whether or not the current environment needs a user interaction with
 * the page before any unmute can occur.
 *
 * @param {Object} state - The redux state.
 * @returns {boolean}
 */
export function isUserInteractionRequiredForUnmute(state) {
    return browser.isUserInteractionRequiredForUnmute()
        && window
        && window.self !== window.top
        && !state['features/base/user-interaction'].interacted;
}

/**
 * Mutes or unmutes a specific {@code JitsiLocalTrack}. If the muted state of
 * the specified {@code track} is already in accord with the specified
 * {@code muted} value, then does nothing.
 *
 * @param {JitsiLocalTrack} track - The {@code JitsiLocalTrack} to mute or
 * unmute.
 * @param {boolean} muted - If the specified {@code track} is to be muted, then
 * {@code true}; otherwise, {@code false}.
 * @returns {Promise}
 */
export function setTrackMuted(track, muted) {
    muted = Boolean(muted); // eslint-disable-line no-param-reassign

    if (track.isMuted() === muted) {
        return Promise.resolve();
    }

    const f = muted ? 'mute' : 'unmute';

    return track[f]().catch(error => {
        // Track might be already disposed so ignore such an error.
        if (error.name !== JitsiTrackErrors.TRACK_IS_DISPOSED) {
            // FIXME Emit mute failed, so that the app can show error dialog.
            logger.error(`set track ${f} failed`, error);
        }
    });
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Freedom for All Americans Launches Digital Media Buy to Encourage Passage of LGBTQ Protections
October 12, 2021 • 11:00 am
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Freedom for All Americans today launched a month-long digital media buy urging congressional action in support of passing federal nondiscrimination protections for LGBTQ Americans. Kasey Suffredini (he/him/his), FFAA's CEO and National Campaign Director, released the following statement:
"Since the first federal LGBTQ nondiscrimination bill was introduced nearly 50 years ago, LGBTQ people have worked tirelessly to demonstrate the pervasive harm inequality causes our community. Discrimination against LGBTQ Americans happens every day, but most people are unaware that federal law does not yet explicitly prohibit it. Right now, our community is at a historic moment where — for the first time — leaders in both chambers of Congress and our President are strong supporters of ensuring LGBTQ people can go about their daily lives with dignity and respect. Freedom for All Americans is committed to doing everything we can to seize this moment so that our LGBTQ neighbors, friends, family members, and loved ones are granted this most basic promise of equal treatment under our nation's civil rights laws. A supermajority of Americans from all political ideologies are ready to see their values reflected in our nation's laws, and Congress must act."
The month-long, six-figure digital ad buy will run in Politico, The Washington Post and The Hill and is timed to coincide with a multi-million dollar campaign push to urge the U.S. Senate to pass LGBTQ nondiscrimination protections. The ads, along with a senator contact page, highlight the public's broad bipartisan support for federal protections and the fact that Congress now has the opportunity of a generation to pass legislation.
Freedom for All Americans is the bipartisan campaign to secure full nondiscrimination protections for LGBTQ people nationwide. Our work brings together Republicans and Democrats, businesses large and small, people of faith, and allies from all walks of life to make the case for comprehensive nondiscrimination protections that ensure everyone is treated fairly and equally.


CARDIAC KID, INC. is a business entity registered in the state of California under the legal form of DOMESTIC STOCK. It can be found in the register by the DOS ID C1703210. The company was established and set into the register at 19th February 1992 and its current status is FTB SUSPENDED. Location address of this company is at 8101 CAMINO MEDIA #179, BAKERSFIELD, 93311, CA.
Entity Name CARDIAC KID, INC.
The company and its activities are actually managed by 1 person with the responsibility of its market actions. Person written in the register is KEVIN JAGIELO, who's seat is at 8101 CAMINO MEDIA #179, BAKERSFIELD, 93311, CA.
SHERRY ERICKSON & ASSOCIATES, INC.
WEST AMERICAN DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT, INC.
THE CALIFORNIA TRAPSHOOTING HALL OF FAME, INC.
SONOMA VALLEY EMERGENCY PHYSICIANS MEDICAL GROUP, INC.
SENIOR PET RESCUE GROUP, INC.
AIRCRAFT MODIFICATION & PARTS CENTER, INC.
JETRO REAL ESTATE COMPANY OF QUEENS, INC.
PIPING AND PROCESS INDUSTRIES, INC.
G & M QUALITY CONCRETE, INC.
ADVANCED SLEEP SYSTEMS OF INYO MONO COUNTY, INC.
ACOUSTIC RECORDS OF AMERICA, INC.
GREEN LIGHT EMERGENCY SERVICES, INC.
BETTER REAL ESTATE OF ORANGE COUNTY, INC.
S & A WHOLESALE, INC.


Can remember the beast name but super nice .
And if you ever decide a piece would look good in my tank, let me know!
This piece is so amazing in person. It is on the want list for sure!!
This is raw iPhone pictures from daylight. That is exactly how it is look in person right bro ?
So nice and definitely unique bro!
Yeah the photo is spot on. The coral is super bright from across the room and very unique.
It totally looks ready to frag.