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Posted inBusiness, News, State
Don't blame the weather. Maine's top consumer advocate says billing system caused high CMP charges.
by Lori Valigra September 6, 2019 September 6, 2019
Maine's public advocate conducted its own study of high Central Maine Power bills and questioned whether the billing system could generate accurate invoices. Shown here is a CMP smart meter.
Just days after regulators blamed high electricity use in cold weather for the high bills thousands of Central Maine Power customers received, Maine's public advocate late Friday released its own study that still questions the reliability of the utility's metering and billing system.
The highly anticipated report cited ongoing issues, including incorrect state taxes on bills and errors in usage. It also found some errors that it believes can affect CMP customers who have not complained of high bills but who have exchanged their meter or received delayed bills.
"CMP has denied to this day that there is a problem with the billing system," Public Advocate Barry Hobbins said. "But there are the same problems in the summertime as in the winter. The system isn't working properly."
The billing and metering system, known as SmartCare, was installed in October 2017, the same time a strong wind storm knocked out power to thousands of customers for up to a week.
In its analysis filed Tuesday, the Maine Public Utilities Commission's staff said that there were no systemic problems with the CMP system. It cited comparisons over two winters with Emera Maine's bills and found the rise in rates in cold weather comparable among customers of both utilities. It also cited conclusions from an independent audit filed in December 2018 by Liberty Consulting Group of Pennsylvania that found no systemic problems.
CMP spokeswoman Catharine Hartnett said the company will take time to thoroughly review the public advocate's audit results and respond by Oct. 16, as required by the commission.
She said the Liberty audit and commission staff analysis found no systemic issues with SmartCare after customer data for every account, meter and four million bills were analyzed.
"Should the [public advocate] audit reveal an undiscovered malfunction with the SmartCare system, CMP will, of course, correct it," she said.
Hobbins said that cold weather is too simple an explanation and does not take into account the ongoing billing issues. The public advocate's office hired Portland consultant BerryDunn to analyze 1,370 customer accounts and more than 5,400 invoices with high bills from May 1, 2018, until Aug. 18, 2019.
"Given the parameters of our analysis, we cannot conclusively determine the extent or pervasiveness of these problems; however we believe the nature and extent of the issues we identified call into question the overall integrity of the system and its ability to provide accurate, timely and reliable invoices to CMP customers," wrote Julie Keim, principal at BerryDunn.
The public advocate's report said that until measures are taken to identify the root cause of the problems and to create a system to resolve them, customers will continue to complain.
Deep analysis shows problems
The public advocate's filing with the commission is in three parts: an analysis of customer accounts, a procedural analysis and testimony on how CMP readied the system and testimony by a CMP customer who also is an inspector and energy auditor.
[iframe url="http://www.documentcloud.org/documents/6385958-7B8C50AA-4F71-4DD6-B63F-018C0E798B6A.html" width="600″ height="450″]
The report cited numerous instances in which customers received invoices with errors related to the current or prior meter readings, meter read dates, calculated total kilowatts per hour, how delivery charges were shown and the number of days usage occurred. Some instances involved long periods of unbilled usage, which resulted in invoices that were confusing.
The report said it is unlikely that a typical customer would understand the invoices as presented on the bill and could assume they were inaccurate or that they were being overbilled.
E. David Semon, owner of Gulf of Maine Custom Homes in Freeport, who is an energy auditor, filed testimony along with the public advocate's report saying he saw usage spikes at 3 a.m. that were not possible, and that CMP was not able to isolate the problem.
"There are serious and fundamental issues with CMP's billing and/or metering systems, or the interface between these systems, which appears to intermittently be measuring and billing for service that was not actually delivered. These issues have not been resolved," Semon wrote.
The report also found that a CMP customer service representative can manually change the meter reading in the SmartCare system to indicate that a meter had been read when it had not. And the entry is not identified as a manual change or estimated reading on the invoice.
BerryDunn's analysis also cited what it called a SmartCare system defect in which customers may have been overcharged Maine sales tax.
If a customer's usage was greater than 750 kWh and was billed in a different period than when the usage occurred, the customer was billed an incorrect amount of Maine sales tax, it said.
That happened because the 750 kWh per month residential exemption is not accounted for because of the delayed billing. It typically happened in the first and second billing period for a new meter, the report said.
Pinpointing the root cause for ongoing billing problems remains elusive, despite the audits scrutinizing CMP's bills and meters.
"It is impossible to say with accuracy what appliances, lights, electronics, etc., a customer was using at any given time in the distant past, and how much electricity each device used at the time," the commission's staff wrote in its analysis.
The public advocate's findings said that after eight weeks of intense review and analysis, it could not isolate a single defect, set of defects or root cause for the numerous complaints relating to high usage.
Retesting needed
The public advocate recommended that CMP retest and validate the SmartCare system under the supervision of an outside party in an effort to regain public trust.
And it made clear that the costs to repair defects and retest the system should be borne by CMP's shareholders, not ratepayers.
The report also criticized CMP's practices in implementing SmartCare, saying the company "deviated significantly" from best practices for a project of that size and complexity. The Liberty audit drew similar conclusions.
"They rushed to get it done," Hobbins said.
He said the proper testing, defect management and other procedures were not in place to assure the billing and metering system
"It is not clear if CMP leadership and staff possess the knowledge of best practices and have experience to apply them," Laura Arnold, senior manager at BerryDunn, wrote in her recommendations. "It is possible that some or all of these best practices were purposely ignored."
Arnold recommended that CMP develop an action plan to regain the public's confidence. The plan should be monitored by an independent party that periodically reports to the commission.
It also said that when a defect is identified that affects a customer invoice, CMP should analyze all customer accounts that may have been affected. CMP also should notify customers about the problem and how it might affect their bill. The notification should be separate from their invoice.
"Our report suggests pathways to take to assure the system is running properly and to restore public confidence," Hobbins said. "I believe the Maine Public Utilities Commission has an obligation to exhaust all remedies in the ongoing billing and metering case before they consider giving one penny more in higher rates to CMP."
CMP has requested a rate increase that is being considered in a separate commission case. That case will be decided after the billing and metering case is complete. Commission staff earlier suggested cutting CMP's profits for its poor customer performance.
The commission is scheduled to make its final decision on the metering and billing case Dec. 20. The reports by the commission's staff and the public advocate will be taken into account in the final decision.
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Carcharhinus  è il genere più numeroso degli squali requiem (Carcharhinidae). Comprende oltre 30 specie diffuse nei mari tropicali e temperati di tutto il mondo, nonché, in alcuni casi, anche in acque salmastre, ad esempio in prossimità degli estuari, e in acque dolci.

Il nome deriva dai termini greci karcharos, «aguzzo», e rhis (genitivo rhinos), «naso». Da questo genere prende il nome l'intera famiglia dei Carcarinidi (Carcharhinidae).

Descrizione
Le specie di Carcharhinus misurano da uno ad un massimo di circa 4 metri e presentano una pinna anale e due pinne dorsali, delle quali quella anteriore più grande della posteriore. Le pinne dorsali sono generalmente a forma di falce ed erette, ma in alcune specie possono essere più o meno arrotondate. Anche le pinne pettorali sono grandi e a forma di falce, ad eccezione di quelle del longimano, a forma di ala e fortemente arrotondate. Nella maggior parte delle specie la prima pinna dorsale ha inizio a livello delle pinne pettorali o immediatamente dietro l'estremità del loro bordo interno libero. Può essere presente una cresta interdorsale specie-specifica. La pinna anale è generalmente grande o leggermente più grande della seconda pinna dorsale. La pinna caudale ha un lobo inferiore relativamente piccolo e un lobo superiore molto grande.

La colorazione dorsale della maggior parte delle specie va dal grigio al grigio-brunastro; solo raramente è bronzea o bluastra. Il lato ventrale può essere dello stesso colore del dorso o essere notevolmente più chiaro, persino bianco. In molte specie le punte delle pinne mostrano una tipica colorazione bianca o nera e in alcuni casi possono apparire anche dei disegni sui fianchi.

Questi squali hanno il muso lungo e largo, appiattito o appuntito, cinque fessure branchiali, occhi rotondi dotati di membrana nittitante e denti a punta singola a forma di lama. Differiscono dagli altri generi di questa famiglia in quanto sono privi di spiracolo e hanno i margini taglienti dei denti superiori e (con poche eccezioni) inferiori sempre seghettati. Altre differenze riguardano la dimensione e la disposizione delle pinne l'una rispetto all'altra.

Distribuzione e habitat

Le specie del genere Carcharhinus sono presenti in tutto il mondo in acque marine temperate e tropicali. Un certo numero di specie è presente unicamente in una limitata area costiera, come lo squalo pinna nera australiano  (C. tilstoni) e altre specie della costa australiana o lo squalo di scogliera dei Caraibi (C. perezii) delle isole omonime; alcune specie sono estremamente rare, come lo squalo di Pondicherry (C. hemiodon), noto solamente a partire da 20 esemplari. Al contrario esistono anche specie cosmopolite che si possono trovare in quasi tutti i mari, ad eccezione di quelli polari, come il longimano (C. longimanus) e lo squalo seta (C. falciformis).

La maggior parte delle specie vive in acque costiere, nelle barriere coralline e sulla piattaforma continentale e non si spinge molto in acque pelagiche. Alcune specie sono presenti anche nelle acque salmastre degli estuari, ma solo lo squalo leuca (C. leucas) si spinge regolarmente nei grandi sistemi fluviali dell'Asia o dell'Africa. Veri squali d'acqua dolce come gli squali di fiume (genere Glyphis) non esistono in questo genere. Le specie più propriamente pelagiche sono il longimano e lo squalo sericeo.

Nel Mediterraneo si trovano più o meno regolarmente 10 specie di questo genere. Alcune di queste sono visitatori occasionali che entrano attraverso lo stretto di Gibilterra o il canale di Suez. Altre specie vi risiedono stabilmente e vi si riproducono.

Biologia
Le specie di Carcharhinus sono generalmente squali molto attivi che si spostano nuotando a velocità moderata. Sono attive di giorno e di notte e, a seconda della specie, si mantengono vicine alla superficie dell'acqua, soprattutto di giorno. Di norma, sono animali solitari, ma possono anche riunirsi in gruppi più piccoli o più grandi per cacciare.

Alimentazione

Le specie di Carcharhinus, come tutti gli squali requiem, sono forti nuotatori e si nutrono predando una grande varietà di pesci, compresi altri squali, cefalopodi, crostacei, tartarughe e mammiferi marini come le foche e occasionalmente uccelli marini. Non vi sono specialisti alimentari veri e propri, ma il regime alimentare di ciascuna specie dipende principalmente dalle sue dimensioni e dalla regione marina in cui vive, nonché dal fatto se cacci in acque libere o sul fondo.

In particolare le specie più grandi, come il longimano e lo squalo sericeo, così come i grandi squali appartenenti ad altri generi come la verdesca (Prionace glauca), lo squalo tigre (Galeocerdo cuvier) e lo squalo bianco (Carcharodon carcharias), non sono schizzinosi riguardo alle loro prede e quando sono a caccia attaccano tutte le possibili prede di dimensioni adeguate (predatori opportunisti). L'ampia gamma di cibo disponibile consente a queste specie di adattarsi a quasi tutti gli habitat marini. Tuttavia, per lo stesso motivo, possono anche essere potenzialmente pericolosi per nuotatori e subacquei, dal momento che questi ultimi vengono considerati possibili prede.

Riproduzione

Le specie di questo genere sono vivipare placentate: in esse il sacco vitellino si trasforma in una placenta fissata alla parete dell'utero, dalla quale si dipartono dei cordoni ombelicali che trasportano il nutrimento dalla madre ai piccoli. A seconda della specie e delle proprie dimensioni, le femmine danno alla luce da uno a circa 15 piccoli. Il periodo di gestazione varia a seconda della specie, della regione e della popolazione ed è compreso tra 9 e 24 mesi. Sono animali a crescita molto lenta, che diventano sessualmente maturi quando raggiungono una lunghezza che, a seconda delle specie, è di circa uno o due metri; pertanto, le femmine sessualmente mature sono di solito un po' più lunghe e anziane.

Tassonomia
Il genere comprende in tutto 36 specie. La loro identificazione, però, è spesso molto difficile, in quanto le principali caratteristiche distintive, come le proporzioni corporee relative e la forma delle squame placoidi, cambiano nel corso dell'ontogenesi. Inoltre, in alcune specie è presente un evidente dimorfismo sessuale in termini di colorazione e forma dei denti. Un'altra importante caratteristica distintiva è il numero delle vertebre; pertanto, la determinazione corretta tra due specie esternamente molto simili è possibile solo attraverso l'analisi di caratteristiche esterne e interne. La presenza in una determinata area o il comportamento degli animali, comunque, spesso aiuta a riconoscere correttamente una specie.

Gli squali notturni, che in passato venivano posti in un genere separato (Hypoprion), vengono ora assegnati a questo genere. Il genere Carcharhinus comprende le seguenti 36 specie:

 Carcharhinus acronotus () - squalo dal muso nero;
 Carcharhinus albimarginatus () - squalo dalle pinne argentee;
 Carcharhinus altimus () - squalo nasuto;
 Carcharhinus amblyrhynchoides () - squalo dalle pinne orlate di nero di scogliera;
 Carcharhinus amblyrhynchos () - squalo grigio del reef o di scogliera;
 Carcharhinus amboinensis () - squalo dall'occhio di porco;
 Carcharhinus borneensis () - squalo del Borneo;
 Carcharhinus brachyurus () - squalo ramato;
 Carcharhinus brevipinna () - squalo tessitore o squalo dalle pinne corte;
 Carcharhinus cautus () - squalo nervoso;
 Carcharhinus cerdale  - squalo dalla coda piccola del Pacifico;
 Carcharhinus coatesi () - squalo di Coates;
 Carcharhinus dussumieri () - squalo dalla guancia bianca;
 Carcharhinus falciformis () - squalo seta o squalo sericeo;
 Carcharhinus fitzroyensis () - squalo del golfo di Carpentaria;
 Carcharhinus galapagensis () - squalo delle Galapagos;
 Carcharhinus hemiodon () - squalo di Pondicherry;
 Carcharhinus humani  - squalo di Human;
 Carcharhinus isodon () - squalo dai denti sottili;
 Carcharhinus leiodon  - squalo pinne nere dai denti lisci;
 Carcharhinus leucas () - squalo leuca;
 Carcharhinus limbatus () - squalo orlato o squalo pinna nera minore;
 Carcharhinus longimanus () - longimano o squalo oceanico a pinne bianche;
 Carcharhinus macloti () - squalo dal naso duro;
 Carcharhinus macrops  - ;
 Carcharhinus melanopterus () - squalo a punte nere del reef o pinna nera del reef;
 Carcharhinus obscurus () - squalo bruno;
 Carcharhinus obsoletus  - squalo perduto;
 Carcharhinus perezii () - squalo di scogliera dei Caraibi;
 Carcharhinus plumbeus () - squalo grigio;
 Carcharhinus porosus () - squalo dalla coda piccola;
 Carcharhinus sealei () - squalo dalla macchia nera;
 Carcharhinus signatus () - squalo notturno;
 Carcharhinus sorrah () - squalo dalla coda maculata;
 Carcharhinus tilstoni () - squalo dalla coda nera di scogliera;
 Carcharhinus tjutjot () - squalo dalla guancia bianca indonesiano.

È molto probabile che il genere Carcharhinus sia parafiletico rispetto a Prionace, il genere monospecifico cui appartiene la verdesca (Prionace glauca), quindi dovrebbe includerlo. Secondo uno studio di biologia molecolare effettuato nel 2008, la verdesca è una sister species dello squalo nasuto (C. altimus) e dello squalo seta (C. falciformis), che si trovano situati al centro dell'albero filogenetico del genere.

Rapporti con l'uomo

All'interno del genere Carcharhinus vi è un certo numero di specie di squali molto grandi che si possono trovare regolarmente anche nelle zone costiere. Di conseguenza, molte di esse sono ritenute potenzialmente pericolose per l'uomo, in particolare lo squalo seta, lo squalo leuca e il longimano. Esistono numerosi casi documentati di attacchi di queste specie a nuotatori, subacquei e imbarcazioni, nonché altri di cui sono ritenuti i principali indiziati.

Tuttavia, molte specie di Carcharhinus figurano sulla Lista rossa della IUCN come specie minacciate di estinzione. L'elevata pressione provocata dalla pesca commerciale in gran parte del loro areale viene indicata come la principale causa di minaccia. Non sono oggetto di caccia, ma finiscono tra le catture accessorie della pesca d'altura con palangari e reti da traino. Le grosse pinne delle specie pelagiche sono molto apprezzate anche come base della famosa zuppa di pinne di squalo: una volta rimosse le pinne, le carcasse vengono gettate in mare. A causa della difficoltà nel raccogliere informazioni inerenti alla pesca d'altura, non vi sono dati precisi riguardo al numero di catture, né informazioni sull'entità e sulle variazioni delle popolazioni di questi squali.

Note

Bibliografia

Altri progetti

Collegamenti esterni

Carcharhinidae
Taxa classificati da Henri Marie Ducrotay de Blainville

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Gertrude Ina Johnson, 97, of Albany, formerly of Sweet Home, passed away Tuesday, February 5, 2019, at the Mennonite Home.
She was born in Hubbard to Alvin and Barbara Ellen (Schultz) Hamilton.
She married Adolph Leonard Johnson on May 24, 1942, in Molalla. She had lived in Molalla and then settled in Sweet Home.
Gertrude was a member of the Sweet Home Mennonite Church.
She enjoyed quilting and embroidery. She was a phenomenal cook and baker. Everything she made was amazing.
Gertrude is survived by sons, Warren of Harrisburg, Delmer of Eugene, Byron of McMinnville; daughter, Beverly Knox of Harrisburg; sister, Norma Reeser of Albany; nine grandchildren; and 16 great-grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by brothers, Lawrence and Sanford Hamilton; and sister, Grace Hafdahl.
A memorial service will be 2 p.m. on Friday, March 1, at Sweet Home Mennonite Church. Private family burial was held at Gilliland Cemetery.
Memorial contributions can be made in her name to American Bible Society or Sweet Home Mennonite Church.


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English Forum Switzerland > Off-Topic > Off-Topic > International affairs/politics
The Brexit referendum thread: potential consequences for GB, EU and the Brits in CH
View Poll Results: What would you personally prefer to happen?
I want the UK to stay in an ever-closer union 49 23.11%
I want the UK to stay in a loosely connected EU 68 32.08%
I want the UK out because the EU is bad for the UK 22 10.38%
I want the UK out because the EU is a bad thing 23 10.85%
I want the UK out because this would be good for the rest of us 17 8.02%
I don't really care 33 15.57%
Voters: 212. You may not vote on this poll
Page 842 of 1452 « First < 342 742 792 832 838 839 840 841 842 843 844 845 846 852 892 942 1342 > Last »
Location: Küsnacht, Switzerland
Groaned at 105 Times in 96 Posts
Re: The Brexit referendum thread: potential consequences for GB, EU and the Brits in
To be kind of fair to Loz, Brexiteers have been rattling on about Article 24 GATT for the umpteenth time this week. It appears that you can't put scurrilous 'facts' down.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-b...-idUSKCN1PH24V
One of the people at the forefront of banging on about the (mis)perceived benefits of Article 24, is Richard Tice. I'm half expecting Tice to be named as Farage's mysterious benefactor who paid for his private flight from London to Strasbourg this week. Quelle surprise!
And before any Brexiteers start spouting that other countries trade solely on W.T.O. rules, that's a lie! It's also not true that Mauritania are the only coulntry to trade on W.T.O. rules, since they rejoined ECOWAS in 2017. So...if the UK crash out of the UK without a deal, they will be the only country in the entire World to trade purely on W.T.O. rules. Deep joy!
This user would like to thank Blueangel for this useful post:
Only until the UK makes its own trade deals, which it will. Because unlike Mauritania the UK is one of the largest economies in the world.
The following 2 users would like to thank for this useful post:
fatmanfilms, st2lemans
Location: Kt. Zürich
Groaned at 430 Times in 371 Posts
Loz1983
Only until the UK makes its own trade deals, which it will. Because unlike Mauritania the UK is was one of the largest economies in the world.
ftfy
I hope these deals are finalised before we are all to old to notice.
I refer the honourable gentleman to my post 16615.
greenmount
Unfortunately, after I watched Brexit unfold as a result of massive manipulations, I tend to agree with these people.
Europe 'coming apart before our eyes', say 30 top intellectuals
Group of historians and writers publish manifesto warning against rise of populism
Fight for Europe – or the wreckers will destroy it
Jon Henley in Paris, and Mark Rice-Oxley
Fri 25 Jan 2019 15.32 GMT Last modified on Fri 25 Jan 2019 19.09 GMT
Liberal values in Europe face a challenge "not seen since the 1930s", leading intellectuals from 21 countries have said, as the UK lurches towards Brexit and nationalists look set to make sweeping gains in EU parliamentary elections.
The group of 30 writers, historians and Nobel laureates declared in a manifesto published in several newspapers, including the Guardian, that Europe as an idea was "coming apart before our eyes".
"We must now will Europe or perish beneath the waves of populism," the document reads. "We must rediscover political voluntarism or accept that resentment, hatred and their cortege of sad passions will surround and submerge us."
Bernard-Henri Lévy, Milan Kundera, Salman Rushdie, Elfriede Jelinek, Orhan Pamuk and 25 others
They write of their regret that Europe has been "abandoned from across the Channel" – an oblique reference to the drawn-out Brexit process that has arguably brought Anglo-European relations to their lowest point since the second world war.
And they say that unless efforts are made to combat a rising tide of populism, the EU elections will be "the most calamitous that we have ever known: victory for the wreckers; disgrace for those who still believe in the legacy of Erasmus, Dante, Goethe, and Comenius; disdain for intelligence and culture; explosions of xenophobia and antisemitism; disaster".
"Abandoned from across the Channel and from across the Atlantic by the two great allies who in the previous century saved it twice from suicide; vulnerable to the increasingly overt manipulations of the master of the Kremlin, Europe as an idea, as will and representation, is coming apart before our eyes," the text reads.
The 800-word paean was drafted by the French philosopher Bernard-Henri Lévy. Signatories included the novelists Ian McEwan and Salman Rushdie, the historian Simon Schama and the Nobel prize laureates Svetlana Alexievitch, Herta Müller, Orhan Pamuk and Elfriede Jelinek.
Rushdie told the Guardian: "Europe is in greater danger now than at any time in the last 70 years, and if one believes in that idea it's time to stand up and be counted.
"In the UK, I hope parliament may yet have the courage to call for a second referendum. That could rescue the country from the calamity of Brexit and go a long way towards rescuing the EU as well."
McEwan said he had signed the manifesto because he was "very pessimistic" about the current moment, "but try to be hopeful that the zeitgeist will turn".
Sign up to our Brexit weekly briefing
Pamuk said the idea of Europe was also important to non-western countries. "Without the idea of Europe, freedom, women's rights, democracy, egalitarianism is hard to defend in my part of the world.
"The historical success of Europe made it easier to defend these ideas and values which are crucial to humanity all over the world," he said. "There is no Europe besides these values except the Europe of tourism and business. Europe is not a geography first but these ideas. This idea of Europe is under attack."
In theEU elections in May – the first that will not include Britain – most observers predict a rise in support for populist, nationalist or anti-immigration parties. Many of them have made significant gains in national elections, as the centre-right and centre-left that have traditionally dominated Europe's postwar politics retreat.
Matteo Salvini of Italy's far-right League has described the vote as a straight choice between "the Europe of the elites, banks, finance, immigration and precarious work" and that of "the people and of labour", pledging to form a Eurosceptic "Italian-Polish axis".
Hungary's prime minister, Viktor Orbán, has said the elections are a chance to bid farewell "to liberal democracy". Unlike Eurosceptics in the UK, most European counterparts do not want to leave the EU but to take it over.
Leading the charge against the resurgent rightwing populists are the French president, Emmanuel Macron, and the German chancellor, Angela Merkel. While both have been weakened by domestic problems, this week they renewed their countries' vows of postwar friendship and warned the lessons of their bloody past were being forgotten.
EU officials in Brussels believe it is possible there will be a decisive advance for the populists and gains for pro-European parties, or at least a confusing mix of the two, leaving the populists significantly stronger, but still facing a strong, if disunited, majority of pro-European MEPs.
The net result is likely to be a far more complex parliamentary makeup, delicate coalition-building, and a European parliament increasingly unable to pass legislation to deal with major challenges, such as immigration and eurozone reform.
While they did not make any practical calls to action, the manifesto's signatories said they "refuse to resign themselves to this looming catastrophe". They counted themselves among the "too quiet" European patriots who understand that "three-quarters of a century after the defeat of fascism and 30 years after the fall of the Berlin wall, a new battle for civilisation is under way".
Despite its "mistakes, lapses, and occasional acts of cowardice", Europe remains "the second home of every free man and woman on the planet", they say, noting with regret the widely held but mistaken belief of their generation that "the continent would come together on its own, without our labour".
Pro-Europeans "no longer have a choice", they say. "We must sound the alarm against the arsonists of soul and spirit that, from Paris to Rome, with stops in Barcelona, Budapest, Dresden, Vienna, or Warsaw, are playing with the fire of our freedoms."
The signatories are: Vassilis Alexakis, Svetlana Alexievitch, Anne Applebaum, Jens Christian Grøndahl, David Grossman, Agnès Heller, Elfriede Jelinek, Ismaïl Kadaré, György Konrád, Milan Kundera, Bernard-Henri Lévy, António Lobo Antunes, Claudio Magris, Ian McEwan, Herta Müller, Lyudmila Ulitskaya, Orhan Pamuk, Rob Riemen, Salman Rushdie, Fernando Savater, Roberto Saviano, Eugenio Scalfari, Simon Schama, Peter Schneider, Abdulah Sidran, Leïla Slimani, Colm Tóibín, Mario Vargas Llosa, Adam Michnik and Adam Zagajewski.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/20...-intellectuals
Last edited by greenmount; 27.01.2019 at 13:16.
Nope, last time I checked the UK is still one of the largest economies in the world. Must try harder.
So the answer to rising Euroscepism is MORE Europe? Let's see how that works out.
This user would like to thank for this useful post:
st2lemans
United Kingdom is the fifth-largest national economy in the world measured by nominal gross domestic product (GDP),
ninth-largest measured by purchasing power parity (PPP), and
twenty second-largest measured by GDP per capita,
Of course Brexit has not happened yet
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lewton
Location: Hamburg, Deutschland
Groaned at 41 Times in 35 Posts
So you don't believe that countries will take advantage of the UK's need to sign some trade deals fast to get concessions that normally the UK wouldn't agree to?
This user would like to thank lewton for this useful post:
Who though? I'd be really interested to see who, other than China, the US and the EU has the power to take advantage over the UK? Japan perhaps, but I think you'll find Japan is very pragmatic where these matters are concerned. China too, they want to continue exporting their stuff. China even has a free trade deal with Switzerland.
If only one thing comes from this shitshow, it's the unassailable fact that the current muppets in government couldn't effectively negotiate a bag of pick n' mix, and the rest of the world knows this because it has been played out blow by blow in the global media. Any nation with even a modicum of negotiating power will nail the UK to whatever kind of deal it dictates and the UK will be falling over itself to sign it to prove to the moron Brexters it 'can trade without the EU'. Desperate.
Blueangel, Nixi
According to an internal memo in Whitehall, UK has failed to replicate almost all of the EU's 40 existing trade agreements and they will not be near completion by March 29.
Liam Fox, the international trade secretary, and other Brexit campaigners had claimed they would be easy to copy and all be ready before UK left the EU. Fox had said "believe me they will all be ready for one second after midnight in March 2019"
Unfortunately what is happening in the real world does not reflect your rosy view.
If everything was as easy as you believe then replicating the EU's existing trade agreements would have been done long ago.
Any nation with even a modicum of negotiating power will nail the UK to whatever kind of deal it dictates and the UK will be falling over itself to sign it to prove to the moron Brexters it 'can trade without the EU'. Desperate.
Desperate indeed, and the irony is that they could always sign their own trade deals with customs union partners. Others have...
Faisal IslamVerified account @faisalislam Jan 16
And here, it being Wednesday, I obviously bring up the fact that Turkey, in a customs union with the EU has done independent trade deals with Georgia and Moldova with Cabinet minister and key PM ally @JBrokenshire
https://twitter.com/faisalislam/stat...52879564726273
bowlie
Location: Nyon
Haven't been here for weeks ...
How goes the Great British Break Off?
Do we know any mote than we did the day after the referendum?
Just curious!
We know that Brexiteers are excellent at shouting "la la la" with their fingers in their ears in the face of overwhelming evidence.
Blueangel, marton, Rob, Urs Max
Larry The Cat won't stay in No.10 at the same time as Chris Grayling.
It only costs £10k to get BoJo to promote your company and products.
It's impossible for a UKIP leader to have a British spouse.
Osbourne and Gove are bezzie mates again, and Cameron and BoJo are bezzie mates again, but Cameron still hates Gove.
Some (alleged) Labour supporters are giving a presenter of 'Countdown' a harder time than Theresa May.
Corbyn has been found to share DNA with a lettuce that's been left at the back of the fridge so long that it's gone brown and slimy.
Oh....and when we found out about Cameron shoving his dick in a pig's head, little did we know that was the least of our concerns
Even The Times is bricking it now...
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/m...exit-50zw9b9gv
The UK government doesn't agree.
Most EU trade agreements will be replicated by Brexit day - trade department minister
Well, they have been extremely competent and truthful until now, so why should we doubt them.
Are you suspicious of the timing of this leak about Operation Yellowhammer? I can't help but think it's designed to get her own MPs to vote for her deal, because she's framing the next vote in parliament as No Deal vs Her Deal.
If the PM really had balls, she'd tell the ERG to publish a full list of their members or STFU, then have the proposed series of votes r.e. each possible avenue that the house can take. It's the only way to really know what they think. The last 6 weeks has just been time wasting.
The following 3 users would like to thank Blueangel for this useful post:
Only 6 weeks? How long have Brexit secretaries been sat with their thumbs up their arses now? Couple of years?
Blueangel, Clocker
Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 10 (0 members and 10 guests)
Latest Referendum, what will be consequences for EU (C permit and B permit) holders? expat2014 Permits/visas/government 3 11.02.2014 08:59
Importing vehicles and the VAT consequences in Switzerland from France BEFO Finance/banking/taxation 6 07.08.2013 15:11
The (Available in CH) Dog Food Review Thread meloncollie Pet corner 44 08.05.2012 20:15
Common-law marriage and consequences in CH Mishto Family matters/health 9 01.10.2011 22:03
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LinkBacks Enabled by vBSEO 3.1.0

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
import re

from binascii import unhexlify
from collections import namedtuple
from itertools import starmap

try:
    from urlparse import urljoin
except ImportError:
    from urllib.parse import urljoin

__all__ = ["load", "M3U8Parser"]

# EXT-X-BYTERANGE
ByteRange = namedtuple("ByteRange", "range offset")

# EXT-X-KEY
Key = namedtuple("Key", "method uri iv key_format key_format_versions")

# EXT-X-MAP
Map = namedtuple("Map", "uri byterange")

# EXT-X-MEDIA
Media = namedtuple("Media", "uri type group_id language name default "
                            "autoselect forced characteristics")

# EXT-X-START
Start = namedtuple("Start", "time_offset precise")

# EXT-X-STREAM-INF
StreamInfo = namedtuple("StreamInfo", "bandwidth program_id codecs resolution "
                                      "audio video subtitles")

# EXT-X-I-FRAME-STREAM-INF
IFrameStreamInfo = namedtuple("IFrameStreamInfo", "bandwidth program_id "
                                                  "codecs resolution video")

Playlist = namedtuple("Playlist", "uri stream_info media is_iframe")
Resolution = namedtuple("Resolution", "width height")
Segment = namedtuple("Segment", "uri duration title key discontinuity "
                                "byterange date map")

ATTRIBUTE_REGEX = (r"([A-Z\-]+)=(\d+\.\d+|0x[0-9A-z]+|\d+x\d+|\d+|"
                   r"\"(.+?)\"|[0-9A-z\-]+)")

class M3U8(object):
    def __init__(self):
        self.is_endlist = False
        self.is_master = False

        self.allow_cache = None
        self.discontinuity_sequence = None
        self.iframes_only = None
        self.media_sequence = None
        self.playlist_type = None
        self.target_duration = None
        self.start = None
        self.version = None

        self.media = []
        self.playlists = []
        self.segments = []

class M3U8Parser(object):
    def __init__(self, base_uri=None):
        self.base_uri = base_uri

    def create_stream_info(self, streaminf, cls=None):
        program_id = streaminf.get("PROGRAM-ID")
        if program_id:
            program_id = int(program_id)

        bandwidth = streaminf.get("BANDWIDTH")
        if bandwidth:
            bandwidth = int(bandwidth)

        resolution = streaminf.get("RESOLUTION")
        if resolution:
            resolution = self.parse_resolution(resolution)

        codecs = streaminf.get("CODECS")
        if codecs:
            codecs = codecs.split(",")
        else:
            codecs = []

        if cls == IFrameStreamInfo:
            return IFrameStreamInfo(bandwidth, program_id, codecs, resolution,
                                    streaminf.get("VIDEO"))
        else:
            return StreamInfo(bandwidth, program_id, codecs, resolution,
                              streaminf.get("AUDIO"), streaminf.get("VIDEO"),
                              streaminf.get("SUBTITLES"))

    def split_tag(self, line):
        match = re.match("#(?P<tag>[\w-]+)(:(?P<value>.+))?", line)

        if match:
            return match.group("tag"), match.group("value").strip()

        return None, None

    def parse_attributes(self, value):
        def map_attribute(key, value, quoted):
            return (key, quoted or value)

        attr = re.findall(ATTRIBUTE_REGEX, value)

        return dict(starmap(map_attribute, attr))

    def parse_bool(self, value):
        return value == "YES"

    def parse_byterange(self, value):
        match = re.match("(?P<range>\d+)(@(?P<offset>.+))?", value)

        if match:
            return ByteRange(int(match.group("range")),
                             int(match.group("offset") or 0))

    def parse_extinf(self, value):
        match = re.match("(?P<duration>\d+(\.\d+)?)(,(?P<title>.+))?", value)
        if match:
            return float(match.group("duration")), match.group("title")

    def parse_hex(self, value):
        return unhexlify(value[2:])

    def parse_resolution(self, value):
        match = re.match("(\d+)x(\d+)", value)

        if match:
            width, height = int(match.group(1)), int(match.group(2))
        else:
            width, height = 0, 0

        return Resolution(width, height)

    def parse_tag(self, line, transform=None):
        tag, value = self.split_tag(line)

        if transform:
            value = transform(value)

        return value

    def parse_line(self, lineno, line):
        if lineno == 0 and not line.startswith("#EXTM3U"):
            raise ValueError("Missing #EXTM3U header")

        if not line.startswith("#"):
            if self.state.pop("expect_segment", None):
                byterange = self.state.pop("byterange", None)
                extinf = self.state.pop("extinf", (0, None))
                date = self.state.pop("date", None)
                map_ = self.state.get("map")
                key = self.state.get("key")

                segment = Segment(self.uri(line), extinf[0],
                                  extinf[1], key,
                                  self.state.pop("discontinuity", False),
                                  byterange, date, map_)
                self.m3u8.segments.append(segment)
            elif self.state.pop("expect_playlist", None):
                streaminf = self.state.pop("streaminf", {})
                stream_info = self.create_stream_info(streaminf)
                playlist = Playlist(self.uri(line), stream_info, [], False)
                self.m3u8.playlists.append(playlist)
        elif line.startswith("#EXTINF"):
            self.state["expect_segment"] = True
            self.state["extinf"] = self.parse_tag(line, self.parse_extinf)
        elif line.startswith("#EXT-X-BYTERANGE"):
            self.state["expect_segment"] = True
            self.state["byterange"] = self.parse_tag(line, self.parse_byterange)
        elif line.startswith("#EXT-X-TARGETDURATION"):
            self.m3u8.target_duration = self.parse_tag(line, int)
        elif line.startswith("#EXT-X-MEDIA-SEQUENCE"):
            self.m3u8.media_sequence = self.parse_tag(line, int)
        elif line.startswith("#EXT-X-KEY"):
            attr = self.parse_tag(line, self.parse_attributes)
            iv = attr.get("IV")
            if iv: iv = self.parse_hex(iv)
            self.state["key"] = Key(attr.get("METHOD"),
                                    self.uri(attr.get("URI")),
                                    iv, attr.get("KEYFORMAT"),
                                    attr.get("KEYFORMATVERSIONS"))
        elif line.startswith("#EXT-X-PROGRAM-DATE-TIME"):
            self.state["date"] = self.parse_tag(line)
        elif line.startswith("#EXT-X-ALLOW-CACHE"):
            self.m3u8.allow_cache = self.parse_tag(line, self.parse_bool)
        elif line.startswith("#EXT-X-STREAM-INF"):
            self.state["streaminf"] = self.parse_tag(line, self.parse_attributes)
            self.state["expect_playlist"] = True
        elif line.startswith("#EXT-X-PLAYLIST-TYPE"):
            self.m3u8.playlist_type = self.parse_tag(line)
        elif line.startswith("#EXT-X-ENDLIST"):
            self.m3u8.is_endlist = True
        elif line.startswith("#EXT-X-MEDIA"):
            attr = self.parse_tag(line, self.parse_attributes)
            media = Media(self.uri(attr.get("URI")), attr.get("TYPE"),
                          attr.get("GROUP-ID"), attr.get("LANGUAGE"),
                          attr.get("NAME"),
                          self.parse_bool(attr.get("DEFAULT")),
                          self.parse_bool(attr.get("AUTOSELECT")),
                          self.parse_bool(attr.get("FORCED")),
                          attr.get("CHARACTERISTICS"))
            self.m3u8.media.append(media)
        elif line.startswith("#EXT-X-DISCONTINUITY"):
            self.state["discontinuity"] = True
            self.state["map"] = None
        elif line.startswith("#EXT-X-DISCONTINUITY-SEQUENCE"):
            self.m3u8.discontinuity_sequence = self.parse_tag(line, int)
        elif line.startswith("#EXT-X-I-FRAMES-ONLY"):
            self.m3u8.iframes_only = True
        elif line.startswith("#EXT-X-MAP"):
            attr = self.parse_tag(line, self.parse_attributes)
            byterange = self.parse_byterange(attr.get("BYTERANGE", ""))
            self.state["map"] = Map(attr.get("URI"), byterange)
        elif line.startswith("#EXT-X-I-FRAME-STREAM-INF"):
            attr = self.parse_tag(line, self.parse_attributes)
            streaminf = self.state.pop("streaminf", attr)
            stream_info = self.create_stream_info(streaminf, IFrameStreamInfo)
            playlist = Playlist(self.uri(attr.get("URI")), stream_info, [], True)
            self.m3u8.playlists.append(playlist)
        elif line.startswith("#EXT-X-VERSION"):
            self.m3u8.version = self.parse_tag(line, int)
        elif line.startswith("#EXT-X-START"):
            attr = self.parse_tag(line, self.parse_attributes)
            start = Start(attr.get("TIME-OFFSET"),
                          self.parse_bool(attr.get("PRECISE", "NO")))
            self.m3u8.start = start

    def parse(self, data):
        self.state = {}
        self.m3u8 = M3U8()

        for lineno, line in enumerate(filter(bool, data.splitlines())):
            self.parse_line(lineno, line)

        # Associate Media entries with each Playlist
        for playlist in self.m3u8.playlists:
            for media_type in ("audio", "video", "subtitles"):
                group_id = getattr(playlist.stream_info, media_type, None)
                if group_id:
                    for media in filter(lambda m: m.group_id == group_id,
                                        self.m3u8.media):
                        playlist.media.append(media)

        self.m3u8.is_master = not not self.m3u8.playlists

        return self.m3u8

    def uri(self, uri):
        if uri and uri.startswith("http"):
            return uri
        elif self.base_uri and uri:
            return urljoin(self.base_uri, uri)
        else:
            return uri

def load(data, base_uri=None, parser=M3U8Parser):
    """Attempts to parse a M3U8 playlist from a string of data.

    If specified, *base_uri* is the base URI that relative URIs will
    be joined together with, otherwise relative URIs will be as is.

    If specified, *parser* can be a M3U8Parser subclass to be used
    to parse the data.

    """
    return parser(base_uri).parse(data)

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Category Archives: News and Events
Cast & Crew, News and Events, Volunteers, VolunteersBy Lisa Joyce November 3, 2020
I am pleased to be able to introduce one of those rare Lifetime Members who has spent a Pentacle career in the house – from the rows of the theatre assisting on productions to caring for our patrons to cheering on three decades of performances. This Outstanding Performer in a Supporting Role spent three years…
News and Events, UncategorizedBy Lisa Joyce August 13, 2020
Congratulations to the 2020 recipients: Maddie Blanchard – Tony Zandol Technical Arts Theater Scholarship Maddie will be attending the University of Wyoming in the fall to study theatre, dance and education. After getting my degree, she plans to pursue a career in performance, specifically in children's theater and performing arts education. Alexandra Bolsinger – Tom…
VolunteersBy Lisa Joyce July 21, 2020
We are beyond proud and thankful for our lifetime members and would like to dedicate a few posts to share about them and the speeches that were made in recognition of their incredible involvement with Pentacle Theatre. "It is an honor to introduce this next Lifetime Member recipient. As I was looking back over the…
In the News, News and Events, Pentacle on the small screen, Press Releases, student night, Upcoming ShowsBy Lisa Joyce May 29, 2020
May 29, 2020 By now, you know what's coming when I send an email with this subject line: more sad news for you, our loyal patrons. On May 7, Governor Kate Brown announced that large gatherings will be canceled in Oregon through September. The announcement sent the Pentacle Theatre governing board to work on exploring…
Auditions, Cast & Crew, community service night, Donate, In the News, News and Events, Press Releases, Sponsors, student night, Upcoming Shows, VolunteersBy Lisa Joyce April 21, 2020
April 21, 2020 I keep hoping that I'll be writing you, our dear Pentacle donors and patrons, with better news. As Western governors unite in their planning for when the states will open for business, one thing has become very clear: there is no certainty about when theaters will be able to resume rehearsing and…
Cast & Crew, Cast and crew, community service night, Home Page, In the News, News and Events, Press Releases, student night, Upcoming Shows, VolunteersBy Lisa Joyce March 16, 2020
March 16, 2020 Last night, the Pentacle Theatre Governing Board met and discussed the rapidly evolving status of the coronavirus pandemic. At the same time, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued interim guidance regarding large gatherings: "… CDC, in accordance with its guidance for large events and mass gatherings, recommends that for the…
Cast & Crew, Cast and crew, In the News, News and Events, policies, Sponsors, Upcoming Shows, VolunteersBy Lisa Joyce March 13, 2020
March 13-15 performances of "The Cake" canceled Last night, the Pentacle Theatre Governing Board met and discussed the rapidly evolving status of the coronavirus pandemic.The board has decided to cancel the March 13 to 15 performances of The Cake and will assess the rest of the run on March 16. This decision reflects recent determinations by other…
Cast & Crew, Cast and crew, In the News, News and Events, Upcoming Shows, VolunteersBy Lisa Joyce March 12, 2020
COVID-19 audience update #2 March 12, 2020 To Pentacle Theatre's valued patrons and community members, The safety of our patrons, volunteers and staff is a top priority. We are monitoring the evolving Coronavirus/COVID-19 situation closely, and we will be following the protocols recommended by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC), World Health Organization (WHO),…
By Lisa Joyce March 5, 2020
March 5, 2020 To: The Pentacle Theatre Community From: Pentacle's 2020 Governing Board and Executive Director Re: Our STAR initiative Last year, our governing board and executive director sat together to discuss how to respond to our volunteers' evolving needs and expectations. We celebrated the fact that Pentacle provides a collaborative opportunity to create and…
Auditions, Auditions, Cast & Crew, Cast and crew, In the News, News and Events, Press Releases, Sponsors, Upcoming Shows, VolunteersBy Lisa Joyce March 2, 2020
What: Open auditions for She Kills Monsters: Young Adventurers Edition, by Qui Nguyen. Directed by MaryKate Lindbeck. A comic exploration of the assumptions we make about the people we love, and the monsters we must face, inside and out. When: 1 p.m., Saturday, April 25. Where: Pentacle Theatre, 324 52nd Ave. NW — located off Highway…


text:
Integrating FOSRestBundle to Create APIs
========================================

`FOSRestBundle`_ provides various tools to rapidly develop RESTful APIs in
Symfony applications. EasyAdmin doesn't integrate with FOSRestBundle features in
any way, but there are some options that you may need to configure to avoid
errors in backend URLs.

Format Listener
---------------

This listener provided by FOSRestBundle determines the best format for the
request based on the HTTP Accept header included in the request and some format
priority configuration.

If you have enabled this format listener, disable it for the backend routes:

.. code-block:: yaml

    # app/config/config.yml
    fos_rest:
        format_listener:
            enabled: true
            rules:
                # ... previous rules declarations
                - { path: '^/admin', stop: true }  # <-- add this line

When using FOSRestBundle 2.0, you may also need to configure the "zones" as
explained in `this chapter`_ of the FOSRestBundle documentation.

.. _`FOSRestBundle`: https://github.com/FriendsOfSymfony/FOSRestBundle
.. _`this chapter`: https://symfony.com/doc/master/bundles/FOSRestBundle/3-listener-support.html


text:
New findings of the Pisa study
Image problem for the sciences
Rank 16 out of 72, stable performance in the upper middle range: German students didn't do all that badly in the latest PISA test. But Germany still lags behind the world's top performers like Singapore and Canada or European frontrunners like Finland or Latvia.
This year's PISA test focused on the sciences, where Germany ranked 16 out of 72 participating countries and economies. German students, in other words, are "still in the upper middle range and well above the OECD average," according to Andreas Schleicher, PISA coordinator at the OECD. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development carried out the PISA study last year, but only just completed evaluating the data.
The best students in the world hail from Singapore (556 points in the PISA science test), followed by Japan (538 points) and Estonia (534 points). The worst performers were Algeria (376) and the Dominican Republic (332). German students scored 509 points; the OECD average is 493 points.
When it comes to equal opportunities for children from socially disadvantaged families, Germany has seen some improvement, but social background and educational success remain highly correlated.
PISA data is collected every three years. The scientific scores of German students have declined slightly since 2012, as they have for the OECD as a whole. All in all, however, the results are largely identical to the results from the 2006 PISA study, when the sciences were also the focus of attention. PISA coordinator Schleicher describes this phenomenon as "stabilization at an above-average level, and not a step backwards."
Schleicher also notes that the German school system made extensive changes and improvements following its shockingly poor showing in the 2001 PISA study, resulting in significant gains in the performance of the 15-year-olds. He finds, however, that the reform has lost momentum. In order to catch up with the world's leaders, Andreas Schleicher warns education policymakers that "another quantum leap" is needed.
However, the education researchers also presented results that serve as real alarm signals for many observers, not just Deutsche Telekom Stiftung:
Students tested were asked whether they could imagine pursuing a career in the sciences. Germany ranked third-last among all 72 countries.
Andreas Schleicher attributes this result to students' direct experience in biology, chemistry and physics classes. Teacher support was rated as "astonishingly poor", "passion for science and technology is much less pronounced here than in other countries."
While girls now get equally good scores as boys in STEM subjects, there remain considerable differences in attitudes toward technological and scientific subjects. Andreas Schleicher noted, "Obviously, girls are not expected to perform as well here."
All in all, the sciences seem to have a serious image problem in Germany. And this problem is the perfect starting point for remedying Germany's medium- and long-term shortage of skilled workers. That's the approach taken by Deutsche Telekom Stiftung with initiatives such as development networks for teacher training, which encompass 13 universities throughout Germany.
Photo: SeitenPlan
Website OECD
Will we even need teachers in the future?
Thomas de Maizière on his discussion with Indian education researcher Sugata Mitra
"The teachers here are adventurous"
How can digital learning environments add the most value for students? That's the big question for Tobias Ley at the Tallinn University in Estonia.
Can you learn to be happy?
Thomas de Maizière on the skills that young people need in the 21st century.
GestaltBar - the digital workshop
GestaltBar is a hands-on program operated by Deutsche Telekom Stiftung together with lower secondary schools, youth service partners and other non-scholastic institutions.


text:
dan paris : director // cinematographer // stills // presenter // writer
No matter which end of the camera you point at him, he'll know exactly what to do with it.
Dan has a multi faceted background in media. In the beginning it was in front of the camera, an actor on a handful of Aussie soaps and dramas. With a love for wild places he soon moved to presenting travel programs and natural history documentaries.
Eventually he discovered the other end of the lens and the rest they say…
Whether it's motion or still, his images will arrest… a reputation for spectacular panoramic landscapes, vivid studio portraits and powerful action scenes.
Dan has an innate relationship with the land and an novel eye for composition. Two in fact. For him, a successful shoot is the marriage of beautiful light, timing and an intimate connection with his subjects… every frame is carefully measured to capture the essence of the tale.
adrian faure : editor // producer // director // cameraman
Some say he was a TV veteran before his time and that he was born on the cutting room floor…
Ado started his television career as a cameraman before moving on the promo director and then editor. This ended up being his niche and he has spent 20 years producing and editing for both channels 10 and then 7, where he found himself in a dark room at the end of a cavernous maze in Tuart Hill remaining there a freelancer until he was found when they relocated in 2015.
Ado has worked on numerous Olympic Games and Commonwealth Games coverages as well as a multitude of internationally telecast sporting events. He has produced hundreds and edited well over a thousand TV programs (and many times more commercials), easily making him one of Western Australia's most prolific editors. To achieve those numbers in a tough market like Perth is a rare accomplishment.
Weaving a story is his forte. Ado believes that the producer and editor have the rare ability to evoke emotion through their creative processes. The viewers response fuels his own passion and motivation to keep doing what he loves the most.


text:
DR officials identify man believed to have paid Ortiz hitmen
(Roberto Guzman / AP)
By DÁNICA COTO
SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic —
Dominican authorities on Monday identified the man they believe paid hit men to try and kill David Ortiz, adding that they were closing in on the mastermind and motive behind the shooting of the famous slugger who is recovering at a hospital in Boston.
The man was identified as Alberto Miguel Rodríguez Mota, whom authorities say is a fugitive. The announcement was made as a judge held a hearing closed to the public for another suspect nicknamed "Bone." Officials did not release details, but according to court documents obtained by The Associated Press, the man, whose real name is Gabriel Alexánder Pérez Vizcaíno, is accused of being the liaison between the alleged hit men and the person who paid them.
The documents state that a man who is in prison for an unrelated case reached out to Pérez for the alleged job a week before the June 9 shooting at a bar in Santo Domingo and sent him a picture of the target so he could share it with the hit men.
Pérez allegedly shared the picture with the other suspects as they gathered at a nearby gas station just minutes before the shooting. Officials have not said whether the picture was of Ortiz.
The documents also state that Pérez sold a gold-colored iPhone 6 used to plan the attack to a woman for $180 so he could get rid of the evidence a day after the shooting. Authorities claimed the phone was giving him problems and that's why he sold it.
"He did this upon finding out that police were looking for him," the document states.
An attorney for Pérez did not comment upon leaving the courtroom after the hearing as police whisked away the suspect, who was wearing a red T-shirt, a flak jacket and a helmet. He did not speak to reporters.
The 24-year-old suspect is one of 10 that authorities have detained, and they are looking for at least two others mentioned in the court documents, including the man accused of paying the alleged hit men.
Ortiz's attorney, José Martínez Hoepelman, said he was satisfied with how the investigation was going.
"Trust the authorities," he said. "They have worked tirelessly to obtain the results that we have so far. We all want more information, but we have to wait."
Police have said the coordinator of the attack was offered 400,000 Dominican pesos, or about $7,800, to orchestrate the shooting of Ortiz, known as Big Papi.
He led the Red Sox to three World Series championships, was a 10-time All-Star and hit 541 home runs.
Ortiz lives in Boston but visits the Dominican Republic several times a year.
Doctors removed his gallbladder and part of his intestines before he was flown to Boston, where he remains in intensive care at Massachusetts General Hospital.
Associated Press writer Martín José Adames Alcántara contributed to this report.
Congress is heading for a showdown with President Donald Trump after the House voted on Wednesday to block his administration from selling billions of dollars in weapons and maintenance support to Saudi Arabia.
Boris Johnson, Jeremy Hunt make final pitch to Conservatives
The two men competing to be Britain's next leader have held their final televised event in front of Conservative Party members who will decide the winner.
The deadly Ebola outbreak in Congo is now an international health emergency, the World Health Organization announced Wednesday after a case was confirmed in a city of 2 million people .
Scientists say they nearly eliminated disease-carrying mosquitoes on two islands in China using a new technique.
UN court rejects Pakistan's argument in Indian spy case
The United Nations' highest court ordered Pakistan on Wednesday to stay the execution of an alleged Indian spy and undertake a full review of his case, after agreeing with India's contention the man's rights had been violated in a case that has been a source of friction between the nuclear neighbors.
Hashem Abedi, a key suspect in the 2017 Manchester Arena bombing that killed 22 people, was arrested Wednesday at a London airport after being extradited from Libya, British police said.
The 62-year-old drug lord was brought to the U.S. to stand trial after he twice broke out of Mexican prisons.
'El Chapo' likely to join some of nation's most notorious criminals in Colorado's 'Supermax'
Two men who lost family members in the crash of a Boeing 737 Max airliner in Ethiopia called on Congress to change Federal Aviation Administration procedures that let company employees perform safety inspections on planes as they are being built.
'Didn't deserve to die alone': Woman killed by SDPD vehicles comforted by strangers in last moments
Bernadette Grantling, a mother and former Morse High School track athlete, was struck by two San Diego police SUVs and killed in June. Melissa Bruce, a vacationing nurse from Oregon, held her in her final moments.


This year's Fidelity Investments Moonlight Movies series continues with a special showing of A Christmas Story on Wednesday, December 12 in Falls Park.
Come early to grab a good seat and play trivia before the show! Mobile Meltdown, Poppington's Popcorn, and Coffee Underground will be on-site. Feel free to bring your own picnic and enjoy a cozy night under the stars! Wristbands must be purchased on-site for $1 if you plan on bringing alcohol.
A Christmas Story is a 1983 American Christmas comedy film directed by Bob Clark and based on Jean Shepherd's semi-fictional anecdotes in his 1966 book In God We Trust: All Others Pay Cash, with some elements from his 1971 book Wanda Hickey's Night of Golden Memories. It stars Melinda Dillon, Darren McGavin, and Peter Billingsley. A seasonal classic in North America, it is shown numerous times on television, usually on the networks owned by the Turner Broadcasting System.
Subscribe via GreenvilleSC.gov to receive event information via email or text.


Some of the assignments that we must complete in school make up a greater proportion of our grades than others because of the work that goes into them. Among these assignments are term papers which test our ability to be descriptive, factual, and engaging in what we write. Being able to express the significance of a person, event, topic, or concept will not only allow us to have an overall high grade, but prepare for similar assignments in school, work, and other situations down the line.
There are several precautions to take so that you are able to turn in an assignment that appears to have been done by a professional. Here are some tips for writing an awesome term paper.
You can't write a term paper without having a clear focus on the subject matter. The first thing you'll need to do is decide what topic you're going to write about. This could be a person who has had a major impact in the past, or an event that has had long-lasting effects on things that are going on in the present day.
It is important to take advantage of tools such as a research paper writing service if this is your first time being assigned such a paper. Your topic, no matter how close it is to the current time, should be significant to current readers.
The best term papers are backed by a long list of facts that can support your point. In order to do that, you must conductive a heavy load of research that can back of your statements. While the internet makes it easy to find documents and photo or video footage related to your subject, there are other routes to finding research that are just as reliable, maybe even more.
Libraries and similar establishments are very useful when it comes to discovering information that can add intrigue to your paper. Depending on the topic, interviews with people connected to the subject as well as friends and relatives, are also helpful.
Structure is very important when it comes to any project, and when it comes to this paper, an outline will allow you to include all significant points. By figuring out what should be written first and how much is provided to each category, you will be able to create a clear description for readers that can be fun and informative.
A clear and engaging introduction should be the start so that the reader wants to explore your point. The body should include several paragraphs that describe the history of the topic, its impact, and how it can be dealt with as a problem or used as a solution. The headings should have a unique experience, and the conclusion should be to the point and encourage the reader to conduct more research on the subject.
Warm ups come in handy with not only getting people comfortable accomplishing a task, but helping them figuring out their current state and what improvements need to be made. When it comes to term papers, it's important to brainstorm a draft so that you get comfortable writing an assignment of this magnitude and figure out what you're missing.
This step will help determine if you're meeting your initial goals, such as meeting a word count, including proper references to show that you're using facts, or writing in a tone that suits your point. A draft will also make it easy to figure out if all of the points of your outline are included.
Once you get used to writing the term paper, it is time to write the final draft. This requires combining the research you've done before and after the rough draft in order to create a paper that takes the best of both worlds and provides the important facts. You'll need to make the necessary changes to the tones so that your work is intriguing and informative.
Make sure that the final draft come with a cover page that is clear and attention-getting so that the reader has a rough idea of what the paper is about while being interested enough to learn more. Each heading should be brief enough to get people to keep reading but direct enough to let people know what they're getting into.
Once the writing is done, you'll need to edit and proofread the entire paper so that you are aware of any mistakes. A quick skim and even a double-check aren't enough for an assignment this important, so be sure to triple and even quadruple-check for any errors that need correcting. Even if you have to spend a whole afternoon proofreading, you'll have confidence in your paper.
The proofreading process includes checking the spacing between sentences and paragraphs, scanning the tone so that it is consistent, and making sure that the fonts of the paragraphs and headings are the same. It also helps to have a friend, relative or someone you trust to look over the paper in case they spot something that can affect your grade.
Keep these tips in mind so that you turn in a term paper that puts you at the top of your class.


text:
Q: Npm install issue HOMEBREW This is the error I got:
npm install error 3097 error command sh -c node scripts/build.js 3098 error Building: /opt/homebrew/Cellar/node/16.5.0/bin/node

I just switched to Mac from Windows and cloned my repo. Tried to run npm install to install the packages for my react app and got this error.
I installed node with homebrew.

A: The issue seemed to be related with installing node with home brew. As a quick and easy fix I just ran brew uninstall node and then went to the nodejs website and installed it for mac manually. This took care of the issues and I was able to install my packages successfully.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


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text:
Book Review: Turkey's Accession to the European Union: An Unusual Candidacy
Constantine Arvanitopoulos (Ed.)
Turkey's Accession to the European Union: An Unusual Candidacy
Berlin Heidelberg: Springer-Verlag, 2009, ISBN: 978-3-540-88196-4, 215 pp., £72.00 (hb.)
Journal of Global Analysis | Vol. 1 | No. 1 | 2010
Turkey's accession to the European Union (EU) has probably been the most extraordinary case in the EU history. The reason why it is such an extraordinary case is because Turkey's European integration is related not just to the basis of the Copenhagen membership criteria but also to the ideational and religious components of the Union. That's why there needs to be a lot of research done in terms of cultural, ideological, political and economical aspects of the EU integration.
Fortunately, there has been a visible increase in the number of such studies recently. Turkey's Accession to the European Union: An Unusual Candidacy is a splendid combination of 17 research papers published under the editorship of Constantine Arvanitopoulos, Professor of International Relations at Panteion University (Athens) and the Director of the Constantinos Karamanlis Institute for Democracy, seeking to provide a comprehensive examination of political, security and socio-economical dimensions of Turkey's membership process.
The papers are full of insight with informative and contemporary debate from various scholars and researchers of different national backgrounds in order to make a better contribution to the ongoing public discussion of Turkey's accession. As Constantine Arvanitopoulos and Nikolaos Tzifakis state in the introduction part, the book is divided into three parts. While the first part (Chapters 1-6) discusses the institutional aspects of the EU such as EU enlargement, the fear of Turkey's integration from the perspectives of Europeans and Turks, the second part (Chapters 7-12) tries to come to grip the security implementations of Turkey's accession to European structures. Finally, the last chapter (Chapters 13-17) raises current socio-economic issues emphasising identity, religion, culture and political economy.
To cite an instance, the first chapter written by Constantine Arvanitopoulos and Nikolaos Tzifakis argues that employing enlargement as a foreign policy tool towards Turkey and the western Balkan countries has injected the deficiencies of the EU's external-relations policy into the enlargement process by raising the importance of 'expectations-capabilities' gap. Then, Julio Crespo MacLennan analyses the impact of negotiations between the EU and Turkey and the possible outcomes on the political development of the two parties. While Diba Nigar Göksel stresses the need for predictability in EU-Turkish relations and suggests that the EU accession process should revitalize the enactment of much needed reforms, the chapter by Thomas Silberhorn points out that there needs to be a third way in the 'in or out' dichotomy of the EU membership which involves various forms of cooperation and integration between the EU and its neighbouring countries. Hakan Yılmaz examines the evolution of the major Eurosceptic themes and movements in Turkey, from the early years of the EEC-Turkey relations in the late 1950s until the Turkish general elections in 2007 and he illustrated that AKP (Adalet ve Kalkınma Partisi – The Justice and Development Party) is more likely to fail between Turkish Euroscepticism and European Turkoscepticism. Aristotle Tziampiris presents some basic factors against Turkey's EU membership, focusing on various perceptions and claims about the historical, social, cultural and demographic interactions of Islam with Europe.
In the second part, Thanos Dokos explains that Turkey could contribute to the European Security and Defence Policy (ESDP) as it has been a participant in peace-support operations under the command of UN and NATO. Therefore, he states that Turkey's EU membership would be an asset for the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP). In the following chapter, Can Buharalı discusses the recent developments, particularly Cyprus' EU membership, and proposes some ideas to associate Turkey with the CFSP and ESDP structures and overcome the existing unwillingness along some member states. In the chapter by Özgür Ünal Eriş, the case of illegal migration has been considered and the new security threats to the EU have been examined. In relation to those threats, the chapter is analysed in the context of the relations between the EU and Turkey. Panayotis J. Tsakonas then discusses the Greek – Turkish conflict in the EU structure. Tsakonas argues that the EU can play a promising role in changing the interests of the parties involved by using its strength of the norms which is exerted on those parties and 'the type of socialisation' or 'the depth of internalisation' that the EU mechanisms produce. Kostas Ifantis discusses the Greek policy shift towards Turkey and concludes with Greece's overwhelming stake in a positive outcome for Turkey's EU accession process. Moreover, Ifantis even highlights some issues for future developments in Greece. Eugenia Vathakou then looks the Greek – Turkish conflict by exploring the emergence and development of governmental and nongovernmental initiatives, their nature and potential. Vathakou states that since Turkey's accession to the EU has increased the complexity of the environments of the Greek – Turkish conflict, this can both have positive and negative outcomes. While it encourages and creates themes, roles and institutions in the direction of peace, it can also cause chains of multiple connections among existing social systems on the side of the conflict.
In the last part, the chapter written by Dimitris Keridis starts exploring current socio-economic issues of the EU by discussing contemporary identity politics. Keridis correlates the current European identity with today's post-war period and states that reforming and adapting 'interwar Kemalism' would be the most appropriate way to deal with the debates over Turkey in Europe. In the following chapter, Ranier Fsadni continues the debate by discussing the main cultural arguments articulated both for and against Turkish membership in Europe such as religious dominance in culture in Muslim countries and differences between Islam and the West. Fsadni also stresses that while the debate on Turkey's membership is taken into account, the current situation highlights the increasing Americanisation of European politics. While Ali İhsan Aydın looks at how 'Christian Europe' has positioned itself in relation to Turkey as a Muslim country, the chapter by Mustafa Akyol discusses Mustafa Kemal Atatürk's secularism and highlights that the flourishing of democracy, freedom and opportunity will be the only ways to adapt modernity in the Islamic world. Finally, Pantelis Sklias looks at the differences of Turkey's candidacy with other Central and Eastern European Countries and analyses Turkey's trade integration capacity, human capital, demographic dynamism and migration. Sklias concludes that the more Turkey compromise and try to change its political-economic environment, the closer it will become with the EU.
The collection brings together a number of knowledgeable authors with both academic and professional experience by showing interesting evidence and insights into current cultural, ideological, political and economical aspects of the EU integration. Therefore, the book has a very important contribution to the question of Turkey's admission to the EU structures undertaking a comprehensive and objective approach. I hope this promising study will herald many more like it in the future.
Aksel ERSOY
School of Geography and Environmental Science
University of Birmingham, UK
Then, Please Click here to Download the Article
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The Truth Squad
Can Journalists Help Readers Navigate the Changing Media Landscape?
As the media industry copes with fake news, journalists still relish the chance to tell stories that matter.
by Tom Kertscher
ILLUSTRATION BY THE HEADS OF STATE
One weekend last December, 28-year old Edgar Maddison Welch, a father of two, drove from his home in North Carolina to Washington, D.C. on a mission to protect kids.
In search of what he had heard were secret underground tunnels harboring child sex slaves, Welch armed himself with an assault rifle and a revolver and entered a pizzeria, terrifying diners. He fired at least two shots, including one that broke a lock off a door.
But he found no tunnels or captive children. After 45 minutes inside the restaurant, the misguided gunman surrendered peacefully to police and no one was injured.
Online conspiracy theories that had circulated about a sex-trafficking ring — allegedly masterminded by presidential candidate Hillary Clinton and a top aide — were far-fetched but too compelling for him to resist. The shooting incident, quickly dubbed "Pizzagate," unmistakably established the power — and consequences — of fake news.
MOMENTS IN "FAKE NEWS" HISTORY
1825 Moon Hoax
In what Smithsonian magazine called one of the greatest hoaxes of all time, The New York Sun claims there is an alien civilization on the moon, selling enough papers to establish The Sun as a leading, profitable newspaper.
1917 Birth of the Bathtub
The New York Evening Mail prints journalist Henry L. Mencken's fictitious and absurd history of the bathtub in America, which, to his consternation, circulates widely as fact. Despite a public explanation that it was pure nonsense, the tale continues to circulate for decades.
1980 Jimmy's World
A Pulitzer Prize-winning Washington Post article details the heart-wrenching story of "Jimmy," an 8-year-old heroin addict. As readers seek to find Jimmy and help him, writer Janet Cooke is forced to admit that the boy didn't exist.
As is often the case, however, crisis brings opportunity. In the wake of fake or sloppily reported news stories that have gone viral, veteran and aspiring journalists alike are redoubling their commitment to their craft. New efforts are underway to improve the public's media literacy. And at a time when traditional media struggle to find workable business models and many media outlets get by with a pared down reporting staff, the divisive political environment has increased readership for media stalwarts like The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal, both of which reported a recent jump in subscriptions. In the process, there is hope that the news-consuming public will appreciate anew the indispensability of quality journalism.
"We have a return to a clarity of what our mission is," says Willow Bay, incoming dean of the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism and a veteran broadcast journalist and author. "It is a calling, not just a job."
WHY THE RISE OF FAKE NEWS?
Fake news, or "misinformation crafted to influence public opinion or cull digital advertising dollars," as the Columbia Journalism Review puts it, is increasingly difficult to separate from real news. According to the Pew Research Center, 23 percent of Americans say they have shared a made-up news story, either knowingly or not, and 64 percent say fabricated news stories cause a great deal of confusion about the basic facts of current events.
Even the most sophisticated are vulnerable.
Jacob Soll, a USC professor of history and accounting who is also a staff writer for Politico and a regular contributor to The New York Times and The New Republic, recalls that a "hysterical" political story appeared in the newsfeed on his smartphone after the 2016 presidential election and he quickly shared it on Facebook.
"Somebody said, 'That's not true,' and I had to take it right down," he recalls. "It makes you realize how Pavlovian one's reaction is to news stories. You're not sitting, reading, scouring the paper version of The New York Times or The Wall Street Journal over a table, which is a really different thing."
Soll traces the problem in part to a decline in the teaching of science and basic literacy. Only a few decades ago, he says, science was venerated in popular culture, but it's now poorly understood or distrusted. The dive in discernment leaves people vulnerable to the allure of fabricated information.
"People aren't reading in a complex way, so they're not going to sit down with serious news sources," Soll says. "They can't assess sources well."
Readers may think that the reliability of information in an ordinary blogger's site is the same as that in an outlet like The New Yorker, he adds, but it's not. "The New Yorker hires fact checkers from Princeton. There's a huge difference."
Of course, fake news — known in its incarnations as yellow journalism, bogus news and sensationalism — is nothing new. To stir up anti-British sentiment in 1782, Benjamin Franklin created a fake newspaper story claiming that Native Americans had sent the scalps of Americans to the king of England as a sign of loyalty. Franklin was able to pull off the hoax by printing an authentic-looking newspaper on his own printing press. Today, social media has given anyone with an internet connection the means to spread messages with a speed that Franklin could never dream of. In the U.S. alone, 70 percent of adults report using some type of social media.
Gabriel Kahn, a professor of professional practice at USC Annenberg and a former bureau chief and foreign correspondent for The Wall Street Journal, notes that technological advances have leveled the playing field for anyone to create a website that at first glance looks like a credible news source. Moreover, he says, the algorithms employed by Facebook continue to feed users what they've already shown an affinity for. "It sounds true because it jibes with my worldview," he says of a person's typical response to fake news shared on social media. "You've got the perfect environment for people to live in their filter bubble and be served only ideological comfort food."
Social media users also get immediate visceral feedback when they share news online. As Bay puts it: "It's much more fun to spread something outrageous, whether you support it or are horrified by it, than it is some serious, substantive, accurate news information."
All of this is easier to understand when you consider that traditional news media have suffered losses in reach and in trust. According to Pew, only 20 percent of Americans trust the information they get from local news organizations. Meanwhile, 60 percent say they get their news from social media. But all is not lost for analysis and thoughtful reporting: Smartphone users are still reading and spending time on long news stories, indicating they've got an appetite for in-depth reporting.
CONSCIENTIOUS CONSUMERS
Even with fake news and the economics of traditional media working against journalism, experts see opportunities for it to thrive.
Bay says a key element of the solution is to make consumers savvier about what they see and hear. Schools can help meet that challenge.
"We spend a lot of time with young people explaining the dangers of online chats and social media accounts. We should be spending at least that much time, if not more, on teaching young people how to differentiate credible content from not credible content or hoaxes, which is in essence what fake news is," she says.
To that end, USC is offering "Navigating Media and News in the Digital Age," a required class for journalism majors that Bay believes would benefit all undergraduates. Among other things, it teaches readers to put every story through the "SMELL" test—examining it for sources, motivations, evidence, logic and what's left out.
"You're getting a piece of content on your phone, but it no longer comes with the signifiers of quality, or even authorship, that it once did," Bay says. USC, she adds, strives to teach students "to do more than consume media, but also to critique it and then to create it, to learn how to use the tools effectively, ethically and accurately to produce content of their own."
Newly graduated USC Annenberg alum Eli Goodstein '17 sees another solution: stepping out of the news bubble. "I think it's important to try following things that maybe [I] don't agree with, so I can hear what other people are talking about, so I can get both sides of the argument." This helps guard against being taken in by shoddy journalism, or worse, he says. "It's on the people who are consuming the news to really go out there and actually start listening to people."
REBUILDING TRUST
And journalists, too, must address the challenges themselves.
"As journalists and educators of journalists, we would be well served by combining humility with a powerful sense of purpose," Bay says. "Trust has to be earned—one reporter and one story at a time—by doing what good journalists have always done and focus on the core elements of their job: accurate, ethical, timely and relevant reporting."
Maybe people don't think so, but I actually think this is the best time to be a journalist. We're in a moment of reflection and reevaluation and it's really important for people who are in the field to do the best job that we possibly can.
Eli Goodstein
Kahn says responsible media outlets need to better explain their methodology and professional ethics so that the public can more easily identify the responsible from the irresponsible.
"The public doesn't quite understand the intricacies of the craft, the layers of editing, the editorial judgment, the corroboration and so forth," Kahn says. "Give the public some understanding that there is real effort put into this to make it fair and responsible and accurate."
The newly graduated journalists feel prepared to find the way forward.
Taking advantage of more immersive, sensory technologies, such as video on social media or storytelling on the radio, will be increasingly important for journalists, says Intisar Seraaj MA '17, who studied digital journalism at USC Annenberg and plans to pursue cultural reporting on the web or on radio. Digital tools can add layers of complexity and context that were impossible a few years ago.
"I know people are taken in by the clickbait, but I do think there are people still out there reading the deeper pieces," Seraaj adds. "They're maybe just not sharing it as much because it's not cute to share that kind of stuff on social media."
Goodstein says he was drawn to journalism so he could tell important stories on the most effective platform that reaches people where they are—whether it's traditional print or new tools like Facebook Live. He's not daunted by the challenges facing new reporters.
"I don't feel depressed; I actually feel very energized," he says. "Maybe people don't think so, but I actually think this is the best time to be a journalist. We're in a moment of reflection and reevaluation and it's really important for people who are in the field to do the best job that we possibly can."
Social ImpactUniversityEducationJournalismMediaSocial Media
(Photo/ iStock)	Trojan Love Story
A Match Made in Journalism
The first paragraph of their love story starts with USC.
3 min readAlumni Life, Alumni, Journalism	 June 24
(Photo/ iStock)	The High Ground
How Did American Politics Lose Its Civility?
Researchers look at the road to rudeness and chart a path to more respectful discourse.
11 min readPolicy/Law, Social Impact, Elections, Politics	 June 24
(Photo/ iStock)	Seeds of Change
Efforts to Change the Culture at USC Mount
The university adds an ombuds office, boosts compliance and makes background checks more stringent.
3 min readStudent Life, University, Student Health, Student Life	 June 24
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The Best Advent Calendars of 2018For both Grown Ups and Kids!
We have an assorted range of the BEST Advent Calendars 2018 has to offer!! I'm absolutely loving the fact that there are so many for grown-ups now as they make a fantastic Christmas gift!
This beautifully crafted kids fabric advent calendar in the shape of a Christmas tree contains 24 pockets filled with little-stuffed toy figures. Each day a little toy figure is removed from the numbered advent pocket to attach to and decorate the fabric Christmas tree.
We all love Smiggle, now they have their very own Advent Calendar, but you won't find chocolate behind the hidden doors, instead, it comes with Smiggle Stationery Prizes!
Countdown to Christmas with the Lego Star Wars Advent Calendar! This 2018 Advent Calendar has 25 'slots' (one for each day in December) with each containing a Lego Minifigure, starship, vehicle or other Lego collectible. Once all 25 slots have been opened, the whole box opens up to present a foldout playmat so kids can play out their epic Star Wars adventures.
This gorgeous music box shaped advent calendar starts on day 1 with the Charm bracelet as the first gift. Each day a little window is opened to reveal a new Christmas-themed charm that can be added to the charm bracelet.
The Twinkle & Shine Advent Calendar from Angus & Robertson has 25 ornaments with each containing facts about holiday traditions from around the world.
Start a fun family tradition with this beautiful re-usable keepsake advent calendar. We love the really large drawers to fit gifts in for the whole family.
The Lego City Advent Calendar has 24 different gifts, one for each day of the holiday season including a space shuttle, race car, drone, robot, Christmas Tree, monster truck and loads more!
The Ooshies Marvel Advent Calendar contains 25 assorted pieces of Ooshie Marvel Characters including 12 exclusive Ooshies!
The Playmobil Santa's Workshop Advent Calendar has 24 boxes to count down to Christmas. Each box contains a wonderful scene with Father Christmas and his elves helping load the sleigh with toys.
This beautifully crafted wooden advent calendar contains 24 doors with wooden pieces to build a wooden Christmas tree surrounded by little wooden animals.
The Playmobile Royal Ice Skating Trip Advent Calendar is the perfect way to count down to Christmas. The magical scene is set for the King and Queen to enjoy ice skating int he forest. Many of the forest animals have come out to see the royal couple glide across the pond.
A great way for you to trial all the best selling Ethique products. This Advent Calendar contains 12 mini-versions of the best-selling brand Ethique. Each bar is packed full of vegan, cruelty-free and sustainably sourced goodness!
Let your festive season begin in the most enticing way with the 12 Days of Crabtree & Evelyn Advent Calendar Gift Set. Each of these gifts is florally and botanically infused hand therapy treats.
The ultimate in beauty product treats coming up to Christmas Day. This Beauty Advent Calendar by Asos features products for hair, skin and face. It includes cult products such as the Sand & Sky Australian Pink Clay Mask (but I don't want to give too much away!).
This gorgeous beauty Advent Calendar from Adore Beauty has London's must-have products. It contains Retexturing Face Primer, Invisible Waterproof Lip Liner, Guava Waterproof Lip Linder, Mink Pink Liquid Lipstick, Shimmer Palette, Illuminator Glow, Strobing Stick, Blusher Brush, Fan Brush, EVO Brush, Silk Lashes, Makeup Bag.
For the over 18, this is perfect for the Whisky drinker in the family (who doesn't love a stiff drink over Christmas!). They are taking pre-orders now and they will be shipped around mid to late October.
The Whisky Advent Calendar has 25 Australian whiskies, all handmade by distilleries all over the country. The bottles are 30ml and are presented in a signature black matte glass bottle.
Produced by 'White Possum', this is their second annual Gin Advent Calendar. It contains 25 Australian gins, produced by distilleries in every state of Australia (including the ACT). The calendar also has a tasting booklet featuring interesting facts about the featured distillery for that day.
Ohhhh wine – every day for December. This De Bortoli Wine Advent Calendar has mini-wines that are perfect for the Christmas Season or makes for a great gift for the booze hound in your life! It features wines from Windy Peak, Emeri sparkling wines and their new Rose Rose.
Featuring 100% Australian Independent Breweries and Exclusive Beers brewed specifically for this Advent Calendar. It contains 25 beers including one to drink on Christmas Day. Contains over $160.00 worth of beer in a festive box designed to get you into the Christmas Spirit.
A delicious Organic tea for each day in December. Tea flavours include White Tea Lychee Cocoa, Post Festival Cleanse Me, Chai Immune Boost, Energise Me for Holiday, Unwind me for the Season, Peppermint Melon, Moroccan Spice, Oolong Lemon Raspberry, Christmas Cake, Coconut Chia, Black Tea with Honey & Melon, White Tea Coconut & Passionfruit, Candy Cane. All tea is certified organic, Non-GMO and sustainably produced.
How adorable is this tea advent calendar! This is a handmade Advent Calendar that has a different brew every day wrapped in delightful wrapping with the pegs and string included. Perfect for a girlfriend, Mum or Nanna.
Squeeeeee Christmas isn't far away now!!!
We will be adding new Advent Calendars as we find awesome ones that you might like!!!


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Good night, dear adventurers. How are you?
I wrote this post on a Friday night, after I listened to a song; that was my happy hour. What song? "Shake it off", the new single of the talented and one of my favorites, Taylor Swift; I loved it from the first time I listened it!
Why people pay more attention to other people's lives than more important stuff, or even their own lives? They judge and criticize everyone, and seem to be more interested in negative things. Entertainment news are more searched and watched than really important news.
On this song, Taylor tells that people talk about her without even knowing her. I love her attitude; she says she doesn't care, and that she is going to keep going and having fun. That is what life is about: putting aside the negative, learn from experiences and keep walking.
When I talk about me, I say that I'm not a typical girl, and it's true. I know I'm not "normal", but so what? I'm happy being me; I don't have to and won't pretend to be another person. Besides, who says what is normal? Everything depends on how you see it. So while people are checking other people's lives, I'm gonna shake it off and live my own.
Don't take yourself too seriously; do what you like, learn from the mistakes and have fun. Remember that, as Ralph Waldo Emerson said, life is a journey, not a destination.
Here is the video of the fabulous song.