In what has to be one of the most progressive moves from Cadillac in some time, the brand has announced a $1,500-per-month, in-house ride sharing subscription service (plus a $500 registration fee). It's called Book By Cadillac, and it gives users access to the latest and greatest models of the lineup, for a flat rate, with insurance and maintenance covered. So long as they can afford it.
GM Authority initially reported that Book By Cadillac was in the works back in May of 2016.
No waiting at the DMV. No worrying about that next oil change. No need for multiple parking spots – the entire Cadillac family is available at your disposal, via the mobile phone app. Take the family upstate in a 2017 Cadillac Escalade during the week. Book a 2017 Cadillac CTS-V for some backroad driving during the weekend. There's an affluent, urban customer base that's going to enjoy Book By Cadillac – provided they live in New York City's five boroughs. Yes, Book By Cadillac will only be available to NYC residents for now, with other locations to be announced as time passes.
For those interested and eligible to register, the Book By Cadillac website is up and running.
This is BRILLIANT! Think of the possibilities once the $12B Cadillac portfolio hits the market. The newest cars, impeccably trimmed and insured. As an enthusiast and "milllenial" this is ultimate luxury. This is a big move for GM; first time "Dare Greatly" rings true for Caddy!
But I quite like the idea of having some variability in the cars I drive. Having the some of the ugly expenses out of the way is also quite nice.
And there's also a big 'C' word here that Cadillac should take on and promote after ignoring the market for so long: Concierge. If I want to order expensive scotch while in a booked CTS, my monthly $1500 should demand a competent concierge to do it on my behalf without any objections. That would be perfect!
If only there were more body styles on offer in Cadillac's range though.
Then Cadillac's concierge should do your exercise for you, order your food for you, cut your food and feed it into your mouth. And if you see some attractive woman at the restaurant, the Cadillac concierge should politely approach her and have her join you at your table. After your tiring meal, the CC should drive you home, give you a sponge bath, and of course tuck you into bed on freshly laundered sheets, teddy bear provided by CC as well. Hey if that's what it takes to sell Cadillacs, clearly Uwe and Johan are on the right track. And to think there was a time when building great cars that the public wanted to own was enough.
That's the thing. It ISN'T enough to simply make great cars anymore; the buyer wants more than just the car. The luxury buyer wants that icing on their cake too, and if Cadillac won't do it, the luxury buyer will take their money elsewhere (as they've done for over half a century at Cadillacs expense).
See, Drew, this is your problem. You've been raised on the flimsy idea of post-war luxury of simply making something bigger without adding any soul or ease of living. You've never actually owned or used a luxury product in your life, and therefore you'd have no appreciation of what a luxury lifestyle includes.
For example, a smartphone is a luxury in the sense that your life is made easier by not having to use a phone book or to be beholden to a desktop. In your eyes, you would shun the smartphone because it circumvents hard work or daily routine that you've otherwise become used to.
We've been through this before, Drew. The longer you continue to think of a Cadillac as simply a maker of big cars and with nothing else to offer, the worse off your understanding of a luxury product will be. Continue on, and you simply won't be able to see Cadillac in the way you have done so in the past.
No amount of argumentum ad antiquitatem is going to help here if you're not willing to see what others want in a luxury product.
Grawdaddy, it's a bit weird that you've apparently been spying on me for my entire life, to the point where you know that I've never owned or used a luxury product, ever. But I guess you are benevolent in your spying, like Santa Claus, because in this case your gift to me is telling me what my problem is. Thanks a bunch, Santa. Yes we've been through this before on this board, otherwise I might not have responded to your post with such sarcasm.
There's a line – not a particularly fine line – between luxury and laziness, or perhaps helplessness. You are obviously way past that line. So you can't even buy or order your own scotch? Someone from Cadillac has to do that for you? Oh boo-hoo, you might break a nail using the phone yourself. What else can't you do for yourself? Never mind, I don't want to know.
A basic car gets you from here to there. A Cadillac – traditionally – gets you from here to there in style, comfort, roominess, power, interior amenities. Vs. the basic car, a Cadillac is (should be, used to be) bigger, roomier, more comfortable, more prestigious, more powerful, and with the latest gadgetry (which once meant electric windows vs. the hand-crank ones that were more commonplace). I'd always expect a Cadillac to have a top-notch stereo, plush leather seats, etc. There's your "luxury" vs. basic car. But I don't expect Cadillac to order me expensive scotch, make my airline reservations (1st class of course), turn down my bedsheets, shine my shoes, or wipe my nose.
Grawdad, you sound so "entitled", it's pathetic. Yet you don't sound particularly smart (Latin phrasing does not impress me, critical thinking does), and I doubt you have anywhere near the income or wealth that I have. I could buy a Mercedes S class or even a Rolls Royce Phantom, cash now no financing, if that were important to me. It's just not how I choose to spend my money. My self-worth is not wrapped up in status symbols.
You know, it's because of people like you that the French Revolution occurred. It's people like you who are an embarrassment to other Cadillac owners. It's just pathetic that you refuse to do even minor tasks for yourself. So now that you've read this – have your butler turn off your PC, tablet, or smart phone, and tuck you in bed (a snow white pillow for your big fat head). I'm sure you've had a very trying day.
This is sweet! Should prove to be quite lucrative! I always hoped that auto manufacturers would provide a service similar to this. It's like an alternative to leasing a car but with more options and less commitment!
It's a novel approach, to be sure.
Not exactly sure how $1500 a month includes one-size-fits-all insurance, though. Especially in NYC.
Nevertheless, an interesting way to get affluent influencers behind the wheel.
PS – hard to tell if the website is fully functional yet – tried two different devices and nada.
Maybe it's mobbed with first-time visitors?
Anyway, I couldn't click through to any links.
Agree that this is brilliant. While I live in NY, I don't live in NYC – 60 miles away. The minute it is available to me, there will be CTS-V in the driveway. Next up for GM should be a lease sharing program for the Vette. 5.5 month in the North and 5.5 months in the South. One month for transport, cleaning, etc.
Easy way to get in a V.
Just drive, what a great way to enjoy a beast.
Simple to budget for as well.


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What to do if you've been the victim of a cyber crime
By: Rafael Sanchez
INDIANAPOLIS -- Chad Butler was unaware somebody had overtaken his realtor's computer and sent him a reminder on where to wire $42,000 for his home's closing.
The money disappeared -- and Butler had no chance to report the scheme to federal authorities.
"It set us back a while," Butler said. "We had some bigger plans to try to put in motion. They'll have to wait a few years.
Doug Kasper, an FBI representative from Indianapolis, leads the Complex Financial Crimes squad, which responds to financial crimes statewide.
"We're seeing a big uptick with victims across the state," Kasper said. "Don't be embarrassed. Call us -- we've helped companies recover as low as $2,000-$3,000 up to several million dollars. People who take time to reach us have a good chance of getting their money."
Since Feb. 2016, the squad has recovered $5.5 million for Hoosiers. The FBI stopped the banks from making the payments to the crooks wanting to cash in.
One of the biggest mistakes people make is trusting emails, which tell them to change a routine, like a new place to send money.
"Double check it," Kasper said. "Just take one extra step and make sure this money is actually going where it's supposed to go."
There are no guarantees you'll get your money back if you report your loss, but the information you provide could help prevent someone else from being victimized.
"We're aware what they are doing and we're doing more intelligence efforts to identify accounts that they are using to identify that type of activity," said Jay Abbott, FBI Special-Agent-In-Charge.
The FBI recently helped an elderly woman who was misled into wiring $346,000 to a wrong account.
If you need to report a problem to investigators, click here to start the process.
MORE TOP STORIES | Police release sketch of Delphi suspect | Source: Richard Grundy III had a $50K bounty on his head, may have been target in funeral ambush | Mom, premature baby back in Indiana after Mexican hospital demanded $30K following delivery | PC: Indianapolis man killed over missing drugs belonging to the 'Mexican Mafia' | 3 men killed in shooting on Indy's north side identified

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


This text is written with a business school orientation, stressing the how to and heavily employing CASE technology throughout. The courses for which this text is appropriate include software engineering, advanced systems analysis, advanced topics in information systems, and IS project development. Software engineer should be familiar with alternatives, trade-offs and pitfalls of methodologies, technologies, domains, project life cycles, techniques, tools CASE environments, methods for user involvement in application development, software, design, trade-offs for the public domain and project personnel skills. This book discusses much of what should be the ideal software engineer's project related knowledge in order to facilitate and speed the process of novices becoming experts. The goal of this book is to discuss project planning, project life cycles, methodologies, technologies, techniques, tools, languages, testing, ancillary technologies (e.g. database) and CASE. For each topic, alternatives, benefits and disadvantages are discussed.
Just as you can lead a horse to water, but it won't necessarily drink, so you can give an employee training, but he may not actually learn...unless, of course, the trainer uses this insightful new book. Turning Training into Learning provides a specific, tested method for making sure training equals real learning. Written for anyone who must train others, this step-by-step guide shows exactly how to create a program that engages trainees and ensures that they remember and use what they've learned when they get back to work. Readers learn how to: * Analyze exactly what a particular trainee needs * Establish a safe environment where questions are welcomed * Demonstrate to learners why the training is relevant to them * Understand the process by which adults learn * Place real learning within the context of the traditional training cycle: assessment, design, delivery, and evaluation.


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90 DAY FIANCE Jay and Ashley wedding photos leak online, were they taken in Jamaica?
Asa Hawks December 6, 2018 90 Day Fiance, Ashley Martson, Weddings
On the most recent episode of 90 Day Fiance, Ashley and her Jamaican fiance Jay reveal that their wedding website had been inundated with hateful comments, including multiple uses of the "N" word. Due to concerns for their safety, the couple announced to a friend that they were planning to cancel their wedding. Although it is unclear if they kept their original wedding date and location, Ashley and Jay DEFINITELY had a formal wedding ceremony — as evidenced by a brand new batch of leaked wedding photos!
The photos, featuring Ashley and Jay both decked out in bright white attire, were posted by a brand new Instagram account under the ID @callingyououtfraud2. As you may have guessed by the user name, the person running the account seems to have a bit of a vendetta against either Ashley or Jay or both. As you also may have guessed from the user name, this is not the first time he/she/they have used the social media platform to post about Ashley and Jay — more on that in a minute.
First, here are the wedding photos — which include one shot of Jay seemingly "giving Ashley the B" as in belly:
A post shared by Callingyououtfraud2 (@callingyououtfraud2) on Dec 6, 2018 at 9:43am PST
And, just in case this account gets deleted as well, here are the photos posted in a single gallery by John Yates:
Looks like someone with an axe to grind against Ashley leaked their wedding photos – I have to say both Ashley and Jay look incredible. #90DayFiance
A post shared by John Yates (@johnyates327) on Dec 6, 2018 at 9:59am PST
Many fans are speculating that the photos look to have been taken in Jamaica due to the beachy background, but there is no confirmation of that. (The Unites States has beaches too!) As we exclusively reported, the couple's original wedding registry said the wedding was scheduled to take place in her hometown of Mechanicsburg, but it could very well be that the couple reconsidered the venue after the threatening comments posted on their registry.
Speaking of those comments, I do not recall seeing them when I visited their wedding registry on theknot.com back in late September. It doesn't mean they weren't there, but I'm usually pretty thorough when vetting for spoilers, and comments can be a gold mine! I do know for a fact that if I had seen them, I most certainly would have taken screen caps! It is possible that the comments were left after I visited, or perhaps there was another registry.
Getting back to the leaked wedding photos, it is important to note that we do not know the full story behind them. Is this a "real" wedding ceremony, or is it perhaps a second wedding in Jamaica so that Jay's family and friends could attend? Jay does appear to be wearing a wedding ring, but that doesn't really prove anything.
Another burning question is who is behind the Instagram account(s) that appears to be out to get Ashley and Jay? The obvious guess in Ashley's former bestie Natalie, who Ashley claims tried to leak the story about her being kidnapped and raped when she was a teenager. The conspiracy theory minded 90 Day Fiance fans seem to be leaning another direction, however, as they theorize it is actually Ashley herself behind the recent wedding photo leak — and also some, if not all, of the previous "leaks."
If you're curious to know a little more about the back history of Ashley's problem with Instaleaks, I can recap some of that. A previous account under the user name @callingyououtfraud made a series of posts last month alleging that Ashley was lying when she stated that she had not dated any black men before Jay.
The account posted receipts in the form of a gallery of photos of Ashley with black men who were clearly not Jay:
A post shared by John Yates (@johnyates327) on Nov 20, 2018 at 7:49am PST
90 Day Fiance social media mogul John Yates later offered some clarification about the photo:
Let's break this pic down:
A) All the men here work at the Beaches Ocho Rios resort.
B) The guy on the bottom left is Natalie's ex, see other pic.
C) None of them ever hooked up with Ashley in any way.
D) Here are their @'s you can ask for yourself – @ajay_stylezz876 @rushane19 @russian_marsh
E) I spoke with Ashley and she confirmed.
The account also uploaded another photo allegedly of Ashley in which she appears to be giving a lap dance to another man while wearing an engagement ring:
Oops .. this "Ask Me A Question" didn't age well… from r/90DayFiance
There was also a video reportedly posted by the @callingyououtfraud account that showed Ashley making out with a man, but I couldn't find it posted anywhere else after that account was deleted.
As mentioned above, Ashley claims that her former BFF Natalie was trying to sell a story to the tabloids about Ashley's kidnap and rape when she was 19 years old. In an attempt to head off any tabloid stories about such a traumatizing event, Ashley shared her story with John Yates.
Ashley later "leaked" her own abuse photos in which she can be seen with a very large black eye after she says Natalie was threatening to release that as well. In addition to the picture, Ashley also revealed that she is unable to have children of her own after having a hysterectomy at the age of 26.
I'm always amazed at how much "reality" shows don't tell us! We will certainly keep our eyes and ears peeled and will update if there are any other major skeletons that "leak" out of Ashley's closet. Meanwhile, what do you think of Ashley and Jay's "all white" wedding looks?
Asa Hawks is a writer and editor for Starcasm. You can contact Asa via Twitter, Facebook, or email at starcasmtips(at)yahoo.com
90 DAY FIANCE Did Luis get deported? He says: 'si estoy en DR hace una semana'
90 Day Fiance: Are Kirlyam Ailly and Alan still together?
Denise Richards' wedding dress was made in 24 hours


Are you interested in Symfony integration?
After going back and forth with support a few times for debug information, the latest release (5.6.0 Build 5641) has finally fixed this long standing bug.
This was not a bug at all. Debugger can not trigger debug session with php-cli while register_long_arrays is OFF and auto_globals_jit is ON. We implemented a workaround for this combination.


A Whiter Shade of Pale, one of the all time great song titles, and in effect a one line poem.
The Procol Harum song, came into my mind as I arranged this picture on the basalt rocks in the gorge near the ruins of the Etruscan city of Vulci on the Tuscan-Latium border.
Pale beyond pale, and by modern standards unfashionable, with very long legs, she reminded me of a figure on Attic pottery a lot of which has been unearthed in Vulci. The Etruscans imported Attic wear in huge quantities – Etruscan taste running especially to the racier sort that was produced by the Greeks exclusively for the Etruscan market.
In ancient Etruria semi-naked women (they nearly always kept their shoes on) were always portrayed light skinned whereas men were red-ochre dark.
Until comparatively recently women had sheltered themselves from the sun, to be pale was to be porcelain perfect. In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries women even used leeches, or worse still poisonous lead make-up to increase their pallor.
When Whistler painted his most famous portrait of the delicate Anglo-Greek beauty Christine Spartali (1863-5) her complexion mirrored the Japanese porcelain that was all the rage at the time. The painting is known as The Princess from the Land of Porcelain and hangs in Whistler's celebrated Peacock Room in The Freer Gallery, Washington.
Christine later married Italo-Belgian Count Edouard Cahen and came to live in out of the way Orvieto whilst her husband renovated the nearby castle of Alfina. The porcelain princess pined for the glittering world of Pre-Raphaelites in London and Impressionists in Paris and took to taking chloral, the marriage foundered and she died of an overdose aged only 38.
Pallor seems to have become associated with female delicacy and weakness in the 20th century. Coco Chanel promoted a sun-tanned look in the 1920s and paleness has long since gone the way of all flesh.


The date range of this volume is 1936, and it is quite different than the rest of the collection. The first page says "Johnstown Cambria Co dt. (?) Pennsylvania Johnstown's Second Great Flood March 17- 1936 by Ben Coll published by Harry M. Hamm 3363 Portola Ave Pittsburgh 14 Pa." The actual book title is Photo Story of Johnstown's Second Great Flood March 17, 1936. The first 7 or 8 pages of the volume, although in Foreman's handwriting, do in fact appear to be taken from the book. The remainder of the volume contains photographs of the flood likely clipped from this book (although possibly from another source) with annotations by Foreman, who mentions having been in Johnstown on May 15, 1936.
This digital record contains images that depict the entire described item.


Doctor called last night after finally receiving the pathology reports following my surgery on Tuesday. The wait was almost unbearable but the news is wonderful. The lymph nodes are negative for cancer and so were the margins taken around the tumor. Hallelujah!


It's been a very long time since The Dinner Club has been just about dinners. Quiz nights, winery tours, lunches, river cruises, and singles mingles are just some of the events on offer.
The Dinner Club organises functions for midweek and weekends. Why join a more expensive singles social club that only offers 1 event per week?
The Dinner Club has been organising events for WA singles for over 30 years! The experienced and dedicated team choose venues with the utmost of care and all events are expertly co-ordinated and fully hosted to ensure the highest quality experience for all.


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Real Superhero action returns with the next phase of G-Man Comics
A few months ago, fans of superhero comics enjoyed the exciting debut of G-Man Comics with their first Kickstarter. Now, at this very moment, G-Man Comics have another Kickstarter featuring the third issue of 'The Agent', 'Comics 3in1 #1', 'G-Men United #1', and the second edition of 'Handbook of the G-Man Universe 2021 Winter Edition'. If you like your heroes patriotic with stories of other lands and dimensions, crossing over into different genres, you'll want to check out the Kickstarter and read this interview!
Presenting a G-Man roundtable interview with guests Rik Offenberger, Jim Burrows, Eric N. Bennett, and Earl Wajenberg.
Get in on the superhero cool at Kickstarter HERE
When did you discover the beginnings of the patriotic heroes of the '40s? What were the memorable ones to you?
Jim Burrows
I'm not sure. It may well have been Captain America when Avengers #4 came out, or it could gave been reading about him, the Shield, or Fighting America in an early '60s fanzine.
Rik Offenberger
It was Captain America as a kid, I felt very patriotic and still do, Captain America just connected with me. A few years later I discovered the '40s adventures through Alan Light's Flashback reprint series of comics and I was hooked at a very young age.
Earl Wajenberg
I became aware of Captain America when I was in college, in the '70s. He was the only one I really heard of, except for Captain Britain, whom I knew nothing of except the name. I was not really engrossed in superheroes at the time, so Cap was the only memorable one.
Joeseph
It is fascinating, comics in the '40s sold in the hundreds of thousands and prominently featured the battle against fascism.
I think that was part of the appeal, the comics battled the Nazis before the US entered the war.
It is sad to think that during the '40s the anti-fascist sentiment was encompassed all of America. The problem though has transformed from what history talks of into what we have now. How is this reflected in your stories?
Well, of course, anti-Fascism wasn't universal in America throughout the pulp, Golden, and Atomic ages. While America was at war with the Axis, at least in public the country was anti-Fascist, but from the American Bund to numerous wealthy and politically active individuals, there was support for Germany, Italy, and the strong man politics that came from them. After the war and into the McCarthy era of the '50s, one of the accusations leveled at suspect Communists and fellow travelers was that of "premature anti-fascism". It was this very homeland fascist element that made the need for Red, White, and Blue patriotic heroes to stand so visibly against fascism. Especially if you were a Jewish comic creator.
Nazis were always the best villains for the patriotic heroes, so it only made sense to me that our patriotic heroes should continue to fight Nazis.
It's not directly reflected in my stories, or not yet. I've only written a couple, both about "the Energist," a research scientist who acquires powers and some brain trauma in an adventure he can't recall, but his two stories are told from the viewpoint of his 15-year-old niece, who is a modern kid and so historically removed from '40s issues.
For what it's worth, Irene and the Energist list in New Acadia, a multiethnic Massachusetts city. The Energist's boss is an Acadian (i.e. mixed-race) woman, and Irene has an oriental school friend, and everyone seems okay with that.
However, the original version of the Energist was set in the '40s and he had his fateful lab accident in a Princeton lab where he was working on something for Einstein, something related to five-dimensional space (a topic Einstein actually looked into at one point). Einstein, of course, is everything to do with the fight against fascism.
Agent #3 Cover, The Agent vs Dr. Rottmann
For those who haven't read The Agent #1 and 2, catch them up on those issues and how they lead into Agent #3.
We don't publish on a regular schedule, so it is very important that each issue stands on its own. You don't have to read #1 or #2 to enjoy #3. The only real theme we have on-going is that the FBI is battling a Neo-Nazi group called the Aryan Alliance. Henry Rothländer is the head of that group but also a billionaire industrialist who produces arms for the US Government. In the first issue, the Aryan Alliance attacks Fort Knox along with a giant robot "stolen" from Rothländer Industries. In the second issue, we see Henry Rothländer in action as Murder Hornet. Murder Hornet is a registered superhero who uses his status to inflict violence on people in minority neighborhoods. Henry Rothländer has a Murder Hornet double who takes all the heat for any trouble Henry may get into and we also get Henry Rothländer secret origin.
When we roll into the third issue we deal with two of the Rothländer Industries employees Dr. Stephen Rottman and Arial Roswell. In a freak accident, Dr. Rottman is turned into a human skeleton and Arial is in a coma. Dr. Rottman experiments on Arial and he becomes a little green man called Arial-51. Together they attack Simon N. Kirby in his home when he is asleep. It's a psychological attack in which everything good that happened in Agent Kirby's life is turned into a nightmare, and that is before the zombies attack.
What inspired The Agent#3?
Agent Kirby #3 – Steven Butler cover
After we finished the script on issue two Lou Mougin, our script editor, said to me, you really needed to dig into who Simon N. Kirby is and what motivates him. So I wanted to tell a story about Simon more than the Agent this time. I wanted to cover what motivated him to be an FBI Agent and superhero. At the same time, the villains are really important. I wanted a little green man, so Arial Roswell becomes a little green man called Arial-51. He is the sidekick or lab assistant to a living skeleton, who is our mad scientist. Dr. Rottman will be ongoing and create more of our villains in future issues. There is a huge horror vibe to the story mixed with '50s sci-fi. We get to all of that before the action starts.
That is one of the great things about comics. You can do stories that crossover to other genres. Superhero plus horror, slice-of-life, science fiction, noir, fantasy, or whatever else you like. What are your influences outside of the superhero genre?
Science fiction and fantasy, really more than the superhero genre. I am particularly interested in the world-building side of it and follow the design of the G-Man setting.
A lot of the world-building comes from my role-playing game experience. Earl and I were college roommates and started playing D&D in 1973, the year it came out. I started running my own campaign in 1976, and besides being a player, Earl ghostwrote many of the adventures. When we started doing SF-based instead of fantasy, he created the initial setting. We collaborated over the years on that setting and others. When my second son was born, the Fantasy and Science Fiction game went on hiatus, and in the interim, we played Super World. About 10 years later, I started building my newsuperhero world. A couple of years later, I started to create the Halflands, the "2nd edition" of my science fantasy campaign. The Halflands are a world between worlds that acts as a nexus between many worlds, SF, fantasy, and superheroes. Rik added Kawaii. My novel, Aunt Jenny and the Delayed Quest takes place in the Halflands themselves. In the Demon Priest, some of the characters travel through the Halflands to Dream and the bound realm where the fallen angels of the story were imprisoned.
Agent Kirby #3 Cover, Gilbert Monsanto version. Arial-51 joins Dr. Rottmann to fight The Agent.
So, the setting has evolved over 3 or 4 decades, largely created by me, but with major contributions by Earl, and more recently Rik.
For me, it's sci-fi, westerns, and cop shows. Having said that we are doing a '50s sci-fi/zombie story in Agent Kirby.
Science Fiction and ancient mythology. I'm a HUGE Norse myth buff and have been reading Thor and associated myths for nearly as long as I could read.
Thankfully, the intriguing tiny villain Arial-51 survived. Will we be seeing more of Arial-51 and his partner?
Dr. Rottman will be ongoing and create more of our villains in future issues. Dr. Rottman is both the head of weapons development at Rothländer Industries and the developer of supervillains for the Aryan Alliance. At some point in the future, all the villains will band together into a giant supervillain team to battle the G-Men but that is down the road.
3in1 #1 Cover
Next up we have COMICS 3in1, #1. G-Man Comics shares other synergies with comics in the past. Comics from the '40s featured taking the fight to fascism as well being told in the anthologies format featuring shorter comic stories. Comics 3in1 and G-Men United take us back to the anthology with shorter stories. What inspired the company to do Comics 3in1 and G-Men United in the anthology format?
All three of the founding G-Men creators had multiple creations at the time. I had literally hundreds, having started the world of New Acadia as a setting for a prospective RPG game roughly a quarter-century earlier. We wanted a vehicle to tell their stories in without doing a lot of one-shots. An anthology book seemed the way to go, and 3in1, with a story by each of us, seemed to fill that bill.
3in1 has always been the plan, the three of us, me, Jim, and Eric telling three stories, like the old Tales of Suspense with Captain America and Iron Man sharing a comic.
The origin of G-Men United is a little more complex. It started with one story that didn't seem to quite fit as a backup and "just grown" from there.
I had a Hawk & Dove-inspired story with Terror Noir (my version of Black Terror) and Pocahontas, the Irish Indian. It was a message of unity in a divided world. I was going to run it as a back-up story in Agent Kirby #3 with art by Fish Lee. But as Jim said it didn't fit. Jim suggested we do Energist & Irene as the back-up instead. I was excited and Joshua 1:6 Holley was doing our letter headers, and I wanted him to do a story, so we were off with a new back-up story. However, I forgot we had planned to use that space for something else. We now had 2 back-up stories, so why not make another comic? Jim and I then each wrote another story with more art by Joshua about our characters working together. In my tale Sgt. Flag rescues FBI Agent Chris Squires from a T-Rex in another dimension, a dimension of ultimate cuteness, Kawaii, and Sgt. Flag is anything but cute.
3in1 #1 – Steven Butler cover
As writers, how was it writing longer stories like The Agent vs. shorter stories like those in Comics 3in1 and G-Men United?
I've never written a full-length comic story, so I can't say. I came from short stories and novels. That and nearly a half-century of playing RPGs. Earl and I start doing that back in 1973.
I always loved the Tales of Suspense comics and the Green Lantern back-up stories in the Flash. The Silver Age and Bronze Age were filled with shorter stories. As a writer, I like doing both. The challenge is getting the store complete in the shorter page count but there is a long history of that in comics and it's rewarding when it comes together.
Longer stories, especially full-length comics, stress me out. I seem to be able to come up with short stories, but the minute I try to make myself fill up a full issue, it's like hitting a creative brick wall. I've been trying to push my way through, and sometimes it does work out really well (see the upcoming third issue of POWER COMPANY for example). But generally, I think I put too much pressure on myself when confronted with a whole issue to do on my own.
Comics started as single-issue stories and as time went on, the two-parter to the continuous storyline came into play. I think it's an important distinction to have as a company. For new fans coming onto a title, the prospect of starting late in a story and having to buy back issues or waiting for the trade is a lot less appealing for many. This is something I think the industry is trying to come to grips with. Was this an intentional aspect of G-Men comics?
We publish very slowly and on Kickstarter. It is very important for us to tell shorter stories so that the fans can buy a single issue and be satisfied. The last thing we want to do is have a 6-month cliffhanger and then with the next Kickstarter have fans miss the first half of the story. We need to be reader-friendly.
The Agent selects Sgt. Flag for a mission to save a kidnapped damsel in distress. Her kidnapping is to pressure the woman's father, a judge, from making a judgment against an El Jeffe. This is the kind of task The Agent has for every mission as the leader of the G-Men.
In a real-world way, the G-Men effectiveness is in its resources. How many G-men does The Agent have to select from when he choose those who go out on assignment?
The inspiration is Mission Impossible. Peter Graves would pick the agents for each mission at the beginning of the episode, that is how Agent Kirby works the G-Men. Every hero has to register with the government as a superhero or that can't operate as a deputized member or law enforcement. Agent Kirby is the head of the caped agent program, so the FBI assumes he is in charge of all the superheroes in the G-Man universe.
There is an interesting assumption and question embedded in that which will come to light over time.
And we'll also see how other super-teams within this universe feel about the arrangement as well.
Get your G-Man Trading Cards on Kickstarter!
It will be interesting, as readers discover who all the G-Men are, they can analyze the Agent's profiles in your handbooks. How The Agent came to make the choices he does in who he sends on missions will be more understood. At the same time, readers can use the information in the handbooks to see if they would have chosen different G-Men than The Agent. Will the handbook be a regular title?
Yes. And the trading cards as well.
With each Kickstarter, the plan is to update the Handbook with the new characters and a few from the next Kickstarter as a preview.
Resources are one part of the equation in the G-Men's effectiveness. Dedication to doing what is right is the other. The G-Men are dedicated, risking their lives to bring safety and security to the world. What are the reasons for the dedication to being in the G-men for Agent, Sgt. Flag, and the featured in the latest releases from G-Man Comics?
The villains from The Agent #3.
As in the real world, the motivations of our patriotic heroes, and all of our characters vary from person to person and even over time.
In my case, the Champion of Liberty² plays superhero for several reasons, reasons that are in tension with each other. Jack is the illegitimate son of the original Champion of Liberty from back in the '80s, raised by his single mother, without either Jack or his father knowing about each other. He was a petty thief and a hacker, who was arrest for hacking the federal government. He was recruited to be a confidential informant; his parentage discovered, including his susceptibility to the super-soldier serum. He was coerced into following in his father's footsteps. Over time, the role grew on him.
I have two patriotic heroes the Agent is more a silver-age style hero who does the right thing because it is the right thing to do no matter what. Sgt. Flag is a '90s hero, he will do whatever it takes to get the job done no matter what that is. They have very different approaches to the job at hand but they are in 100% agreement that it needs to be accomplished. Both heroes volunteered for public service.
Not only do we get to see Champion of Liberty², but we also get to see more of Demon Priest. Jim's creation debuted in a Demon Priest ashcan and was also in the last handbook. This is a flashback story that seems to be directly bringing Demon Priest to the attention of the G-Men. I think prison was a great start for Demon Priest's story.
Actually, though it is something of a spoiler, the Demon Priest's incarceration arises out of the events of the novel. I'm polishing the novel for release in the not too distant future. When Rik and I were discussing the creation of G-Man 3in1, he suggested that my story could feature either the Champion or the Demon Priest. Or both. And with that, I realized that they could meet in prison, that Jack's FBI handlers, distrusting Father Gregory, could sic Jack on him. He already had a record, after all.
Demon Priest and Champion of Liberty².
If everyone is capable of redemption, a fallen angel can as well. Is that the premise of Demon Priest?
The Demon Priest started as a slip of the tongue, and after I'd said "Demon Priest" a half dozen times, I dismissed it as an absurdity. There couldn't really be such a thing as a demon priest, could there? Two weeks later, Lee started narrating the story of the Demon Priest. I was raised in the Episcopal church, was a lay minister for a while and a philosophy major who studied religious history and theology, and the setting for my longest-running role-playing campaign feature Lilith as a villain, so my background and subconscious sent me a rebuttal to the "no such thing" claim, as told by Lee, Alan (Faria), Whim and the rest.
Is this story the start of Demon Priest proving his good with the hero community?
He proved it to some in the novel and hasn't managed to prove it to all to this point. Likewise, his sidekick/partner Red Halo, who has cameoed in a couple of stories and will probably take the lead in a couple eventually. Along with True Blue and Richard, the True Knight.
Patriot heroes are not all the same. Including personalities specialties, and tactics, The Agent, Sgt. Flag, Champion of Liberty², American Eagle, and the others are pretty different from each other. What are the differences in personalities, specialties, tactics, and any other you think are noteworthy?
As I already mentioned, Jack, the second Champion of Liberty, is something of a reluctant hero. He's also rather torn by the differing demands of XCOM—the military's extraordinary (meta-human, and extreme tech) operations command, who supplied his gauntlets and uniform and triggered his powers with the super-soldier serum—and the FBI who turned him as a CI and believes that it can draft any registered meta. As a mostly reformed criminal, he's not that fond of either. His equipment is like the Agent's, but he also has meta-human powers like the American Eagle, though AER is WAY more powerful.
For me Agent Kirby is the planner, he sets up the mission and thinks long term about what needs to be done. Agent Kirby is an FBI Agent so I like to take that approach to his character and actions. Sgt. Flag is a man of action, he just throws himself into the heat of battle to save anyone in danger. He was a Marine and worked in search and rescue, he makes sure everyone makes it out alive.
American Eagle vs Brain Bruiser.
In the 'Price of Liberty', we are presented with a story involving American Eagle. The bad guy in this story is Brain Bruiser. He is an interesting brain-powered villain with strength who is not entirely that intelligent.
What is the story behind his creation?
Have you ever messed with one of those random name generators? That's where he came from. I was fooling around and the name "Brain Bruiser" popped out. It just struck me as so goofy that I had to come up with a character based on it. And I decided that instead of going with a hyper-intelligent "Brainiac"-style character who knew how smart he was and reveled in it, that we'd take a guy who was just a mob enforcer and give him these psionic-based abilities that he's absolutely not equipped to handle to their fullest potential. As the saying goes, if all you have is a hammer, then everything else looks like a nail.
A surprise and new emerging villain enters the sense, with who I suspect is Half Man, at the very end of the story. What is Half Man's association with Rothländer, if any?
There's not any connection between the two that we're aware of. There are multiple White Supremacist/Nationalist groups operating in our world today that don't work together, aside from sharing a similar philosophy, and this is another case like that. Does that mean they may not sync up in the future, but for now they're each left to their own devices.
As a writer and letterer, you get to create italics, bold, emphasis, sound effects, and everything to your exact liking for your own stories.
Name a time when this was a super pro and another time when it was the opposite.
Honestly, working on the lettering for Rik's Agent stories has been a blast. I really enjoyed what I got to do on the first two issues. Also, I'm really pleased with how the second issue of THE POWER COMPANY came out as well. Conversely, the book that was my very first "pro" job lettering (which I won't name here because I don't want to potentially hinder its sales) I'm just extremely unhappy with. I had a lot to learn (and I still do), but that book…let's just say the art and my lettering didn't blend well at all, and I remain VERY unhappy with it.
The Agent and Sgt. Flag.
That's right, you did The Power Company. A lot of readers might be familiar with everyone's name for different reasons. Outside of G-Man Comics, what are you guys doing?
Power Company is from my fine partners at Coalition Comics. Naturally, I'm working on that, as well as lettering a number of other series, and working with the folks at Fresh Monkey Fiction doing graphics and writing for their Amazing Heroes action figure line.
I run First Comics News.
As mentioned, I've completed two novels. At the moment, I'm trying to find an agent, editor, or publisher for "Aunt Jenny and the Delayed Quest" a high fantasy novel in which the "Prophesied One" is not a young guy, but a 67-year-old woman who is a retired librarian, nurse, and athletics coach. I intend, shortly, to self-publish "The Demon Priest". I did an "ashcan" preview including a 2-page comic book style intro drawn by Gilbert Monsanto. I'll be upgrading this. "Watch this space".
Before retiring, I worked in computers, software, networking, and telecommunications. I had a 4-decade career specializing in "doing things I never did before". After I retired, I'd never been a novelist, comic book writer, editor, and publisher, so that seemed natural.
Joeseph:
Is there a code or code of conduct for the heroes of the G-Men?
More than one, both personally and officially. The FBI, the military's XCOM, and FALCON, the domestic agency specifically created to handle meta- and para-human affairs, all have different understandings of the law, regulations, and relationship of superheroes and the government. You see some of this coming out in the books, especially G-Men United, which has a bit of the disunited in it and maybe should be call G-Men Uniting.
We try to be real-world based in our universe with superheroes. So, it is the same code of conduct you get from the FBI in my stories and we pushed up against that in issue two of Simon N. Kirby, The Agent.
American Eagle is a soldier (as was I) and approaches things from a soldier's perspective. Sometimes that means doing what may be necessary.
G-Man United #1 cover
The four stories in G-Men United show inner relations of the G-Men and other facets to how the team works while introducing readers to many more members of the team. The roster is getting bigger! Does that mean the threats will be more menacing in future releases of G-Man Comics?
Possibly. In the universe's timeline, there was a huge Crisis about 3 decades back—the Demon Wars—where not only a huge number of superheroes were involved, but also supernatural figures including Titania the faerie queen of the Summerlands, her sister queens, and the forces that joined them. Things can go really wrong in this world. It has happened before. That threat always hangs over the world. But mostly, I suspect we'll be telling individual stories. Lots of them.
As to the roster. I brought a couple of hundred heroes with me and more than a hundred villains when Rik suggested that we set the stories of G-Man Comics in my world. Many of them will only be background figures or cameos if they appear at all, but the roster is potentially huge, given that Rik and Eric brought their own stables, and Earl has contributed a couple of his own.
I had planned on focusing on Agent Kirby, Sgt. Flag and Lynx but then I had another idea for a different type of story and I needed different characters, we will expand as we have different stories to tell organically.
United is the unifying word in each story. How important is that theme to each of you personally?
The goal of uniting is, to me, perhaps the most challenging issue of the time in the real world. This will undoubtedly come up in my writing.
The title was a play on Justice League United, which told different stories of smaller groups of the Justice League in the cartoon. In our comic, the united becomes a verb as they are becoming united.
G-Man United #1 – Steven Butler cover
In "Into the I Want You!" story we are introduced to New Acadia. Here the heroes are different and the villains are of a different bent. Where the G-Men are of a patriotic nature, what are the heroes of New Acadia like?
New Acadia is home to a lot of my characters. It's my Metropolis or Gotham. It is based on the US cities I love the most: Boston, New Orleans, and San Francisco, with bits of New York and Quebec for good measure. It has a detailed history dating back to the 1750s when a couple of thousand Acadians—people of French and native descent—settled in what in our world became Newburyport. This happened in part because there was an isolated French Catholic mission there. It was a destination for escaped slaves on the underground railroad and Haitian refugees. As a result is an old multi-ethnic city like New Orleans, San Francisco, and Boston. The local Creole population, the Acadies are like New Orleans Cajuns (both words derive from 'Acadian'). It's not far from Salem, and there's a bit of a supernatural bent to it. It has thus been a bot of a destination for meta-humans and connections to other Realms. Note that Lovecraft's Arkham is also set in the same area.
The local FALCON office is headed by the famed Woman of Bronze, Simone Lafort, an Acadie. In part, because New Acadia is New Acadia and in part because of her, the New Acadia branch is second in importance only to the DC/Bethesda area headquarters. Of course, Lionheart, the World's Wealthiest Superhero would tell you that the fact that the Lyonnaise, the center of his real estate and security empire is in New Acadia is more significant than the Woman of Bronze or any other factor.
Will the rogue's gallery of bad guys that the G-Men are facing join up with the villains of New Acadia?
Probably. And the heroes as well. We're still finding our dynamic balance.
3in1 #1 – Michael Netzer cover
Your Kickstarter includes The Agent #3, 3in1 Comics #1, G-Men United # 1 plus the above-mentioned G-Man handbook. You also have variant guest cover artists include the always good Steven Butler and super pro Michael Netzer. Michael of course is a well-known Marvel and DC artist. What other surprises are there in store for G-Man Comics fans?
That would be telling, and then where's the surprise?
With eight stories told plus the handbook, what was your favorite scene to write?
I really enjoyed the repartee between Simon and Outrage that brackets "I want you!"
I usually start with scenes in my head and then connect them into stories. In Agent Kirby the stuff between Father and Son was great for me, but I thought of the Arial-51 escape as a starting point and love how that turned out.
Because it starts to bring some of the conflicts in premises inherent in our world to light. Rik and I each had a superhero registration act in our worlds before we merged, and they work differently. Rather than resolve that difference we've allowed it to stand. The FBI, FALCON, XCOM, and individuals like the Champion, the Agent and Outrage have very different views on how the law works and affects superheroes, meta- and para-humans. And the real world works that way, too. The conflicts in both my story and Rik's that start and end G-Men United illustrate that. I think they add something to them—and let's not go overboard with this term—'realism' of our world.
You have to have evil villains and of course, the hero has to capture them or they have to escape without making the hero into a fool. I felt the escape was in keeping with who he was as a character without diminishing Simon N. Kirby as a hero.
G-Man United #1 Alan Farara cover.
What was your favorite scene to see once you saw the art?
Probably the Red Halo cameo in the Agent #2. That was the first time another writer and artist portrayed one of my characters. Their vision of her wasn't the same as mine, but adapting their views to her is going to make her more interesting and again that word, 'real'. Gilbert had drawn my characters. But in this instance, Rik wrote her and Alan drew her, and I just got to watch. It was thrilling.
In 3in1 the two pages with the large images of Agent Kirby and Sgt. Flag from Gilbert are incredible. In Agent Kirby, the image of the team coming out of the helicopter and Lynx with the zombies was everything I could have asked for and more.
With the shorter stories, crossovers, and mega team-ups that readers will get to experience, everyone is writing stories with characters that are not theirs and are as new to them, as they are to the readers. That is one of the wonders of a shared world universe. What character is growing on you that you have written that isn't your own creation and why?
While Simon is fun, perhaps Infantino? His corruption weakens the heart of the FBI's view on the registration act and their authority over the heroes. He stands in contrast to the Woman of Bronze.
Though you didn't ask, I think I'd like to write Lynx, especially, Maya, meeting either Simone or Outrage.
Handbook of the G-Man Universe 2021 Winter edition
I love the Demon Priest from the name to the complex back story he is really well fleshed out, but I have read the novel so that might color my judgment. I am just beginning to learn about all the other characters along with the readers.
If your heroes are defined by their patriotism, then how are your villains defined?
Their selfishness, pettiness, and arrogance? Maybe? I'm eager to see what the others say.
My villains think they are building a better world in their image. They want to build a white fatherland in America, it's their dream and ambition. Which is what brings them into conflict with my heroes.
I try to make villains that remind me of the characters I read as a kid. Sometimes goofy, other times massively threatening. One minute you'll have an arch-villain bent on ruling the world with the power to make it happen, the next you've got some D-list wanna-be who just wants to rob a bank and kick back in Tahiti.
I am honored to bring the comic book industry closer to comic book fans everywhere! I'm an author, musician, graphic designer, and comic book reporter • Find out more about me at : ((My reporting)) www.facebook.com/joesimon.comicbookreporter + ((My music project)) https://lureoftheunknown.com/
Tags: Comics 3in1, G-Man Comics, G-Men United, Simon N. Kirby, The Agent
Wayne's Worlds: Choosing a Comics Shop
COSPLAY TEAM OF THE WEEK!


Incident Details: Detective Austin Woolsey, 45, was assigned to the Des Plaines Street Station. Detective Woolsey died on February 6, 1906, from injuries sustained in the line of duty more than three years prior. On September 24, 1902, Officer Woolsey and his partner attempted to arrest Robey Martin and Charles Gehrke. Martin resisted arrest and assaulted Detective Woolsey. During the altercation, Detective Woolsey fell to the ground and struck his head on the pavement; resulting in him becoming temeporarily insane due to a concussion. Detective Woolsey died at his home.Detective Woolsey was laid to rest in Rosehill Cemetery in Iowa. He was survived by his wife, Bessie and son, Joseph.


Each year the Last Chance Audubon Society grants funds to Helena area projects for habitat protection, enhancement or restoration. Funds for these community projects are raised through fund raising efforts including the LCAS Birdathon, November/December (Not a) Silent Auction, sale of birdseed and LCAS membership.
In the fall of 2014, FWP acquired a 36 acre parcel of land along Prickly Pear Creek. The parcel is a familiar birding site that has been previously been known by locals as Stansfield Lane. The land was donated to FWP by Prickly Pear Land Trust (PPLT) for the "purpose of establishing a fishing access site (FAS)". FWP put together a Draft Environmental Assessmentand solicited comments on the proposal through the end of September. LCAS submitted comments to FWP asking to meet with FWP regarding the FAS development, and offered assistance with development of the site. On 12/15/2014 FWP issued a decision to proceed with the FAS as outlined in the Environmental Assessment. The decision notice can be found at the Fish, Wildlife & Parks website (fwp.mt.gov/)or by clicking on this link.
On Thursday, July 30, 2015, LCAS participated in the official dedication of the new fishing access. LCAS turned a number of heads with a table and display of bird skins and mounts from the Carroll College skin collection. The dedication included speakers from the many organizations that were responsible for development of the property. As an alternative to a celebratory cake, root beer floats were served in the warm July afternoon.
In the spring of 2017, a $500 grant was awarded to Shane Sater for his work with Prickly Pear Land Trust and the avian surveys being conducted on the Sevenmile Creek property.
Between 2010 and 2012 LCAS granted $4,000 to Kessler School to develop a native plant habitat on the school grounds for bird habitat development and educational purposes.
In 2009 a habitat grant of $1,000 was awarded to the Lewis & Clark County Water Quality Protection District for restoration of native shrubs and trees in riparian sites along Prickly Pear Creek in the Helena Valley.
In 2009, a $1,000 sponsorship was provided to assist with the release of a Trumpeter Swan to re-establish a Trumpeter Swan population in the Blackfoot Valley, Ovando, Montana.
A 2008, a $2,000 habitat grant was awarded to Montana State Parks for the restoration and replanting of trees at Spring Meadow Lake State Park near Helena after a 2007 wildfire burned many of the mature trees and substantial bird habitat in the park.
Each year LCAS accepts grant applications from local groups interested in promoting the protection or enhancement of habitat that has, or could have, significant value for birds and other wildlife. Since 1996 the chapter has offered grants for habitat projects throughout the local area.
The application should not exceed 3 pages. All applications will be reviewed by the LCAS Habitat Protection Committee. Applications should be sent to LCAS, Habitat Protection, P.O. Box 924, Helena, MT. 59624, no later than April 1st of each year. The committee's decision will be announced by April 15th.


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Just before their maintenance agreement with the OEM was set to expire, the client reached out regarding the possibility of transferring to a new maintenance contract with Rincon for their legacy platforms. Working closely with the client, Rincon developed a new program that included new maintenance agreements and sparing for the specified products. The client provided a list of the network components they wanted Rincon to evaluate for the program and included the historical failure rates for each item. Rincon reviewed the list, analyzed the data, made recommendations on how many spares were necessary for each component, built out the required stock in their bi-coastal warehouses to accommodate the client's needs, and launched the new program.
The client is now paying half of what they were paying the OEM originally under the terms of their maintenance TAC agreements. This allowed the client to focus the bulk of their $200 million annual maintenance budget with the OEM on new platforms and technology that help them stay competitive around uptime in the marketplace.
Rincon leverages its secondary market expertise, world-class operations, intellectual property including proprietary software and other internal tools, and utilizes ISO and Six Sigma methodologies and processes to successfully deliver programs designed to help clients reduce costs and gain efficiencies around their maintenance contracts, sparing, and RMA initiatives. Rincon currently manages sparing programs for several Tier 1 clients. Rincon can tailor the program to accommodate per occurrence, monthly, quarterly, annual or multi-year maintenance agreements.
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Borealis is set to move to the FEED phase for a new propane dehydrogenation (PDH) plant, after successfully concluding a pre-FEED feasibility study in June 2017. The facility is planned to be located at the existing Borealis production site in Kallo, Belgium.
Upon completion of the FEED, the final investment decision will be taken in the 3Q18. The start-up of the plant is scheduled for the beginning of 2022. The planned PDH plant has a targeted annual production capacity of 740 kiloton per year, making it one of the largest and most efficient facilities in the world. The location has been chosen due to its excellent logistical position and its experience in propylene production and handling. Borealis has selected Honeywell UOP's OleflexTM technology for the new plant. This technology is widely used and is a reliable and sustainable choice for on-purpose propylene production.
"The decision to move to the FEED phase is the last step before the final investment decision. It illustrates our commitment to the project as well as our conviction that the investment is needed in Europe, allowing us to further strengthen our position as the leading innovative polypropylene and propylene supplier that we are today," says Markku Korvenranta, Borealis Executive Vice President, Base Chemicals.
Oiltanking Antwerp Gas Terminal has been agreed upon as the long-term logistics partner for the handling of propylene and propane as well as for the construction of a new 135 000 m³ propane storage tank. The produced hydrogen will be sold to Air Liquide under a long-term agreement. Both agreements are subject to the positive final investment decision.
"The project has taken major positive steps forward during the feasibility phase," explains Thomas Van De Velde, Borealis Vice President Hydrocarbons & Energy. "Most of the critical uncertainties have been cleared, paving the way for a successful FEED and ultimately for the final investment decision next year."


After an inclusive search process with Ten Thousand Things Theater artists, staff and board, the company has named Marcela Lorca as its next Artistic Director, beginning in June 2018. Lorca will succeed Founder and Artistic Director Michelle Hensley, who last year announced her decision to step down after the 2017–18 season.
Lorca has built a national reputation as a theater director since moving to this country from Chile in the mid 1980s. She has directed numerous shows at the Guthrie, where she has been on staff for more than 20 years, as well as at the McCarter Theater, Milwaukee Rep, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Syracuse Stage, and Mixed Blood Theatre. Her choreography has been seen at the Guthrie, Washington Shakespeare Theater, Goodman Theater, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, and Brooklyn Academy of Music. As the Guthrie's Director of Company Development, she oversaw the Guthrie Experience for Actors in Training, a program for graduate student actors, and was head of movement and a founding member of the University of Minnesota/Guthrie Theater B.F.A. Actor Training Program.
Hensley founded Ten Thousand Things 30 years ago, growing annual performances from 12 to 98, annual audiences from 800 to nearly 8,000, and annual operating budgets from $13,000 to more than $850,000. The company has become known for championing fair compensation for artists and staff, new plays and playwrights, and artists of color and gender-inclusive casting. Numerous theaters are now using TTT's model, including The Public Theater, California Shakespeare Theatre, San Diego's Old Globe, Baltimore's Center Stage, Delaware Shakespeare, Cripple Creek Theater, and New Orleans Shakespeare. Hensley's book about TTT, All the Lights On, was published by the Minnesota Historical Society Press/Howlround Press.
What attracted you to this artistic director position?
For many years I've known Ten Thousand Things to create bold, adventurous theater. It has been a delight for me to see our community's best actors perform with such joy. When I learned that they were searching for a new artistic director, I was immediately excited by the prospect of collaborating with great artists and working on behalf of TTT's wonderful and inclusive mission.
How does TTT's approach/performance style fit with your artistic sensibilities?
I often tell my students, "Actors are storytellers. They are the messengers of our times." Even though I'm best known for my expertise with epic spaces and physical expression, I keep the unfolding story rooted in the body and soul of the actors. Also, I have always been keen to adjust to each performance space and to the perceptions of its unique audience. TTT literally puts the actor at the center of the audience, opening an immediate and deeply human conversation. I'm thrilled to bring my own skills to this form.
What are you most looking forward to in this new position?
I think of this opportunity as a great new adventure for me and I feel honored and deeply excited to build on TTT's traditions. I can't wait to collaborate with the company's great team, work with an ensemble of skilled actors, wrestle with a great play and continue to profoundly engage audiences from all walks of life.


Constant region of T cell receptor (TR) alpha chain (PubMed:24600447). Alpha-beta T cell receptors are antigen specific receptors which are essential to the immune response and are present on the cell surface of T lymphocytes. Recognize peptide-major histocompatibility (MH) (pMH) complexes that are displayed by antigen presenting cells (APC), a prerequisite for efficient T cell adaptive immunity against pathogens (PubMed:25493333). Binding of alpha-beta TR to pMH complex initiates TR-CD3 clustering on the cell surface and intracellular activation of LCK that phosphorylates the ITAM motifs of CD3G, CD3D, CD3E and CD247 enabling the recruitment of ZAP70. In turn ZAP70 phosphorylates LAT, which recruits numerous signaling molecules to form the LAT signalosome. The LAT signalosome propagates signal branching to three major signaling pathways, the calcium, the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) kinase and the nuclear factor NF-kappa-B (NF-kB) pathways, leading to the mobilization of transcription factors that are critical for gene expression and essential for T cell growth and differentiation (PubMed:23524462). The T cell repertoire is generated in the thymus, by V-(D)-J rearrangement. This repertoire is then shaped by intrathymic selection events to generate a peripheral T cell pool of self-MH restricted, non-autoaggressive T cells. Post-thymic interaction of alpha-beta TR with the pMH complexes shapes TR structural and functional avidity (PubMed:15040585). Alpha-beta TR is a heterodimer composed of an alpha and beta chain; disulfide-linked. The alpha-beta TR is associated with the transmembrane signaling CD3 coreceptor proteins to form the TR-CD3 (TcR or TCR). The assembly of alpha-beta TR heterodimers with CD3 occurs in the endoplasmic reticulum where a single alpha-beta TR heterodimer associates with one CD3D-CD3E heterodimer, one CD3G-CD3E heterodimer and one CD247 homodimer forming a stable octomeric structure. CD3D-CD3E and CD3G-CD3E heterodimers preferentially associate with TR alpha and TR beta chains, respectively. The association of the CD247 homodimer is the last step of TcR assembly in the endoplasmic reticulum and is required for transport to the cell surface.
UniProt: TRBC1 is active in the following subcellular-locations: cell membrane.
GO terms: TRBC1 is active in the following subcellular-locations: external side of plasma membrane, immunoglobulin complex, integral component of membrane, membrane, plasma membrane.


text:
Meme Stock Movers for 11/29: GameStop, Moderna, Newegg, Ocugen
Paul Ausick
Last Friday was indeed a Black Friday for U.S. equities. All three major U.S. stock indexes closed down by at least 2%. All 11 sectors traded lower, primarily due to worries that the Omicron variant of the coronavirus would drag on the global economic recovery. Those fears appear to be somewhat allayed in Monday's premarket trading, with the major indexes all trading higher by nearly 1%.
Crude oil closed at just over $68 on Friday, but it surged by more than 5% Monday morning to trade near $72 a barrel. Bitcoin sank below $54,000 on Friday but traded just above $57,000 early Monday. Yields on 10-year Treasury notes also jumped Monday morning, up by about seven basis points to 1.55%.
The stocks on our meme stock watch list also cratered Friday, and some were making a comeback of sorts in Monday's premarket. Ocugen Inc. (NASDAQ: OCGN) has recovered more than half its 90% Friday loss to trade up more than 5% at $6.79. The company on Friday announced an FDA-imposed hold on its new drug application for a COVID-19 vaccine.
E-commerce retailer Newegg Commerce Inc. (NASDAQ: NEGG) defied Friday's downturn, adding nearly 8% to its share price. The stock traded up more than 5% in Monday's premarket at $20.88. Earlier in the morning, the company reaffirmed its financial forecasts for fiscal 2021, including $2.4 billion in net sales and net income in a range of $36.3 million and $40.3 million.
Newegg also placed third in this week's list of companies most likely to face a short squeeze. According to Fintel: "… short interest jumped 102% in the first week of November, from 1.04M shares to 2.1M shares, an increase of 102%. The cost to borrow shares is currently 84%." The company's affirmation of its guidance may only add fuel for the short squeezers.
OG meme stock GameStop Corp. (NYSE: GME) dropped 5.7% on Friday but recovered 2% in early trading Monday morning to around $203. It was also the most talked-about stock Monday morning on social media, including this comment on WallStreetBets from ResidentBat4:
Bulltrap activated. Dow goes up Monday and Tuesday. [Omicron] spreads globally and everyone freaks out Wed/Thursday/Friday. Mother of all market crash happens Friday. Dow goes to 20,000 and people start freaking out. GME goes to $10,000 a share. Dogecoin is the new global currency. Use of cars other than Tesla is made punishable by death. Memes replace sporting events.
You might not want to bet the ranch on these predictions.
COVID-19 vaccine maker Moderna Inc. (NASDAQ: MRNA) gets a lot of social media attention. The stock's average daily trading volume is around 13 million, and the stock jumped more than 20% on Friday. Shares traded up another 10% in Friday's premarket session at about $363.
Moderna's chief medical officer told the BBC on Sunday that the company is working on a higher-dose booster to deal with the Omicron variant and that, if it is needed, a completely new vaccine could be ready early in 2022.
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Students celebrate at the Pi Day Puzzle Hunt closing ceremony on March 15.
On Monday, March 11, crowds of eager students gathered in Room 322 for the first puzzle to be released at the opening ceremony for RM's fifth annual Pi Day Puzzle Hunt. Sponsored by RM's Math Honor Society, the Pi Day Puzzle Hunt is a week-long event where students work together in teams of up to four to solve creative puzzles related to math.
One puzzle in this year's hunt, for example, asked participants to calculate the missing angles in a geometric figure, while another involved matching famous mathematicians with their achievements. Unlike its Mole Day counterpart, the Pi Day Puzzle Hunt also included additional Easter eggs called stars which teams could find hidden throughout the hunt.
Acting as hunt organizers, seniors Lauren Zhou and Kevin Lu and juniors Jack Yang and Kush Savsani began preparing the puzzles in late December. "Working together, we decide where we want to hide things, any general thematic stuff we want to do, any big things like murals," Lu said.
Of the thirty eight teams who signed up this year, the πρ-maniacs were the first team to complete the hunt, solving all eight puzzles and the hunt's special meta puzzle (which required the answers from all of the previous puzzles to solve) in a record-breaking three days.
Comprised of seniors Daniel Lopez, Rithik Sebastian, Jeff Tran and Grant Yang, the team was also awarded the title of "Puzzle Hunting Superstars" for finding 17 of the 18 total possible stars in the hunt.
"Our team was really successful because it's our senior year of doing puzzles and we've had a lot of practice in the past doing puzzles hunts in and out of school," Yang said.
While a team of juniors was awarded for being the second team to finish the hunt, there was slight controversy over third place. Even though three teams raced to solve the meta puzzle minutes before the start of the Hunt's closing ceremony, none of them were able to complete it in time. As a result, no third place award was handed out.and it was given to the writers.
However, despite this controversy, the Hunt was ultimately very successful this year, garnering praise from many students for the puzzles' difficulty and clever writing. "The puzzles were multi-dimensional, required a lot of in-depth thinking from a variety of different subjects, and most importantly, were difficult and fun to try to solve," freshman Kevin Zhang said.
Despite general praise and positive responses, many participants also still had small complaints for the puzzle writers. For example, some expressed discontent at how two consecutive puzzles were held by teachers, which allowed certain teams to expand their leads unfairly. "I think there were too many teachers, and also the sequence – so it would be like teacher, teacher, teacher or like online, online, online – and that would give some teams like a grand lead," sophomore Luke Jones said.
Lu noted that some teams stayed up late and even skipped classes to focus on the puzzle hunt and cited it as another indicator of the puzzles' difficulty. "I think next year what this year's writers will try to do is make the hunt a little bit easier and a little bit more accessible to everyone," Lu said.
As the hunt continues to improve, the hunt organizers urge more students to join in the fun and participate in the Hunt next year. "It was a week of a lot of fun, a lot of stress, but in the end, extremely fun and rewarding," Lu said.


text:
Drug lab found after home in Moreno Valley burns
By Brian Rokos | brokos@scng.com | The Press-Enterprise
PUBLISHED: January 30, 2019 at 7:07 pm | UPDATED: January 30, 2019 at 7:07 pm
Firefighters extinguishing a fire in a house in Moreno Valley on Tuesday, Jan. 29, found a drug lab inside, the Riverside County Sheriff's Department said.
Several people reported a fire in the 15000 block of Batton Street about 9:45 p.m., the Cal Fire/Riverside County Fire Department said. The flames spread from the garage to the house. After firefighters contained the fire just before 10 p.m., they called for sheriff's deputies to respond.
Deputies found evidence of a honey oil lab, a sheriff's spokesman said. No arrests were announced and no injuries were reported.
Honey oil contains high concentrations of tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana. The process of making it commonly involves a solvent such as butane — which is highly flammable and prone to igniting.
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Brian Rokos
Brian Rokos writes about public safety issues such as policing, criminal justice, scams, how law affects public safety, firefighting tactics and wildland fire danger. He has also covered the cities of San Bernardino, Corona, Norco, Lake Elsinore, Perris, Canyon Lake and Hemet. Before that he supervised reporters and worked as a copy editor. For some reason, he enjoys movies where the Earth is threatened with extinction.
Follow Brian Rokos	@Brian_Rokos


text:
Sparks fly between Governor and C.M. in West Bengal
Manusmriti in Modi era
ZIYA US SALAM
Print edition : August 04, 2017 T+ T-
ABVP office-bearers who left the student outfit citing differences over the BJP's handling of the JNU row burn a copy of Manusmriti in New Delhi on August 3, 2016. Photo: PTI
The RSS' cultural affiliate is planning to bring out a sanitised version of Manusmriti without the harsh references to women and Dalits, but scholars are sceptical about the intentions behind the move.
2/213. It is the nature of women to seduce men in this world; for that reason the wise are never unguarded in the company of females.
3/17. A Brahman who marries a Shudra woman, degrades himself and his whole family, becomes morally degenerated , loses Brahman status and his children too attain status of shudra.
13/18. The offerings made by such a person at the time of established rituals are neither accepted by God nor by the departed soul; guests also refuse to have meals with him and he is bound to go to hell after death.
3/240. Food offered and served to Brahman after Shradh ritual should not be seen by a chandal, a pig, a cock, a dog, and a menstruating women.
--Prescriptions from Manusmriti, an ancient law book with 2,690 verses, said to be the word of Brahma, and authored by a man who used the eponym Manu.
SOME of these rigid codes may not make it to the public domain in the coming days, but other less controversial suggestions doubtlessly will if the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh's (RSS) cultural affiliate, Sanskar Bharti, has its way, The organisation is trying to come up with a sanitised version of Manusmriti by removing some of the rules of conduct that offend women and Dalits, keeping in mind the modern-day notions of gender equality and discrimination against the marginalised sections of society. The organisation, in coordination with the Union Ministry of Culture, plans to organise seminars, festivals and deliberations in order to change the perception that Manusmriti is necessarily anti-Dalit and anti-women and, after sustained research, hopes to come up with a please-all version of the code book. Manusmriti, which is said to date back to circa 200 B.C., is a set of rules for society, reiterating the watertight, hierarchical caste structure. It is believed to be the fountainhead of the varnaashram dharma, the four stages of human life a devout Hindu is told to strive for. There have been many versions of Manusmriti, each of which was written after a gap of hundreds of years, thus making it subject to interpretation and criticism. The proposal to revive Manusmriti stems from a book, Bharat Gaatha, penned by Dr Surakant Bali, an RSS follower. Bali claimed that Manusmriti was a work from memory, and hence open to interpretation and variation.
However, an attempt to revive the book has gone awry. Some scholars claim that Manusmriti is not the work of one individual. Rather the text was composed across 400 years. Some even claim that in Hindu scriptures there are 14 Manus and none of them exhibited any literary prowess to put together a treatise of socio-legal order. Some quote Dayananad Saraswati in their defence. They wonder, too, about all the fuss about producing a sanitised version of the book. Among them is the former professor of history of Allahabad University, R.K. Singh, who defends the idea of women's protection said to be propagated by Manusmriti. "It is wrong to believe that women are subjugated by Manusmriti. It only said that when a girl is young she is under the protection of her father. As a grown-up lady, she is under the protection of her husband. In old age, her son looks after her. What is wrong with that? If you see the incidents of rape and assaults on women these days, you will agree that this injunction is for women's safety. It does not curb their freedom."
He believes that "regarding subjugation of women in Manusmriti, it would be better appreciated if the relevant verses are read in a coordinated and objective manner rather than by picking up isolated phrases".
The renowned historian D.N. Jha has distanced himself from such pious sentiments. "The composition of the text stretches over centuries [200 B.C. to A.D. 200] and is not authored by one person. The text we have now is full of contradictions because Brahmins have made interpolations from time to time. Even if the explicit anti-Dalit and anti-woman passages are deleted, the inherent bias of the text cannot be removed. If the RSS wants to make it woman-friendly or Dalit-friendly, it should think of rewriting the text de novo but then it won't remain Manusmriti. It will become Modismriti," he says.
The veteran historian Harbans Mukhia, known for his outspokenness, states: "The question whether Manusmriti will be relevant in today's age assumes that being anywhere around two millennia old the text would possibly have lost its relevance in the 21st century, aspirational India; this is problematic. It is one of the foundational texts of the Brahminical order of Hindu society. Even as Hindu society, like others, has seldom totally conformed to any overarching vision and even as it has been evolving over centuries, the Brahminical vision has held its sway. Hence, immense discrimination against lower castes and women as prescribed by Manu, the lawgiver. Therefore, it remains an important course of understanding Hindu society, past and present."
Would Manusmriti as the guiding principle of social life not run parallel to the Constitution? Would there not be two competing visions? "Yes, indeed, such is firmly the case. The proponents of Hindutva have frequently expressed their abhorrence of the Constitution, which grants equality to everyone irrespective of all other markers of one's identity, and voices have been raised to throw the Constitution into the dustbin and install the Manusmriti as the genuinely Indian law to govern India. The voices have become more voluble with the installation of the BJP [Bharatiya Janata Party] government, and they imitate the Islamic state model," says Mukhia.
However, keeping in mind the modern-day principles of gender equality, would not a sanitised Manusmriti be fine? "How safe can the Manusmriti be made? That is the problem with Hindutva guys, the problem of inequalities which is the foundational principle of Manusmriti and the demands of equality that are the foundational principles of 20th and 21st century societies. In their view, all they need to do is to tinker with some of the most strident prescriptions of inequality and discrimination and everything will be hunky-dory. The vision of a highly hierarchical social organisation is at the heart of Manusmriti. It is not at the margins which can be suitably revised," says Mukhia.
But is not the suggestion of a revised version of the book itself an admission of the limitations and anomalies of the book? Jha agrees: "The RSS may have been thinking of reworking Manusmriti for quite some time. If it does, it will be a major assault on our Constitution. The Manusmriti is not relevant in today's India. It goes against the basic features of our Constitution, revised or otherwise."
Mukhia chips in: "For all you know, the Sangh Parivar might even announce that it recognises some of the little shortcomings of the grand law book and is willing to amend it if it can replace the Constitution. Its chief target is the principle of equality of all enshrined in the Constitution. M.S. Golwalkar had proposed in 'We or Our Nationhood Defined' the denial of franchise to some section of Indian society, that is, the minorities. That is what rankles them most. India must return to the golden age when a Dalit would be harshly punished if his passing shadow fell on a Brahmin's body! And a mlechha would remain way out of the sight of a pure Aryan, and women would produce lots of children. Didn't we hear a few months ago a celibate sadhu advising Hindu women to produce 10 children each? Or was it a Taliban speaking? Anyway, 'revising' a two-millennia-old sacred text because of your current politics? Is that how history is going to be rewritten?"
Talking of history being rewritten, revising Manusmriti is part of the same exercise, very much in tune with the RSS philosophy of confining women to homes. R.K. Singh says: "I don't know the purpose the revised version of Manusmriti will serve. Evaluation or relevance of any book has to take into account the time, place and circumstances in which it was written/composed. Evolution of human society and societal values is a dynamic process and evaluation of the book has to be seen in that perspective. If you can read Dayanand Saraswati or Satyarth Prakash, you will realise there are many interpolations, many interpretations, each at variance and conflict with the other. Today, Manusmriti needs rational interpretation. We must understand that through centuries, certain words and instances got changed. Most scriptures were inherited through word of mouth. Even Dayanand Saraswati challenged the originality of the text. The new version has to be authenticated by scholars for it to have any credibility. What is needed is unbiased and objective study and research of the whole thing by eminent unattached scholars and social historians."
The text Dr B.R. Ambedkar publicly set fire to in December 1927 and, more recently, the book former members of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad consigned to flames following the BJP's handling of the Jawaharlal Nehru University issue may just be back in the public psyche, to begin with.
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Aimee Quemuel, a writer based in Ventura, Calif., did not know a thing about canine cancer when her 11-year-old golden retriever, Cody, was diagnosed with hemangiosarcoma (a cancer originating in the lining of the blood vessels and the spleen) in 2006. Yet, because of the decisions she was able to make, Cody lived 17 months longer than his doctors initially predicted.
To help other pet owners in similar situations, Quemuel has written The 42 Rules to Fight Dog Cancer and launched the companion website, FightDogCancer.com. Below, Quemuel shares the wisdom of a dog owner who has been there through the story of Cody's amazing recovery, as well as those of other pet owners she has met in her travels.
After Cody collapsed on a San Francisco beach while playing, veterinarians at the emergency clinic told Quemuel her dog was too sick to be treated. He had tumors on his spleen, his liver and his heart. "I was encouraged to put him down on the spot," says Quemuel. In the heat of the moment, she asked her veterinarian what would happen if she didn't make a decision right then. "We brought a biscuit out and Cody begged for it. He still had life in him." This, in turn, allowed Quemuel to move toward her next phase: research.
Cody's veterinarians were reluctant to treat him. Undeterred, she found a young veterinarian who specialized in angiogenesis therapy, which restores health by controlling blood vessel growth. Cody was also put on a low dose of chemotherapy. Five months later, the tumors on his heart and liver were gone, and he became a candidate for surgery to remove his spleen -- the location of the one tumor that remained. Cody lived a full and healthy life for an entire year after going into remission thanks to the treatment Quemuel found for him.
When her 6-year-old male yellow Labrador retriever, Sana, was diagnosed with mast cell cancer, Rebecca Clark of Newport, R.I., struggled to pay for the treatment -- including three surgeries -- that eventually put him into remission. When her 11-year-old yellow Labrador, Kibo, was diagnosed with lymphoma two years later, she did not know where the money for treatment would come from.
Your dog's life does not have to stop with a cancer diagnosis. Lisa Alford of Asheville, N.C., figured this out after her 5-year-old Great Dane, Lucy, was diagnosed with two different types of cancer at once (thyroid and subcutaneous hemangiosarcoma). "I was heartbroken, but I decided early on that I was not going to let the diagnosis spoil my time with her," says Alford. After Lucy's successful treatment, Alford and Lucy became regular visitors to their local hospital's pediatric ward, where Lucy worked as an official therapy dog.
Quemuel has seen firsthand that cancer prognoses are not written in stone, and has experienced the joy that extra months and years spent with a pet can bring.


text:
Millions Holed up at Home as US Routines Shift Profoundly
Millions of Americans began their work week holed up at home Monday against the coronavirus outside their doors, as the escalating outbreak shifted the nation's daily routines in ways never before seen in U.S. history.As wide swaths of the economy began shuddering to a halt, the financial markets opened with stocks dropping on Wall Street by nearly 10 percent, triggering an automatic 15-minute halt to trading. That came despite emergency Federal Reserve action late Sunday that cut the key interest rate to near zero.The best-case scenario for many investors now is that the economic shock will be steep but short, with growth recovering later this year as stores and businesses open back up. Pessimists, though, are preparing for a longer haul.The U.S. surgeon general, meanwhile, said the number of coronavirus cases in the United States has reached the level that disease-battered Italy recorded two weeks ago — a signal that infections are expected to rise in America."We are at a critical inflection point in this country, people," U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Jerome Adams told Fox News. "When you look at the projections, there's every chance that we could be Italy."Two weeks ago, there were 1,700 cases of coronavirus in Italy and the country had reported 34 deaths. Now, Italy is reporting an estimated 25,000 cases and more than 1,800 people have died.FILE – A near empty street in Washington, D.C. The surgeon general says the number of coronavirus cases in the U.S. has reached the level that Italy recorded two weeks ago, a sign that infections are expected to rise in America. (Photo: Diaa Bekheet)The U.S. has recorded about 3,800 infections and at least 65 deaths, two-thirds of them in hard-hit Washington state.The first participant in a clinical trial for a vaccine to protect against the virus was set to receive an experimental dose at a research institute in Washington state. Public officials cautioned, however, that it will still take from a year to 18 months to fully test and approve any potential vaccineThe wheels of justice slowed too, as the U.S. Supreme Court put oral arguments on hold, including fights over subpoenas for President Donald Trump's financial records.Over the weekend, governors and mayors closed restaurants, bars, and schools as the nation sank deeper into crisis.. Travelers returning home from abroad were stuck in line for hours at major airports for screenings, crammed into just the kind of crowded spaces that public health officials have urged people to avoid.Around the country, people rushed to make arrangements to work from home or tried to figure out how to entertain themselves now that nearly all social gatherings have been banned, canceled or strongly discouraged. Some people planned to binge-watch TV, catch up on chores such as cleaning out the basement, exercise at home instead of the gym, do more cooking or read more."We're catching up on our reading. I just started `Love in the Time of Cholera.′ It seemed appropriate," said Beverly Pfeiffer in Silver Spring, Maryland, of the Gabriel Garcia Marquez classic.Trump sought to calm a jittery nation by declaring the government has "tremendous control" over the situation and urging people to stop the panic-buying of grocery staples that has depleted store shelves nationwide. Gun stores started seeing a similar run on weapons and ammunition as the fear intensified.As Americans struggled with changing their daily habits, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a dramatic recommendation: Because large events can fuel the spread of the disease, it said gatherings of 50 people or more should be canceled or postponed throughout the country for the next eight weeks. It added that, at any event, people should take proper precautions, including handwashing and keeping one's distance.But in a sign of the difficulty of striking the right balance, the CDC statement also said the recommendation does not apply to "the day-to-day operation of organizations such as schools, institutes of higher learning, or businesses."Even before the warning, parts of the country already look like ghost towns, and others are about to follow as theme parks closed, beaches shooed away spring breakers and states and large cities ordered bars and restaurants shuttered."The time for persuasion and public appeals is over," Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker said. "This is not a joke. No one is immune to this."New York City said eateries could only accept takeout and delivery orders. Mayor Bill de Blasio also ordered nightclubs, movie theaters and other entertainment venues closed."These places are part of the heart and soul of our city. They are part of what it means to be a New Yorker," he said in a statement Sunday night. "But our city is facing an unprecedented threat, and we must respond with a wartime mentality."His decision came after Dr. Anthony Fauci, the federal government's top infectious-disease expert, said he would like to see a 14-day national shutdown imposed to prevent the virus's spread."I think Americans should be prepared that they are going to have to hunker down significantly more than we as a country are doing," said Fauci, a member of the White House task force on combating the spread of coronavirus. He heads the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at the National Institutes of Health.There was no indication Trump is considering such a move.The worldwide outbreak has sickened nearly 170,000 people and left more than 6,500 dead, with thousands of new cases confirmed each day.
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Tuesday's Primaries Offer Chance for Biden to Reach Latinos


All you need to bring is yourself—everything else is provided. Mat, towel, water, block, belt. You name it, Rokcore provides it (apart from kit. Don't forget that).
If you're a beginner looking to start practicing yoga, it can be quite intimidating. But Rokcore founders and teachers Meera and Katie encourage a calming and inclusive practice without any intimidation. Explaining each move in detail, you can't help but float away feeling more relaxed than when you entered.
RokCore Featured on ITVBE's The Only Way Is Essex, seeing the boys take timeout for some Zen time.
RokCore features in Vision, the local magazine goto full all local news and events.
RokCore recently featured in Exquisite Essex, the online go to, for all the best Essex has to offer.


Ride in the same direction as other traffic. Bicycles must be driven like other vehicles.
Stop at stop signs and red lights. Cyclists must obey signs and traffic signals.
Leave a cushion of about 3 feet between yourself and the curb. "Near the curb" is subjective but the law gives a cyclist the right to take the lane when necessary for safety.
Repeated by Acts 2001, 77th Leg., ch. 1085, §13, eff. September 1, 2001.
Acts 1995, 74th Leg., ch. 165, § 1, eff. September 1, 1995.
Amended by Acts 2001, 77th Leg., ch. 1085, §§10, 13, eff. September 1, 2001.
In this section, "bicycle" means a non-motorized vehicle propelled by human power.
Introduced and passed on December 13, 2011.
Introduced on October 8, 2012, and passed on October 16, 2012.
Adopted on October 2, 2012.
Adopted on May 20, 2014.


SPOTTED: She's used to feeling the Earth move under her feet, but Carole King on Tuesday visited the Capitol to try to get something else to move — legislation.
The "It's Too Late" and "You've Got a Friend" songwriter greeted lawmakers entering the House chamber alongside Rep. Carolyn Maloney Carolyn Bosher MaloneySenate bill seeks to bring freedom back to banking Dems challenge bank CEOs on post-crisis reforms Carole King lobbies lawmakers in support of bill to protect the Rockies MORE (D-N.Y.). The pair was overheard chatting up members of both parties — including Reps. Hakeem Jeffries Hakeem Sekou JeffriesDems attack Barr's credibility after report of White House briefings on Mueller findings The Hill's 12:30 Report: Assange faces US charges after dramatic arrest Dem leader: Trump's Fed picks like something out of 'SNL' MORE (D-N.Y.), Tim Ryan Timothy (Tim) John Ryan2020 Dems rebuke Trump on Iran, say they'd put US back in nuclear deal Where 2020 Democratic candidates stand on impeachment Warren unveils plan to cancel student loan debt, create universal free college MORE (D-Ohio), Pramila Jayapal Pramila JayapalOvernight Health Care: Trump poised to roll back transgender health protections | House Dems plan 'Medicare for All' hearing next week | Walgreens, Rite Aid raise tobacco-buying age to 21 | Drug distributor faces charges for role in opioid crisis House Dems to hold hearing on 'Medicare for All' next week Overnight Health Care: How 2020 Dems want to overhaul health care | Brooklyn parents sue over measles vaccination mandate | Measles outbreak nears record MORE (D-Wash.), Maxine Waters Maxine Moore WatersSuspect charged for pipe bomb mailings says Trump rallies became like a 'drug' for him On The Money: Treasury misses second Dem deadline on Trump tax returns | Waters renews calls for impeachment | Dem wants Fed pick to apologize for calling Ohio cities 'armpits of America' | Stocks reach record high after long recovery Waters: 'We must impeach Putin's president Trump' MORE (D-Calif.) and Brett Guthrie Steven (Brett) Brett GuthrieCarole King lobbies lawmakers in support of bill to protect the Rockies Democrats drill EPA official over decrease in polluter settlements under Trump Democrats will push to retake vote on funding government after chaos on the floor MORE (R-Ky.) — for a bill to "protect the Northern Rockies."
Maloney last month introduced the Northern Rockies Ecosystem Protection Act (NREPA), which would "give permanent wilderness protection to 23 million acres of America's premier roadless lands" and designate roughly 1,800 miles of waterways as wild and scenic rivers.
King teamed up with Maloney before and has been pushing for the bill since it was first introduced in 1992. During a 2015 visit to Maloney's office, the singer told ITK, "I've spent literally half my time, literally, when I'm not in the entertainment business or just being at home or whatever, I'm on the Hill or making calls for this cause."