text:
Who is Yusuf Hamdani?
on 26 October 2020 ISLAM AND IHSAN
Who is Yusuf Hamdani? What kind of person Yusuf Hamdani? When did Yusuf Hamdani live?
Yusuf Hamdani [1049 – 1140]
Yusuf Hamdani (may Allah have mercy on him) was born in the village of Hamdan in the hijri year 441. He went to Baghdad, the centre of the caliphate, when he was eighteen years old to study. He learned various Islamic sciences such as fiqh, hadith, tafsir and kalam from the great scholars. He surpassed his peers with his intelligence and abilities and became a favourite with his teachers.
He had memorised an endless numbers of books about the Islamic sciences. He met with many of the shuyukh of his time and attended their talks[1].
He is mentioned in Rashahat as follows:
"He specialised in the field of hadith and in the matter of sanad (chain of narrators) in particular. On the one hand he was occupied with studying and on the other he was preaching to and advising the Muslims, thus carrying out his duty of guiding others. The people would find contentment in his beautiful advice"[2].
Many scholars from Baghdad, Isfahan and Samarkand studied in his hadith classes[3].
A short time later he became tired of the arguments that arose from fiqh and kalam and he turned towards tasawwuf. He attached himself to Abu Ali Farmadi. In addition, he had in his possession the staff and turban of Salman Farisi[4].
His Practice of Guiding Others
After completing his studies in tasawwuf Yusuf Hamdani established a Sufi lodge in Merv in order to guide the people. This lodge performed a great service and in addition to Sufis, other masters of knowledge also attended. However Hamdani did not reside here all the time and travelled to many cities in order to guide others. When he was 65 years old he returned to Baghdad, having attained a reputation for being a great preacher and Sufi. He established an assembly of preaching at the Madrasah of Nizamiyyah where he once studied himself and was greatly respected by the people[5].
He bore great resemblance in terms of disposition to his colleague there, Imam Ghazzali. However, where Imam Ghazzali placed great importance on writing books, Hamdani was more occupied with worship and guiding people. Thus, he did not spend much time writing.
Yusuf Hamdani taught many great gnostics such as Ahmad Yesevi and Abdul Khaliq Ghujdawani.
Abdul Qadir Jilani also attended the assembly of Yusuf Hamdani and benefitted from him[6]. It is recorded that it was Yusuf Hamdani who encouraged Jilani to preach and guide others[7].
Hamdani directed his students to the two basic elements of the Khwajagan, which is serving others and suhbah. He would travel frequently and teach Islam to the people. He was the means for many people receiving guidance.
One time the great zahid Abu al-Hussain Maqdisi was asked:
"Have you ever seen any of the Friends of Allah?" He responded:
"During my travels I saw a man in Merv preaching to the people and inviting them to believe in Allah. They called him Yusuf and he was one of the true Friends of Allah"[8].
One time Hamdani was asked:
"What should we do for our salvation if the period passes and the true Sufi Masters travel on to the hereafter?"
Hamdani replied:
"Read 16 pages from the works of the friends of Allah every day". Taking inspiration from these words Fariduddin Attar penned his work Tadhkirat al-Awliya[9].
His Good Character
Yusuf Hamdani (may Allah have mercy on him) was a compassionate man with a smiling face and a soft manner. He was always humble and generous towards the poor, the lonely and the abandoned. Even though he was very kind and friendly to everyone, he was also stately and dignified towards very worldly and arrogant people[10].
Abdul Khaliq Ghujdawani describes the beautiful character of his guide Yusuf Hamdani as follows:
"This reverend Shaykh has not deviated from the Sunnah of the prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) in the slightest. He has lived his life in the footsteps of the Companions (Sahaba), the Followers (Tabi'een), the generation after the Tabi'een (Tabi al-Tabi'een) and Pious Predecessors (Salaf-i Saliheen). He would always recite the following blessed words:
"The true Way is the way of Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). He said: "O Abu Hurairah! Teach the people my way (my Sunnah) and you too act by it so that you can attain to a light that will illuminate you on the Day of Judgement".
Since this was the indication of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), this great Shaykh, whose path was pure, would invite his friends and those who followed him to live according to the Qur'an and the Sunnah. He would warn the people of following the desires of their nafs, of innovation (bid'a), of opposing the shariah, of the way of falsehood and of people of dissension (fitnah) and of copying the imitators. One time he said:
"O Abdul Khaliq! Know that the journey (suluq) towards Allah consists of two parts:
The first is the apparent journey (suluq'i zahir) which is to always comply with the divine commands and prohibitions, preserve the standards of one's religion and flee from the desires of the nafs.
The other is the inner journey (suluq'i batin) which is the struggle to cleanse the heart and eliminate the traits of the nafs. This is what they call inner (batin) cleansing. An eternal struggle and determination for the dhikr of the heart is required so that the heart can come to a state in which it always remembers Allah.
He then gave the following advice:
"Make sure that you are on the path of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and do not deviate from the limits of the shariah in the slightest. When you see someone doing something in opposition to the religion then prevent him".
On the 11th day of the month of Ramadan in the year 504, the king of the Seljuq state, Sultan Sanjar sent a letter to the students of Hamdani.
In that letter he made the following request:
"As I have learned from the elders of Samarkand the honoured shaykh Yusuf Hamdani has reached an old age. Unfortunately we have no opportunity to enter in the presence of that honourable man. 50,000 dinar, meticulously earned through lawful means, has been sent to cover the expenses of the dervishes. You recite a Fatiha for our affairs too. Our sole desire is for you to write about the character and state of the great shaykh and send it to us. For we have heard that the way and attitude of the Shaykh is exactly like the way of the Sahaba. Please give this matter great importance and honour the one who prays for you with this".
Hamdani recited the Fatiha for the solving of his difficulty and then in great humility he said:
"O dervishes. What I have to say other than my own faults that I can write and send to Sanjar?" Some of his leading students said:
"Master! It is your dervishes' request that you allow us to write about your character and state".
Hamdani then said:
"In that case write whatever you have seen that is in accordance with the shariah of the Messenger of Allah".
Some of the beautiful states observed in the life of Shaykh Yusuf Hamdani are as follows:
The Shaykh travelled to Hajj many times on foot. On most days he would be fasting. He would fast the last ten days of the month of Jumada al-akhir and in the month of Rajab and would never abandon these acts. He would ask Allah for success in his worship and obedience.
He frequently sent invocations upon the prophet (salawat) and sought forgiveness from Allah (istighfar) and he would pray the witr, tahajjud and tasbih prayers close to one another. He would continue to regularly pray the morning, ishraq, awwabin, tahajjud and istikhara prayers. He would supplicate often and advise his students to do the same.
When performing acts of worship such as giving charity and zakat, he would feel an indescribable feeling of peace. He would enter into itiqaf (solitary retreat), he would slaughter the sacrificial animals, and he loved to free slaves.
The signs of dhikr that he made with his heart would become apparent in his limbs. In addition to the awrad that he continuously recited he would recite the chapter Yasin and read a 30th of the Qur'an after every obligatory prayer. He would sometimes recite one 30th in two rakats of prayer. However he would not lengthen the prayer he led in congregation. Whilst walking and at every opportunity he would recite from the Qur'an.
He went out for many expeditions for the sake of Allah. He would go to the houses of the unbelievers, the Christians, fire-worshippers and Zoroastrians and talk to them about the virtues of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), proclaim to them the divine reward and punishment of the hereafter and was the means for many of them being guided.
He would also warn the sinners and keep away from them unless they reformed themselves. The number of people he made repent and come back to the straight path is unknown.
He would frequent the masjids, the sahra, the neighbourhoods, villages and mountains and teach the rulings of Islam to whoever resided there, the Turks, the Tajiks, Arabs, masters, slaves, dervishes, merchants, leaders, shepherds, those who he knew and those he did not know. He would stay there and teach them the essentials of the Islamic commandments to the best of his ability.
His spiritual talks were very prosperous and beneficial. He would often relate the virtues of the four caliphs and narrate anecdotes from them. He had a religious school in which he taught.
Every month he would call the leading men of Samarkand and he would converse with them about the matters of tasawwuf. The great men of Samarkand would also attend.
On Thursday and Friday nights and on the eid nights, he would visit great men. He would ask his visitors about the city they had come from, who the dervishes were and the names of the great Sufis who were buried there.
He was often teary-eyed. Due to his extreme reverence and awe of Allah, never once did he extend his legs out. He would weep out of fear of Allah. He would fear the divine warnings found in the Qur'anic verses and be filled with hope in the face of the verses that mention the divine good news and promises. His heart was always in a state of 'bayn al khawf wa raja', that is, it was in a balance of fearing the wrath of Allah and hoping to meet with His mercy.
He would carry on his person a copy of the Qur'an, a prayer mat, a comb, the siwak stick and a towel. He would always be in a state of ablution and would never abandon praying in congregation without a valid excuse. He would treat with extra kindness and goodness those who hurt and pained him the most.
In the Holy Qur'an it is said:
And not equal are the good deed and the bad. Repel [evil] by that [deed] which is better; and thereupon the one whom between you and him is enmity [will become] as though he was a devoted friend.'(Fussilat, 41:34).
He would hide his karamat and his state of being a wali of Allah. He would accept the invitation of the believers, without distinguishing between them, be they wealthy or poor, strong or weak. He would never belittle anything or anyone, nor take them lightly. He would never boast to anyone. He would not prefer the wealthy over the poor on account of their wealth. He would always talk about the poor and wealthy states of the Sahaba and command his students to follow them.
He would visit the graves often, and greet the people of the graves with the greeting of peace. He would read prayers from the Qur'an and from the hadith. In particular he would visit the grave of Qusam ibn Abbas very often. He would make much remembrance of death and weep about the Day of Judgement, or about giving up one's life, about the questioning to be done in the grave, about being resurrected, about having one's book of deeds read out, about the Balance (Mizan) and about the Bridge (Sirat).
He would always be prepared for death and lived his life in the awareness that the hereafter was the real life.
His livelihood came from making boots and farming. He would befriend those who ate from lawful provision and who worked in lawful trades. He would warn those who were lazy and tried to live off of the back of others and tell them that to work and earn one's livelihood was a divine command. He would encourage the people to eat and dress from lawful earnings and to work in a halal manner. He would never prevent what was due to another.
He would give out whatever Allah gave him, to the poor, the orphans, the lonely and abandoned and the needy. He would look out for them. He never once asked anybody for anything, thus remaining independent and he advised his students to do the same.
He was in a constant state of reliance upon Allah and submission to Him. He never condescended to worldly benefit, and advised those who inclined towards the world. He would not take his ablution from silver or golden utensils. There was nothing in his room apart from a straw mat, a felt cloak, an urn, two pillows and a pot.
He would not frequent the markets and bazaars and he would not eat from the food that was cooked there. He would eat his food without any fat. He would mostly eat dry bread with vinegar. His back was bent over from hunger and abstention. He was always in a constant struggle against his nafs.
He would eat from the same plate as the believers and would wash his hands before and after eating. He would say 'Bismillah' before eating and 'Alhamdulillah' after finishing. He would begin and end his meal with a pinch of salt.
He would never eat without remembering Allah and he would say:
"Eating food is like planting a seed. The seed must be planted with a beneficial awareness and perception so that the food can turn into an act of obedience".
He would expound on those words that took a person to disbelief and pray as follows: "O Allah. I seek refuge in You from associating any partners with You. I ask you to forgive me for those deeds that I am not aware of. You are undoubtedly the knower of all that is hidden".
He would not speak before his own shaykh out of courtesy towards him. When speaking he would never say 'I'. If he had to, he would use words of humility instead. He never spoke a hurtful word to anyone. His words were sweet and soft. He would never curse nor condemn anybody. He would prevent his students from eating human flesh (backbiting) and from speaking too much. He himself would speak little and concisely. He would greet every believer he came across and would stand out of courtesy to whosoever entered his presence. He would address whoever he saw as 'khawaja (master).
He was in a constant state of contemplation and was often sorrowful. When he laughed he did not do so loudly, but would smile instead. He preferred solitude and retreat.
In his assemblies he would address everybody generally. He would enter the mosque and Sufi lodge with his right foot and exit with his left. He would eat his food with his right hand. He would not perform the prayer nor eat with his head uncovered.
He would not recite the Qu'ran with a loud voice. Even if he broke his ablution many times during the day, he would renew it and would never be without ablution even for an instant. He would seek refuge with Allah from all dangers and threats, both physical and spiritual. He would warn his students about enemies from the jinn, human beings and Satan as follows:
"These enemies can be defeated by always being in a state of ablution and constant remembrance of Allah with the heart".
If somebody did a small act of kindness towards him, he doubled it in return.
He would look in front of him when he walked. He would not walk through the field of another. He would remove anything harmful from the path. He would see to his own chores and would go to the mill himself.
He greatly desired to meet his Lord as a martyr. Whenever he heard that one of his friends had been martyred whilst on jihad, he would perform the funeral prayer over him in his absence.
He was a true friend of Allah, who loved from the heart and who was loved from the heart. He was a man of sincerity, piety, truthfulness and ease.
He would be ever grateful to Allah and never complain about changing conditions. He lived his life in a state of contentment. He showed complete satisfaction and submission to the decree of Allah. Even though he suffered from a constant headache he never complained about his state. One day he said:
"It has been 43 years since this condition has been given to me". Then he continued:
"There were Companions who had constant problems but they hid their state from the people".
He never envied anyone. He never complained about the cold nor the heat. He was content with all of creation. He considered plants precious and would never pass wind nor spit where they were.
He would never argue with the Muslims. He would have a good opinion about everyone and would pray behind them. He never slandered the people of the qibla by accusing them of being unbelievers. He would lead the funeral prayer of everyone, be they old or young. He would treat even his enemies well.
He was selfless towards his fellow brothers from his suhbah and would prefer them over himself. He would visit the sick, help those in need, give loans and not ask for the money back.
He would never rush his chores, and was patient in the face of tribulation. He did not disclose his secrets to those who were incapable of helping him.
He would be saddened and seek forgiveness if he was unable to perform a righteous deed or perform some service. Every night he would take account of his day. He would meticulously protect his clothes from filth. He was a man of his word.
If he happened to smell a nice scent he would invoke blessings upon the prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and read the following prayer:
"There is no god but Allah, the True Possessor, the Real, The Clear and Apparent and the One who declares the truth to his servants.
I absolve Allah the Possessor of Greatness, from all faults and I praise Him. I seek forgiveness from Allah for all sins and I turn back to Him"[11].
His Devotion to the Rulings of the Shari'a
Yusuf Hamdani (may Allah have mercy on him) was extremely dedicated to the outer and inner commands and prohibitions of Islam. In great wakefulness of the heart, his understanding of tasawwuf was such that he was in meticulous control of all of his states and behaviours and he advanced forward in the direction shown by the Qur'an and the Sunnah in a very cautious and careful manner.
For this reason he did not vie for wonder working nor display them and he did not approve of expressions and behaviour that came about as a result of a state of spiritual drunkenness or the effects from a state of ecstasy.
About the famous Sufi Hallaj Mansur, he said:
"If Hussain ibn Mansur knew the truth of marifah, instead of saying "Ana al-haqq" ("I am the Truth, the Real"), he would have said: "Ana al-turab" (I am dust)"[12].
Another time he said:
"A person who does not follow in the footsteps of the religion and of the shariah, has followed Satan, even if he displays thousands of miracles in one day. A person who believes in something that is in opposition to the Sunnah, is like a bandit even if he has memorised all of the sciences of the world"[13].
Yusuf Hamdani (may Allah have mercy on him) spent the last years of his life in the two great centres of Khorasan, Merv and Harat. He passed away while he was returning to Merv from Harat, on his last journey to the town of Bamain on the 22nd day of the month of Rabi' al Awwal in the year 535 (4th November, 1140). They first buried his body there, but a short time after, one of his students by the name of Ibn an-Najjar transferred his grave to Merv. Today his tomb can be found in a place called Bayram Ali near Merv, on the border of Turkmenistan, and is called 'Khwaja Yusuf'.
Some of his wise words:
"Close the door to your ego and open the door to service of others and suhbah"[14].
"Take every breath in a state of awareness and perception (hos dar dam), look at the tips of your feet while you are walking, (Nazar bar qadam), turn towards your inner journey which will take you from human attributes to the Divine attributes (Safar dar watan) and be with Allah while you are amongst the people (Khalwat dar anjuman)"[15].
"While you are in the presence of the Sufi masters, sit with manners, respect and awe, both inward and outward"[16].
[1]. Ghujduwani, Makamat, p. 40.[2]. Rashahat, p. 40.[3]. Jami, Nafahat, p. 521.[4]. Ghujduwani, Makamat, p. 41-42. [5]. See Safadi, al Wafi, bil Wafayat, XXIX, 47-48; Dhahabi, Tarihu al Islam, XI, 643.[6]. Jami, Nafahat, p. 510-511.[7]. Dhahabi, Siyer, XX, 446-447.[8]. Dhahabi, Siyer, XX, 68.[9]. Hamadani, What is life? (trans. Necdet Tosun), s. 14, 91.[10]. See Husain Wassaf, Safinayi Awliya, c. II, s. 6.[11]. See Ghujduwani, Makamat, p. 38-47.[12]. Hamadani, What is life? p. 16.[13]. Hamadani, What is life? p. 92.[14]. Ahmed Qasani, Adabu al Saliqin, Istanbul University Library, FY, pub. 649, issue. 57b, 62a.[15]. Ghujduwani, Makamat, p. 45.[16]. Ghujdawani, Makamat, p. 45.
Source: Osman Nuri Topbaş,The Golden Chain of Transmission Masters of the Naqshinandi Way, Erkam Publications
Who is Abu Bakr As Siddiq?
Who is Qasim ibn Muhammad?
The Sunnah Acts of Minor Ablution (Wudu)
Toilet Manners


for closing the loan. They do not like surprises at later stages of the loan.
loan will still fund on schedule. What a wonderful feeling to close the loan on a new home purchase, as many experienced borrowers will tell you.


Oh, Lord! Please provide! I really need you to provide! I found myself desperately uttering this prayer in my mind before my eyes had even opened. It was one of those times in life when I couldn't see past tomorrow. I had four grown up children with grown up worries, a dear and very overworked husband, and a diminishing bank account. At that moment, my prayer was for the needs of one of my children's university tuition. Over and over again I had seen God work, but at that point, after a year that felt like a boxing match, I found the eyes of my heart couldn't see around the bend in the road.
I believe all of us come to the moment where we can't see around the next corner. In fact, in my life, there have been too many such times to count. It is at those corners and crossroads that our claim to "have faith" begins to mean something for the real, practical, present world we live in. When I was a young Christian, I think I pictured faith as looking something like the enthusiastic hand-raising worshippers I saw at youth conferences. As I have grown, I have come to see that faith more often looks like the quiet trust and sincere outpouring of a heart before God. It is most visible at moments of crisis, death, hurt, need, and new beginnings.
It comes at the moment when we are faced with the choice to trust in ourselves or in the world, to give into despair, or to trust in God to take us beyond what we can imagine and see.
Fear is our natural response to the unknown. That day as I prayed a cold cloud of fear came to me: What if I couldn't send the child to this program she dreamed of for so many years? Had I failed her as a parent? Fear comes to me in the form of a thousand imagined undesirable futures. It comes in the form of what-ifs: What if we start a ministry and it flops?
What if the kids resent us for raising them in ministry? What if I am not strong/wise/good enough to do what God has called me to do? Fear drives us to retreat. In the defensive stance of fear, we try to live in our own strength rather than trusting in the mysterious, beautiful, and powerful work God could do in our lives.
But God is well acquainted with our fears. Three-hundred sixty-five times in the Bible, the heartening and seemingly impossible command is uttered, "Do not fear." I learned in the early days of our ministry that if God called me to something, He would never leave me stranded.
In Deuteronomy 31:6, God speaks to the Israelites saying, "Be strong and courageous, do not be afraid or tremble at them, for the LORD your God is the one who goes with you. He will not fail you or forsake you." We have the power to be courageous only because we know that wherever we go, God goes with us. Faith is the power.
Another tempting response is to live by formula. As I pondered that morning, I thought of all the systems and methods I should have lived by if I was really a helpful mother. Perhaps I just hadn't done the right thing and it was going to cost my child their education. Trusting in a formula, even if it sounds good, is not living by faith in God, but living by well-intentioned superstition—if I pray, act a certain way, and say the right things, then God will be obligated to respond and grant my desire.
"For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways" (55:8). Our God is more gracious and more powerful than any formula we can conjure, and we as image bearers of God are more complex and exciting than any formula can contain. When we reduce faith to a formula we will be disappointed. We will be disappointed in ourselves, thinking if only we had prayed or acted a little differently God would be blessing us. Or, we will be disappointed with God, feeling He has not "lived up to his side of the bargain." God does not negotiate, but we try to.
Finally, perhaps the most tempting option is to live by flesh. Living by your flesh means clenching your teeth and saying, "I can do this. I don't need help." This kind of thinking can be pernicious because we can find ourselves thinking, "I'm persevering for God," when we're actually denying our need for His grace to help us persevere.
With this mindset, when we encounter hardships or challenges, rather than admitting our need and asking the Father who cares for us for help, our flesh says to us, "Try harder! Do more! Accomplish it on your own!" God never calls us on a path for which he has not prepared us. This is not to say that living by faith is not hard work; it is! But, as Psalm 127:1 says: "Unless the LORD builds a house, the work of the builders is wasted" (NLT). His very name, Immanuel, means "God with us." When we try to live by flesh, we will burn out as we deny God's life-giving Spirit the opportunity to work.
After praying my prayer that morning, I opened my eyes. I peered out the beautiful bay window by my bed, I rubbed my face across the soft blanket on my bed, and then I laughed. My desperate prayer was prayed as if God had not already provided for me. I suddenly realized that God had already met my needs in a thousand ways. My spiritual amnesia made me want to doubt, but as I rose that morning, it was with a trust that God was providing and would continue to provide whatever my family truly needed.
The day that followed my commitment to trust God was not extraordinary; I cleaned and cooked and laughed with my children. As I look back, I cherish the fact that I have been able to see the hand of God work so powerfully in my lifetime. If I lived only by what was possible in my own power, I would have never taken risks that allowed me to see God's faithfulness. My walk of faith with God has been a mysterious dance of listening, resting, working, and watching as God causes growth. With each crossroad I encounter, I believe even more firmly that God goes before me to prepare the path.
An excerpt from Own Your Life, Chapter 9.


For those reasons I decided to give something else a try for a project I am putting together. I decided to give Foundation a try. It has a gem available, so it is designed to work nicely with Ruby on Rails, and it seems to be very flexible.
The documentation on the grid system requires you to read the whole thing, not just skim it and start going. One very nice thing about their grid system is that there are different classes for different size screens. It's great for when you want space on either side of the screen on large screens, but want to lose the extra space on a smaller one. If you don't understand what I mean take at the Bottles coming soon page. Compare it between your computer and phone.
I haven't had to do too much customizing to Foundation yet, but it looks like it is meant to handle that a bit better than Bootstrap.
This post was published 2170 days ago, content in the post may be inaccurate, even wrong now, please take risk yourself.


We are removing car in entire Wellington and its immediate suburbs. Selling the vehicle can be hard, depending on the condition. You will be paid on the spot once the deal is done and your car/truck/SUV is towed away. You will get the cash instantly. Our method of providing the services is headache and hassle free.
WindyCity Wreckers will pay you comparatively much higher amount. You will get your cash hand to hand. You will get the highest price around Wellington. We are doing the car removals since many years and we are paying the highest cash. You can sell your used car, damaged car, accidental car. You can sell trucks, SUV. We take all the makes and models of all the vehicles. We will give you the best money even for your old cars.
You want to sell the used car, you can always approach us. You can call us at our registered mobile number any time during the day or even in night. Our services are open in all the locations all over the Wellington 24*7. We'll help you out for hassle free paperwork and ownership transferring from the Transport Authority. We pay you on the spot. You do not have to wait for days to get your money in your bank account.
We remove all the brands of car/truck/SUV (any make, any model, and any condition).
1.	What kind of cars do you buy?
We buy all kinds of cars, regardless of their make, model, age or condition. Whether you own a wrecked Toyota, damaged Ford, accident Nissan, scrap Subaru, salvaged BMW, fire-harmed Proton, flooded Kia, rusted Suzuki, dented Hyundai, or something else, we will make you an instant cash offer.
2.	What if I have more than one vehicle, can you guys still help me?
Yes, if you have multiple vehicles you will have to enter them into our website and tell us about the make, model and condition of the vehicle. We will be glad to remove all the vehicles that you will mention to us.
3.	Can I get an offer for my accidental car over the phone?
Yes. We have operators standing by to help you seven days a week. All you need to do is tell us the type of vehicle you have, where it is located and what is wrong with the vehicle, along with the cause of accident and our friendly customer care representatives will give you a quote right over the phone.
4.	Can I sell my car to a dealership?
Some large dealership chains have a policy to buy any vehicle you're willing to sell, while others work with buy and take policy. But it is always better to sell the car to the local car buyers.
5.	What if my car is not having the ownership?


text:
Low graphics|Accessibility help
One-Minute World News
Your news when you want it
RELATED BBC SITES
Last Updated: Wednesday, 28 February 2007, 16:01 GMT
E-mail this to a friend Printable version
Ex-ministers deny 'troublemaking'
Mr Milburn and Mr Clarke have both been considered possible leaders
Two ex-Cabinet ministers have denied that their call for a debate on the future of Labour is an attempt to scupper Gordon Brown's leadership bid.
Charles Clarke and Alan Milburn denied "troublemaking" in the race to replace Tony Blair as prime minister.
They have launched a website, The 2020 Vision, to debate future policies with both the party and the public.
The two said they expected Gordon Brown to be the next Labour leader, but did not rule out standing themselves.
They said it was important to show Labour had not run out of ideas and to stop the Tories "owning the future".
Set the agenda
Baroness Jay introduced the launch on Wednesday of the website, which includes links to speeches, policy papers and invites comments - among MPs who have already contributed are Frank Field, Ann Clwyd, Barry Sheerman and Hilary Armstrong.
At the launch former home secretary Charles Clarke said his ambition was for the 21st Century to be dominated by progressive Labour governments.
I hope there will be a serious contest for the leader and that means someone who is either in Cabinet or has been in Cabinet recenty and I hope that will happen
Stephen Byers
Byers on Daily Politics
He said Labour could not rely on past successes to win future elections, but had to spell out what they would do on issues like the environment, home ownership, constitutional reform and childcare.
He said previous Labour governments in the 1940s and 1970s had made the mistake of allowing the Conservatives to set the popular agenda.
Current debates - like Tony Blair's Number 10 based policy review and the deputy leadership race - were too inward looking and did not address the wider country, he said.
The launch, in Westminster, was attended by a few Labour MPs and peers as well as most of the political press corps.
'Flush out' rival
Neither Mr Clarke nor Mr Milburn are seen as being close to Chancellor Gordon Brown, who is currently widely seen as unbeatable in terms of succeeding Tony Blair as PM when he steps down later this year.
However, Stephen Byers, a former Cabinet member and Blair supporter, who is very close to Mr Milburn, told BBC2's Daily Politics: "The Labour Party is not the Royal Family, we don't go in for coronations.
"I hope there will be a serious contest for the leader and that means someone who is either in Cabinet or has been in Cabinet recenty and I hope that will happen."
There has been speculation that both Mr Clarke and Mr Milburn, the former health secretary, are attempting to "flush out" a heavyweight rival to the chancellor.
Mr Clarke said although the debate about the leadership of the party and the future direction of the party were linked, they were "not the same".
The next election will be won, not on what we have done, but on what we are planning to do
Alan Milburn
Analysis: Threat to Brown?
"This is a debate about the politics and policies of the future," he said.
"This is not about causing trouble for anybody, it's not about building up a putative candidature for somebody, it's not an intervention in the leadership process."
Mr Clarke told BBC Radio 4's World at One that Mr Brown's "general demeanour to debate in the party" had been positive when the pair met him on Monday.
However, he admitted Mr Brown had raised concerns about "timing and conduct, rather than the principle of having debate".
Mr Brown felt the debate "would inevitably be seen through the prism of the leadership election so it's difficult to debate policy," Mr Clarke said.
"That is a problem and Alan and I have worked very hard...to avoid that being the case."
Mr Brown was also concerned that it would get "caught up with that overall electoral battleground" of the upcoming elections in Scotland, Wales and England.
'Appetite for debate'
Mr Milburn, who some have speculated might launch a "kamikaze" run at the leadership, if no other heavyweight challenger emerges, also dismissed the speculation.
"That's not what this is about. If anybody wants a leadership campaign that is a matter for them, but it is not a matter for us," he said.
He said there was a "great appetite" for a debate, not just within the party, but across the country.
Mr Brown is widely expected to succeed Tony Blair
"The next election will be won, not on what we have done, but on what we are planning to do," he said.
At prime minister's questions, Tory leader David Cameron asked if Mr Blair had found the time to attend the launch - and asked why so many Labour MPs thought Mr Brown would be "terrible" as prime minister, but were not prepared to stop him.
Mr Blair replied that he was "delighted that a full policy debate is happening within the Labour Party".
He defended the chancellor's record and added: "It's policy that will determine the future of this country, we have got it, he [Mr Cameron] doesn't."
Speculation at Westminster continues to suggest some senior Labour figures want David Miliband, the environment secretary, to stand - although he has always said he believes Mr Brown would make an "excellent prime minister".
Mr Clarke and Mr Milburn acknowledged that media reporting of the launch would be through "the prism" of the leadership question, and the issue dominated the questions at the 45 minute event.
Asked if either might stand themselves Mr Clarke said he never "ruled anything out" but said he expected Mr Brown to be the next leader, and that he expected to support him. Mr Milburn's one word answer was "snap", suggesting his position was the same.
So far two contenders from the left of the party, John McDonnell and Michael Meacher have said they intend to challenge Mr Brown.
But there have been doubts whether either can get the necessary 44 Labour MPs to back them to enter the contest.
VIDEO AND AUDIO NEWS
Milburn and Clarke spark debate in Westminster
BROWN TAKES OVER
The life and times of Sarah Brown, Britain's new 'first lady'
KEY STORIES
Brown pledges more MP powers
Brown brings in more 'outsiders'
Ingram resigns armed forces job
Cruddas 'rejects government job'
Short hints at return to Labour
BROWN'S NEW TEAM
Cabinet: Job-by-job
Who held what job in Blair's team and how Brown's team differs
In full: Brown's government
Who's who: Brown's inner circle
Surgeon appointed as minister
Navy chief made security minister
First female boss for Home Office
ANALYSIS AND FEATURES
Nick Robinson's Newslog
Why did Tony Blair step down?
The Gordon Brown story
Gordon Brown's Cabinet
Our panel bid goodbye to Blair
Do we need a British bill of rights?
Brown becomes PM
Brown unveils Cabinet
Blair's final PMQs
Blairs leave No 10
THE BLAIR YEARS
From rebellious schoolboy to global statesman
The 2020 Vision
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites
TOP UK POLITICS STORIES
Prison 'not linked' to crime drop
Whitehall 'supported Guantanamo'
Government wins VAT Commons votes
MOST POPULAR STORIES NOW
Tourists flock to 'Jesus's tomb' in Kashmir
Most popular now, in detail
FEATURES, VIEWS, ANALYSIS
Has China's housing bubble burst?
The guerilla plant
How the world's oldest clove tree defied an empire
Why Royal Ballet principal Sergei Polunin quit
Most Popular Now | 56,514 people are reading stories on the site right now.";
BBC Copyright Notice
MMIX
Most Popular Now | 17,029 pages were read in the last minute.";
Back to top ^^

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


CHAIN FREE This impressive and spacious family home situated on a sought after residential turning of the popular Hertford Road. The property boast fantastic living and entertaining space, a light and airy through - lounge, kitchen diner and two double bedrooms. Benefits also include some original features, out building, gated side access leading to a beautiful garden and private garage.
Textured ceiling, double radiator, under stairs storage cupboard, telephone point and wood flooring.
Ceiling rose, double glazed window to the front, double radiators, telephone and TV Points and wood flooring.
Spotlights to ceiling, double glazed window to the rear, stainless steel sink with mixer taps, space for fridge freezer, plumbing for washing machine and dishwasher double glazed door leading to rear garden and lino flooring.
Loft access and wood flooring.
Textured ceiling, double glazed window to the front, fitted waldrobes and wood flooring.
Double glazed window to the rear, double radiator, fitted wardrobes and wood flooring.
Textured ceiling, double glazed window to the front, single radiator and wood flooring.


Maison Realty, Real Estate, listed under "Real Estate" category, is located at 650 W Castle Harbour Dr Friendswood TX, 77546 and can be reached by 2819929200 phone number. Maison Realty has currently 0 reviews.
Browse all Real Estate in Friendswood TX. Discover census data for Friendswood, TX.


text:
Aduro secures $55 million Series C financing
Releasec1383cd6-58ff-45fe-9b87-903c4ddf9341_2025660.pdf 15.9 KB
Investment for Expansion of Research and Clinical Development of the Company's Novel Immunotherapy Platforms Targeting Cancer
June 11, 2014 04:00 PM Eastern Daylight Time
BERKELEY, Calif. -- Aduro BioTech, Inc., a clinical-stage biotechnology company, today announced the closing of a $55 million Series C financing. New investor Johnson & Johnson Development Corporation (JJDC) joined the Morningside group and other new and existing investors in the transaction.
Aduro plans to use the new capital to advance its lead program in metastatic pancreatic cancer through its ongoing Phase 2b ECLIPSE clinical trial, to continue clinical development in mesothelioma and high-grade glioma, to expand into additional indications and to advance its small molecule program targeting the immunomodulatory STING receptor. The equity financing follows the company's recent agreement facilitated by the Johnson & Johnson Innovation center in California, which granted Janssen Biotech, Inc. an exclusive, worldwide license to certain product candidates specifically engineered for the treatment of prostate cancer based on Aduro's novel LADD immunotherapy platform. Since inception, Aduro has raised a total of $84 million from equity financings.
"The financing will allow us to build on the momentum from the recent positive clinical data presented at ASCO in metastatic pancreatic cancer and mesothelioma and to expand our clinical development efforts into additional cancer types and combination therapies," said Stephen T. Isaacs, chairman, president and chief executive officer of Aduro. "Ultimately, our goal is to provide cancer patients with more effective, less toxic therapeutic alternatives through novel immunotherapies."
"As we advance toward that goal," added Mr. Isaacs, "we are pleased to have the continued support and confidence from Morningside and JJDC and we welcome all of our new investors."
"Aduro's immunotherapy platforms have the potential to transform the treatment of cancer," said Gerald Chan, founder of Morningside. "Combining the complementary mechanisms of action of the checkpoint inhibitors with Aduro's product candidates, which are designed to activate immunity, may make an enormous difference in the lives of cancer patients."
Earlier this year, at the ASCO Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium conference, the company presented data from a Phase 2a trial in metastatic pancreatic cancer patients who failed prior therapy. The randomized, controlled, multi-center study, which enrolled 93 patients, demonstrated a statistically significant survival benefit in patients receiving the combination of GVAX Pancreas and CRS-207 cancer vaccines (Arm A) compared to GVAX Pancreas vaccine alone (Arm B). The median overall survival of the patients receiving the combination was 6.1 months compared to 3.9 months for those receiving GVAX monotherapy (HR=0.59, one-sided p=0.0172). Based on these results, the company is conducting a randomized 240 patient Phase 2b clinical trial (ECLIPSE) in metastatic pancreatic cancer patients who have progressed after at least one line of therapy. More recently, at this month's ASCO meeting, the company presented data from a Phase 1b clinical trial of its novel immunotherapy CRS-207 in combination with standard chemotherapy in treatment-naïve patients with unresectable malignant pleural mesothelioma. Of 16 evaluable patients, 69% (11/16) had confirmed partial responses (PR) and 25% (4/16) had stable disease (SD) after CRS-207 and chemotherapy, resulting in an overall disease control rate of over 94%.
About LADD
LADD is Aduro's proprietary platform of live-attenuated double-deleted Listeria monocytogenes strains that have been engineered to induce a potent innate immune response and to express tumor-associated antigens to induce tumor-specific T cell-mediated immunity.
CRS-207 is one of a family of product candidates based on Aduro's live-attenuated, double-deleted (LADD) Listeria monocytogenes immunotherapy platform that induce a potent innate and T cell-mediated immune response. CRS-207 has been engineered to express the tumor-associated antigen mesothelin, which is over-expressed in many cancers including mesothelioma and pancreatic, non-small cell lung, ovarian and gastric cancers.
About GVAX Pancreas
GVAX Pancreas is one of a family of GVAX vaccines derived from human cancer cell lines that are genetically modified to secrete granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF), an immune-stimulatory cytokine. GVAX Pancreas also expresses mesothelin.
About CDNs
CDNs are naturally occurring molecules that target the intracellular STING receptor, which recently emerged as a central mediator of innate immunity. Aduro is developing a series of proprietary synthetic STING-activating CDNs that have significantly higher activity than the natural STING ligands produced by bacteria and mammalian cells.
About Morningside
Morningside, founded in 1986, is a diversified investment company with portfolio investments in private equity and technology ventures. The group invests actively in biotech companies founded on novel science.
About Aduro BioTech, Inc.
Aduro BioTech, Inc. is a private, clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on immunotherapy for cancer. Aduro has ongoing clinical trials with its LADD platform in pancreatic cancer, mesothelioma and high-grade glioma and development programs in non-small cell lung cancer, ovarian cancer and prostate cancer. The company is also developing clinical candidates using novel small molecules that activate the intracellular STING receptor, a central mediator of the innate immune response. For more information, please visitwww.adurobiotech.com.
Aduro BioTech, Inc.
Greg W. Schafer, 510-809-4801
Angela Bitting, 925-202-6211
a.bitting@comcast.net


The scent has been recreated from the original archived formula for this 50's, 60's, 70's & 80's classic.
During our extensive research and development of the perfume we were delighted to discover the Amersham Museum who held a variety of archives for Goya Black Rose perfume and the perfumers Goya.
This enabled us to develop and recreate a perfume as close as possible to the original and we would like to offer our thanks and gratitude to the Amersham Museum for allowing us access to these archives and for allowing us to share this information with our customers and others who may be interested in Goya and specifically, Goya Black Rose.
"One of Goya's most famous perfumes, the Black Rose, took four and a half years to produce. Black Rose was a very sophisticated perfume described as "very long lasting, but with a French rose top-note."The perfume was formulated in the "organ" room, in which there was an array of massed ranks of ingredients known as essential oils from which new fragrance blends would be painstakingly developed."
We have ensured that the highest standards of perfume are attained and have employed renowned perfumers 'Givaudan' to recreate Goya Black Rose.


text:
Tinotenda Samukange
Zim Cricket coach Waller retains confidence ahead of Tests
By Tinotenda Samukange
NATIONAL cricket team coach Andy Waller said the recent impasse between Zimbabwe Cricket and the players had affected the morale of the players, but said it was not a factor in their 108-run defeat in the third ODI on Saturday, which saw them surrender the three match series 2-1.
REPORT BY DANIEL NHAKANISO
Waller's charges boycotted training on Friday morning over unpaid salaries, a day before the ODI series decider at Harare Sports Club on Saturday.
"We talked about it and we obviously went out there and gave a 100%," Waller said.
"But unfortunately the situation, and the way it all went about yesterday, it doesn't matter who you are, it's all going to be in the back of your head. And without making excuses, because Pakistan played damn good cricket, it's very hard to say to the guys, 'Please, let's just try and focus today, concentrate on cricket and forget about what's happened'. Unfortunately, it's always going to be there. You need to be incredibly mentally strong to push it aside, which I am not sure if it can be done."
Having beaten Pakistan for the first time in 15 years in the first ODI last Tuesday, expectations were high for Zimbabwe to pull off their first series win over a major Test-playing nation since 2001.
After Taylor won the toss and elected to bowl, his bowlers restricted Pakistan to a gettable 260, Waller said he felt his charges had given themselves a chance to win the match and ultimately the series.
However, a top-order collapse, which saw them lose four wickets for 21 runs, made it difficult to chase the target of 261.
"When I spoke to the guys at the break, I said to them, we probably could have chased down 260," Waller said.
"So, we believed that we could do it. Unfortunately, we went there and some of our senior players in the top order didn't play the shots that should have been played and that was the problem, I think."
Shifting his focus to the upcoming two-match Test series which gets underway at Harare Sports Club tomorrow, Waller said he was confident his charges had the self-belief to be competitive in the game's longer format.
"I think the big thing is the self-belief. I think we had a poor series and didn't have the self-belief I would be very worried about this Test series. I think the guys know that they can go out there and score runs against the Pakistanis if we play clever cricket and simple cricket. I think we can go out there and really compete in the Test series.
Waller however expressed his concerns about the team's bowling department which has been severely weakened by the departures of seamer Kyle Jarvis and leg spinner Graeme Creamer.
"The main concern I have at the moment will be on the bowling side; how we are going to take 20 wickets.
"I'm not saying our bowlers are not good but having lost someone like Jarvis who can bowl with a bit of pace and swing the ball there was always a chance of getting wickets.
"Losing someone like (Graeme) Creamer who is a quality leg spin bowler is one of my main concerns at the moment, but I still believe that our bowlers can go out there and get the job done."
Dynamos bank on home record
Williams, Cairns lead local charge in Zim Open
Youth Games extend age group
Big win for Chicken Inn
Tino Kadewere in big French move
Mapeza wary of Otoho
Previous article Dynamos booted out
Next article Verizon poised for historic $130 billion Vodafone buyout
ONE of Malawi's first solar projects has attracted investment volume totalling US$67 million. Related posts: Govt to control school fees increasesThe Pakistan ...


text:
local Libra = LibStub("Libra")
local Type, Version = "Button", 2
if Libra:GetModuleVersion(Type) >= Version then return end

local function onEnable(self)
	self.arrow:SetDesaturated(false)
end

local function onDisable(self)
	self.arrow:SetDesaturated(true)
end

local function constructor(self, parent)
	local button = CreateFrame("Button", nil, parent, "UIMenuButtonStretchTemplate")
	button:SetHeight(23)
	button:SetScript("OnEnable", onEnable)
	button:SetScript("OnDisable", onDisable)
	button.arrow = button:CreateTexture()
	button.arrow:SetSize(10, 12)
	button.arrow:SetPoint("RIGHT", -5, 0)
	button.arrow:SetTexture([[Interface\ChatFrame\ChatFrameExpandArrow]])
	button.arrow:Hide()
	button.Icon = button.arrow
	return button
end

Libra:RegisterModule(Type, Version, constructor)

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Q: Adjusting the plotly colorbar for each subplot according to their min and max I wanted to find out how to have three different colorbars for my plotly 3 subplots and be able to adjust each of the three colorbars according to their min and max. (attached snapshot).

*

*Does anyone know how to have each colorbar on the right side of each subplot?

*Also, for some reasons, the plot sizes are not perfect and they dont appear with the subtitles specified in the code!

*Lastly, I wonder if there is a way to synchronize the subplots together so that when we zoom in or out on each of the subplots, they all move together.

This is a sample of my code:
    import pandas as pd
    import plotly.graph_objects as go
    from plotly.subplots import make_subplots

    # load dataset
    Real_df = pd.read_csv("https://raw.githubusercontent.com/plotly/datasets/master/volcano.csv")
    Model_df = (df_1[np.random.default_rng(seed=42).permutation(df_1.columns.values)])
    Error_df = pd.DataFrame(np.random.randint(0,5,size=(87, 61)), columns=df_2.columns)

    # create figure
    #fig = go.Figure()

    # Add surface trace

    fig = make_subplots(rows=1, cols=3,
                        specs=[[{'is_3d': True}, {'is_3d': True}, {'is_3d': True}]],
                        subplot_titles=['True', 'Model', 'Error Percentage'],
                        )

    fig.add_trace(go.Surface(z=Real_df.values.tolist(), colorscale="jet"), 1, 1)
    fig.add_trace(go.Surface(z=Model_df.values.tolist(), colorscale="jet"), 1, 2)
    fig.add_trace(go.Surface(z=Error_df.values.tolist(), colorscale="jet"), 1, 3)

    # Update plot sizing
    fig.update_layout(
        width=800,
        height=900,
        autosize=False,
        margin=dict(t=0, b=0, l=0, r=0),
        template="plotly_white",
    )

    # Update 3D scene options
    fig.update_scenes(
        aspectratio=dict(x=1, y=1, z=0.7),
        aspectmode="manual"
    )

    fig.update_layout(1, 3, coloraxis={"cmin": 0, "cmax": 2})

    fig.show()

A: To display a color bar for each subplot, the x-axis position must be set for each subplot. Also, for the subplot titles, the top margin is set to 0, which hides the text display area, so I set the top margin to 50. Finally, there does not seem to be a way to synchronize the zoom of the subplots at this time; the plotly community has mentioned synchronizing the camera viewpoint as an answer, but I am unsure if that is available in the current version.
import pandas as pd
import numpy as np
import plotly.graph_objects as go
from plotly.subplots import make_subplots

# load dataset
Real_df = pd.read_csv("https://raw.githubusercontent.com/plotly/datasets/master/volcano.csv")
Model_df = (Real_df[np.random.default_rng(seed=42).permutation(Real_df.columns.values)])
Error_df = pd.DataFrame(np.random.randint(0,5,size=(87, 61)), columns=Real_df.columns)

# Add surface trace
fig = make_subplots(rows=1, cols=3,
                    specs=[[{'is_3d': True}, {'is_3d': True}, {'is_3d': True}]],
                    subplot_titles=['True', 'Model', 'Error Percentage'],
                    )

fig.add_trace(go.Surface(z=Real_df.values.tolist(), colorscale="jet", colorbar_x=0.3), 1, 1)
fig.add_trace(go.Surface(z=Model_df.values.tolist(), colorscale="jet", colorbar_x=0.65), 1, 2)
fig.add_trace(go.Surface(z=Error_df.values.tolist(), colorscale="jet", colorbar_x=1.05, cmax=2, cmin=0), 1, 3)

# Update plot sizing
fig.update_layout(
    width=2000,
    height=900,
    autosize=False,
    margin=dict(t=50, b=0, l=0, r=0),
    template="plotly_white",
)

# Update 3D scene options
fig.update_scenes(
    aspectratio=dict(x=1, y=1, z=0.7),
    aspectmode="manual"
)

fig.show()

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


"So what do you do?" Now that's a million-dollar question! Everyday you meet people who could use your products or services. But unless you tell them what you do in a compelling manner, those relationships go nowhere.
5 critical steps to crafting an elevator speech that differentiates you from your competitors.
How to connect with your prospect's head & heart.
How to use your elevator speech to achieve maximum impact.
10 essential questions to evaluate your elevator speech.
The Result? More hot prospects and lots more referrals.


The adidas Originals T Tennis blends white leather and white canvas for versatility on any tennis surface. The simply stated shoe adds contrasting highlights in electricity yellow on the tongue, back tab, and center eyelets. These shoes have dropped amidst tennis fervor as the U.S. Open is in full swing and are currently available at JD Sports for a modest $73.


A manager is sent to vacation by his doctor due to symptoms of stress. He chooses Hawaii, because that's where his grandfather worked as a missionary. He doesn't know that his grandpa and all male successors are cursed by the Voodoo clan. Every night he transforms into a werewolf and horribly slays young women.


Hi... wish to know ur opinion on premium hatchback i20 Asta CVT ? Which will be better - manual Asta (o) or above?
Hi... wish to know ur opinion on premium hatchback i20 Asta CVT ? Which will be better - manual Asta (o) or above ?


There is a great list of Download Managers for Windows and DAP is most promising download manager on free and paid category. There are lot's of features that makes it stand out from other download managers and Automatic Mirror Speed Boost is one of them.
When you download any file DAP start searching for a best and fast option for downloading same file and it doesn't ask you to do anything but switches to better mirror server and download file from there automatically. All you have to do is configuring the Automatic Mirror finder in DAP.
Now open the DAP Window.
Choose Connection to see Connection Option Page.
Select your location from drop down menu.
It will do all needful thing for you to find best mirror.


Through visual demonstrations and concise commentary, The New Basics shows students and professionals how to build interest and complexity around simple relationships between formal elements of two-dimensional design such as point, line, plane, scale, hierarchy, layers, and transparency. The New Basics explains the key concepts of visual language that inform any work of design--from a logo or letterhead to a complex web site. It takes a fresh approach to design instruction by emphasizing visually intensive, form-based thinking in a manner that is in tune with the latest developments in contemporary media, theory, art, and technology. Colorful, compact, and clearly written, The New Basics is the new indispensable resource for anyone seeking a smart, inspiring introduction to graphic design and destined to become the standard reference work in design education.


We charge $170.00 for an initial counseling session and $130.00 for ongoing sessions. We bill primary and secondary insurance for you. COUNSELING COPAYS vary depending on your individual policy. You may be pleasantly surprised at how affordable counseling can be. Copays are paid at the time of your counseling appointment. We accept cash or checks only. If you do not have insurance or EAP then payment plans can be arranged. We also can refer you to nonprofit groups that offer counseling on a sliding fee scale.
Carol is a COUNSELING PROVIDER FOR MOST INSURANCE COMPANIES and many Employee Assistance Programs. Carol is a MedAdvantage provider. We can also accept medicare with a supplement plan. We are not able to take Oregon Health Plan. We bill primary and secondary insurance. Some of the insurance companies Carol works with include, but not limited to Aetna, Blue Cross Preferred Provider, Cigna, First Health, Pacific Source and Providence.


When you educate a girl, EVERYTHING changes!
Every girl deserves an education and the opportunity to succeed. With the generous support of individuals, Hewalenamo Girls, Inc. will be able to continue to offer high quality education programs and assistance for girls. Learning is hard work, but not having that opportunity is even harder.
1. Improve the quality of lives of underprivileged girls by giving them the opportunity to gain an education now so they will have hope for a better future.
2. Empower girls through our annual Empowerment Camp, where they will discover who they are in Christ, focus on building self-esteem, leadership, and goal setting.
Hewalenamo Girls, Inc. seeks to combat this problem with a unique program that offers long-term support and assistance to girls selected by staff and members of the community as being most in need of help. Our girls come from deprived homes in the fishing community of James Town in Accra, Ghana. Unfortunately many families lack the financial means to send their children to school. Many girls then walk the beaches or streets selling goods to earn money instead of discovering and developing their God-given potential that will help them build a better tomorrow.
We could not provide our services without our dedicated staff, hard-working volunteers and our generous donors and supporters. By donating you are helping to make the future brighter for these amazing children.
WITH YOUR SUPPORT, WE WILL CONTINUE TO IMPROVE THEIR FUTURE AND THEIR COMMUNITY.
Hewalenamo Girls Inc. is a non-profit, 501(c)3 based in Texas. All rights reserved.


text:
We Love You Steven Seagal
Song for Steven, song from Steven
Thread starter tigerfeet
tigerfeet
Here's another one, girls. This comes from a chat a while back.
If you could sing Steven one song to express how you feel about him, what would it be?
And, if he could sing you one song, what would that be?
My two choices at the moment are:
From me, to him, Muddy Waters "I Just Wanna Make Love to You"
From him to me, The Beatles "Something"
tigerfeet;187358 said:
My two choices would be:
From him to me: "Girl is allright", I love that song and the video of that song is beautiful!!
From me to him: "You sang to me" by Marc Anthony!!I love his songs!!
and for a duet...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8BnU78-BxoM&feature=related
c/o naughty corner
You know I'm not allowed to write what the song would be.
babygirl
my choices would be
from him to me = girl is all right
from me to him = hungry eyes by Eric Carmen
Jalu
Steve's Destiny
Well...lets see...There is an old song that I love, but I don't know who sings it (as it was before my time), or the name. Maybe some one here remembers...
Hook goes...
"I just wanna love you
like nobody's loved you before me
I just wanna love you
like no other woman can.
And, I know you're afraid
I'll take your love and run
but I swear to you I'll stay
I just wanna take
your loneliness away..."
That's from me to him.
From him to me: That's upto him. (Can't speak for someone else).
steven seagal's_girl
i love steven seagal
My Song Would Be To Him= I Do Charish You
His Song To Me Would Be Please Dont You Cry.i Love That Song That He Sings...


A: Yes, we do work by appointment. Here at Wigs N' Things, you will receive personal attention from our professional wig experts. Wig personalization is important to make sure that your wig or hair piece is the perfect fit and looks natural.
Q: What does Wigs 'N Things offer?
A: At our full service boutique, we offer free consultations where we will measure your head so that we can find the perfect solution. Our wigs are offered in petite, average, and large caps. We offer human hair, human hair blend, synthetic, custom made partial systems, and full systems. , Today, wigs are made to be light weight for cooling, comfortable wear. Wigs today provide virtually unlimited options for new looks. Here at Wigs 'N Things, you can leave the same day with your new look!
Finding the right wig and style could leave you feeling frustrated and confused. What color, length, or texture, do you want curly or straight hair? There is a lot to consider. In the past, women often had to deal with itchy, heavy, synthetic wigs if they hoped to cover up during chemotherapy treatments. But today the options are so lifelike and diverse that choosing a wig is exciting!
What style best fits the shape of your face? Most women who need a wig because of medical induced hair loss just want it to look as normal and natural as possible. Try on wigs that are a litte longer than the length you are used to, that way a wig stylist will have more room to design the wig to fit your face.
What kind of wig/cap do I need? If you need full coverage due to hair loss or you want to try a different color or style altogether, then you want to choose a full wig. If you want a solution for thin hair, and want to add fullness or additional volume, length, or curl, then try a top piece. The top piece blends into your own hair to look very natural.
Contact us to shedule an appointment for a personal, private consultation.


Good day. Here comes good news for you!
Broadband TV Connect Asia 2018 will be held in Bangkok, Thailand on April 24-25, 2018, and it's a conference and exhibition dedicated to broadband technologies, Broadband and TV topics, applications and solutions.
We will showcase our TBS 2018 IPTV new arrivals and hospitality IPTV system solutions for hotels, ISP etc.
Kindly get back to us at your earliest if you are interested in! E-mail us sales@tbsdtv.com. We will reply in the shortest possible time.


This brown vinyl hat was my first attempt. I added a red silk sash so it could go with my Steampunk Supergirl costume. Then I decided not to use it because it's brown.
This is my latest attempt, a much shorter hat. It's still not as sharp as I would like but I think the charcoal velvet with the white lace is pretty.
The hardest part about making these hats is figuring out how to make them stay on your head!


text:
Q: How to search nearby private places using google api I want to create private places on google map and use nearby service to search those private places.
Google map matrix API - https://developers.google.com/maps/documentation/distance-matrix/start
This supports to get distance for given 2 locations.

A: You can use a software called ARCGIS in order to search private places in google map and its is very useful. Arcgis supports all kinds of versions and reaches almost every subtle places to reach for you. Please see to that you install this software which is going to be very useful and also easy fo you to make the necessary trials and also trails .
Yours Sincerly,
Azhagan


text:
You are here: Home / Profile Page / Data Source and Documentation for Physalis heterophylla Nees Printer-Friendly
PLANTS Profile
Physalis heterophylla Nees
Last revised by:
USDA NRCS National Plant Data Team
Curated and maintained by:
1944. Transactions of the Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts, and Letters. WI Literature
1958. Rhodora. DC Literature
1999. University of Minnesota Herbarium: Vascular plant collection. MN Literature
Anonymous. Personal communication to John Kartesz. AR, AZ, DE, GA, IA, ID, KS, LA, MS, MT, NC, ND, NE, NJ, NY, OH, RI, SD, TN, WA Literature
Atwood, J.T., et al. 1973. Check list of Vermont plants. Vermont Botanical and Bird Club. VT Literature
Booth, W.E., and J.C. Wright. 1966. Flora of Montana. Montana State University, Bozeman. MT Literature
Brouillet, L., F. Coursol, and M. Favreau. 2006. VASCAN, the Database of Vascular Plants of Canada. Herbier Marie-Victorin, Institut de recherche en biologie végétale, Université de Montréal. NS, ON, QC Literature
Brown, M.L., and R.G. Brown. 1984. Herbaceous plants of Maryland. Port City Press, Inc., Baltimore. MD Literature
Bryson, C.T.,and D.A. Skojac, Jr. 2011. An annotated checklist of the vascular flora of Washington County, Mississippi. Journal of the Botanical Research Institute of Texas 5: 855-866. MS Literature
Campbell, J., and M. Medley. 2012. The atlas of vascular plants in Kentucky. KY Literature
Campbell, Julian. Personal communication. KY Literature
Chester, E.W, B.E. Wofford, and R. Kral. 1997. Atlas of Tennessee vascular plants. Vol. 2. Miscellaneous Publication No. 13. Austin Peay State University, Clarksville. TN Literature
Chester, E.W., B.E. Wofford, R. Kral, H.R. DeSelm, and A.M. Evans. 1993. Atlas of Tennessee vascular plants. 2 vols. Center for Field Biology Miscellaneous Publication No. 9/13. Austin Peay State University, Clarksville. TN Literature
Clemants, Steven. Personal communication. NY Literature
Cooperrider, T.S. 1995. The Dicotyledoneae of Ohio. Part 2: Linaceae through Campanulaceae. Ohio State University Press, Columbus. OH Literature
Cronquist, A., A.H. Holmgren, N.H. Holmgren, J.L. Reveal, and P.K. Holmgren. 1972. Intermountain flora: Vascular plants of the Intermountain West. New York Botanical Garden, New York. ID Literature
Crovello, T.J., C.A. Keller, and J.T. Kartesz. 1983. The vascular plants of Indiana: A computer based checklist. University of Notre Dame Press, Notre Dame. IN Literature
Cullina, M.D., B. Connolly, B. Sorrie, and P. Somers. 2011. The vascular plants of Massachusetts: A county checklist, first revision. Massachusetts Natural Heritage & Endangered Species Program, Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife, Westborough. MA Literature
Damrel, D., D.J. Pinkava, and L.R. Landrum. The Phoenix flora. AZ Literature
Deam, C.C. 1940. Flora of Indiana. Wm.B. Burford Printing Co., Indianapolis. IN Literature
District of Columbia Natural Heritage Program. DC Literature
Domangue, B.E., and C.K. McMullen. 2013. Floristic survey of the vascular plants of Shenandoah County, Virginia. Castanea 78: 312-322. VA Literature
Dorn, R.D. 1977. Manual of the vascular plants of Wyoming. 2 vols. Garland Publishing, Inc., New York. WY Literature
Dorn, R.D. 1984. Vascular plants of Montana. Mountain West Publishers, Cheyenne. MT Literature
Dowhan, J.J. 1979. Preliminary checklist of the vascular flora of Connecticut (growing without cultivation). State Geological and Natural History Survey of Connecticut, Natural Resources Center, Department of Environmental Protection. Hartford. CT Literature
Duncan, W.H., and J.T. Kartesz. 1981. Vascular flora of Georgia. University of Georgia Press, Athens. GA Literature
Eilers, L.J., and D.M. Roosa. 1991. The vascular plants of Iowa. University of Iowa Press, Iowa City. IA Literature
Fernald, M.L. 1950. Gray's manual of botany, 8th ed. American Book Company, New York. CO, OK, SC Literature
George, G.G. 1992. A synonymized checklist of the plants found growing in Rhode Island. Rhode Island Wild Plant Society. RI Literature
Gleason, H.A. 1963. The New Britton and Brown illustrated flora of the northeastern United States and adjacent Canada. Hafner Publishing Co., Inc., New York. UT, VT Literature
Glenn, S.D. (ed.). 2013. New York Metropolitan Flora database. New York Metropolitan Flora Project, Brooklyn Botanic Garden, New York. CT, NJ, NY Literature
Gunn, C.R., T.M. Pullen, E.A. Stadelbacher, J.M. Chandler, and J. Barnes. 1980. Vascular flora of Washington County, Mississippi, and environs. USDA Science and Education Administration. MS Literature
Hannick, V.C., J.N. Mink, J.R. Singhurst, and W.C. Holmes. 2013. Annotated checklist of the vascular flora of McLennan County, Texas. Phytoneuron 2013-29(29): 1-37. TX Literature
Haragan, P.D. Weeds of Kentucky and adjacent states: a field guide. The University Press of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky. Literature
Hartman, R. 1992. Wyoming phytogeography. Unpublished. WY Literature
Hartman, R. Atlas of the vascular flora of Wyoming. Unpublished and undated. WY Literature
Harvill, A.M., C.E. Stevens, and D.M.E. Ware. 1981. Atlas of the Virginia flora, Part II. Dicotyledons. Virginia Botanical Associates, Farmville. VA Literature
Hatch, S.L., K.N. Gandhi, and L.E. Brown. 1990. Checklist of the vascular plants of Texas (MP-1655). Texas Agricultural Experiment Station, College Station. TX Literature
Haynes, R. 1990. A database of the Alabama flora. Unpublished. AL Literature
Hogan, Tim. Personal communication. CO Literature
Hough, M.Y. 1978. New Jersey Wild Plants. Harmony Press, Harmony. NJ Literature
Johnston, B. 1991. List of Colorado plants. Unpublished. CO Literature
Jones, S.B., and N. Coile. 1988. The distribution of the vascular flora of Georgia. Herbarium, Department of Botany, Athens. GA Literature
Kartesz, J.T. 2002. Atlas of the Arizona flora. Unpublished. AZ Literature
Kearney, T., and R.H. Peebles. 1960. Arizona flora with supplement. University of California Press, Los Angeles. AZ Literature
Lakela, O. 1965. A flora of northeastern Minnesota. University of Minnesota Press, Minneapolis. MN Literature
Magee, D. Flora of New England. Unpublished and undated. CT, MA, ME, NH, NY, RI, VT Literature
Martin, W.C., and C.R. Hutchins. 1980. A flora of New Mexico. Strauss & Cramer, Germany. NM Literature
McAvoy, William. Personal communication. DE Literature
McGregor, R.L., et al. 1977. Atlas of the flora of the Great Plains. Iowa State University Press, Ames. KS, ND, NE, OK, SD Literature
Medley, M.E. 1993. An annotated catalogue of the known or reported vascular flora of Kentucky. University of Louisville, Louisville. KY Literature
Meyer, J. 1990. Chrysler Herbarium Checklist. Manuscript. NJ Literature
Mitchell, R.S. (ed.). 1986. A checklist of New York State plants. Contributions of a Flora of New York State, Checklist III. New York State Bulletin No. 458. New York State Museum, Albany. NY Literature
Mohlenbrock, R.H. 1986. Guide to the vascular flora of Illinois, rev. ed. Southern Illinois University Press, Carbondale and Edwardsville. IL Literature
Mohr., C. 1901. Plant life of Alabama. Contributions from the United States National Herbarium VI. AL Literature
NMC. Specimen at New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, New Mexico. NM Specimen
New York Flora Association. 1990. Preliminary vouchered atlas of New York State flora, ed. 1. New York State Museum Institute, Albany. NY Literature
Old, Richard. Personal communication. WA Literature
Ownbey, G.B., and T. Morley. 1991. Vascular plants of Minnesota: A checklist and atlas. University of Minnesota Press, Minneapolis. MN Literature
Radford, A.E., H.E. Ahles, and C.R. Bell. 1965. Atlas of the vascular flora of the Carolinas. Department of Botany Technical Bulletin No. 165. Chapel Hill. NC, SC Literature
Radford, A.E., H.E. Ahles, and C.R. Bell. 1968. Manual of the vascular flora of the Carolinas. University of North Carolina Press, Chapel Hill. NC, SC Literature
Ralph, R.A. Checklist of the vascular plants of the Coastal Plain of Delaware. Unpublished and undated. University of Delaware Department of Biology. DE Literature
Reed, R. 1987. Wisconsin vascular plants. Unpublished. WI Literature
Rhoads, A.F., and W.M. Klein, Jr. 1993. The vascular flora of Pennsylvania. Annotated checklist and atlas. American Philosophical Society, Philadelphia. PA Literature
Richards, C.D., F. Hyland, and L.M. Eastman. 1983. Revised check-list of the vascular plants of Maine. Bulletin of the Josselyn Botanical Society, No. 11. ME Literature
Ripley, J.D. 1994. Vegetation of the United States Air Force Academy and the adjacent Regions of the Pike National Forest, El Paso County, Colorado. Department of Biology, United States Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs. CO Literature
Seymour, F.C. 1969. The flora of New England. Charles E. Tuttle Company, Rutland. NH Literature
Shultz, Leila M. Personal communication. UT Literature
Smith, E.B. 1988. An atlas and annotated list of the vascular plants of Arkansas, 2d ed. AR Literature
Sorrie, B.A. 1992. County checklist of Massachusetts plants. Unpublished. MA Literature
Southern Weed Science Society. Weeds of the United States and Canada. CD-ROM. Southern Weed Science Society, Champaign, Illinois. Literature
Strausbaugh, P.D., and E.L. Core. 1977. Flora of West Virginia, 2nd ed., 4 vols. West Virginia Bulletin, Morgantown. WV Literature
Stubbendieck, J., G.Y. Friisoe,and M.R. Bolick. Weeds of Nebraska and the Great Plains. Nebraska Department of Agriculture, Bureau of Plant Industry, Lincoln, Nebraska. Literature
Sundberg, Scott. Personal communication. OR Literature
TEX. Specimen at University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas. TX Specimen
Texas A&M Bioinformatics Working Group. Texas A&M Bioinformatics Working Group Internet site. TX Literature
Thomas, R.D., and C.M. Allen. 1993. Atlas of the vascular flora of Louisiana, vols. 1-3. Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries. Natural Heritage Program, Fort Worth, TX. LA Literature
Thomas, R.D., and C.M. Allen. 1997. Atlas of the vascular flora of Louisiana, vols. 1-3 (Plus updates). Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries. Natural Heritage Program, Baton Rouge. LA Literature
UNM. Specimen at University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico. NM Specimen
Voss, E.G. 1985. Michigan flora. Cranbrook Institute of Science, Bloomfield Hills. MI Literature
Weber, W.R., and W.T. Corcoran. 1993. Atlas of Missouri vascular plants. Unpublished. Southwest Missouri State University and the Missouri Native Plant Society. MO Literature
Weishaupt, C.G. 1971. Vascular plants of Ohio. Kendall/Hunt Publishing Co., Dubuque. OH Literature
Welsh, S.L., N.D. Atwood, L.C. Higgins, and S. Goodrich. 1987. A Utah flora. Great Basin Naturalist Memoirs No. 9. Brigham Young University Press, Provo. UT Literature
West Virginia county level data. WV Literature
Wherry, E.T., J.M. Fogg, and H.A. Wahl. 1979. Atlas of the flora of Pennsylvania. Morris Arboretum, Philadelphia. PA Literature
Wieland, R.G. 2004. County records of Mississippi collections (#5501-9869, 9/12/89 to 1/23/04) deposited at Mississippi Museum of Natural Science Herbarium (MMNS). Mississippi Museum of Natural Science, Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks, Jackson. MS Literature
Wisconsin vascular plants. Wisconsin State Herbarium: University of Wisconsin - Madison. WI Literature
Wunderlin, R.P., B.F. Hansen,and E.L. Bridges. 1996. Atlas of Florida vascular plants: CD-ROM. University of South Florida, Tampa. FL Literature
Wunderlin, R.P., and B.F. Hansen. 2008. Atlas of Florida Vascular Plants [online: accessed on 8 November 2014]. Institute for Systematic Botany, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL. FL Literature
Yatskievych, G., and J. Turner. 1990. Catalogue of the flora of Missouri. Monographs in Systematic Botany from the Missouri Botanical Garden 37. Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis. MO Literature


I am a ways into my project catPooPee (aka PooPeePi ) which records overhead video of cat's litter box (using "motion") and records weight of litter box using load-cells (3-5kg load cells arranged as three hard points touching floor ). I want to move forward with ID of cat using openCV but that software suite is not in my skill set yet. I'd really like recommendations to help me down a path of least resistance of Identifying cat by color of collar.
Motion video is running well on old original pi burning about 25% of cycles. Measuring load-cells is off-loaded to arduino uno underneath litter box and is sent serially to overhead rpi. Rpi and RPi-cam is currently in structure above litter box but will be relocated to pole mount in future. Daily videos are offloaded to another server. I'd like to migrate entire system to one rpi-zero-w eventually if within it's limits of computational power.
Any help to move forward with openCV on rpi greatly appreciated.
for the very nice/cheap instrumentation amp that I'm using. Looks promising, will report after testing.
I am using 3 load-cells per litter box (underneath a platform that supports litter box) and was amazed to find that the weight is NOT equally distributed. Maybe it's a function of cat-center-of-mass versus centroid of load-cell contact points??? (I am static's challenged).
I'm building up a second litter box now that I hope to connect the three load-cells (using the proprietary but documented synchonous serial protocol) very soon, reports to forum will follow.
Well I did something similar (just video with motion) to see which cat was missing the box. It turned out to be the one with arthritis. Rather than video identification, could you do it by weight? That might be a lot simpler in the long run.
While I applaud your inventiveness i am dumbfound as to WTF and WHY???
I have dotted on all my cats over the years, i lost my lil black stealth cat Daisy about 3 years ago and still expect to find her occupying the corner of my eye in every room of my home, I was raised to understand that in the grand scheme of things Cats come first, For my formative years i would return home from school and wait while my Mam finished cooking the cats dinner (fish rabbit or chicken) before i was given my frozen reheat..
thx for testimonials and data. to answer WTF & WHY. background. I spent life disliking cats and being a dog person. Then I spent some romantic weeks with beautiful russian lady in Sochi who is bonkers for cats. We spent much budget and time helping strays. That was NOT my plan but the experience changed me about cats. Now I'm certified cat-person. Of course all this happens about the time I retire. So... got all these aerospace skill sets and time on my hands... voila... project "catPooPee" that i'm sure will splinter and fork into many more cat-tech projects, ha.
I'm in a great maker space (Familab, Orlando) where I'm trying to recruit openCV expertise to pursue the first goal of ID-by-collar-color, then on from there. Periodic reports will be made to rpi-forum.
btw... the real WHY is that I've been convinced that cat dropping analysis (and weight tracking) may be a path of least resistance to monitoring cat health (so far I'm trusting but have goal of verifying).
- rpi-zeroW + rpi-cam running motion will capture box visit events (one avi plus sequenced jpgs) overhead litter box on pvc tubing structure.
- arduino nano running HX711-multi code base to manage 3 load-cells (5kg) will connect to rpi-zeroW via usb.
- central cat-server will pull accumulated poo-pee events from each remote rpi-zeroW (with local purge) on daily basis.
- central cat-server will prepare daily report based on motion event combined with weight measurements during the events.
Drawings for catPooPee platform that contains hardpoints for load-cells and pvc pipe structure for holding rpi-zeroW will be made available at some point.
In response to Phatfil asking WHY, I had the same question after meeting 'monkeyfork' at Familab. He convinced me of the need though. First, on the individual level; when one of his cats was ill he said he would have realized sooner and prevented unnecessary suffering if he'd known that one particular cat had stopped using the litter tray regularly.
Also he's thinking far into the future. When we start having general purpose robots doing household chores we will create less landfill if they can detect when to clean the litter tray, rather than changing it at set times.
This catPooPee project is a step towards a bigger environmental project. And when he's developed this system there might be wider applications of the technology.
thanks kalayana for mission support)) Your perspective is valued. I should think more about how to present intent of project. Now a short catPooPee update for proof-of-life (i am old, that is always in question). The arduino code base HX711-multi is now working (after minor tweaks) for the triad of load-cells (for litter box weight measurement) and giving reasonable data (still drifty as a ten-cent gyro because of temp coefficient of resistors in loadcell combined with self-heating effects). The arduino connects to a rpi-B-early. The arduino is pumping out 3 measurements of the litter box weight at 10hz @ 115200bps. I've now written C code that receives the weight data and prepends a motion-like time stamp to record.
So... Motion running full time can consume 20% of available cycles (of old rpi). Layering on handling of the serial data from arduino is peacefully coexisting with motion so far although I did have apparent buffering problems that I've bandaided (to be analyzed later, right now I need drama).
the data to see if it's possible to measure the weight of 'deposits' and how well weight can be used to ID the cats. (my two furry lab assistants are close in weight so they make a good test case).
platform0: 3/8" plywood scrap for planar surface. 1/2" AL angle used to fab struts that hold load-cells (at extreme ends). arduino and load-cell amps mishmashed willie nillie toward center. Assembly contacts floor by 3 M4 hex head bolts and extreme end of load cell. The 'struts were intended to stiffen the plywood to minimize sag when loaded.
My guess is that in taking path of least resistance for fabrication, the floor contact points are a few degrees off plumb. The off-plumbness is aggravated by the platform not being stiff enough. Fully loaded with litter box, litter and cat there is a perceptible sag in middle. When cat jumps out after 'event' the sag rebound plus stiction of the floor contacts probably changes how far off vertical the contact points are oriented.
Next action is to remount all the load cells to ensure vertical force vector and to stiffen platform to eliminate sag.
After reading up on the HX711 load cell amp I see lots of folks chasing both noise and drift issues. I'm sure I'll get to that but that's fine tuning compared to errors that I have now.
Still convinced that cats are extra-terrestrial engineers.
Ok... I'm officially jazzed now. After yesterday's tweaks on the platform that has load-cells as floor contacts I'm getting very good data.
Here is time history of a "pee-event" (helpfully arranged by my furry lab assistant PeachO).
Note stairstep on on leading edge. I believe this to be cat stepping into box. Stepping onto the platform in someplaces will actually "unload" some loadcells and probably accounts for this artifact. Also note a bit of scratching around early, a section of calm, then another section of scratching around as would be expected. Then near end of event a spike as PeachO launches himself out of the box. Finally and most importantly, a baseline shift that hopefully will be a standard data point, the weight of the cat-deposit.
I could make available the raw data and the associated jpg's and avi's from overhead motion triggered cam if anyone is interested in analyzing. I'm not very good at that aspect and would welcome opinions.
The "tweaks" on the platform yesterday was stiffening with aluminum angle and adjusting hard points (load-cell floor contacts) so that they are much closer to being orthogonal to floor.
The platform has evolved to be a box structure to maximize rigidity and minimize weight while using off the shelf material that can be formed with simple wood working tools. The metal in corners of box are electrical outlet cover plates that act as rigid hardpoints on which to mount the weighing sensors called load-cells. The box structure will contain some of catPooPee electronics. One arduino and the load-cell differential amps will be wired together inside box. delicate wires from load-cell enter box very near load-cell to minimize exposed wire, silicon caulk will be added at that entry point to protect wires. Here's a view of the underside of the box platform showing detail of loadcell mounted to coverplate. http://dabeak.com/cPP_hardPoint_loadCel ... 1147~2.jpg The M4 hex head bolt on this upside down view is one of three contact points with the floor.
I welcome comments about my 3 point weighing scheme which was a path of least resistance and has not been a tipping problem (so far).
the good news. The famed cat curiosity is real, new innovations are rapidly investigated and subjectect to intense environmental testing, herf, electrostatic discharge, salt water spray, shake and bake.
the bad news. The famed cat curiosity is real... I can't keep the furry varmits out of the electronics. here's pix of the growing anti-curiosity protection of raspberry pi with cam that is presently suspended over the cat box on a temp horizontal surface that apprarently a MUST-VISIT cat LZ.
right now I'm accumulating about 200MB/day of litter box visits (jpg&avi). Obviously too much data. Will be working toward paring that down to something reasonable before merging with cat-box weight data that is now just streaming to /dev/nul.
little brightly coloured wires will be uber catnip consider potting the electronics when finalised..
PhatFil: I've used a lot of milspec equipment with potted connectors, potted assemblies and conformal coated pcbs but never had to deal with the manufacturing particulars. You got any recommendations for a pourable RTV?
mushu999: I'm using weight as a health metric and that is working very good. However, I do want to move forward with getting openCV to be more robust at identifying individual cats using distinguishing cat collars. It appears that your link identifies sortof generic objects. Do you have any idea if that code base is tweakable to be very specific?
This is a bit gross, cute project. It has great potential, pet health monitoring might be a lucrative thing.
I guess you can identify an individual cat in opencv by combining weight and image colour. Unless you deal with equal sized/coloured twins, it might work.
A pi should be sufficient to process image data in opencv since it doesn't need to be done real time, it can spare a few minutes to analyse each "pee-poo-pi event" .
The "normal" bathroom scales use four half bridge load cells, one in each corner of the square platform.
They are wired in a full wheatstone bridge so the output is a single analog voltage proportional with the sum of weights on all four sensors. They do not need individual readings /HX711 for each load cell.
However by measuring multiple points, more detailed movement patterns could be detected, which might be useful to figure out "something could be wrong" with a cat.
here is the latest shiny redirection and unintended consequence of my folly.
Initial construction is to have plastic grid seen in pix is just standard plastic lighting louvre. Underneath louvre is fiberglass screen material.
Underneath screen is a gap then short drop and sudden stop in bottom collection grid which is another section of same grid at top.
The grid at top will be filled and covered with safflower seeds which supposedly are non absorbing (trust but verify at this point). The top grid is present to keep claws from fiberglas screen. The air gap between screen and bottom collection grid is maintained (against weight of litter and cat) by a grid of ping-pong balls.
The bottom grid will be bottom sealed _somehow_ to form a gridded urine collection area. Viewing the "motion" catPooPee events should provide geolocation(haha) of urine and link to proper PurrrPEEtrator.
is intriguing idea. I actually went with the multiple weight measurement points because it was the path of least resistance that I had confidence in. I really don't like the comsumer scale method of combining 4 load cells into one wheatstone bridge. Also the load cells I'm using each come with a instrumentation amplifer at minimal cost (5kg LC plus amp ~ $5). Now that Blimpyway mentions the possible cat-diagnostic upside to having some AI analyze a cat's scratching, circling, prancing I want to keep the multiple weight points for sure.
so faithful readers... if I make a dataset available that contains a full pi-poo-pee event could someone smarter than me (low bar) play with analyzing. Indicate your willingness here and I'll try to make it happen sooner rather than later.
quick n' dirty block diagram of catPooPee as it exists now.
I have two litter boxes that record motion video but only one has litter box weight instrumentation. The central server pulls accumulated motion avi/jpg on daily basis by a script that does mostly scp then purges via remote cli. The script is now manually run but will be cron soon.
For anyone who like playing with datasets, here is a pee-event.
Lab assistant Piffy-the-cat was chunked into the litter box for a functional check of the load-cell recording hardware/software. Evidently she decided to enhance the experiment by relieving herself, how accommodating!
<time as milliseconds since epoch> <date in application "motion" format> <clock-time>: <LoadCell#1sample> <LC#2samp> <LC#3samp>. For this stage of development, I'm keeping the jpgs in hopes that it's more robust to detect the colored-collar of the cats using openCV on static images.
The load cell samples are just raw output of signed 24bit digitizer (it's a differential voltage so can go + or - ). The transfer function from bits to grams is not apparent at this time (cheapie chinese load-cells kinda weak on docs).


The studio is situated around the back of Buchanan McPherson printers and Classic Carpets.
If parking on Portland place, access by foot via Buchanan McPherson car park or Burnside Lane.
Or turn into Quarry Street from A723, then first left at the mini roundabout onto Burnside Lane. The entrance is the 2nd gate on the right and there is a free car park. Hamilton Pilates is the second red door below the Kemp Home Improvements sign. There is a sign for Hamilton Pilates Studio above the door.


War is an environmental disaster. Experts say conserving nature can be a crucial part of building peace.
Great Britain colonized India for salt, tea, and spices. Iraq invaded Kuwait for oil. Russia invaded Ukraine over natural gas. You could argue that the United States fought the Civil War, at least in part, over agriculture. These represent just a few examples of the many conflicts in which natural resources played major roles. Sure, political egos are involved in wars and other international or civil conflicts. But groups battle each other over their perceived rights to something, and whether it's the right to exist or the right to extract fuel makes no difference to the brutality of the ensuing conflicts.
And while wars may be fought over natural resources, we often pay little attention to the aftermath or to the effects that war has on the environment. Those consequences can be just as long-lived as the more immediate casualties of war. And while it may be counterintuitive to think that we should start rebuilding wildlife populations or ecosystems while a conflict is still going on, new research suggests that efforts to help restore the natural environment can play a crucial role in bringing about peace.
In a study published Wednesday in the journal Trends in Ecology and Evolution, researchers in Switzerland and Israel propose that natural resource restoration can provide a path to peace and reconciliation. They based this research on projects they conducted among Israel, Jordan, and the Palestinian Authority, including a notable barn owl conservation initiative. This region, known for years of intense conflict, has suffered immeasurable environmental degradation.
The researchers recognize one of the inherent struggles of environmental conservation: People can not be separated from the land. Just as people can't fight wars without having an impact on the environment, you can't create environmental policy without having an impact on the people who live in that environment.
A) These posters, in Hebrew and Arabic, explain the ecological importance of owls two both the Jewish and Arab communities. B) This map shows how barn owls, which breed in Israel but hunt in Palestinian territory, know no geopolitical boundary. C) A pair of barn owl mates, one born in Israel, the other born in Jordan.
So they looked at programs that used a focus on the environment to build a middle ground between groups in conflict. While it's not always easy for local community members to feel a strong connection to a long-standing international conflict, humans share a long history of connections to the natural world.
Barn owls provided this shared connection, and the "Birds Know No Boundaries" project capitalized on the symbolism of these raptors. This project helped farmers on both sides of a contested border understand the impact that pesticide use has on barn owls, as well as recognize that community boundaries are meaningless in the natural world.
By involving local community members in a project that benefits the environment, "Birds Know No Boundaries" helps to reinforce the importance of environmental preservation in building peaceful understanding among people.
This Jordanian farmer holds a barn owl, which many consider a bad omen. Behind him, an Israeli farmer tends an ow nest box.
The researchers point out that the strength of this project lies in the fact that it has a local benefit to each community that's involved. This, in turn, helps build human connections.


It's been a lot since my last time here. I have been writing, reading and take care of myself, since the moment I broke my foot. No, I wasn't boxing as the picture may be suggesting. I was home dancing by myself (a thing I usually do while I sing and I drink some red wine) and, well, I am not a good dancer so I fall down and, surprise!, I destroyed my metatarsus. Whatever. Why this picture? Because in July my first novel is going to be published and yeah, it is about a boxer. He is actually an handsome boy named Amodio, and it took few months (and a lot of energy) to write an entire book about him. So, this is the first of a long series of discard covers I choose and I just wanted to share it with you. Ciao.


Creative 360 offers a wide variety of exhibits, classes, workshops and events for all ages and populations. Over the years, offerings have grown to embrace those with special needs, individuals with disabilities, older adults, people in recovery, veterans, at-risk teens, and gifted and talented youth. Express Yourself Artshop is an inclusive arts program with classes designed for people with varying disabilities. Everyone is welcome to take an Artshop class, especially those who prefer a slower pace when creating. Many participants are able to use Community Living Support (CLS funding from CMHCM).
The Creative 360 art gallery offers a rotating schedule of exhibits each year. It is open free to the public and enjoyed by more than 9,500 visitors a year. It is one of the most visible galleries in the area and was voted Greatest Art Gallery in the Great Lakes Bay by readers of Great Lakes Bay magazine in 2015.
Creative 360 has owned the John Pratt Mosaic House on M20 for more than 20 years. Through tours, teaching opportunities, workshops and seminars, more than 75,000 people have experienced the art and message of creativity for all people including those with mental illness.
Activities at Creative 360 are supported in part by the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs, a partner agency of the National Endowment for the Arts, Midland Area Community Foundation and the Herbert H. and Grace A. Dow Foundation.
Click on the video links below to see how people say Creative 360 has been life-changing for them.
We envision a world in which creativity is integral to every life and its value is recognized.
To create environments that allow people of all ages and abilities to experience the creative process, and to enhance physical, mental and spiritual wellness through the arts and humanities.
Inclusiveness – No matter your age, gender, race, beliefs, skills or life circumstances, you are welcome at Creative 360 and are free to be yourself.
Creativity – We believe that imagination and free expression are essential to any person's life. We see creativity not as a finished product, but a journey of discovery, so we provide a non-judgmental atmosphere where all work is treasured.
Respect – We respect not only people, but also ideas. We are open to new and non-traditional programming. We believe in the power of saying "yes".
Community – We believe that unity and compassion are components of a strong society. We work to bring people together.