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Putin puts in place not only USA, but also China
Putin's Address to the Federal Assembly on March 1 came as a bombshell for the world. The speech that the Russian president delivered at Manezh Exhibition Hall just outside the Kremlin made everyone believe that Putin was presenting Russia's new fantastic weapons to the United States. However, some assumed that Putin was not talking about the United States of America as Russia's prime opponent.
Retired general of the Italian army, co-author of the book "Geoeconomics: Tools, Strategy and Tactics," Carlo Jean, said that "Putin announced to the world that he reached nuclear parity with the United States again." According to the general, Russia has been compelled to run the colossal modernization of its nuclear arsenal since the time of Obama's presidency. The Russians started doing it in response to Obama's initiative to modernize the enormous American arsenal contrary to the Nobel Peace Prize that was given to him for his promise to dismantle it, the Italian general told Ilsussidiario.net website. According to him, the US plan is worth about 1.2 trillion dollars and spans 30 years. Forty billion of the amount was invested in the project this year.
The significance of Putin's speech is that he has reaffirmed the strength of his country, which he had raised from ruins."We saw the Russian military power reviving in the Middle East, in Ukraine, in the Crimea," the expert said. Putin's call for an international dialogue concerns the Middle East, where Putin remains in a situation which he can not resolve."
"Nuclear weapons remain and will always remain an instrument of persuasion, not war, due to the factor of mutually assured destruction," Jean said. The status quo of mutual deterrence for the US and Russia remains unchanged. However, the greatest danger to Russia is not the United States, but China, because China has been taking almost all of Central Asia away from Russia, the Italian general concluded.
Doctor of international relations at the Sorbonne University, specializing in EU-Russia relations and NATO's defense policy, Michel Lambert, told Atlantico.fr that Putin's idea was to "emphasize the image of a great power." Yet, there is a pragmatic approach behind the rhetoric. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the expert said, Russia had neither the budget nor the motivation to either modernize its nuclear arsenal or start building fifth-generation aircraft. Both the motivation and the budget appeared after the "Crimean context," the political scientist said.
Moscow faces a pragmatic objective to maintain its reputation as one of the world's largest arms exporters and the main supplier for China, Lambert noted. It is important to continue the modernization to provide high quality equipment to client countries and remain a leader on the growing market.
Moscow's position as the position of a nuclear power is dangerous per se, but "it should not be seen as a" threat" in the sense of immediate danger, but only as a" confirmation of a global trend." "Putin's rhetoric is directed against the US, but it is more appropriate to think about the containment of China. Russia is looking towards Asia, but the United States and Europe believe that Moscow is looking only towards them. In practice, Russia is more concerned about the opening of Chinese military bases along the New Silk Road from Astana to Tbilisi rather than about the opening of NATO bases," the expert said." Moreover, he continued, US military officials are also looking towards Asia (China), but they do not dare to mention it."
American journalists Peter Doran and Donald Jensen in their article for The American Interest titled "Putin's strategy of Chaos," wrote that Russia's desire to compete as a great power was dangerous both for the West and for the Kremlin. The authors call this system of competition as "trolling." The Kremlin wants to see itself as an equal partner and believes that the international system treats Russia unfairly, "even though Russians have benefited from the international order that both sides-East and West-helped to establish after the collapse of the Soviet Empire."
The Kremlin, from the perspective of Doraan and Jensen, wants to take risks, sometimes recklessly, to prove that Moscow deserves a place in the club of great powers," on the assumption that Russia "possesses one key advantage in long-term competition with America and the democratic West: Russia is more cohesive internally and will thus be able to outlast its technologically superior but culturally and politically pluralistic opponents."
The authors believe that one should force Russia return to "normal" strategic forms of behavior. They believe that Russia deserves sticks before carrots. In other words, the West needs to continue the sanctions against Russia before foreign investments become possible again.
Interestingly, largest English-language Chinese publications simply reprinted articles from Western agencies with headlines such as "Putin's new nuclear arsenal is unlikely to change the balance of power." Beijing is not thrilled about Russia's growing military power.
Editors of regional Chinese publications marveled at Putin's video of the launch of Sarmat ICBM to Florida. The list of targets includes Trump's Residence in Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa with headquarters of the US Central Command. In the event of a nuclear attack, the command of the army will be paralyzed, and as many as 2.8 million people will be killed.
Lyuba Lulko (Stepushova)
Chechen President Kadyrov says when special operation is going to end


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Best new cookbooks to hunker down with
(CNN) — Mastering the art of home cooking — to riff on the title of the beloved Julia Child cookbook — has been a primary occupation during coronavirus lockdown. While preparing meals for friends and family is inextricably linked with life in general, it has taken on a new significance during the pandemic.
One tradition that Covid-19 has not been successful at wiping out — though it has had its toll in terms of delays — is the annual October release of new cookbooks. The diversity of cuisines, chefs and restaurants demonstrates the thoughtful, global perspective that has taken hold in the food world.
Whether it's classic Thai cooking, a fusion of the flavors of southern Indian cuisine with the cooking in the US South, or a meditation on the history and impact of Black cooking, these tomes bring home cooks more than ideas about what to serve. They offer an opportunity to think about food, its central role in our lives and how its main purpose is to gather families and friends around a table to connect with one another.
If you choose to buy any of these fine cookbooks, we've included a link in the header to a independent bookstore finder or to a specific place to patronize in the hope that we can support small businesses during the pandemic.
Jamie Oliver and his team peeked into our shopping baskets and wrote "7 Ways: Easy Ideas for Every Day of the Week" around what he calls are 18 hero ingredients
Levon Biss/Flatiron Books
The result, Oliver writes, is "the most reader-focused cookbook I've ever written." It's a twist on the popular formula behind the affable British chef's "5 Ingredients." Each hero is its own chapter, with seven ways listed for the star ingredient to be cooked.
As home cooks, sometimes our brains don't organize this way, so he follows that impressive chapter list of 18 hero ingredients with a thematic grouping: one-pan wonders, simple pastas, tray bakes or sheet pan dinners, soups and sandwiches. Oh Jamie, I feel seen.
"7 Ways" also reads as a lifestyle guide, with Oliver emphasizing nutrition as a concurrent priority to the ease and flavor behind each dish. Each dish's nutritional value accompanies each recipe. Ingredients are photographed individually and laid along a vertical border on the left, alongside the traditional listing of ingredients. This layout lets you scan your kitchen to know if cauliflower cheese pasta can be on tonight's menu.
Ingredients are photographed individually in each recipe in Jamie Oliver's "7 Ways."
On that cauliflower, that is one of the 18 hero ingredients. It's a delight to see Oliver present the hero ingredient as a risotto with parmesan cheese and prosciutto, among others.
Though data practicality drove the vision behind "7 Ways," its clear instructions from Oliver on best practices for fish buying, ingredient selection and ratio of vegetables/dairy/fish allows me to write "it's also healthy" at the end of this review. — Margaret Dawson
'Chi Spacca' take you beyond charred meats into the world of veggies.
Courtesy Alfred A. Knopf
This hallowed restaurant is a temple of meat in Los Angeles. It's helmed by Nancy Silverton, who has had the run of the "Mozza corner" of Highland and Melrose since opening Pizzeria Mozza in 2006.
Osteria Mozza followed the next year and in 2013, Silverton opened Chi Spacca. A year later, she won the James Beard Award for Outstanding Chef. She also appeared alongside Julia Child on the PBS program, "Baking with Julia" in 1997, serving a brioche tart to the legendary Child, who literally cried after eating it.
For her latest cookbook, Silverton pulls back the curtain of the kitchen at Chi Spacca.
Written with Ryan DeNicola, Chi Spacca's executive chef, and Carolynn Carreño, the cookbook really gets going with DeNicola's deep-dive chapter, "Grilling Class." For anyone who's been wary of cooking meat on the grill, or cooking, this is essential reading.
Lest you think this cookbook is only about charred flesh, it isn't.
The recipe for the restaurant's most requested menu item, focaccia di Recco, is a game-changer, especially if you're tired with futzing with a sourdough starter and want to step it up to dough stretching. Silverton writes, "… you may have no idea what focaccia di Recco is. Also called focaccia col formaggio (focaccia with cheese), this is nothing like any other focaccia you've ever tasted." Truth.
I also learned to make aoli by hand, which goes with basically everything and is now a staple of my diet as the bacon, lettuce, tomato and avocado salad with which it's served.
The main event in this cookbook is the carne, recipes for the aformentioned bisteca, along with lamb, veal as well fish and vegetable sides (contorini), which in many households make for a fantastic dinner on their own: recipes for whole roasted cauliflower, sweet potatoes, eggplant are all standout and standalone meals.
But then there are the squash blossoms — by far my favorite contorini. Roasted and stuffed with ricotta, it will make you cry it's so good. — Brekke Fletcher
"Milk Street: Cookish: Throw It Together" somehow read my working-mom mind in a cookbook that asks you to invest in a power pantry then delivers recipes that boast ease, flavor, and variety
Connie Miller/Voracious Books
"Historically, I've had little love for cookbooks that promise meals in minutes or sport titles along the lines of 5-Ingredient Cookbook!"
Opposite this opening to Christopher Kimball's "Milk Street: Cookish: Throw It Together" is a photograph of the bow-tied, bespectacled author, arms crossed over a spotless Milk Street apron. I thought, "Wow, so JUDGEY." In fact, I read those words a few bites in to one of the first five-ish ingredient recipes I memorized — Lidia Bastianich's pasta alla vodka — when Kimball made an unexpected turn. To my delight, "Cookish" seems to have been written just for me.
Charred corn with coconut chilies and lime from "Milk Street: Cookish: Throw it Together" were added to our family's weekly taco night.
Margaret Dawson/CNN
Kimball says when he founded the Milk Street empire from which this latest cookbook was born, he seized onto a more global view of cooking — that it's the ingredients that matter most.
Here he makes a compelling case for what he deems is a "powerhouse supermarket pantry" — miso, garam masala, harissa and ground turmeric to name a few — and delivers on the promise the investment brings.
This is a recipe collection bursting with ease, allowing a handful of key ingredients to orient a dish. Into weekly taco night, I tried his charred corn with coconut chilies and lime, the simplicity of which checked every box: speed, practicality, ease, flavor.
We had his maple and soy-glazed chicken skewers, paired with his roasted carrots with turmeric-honey. Kimball peppers the book with four options for the food item to rotate into weekly menus as you wish: recipes that present Brussels sprouts or green beans or whole cauliflower four ways — and that's just the section on vegetables.
There were so many Post-It notes marking the "Cookish" recipes I wanted to try it felt like what started out as a bad first date blossomed into a successful relationship. — Margaret Dawson
"I Cook in Color" blends the best of South India and the US South.
Evan Sung/Running Press
Kerala-born, Atlanta-based chef and author Asha Gomez has reunited with her co-author, Martha Hall Foose, for a new culinary tome, "I Cook in Color." Their 2016 cookbook, "My Two Souths: Blending the Flavors of India into a Southern Kitchen," was nominated for a James Beard Award.
Gomez, who was born in Southern India and has been in the United States for most of her life, has made her career fusing the flavors of her South India birthplace with those of her US Southern home.
Gomez's latest work puts an emphasis on spices — but most importantly being a curious and adventurous eater with a mind towards nutrition and healthy dishes. The recipes all cohere around Gomez's life, her stories, her travels, her family and friends.
For example, her love of the Caribbean and the flavors of St. Croix, Jamaica, Antigua inspired recipes for Caribbean Fried Snapper and Crucian Curry Chicken.
Her years working in New York City and eating spicy shrimp marinara over linguine at a restaurant on Mulberry Street in Little Italy inspired her Spicy Garlic Shrimp with Capers.
A Queens, New York, noodle take-out spot was a go-to for Gomez over 15 years ago, and now her iteration of Singapore noodles.
Her teenage son, Ethan, clearly inspires Gomez as much as any of her past exploits and travels do, and her dedication and love for him drips from nearly every page.
"I Cook in Color" is a testimonial of love, through food and friends, passed on from generation to generation, from continent to continent. — Brekke Fletcher
"In Bibi's Kitchen" is a bright and beautiful homage to the recipes and stories from eight African countries: Eritrea, Somalia, Kenya, Tanazania, Mozambique, South Africa, Madagascar and Comoros.
Penguin Randomhouse
More than a book of recipes, "In Bibi's Kitchen" is a bright and beautiful homage to the recipes and stories from eight African countries: Eritrea, Somalia, Kenya, Tanzania, Mozambique, South Africa, Madagascar and Comoros. In each section, bibis (grandmothers in Swahili) from the Indian-Ocean bordering countries share thoughts on cooking, food traditions and more.
Xawaash, a Yemeni spice blend, is an ingredient in the Somali dish Beef Suqaar, and it's worth making for the heady scent of cinnamon, cumin, coriander, cloves and cardamom that fills the kitchen.
Stacey Lastoe/CNN
Most of the recipes in the thoughtfully laid out book are approachable, their list of ingredients are ones found in most home cooks' pantries. Some, like Ma Halima's Beef Suqaar, a rich beef and tomato-based dish referred to as Somali stir-fry, require a bit of legwork.
The key ingredient is xawaash, a Yemeni spice blend, and it's worth making for heady scent of cinnamon, cumin, coriander, cloves and cardamom that fills the kitchen.
Written by Hawa Hassan and Julia Turshen, friends with a belief that "grandmothers hold the world's most important stories," this collection of stories and recipes is rich and rooted and bound to become a kitchen staple. — Stacey Lastoe
IFor the novice or even the above-average home cook, the recipes contained in "Kiin" may be more than a bit daunting, but they are more than rewarding.
Penguin Canada
Chef and restaurateur Nuit Regular, who grew up in Thailand, calls northern Thai cooking a journey. Indeed, for the novice or even the above-average home cook, the recipes contained in Kiin may be more than a bit daunting. Most recipes call for 10 or more ingredients and include arguably arduous steps.
For the more ambitious or veteran cooks seeking a challenge, however, "Kiin" may be just the right speed.
The rewards — not to mention the flavor payoff — of a dish such as Stir-Fried Flat Rice Noodles with Gravy (Lad Nha) are not insignificant. Regular's dishes exemplify the best of Thai food — that sour, sweet, salty and spicy combination we take for granted when ordering from our local Thai restaurant.
Several of the book's recipes do offer a store-bought option for an ingredient here or there, and there are often a few optional ingredients in the arms-long lists. too. In spite of these helpful shortcuts, "Kiin" tends toward more complicated than not. And to follow a recipe to a tee, you may find yourself chasing down items such as pandan leaves or magrud lime leaves. Still, there's a lot to love about this big, beautiful book, and a rainy day waiting for its big moment. — Stacey Lastoe
Ina Garten's "Modern Comfort Food" elevates classic comfort food dishes, including specific ingredients or brands easy-to-find at your local grocery store
Quentin Bacon/Clarkson Potter
Comfort food in the time of coronavirus by the Barefoot Contessa. It's a brilliantly timed combination, with Ina Garten reflecting on the necessity of one because of the other. "Modern Comfort Food" is Garten's 12th cookbook, and in it, she offers doable upgrades to familiar classics.
The cookbook features endearing practicalities throughout. She channels us all who despair at recipes that call for hard-to-find ingredients by providing helpful recommendations on specific brands.
To wit: "2 cups beef broth, such as College Inn, ¾ cup fine cornmeal, such as Indian Head, Citterio makes a 4-ounce package of perfectly diced, 4 sandwich potato rolls, such as Martin's." She includes details like these on nearly every page, items easy to find in an average American grocery store.
Seasoned home cooks also know that we can't be Contessa in the kitchen every night so meal shortcuts are crucial. Arriving at the puff pastry croutons recipe, she recommends to serve with her chicken pot pie soup, I stopped. Did she really include a recipe that's practically the directions on the box?
Her chocolate chip ice cream sandwiches are, essentially: buy a box of chocolate chip cookies ("crisp…such as Tate's"), scoop ice cream between two of them and roll some chopped toffee on the outer edges. Oh my God, I love her.
Ina Garten's creamy tomato bisque transformed me into a (lower case) barefoot contessa.
Appealing shortcuts aside, the stars of "Modern Comfort Food" are her kitchen-tested, comfort food upgrades: a creamy tomato bisque earned a rare word of approval from my child's nanny. An upscale tuna melt helped me overcome my reproach of sandwiches.
Given the timing of "Modern Comfort Food," the cookbook itself is a keeper. — Margaret Dawson
"Ottolenghi Flavor" is broken up into unique-sounding sections — process, pairing, produce — each with the intention of maximizing flavor using certain cooking methods and pairing techniques
There are curry fries, and then there are Yotam Ottolenghi curry fries. The Israeli-English chef, restaurateur and food writer is back with another flavor-boasting cookbook, along with cook and recipe tester Ixta Belfrage.
The gorgeous cookbook is broken up into unique-sounding sections — process, pairing, produce — each with the intention of maximizing flavor using certain cooking methods and pairing techniques.
While Ottolenghi isn't necessarily trying to convince the reader to go vegetarian tomorrow, he is rather hellbent on demonstrating the myriad ways vegetables can be utilized to ultimately deliver dishes as delicious as the richest meat-based ones.
The aforementioned curry fries are not, of course, meant to be served as a meal but as a side that goes above and beyond ordinary flavor profiles.
The work involved in this dish isn't insignificant: The oil for the homemade mayonnaise must be infused and curry leaves procured. There's straining and waiting and fry-turning. But the result — salty lime russets, perfectly crisped dipped in a from-scratch mayo oozing with umami, bite and creamy fat — may just ruin you for all other (oven) fries.
At the very least, this book will get you to not only eat your vegetables but to look for every opportunity to do so. — Stacey Lastoe
Octopus Publishing Group
Sabrina Ghayour offers an array of flavors so unfamiliar to my taste buds that some seemed a tad strange at first. I'd never combined 3 inches of raw, fresh ginger with tomatoes and tamarind until I tried making her tomato and peanut salad. The flavor combinations are unfamiliar, and that's what makes them intriguing.
In "Simply: Easy Everyday Dishes," you'll find sticky harissa and sesame chicken along with orange, turmeric and coconut rice pudding. I quickly learned that a little spice-tempering fit my taste buds best, and when I cut down the ginger in that tamarind and tomato salad, it was devoured by my friends at my last barbecue.
I had to send everyone the recipe. I realized the delights of turmeric in sweet dishes and am now making tamarind a part of my regular repertoire. Tamarind chutney was all I could find but still worked in the recipes. The book suggests an open mind and the delicious photos offer encouragement. — Channon Hodge
By Sharma's equation, emotion + sight + sound + mouthfeel + aroma + taste = flavor. And that's what this cookbook is all about.
Nik Sharma's dedication to breaking down the science of great cooking and flavor-packed food reminds me a little of Samin Nosrat's "Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat." Though it is uniquely organized, at its core, it's about understanding how different techniques and ingredients work to produce the most flavorful dishes.
In Sharma's second cookbook, the food writer and recipe developer suggests that emotions play a big role in flavor. By Sharma's equation, emotion + sight + sound + mouthfeel + aroma + taste = flavor.
Science is an inherent part of the cooking process and while the early part of the book takes a fairly intricate look at its role in the kitchen, it lends understanding and background you'll appreciate once you roll up your sleeves and get cooking.
Take the Spareribs in Malt Vinegar + Mashed Potatoes recipe, filed under the chapter called Brightness. The ribs are cooked with a decent amount of vinegar and white wine, both acidic ingredients, but they're also bathed in sweet and spicy liquid, thanks to brown sugar, fennel and peppercorns. The result is fall-off-the-bone tender meat, its richness balanced by the bright acid and further smoothed out with the mashed potatoes.
There's a lot to absorb here (pun intended), but Sharma is a very fine teacher. — Stacey Lastoe
The cookbook is an encyclopedia of Black cooking and includes recommendations for restaurants, resources and other cookbooks to dive into.
Voracious Books
"Black is not a taste. Or is it?"
This is how chef Marcus Samuelsson begins his book, "Rise: Black Cooks and the Soul of American Food" written with Yewande Komolafe and Tamie Cook. The book challenges the notion that Black cooking has one monochromatic definition and puts the chefs who create it on their proper pedestal. The authors argue that there is no American food without Black food and offer over 150 recipes to prove their point.
You'll find seafood dishes in "The Rise."
Angie Mosier/Voracious Books
The dishes were crafted as dedications to Black chefs, activists and famous personalities and their bios are throughout the book.
There's chicken liver mousse dedicated to Eric Gestel, the lesser known 'Black Eric' of Le Bernardin. Citrus cured shrimp is for Mariya Russell, the first Black woman to helm a restaurant that won a Michelin star. I tried out the coconut-flavored rice and peas recipe created for Tavel Bristol-Joseph, a star pastry Guyanese chef in Texas.
It's shameful I've never tried cooking something as simple and filling as rice and peas (learning also that peas' actually means red beans in this traditional dish.) Sad, too, that I'd never heard of most of these chefs, but "The Rise" offers help for the ignorant like me with easy-to-follow recipes combined. — Channon Hodge
Vegetables are the star in "Vegetable Kingdom: The Abundant World of Vegan Recipes"
I used to write "no vegans" on all my dating profiles.
Now here I am eager to try out this book, "Vegetable Kingdom: The Abundant World of Vegan Recipes" by Bryant Terry because, let's face it, we're killing the planet. Scientists I've talked to told me eating more vegetables is the easiest thing we can do to slash our carbon footprint.
Terry's recipes are complex. You'll want to read them far enough ahead to soak cashews overnight or marinate tofu in jerk sauce. I had to google a picture of a sunchoke to find it later at the grocery store. Stick with Terry's advice, however, and you will find yourself in all-new food territory.
Lime, orange juice and garlic brings acidic joy to this fennel recipe from "Vegetable Kingdom"
Channon Hodge/CNN
I now have an easy plantain, pecan and millet salad that will be my go-to cookout contribution. Parsley went from boring to brilliant, and I've now memorized Terry's fresh sweet parsley vinaigrette recipe. When I made his citrus and garlic-herb braised fennel, I realized the sharp, acidic joy that comes from combining lime and orange juice with garlic. Each recipe is a flavor festival, and the party is worth the prep. — Channon Hodge
The Xi'an Famous Foods restaurant chain started with a location in a basement food mall in Queens.
Jenny Huang
I gave a big 'heck, yes!' when my friend Bree suggested we start a pandemic cookbook exchange. Any of my 29 cookbooks will be up for grabs except "Xi'an Famous Foods," which will have to be pried from my cold, dead hands.
This book, written by Xi'an CEO Jason Wang, offers basic cooking skills for noodle-freaks like me who are adept at ordering Western Chinese food but completely inept at cooking it. I'm a devoted customer at the Xi'an noodle shops but never imagined those chewy spiced dishes were easy to make at home.
Sure, you'll need a decent Asian food section at your grocery store (or just access to the internet) but most of the ingredients for the stews, skewered meats and sauces are now easy to find.
Get your noodle fix with "Xi'an Famous Foods."
Their famous noodles and dumplings are made with all-purpose regular flour, salt and water — that's it! Granted, I couldn't quite "pull" them despite Wang's patient and meticulous directions. So I ended up simply rolling and slicing them with a knife before boiling and adding to a pan of savory cumin lamb. I can't wait to keep practicing (and slurping.) — Channon Hodge
Turkey raises Black Sea gas field estimate after new discovery
Three-year-old loses whole family in missile attack on Azeri city
Throughout the year, CNN Underscored is constantly testing products — be it coffee makers or headphones — to find the absolute best in each respective category.
Our testing process is rigorous, consisting of hours of research (consulting experts, reading editorial reviews and perusing user ratings) to find the top products in each category. Once we settle on a testing pool, we spend weeks — if not months — testing and retesting each product multiple times in real-world settings. All this in an effort to settle on the absolute best products.
So, as we enter peak gifting season, if you're on the hunt for the perfect gift, we know you'll find something on this list that they (or you!) will absolutely love.
Best burr coffee grinder: Baratza Virtuoso+ Conical Burr Grinder With Digital Timer Display ($249; amazon.com or walmart.com)
Baratza Virtuoso+ Conical Burr Grinder
Beginner baristas and coffee connoisseurs alike will be pleased with the Baratza Virtuoso+, a conical burr grinder with 40 settings for grind size, from super fine (espresso) to super coarse (French press). The best coffee grinder we tested, this sleek look and simple, intuitive controls, including a digital timer, allow for a consistent grind every time — as well as optimal convenience.
Read more from our testing of coffee grinders here.
Best drip coffee maker: Braun KF6050WH BrewSense Drip Coffee Maker ($79.95; amazon.com)
Braun KF6050WH BrewSense Drip Coffee Maker
During our testing of drip coffee makers, we found the Braun KF6050WH BrewSense Drip Coffee Maker made a consistently delicious, hot cup of coffee, brewed efficiently and cleanly, from sleek, relatively compact hardware that is turnkey to operate, and all for a reasonable price.
Read more from our testing of drip coffee makers here.
Best single-serve coffee maker: Breville-Nespresso VertuoPlus ($165; originally $179.95; amazon.com)
Breville-Nespresso VertuoPlus
Among all single-serve coffee makers we tested, the Breville-Nespresso VertuoPlus, which uses pods that deliver both espresso and "regular" coffee, could simply not be beat for its convenience. Intuitive and a snap to use right out of the box, it looks sleek on the counter, contains a detached 60-ounce water reservoir so you don't have to refill it with each use and delivers perfectly hot, delicious coffee with a simple tap of a lever and press of a button.
Read more from our testing of single-serve coffee makers here.
Best coffee subscription: Blue Bottle (starting at $11 per shipment; bluebottlecoffee.com)
Blue Bottle coffee subscription
Blue Bottle's coffee subscription won us over with its balance of variety, customizability and, most importantly, taste. We sampled both the single-origin and blend assortments and loved the flavor of nearly every single cup we made. The flavors are complex and bold but unmistakably delicious. Beyond its coffee, Blue Bottle's subscription is simple and easy to use, with tons of options to tailor to your caffeine needs.
Read more from our testing of coffee subscriptions here.
Best cold brewer coffee maker: Hario Mizudashi Cold Brew Coffeepot ($25; amazon.com)
Hario Mizudashi Cold Brew Coffeepot
This sleek, sophisticated and streamlined carafe produces 1 liter (about 4 1/4 cups) of rich, robust brew in just eight hours. It was among the simplest to assemble, it executed an exemplary brew in about the shortest time span, and it looked snazzy doing it. Plus, it rang up as the second-most affordable of our inventory.
Read more from our testing of cold brew makers here.
Best nonstick pan: T-fal E76597 Ultimate Hard Anodized Nonstick Fry Pan With Lid ($39.97; amazon.com)
T-fal E76597 Ultimate Hard Anodized Nonstick Fry Pan With Lid
If you're a minimalist and prefer to have just a single pan in your kitchen, you'd be set with the T-fal E76597. This pan's depth gives it multipurpose functionality: It cooks standard frying-pan foods like eggs and meats, and its 2 1/2-inch sides are tall enough to prepare recipes you'd usually reserve for pots, like rices and stews. It's a high-quality and affordable pan that outperformed some of the more expensive ones in our testing field.
Read more from our testing of nonstick pans here.
Best blender: Breville Super Q ($499.95; breville.com)
Breville Super Q
With 1,800 watts of motor power, the Breville Super Q features a slew of preset buttons, comes in multiple colors, includes key accessories and is touted for being quieter than other models. At $500, it does carry a steep price tag, but for those who can't imagine a smoothie-less morning, what breaks down to about $1.30 a day over a year seems like a bargain.
Read more from our testing of blenders here.
Best knife set: Chicago Cutlery Fusion 17-Piece Knife Block Set ($119.74; amazon.com)
Chicago Cutlery Fusion 17-Piece Knife Block Set
The Chicago Cutlery Fusion 17-Piece Knife Block Set sets you up to easily take on almost any cutting job and is a heck of a steal at just $119.97. Not only did the core knives included (chef's, paring, utility and serrated) perform admirably, but the set included a bevy of extras, including a full set of steak knives. We were blown away by their solid construction and reliable execution for such an incredible value. The knives stayed sharp through our multitude of tests, and we were big fans of the cushion-grip handles that kept them from slipping, as well as the classic look of the chestnut-stained wood block. If you're looking for a complete knife set you'll be proud of at a price that won't put a dent in your savings account, this is the clear winner.
Read more from our testing of knife sets here.
Best true wireless earbuds: AirPods Pro ($199, originally $249; amazon.com)
Apple's AirPods Pro hit all the marks. They deliver a wide soundstage, thanks to on-the-fly equalizing tech that produces playback that seemingly brings you inside the studio with the artist. They have the best noise-canceling ability of all the earbuds we tested, which, aside from stiff-arming distractions, creates a truly immersive experience. To sum it up, you're getting a comfortable design, a wide soundstage, easy connectivity and long battery life.
Read more from our testing of true wireless earbuds here.
Best noise-canceling headphones: Sony WH-1000XM4 ($278, originally $349.99; amazon.com)
Not only do the WH-1000XM4s boast class-leading sound, but phenomenal noise-canceling ability. So much so that they ousted our former top overall pick, the Beats Solo Pros, in terms of ANC quality, as the over-ear XM4s better seal the ear from outside noise. Whether it was a noise from a dryer, loud neighbors down the hall or high-pitched sirens, the XM4s proved impenetrable. This is a feat that other headphones, notably the Solo Pros, could not compete with — which is to be expected considering their $348 price tag.
Read more from our testing of noise-canceling headphones here.
Best on-ear headphones: Beats Solo 3 ($119.95, originally $199.95; amazon.com)
The Beats Solo 3s are a phenomenal pair of on-ear headphones. Their sound quality was among the top of those we tested, pumping out particularly clear vocals and instrumentals alike. We enjoyed the control scheme too, taking the form of buttons in a circular configuration that blend seamlessly into the left ear cup design. They are also light, comfortable and are no slouch in the looks department — more than you'd expect given their reasonable $199.95 price tag.
Read more from our testing of on-ear headphones here.
Best matte lipstick: Stila Stay All Day Liquid Lipstick ($11, originally $22; amazon.com or $22; nordstrom.com and stilacosmetics.com)
Stila Stay All Day Liquid Lipstick
The Stila Stay All Day Liquid Lipstick has thousands of 5-star ratings across the internet, and it's easy to see why. True to its name, this product clings to your lips for hours upon hours, burritos and messy breakfast sandwiches be damned. It's also surprisingly moisturizing for such a superior stay-put formula, a combo that's rare to come by.
Read more from our testing of matte lipsticks here.
Best everyday liquid liner: Stila Stay All Day Waterproof Liquid Eyeliner ($22; stilacosmetics.com or macys.com)
Stila Stay All Day Waterproof Liquid Eyeliner
The Stila Stay All Day Waterproof Liquid Eyeliner is a longtime customer favorite — hence its nearly 7,500 5-star reviews on Sephora — and for good reason. We found it requires little to no effort to create a precise wing, the liner has superior staying power and it didn't irritate those of us with sensitive skin after full days of wear. As an added bonus, it's available in a whopping 12 shades.
Read more from our testing of liquid eyeliners here.
Best office chair: Steelcase Series 1 (starting at $381.60; amazon.com or $415, wayfair.com)
Steelcase Series 1
The Steelcase Series 1 scored among the highest overall, standing out as one of the most customizable, high-quality, comfortable office chairs on the market. At $415, the Steelcase Series 1 beat out most of its pricier competitors across testing categories, scoring less than a single point lower than our highest-rated chair, the $1,036 Steelcase Leap, easily making it the best bang for the buck and a clear winner for our best office chair overall.
Read more from our testing of office chairs here.
Best ergonomic keyboard: Logitech Ergo K860 ($129.99; logitech.com)
Logitech Ergo K860
We found the Logitech Ergo K860 to be a phenomenally comfortable keyboard. Its build, featuring a split keyboard (meaning there's a triangular gap down the middle) coupled with a wave-like curvature across the body, allows both your shoulders and hands to rest in a more natural position that eases the tension that can often accompany hours spent in front of a regular keyboard. Add the cozy palm rest along the bottom edge and you'll find yourself sitting pretty comfortably.
Read more from our testing of ergonomic keyboards here.
Best ergonomic mouse: Logitech MX Master 3 ($99.99; logitech.com)
Logitech MX Master 3
The Logitech MX Master 3 is an unequivocally comfortable mouse. It's shaped to perfection, with special attention to the fingers that do the clicking. Using it felt like our fingers were lounging — with a sculpted ergonomic groove for nearly every finger.
Read more from our testing of ergonomic mice here.
Best ring light: Emart 10-Inch Selfie Ring Light ($25.99; amazon.com)
Emart 10-Inch Selfie Ring Light
The Emart 10-Inch Standing Ring Light comes with a tripod that's fully adjustable — from 19 inches to 50 inches — making it a great option whether you're setting it atop your desk for video calls or need some overhead lighting so no weird shadows creep into your photos. Its three light modes (warm, cool and a nice mix of the two), along with 11 brightness levels (among the most settings on any of the lights we tested), ensure you're always framed in the right light. And at a relatively cheap $35.40, this light combines usability and affordability better than any of the other options we tested.
Read more from our testing of ring lights here.
Best linen sheets: Parachute Linen Sheet Set (starting at $149; parachute.com)
Parachute Linen Sheets
Well made, luxurious to the touch and with the most versatile shopping options (six sizes, nine colors and the ability to order individual sheets), the linen sheets from Parachute were, by a narrow margin, our favorite set. From the satisfying unboxing to a sumptuous sleep, with a la carte availability, Parachute set the gold standard in linen luxury.
Read more from our testing of linen sheets here.
Best shower head: Kohler Forte Shower Head (starting at $74.44; amazon.com)
Kohler Forte Shower Head
Hands down, the Kohler Forte Shower Head provides the best overall shower experience, offering three distinct settings. Backstory: Lots of shower heads out there feature myriad "settings" that, when tested, are pretty much indecipherable. The Forte's three sprays, however, are each incredibly different and equally successful. There's the drenching, full-coverage rain shower, the pulsating massage and the "silk spray" setting that is basically a super-dense mist. The Forte manages to achieve all of this while using only 1.75 gallons per minute (GPM), making it a great option for those looking to conserve water.
Read more from our testing of shower heads here.
Best humidifier: TaoTronics Cool Mist Humidifier (starting at $49.99; amazon.com)
TaoTronics Cool Mist Humidifier
The TaoTronics Cool Mist Humidifier ramped up the humidity in a room in about an hour, which was quicker than most of the options we tested. More importantly, though, it sustained those humidity levels over the longest period of time — 24 hours, to be exact. The levels were easy to check with the built-in reader (and we cross-checked that reading with an external reader to confirm accuracy). We also loved how easy this humidifier was to clean, and the nighttime mode for the LED reader eliminated any bright lights in the bedroom.
Read more from our testing of humidifiers here.
Best TV: TCL 6-Series (starting at $579.99; bestbuy.com)
TCL 6-Series
With models starting at $599.99 for a 55-inch, the TCL 6-Series might give you reverse sticker shock considering everything you get for that relatively small price tag. But can a 4K smart TV with so many specification standards really deliver a good picture for $500? The short answer: a resounding yes. The TCL 6-Series produces a vibrant picture with flexible customization options and handles both HDR and Dolby Vision, optimization standards that improve the content you're watching by adding depth to details and expanding the color spectrum.
Read more from our testing of TVs here.
Best streaming device: Roku Ultra ($99.99; amazon.com)
Roku recently updated its Ultra streaming box and the 2020 version is faster, thanks to a new quad-core processor. The newest Ultra retains all of the features we loved and enjoyed about the 2019 model, like almost zero lag time between waking it up and streaming content, leading to a hiccup-free streaming experience. On top of that, the Roku Ultra can upscale content to deliver the best picture possible on your TV — even on older-model TVs that don't offer the latest and greatest picture quality — and supports everything from HD to 4K.
Read more from our testing of streaming devices here.
Best carry-on luggage: Away Carry-On ($225; away.com)
Away Carry-On
The Away Carry-On scored high marks across all our tests and has the best combination of features for the average traveler. Compared with higher-end brands like Rimowa, which retail for hundreds more, you're getting the same durable materials, an excellent internal compression system and eye-catching style. Add in smart charging capabilities and a lifetime warranty, and this was the bag to beat.
Read more from our testing of carry-on luggage here.
Best portable charger: Anker PowerCore 13000 (starting at $31.99; amazon.com)
The Anker PowerCore 13000 shone most was in terms of charging capacity. It boasts 13,000 mAh (maH is a measure of how much power a device puts out over time), which is enough to fully charge an iPhone 11 two and a half times. Plus, it has two fast-charging USB Type-A ports so you can juice a pair of devices simultaneously. While not at the peak in terms of charging capacity, at just $31.99, it's a serious bargain for so many mAhs.
Read more from our testing of portable chargers here.
Searches for changing one's vote did not trend following the recent presidential debate, and just a few states appear to have processes for changing an early vote. But that didn't stop President Trump from wrongly saying otherwise on Tuesday.
In early morning posts, the president falsely claimed on Twitter and Facebook that many people had Googled "Can I change my vote?" after the second presidential debate and said those searching wanted to change their vote over to him. Trump also wrongly claimed that most states have a mechanism for changing one's vote. Actually, just a few states appear to have the ability, and it's rarely used.
Twitter did not attach a label to Trump's recent tweet.
Trump's claim about what was trending on Google after the debate doesn't hold up. Searches for changing one's vote were not among Google's top trending searches for the day of the debate (October 22) or the day after. Searches for "Can I change my vote?" did increase slightly around the time of the debate, but there is no way to know whether the bump was related to the debate or whether the people searching were doing so in support of Trump.
It was only after Trump's posts that searches about changing your vote spiked significantly. It's worth noting that people were also searching for "Can I change my vote?" during a similar period before the 2016 presidential election.
Google declined to comment on the accuracy of Trump's post.
Trump also claimed that these results indicate that most of the people who were searching for how to change their vote support him. But the Google Trends tool for the searches he mentioned does not provide that specific information.
Perhaps the most egregiously false claim in Trump's recent posts is about "most states" having processes for changing your early vote. In fact, only a few states have such processes, and they can come with certain conditions. For instance, in Michigan, voters who vote absentee can ask for a new ballot by mail or in person until the day before the election.
The Center for Election Innovation's David Becker told the Associated Press that changing one's vote is "extremely rare." Becker explained, "It's hard enough to get people to vote once — it's highly unlikely anybody will go through this process twice."
Trump's post on Facebook was accompanied by a link to Facebook's Voting Information Center.
At the time of publication, Trump's false claims had drawn about 84,000 and 187,000 "Likes" on Twitter and Facebook, respectively. Trump's posts accelerated searches about changing your vote in places like the swing state of Florida, where changing one's vote after casting it is not possible. Those numbers are a reminder of the president's capacity to spread misinformation quickly.
On Facebook, the president's post came with a label directing people to Facebook's Voting Information Center, but no fact-checking label. Twitter had no annotation on the president's post. Neither company responded to a request for comment.
That Trump is willing to spread misinformation to benefit himself and his campaign isn't a surprise. He does that a lot. Still, just days before a presidential election in which millions have already voted, this latest episode demonstrates that the president has no qualms about using false claims about voting to cause confusion and sow doubt in the electoral process.
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From January to September, 5,939 civilians – 2,117 people killed and 3,822 wounded – were casualties of the fighting, the UN says.
Nearly 6,000 Afghan civilians were killed or wounded in the first nine months of the year as heavy fighting between government forces and Taliban fighters rages on despite efforts to find peace, the United Nations has said.
From January to September, there were 5,939 civilian casualties in the fighting – 2,117 people killed and 3,822 wounded, the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) said in a quarterly report on Tuesday.
"High levels of violence continue with a devastating impact on civilians, with Afghanistan remaining among the deadliest places in the world to be a civilian," the report said.
Civilian casualties were 30 percent lower than in the same period last year but UNAMA said violence has failed to slow since the beginning of talks between government negotiators and the Taliban that began in Qatar's capital, Doha, last month.
An injured girl receives treatment at a hospital after an attack in Khost province [Anwarullah/Reuters]
The Taliban was responsible for 45 percent of civilian casualties while government troops caused 23 percent, it said. United States-led international forces were responsible for two percent.
Most of the remainder occurred in crossfire, or were caused by ISIL (ISIS) or "undetermined" anti-government or pro-government elements, according to the report.
Ground fighting caused the most casualties followed by suicide and roadside bomb attacks, targeted killings by the Taliban and air raids by Afghan troops, the UN mission said.
Fighting has sharply increased in several parts of the country in recent weeks as government negotiators and the Taliban have failed to make progress in the peace talks.
At least 24 people , mostly teens, were killed in a suicide bomb attack at an education centre in Kabul [Mohammad Ismail/Reuters]
The Taliban has been fighting the Afghan government since it was toppled from power in a US-led invasion in 2001.
Washington blamed the then-Taliban rulers for harbouring al-Qaeda leaders, including Osama bin Laden. Al-Qaeda was accused of plotting the 9/11 attacks.
Calls for urgent reduction of violence
Meanwhile, the US envoy for Afghanistan, Zalmay Khalilzad, said on Tuesday that the level of violence in the country was still too high and the Kabul government and Taliban fighters must work harder towards forging a ceasefire at the Doha talks.
Khalilzad made the comments before heading to the Qatari capital to hold meetings with the two sides.
"I return to the region disappointed that despite commitments to lower violence, it has not happened. The window to achieve a political settlement will not stay open forever," he said in a tweet.
There needs to be "an agreement on a reduction of violence leading to a permanent and comprehensive ceasefire", added Khalilzad.
1/4 I return to the region disappointed that despite commitments to lower violence, it has not happened. The window to achieve a political settlement will not stay open forever. https://t.co/hVl4b032W6
— U.S. Special Representative Zalmay Khalilzad (@US4AfghanPeace) October 27, 2020
A deal in February between the US and the Taliban paved the way for foreign forces to leave Afghanistan by May 2021 in exchange for counterterrorism guarantees from the Taliban, which agreed to sit with the Afghan government to negotiate a permanent ceasefire and a power-sharing formula.
But progress at the intra-Afghan talks has been slow since their start in mid-September and diplomats and officials have warned that rising violence back home is sapping trust.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


I love how the wind is affecting the incoming waves.
Along the Atlantic coastline in Bathsheba, the pounding wave action has eroded the base of many huge coral rocks. Awesome scenic views result.
The surfing is also excellent here, with Bathsheba being used as the site for international surfing contests.


text:
	30/06
	Scottish Parliament talk

Preliminary results have been included in the Interim Report of Digital Scotland, presented today at the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh.

	15/06
	Short research paper published

A short research paper detailing system architecture and preliminary results has been presented at the NSDR'10 conference in San Francisco, USA.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


I spend a lot of time manifesting. I spend a lot of time helping others manifest. Manifesting is a normal activity for me and I am always amazed at how well it works for me. Lately, my manifestations have gotten lightening fast. I spend a lot of time thinking about how I manifested the things I did. When I get something particularly fast, I analyze what I may have done differently to get it so quickly and then I share those tips with you. Recently, I noticed a deep connection between integrity and manifesting.
I was recently in a situation where I believe someone took advantage of me. It was the feeling I got in addition to the action that was taken. I'm doing a series of training classes, and as part of that, we have had the locations order in breakfast and lunch for the participants to have more time in training. I have asked them to order, and then payed for it myself (and i will be reimbursed by the client). Most places have ordered lunch around $200 (or less). One place, ordered lunch over $1000! WHAT?!?!? In addition, I kept asking for a receipt, and they never gave it to me, etc, etc.
1. I admitted that I have NO IDEA if they did this on purpose. Maybe this is a normal ordering lunch for them. I do not know what their intentions are, nor will I ever.
2. I noticed the story I was telling myself and asked if I could find facts to tell the EXACT OPPOSITE story, and of course, I could. I could find all the facts to tell the story of how they did this to provide participants with a good lunch to make the training and the company look good, etc.
And, then, this is what I concluded. They may get a very nice free lunch. And, they very well may deserve that very nice free lunch. They may have used this as an opportunity to get what they want (at the expense of someone else). And, if they did, the company will more than likely still pay for it without saying anything to them (a thought that was filling me with fire earlier). If they do, the gain will be a really nice lunch and the loss will be their integrity.
Losing your integrity is one of the most painful ways to be. Your integrity is everything. When manifesting, we tell ourselves a number of things that are not yet real in this 3D world, but that we are connecting with the energy of to be real. Sometimes, I say, I lie to myself for a living. In a post about integrity, this can sound really bad. So, why is it ok with manifesting? Because of the intention behind it. When we manifest, we tell ourselves something to create a desired outcome. Our mind, our body, our cells have to believe what we are saying and feel the way they would feel if we have it. In order to do that, they must connect with our words, thoughts, and feelings.
If our words, thoughts and feelings are unbelievable, because we have used them for short term personal gain, then no matter how well we apply the rules of manifesting, our own body will not believe it and thus will not allow our manifestation to come into reality. This month, I invite you to join me, as I really step up my integrity practice. Everything from complaining, blaming, finding fault, to thinking no one would notice if I just did this one little thing - you are probably right, no one would, but your integrity would suffer. I love to complain in my head. I love to get really dramatic and complain, complain, complain. I think it is ok, it is just in my head... but as Marianne Williamson says, "that is the worst place it can be!". This month, we want to keep "our heads" (i.e., our thoughts) as clean as possible. This month, we want focused thought on that which we do want and to clean out the junky mess of the thoughts that do not serve us and do not create the outcome we desire. It is Fall Cleaning time, y'all (I have been traveling to the South a lot recently). If you are not manifesting your desires, make a list of all of the ways, you are not in integrity in that area of your life, and commit, this month to doing one, simple action to improve your integrity with that area.


What is the latest news concerning Kingdom College?
Kingdom College is licensed in the state of Alabama and is actively pursuing accreditation. Accreditation is an ongoing process for new schools and not attainable prior to classes beginning. However, we are currently seeking accreditation through TRACS (Transnational Association of Christian Colleges and Schools), SACS-COC (The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges), CSWE (Council on Social Work Education), CAEP (Council for Accreditation of Educator Preparation), and CACREP (Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs). We will keep our website current on that progress. Please ask us questions.
We have recently been licensed to offer a Lay Counseling Certification Program, a MA in Biblical Studies, and a MS in Psychology in addition to all of the previously licensed degree programs.
We have established partner affiliations with Providence Christian School, Headland United Methodist Church, Harvest Christian School, and Northside Methodist Academy to provide classroom space in addition to our affiliation with Living Waters Counseling, Inc. We are in the process of establishing our dual enrollment program with local high schools and as class enrollment increases, we will continue to hire qualified instructors considered to be experts in their fields.
What will the graduated student from Kingdom College look like?
The graduate from Kingdom College will be able to apply for licensure on the state level for counseling and social work. The Kingdom College graduate will further be able to serve either in the mission field locally or globally, at churches and/or ministries, or in the secular workforce.
Why is Kingdom College a Christian institution?
Kingdom College is designed to be a community of Christians intentionally joined together for academic progress, personal development, and spiritual growth. The mission of Kingdom College is to establish a pathway dedicated to preparing, equipping, and empowering educators, counselors, and social workers to serve and minister globally and locally to God's people in unity of the faith through the Word of God as well as to those that are lost and in need of Salvation through Jesus Christ.
What will Kingdom College mean to our city, country, and world?
Considering the need for Truth in all areas of life, Kingdom College graduates will be prepared to address those needs through God's Promises, as found in His Word. Equipped with training, clinical skills, and resourcing skills, Kingdom College graduates will be change agents ready to minister in our city, country, and world thus building strength and hope into these areas. Kingdom College's pathways will be dedicated to preparing, equipping, and empowering educators, counselors, and social workers to serve and minister locally and globally.
Salaries and employment opportunities will be available for the faculty and staff of Kingdom College. Kingdom College will have a major impact on the economy of this region through job opportunities and utilization of local resources. As Kingdom College grows, the effects of this growth will impact our region significantly on several levels such as economically, culturally, and spiritually.
Under what covering does Kingdom College come?
Kingdom College will be governed by a voting Board of Directors as well as an Advisory Board that will assist in the oversight and review of the academic excellence and standards presented through our staff, faculty, programs, and courses. Kingdom College will operate under the authority of a 501-3 (c) as well as Articles of Incorporation.


The Audi Q7 will likely see some sort of refresh for 2020 or 2021. The current generation of the popular SUV debuted for 2017, bringing with it a new level of refinement compared to the outgoing model. At the time, the Q7 gained a number of advanced features like Audi's vibrant digital gauge cluster and an array of optional driver assistance features. Based on last year's schedule, we expect Audi to begin building the Q7 this summer and for its release date to come in the fall of 2019. We'll update this page in the event that changes.
According to our last review, the Q7's strengths lie in its attention to detail throughout the cabin and comfortable ride. However, our editor noted that the vehicle's cost can quickly soar past $60,000 when equipped with popular options. Current base pricing starts at just over $54,000 for the 2.0T version and nearly $61,000 for the more powerful 3.0T model. This page will be updated as information becomes available.
Shoppers should be aware that Audi tends to introduce the 3.0T Q7 well ahead of the less-expensive 2.0T model. This is something we've seen for at least the past several years. As a result, we generally find that there can be a gap in arrival ranging up to several months until more affordable configurations become available at dealers.
Competitors include the BMW X5, Lexus RX and Mercedes-Benz GLE-Class.
We have partnered with trusted dealers in your area to give you a great price on the new Audi Q7.


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text:
Equality Fund 2019
Backing social innovations aimed at strengthening equality and supporting marginalised and vulnerable communities in Ireland.
The Equality Fund Awardees.
The Equality Fund is a €400,000 fund created by Rethink Ireland in partnership with the Peter Kinney and Lisa Sandquist Foundation and the Department of Rural and Community Development via the Dormant Accounts Fund.
The objective of the fund is to provide critical supports to social innovations that are aimed at strengthening equality while supporting some of the most marginalised and vulnerable communities in Ireland.
CULTURAL ADVOCACY AND MEDIATION PROJECT
Amal Women's Association is a Muslim Women-led service responding to the needs of women across Ireland. "Amal" is the Arabic word for hope or aspiration. Amal's "Cultural Advocacy and Mediation Project" (CAMP) will address the difficulties faced by Muslim women and women with connections to the Muslim community. The majority of these women are migrants and, as such, often face difficulties when accessing public services in the context of individual and family crises. CAMP provides peer-led accompaniment and mediation services to Muslim and migrant women, empowering them with access to public services.
LGBT CHAMPIONS PROGRAMME
Designed and initiated in 2018, LGBT Ireland's LGBT Champions Programme aims to equip older people's services in Ireland with the confidence and competence to "come out as LGBT friendly". The LGBT Champions Training Programme addresses the major gap in awareness, knowledge and skills among health and social care staff of the existence and specific needs of older LGBT people using their services. The LGBT Champions project provides LGBT training and networking opportunities, which supports health and social care professionals to build the knowledge and skills which they need to enable older LGBT people in their care to live happy and healthy lives that are free from loneliness, isolation, prejudice and discrimination.
Moving Forward is an online e-health initiative developed by Dublin Rape Crisis Centre (DRCC) in order to increase their capacity to help and support those who have experienced rape and other forms of sexual violence, and to remove barriers to accessing such support. In an innovative approach, they will have an assessment of suitability for the programme by a DRCC therapist, online modules undertaken at the user's own pace, and telephone support. The programme is targeted towards those on a waiting list for counselling, those who do not want to attend face-to-face counselling, people who may prefer to access web-based information, and those who cannot access services.
STAY SAFE WORK WISE
The mission of Stay Safe Work Wise (SSWW) is to continue the work of Chrysalis' Sex Work Project, a dedicated service for sex workers. The Stay Safe web resource aims to improve safety for both street-based and indoor sex workers. Stay Safe will have tailored safety content and contacts which will be available online and accessible through smartphones. It will provide information on managing safety while working, along with a directory of other support agencies. It will also provide access to information and support from trained peers and workers. The content will be available in a number of languages to increase its reach to include those from new communities. This is the first of its kind in Ireland. SSWW's website plans to launch in June.
THE PHOENIX PROGRAMME
One in Four's vision is an Irish society where children are safe from the threat of sexual harm. One in four Irish people are sexually abused in childhood, with devastating consequences for their lives. Since 2003, they have provided counselling and advocacy services to men and women who have experienced childhood sexual abuse, as wells as their families. Through their unique Phoenix Programme, they provide a structured intervention programme for sex offenders in order to safeguard children from further harm. It offers a systemic therapeutic intervention to sex offenders, their family members and victims of their abuse.
Mná na hÉireann, Women of Ireland Fund 2020-2022


text:
Lasenby, Jack
Jack Lasenby was one of New Zealand's most important children's book authors. His novels and short stories earned numerous honours, including key awards and fellowships. After publishing his first novel, The Lake, he wrote dozens of books for children and young adults. His writing is characterised by a portrayal of childhood as full of hard lessons, adventure and the search for self determination. His popular books include Harry Wakatipu (1993), and his Aunt Effie series. Jack Lasenby died in September 2019.
Lasenby, Jack (1931-2019) was born in Waharoa. He attended the University of Auckland from 1950 to 1952 but left in dissatisfaction and spent ten years deer-culling in the Urewera. Returning to Auckland in 1962, he began teaching and, from 1969, editing school journals. A lecturer at Wellington Teachers' College from 1975, he resigned in 1987 to write full-time.
He often wrote of heartland New Zealand: small towns, farms, and the bush frame narratives that were 'observant, erudite, witty, often caustic, scathingly anti-bullshit, [and] alert to fit the fable to the moral (and vice versa)'.
His writing is predicated on a belief that although modern entertainment sates children's hunger for stories, it fails to provide sustenance. His early publications included Lost and Found (1970) and The Chatham Islands (1973), and two picture books from 1976: Charlie the Cheeky Kea and Rewi the Red Deer. However, it is his novels that inspired Judith Holloway to rank him with Margaret Mahy and Maurice Gee as children's writers 'whose themes, originality, and sheer literariness make them almost as important and entertaining to adults' (New Zealand Books, Dec. 1994).
Lasenby's first novel is characteristic of much of his writing: childhood is not idealised (pain is real and lessons are hard) but adventure abounds and the end is self-sufficiency and individual empowerment. Thus The Lake (1987) tells of a girl learning to survive in the bush and, in the process, finding the strength to handle her stepfather's sexual advances.
Similarly, in The Mangrove Summer (1989), children staying in the Coromandel in the 1940s to escape a possible Japanese invasion fend for themselves, although with certain tragic consequences. The popular 'Seddon Street Gang' trilogy—Dead Man's Head (1994), The Waterfall (1995) and The Battle of Pook Island (1996)—despite being set during the 1930s Depression, are in a lighter vein.
The gang inhabit childhood's mildly anarchic world (adults hover peripherally) yet their experiences teach belief in oneself and the value of friendship. Two darker novels of a post-apocalyptic future convey Lasenby's dislike of inequity and strong views on social justice.
In The Conjurer (1992) a teenage couple attempt to escape a cruel, hierarchical society stratified according to eye colour, while in Because We Were Travellers (1997), an outcast boy and old woman struggle to survive in the land of Whykatto, near the ruined city of Orklun.
As a short story writer, Lasenby was unfailingly entertaining: Harry Wakatipu (1993), the world's most recalcitrant pack-horse, stacks up well alongside Uncle Trev's hilarious yarns about travelling asparagus beds, fast grass, and giant kauris with a view of the South Pole, from Uncle Trev (1991), Uncle Trev and the Great South Island Plan (1991) and Uncle Trev and the Treaty of Waitangi (1992).
Lasenby received numerous honours for his writing, including the 1991 Sargeson Fellowship, 1993 Victoria University of Wellington writing fellowship, and 1995 Dunedin College of Education writing fellowship.
Jack Lasenby died on September 27, 2019.
Jack Lasenby received the Esther Glen Award at the 1989 LIANZA Children's Book Awards for his work, The Mangrove Summer.
In 1991, he was awarded the Buddle Findlay Sargeson Fellowship.
Lasenby's The Battle of Pook Island won the Junior Fiction Award at the 1997 New Zealand Post Book Awards for Children and Young Adults.
Because We Were The Travellers (incorrectly referred to as Because We Were Travellers in the Oxford Companion entry) won an Honour Award in the 1998 New Zealand Post Book Awards for Children and Young Adults. Taur won the Senior Fiction Award at the same ceremony in the following year.
The Shaman and the Droll (1999) is the third in the Travellers series and was shortlisted for the 2000 New Zealand Post Book Awards for Children and Young Adults. The Lies of Harry Wakatipu (2000) is part of Lasenby's popular series of tall tales about New Zealand's most famously lazy and dishonest talking horse. It was shortlisted in the 2001 New Zealand Post Book Awards for Children and Young Adults. Kalik (2002) was a finalist in the senior fiction category in the following year, and was also listed as a 2002 Storylines Notable Senior Fiction Book.
The Jack Lasenby Award was established by the Wellington Children's Book Association in 2002.
In 2002, Lasenby published the first of a series of books about Aunt Effie: her six gigantic pig dogs, her twenty-six nephews and nieces, and their adventures in the kauri forests of the Coromandel and fighting off pirates in the Hauraki Gulf.
Harry Whakatipu Comes the Mong (2003). The Deer Culler has only one mate, Harry Wakatipu, a scurvy-gutted pack-horse to rely on. But what does Harry Wakatipu think ?
Aunt Effie's Ark (2003) by Jack Lasenby, illustrated by David Elliot, is the second book in the hilarious and outrageous Aunt Effie series. In this story, Aunt Effie, dressed in her green canvas invalid's pyjamas, hibernates all winter, leaving her 26 resourceful nieces and nephews to deal with snowstorm and flood, ravening monsters, a barnful of hungry animals and a wild ark-ride over the Vast Untrodden Ureweras.
In 2003, Lasenby was awarded the prestigious Margaret Mahy Medal and Lecture Award.
Aunt Effie and the Island that Sank (Longacre Press, 2004) is the third Aunt Effie travelogue. Aunt Effie is restless. She and her 26 nieces and nephews are off again in the scow Margery Daw on a treasure hunt across the pirate-infested waterways of the Hauraki Gulf and The Waikato. Aunt Effie and the Island that Sank won the Junior Fiction Award at the 2005 New Zealand Post Book Awards for Children and Young Adults, and was listed as a 2005 Storylines Notable Junior Fiction Book.
Mr Bluenose was published by Longacre Press in 2005. The Tears of Harry Wakatipu and When Mum Went Funny were published by Longacre Press in 2006.
From the publisher's info for Billy and Old Smoko (2007): 'Billy wakes to find his father all lackadaisical, and a strange woman burning the porridge. She reckons his real mother ran away, and he must call her Mum now. But Billy isn't stupid. With Old Smoko, a stately, talking horse whom he teaches to read, Billy looks for his real mum under the Kaimais, out the back of Waharoa. He learns the secret of Mount Te Aroha, hears the ancient Maori story of Snow White, and sees how Auckland got its electricity. He also goes pig hunting, plays footy, discovers roast pork and apple sauce sandwiches – and falls in love with the blue eyes of Harrietta.'
Old Drumble (HarperCollins, 2008) is a story about 'the smartest, cunningest, cleverest sheep dog there ever was.' Old Drumble was awarded Best Junior Fiction Book at the 2009 New Zealand Post Book Awards for Children and Young Adults. It was also listed as a 2009 Storylines Notable Junior Fiction Book.
Aunt Effie and Mrs Drizzle (Longacre Press, 2008) is the fourth in the Aunt Effie series.
The Haystack was released by HarperCollins in 2010. The book is set in the 1930s Depression, and Maggie's growing up without a mother in the little Waikato dairying township of Waharoa. Maggie has to make do with her father's friends, neighbours, and an old biddy who should know better but can't help herself. Her pranks ultimately make her new friends along the way, who help her learn what a girl needs to know.
Calling the Gods was published by HarperCollins in 2011. It was a finalist in the Young Adult Fiction category of the 2012 New Zealand Post Children's Book Awards, and carried on to win the Young Adult Fiction category.
Jack Lasenby's first story collection Uncle Trev won the Storylines Gaelyn Gordon Award for a Much-loved Book for 2012. The award recognises a book unheralded at the time of publication but which has remained in print and proven itself an enduring favourite with young readers.
Jack Lasenby's novel Uncle Trev and His Whistling Bull was published by Gecko Press in 2012. Uncle Trev and His Whistling Bull was a finalist in the 2013 New Zealand Post Children's Book Awards in the Junior Fiction category.
Jack Lasenby received the 2014 Prime Minister's Award for Literary Achievement for Fiction.
Jack Lasenby featured on the Christchurch City Libraries Interviews with NZ Children's Authors site
Jack Lasenby on the New Zealand Electronic Text Centre site
Jack Lasenby's Storylines profile
Jack Lasenby on the Random House site
NZ Listener article on Jack Lasenby by Margaret Mahy
Dear Jack: We Love You tribute on the SpinOff
Updated October 2014.


Friends for Creative Education: Rainbows- What do they Mean?
Rainbows- What do they Mean?
Roy G. Biv- Remember this mnemonic for learning the order of the colors in a rainbow?
Here at Wonderopolis, you can show your kids why rainbows even appear.
Then, here is an easy, do-at-home science experiment on how to make a rainbow!


MRSA bacterium infections are difficult, and in some cases impossible, to kill. This bacterial strain is resistant towards many antibiotics, especially methicillin. The Staph. Aureus bacilli are affected very little by antimicrobial drugs and are therefore difficult to treat.
The bacteria that cause the MRSA infection are from the family of germs called Staphylococcus Aureus. Patients in hospital settings and nursing homes are especially susceptible to methicillin-resistant microbes. This is because they are situated close together (a common cause of Healthcare-Associated MRSA), and often have bed sores and open surgical wounds. Open sores are a breeding ground for the MRSA pathogen to develop. If left unattended or untreated for a length of time, methicillin resistant staphylococcus aureus germs can grow into a flesh-killing infection, devouring the skin of its victims. Unfortunately, physicians are unable to tell which patients will respond to alternative treatments for this contagious skin staph infection, and which ones will not.
There are some medical professionals that believe MRSA is the result of the medical profession's overindulgence in prescribing antibiotics. This has set up MRSA to be a super-bug that cannot be fought by typical antibiotic drug treatments, especially methicillin and penicillin. Therefore alternative antibacterial treatments must be used.
Anyone believing they have been infected with S. Aureus germs needs to be proactive in his or her treatment. Insist on proper treatment by medical care workers and physicians. Make sure they do not dismiss it as an ordinary infection that can be eliminated with common antibiotics. Reprimand hospital workers and nurses that do not properly wash their hands before changing the dressing on your wounds or take MRSA precautions. Good hygiene and properly-dressed sores are key steps in preventing the spread of microbial staph infections on the skin.
You owe it to yourself to be active in the fight against staphylococcus infections that are resistant to methicillin or other antimicrobial drugs. This is not a typical infection that the doctor can just treat with minimal effort and ordinary medications. Concentrated effort to fight MRSA, education about staph bacterial infections, and good hygienic procedures are key to preventing the spread and infection of the MRSA bacterium.
This entry was posted on Tuesday, January 1st, 2008 at 6:26 pm	and is filed under Health, Diseases, Infections, MRSA. Both comments and pings are currently closed.


Tsoutsouras Beach is built on the ancient city of Inatos and is located approximately 63km south of Heraklion. The wider area has intense archaeological interest and it is connected to various myths and stories about dragons, secret excavations and findings of unique technological importance from the Minoan period. Due to a special aura that characterises Tsoutsoura as well as the high levels of salt and iodine in the sea water, locals believe that swimming in the area has therapeutic effects.
The beach of Tsoutsouras is beautiful, clean and organised. Coarse sand covers the whole beach and the water is quite cool. When it gets windy in the north, the sea at Tsoutsouras remains calm and enjoyable. The beach is quite long and we would suggest that you go to the west from the small port where waters are more shallow. If you are fond of natural landscapes, the trees upon the beach will offer you their shade and a cool break from the hot sun.
You will find numerous accommodation options, taverns and small cafes in the area. Tsoutsouras is an ideal choice for families who wish to spend their holidays in a quiet place next to the sea.
At Tsoutsouras we really had a chance to relax. The sea is very clean and the beach has tiny pebbles and umbrellas. Next to the beach there are a few taverns with delicious food.
The kids did not want to come out of the sea. They stared for hours at all these little fish in the water and played with the sand. We sat next to τamarix and relaxed under its shade.
"Besides its beauty this place has a kind of "magic" that is hard to describe with words. The sea is wonderful and the children just loved the story of "Drakospilia" ("Dragon cave"). Very good choice for a relaxing family vacation.
A very nice place with lovely sea and beautiful scenery. It was exactly what we needed so as to relax and escape from the city fuss. Clean waters, sandy beach for the kids to play and delicious fresh fish at the local taverns.


Over 90% of prospective Buyers now research and view property online. Over the course of recent years this form or searching and viewing has progressed from traditional desktop PC's to smartphones and tablets.
For effective marketing of your property it is essential that the imagery of the property is of the highest standard and can be viewed from either a PC or a smartphone. The photography required needs to be of the best professional standard. Having a listing broker just use their cell phone camera or even their personal camera to take photos and put them in the MLS with the listing is totally unacceptable if you want to compete in today's real estate market and obtain the best price possible.
Typically for Buyers in the Breckenridge and Summit County market, of which 70% are second home, investment properties, rental income properties are what they are buying. They fly in on Friday, meet their broker on a Saturday morning and view about 10 properties before they are tired and cannot remember which kitchen was in which house! They meet their broker again on Sunday morning, see a few more or revisit their favorites, then leave Breckenridge in the afternoon to catch their flight back home, so they can be at work on Monday morning. So they are only seeing about 15-17 properties maximum during their visit.
You as a Seller and your broker have to maximize the chance that the Buyer or their broker chooses your home or condo over the dozens of other ones for sale on the market that are competing with you, to be on of those 15-17 properties that they see. Photography goes a long way of enabling that.
When a listing is entered into the MLS, it not only is sent to all the brokers that day, it is also sent to any Buyer who has a saved search in the system. It gets automatically emailed to them. First impressions count if they are going to save that listing as one of their favorites or reject it. If it looks fantastic, they are going to save it and that will be one of those listings that they want to see when they fly out.
More showings = more chance of an offer=more chance of a sale, earlier on at a higher price!
Putting listings on the internet is only part of the story. How is the listing presented on the internet? Is it being found? So much of the real estate information on the internet is simply wrong. Some brokers and some Sellers say they want the listing plastered everywhere. That is one of the worst things you can do, if the listing is misrepresented or totally wrong.
You would think that Zillow, Trulia, etc. would be great places to put your home for sale. However, consider this, how would you feel if one of those sites gave a robot valuation that stated your home is only worth $650,000 when you and your broker agreed that it is worth $915,000 and you both agreed to list it at $1 million? Would you be happy that the site it is displayed on is telling all Buyers it is only worth $650,000? Is that marketing the home to its true potential?
Would you be upset if the site stated your home only has 2 bedrooms when really it has four bedrooms, or that the price was reduced $100,000 3 months ago but it is still showing up for sale at the old price?
These scenarios happen all the time and especially in our market.
Call me and I can discuss how to eliminate these problems and get the best and most accurate exposure with regards to internet marketing strategies.


A grand welcome to the Govan Fair 2016 as we are regaled by the pipes and a bit of heedrum-hodrum, eyed suspiciously by the Ram's Heid and its keeper, surveyed by the Queen of the Fair and waved to by a bigwig on the top of a bus.
Unauthorised use and/or duplication of this material without express & written permission from this blog's author is strictly prohibited. Excerpts & links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.


text:
Asus PadFone Mini Gets Official (Video)
9:06 am December 11, 2013 By Roland Hutchinson
On the weekend we saw some leaked photos of the new Asus PadFone Mini, the device has now been made official, and we have all the details on this smaller smartphone and tablet combo device from Asus.
The Asus PadFone Mini is made up of two devices, a smartphone and a tablet dock, the smartphone features a 4.3 inch display with a qHD resolution of 540 x 960 pixels, and the tablet comes with a 7 inch display that has a HD resolution of 1,280 x 800 pixels.
The PadFone Mini us powered by a quad core 1.4GHz Snapdragon processor and it features 1GB of RAM and 16GB of built in shortage, should you need any extra storage, the device is equipped with a microSD card slot, it also features an 8 megapixel camera and a dual Sim card slot.
This new tablet and smartphone combo device from Asus comes with Android 4.3 Jelly Bean, the device features a 1,500 mAh battery on the smartphone and a 2,200 mAh battery on the tablet.
The Asus PadFone Mini will be launched in Taiwan, the device will retail for NT$ 11,990, which works out at around $450, which seems like a decent price for a smartphone and tablet combo device.
It does not look like Asus has any plans to release the PadFone Mini in the US, the device will be launched in Russia, China, Hong Kong, Singapore, Indonesia and Taiwan.
Filed Under: Android News, Technology News, Top News


WTS: Yeezy 350v2 Sesame Authentic with receipt Size US9 - SOLD Size US8.5 (2) 379SGD each Or WTT to size 10.5US Yeezy frozen seaame zebra bred white cream oreo yeezy350 Inbox me. Thanks!
100% original brand new Only one size.
Nike PG 1 "White Ice"
Slightly used. (3times). PG1 shoes.
95% New Just used for several times then I bought new one and did not wear this anymore. Time to let go... Come with Box.


text:
[Jolla Tablet] Fully open source OS ?
asked 2014-11-19 12:24:05 +0300
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updated 2016-05-05 21:56:51 +0300
reviewjolla
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http://reviewjolla.blogsp...
Hi, quoting from the www.jolla.com/tablet page:
Unique and independent Sailfish OS
Jolla Tablet's Sailfish operating system will be unlike anything you've tried before. Once you try it, you'll never want to go back. Independent and open source, change whatever you like, whenever you like.
Does that mean that the version os Sailfish OS running on the Jolla tablet will be fully open source, #unlike the current version ? ;-) That would be indeed very nice and yet another nice feature of the already nice tablet! :)
The wording on the website seems to imply this - independent and open source, change whatever you like (you need the source code for that), etc. - but a clear answer would be welcome! :)
EDIT: The text quoted above has changed at www.jolla.com/tablet Version on February 22, 2015:
Jolla Tablet's Sailfish operating system will be unlike anything you've tried before. Once you try it, you'll never want to go back. Independent and powered by open source, change whatever you like, whenever you like.
Power to hackers
Jolla's core value is freedom of choice for our community. That's why we've picked Intel's innovation platform, backed by open source, to power the Jolla Tablet. At 32/64GB, the Jolla tablet will have the space and hardware potential to be customised, and if you happen run out, there's always the option to expand with a microSD memory card.
Proudly open
Sailfish OS is mobile-optimized with the flexibility, ubiquity and stability of the Linux core and a cutting edge user experience built with the renowned Qt™ platform.
EDIT: The text quoted above has again changed at www.jolla.com/tablet Version on May 5, 2016:
Unique and proven Sailfish OS
Jolla Tablet's Sailfish operating system will be unlike anything you've tried before. Once you try it, you'll never want to go back. With its second generation, Sailfish OS is more intuitive and beautiful than ever.
Power of freedom
edit retag flag offensive close delete
Very important question, I hope we can get clear answer, including details about firmware and drivers.
10robinho ( 2014-11-19 12:26:25 +0300 )edit
That's marketing speak. Doubt the situation will change.
meowmeow ( 2014-11-19 12:31:26 +0300 )edit
This is the most important question of all. This decides about whether Jolla truly stands for what it says, and seriously contributing to the freedom of its users. Otherwise, it means that they are dishonest, trying to fool their users with false word ... which means, at least for me, that they are strictly to be avoided and even spread the word against. Therefore, this one is the "core" question.
Stooph ( 2014-11-19 13:48:48 +0300 )edit
I agree this is a very important question and Jolla should provide an official answer to it. The trust goes in hand-in-hand with promises that are kept and empty marketing jargon (if thats what this is all about) just builds bad reputation and makes it hard to keep on supporting Jolla for veing open and #unlike. At least in the Jolla Phone it is far from truth to claim that "you can change everything" cause the UI is closed, Harbour policies prevent 3rd-pary or user customizations to UI, system apps/functionalites and most of the MW. Jolla should respond to this ASAP to clarify how/when will the Jolla Tablet be truly #opensource-based and more #unlike than the currunt device and OS (and hw drivers and adaptability layer definitely is part of the #SailfisOS as is the UI and MW mobile stack in it's entirety).
foss4ever ( 2015-02-18 15:26:44 +0300 )edit
answered 2014-11-22 22:42:06 +0300
ZogG
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As we already learned hard way, those kind of question would not be answered officially. And if even they'll be, you'll never get straight answer. And don't tell me this is not really important/hot topic and that they did not see it. They got most support back then with Jolla start and now, that they are "unlike" (what does it even mean? in UI terms or what???? as most things handled apple/google style anyway) implying that they'll be different from Nokia and do not make those mistakes again, that they are open source friendly and will do it with community. So most answers you can get(not officially) : "soon", "not yet", "working on it" and we depend on "3rd parties". The new kind of answers are "show me more open operation system", "we use a lot of open source", "we open as much as we can". But it's funny that while they would not answer those question straight, they'll keep using word "open source" in any opportunity to make good PR and attract users... P.S. The irony that many fan boys here will say that Jolla is better and more open source friendly than Android, but it would be not true, as we have more source of android and a lot of flavours that are 100% opensource at all. And if you'll tell me that you can't build business with it, OnePlus One can prove you wrong. So yes, we do like Qt more than Java, we do like "real" linux vs Android. But let's name things what they are. If marc telling us on video the SailfishOS is opensource while it's not, you can tell me "it will be", but as no roadmaps or any other details shared i smell it's just a promise to quite things down. We already had the promises with silica, and "we'll open it" in alsmot two years become "we'll do it one day" Even Microsoft learned the lesson and opensourcing .NET and with all irony i think it would be more open source than SailfishOS ever :P
Jolla is a company for profit, so I think that the real answer is that they will open source each piece whenever it will be sustainable with their business model.
Titanium ( 2014-11-22 22:56:05 +0300 )edit
@Titanium If it is like this I can understand that - but in such case they can't just say "everything is open" when it is not. That's the issue.
MartinK ( 2014-11-22 23:12:01 +0300 )edit
I think the "for profit" argument is misleading. Open source isn't about being "the good guys" and giving everything away as a gift. It is about letting the community contribute to improve the product. Without this, new features keep coming in only very slowly, which I don't think is very sustainable either.
To be honest, when I bought my phone, I was hoping that things would be opened up and we'd see much quicker development of the yet unfinished software. It was a bet on the future, and I'm afraid I've lost that bet in this case.
Kevin ( 2014-11-23 23:19:06 +0300 )edit
The "for profit" is just a preface for what follows: they have yet to build a sustainable business model. Once you go open source you can't go back if you realize was too early, so I understand them. Maybe we can try to propose also ways to build a sustainable business model around a fully open source SailfishOS. Any idea?
shmerl
In the past Jolla expressed interest in opening everything, but the claim was they won't be doing it right away.
So far very few things were opened from those which were closed at the initial release. I.e. browser UI and social plugins. There was zero progress on the rest and even Silica components remain closed, even though Jolla explicitly said it's supposed to be open. Honestly I have no clue if it's even moving anywhere further and what to expect. It's one of the biggest sore points in Sailfish for me, that's why I'll seriously contemplate whether to keep Sailfish on the tablet or install fully open Plasma Active on it. That would depend in large on the usability of the options.
There is a related thread here which kind of focuses on this topic. I recommend participating in it if you care about this matter.
All I can say about the May 5, 2016 update: shame on you, Jolla!
10robinho
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Looks like I've got to partial answer - its negative.
This tablet will use Intel Moonfield chips with PowerVR GPU. That GPU has no open source drivers and there are no indications that in the future they will make it.
And I just got excited about whole project :(
it's about OS, not drivers.
virgi26 ( 2014-11-19 12:37:30 +0300 )edit
Let's first wait for a official statement.
torcida ( 2014-11-19 12:38:04 +0300 )edit
Jolla tablet is not using Moorefield SOC.
Pornis ( 2014-11-19 13:38:43 +0300 )edit
Where did you see confirmation that it's using Intel's Moorefield chips? They've not released an official statement on that. Given the memory spec (DDR3L-RS), it's actually highly likely it uses Bay Trail, which would mean that there will be open source drivers since it uses Intel's GPU.
bavarians6 ( 2014-11-19 19:37:39 +0300 )edit
Jolla tablet will use Bay Trail that indeed use Intel HD graphics 7: http://newsroom.intel.com/community/intel_newsroom/blog/2014/11/19/world-s-first-crowdsourced-tablet-launched-today-from-jolla-powered-by-intel
This thread is public, all members of Together.Jolla.Com can read this page.
Asked: 2014-11-19 12:24:05 +0300
Seen: 4,079 times
Last updated: May 06 '16
Make available OS images and flashing tools
I Wish Jolla would just open source sailfish (as much as possible)
[Invitation] SailfishOS, open source, collaboration meetings (~weekly on IRC)
Release optional unlocked bootloader
[Bug] Time zone changes to Finland, Helsinki when enabling "Automatic update" while no SIM card is inserted
Enable more refined locale Settings that are respected by system and 3rd-party apps
Bug: camera over-exposes and shows red hue shift
Suggestion: Switch to disable swiping in Android apps. [duplicate]


General CommentThis song is so optimistic to me, and it's one of my favorites. I feel like I'm trying to listen to the advice that he's giving in this song these days. I think he's trying to say that we're all the same... we all lose and win in love and life. Let your past experiences guide you instead of suffocate you and allow yourself to open up your heart and live again. You decide your own fate.
General Commenti don't really know the meaning to this song but it is a great song! cold is my favorite band & it was fer a long time. but i was a little scared when i heard "happens all the time", because it wasn't really what i thought it would be & i thought the whole cd would be like that.. but it eventually grew on me.. so i'm lookin foward fer their next cd to come out. even thou it might not be fer a while ha.
General CommentThis song was written for scooter's sister.
I think he's trying to say that we are all the same and that because X has nothing to only sorrowfull memorieshold on to or no one to make him feel wanted.so he advises all of us to think of the things that made us happy .X in the song turns to 'medicate' although this could mean a drug this could also mean something that we want to feel but we dont want to consume. and he advises x to take another pill for love even if it remidns of you of sorrow. think of everyone you lost and be complete with yourself. come to terms with yourself as theres no one to take ther place. instead of keeping the sorrows to yourself. get it out of your system.
General Comment"Take Another Pill for Love" ...Scooter Ward refers to that line by saying: taking pills to keep his sanity and not losing it. He may be in a relationship he doesn't want to lose. DRUGS ARE NOT THE ANSWER TO ANYTHING!
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