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Brazil : The doublecross of ex-president "Lula" da Silva
Brazil : The doublecross of ex-president "Lula" da Silva Business, Entertainment, Terrorism / Security, World Politics
Brazil, and not the U.S., is the main cop on the beat.
Former Brazilian president Luiz Inácio "Lula" da Silva.
While many on the international left may extol the rise of Luiz Inácio "Lula" da Silva and his Workers' Party (PT, in Portuguese), which formed part of the so-called "Pink Tide" in South America, Wikileaks documents paint a much more ambiguous picture of Brazil's emergence on the world stage. The leaked U.S. cables, which chronicle Lula's eight years in power, show a leader all too willing to placate Washington and double-cross fellow leftists throughout the region. To be sure, Lula helped to alleviate poverty during his two terms in office, but the documents do not suggest that the Brazilian leader is overly concerned with furthering radical change in the wider region. To the contrary, they depict Lula and his circle as obsessed with promoting regional "stability" under their leadership and reviving the military, all in the name of fostering Brazil's quest for "national development."
Lula Circle Placates Otto Reich
In late 2002, Lula had just won the presidential election and was waiting to assume office. Just a few months earlier, the Bush administration had helped aid rightists in Venezuela as they staged a coup against democratically elected leader Hugo Chávez. In advance of the coup, Assistant Secretary of State Otto Reich reportedly met with alleged coup plotters, including dictator-for-a-day Pedro Carmona, at the White House.
President-elect Lula and senior members of the Workers' Party held a "warm and productive meeting" with Reich in Brasilia, where Lula, who was "upbeat," said he was looking forward to meeting President Bush for the first time on an upcoming trip to Washington. Brazil's image had suffered in recent years, Lula explained, and the Workers' Party wanted to reverse the international view that government officials were a "bunch of irresponsible thieves" and Brazil was "another Colombia."
When Reich expressed concern about Workers Party links to the wider South American left, one PT leader downplayed the contact and remarked that these unreconstructed, "outdated" leftists could learn a lot from the PT model emphasizing economic development. Brazil, the party official added, would be interested in holding talks on Bush's Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) and said the country fully supported Washington's right to defend itself against terrorist attack. PT president José Dirceu chimed in on the issue of terrorism, noting that if FARC guerrillas ever crossed into Brazil from Colombia, the authorities would surely flatten them.
The Super Tucano Imbroglio
Lula's political circle desired to portray itself as a responsible player in the eyes of the Bush administration, which would lead it to take some questionable positions in wider South America. One very damning cable from 2006, for example, shows the Lula administration torn between Venezuela on the one hand and Washington on the other. If the document is to be believed, Brazilian diplomats charted a particularly unscrupulous and opportunistic foreign policy [Lula recently came out in support of Wikileaks and Julian Assange, suggesting that the Brazilian may not dispute the actual facts presented in U.S. cables].
Having beaten back U.S.-sponsored destabilization, Chávez was looking to fortify his military. But, Venezuela was in a bind as Washington had put the squeeze on Chávez by delaying the delivery of spare parts for the Andean nation's existing F-16 fighter planes. As an alternative, Chávez turned to Brazil, a country which was fast developing its own aerospace industry. Venezuela, which had friendly ties to Brasilia, requested the purchase of Super Tucano fighter planes from the Lula government.
Yet, Chávez was frustrated once again when Washington disallowed the purchase on the grounds that the Tucanos contained spare parts from the United States. Growing increasingly embarrassed by the incident, Lula sought a compromise. In Caracas, Brazilian ambassador to Venezuela, João Carlos de Sousa Gomes, met with U.S. ambassador William Brownfield and proposed a kind of trade: Lula would offer political support to the Chávez opposition group Súmate and in exchange the Bush administration would provide the necessary trade licensing for U.S. components in the Tucano planes.
In making his pitch to Brownfield, de Sousa sought to cast Brazil as a responsible player in the region. If the United States allowed the military sale to go forward, the diplomat argued, then Brasilia could exercise a "moderating" influence on Caracas. However, if the Tucano deal failed to materialize, then Brazil would enjoy no such political leverage. Brownfield wasn't too impressed by the conversation, remarking that the deal sounded "like a bad trade to us." However, the U.S. ambassador suggested he might be open to a trade if Brazil "would be willing to discuss help regarding Venezuela's push for a non-permanent United Nations Security Council seat."
Lula's Second Term
During a party thrown to celebrate Lula's election to a second term, U.S. Ambassador Clifford Sobel told Lula Chief of Staff Gilberto Carvalho that he was concerned about Brazilian rhetoric stressing the need to develop "counterbalances" to the United States. Carvalho said: there would be "no further discussion" of such matters and "asked for the Ambassador's understanding if rhetoric during the election campaign had occasionally seemed critical of the U.S."
Over the next few years, while Brazil continued to promote friendly ties to the Bush administration though, much to the dismay of U.S. diplomats the South American juggernaut would not move to isolate the South American left. In early 2009, now in the first few months of the Obama administration, Sobel wrote a revealing report concerning the future direction of Brazilian foreign policy. Brazil, he noted, was now assuming an increasingly more prominent role on the world stage and Itamaraty, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, would likely be dominated by three different personalities: the "nationalist" Foreign Minister Celso Amorim; "anti-American" Secretary General (deputy Foreign Minister) Samuel Pinheiro Guimarães, and "the academic leftist" presidential Foreign Policy Advisor Marco Aurelio Garcia.
Itamaraty's "Pragmatic" Team
According to a cable from Sobel, Secretary General Guimarães was an obstacle to the U.S. as the diplomat was "virulently anti-American, and anti-'first world' in general." As a senior official in charge of personnel matters, he issued a required reading list of books which were critical of the U.S. and was furthermore guilty "of using ideological requirements in handing out promotions." In addition, Guimarães was "known to have gone out of his way to provoke and stall initiatives by U.S. and European countries." Fortunately, the diplomat was part of the old guard and was shortly scheduled for retirement.
Other diplomats were more pliable toward U.S. desires. Under Amorim, Brazil had been had rejected cooperation on biofuels, and had "launched a number of initiatives in South America that do not include the United States," Sobel remarked. Yet, even at Itamaraty, one of the more leftist enclaves within the Brazilian government, "a broader, once nearly knee-jerk anti-Americanism has given way to a growing desire to have a seat among global players."
The inherent desire to be accepted by the more "responsible" international powers, and to acquire a coveted seat at the United Nations Security Council, would ultimately act as a check on Amorim, making it very unlikely that Brazil would pursue a more avowedly leftist orientation in its foreign policy. Furthermore, if Itamaraty entertained any notion of pursuing controversial stances on foreign affairs, the private sector would act as a strong countervailing force.
In the words of Sobel, "there is a growing debate among the non-government foreign policy elite in Brazil, and substantial opposition from the private sector, regarding the wisdom of what is widely acknowledged as a heavy south-south focus. This debate expresses publicly the discomfort that many diplomats express privately with the direction of Brazil's foreign policy under Lula." Given the widespread opposition by the private sector, it was not a surprise that under Amorim Brazil had placed "renewed primacy" on a "constructive and engaged role in the WTO negotiations (under pressure from Brazil's private sector)."
Foreign Policy Advisor Garcia meanwhile was one of Lula's closest advisers and exercised an "outsized influence." A longtime leftist, Garcia championed close relations with "Pink Tide" governments throughout the region. Yet even Garcia seemed very self conscious about his ideological stripes, going out of his way to prove his "responsible" bona fides in private. "Talking with Americans," Sobel noted, "he [Garcia] tends to couch negative views of the United States as good-natured jokes from the past ("When I was young, we used to call the OAS 'the Ministry of U.S. Colonies'; "When I was a young man, the joke was, 'Why has the United States never had a coup? Because it doesn't have a U.S. embassy!'").
Whatever his true beliefs, Garcia wound up promoting Lula's "pragmatic" approach toward foreign policy, which is clearly evident in leaked documents. One cable dating to early 2010, during a meeting with U.S. officials, has Garcia assuring the U.S. that Bolivian President Evo Morales was "more moderate than his words or image indicate." Garcia added that Bolivia "should not be viewed as a concern for either the U.S. or Brazil," meaning that the Morales regime would presumably not threaten wider regional stability or big power interests.
Though Sobel acknowledged that dealing with Itamaraty had sometimes proven "frustrating," nevertheless the departure of old guard stalwarts like Guimarães boded well for overall U.S. strategic interests. The U.S. ambassador eagerly looked forward to "shaping the views of a large cohort of younger, more pragmatic, and more globally oriented diplomats who will be moving into senior ranks."
Rehabilitating the Military
Even if Itamaraty presented a viable ideological challenge to U.S. interests, Washington had a number of options on the table when it came to dealing with Brazil. In particular, Sobel recommended that the State Department seek to improve ties to Brazil's armed forces. Though ostracized for decades after the fall of military dictatorship in 1985, Lula had placed renewed primacy on restoring Brazilian military prowess.
Wikileaks cables reveal Brazil as intent on pursuing armed forces expansion, a development which may give pause to many on the South American left. Somewhat ominously perhaps, Brazil wants to promote military expansion as a means of enhancing its own industrial development. "After more than twenty years outside the political mainstream, and twenty years of minimal resources," Sobel remarked, "the Brazilian military is now making a case for its modernization. As it does so, opportunities will exist for improving the U.S.-Brazil security partnership."
Big Power Projection and the Amazon
What will be the role of the Brazilian military in future? Sobel's analysis suggests that the South American juggernaut will act to defend its strategic and economic interests. Take the Brazilian Navy, for instance, which will defend the country's burgeoning offshore oil facilities. According to Sobel, there was no threat to Brazil's oil deposits, but the media and political leaders hyped the issue in an effort to enhance the national security state. In this sense, the power elite in Brazil differ little from their U.S. counterparts who employ similar arguments.
The Brazilian Navy also seeks to increase its presence along riverways. Such policies are reminiscent of the days of the military dictatorship, when the armed forces placed great emphasis on developing the Amazon basin, to the detriment of the environment. In his report, Sobel comments that Lula's strategic plan for the Amazon "indulges in the traditional Brazilian paranoia concerning the activities of non-governmental organizations and other shadowy foreign forces that are popularly perceived as potential threats to Brazil's sovereignty." Sobel assigned a cynical backroom motive to Lula's plans: "The political preoccupation with imagined threats to sovereignty in the Amazon…serves the practical purpose of tasking the military with developing greater capabilities to project power into the region most likely to be affected by instability in neighboring countries."
Hoping to join the ranks of the world's most prominent military players, Brazil seeks to acquire nuclear powered submarines and aircraft carriers. Other priorities include satellite capability, particularly through a space launch, and cybernetics. The entire strategy is designed to promote Brazilian "independence;" that is, the ability to "project its military power as it wishes, able to produce its own military hardware and able to control strategic economic sectors." Though the Lula strategy allows for "strategic partners," outside countries should be willing to transfer key technologies to Brazil so as to contribute to the country's overall independence. Having built up its own endogenous arms industry, Brazil will then seek to export its weapons throughout the wider region.
Geopolitical Significance of Brazil's Rise
The Wikileaks documents suggest that the United States does not view Brazil's rise on the world stage with too much alarm. Indeed, according to Sobel "A Brazilian military that is more capable and deployable can support U.S. interests by exporting stability in Latin America and be available for peacekeeping elsewhere." Wikileaks documents do suggest that Sobel's cynical view may not be so far off base: though Lula and his political coalition came up through the ranks of organized labor, they are certainly not redefining the leftist agenda throughout the hemisphere. To the contrary, Wikileaks cables show the PT and Lula circle as a rather unscrupulous bunch, obsessed with promoting Brazil's public image and placating the U.S. on most issues that matter.
Brazil's rise, then, poses no ideological challenge to the U.S. In the very long-term, however, Brazil may see itself as a rival military hegemon in the wider neighborhood. Already, Wikileaks documents suggest a fair amount of tension over the issue of military technology. Though the chiefs of the Brazilian armed services saw military cooperation with the U.S. as "excellent," they complained about U.S. export licenses.
The officers griped that the State Department's policy of delaying such licenses was "aimed at restricting Brazil's access to military technology," and had created "problems at the political level." Speaking with the U.S. ambassador, Lula smarted over U.S. handling of the Super Tucano fighter plane imbroglio. "Brazil," Lula said, "needs the tools to deal with its neighbors…Brazil can't afford the type of embarrassment caused by not being able to sell Super Tucanos to Venezuela."
For now, the United States and Brazil are friendly allies. But at a certain point in future, Brazil might figure it's had enough of Washington in the wider region and start to challenge the U.S. in a more overt manner. Not, it seems, by encouraging the spread of progressive ideas but rather by throwing its military and geopolitical muscle around so that Brazil, and not the U.S., is the main cop on the beat.
* Wikileakes Cables
Tagged with: "Pink Tide" South America, Bush Administration, cables, Caracas, Chavez, columbia, fighter plane, foreign policy, João Carlos de Sousa Gomes, military, State Department policy, Super Tucano, wikileakes, WTO
Sarkozy Lobbies Obama for Economic Coordination Tunisia: WikiLeaks a catalyst, both a trigger and tool for political outcry


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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


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Coyote Hunting
Elk Hunting
Guns / Firearm Accessories
Hunting Tech
Varmints
Aging Venison
Jeff | Last Updated September 24, 2020
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How long should you let your deer hang before cutting up meat?
That's a tough question. The best answer is, it depends. A lot of hunters in southern states skin and gut their deer in one step. From there, they cut meat off the bones immediately to get it cooled down as quickly as possible. This is known as "cooler aging". It's simply too warm to hang deer so the meat is packed and cooled off after it's removed from the carcass.
In most cases, hunters prefer to hang their deer to age the meat. After recovering the animal, take pictures and then begin field dressing the animal. Some people prefer to get a deer back to camp before gutting. I would only suggest this if there is a strong possibility the body cavity could become wet or dirty when transporting it out of the field.
Even in those cases, it is important to remove the entrails as soon as possible. If you hunt deep in the woods, carry a small tarp to wrap your deer in when dragging it out. The tarp will not only keep the cavity clean, the deer will drag easier.
Once you get the animal back to camp, you're going to want to hang it. A lot of hunters hang their deer by the neck or antlers. This is a bad idea. Not only will you damage the cape, you could spoil the meat. The point of hanging the deer is to cool it off. Heat rises and when deer are hung by the neck, heat is trapped inside the body cavity.
The hocks on the hind legs provide an opportune place for gambrel hooks. Hanging the deer from the hind legs allows heat to escape and makes it much easier to skin and butcher the animal.
Skinning the deer immediately speeds up the cooling and aging process. One of the most important factors in the aging process is temperature. Ideal temperature is between 32 and 45 degrees. Warmer and the meat will spoil, cooler and the meat will freeze. You want to hang deer in a spot where cats, dogs, and other critters can't get to it.
Barns and pole sheds are popular spots, but again be sure the area is secure. The best place is a commercial meat locker. Temperatures are constant and worries about other animals are non-existent.
What do you do if it's warmer than 45 degrees and a meat locker is not an option? Even if the temperature is in the 50s, the carcass will cool off about 50 degrees. Letting a deer hang for about 24 hours will allow the muscles to relax and the meat to cool.
Ideally, a deer should hang for five to seven days. However, removing the tenderloins right away and the backstraps within 24 hours is a good idea. When the meat ages, a hard membrane will form around the meat, which should be removed when processing the meat. If you leave the straps and tenderloins on the carcass, they will dry up.
Remember aging venison is a luxury, not a requirement. If temperatures are ideal, aging will take your venison to the next level. However, if the meat is in danger of spoiling it's best to process it within 24 hours.
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My name is Jeff and I have been hunting and fishing for over 40 years. I am an avid archery lover, bass fisherman, and all-around outdoorsman. Currently, I'm obsessed with elk hunting but I'm sure I'll move onto a different favorite soon. You gotta love hunting for that reason :) If you have any questions, or just want chat about your latest hunting score or big catch, you can reach me at admin@biggamelogic.com. Read more about Big Game Logic.
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Parking is available on the street and there are no bathrooms.


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That could be good news for urban areas, where heavily-trafficked roads are more likely to be located, said Craig Thiel of the Citizens Research Center, a nonpartisan think tank.
How much money would Lansing get?
The city of Lansing would get $1.5 million more for roads in 2020 should the gas tax spike go into effect, according to a projection from the Michigan Department of Transportation.
To put that in perspective, it costs the city an average of $0.5 million to resurface one mile of road, although expenses vary based on factors like the number of lanes, Lansing officials say.
The extra gas tax allocation to the city of Lansing would increase to $3.6 million in fiscal year 2021, MDOT anticipates. Whitmer's proposal would take effect gradually by raising the gas tax by 15 cents per gallon three times between Oct. 1, 2019 and Oct. 1, 2020.
Click here to see how much extra money each local agency could get
Any money from the new gas tax would be added to Lansing's existing pool of street funding.
Next fiscal year, for instance, Lansing expects to put roughly $9 million in local, state and federal funding toward road and bridge repairs in the city. With the new gas tax, that amount could total $10.5 million.
New formula could benefit urban areas
The formula for allocating the state's existing revenue sources, set by a 68-year-old law called Public Act 51, would remain unchanged under Whitmer's proposal.
A new formula, however, would dictate the way Michigan divvies up more than $2 billion yearly that would come from the gas tax increase.
Because Act 51 draws partly upon the length of roads rather than the number of lanes, it tends to privilege sparsely populated rural areas over cities with wider, busier roads, according to an analysis from the Citizens Research Council.
By focusing on roads with the highest-traffic, the new calculations would help counteract that "inefficient" formula, said Thiel, the council's research director.
How the state would divvy up the extra money
Nearly half the new gas tax money, 47%, would go to the interstate and other freeways, all of which are under MDOT's control.
Close to a third, or 30%, of the money would go to major routes that aren't highways. Many of those roads are state-owned, but some (such as Jolly Road in Lansing) are under city control.
Highly-trafficked, mostly local roads (such as East Mount Hope Avenue) and the smaller feeder streets (such as Okemos Road) that connect drivers to major routes would get 7% of the windfall.
Smaller slices of the funding would go to bridges, public transit and to economically important roads in rural areas.
Lansing stands to benefit overall from Whitmer's road plan, Lansing Mayor Andy Schor said, although the new formula would neglect many of the city's sidestreets.
"The formula does not address smaller, neighborhood roads and that is a concern," Schor said.
Still, if Whitmer's plan does come to fruition, the city could choose to put more of its Act 51 dollars to neighborhood roads, Schor noted.
Schor, a former Democratic state representative who campaigned alongside Whitmer, supports the governor's gas tax proposal.
"I'm supportive of a solution with new funding and that's the only plan right now," the mayor said.
Some object to how money would be divided
Although local officials say additional road money is sorely needed, some stakeholders have quibbled over the way in which the cash infusion would be divided.
The County Road Association of Michigan, which represents road departments for 83 counties throughout the state, supports Whitmer's gas tax proposal. But, the formula for allocating the extra money "could use more work," said Denise Donohue, the association's executive director.
The Ingham County Road Department, responsible for maintaining county-owned streets like Waverly Road, would get $5.8 million in extra money in 2021 if Whitmer's gas tax proposal passes. If that same tax revenue were instead divvied up using Act 51 formulas, Ingham County would get about $13.3 million, according to the association.
Donohue objected to characterizations of Act 51 as outdated. State legislators have amended the formula six times since 1951, although the law has never been subject to a wholesale overhaul.
"Act 51 works perfectly fine if it were properly funded," Donohue said.
State legislators passed smaller gas tax increases plus hikes to vehicle registration fees in 2015 to pay for roads. That plan also allocated money from the state's general fund for street repairs.
Even after those increases are fully implemented the state will still need more than $2 billion a year to fully fix its roads and bridges, according to an infrastructure committee appointed under former Republican Gov. Rick Snyder.
That's why Michigan's most pressing need is raising more money for roads regardless of how that money is split among state and local agencies, Donohue said.
"A rising tide of funding lifts all boats," Donohue said.
How much more money would local agencies get?
Totals reflect two years of funding, including fiscal years 2020 and 2021.
Lansing: $5,077,964
East Lansing: $688,043
Charlotte: $115,153
St. Johns: $186,022
Ingham County:$8,343,429
Eaton County: $4,317,340
Clinton County: $3,657,869
These estimates, provided by the Michigan Department of Transportation, show how much extra funding Lansing-area road agencies would get under Governor Gretchen Whitmer's plan to raise the gas tax.
It's clear Lansing's roads are in bad shape. But what would it take to fix them?
Medical marijuana won't be city's cash cow, Lansing officials say
Contact Sarah Lehr at (517) 377-1056 or slehr@lsj.com. Follow her on Twitter @SarahGLehr.
Support local journalism by subscribing to the Lansing State Journal.


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Top News September 1, 2021 <September 1, 2021
duerer | "Canada" | New single faces doubt
Duerer is looking forward to his upcoming debut with his single "Canada". Kulturnnews presents the video for the song Anti-Self Doubt.
Self-doubt, seek, seek, lose yourself. A very human process that everyone goes through. Thuringian indie rock duo Dedicated their new single "Canada" to the resulting diffuse sentiments. Watch the video for the song at the bottom of our page.
And as powerful as two men from Dürer (called Daniel Matz and Danny Muller-Sixer) appear on "Canada"—the song isn't a purely optimistic "push-you-through-the-crisis" anthem. Instead, the two are concerned with throwing on a broader view and questioning the pressure that comes with the crisis, in a nutshell: "Canada" creates a place where there is none.
Because that's what "Canada" is. not a goal that needs to be achieved – or that is achievable – but a state of mind, where everything is open: "Everyone has already gone through their own personal 'Canada'. That is, when it is not clear where to go, what do you want in life. 'Canada' is a metaphor for this campaign, Which more or less we have made behind us or which we still have to leave behind."
In the video, the two band members can be seen roaming the forest landscape – one with a suitcase, the other with a mannequin – until they meet in an open field. The result of their encounter is a retrospective in fast motion: a visual representation of the moment of reflection that has already been set out in the text.
Most recently, Dürer released the EP "Zugvogel" in 2019, which he released with a short tour. "Canada" is the first taste of their debut album, planned for 2022.
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"Big Banana" é uma canção da DJ e artista australiana Havana Brown, gravada para o seu segundo EP, When the Lights Go Out. Conta com a participação do DJ holandês R3hab e do rapper Prophet. O seu lançamento ocorreu a 4 de dezembro de 2012, servindo como quarto single geral para promoção do EP. A canção alcançou o primeiro lugar na parada de canções Hot Dance Club dos Estados Unidos e a 18 na parada de singles australiana da ARIA.

Informação da música

Fundo
Em uma entrevista, Brown afirmou o conceito por trás da música "Big Banana" como uma forma de objetificar os homens após as "expectativas superficiais irrealistas" colocadas nas garotas, enquanto ela contrapõe isso em "Banana" perguntando se o homem tem "uma banana grande". Ela acrescentou que a canção era "uma canção divertida para garotas e garotos gays". Em uma entrevista de rádio no início de março de 2013 com Nova, Brown afirmou que se inspirou no single "Short Dick Man" do 20 Fingers, e essa foi a base para ela criar a ideia de gravar "Big Banana".

Recepção
A canção é recebida com críticas mistas. David do Feed Limmy afirmou que só conseguiu encontrar uma música comum no EP When the Lights Go Out, sendo "Big Banana", chamando as outras músicas de "lixo". "Big Banana" estreou em 33º lugar na parada de canções Hot Dance Club dos Estados Unidos em 15 de dezembro de 2012, e alcançou a posição número um na edição de 19 de janeiro de 2013. Na Austrália, a faixa estreou no ARIA Singles Chart no número 72 na semana de 4 de março de 2013 e subiu para o número 38 na semana seguinte. Ela atingiu o número 18 em 8 de abril de 2013. "Big Banana" também entrou no ARIA Dance Singles Chart no número 16 em 4 de março de 2013, e alcançou o número dois em 22 de abril de 2013. Ganhou certificado de platina pela Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) pelas suas 70.000 cópias vendidas. Um analista descreveu a música como promovendo a objetificação dos homens com macrofalismo.

Vídeo de música
O videoclipe de "Big Banana" foi filmado em 20 de fevereiro de 2013 no Encino Hills em Los Angeles, Estados Unidos. O vídeo foi dirigido pelo desenvolvedor de software islandês Einar Egilsson. Brown falou sobre o videoclipe: "O clipe reflete tudo sobre a música - é divertido, otimista, irônico; é sujo, mas divertido ao mesmo tempo." O modelo e ator americano Nick Baga interpreta seu interesse amoroso no videoclipe. O videoclipe estreou em 15 de março de 2013 na V-Music.

Faixas e formatos
Download digital – Remix EP
"Big Banana" (R3hab Remix) – 3:33
"Big Banana" (Dave Audé Remix) – 7:28
"Big Banana" (Dave Audé Dub) – 7:13
"Big Banana" (J-Trick vs Havana Brown Remix) – 4:52

Download digital – Remixes oficiais
"Big Banana" (R3hab Extended Mix) – 4:30
"Big Banana" (Dave Audé Radio Mix) – 3:39

Desempenho comercial

Tabelas semanais

Tabelas de fim-de-ano

Certificações

Histórico de lançamento

Veja também
 Lista de singles número um na Hot Dance Club Songs em 2013 (EUA)

Canções de 2012
Singles lançados pela Island Records
Canções gravadas por Havana Brown
Singles de 2012

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
Q: Why does the Chaos Game generate a fractal? To generate the Sierpinski triangle illustrated below, there are at least $3$ approaches:

*

*The Deterministic IFS Algorithm: Determine the affine transformations $T_1,T_2,T_3$ that characterize the fractal, and given an initial compact $P_0$, iteratively compute
$$
P_n= \bigcup_{i=1}^3T_i(P_{n-1})
$$

*The Random IFS Algorithm: Determine the affine transformations $T_1,T_2,T_3$ that characterize the fractal, and given an initial compact $P_0$, iteratively compute
$$
P_n= T_i(P_{n-1}),
$$
where $i\in \{1,2,3\}$ is randomly chosen at each step.

*The Chaos Game: Given a starting point on the edge of the largest triangle of the fractal, iteratively  move half-way between the current point and a corner of the triangle.

It makes sense to me why the first two approaches generate the same set: roughly speaking, the random IFS algorithm applies the same sequence of transformations as the deterministic one, but in a different order. What I don't understand is why the Chaos game produces the same result, without using any information from the transformations $T_1,T_2,T_3$, hence my question:
My question:
Why does the Chaos Game on a triangle generate the Sierpinski triangle? Given that the Random IFS algorithm is a generalization of the Chaos game, how can we relate the two methods ?

A: Someone hinted the answer to me, but deleted it. This person was absolutely correct, only the answer was incomplete (as it was a hint). This person said:
When you perform the chaos game, you actually perform transformations $T_1,T_2$, and $T_3$.
Here is why this is correct: the transformations for the Sierpinski triangle are:
\begin{align*}
T_1(x,y)&=(x/2,y/2)\\
T_2(x,y)&=(x/2+1/2,y/2)\\
T_3(x,y)&=(x/2+1/4,y/2+\sqrt{3}/4)\\
\end{align*}
And when you iteratively move half-way between the current point $(x,y)$ and a corner $(X_i,Y_i)$ of the triangle , you get the point with coordinates:
$$
(X_i+\frac{1}{2}(x-X_i),Y_i+\frac{1}{2}(x-Y_i))
$$
If we replace $X_i,Y_i$ with the coordinates of the corners, we end up with exactly $T_1,T_2,T_3$.

A: You've already got an answer, so I'll just give you another way to look at it using barycentric coordinates.
We usually think of points in the plane with two coordinates, but when we're dealing with a triangle $ABC$, it's often more natural to consider three coordinates that add to $1$.  So we can define $A = (1, 0, 0)$, $B = (0, 1, 0)$, and $C = (0, 0, 1)$, and every other point in the plane is just a weighted average of those three.
The Sierpinski Triangle in barycentric coordinates is given by the triples $(a, b, c)$ such that $0 \le a, b, c \le 1$, and when represented in binary, exactly one of $a, b, c$ has a $1$ in each position.
The move described in the chaos game (say toward $A$) moves from $X = (a, b, c)$ to $(\frac{1}{2} + \frac{a}{2}, \frac{b}{2}, \frac{c}{2})$ (the average of $X$ and $A$).
It's fairly simple to see that this move preserves points in the Sierpinski Triangle, and with enough moves, you generate a dense subset of it.  In fact, the Sierpinski Triangle is an attractor for this move, and any starting point in the plane will tend toward it.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


The Consumer Protection Bill, 2018 has been passed in the winter session of the Parliament on December 20, 2018.
The Bill replaces the Consumer Protection Act, 1986.
The Bill enforces consumer rights and provides a mechanism for redressal of complaints regarding the defects in goods and deficiency in services.
Consumer Disputes Redressal Commissions will be set up at the District, State and National levels for adjudicating consumer complaints with pecuniary jurisdiction up to Rs 1 crore, Rs 1 crore to Rs 10 crore, and above Rs 10 crore, respectively.
Such complaints can be filed electronically and from where the complainant resides or works.
Appeals from the District and State Commissions will be heard at the next level and from the National Commission by the Supreme Court.
These Commissions can declare unfair terms of contracts to be null and void.
The Bill defines contracts as 'unfair' if they significantly affect the rights of consumers. It also defines unfair and restrictive trade practices.
The Commissions will attempt to dispose of a complaint within three months if the complaint does not require analysis or testing of commodities. If analysis and testing are required, the complaint will be disposed within a period of five months.
The Bill sets up the Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) to promote, protect, and enforce the rights of consumers as a class. It can issue safety notices for goods and services, order refunds, recall goods and rule against misleading advertisements.
The Bill establishes Consumer Protection Councils at the district, state, and national levels to render advice on consumer protection.
December 24 is observed as National Consumer Day as the Consumer Protection Act, 1986 received the assent of the President on this day.
E-commerce now defines direct selling, e-commerce and electronic service provider.
The central government may prescribe rules for preventing unfair trade practices in e-commerce and direct selling, this will go a long way in protecting online consumers. This provision was not present in the 1986 Act.
Provisions on product liability and unfair contracts: Under product liability, when a consumer suffers an injury, property damage or death due to a defect in a product or service, he can file a claim for compensation under product liability. The Bill outlines cases in which the product manufacturer, service provider and seller will be held guilty under product liability.
An unfair contract has been defined as a contract between a consumer and manufacturer/ service provider if it causes a significant change in consumer rights.
Unfair contracts cover six terms, such as payment of excessive security deposits in an arrangement, the disproportionate penalty for a breach, and unilateral termination without cause.
The consumer courts being set up under the Bill will determine contract terms to be unfair and declare them null and void.
Establishes the Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA), to promote, to protect, and to enforce the rights of consumers as a class. Such a regulator was missing in 1986 Act.
Increased Pecuniary jurisdiction of Commission at District level from 20 lakh to now 1 crore, at the state level from 20 lakh-1 crores, to between 1 - 10 crores now and at a central level from above 1 crore to above 10 crores now.
Alternate dispute redressal mechanism: Now Mediation cells will be attached to the District, State, and National Commissions which were absent in the 1986 Act.
The Bill does not specify that the Commissions will comprise a judicial member. If the Commissions were to have members only from the executive, then the principle of separation of powers may be violated. This is in contrast with the existing Consumer Protection Act, 1986, which states that the Commissions at various levels will be headed by a person qualified to be a judge.
The Bill empowers the central government to appoint, remove and prescribe conditions of service for members of the District, State, and National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commissions. The Bill leaves the composition of the Commissions to the central government. This could affect the independence of these quasi-judicial bodies.
The Bill delegates the power of deciding the qualifications of the Commission's President and members to the central government. It is in contrast to the 1986 Act which specifies the minimum qualification of the members.
Consumer Protection Councils will be set up at the district, state, and national level, as advisory bodies. The State and National Councils are headed by Ministers in-charge of Consumer Affairs. The Bill does not specify whom the Councils will advise. If the Councils advise the government, it is unclear in what capacity such advice will be given.
Within the Consumers Protection Act, there is a need for expansion of persons allowed to petition consumer courts. Due to the rigidity of the act, only a "consumer"—that is, someone who purchases goods and services, could approach the court to complain about harmful practices.
It does not include unfair trade practices by rival companies, which may negatively affect the sale of products.
The Act also hints at imposing penalties upon any celebrities who endorse misleading products and the extent of liability of advertisers or endorsers and celebrity rights and protection. The Act falls short on the extent of liability on stakeholders in such cases.
The right to terminate a contract on the grounds of quality of goods or services received.
In order to facilitate early disposal of cases, the involvement of advocates in complaints involving compensation value of up to Rs 20 lakh should be prohibited. It attributed the inordinate delay in disposal of cases to the deployment of advocates.
The Standing Committee noted that Consumer Commissions do not admit complaints in relation to services to which a special law applies. It recommended that a provision may be inserted to clarify that the proposed Bill will apply to any matter covered under a special law unless the special law excludes the application of the proposed Bill.
The advertising code presently being followed by the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) should be given legal backing.
Countries within the European Union provide consumers with a "distance contract," wherein parties that conduct business (ONLINE, E-commerce) without being in each other's presence can cancel the contract (sale) within 15 days from the date of purchase. Such a clause, that provides a "cooling off period" post-purchase, within which time a consumer can return an item and ask for a refund, will not only protect the consumer but also improve the quality of services offered.
With the changing economic times, there is a requirement for a realistic act to cater to the needs of the consumers, which is a welcome step. However, some of the recommendations which are not included in the present Bill should be incorporated to make it inclusive and effective in the present context.


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Oklahoma City is the most congested spot in the U.S., according to Sperlings BestPlaces. Wherever you live, breathe easier by flushing your nasal passages with a saline spray, staying hydrated, and washing your hands (to avoid cold and flu bugs), says Neil Schachter, MD, medical director of the respiratory care department of the Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York City. And avoid indoor pollutants like aerosols and burning candles, which are major winter congestion culprits.
The Top 20 Most Congested Cities in America.


Safer Travel is committed to creating a Safer Transport Network in the West Midlands.
Together, West Midlands Police, British Transport Police and Transport for West Midlands make up the Safer Travel Partnership and work to identify areas of the network vulnerable to crime, anti-social and nuisance behaviour.
Our team is intelligence led, drawn from a number of sources such as the officers, transport operators and reports from the public. The team also have access to over 1400 CCTV cameras, which are staffed 24/7 to identify and respond to incidents which are located in Bus, Rail and Metro stations.


If you take the time to look from your left to right when in public, you surely would have noticed already that majority of people are already infatuated with their mobile device and other devices, especially with the internet, which is why brands and companies across the world has an intense need of a great website to be their representation in the vast world wide web. You should have also realized already, that creating a website for your company is not going to be an easy feat at all, as there's no doubt that you'll be in crucial need for a talented and committed web developer to help you with the deed.
If you have already come up with the conclusion that you need a web developer or a team of developers, you should know that the search itself is going to arduous as well. You need not feel disheartened with the difficulty mentioned, since you certainly would find it easier than you'd expect as long as you inculcate the tips in this page during your search.
It is vital that you need to first ensure, that the company or the web developer you're going to hire isn't all talk and can really provide the services he claims to be an expert on, which is something that you can confirm by checking out the credential he possesses. In checking their credentials, there are many things that you should shift your attention to: you should look into the certifications the developer may have, the license for their operation and more importantly, the sites they have done in the past for some of their clients. From the sites they have developed back then, you'll be able to see a glimpse of what they can provide you with and from there, you can easily deduce if they can be a good fit for your requirements and needs or not.
It is also important that in the process of searching the company or the developer's past work, you should make sure that they are of high-quality, as this can also tell you a lot about the experience of the individual or the company. Hiring an experienced web developer is good and all but if your money can't handle it, it doesn't mean that you're doomed with startups since there are some exceptionally great beginners out there that you could hire with the fraction of the price of an experienced developer – it is just vital to make sure that you filter out the great ones from those which are not by initiating a test when they want to serve you.


The Security Token Offering (STO) has gained traction in the Netherlands. A recent press release indicates Ockel Computers is the first Dutch company to pioneer the STO fundraising format.
Ockel Computers is a computer hardware maker that specializes in making computers that fit in users' pockets. In particular, they work with technology giants like Intel and Microsoft to produce machines that meet international quality standards.
Ockel Computers pioneering STO to increase funding scope.
Their press release on the matter highlights their views: an "STO is a new way of investing that is safer, regulated and gaining momentum." Therefore, as much as it relates to blockchain technology, STO is different from boom-bust initial coin offerings (ICO). Specifically, an STO gives the buyer a real share in the company. It means that an STO holder enjoys many of the same rights and benefits of an Initial Public Offering (IPO) holder.
As a result, the STO falls under the purview of the Dutch Authority for the Financial Markets (AFM).


text:
Kurt Aylett (born 2 April 1992) is a former professional Australian rules footballer who played for the Greater Western Sydney Giants and Essendon Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL).

He was recruited in mid 2010 by  through zoning concessions. Aylett made his AFL debut in round 17, 2012 against . In October 2013 he was traded to Essendon along with Shaun Edwards for pick 48. Aylett made his Essendon debut in round 8 of the 2014 and started as the substitute.

Aylett was delisted at the conclusion of the 2014 season, however, he was re-drafted by Essendon in the rookie draft. He was delisted again at the conclusion of the 2015 season.
In 2019 he signed for Essendon VFL.

References

External links

1992 births
Living people
Greater Western Sydney Giants players
Essendon Football Club players
Australian rules footballers from New South Wales
People from the Riverina
Werribee Football Club players


text:
'The Best Damn Thing in North Dakota'
TSM-Bismarck
In times when unity is needed more than ever, Thrillist has decided it's time for the country to celebrate the best things we have in each state.
Whether it's the people, great food, sporting events and teams, or amazing sights, each state has something to take pride in and something they can all get behind. In Alabama, it's the Crimson Tide, in Indiana, it's the Indianapolis 500, Louisiana has Jazz, Michigan has the Great Lakes, and Minnesota has Prince. As for North Dakota, we have Theodore Roosevelt National Park.
Thrillest even referred to Theodore Roosevelt National Park as "the most underrated National Park Service in the U.S. The article highlights the Badlands and the diverse wildlife, while also giving praise to the national park by comparing it to "Noah's Ark."
Given the article and title given to the stellar national park, if you should happen to disagree with what was given the title of "Best Damn Thing in the State," that only means we have one, or perhaps, many more great things in North Dakota to be proud of.
For the full list of "The Best Damn Thing in Every State," click here.
Filed Under: park, state
10 Reasons You Should Live In North Dakota
North Dakota 2nd Best State For Skin Health, Study Finds
Governor Burgum Declares April 'Second Chance Month'
North Dakota's Most Popular Pet Names
North Dakota/Fargo Handing Out Holiday Bonus $$$ You Get Yours?
Mandan Lands Park's Superstar As New MPO Executive Director
Jaycee Park In Mandan Now Open
Where Is The Wealthiest Zip Code In North Dakota?
Here's Where to Find the Best Hot Dog in North Dakota


text:
Denominational Statements
Community of Christ
In June of 2016, the Community of Christ's international body passed a resolution renouncing the Doctrine of Discovery. It urges local congregations to consult with indigenous groups to seek opportunities for congregational education and local advocacy. It directs church leaders to create a working group "focused on global justice issues for indigenous peoples as a key priority for the World Church Human Rights Team for 2016–2019." For the full text, click on Community of Christ Resolution.
In May, 2012 Episcopal Church Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori issued a pastoral letter on the Doctrine of Discovery, stating in part: "The Doctrine of Discovery work of this Church is focused on education, dismantling the structures and policies based on that ancient evil, support for the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, and challenging governments around the world to support self-determination for indigenous peoples." Click here for additional links on the Episcopal Church website.
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA)
The Churchwide Assembly of the ELCA voted 912-28 on August 9, 2016 to repudiate the Doctrine of Discovery. The bulk of the statement reads as follows:
To repudiate explicitly and clearly the European-derived doctrine of discovery as an example of the "improper mixing of the power of the church and the power of the sword" (Augsburg Confession Article XXVIII, Latin text), and to acknowledge and repent from this church's complicity in the evils of colonialism in the Americas, which continue to harm tribal governments and individual tribal members;
To offer a statement of repentance and reconciliation to Native nations in this country for damage done in the name of Christianity;
To encourage the Office of the Presiding Bishop to plan an appropriate national ceremony of repentance and reconciliation with tribal leaders, providing appropriate worship resources for similar synodical and congregational observances with local tribal leaders, at such times and places as are appropriate;
To direct the Domestic Mission unit, together with the American Indian and Alaska Native community and ecumenical partners, to develop resources to educate members of the ELCA and the wider community about the doctrine of discovery and its consequences for Native peoples;
To direct the Domestic Mission unit to develop a strategy with the American Indian and Alaska Native community during the next triennium to be referred to the Church Council for action, including a mechanism to grow the Native American Ministry Fund of the ELCA; and
To affirm that this church will eliminate the doctrine of discovery from its contemporary rhetoric and programs, electing to practice accompaniment with Native peoples instead of a missionary endeavor to them, allowing these partnerships to mutually enrich indigenous communities and the ministries of the ELCA.
Here is the full text of the ELCA Statement of the Doctrine of Discovery.
Quakers (Friends)
The New York Meeting of The Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) has produced a fact sheet titled: "What Is the Doctrine of Discovery? Why Should It Be Repudiated?" and the Boulder, Colorado Friends Meeting has an Indigenous Peoples Concerns Committee, with a number of Doctrine of Discovery resources.
Presbyterian Church USA
The Presbyterian Church USA's General Assembly voted to repudiate the Doctrine of Discovery at its July 2016 meeting in Portland, Oregon. Here is the text:
Call the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) to confess its complicity and repudiate the Doctrine of Discovery, and direct the Presbyterian Mission Agency and the Office of the General Assembly, in consultation with ACREC [the Advocacy Committee for Racial Ethnic Concerns], to
a. Initiate a process of review of the Doctrine of Discovery that would commence at the end of the 222nd General Assembly (2016) and that would
i. include a comprehensive review of the history of the Doctrine of Discovery;
ii. include a review of actions taken by other denominations and religious groups to repudiate the Doctrine of Discovery, including the explanatory and educational materials created and recommendations developed by these groups related to the Doctrine of Discovery;
iii. include contacting Native American tribes and individuals in order to understand how this doctrine impacts them.
b. Prepare a report that
i. describes the Doctrine of Discovery and explains its history;
ii. makes recommendations of how congregations in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) [PC(USA)] can support Native Americans in their ongoing efforts for sovereignty and fundamental human rights;
iii. describes how relationships with specific Native American individuals and tribes can be developed;
iv. suggests specific ways in which congregations may recognize, support, and cooperate with Native American individuals, tribes, and nations who reside within their communities.
c. Engage in dialogue with ecumenical partners concerning the doctrine.
The Unitarian Universalist Association passed a resolution repudiating the Doctrine of Discovery at its 2012 General Assembly. Delegates called on Unitarian Universalists to study the Doctrine and eliminate its presence from the current-day policies, programs, theologies, and structures of Unitarian Universalism. The following motion provides additional background.
The General Synod of the United Church of Christ overwhelmingly passed a resolution repudiating the Doctrine of Discovery in 2013. It states that the Synod "declares and confesses that the doctrine has been and continues to be a shameful part of United States and our Church's history," and commits to developing educational materials on the Doctrine for the church. It also states its intention to join with ecumenical partners "to explore ways to compensate American Indians … for lands and resources that were stolen and are still being stolen and which are now the United States of America." The Synod has additional educational content on the Doctrine of Discovery on its website. It also produced a short video titled: Discovered or Stolen: Repudiating the Doctrine of Discovery (6:15) It gives a brief introduction to the Doctrine of Discovery and the United Church of Christ's efforts at repudiation and reconciliation.
The United Methodist Church General Conference overwhelmingly adopted a resolution repudiating the Doctrine of Discovery in 2012. The resolution calls on all levels of the Methodist Church to: "condemn the Doctrine of Discovery as a legal document and basis for the seizing of native lands and abuses of human rights of Indigenous Peoples." It says that the United Methodist Church will work toward eliminating the Doctrine of Discovery as a means to subjugate Indigenous peoples of property and land.
The World Council of Churches Executive Committee issued a Statement on the Doctrine of Discovery and its Enduring Impact on Indigenous Peoples in 2012. It denounced the Doctrine of Discovery "as fundamentally opposed to the gospel of Jesus Christ and as a violation of the inherent human rights that all individuals and peoples have received from God …" Further, it encourages WCC member churches "to support the continued development of theological reflections by Indigenous Peoples which promote indigenous visions of full, good and abundant life and which strengthen their own spiritual and theological reflections."
Healing Minnesota Stories
About Healing Minnesota Stories
Indians in Public Art
Doctrine of Discovery
Impact on U.S. Law
Government Acknowledgements
Email: info@spinterfaith.org
© 2016 Saint Paul Interfaith Network


After leaving High School in Aberdeen, Calum trained himself as a Construction Engineer. He spent a year at Newbattle Abbey College in Edinburgh where he re-discovered his greater love of the Arts. He subsequently graduated MA in 1992 at Glasgow University. He enjoys travelling and meeting new people.
cycling champion at schoolboy level; team champion in 1977.


When Joz Wang and her brother bought their mom a Nikon Coolpix S630 digital camera for Mother's Day last year, they discovered what seemed to be a malfunction. Every time they took a portrait of each other smiling, a message flashed across the screen asking, "Did someone blink?" No one had. "I thought the camera was broken!" Wang, 33, recalls. But when her brother posed with his eyes open so wide that he looked "bug-eyed," the messages stopped.
Nikon isn't the only big brand whose consumer cameras have displayed an occasional — though clearly unintentional — bias toward Caucasian faces. Face detection, one of the latest "intelligent" technologies to trickle down to consumer cameras, is supposed to make photography more convenient. Some cameras with face detection are designed to warn you when someone blinks; others are programmed to automatically take a picture when somebody smiles — a feature that, theoretically, makes the whole problem of timing your shot to catch the brief glimpse of a grin obsolete. Face detection has also found its way into computer webcams, where it can track a person's face during a video conference or enable face-recognition software to prevent unauthorized access.
The "HP computers are racist" video went viral, with almost 2 million views, and HP, naturally, was quick to respond. "Everything we do is focused on ensuring that we provide a high-quality experience for all our customers, who are ethnically diverse and live and work around the world," HP's lead social-media strategist Tony Welch wrote on a company blog within a week of the video's posting. "We are working with our partners to learn more." The post linked to instructions on adjusting the camera settings, something both Consumer Reports and Laptop Magazine tested successfully in Web videos they put online.
Still, some engineers question how a webcam even made it onto the market with this seemingly glaring flaw. "It's surprising HP didn't get this right," says Bill Anderson, president of Oculis Labs in Hunt Valley, Md., a company that develops security software that uses face recognition to protect work computers from prying eyes. "These things are solvable." Case in point: Sensible Vision, which develops the face-recognition security software that comes with some Dell computers, said their software had no trouble picking up the black employee's face when they tested the YouTube video.
YouTube commenters expressed what was on a lot of people's minds. "Seems they rushed the product to market before testing thoroughly enough," wrote one. "I'm guessing it's because all the people who tested the software were white," wrote another. HP declined to comment on their methods for testing the webcam or how involved they were in designing the software, but they did say the software was based on "standard algorithms." Often, the manufacturers of the camera parts will also supply the software to well-known brands, which might explain why HP isn't the only company whose cameras have exhibited an accidental prejudice against minorities, since many brands could be using the same flawed code. TIME tested two of Sony's latest Cyber-shot models with face detection (the DSC-TX1 and DSC-WX1) and found they, too, had a tendency to ignore camera subjects with dark complexions.
But why? It's not necessarily the programmers' fault. It comes down to the fact that the software is only as good as its algorithms, or the mathematical rules used to determine what a face is. There are two ways to create them: by hard-coding a list of rules for the computer to follow when looking for a face, or by showing it a sample set of hundreds, if not thousands, of images and letting it figure out what the ones with faces have in common. In this way, a computer can create its own list of rules, and then programmers will tweak them. You might think the more images — and the more diverse the images — that a computer is fed, the better the system will get, but sometimes the opposite is true. The images can begin to generate rules that contradict each other. "If you have a set of 95 images and it recognizes 90 of those, and you feed it five more, you might gain five, but lose three," says Vincent Hubert, a software engineer at Montreal-based Simbioz, a tech company that is developing futuristic hand-gesture technology like the kind seen in Minority Report. It's the same kind of problem speech-recognition software faces in handling unusual accents.
And just as the software is only as good as its code and the hardware it lives in, it's also only as good as the light it's got to work with. As HP noted in its blog post, the lighting in the YouTube video was dim, and, the company said, there wasn't enough contrast to pick up the facial shadows the computer needed for seeing. (An overlit person with a fair complexion might have had the same problem.) A better camera wouldn't necessarily have guaranteed a better result, because there's another bottleneck: computing power. The constant flow of images is usually too much for the software to handle, so it downsamples them, or reduces the level of detail, before analyzing them. That's one reason why a person watching the YouTube video can easily make out the black employee's face, while the computer can't. "A racially inclusive training set won't help if the larger platform is not capable of seeing those details," says Steve Russell, founder and chairman of 3VR, which creates face recognition for security cameras.
The blink problem Wang complained about has less to do with lighting than the plain fact that her Nikon was incapable of distinguishing her narrow eye from a half-closed one. An eye might only be a few pixels wide, and a camera that's downsampling the images can't see the necessary level of detail. So a trade-off has to be made: either the blink warning would have a tendency to miss half blinks or a tendency to trigger for narrow eyes. Nikon did not respond to questions from TIME as to how the blink detection was designed to work.
Why these glitches weren't ironed out before the cameras hit Best Buy is not something that HP, Nikon or Sony, when contacted by TIME, were willing to answer. Perhaps in this market of rapidly developing technologies, consumers who fork over a few hundred dollars for the latest gadget are the test market. A few years ago, speech-recognition software was teeth-gnashingly unreliable. Today, it's up to 99% accurate. With the flurry of consumer complaints out there, most of the companies seem to be responding. HP has offered instructions on how to adjust its webcam's sensitivity to backlighting. Nikon says it's working to improve the accuracy of the blink-warning function on its Coolpix cameras. (Sony wouldn't comment on the performance of its Cyber-shot cameras and said only that it's "not possible to track the face accurately all the time.") Perhaps in a few years' time, the only faces cameras won't be able to pick up will be those of the blue-skinned humanoids from Avatar.


Cases with Cute, artistic design and high quality material makes your phone unique!
Ordered on 23rd Dec and received on 27th Dec. Fast delivery and items wrapped in bubble wrapped. Will definately order from seller again.
Highly Recommend Fast delivery and item received in good condition. Thanks seller!
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great looking with sleak design. highly recommended.
Does iphone 7 products fit iphone 8? The 8 is slightly bigger than the 7. Thanks!
[Re] Does iphone 7 products fit iphone 8?
unfortunately no. thank you for your patronage.
Hi! May I check, if will you be restocking the Type 2 case (Captain America) for Z5 Premium?? I really want to get it and couldn't find it anywhere.
I'm interested in getting z5 premium type 2 or type 12 case. Will you be restocking these 2 models?
Is there any way you can get 1 pc of the Captain America design? It looks really nice.
Ok, will try our best.
See that there are left 3 choice for this type of case. Will you be restocking.
See that you have many out of stock. Will you be bringing in new designs?
Is it possible for you to list those that you prefer?
Hi, any re-stock for zenfone 2 cases?


text:
Perfect Weekend
Fernando Alonso winning of the Grand Prix of Italy at Monza, starting from pole position and fastest lap in race implies that for him it was a perfect weekend, just as for Ferrari by placing their two drivers on the podium, with Felipe Massa achieving third position.Jenson Button who managed to position itself in the first place at the first corner, maintained his position for more than half of the race, but work in the pits of the Ferrari team was key factor in which Fernando Alonso recover first, leaving Jenson Button with the second position. Bad day for Lewis Hamilton who left the right suspension of his McLaren damaged causing the abandonment after contact with Felipe Massa at the start of the race. At first, Button had a good start which allowed the McLaren position alongside Alonso despite pressure from the Spanish champion of 2009 was forced to go inside, staying at the front in the first curve, before receiving a blow of lesser importance of the Ferrari on the curve 2. Moments later, the two Ferraris were about to play it with Hamilton who left the fifth rack position and get the most out of the poor Mark Webber start attacking Massa at the Roggia Chicane. However, he had to retire to beat Massa's Ferrari to damaging his front right wheel and the McLaren of the Stevenage came in the first Lesmo curve, which meant the end of the afternoon of Hamilton and ended his leadership of the championship lead.
Then I went back to the paddock with the helmet on, more later English admitted the error. Button went into the box of McLaren on lap 36 of 53, Alonso was able to give two consecutive fastest laps and therefore after his two laps later pit stop was returning to track ahead of English. Meanwhile, three fastest laps reduced the margin though brief leader Massa, who was unable to compensate for his position after his stop. A smart strategy allowed Vettel kept on the sidelines in a game of soft boxes into compound tires in the penultimate round, helped by a combination of its rhythm over the struggle of those who are behind, the German was reincorporated and ended in fourth place on the last lap, Nico Rosberg completed the top five for Mercedes ahead of Webber team. Finishing places Fernando Alonso Jenson Button Felipe Massa Sebastian Vettel Nico Rosberg Mark Webber Nico Hulkenberg Robert Kubica Michael Schumacher Rubens Barrichello Sebastien Buemi Vitantonio Liuzzi Vitaly Petrov Pedro of the Rosa Jaime Alguersuari Adrian subtle Timo Glock Heikki Kovalainen Sakon Yamamoto Lucas di Grassi Jarno Trulli Bruno Senna Lewis Hamilton Kamui Kobayashi Autor original and source of the article


text:
Vidingsjö är en stadsdel i södra Linköping med en befolkning av 6000 personer (2018). Vidingsjö gränsar till stadsdelarna Ekholmen i öster och Berga i norr. Tinnerbäcken rinner genom stadsdelen.

Bebyggelsen består till största delen av småhus uppförda under 60-, 70- och 80-talen. Här finns ett motionscentrum med en slinga genom Vidingsjöskogen och en mataffär. Området är uppfört kring en numera försvunnen medeltida by med samma namn.

Artisterna Lars Winnerbäck och Anders Johansson är båda uppväxta i området.

Namnet
Namnet omnämns första gången 1319 i Svenskt Diplomatarium 3:390 som vidhinxrø och vidingsöö, efterledet syftar troligen på -rö, ett uppröjt skogsområde. Namnet är sannolikt äldre än medeltid.

Vidingsjöskolan
Vidingsjöskolan är en grundskola med klasser från förskola till årskurs 6. På skolan finns fyra fritidshem och ett öppet fritidshem. Det finns också en kommunövergripande aspergerklass med namn AstKlassen.

Referenser

Stadsdelar i Linköping


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[edit/review] [links] [se index log]
[series:2158]
Title: Dance In The Vampire Bund
ダンスインザヴァンパイアバンド (Japanese)
Overall: Watch
2010, Action, Dark, Drama, Ecchi, Fan Service, Fantasy, Fighting, Horror, Lolicon, Pantsu, Romance, Sci-Fi, Seinen, Supernatural, TV, Vampires, Violent
Notables:
Animation - Shaft
R1 License - FUNimation
After millennia in hiding, Mina Tepes, the Princess of the ancient covenant and ruler of all vampires, wants change. Using the vast wealth of the Tepes line, she has paid off the entire gross national debt of Japan and in so doing, gained the authority to create a "special district" off the coast of Japan that is to become the future haven to vampires the world over!
Now, on the eve of the landmark press conference announcing the existence of vampires to the world, terrorists and rival factions are plotting to assassinate Mina Tepes before she has a chance to make her world-changing announcement. (Source: ANN)
New series set to air Jan 7th, 2010
12 TV episodes (~24 min)
"Bund" is German for "alliance", "coalition", "federation" etc.
Read the translated manga online at Mangafox.
pic1, pic2, pic3, 1893
Series Story
Episode Story
Watch 4 9 9 8 7 6 6 Ggultra2764 [series:2158#1552]
Dance In The Vampire Bund Dance in the Vampire Bund's presentation is literally a mixed bag as despite having great-looking artwork and animation (whenever Shaft met its schedule since there were points where animated sequences had a red screen showing they weren't complete in the TV airing), the storyline has it's mix of cliched, squick and flawed elements with the premise of Mina's goals to create a haven for vampires. What had the potential to work as a great storyline with focus on vampire prejudice and the complicated politics from Mina to ensure the safety of her kind had enough issues that made me downgrade this all the way to a Watch.
The cliched- The final arc of the series involving Mina dealing with her cousins and Akira being chased by assassins tossed in the whole "overcome fate to fall in love" cliche I seen enough times before. The problem here is that considering the boasting made of the situation, I couldn't buy the tragedy of Mina's situation with her cousins considering some absurdities I found with the whole thing which made me not care so much for her struggle.
Squick- This has nothing to do with Mina appearing like a child despite being centuries old. I could at least buy this and how casually she often appears with being in revealing attire or wearing nothing at all considering she just does this to make people uneasy and there being a big reason for being in this form. The squick factor goes to the shotacon class president (later turned vampire) and her love for her young 11-year old neighbor (still human). Besides actually creeping me out, I felt like banging my head on soemthing upon seeing that everyone around them accepted the relationship even though unlike Mina and Akira's relationship, the physical age gap was much more clear.
Flawed- The addition of Mei Ran to the anime. Her presence really altered events that took place in the series. It altered aspects of Akira's past from the manga and made the final arc where he got chased by the three assassins less dragged out as major characters whom assist him in his struggles in the manga (the fangless vampire kids and shota prez's love interest) get their roles reduced to brief appearances in the anime and Akira's struggle for survival wasn't really as engaging since a tragic flaw he had to overcome from the manga was taken out thanks to the alterations made to his past, all thanks to anime-only character Mei.
Overall impression: With the battle scenes and imagery, Vampire Bund is a great demonstration of Shaft's skills going to a more visually-detailed and fluid moving title (which should look better when the animation is complete in the DVDs). But story wise, there's too much for me to nitpick about where I can't really recommend it to watch (especially if you get squeamish over its young-looking main female character being nude at some points).
Last updated Friday, April 09 2010. Created Friday, April 09 2010.
Unevaluated 4 10 10 10 10 10 10 Violet D [series:2158#1393]
Dance In The Vampire Bund I first started watching this a couple of weeks ago. At first I wasn't sure. but now that I've taken my time and studied the characters in this Anime I feel it is really well done. Of course I'm a avid fan for anything Vampire. So I will tell you you need to cjeck this one out it you haven't.
Last updated Monday, March 22 2010. Created Monday, March 22 2010.
Rent 4 9 9 9 9 7 8 Silence [series:2158#2939]
Dance In The Vampire Bund All episodes watched.
Dance in the Vampire Bund had an interesting start, and I was hooked enough to see this series through, despite some uncertainties in the middle. But the final episode nailed the coffin shut, and I am afraid that this is not a very outstanding show.
I was fine with game show idea: it is rather original and interesting. However, I was not impressed by the transformations that took place. Nonetheless, this is part of the premise I can accept and move on from. The second episode took me by surprise with the proper introduction of Kaburagi Akira, though on retrospect, it should not have been a shock, given the interconnected history of vampires and werewolves; you can hardly mention one without the other. Anyway, I was taken in by the powerful hook.
As the story progress, we are exposed to the political manuevering of Mina Tepes, and her relationship with Akira. This is where my feelings for this series start to become ambiguous. According to the setting, Mina Tepes should be a very seasoned politician, apt at manipulation and deceipt, especially making use of her innocent appearance. Most of the time, she carries out the role well, despite showing a cute side when her personal feelings are involved. But that's ok. I liked it. However there are times when she is excessively heavy handed, or irrational. For instance, her kidnapping of the minister's grandson, or her showdown with Akira (it was like a showdown for the sake of having a showdown).
Towards the end, more incomprehensible things turn up, so I came into the final episode waiting for an explaination. However, the whole Inheritance thing remains obscure to me: what's with all the bodies, what's the blood, etc. The behavior of Mei Ren is totally screwed up: if she is with telomere, how did she end up being one of the 3 assasins? If she wants to kill Akira, why wait for the final showdown, instead of stabbing him in the back before he became aware? The subjugation of the 3 families is totally lame.
In the end, Vampire Bund could not come up with a coherent story. The last episode is very apparently rushed. Hence the entire series suffered as a result. Yet another let down this season. Rent-
Last updated Saturday, April 10 2010. Created Wednesday, January 13 2010.
Watch 4 9 10 8 9 Xenoknight [series:2158#2967]
Dance In The Vampire Bund watching now... 8 eps watched...
Ep 8: Once again (with a remixed intro and new end-credits), this title takes another step up the ladder of excellence. It's been a bumpy road so far with epic moments here and sub-par moments there, but episodes like this one (and more to come - wishfully speaking) proves that this anime is by no means a sleeper. The first half of the ep has Mina and Yuki finally coming to terms in their respective thoughts and feelings for Akira (among other things). If I had it my way, I would want an entire season dedicated to the romance element and have another whole season for everything else because I love watching the main characters work out their emotions. The second half has Mina being her G'ed out self attempting to clean up a certain mess that required her immediate attention. Expect old reunions, some action, good story, and increased levels of ecchi lust. Mature is an understatement at this point. Fantastic ep...
Ep 7: My God - this ep was an adventure and a half. Seemingly like the last episode of the series, things get explosive with multiple events and jaw-dropping scenes. The first half was really confusing, but Akira's past incident in finally brought to light and some major players step forward to justify Mina's recent actions. The attack on the church is not for the faint of heart! The weaknesses of sub made itself abundantly clear in this ep. With most of it being frustration on my side of things (and undoubtedly many others), the encounter between Mina and Akira was practically ruined thanks to the heavy reading (required to understand) on the bottom of the screen. They were speaking pretty fast which negated the quality of the amazing conflict between the love couple. I figured I could watch it twice - one only reading the subs and the other only watching the action where I would connect the two mentally. In the end, I can only tell myself that this critical scene will be MUCH better in English dub. The end result of the bout has Yuki's heart smashed, an old flame rekindled, and the establishment of the Bund! Many things happened and we've still only scratched the surface as to what Mina plans to do now. This ep was crazy good except for the one ruined critical scene. Ridiculous ep...
Ep 6: A very interesting turn of events. Akira's understanding of the current situation has left me with mixed feelings. The political game has increased and the Bund is on the verge of completion, but the princess has another hurdle to tackle - Akira. From one extreme to the next, he now steps forward and confronts her actions in recent events. The outcome is rather unfavorable for both parties. Yuki's status is official confirmed (my prediction in ep 3 was wrong at least), which is both good and bad news depending on your predicted path for Akira. With a fearful blow in this title's standing, Akira's response to the princess is one that will involve many unspeakable truths and hardships (for both them and me). This is not what I was expecting for the halfway point and now I'm worried for the future. Position-changing ep...
Ep 5: Now that's what I'm talking about. This ep had more to it then one might imagine: loyalties were shifted, trusted foundations began to crumble, weaknesses became apparent, and doubt began to run rampant. The most powerful moment of the ep was most likely when Yuki and Mina had a few moments to speak to each other regarding Akira and past developments. It was certainly an eye-opener for the series as I was able to pick up on 3 different directions this title could take to resolve the issue. I also liked how Yuki was calculating/sizing Mina up (her opponent from a harem standpoint) when she teamed up with her during class. These two scenes alone are enough to elevate Yuki's status to "G" rank. Meiren was again able to turn Akira's sticky situation around for the better. On the flip side, Mina's political battles aren't going as well as she planned and drastic measures were taken to protect her "investments", if you will. The final moments of the episode brought several things into perspective. Let's just say that Yuki isn't going down without one hell of a fight. If only Mina didn't call him at that moment... Incredible ep...
Ep 4: Mina does things her way and holds a press conference for the world and those who are against her existence make a move to silence her once and for all. As interesting as it all is, I hope they can reassure us with a second season, because for only 12 episodes, they're wasting a lot of time. Good ep...
Ep 3: Another great episode. Mina joining (and having her way) with Akira's school was something else. She manages to destroy Akira's school life, get the entire school to chase him as per a bet, and drops the biggest financial bomb the school board has ever seen. OWNED! Mina Tepes is one bad-a** b--ch! The appearance of Meiren hopefully will stir a "certain element" to development in the near future if you follow what I'm saying. The flashback with Akira and Yuki when he just recovered from the accident, (depending on your point-of-view) showed that Yuki isn't as innocent as she wants everyone to believe. Speaking of innocence, it looks like Mina has more blood on her hands then she cares to admit to Akira. It will only get better from here. Great ep...
Ep 2: !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Holy S---! I'm in big trouble with this title. Was that really only episode 2!? Holy F---! Words are pointless. This title is an instant candidate for promotion and I already know it won't take long to confirm the reasons why. The intro music is epic. Absolutely Indescribable ep...
First Impression: The game show carried on for far too long. Though the characters were interesting, the episode didn't start until about the 60% mark. Basically, they were trying to figure out if vampires are real or not. It's not the kind of first ep that I would've wished for this title, but things got better once it got serious. Mina Tepes is a scary individual and her being the princess and rightful heir to the vampire race was something to think about. Her maturity and demeanor don't match her stature and that only put more fuel in the fire of my curiosity. I'm sure this anime will far exceed my expectations and I can't wait for more. Good ep...
Check out my award list to see some of the best anime titles in the world!
Never forget Xenosaga.
Last updated Sunday, March 07 2010. Created Tuesday, January 12 2010.
Watch 4 Stretch [series:2158#628]
Dance In The Vampire Bund (Watch+)
(All episodes watched):
This show began well with a ridiculous gameshow "investigation" of the question of whether vampires really exist. This seemed to put an original 'spin' to this show, which was seriously needed given the plethora of anime vampire titles that are already available. Once things got serious, however, the originality seemed to melt away and I couldn't help being strongly reminded of Vampire Knight, what with the conflict between noble 'pureblood' vampires and lowly, murderous ones. This trick allows there to be both sexy, mildly frightening yet admirable vampires, and scary, detestable ones--but of course it's been done before. So, basically one argument for and one against originality on the part of Dance in the Vampire Bund. The jury was still out on this show.
So, people with lots of money and power want Vampire Queen Mina Tepes dead; these vampires are transformers of a sort; this teen idol guy has met her before (before his memory loss, that is); and he's got a bizarre secret of his own. Okay... but what makes this show unusual? Although it's enjoyable, I just don't feel particularly intrigued. Nothing radically different has happened in order to grab my attention. Nothing radically different and plausible, that is. It seemed that an effort was made to convince me that maybe vampires really could exist, but then they go and transform into chamelions or spiders, which seems too freaky for me to take completely seriously. Sort of like saying 'oh, did you know that Frankenstein can time travel as well?'. On the other hand, the animation was kind of neat. Mina might be an interesting character but idol guy doesn't seem to have much of a personality, perhaps due to his memory loss.
Episode three was fun as Mina messes with all sorts of people, pulling strings behind the scenes then humiliating people with the results. This was definitely original; on the other hand, it left me confused about what the drama:comedy ratio of this show is supposed to be. Being a vampire, after all, is Mina dangerous or not? Where does she get her blood? Episode four was likewise fun as an assasination plot against Mina is foiled at the last moment. Since the 'rules' that vampires live by (for example, how much sunlight hurts them) vary from show to show, and the overall scenario of Mina and her opponents hasn't been thoroughly explained, the revelation of the trick used to infiltrate the assasin lost something. Was some sort of telepathic brainwashing employed? Why is a stock of bombs kept on hand? Nevertheless, it was a fun episode which I enjoyed.
In episode five Mina must deal with a betrayal by a politician and strange people are infiltrating the school. Mina and her loyal people are clearly being painted as the good guys here, even though they are vampires. This show is now seeming fairly fun and interesting, but I'm still not getting all that clear a message as to where the story is going (which is not necessarily bad, if the makers know what they are doing). I guess the main question that the series as a whole brings to mind so far is 'will Mina and the good vampires get their haven or not?' rather than something like 'will she fall in love?' or something personal like that.
Episode six puts things back on a more interesting track. Mina may have some dark secrets to hide, while Akira cooperates with the still human students at school to root out the vampires. They come to a surprizingly clever plan, then fall for an obvious trick. Still, this is seeming a fairly original story compared to other vampire animes. The snappy ED song was fun at the end of the episode. Episode seven felt like it ought to have been the final episode. I guess the feud between good and bad vampires (and corrupt politicians) will be the main topic from here on, but it almost feels as if everything that the series has been building up to has been played out and it will have to start from scratch. The fact that this episode seemed to come out of the blue is indicative of how confusing the general plot of this show is. It did end in a kind of thrilling way, but where will things go from here?
My impression of Dance as a whole is of a show with some neat and interesting elements but a kind of disjointed plot. You can follow it without much trouble, but it would have been more enjoyable if some extra care had been taken in putting it together. It kind of feels as if the manga was cut to pieces and then pasted back together to form the anime script without taking as much care as the mangaka presumably did. It seems as if some things that should have been included are missing and some which weren't really essential are present. For example, why wasn't "stigma", the artificial blood vampires now feed on, explained until near the end of the series? Or what exactly Mei Ren is? Episode eight begins the second arc, which looks like fun but with the usual problems. Episode ten begins yet another, and it's hard to see one pleasing climax to the series as a whole. All of a sudden the fiery Mina takes on a helpless and pitiful personality--that didn't make sense, even given what had happened to her. Wouldn't she have responded by kicking ass if this had happened in a previous arc? Or at least maintaining her dignity in order to deny her enemies the pleasure of seeing her feeling humiliated? Fortunately fights remain fairly cool even if the plot is confusing.
I heard a mention that the idea behind Dance was to attain high ratings by combining two popular genres, vampire action and lolicon. Mina's "purity inspection" in episode 11 was disturbing, for all the wrong reasons. It was the sort of thing which probes the boundaries of what is acceptable in non-hentai anime. The concluding episode was OK, but again would have been better if some additional storytelling skill had been employed. There was a betrayal, but the link between the two people involved was never made clear so it didn't seem particularly surprising or shocking. And what was the deal with Mina's 'double'? Was she a twin, or a clone, or what? We are repeatedly told that Mina is priceless as the last female in the royal birthline, then this? Don't add bizarre twists to an already confusing plot if they aren't going to be explained. There was a definite hint of a possible second season, however. For all the problems I had with this show, I think I would probably watch.
Last updated Tuesday, May 04 2010. Created Monday, January 11 2010.
Unevaluated 4 Forbin [series:2158#1573]
Dance In The Vampire Bund Analysis : 9 Episodes
Thoughts so far
Episode 1 was so BADLY done I almost put it down. An attack from a Vampire Gecko? Bah.
Episode 7 was so well done (Except for Animation! WTF Shaft, you pulled another Bakamonogatari?) It felt like an End of Series episode but it's only the middle.
Hmm after 9 episodes it has gotten very dark and deep. I need to watch this slowly.
Character List
Mina - Queen of the Vampires but looks like a gradeschooler
Akira - Werewolf and Mina's personal bodyguard.
Yuki - Normal girl who loves Akira.
Last updated Monday, March 22 2010. Created Friday, January 08 2010.
Official website http://www.vampirebund.com/
Dance in the Vampire Bund 公式サイト (Japanese)
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