My recent visit to Sudan corresponded with the first Sudanese bishops annual meeting in Khartoum in nearly 20 years that included both northern and southern bishops. The bishops, separated by a long civil war, were again united, and the joy was palpable. After a jubilant open-air Mass, nearly 5,000 people gathered outside the church to express affection for the bishops, hugging them and kissing their hands. Young dancers and drummers from every major tribe in southern Sudan entertained the crowds with music, singing, dancing and prayers. The festivities inspired audience membersincluding nuns, priests and a bishopto jump up and dance with their tribes. The celebration felt like a real turning point, as if the people were removing the last restraints of war and feeling free to express their faith and joy. I pray that the people of Darfur in their turn will have opportunities to dance euphorically.
I first went to Darfur, Sudan, in 2004, just a year after a dire conflict erupted across the region, overturning the lives of millions of people. Traveling with Ken Hackett, president of Catholic Relief Services, I heard about whole desert communities forced from their villages; those who survived the violence made their way, shell-shocked, to meager camps where agencies like C.R.S. scrambled to meet their basic needs. We hoped the conflict would be a short-lived clash.
At that time, Sudan was a few steps away from signing a historic agreement to end the separate, two-decade civil war between north and south. Having visited Sudan several times before, I understood the entrenched north-south divide, and the encouraging implications of the accord. The brutal fight in Darfur, Sudans westernmost province, was a stark reminder that peace is fragile, but optimism about the countrys future ran high.
When I returned to Darfur this summer, I found a conflict that is far from resolved, a mature humanitarian response from agencies that have learned to work within alarming constraints and a dogged hope that recent peace efforts will bear lasting results. For millions in Darfur, survival is still not possible without additional help. Optimism is strong, but so is a pervasive sense that peace is a delicate, tenuous thing throughout Sudan.
Understanding the current situation requires one to step back to take a broader view of the region. The Comprehensive Peace Accord that ended the countrys north-south civil war in 2005 brought relative stability to southern Sudan, but many of its provisions still have not been met, either in letter or in spirit. Rebels from northern Uganda move back and forth across the border with Sudan, jeopardizing the sustainability of peace in both countries. And Sudans own conflicts have spilled across borders, destabilizing sections of Chad and the Central African Republic. For now, the accord is holding, but there are concerns about whether it can withstand these pressures.
International attention has centered on Darfur in recent years, but it is only one large piece in a complicated puzzle. If the process of implementing the C.P.A. stalls, Sudan could again be drawn into civil war, snuffing out Darfurs hope for peace. And without attention to the smaller, less notorious conflicts in other parts of the region, the chance of sustainable peace diminishes. The connections between Darfur and the rest of the country may require peacemakers to look closely at the Comprehensive Peace Accord and evaluate how to make it truly and nationally comprehensive.
In June, Sudan accepted a robust force of peacekeepers from the United Nations and the African Union, and more boots were to arrive in Darfur in coming months. But solving the crisis requires more than troops. Without a peace deal, what peace would they keep? First, there must be a durable cease-fire, an initial step to a reinvigorated peace agreement, ensuring that all relevant parties are at the negotiating table. In Darfur, this includes the government, a wide array of rebel groups, people displaced by the violence, host communities that have taken in the displaced, women, nomadic Arabs and others. Each of these groups is a stakeholder in the process, and buy-in from each will be required to ensure that any agreement holds.
The Sudanese government has already signed one peace accord to end the conflict in Darfur, but only one prominent rebel leader joined as a signatory. This rendered the agreement ineffective. The rebel groups, however, largely splintered into separate factions in the past year, recognize the need to come together if peace talks are to have any meaning and weight. At a recent meeting in Tanzania, most factions agreed on a general, common platform as part of an ongoing process designed to lead disparate groups back to the negotiating table.
But setting that table may take serious diplomatic attention. President Bush appointed a special envoy to the area last year. The high-level attention is appreciated, but more is needed before this nuanced diplomacy can have the necessary effect. Through the United Nations and other channels, the United States has immense diplomatic pull. Though the Sudanese government may not be swayed by our voice, other nationssome with greater influence in Sudanmay be.
Securing the Comprehensive Peace Accord required years of difficult negotiations, but that process provides key lessons on what it will take to bring peace to Darfurnamely, strong U.S. leadership, tough regional diplomacy, a unified negotiating process rather than scattered efforts and intense focus. The longer the conflict in Darfur festers, the more damage it will inflict on peace across the region and the harder it will be for families and communities to heal after it ends.
Darfur is the recipient of one of the most extensive humanitarian efforts in the world, in response to one of the largest humanitarian crises in the world. On the positive side, the aid community is making great strides. Malnutrition is being addressed. Children are being vaccinated. Aid is reaching more people than it has in the past. But serious challenges remain. The presence of armed militias keeps humanitarian aid from reaching all vulnerable communities.
Groups like Catholic Relief Services have been on the ground in Darfur for years, and the complexity of their responses shows it. One camp I visited has the air of a planned community, with streets and homes plotted out before residents arrive. Each family receives a demarcated area and has access to water and other services at central points. C.R.S. is also building schools for children in these camps and providing training and materials to teachers. Though the countrys brutal civil war interrupted the education of southern Sudanese childrensometimes for yearsaid agencies hope students in Darfur will be able to continue their studies, making it easier for them to resume their normal lives when peace arrives.
But as humanitarians try to impose order and stability on a violent, chaotic situation, needs continue to grow. After fleeing from their villages, these families traveled more than 30 miles to homes constructed by C.R.S.in El Geneina.
But they found crowded conditions when they arrived. With nowhere else to go, they erected improvised shelters on a flood zone on the outskirts of the camp. As the seasonal rains approached, it was clear their shelters were in jeopardy and new quarters were needed. Without the new structures, they could have watched their lives be washed awayagain.
Aid groups have found ways to address the needs of people displaced by this long conflict, but that does not make the massive disruption easy for affected families to bear. The ability of agencies to provide services (housing, food and clean water) is constantly jeopardized by insecurity on the ground. That leaves displaced communities with few assurances of protection or comfort.
This article also appeared in print, under the headline "Will Darfur Dance Again?," in the November 19, 2007 issue.
John H. Ricard The Most Rev. John H. Ricard, S.S.J., is bishop of the Diocese of Pensacola-Tallahassee, Fla.


asked the Secretary of State for Defence whether it is intended to order Buccaneer Mark II aircraft for the Royal Air Force.
The choice of further new aircraft for the Royal Air Force is one of the major questions on which decisions will be taken in the course of the Defence Review.
Can the hon. Gentleman say how long he expects the development of the Mark II** to take, and will he comment on the Chancellor's suggestion made during the North Hull by-election campaign that these aircraft might be sold to the Americans as part of a package deal?
The Buccaneer Mark II is being considered along with a number of other alternative aircraft in the context of the Defence Review, with particular relation to the Canberra replacement.
Will my hon. Friend confirm that this is an excellent plane, the best of its kind in the world for its purpose, and can he tell us of any possible export markets for it, other than North America?
I confirm, of course, that this is an excellent aircraft. The question is whether it is the particular aircraft we require for the rôle which we need for the Canberra replacement. This is what is being fully considered at the moment.


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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
D&D Older Editions
D&D 1E Forgotten Realms in AD&D 1st Edition a better setting for adventures?
Thread starter Yora
After I had started RPGs with the Forgotten Realms and been really into it for the first couple of years, I did lose interest in it in late 3rd edition. Reading the regional sourcebooks and such was fun, but I never actually used any of it, except for a few bits and pieces from Silver Marches. But one sourcebook that has stuck with me the entire time was the very early The Savage Frontier for 1st edition from 1988. I didn't really pay attention to it while I was running Forgotten Realms campaigns, since the 2nd edition The North box and the 3rd edition Silver Marches were much bigger, with much more content and the updates from all the years, but I found it very compelling to get out and read again many times over the following years. It's pretty slim, and comparing it to the much bigger The North box that came out eight years later in 1996, I noticed that they present really different settings.
The original Grey Box campaign set for Forgotten Realms came out in 1987 for Advanced Dungeons & Dragons (1st edition). A new version for AD&D 2nd edition came out in 1993, which got a revised version in 1996. I only know the 1996 version, and don't know how the 1993 version compares to the ones that came before and after it. But the worlds that are presented by the Campaign Set and Savage Frontier in 1988, and the Campaign Setting and The North in 1996 are very different, and when you really start digging into it, barely seem like they are the same place.
The most interesting thing I discovered is actually the introduction of the first Forgotten Realms Campaign Set. (Who ever actually reads those?) It says there that the Forgotten Realms are a world that greatly resembles the society of 13th and 14th century Europe. I don't know if there is any comparable statement in the 2nd edition, but all the art I've seen for 2nd edition Forgotten Realms does not look like that all! 2nd edition looks like the time of Shakespeare, the English Civil War, and the Spanish an Portuguese Empires (just without gunpowder). That's 17th century.
The 13th century is at the tail end of the Crusades and the beginning of the Hundred Years War, the time of King Edward I of England and the Mongol Conquests, the forming of the Hanseatic League, and the conquest of the pagan Balts and Prussians by the Teutonic Knights. Art in the 1st edition books is quite sparse and doesn't really show any town scenes or detailed depictions of characters' clothing and armor. But there are references to the rise of a new affluent merchant class, early bank notes, and the appearing of the first printing presses in Waterdeep. And if we go with woodblock printing, then this all indicates that references to the 13th and 14th centuries do come from someone who was actually informed about that time period. (I had to look all those things up to check.) This is a technology level before plate armor, where knights would still wear mail hauberks with brigandines on top, and a breastplate would be a brigandine. Helmets with visors only appear towards the end of this period, with the big bucket great helms still the typical form of helmet. More or less still the kind of gear you see on crusaders.
The introduction to the Campaign Set further states that in large parts of Faerûn, the current state of civilization is still a quite recent development, and later the description of rangers mentions them being only found in the northern half of the realms where the wilderness is still being explored and developed. The ruling dynasty of Cormyr goes back 1300 years, but it is stated that for most of its history, they really just ruled over a small city state Suzail. Amn and Baldur's Gate are described in terms that make it sound like their rise to prominence is a fairly recent event and still ongoing process.
The entries for dwarves, elves, and halflings are quite interesting as well. Aside from the dwarven kingdom in the Great Chasm far in the south, the dwarves of Faerûn are a defeated people who have been on their way out for a long time. Some communities still exist in various mountains and hills, but they are highly isolationist, and when they come out to trade with human towns, they don't share any real information about what's going on at their homes. Dwarven PCs are explicitly mentioned as coming from dwarven clans that have found new homes in human cities. The elves are basically gone. Evereska really is the only remaining elven city anywhere in Faerûn, hidden away in a valley deep in the wilderness. In the North, the only elven community is a group of old elves living out their days in Ardeep Forest just outside of Waterdeep. Unlike in later edition, there is no indication of any elves living in the high forest. This is all very much Lord of the Rings, and actually more a situation like several generations after The Lord of the Rings. This is not a world where the streets of cosmopolitan cities are crowded with humans, elves, dwarves, and halflings, or more exotic people like tieflings or dragonborn. Things look different for the halflings though, in a surprising way. The halflings are described as a race on the rise. Halflings are described as looking forward to a bright and great future, which makes them daring and ambitious. They are definitely going to be a big part of this new era.
I am not sure how much the map for Faerûn was changed over the editions (though it definitely was changed to get rid of large blank spaces), but the version here is just massive. Easily twice the size of all of North America. You can easily fit five or six Europes in there, and the map here doesn't even include good parts of the very south and east that are on many later maps. And this appears to be not accidental, as with the weird scale of the Eberron map, that doesn't make much sense when you compare it with the descriptions. Here the discriptions make it clear that the land is supposed to be huge and large unpopulated, or even unexplored. Though I guess being the creation of a Canadian, the sense of distance might have been very different from that of medieval Europeans. I checked, and it turned out that at a travel speed of 18 miles per day (reasonable for adventurers with all their gear), getting from Waterdeep to Silverymoon would take 50 days. Get some interruptions and it easily becomes 2 months. When you make that journey, you're probably expecting to spend the winter there, unless you want to turn back around and start your return trip right after you arrived.
But I think this is fun. If you're looking for a version of the Forgotten Realms that feels different from the more familiar one, making it a vast outdoor wilderness setting sounds cool.
Another thing I very much noticed is that with the 2nd edition version, you really get a massive Renfairification of the Forgotten Realms. The story of how the three most coolest evil edgelord gods got axed is well enough known, but it goes much deeper than that. It's very striking in the North, which I have compared to greater detail. In the 2nd edition version, you find description of numerous monster haunted ruins and potential villains from the 1st edition version, which inform you that adventurers have taken care of it and the threats are all gone now. What you don't find are really any meaningful new threats that have moved in to replace them. What you get instead are pages and pages of descriptions of all the quaint little inns and taverns and cute local craftsmen shops that you can find in the countless charming happy villages. It's cute, but what about the dungeons? What about the dragons? Isn't this supposed to be a setting for dangerous and thrilling adventures? Where the adventure at?
With this very long preamble, I now want to come to an actual discussion. Thoughts?
I don't think there's too many people hanging around here who are deeply familiar with this oldest published iteration of the Forgotten Realms. But what's your perception of how the setting has changed over the three decades and what that means for it's appeal to GMs to use it for their own games?
Reactions: Aran, TerraDave, PabloM and 18 others
That's a nice summary of the setting--you brought a lot more historical knowledge to this than I had when I read it. It does make sense a Canadian would have a different sense of space than a Western European!
I actually did read the 1st ed FR setting cover-to-cover, back in high school. I was a big fan of the goldbox games, and was curious to see the actual stats for the Zhentarim and so on. The Savage Frontier duo was based pretty clearly on the Savage Frontier supplement. (Though practically all the dungeons in those games were in cities, probably due to technical limitations of the era.)
It was pretty common in older settings to leave a lot of big blank areas so DMs could make up their own stuff.
Dungeon-crawling was the oldest form of D&D and I'm guessing they were trying to play up the urban aspects in 2e so they could sell more supplements. But I'm sure someone who knows more about this than me can comment.
2nd ed was trying to deal with a moral panic around Satanism, so I'm not surprised they took out a lot of the darker elements of the setting. This was the era when they famously got rid of the half-orc and assassin and changed devils and demons to baatezu and tanar'ri.
Reactions: ProfessorDetective and haakon1
Voadam
FR has constantly changed and expanded and been influenced by different authors throughout its existence. The first 1e Campaign setting boxed set for instance includes the non-Ed Greenwood Moonshaes incorporating a Celtic themed area that was originally conceived of by Douglas Niles for his D&D novel trilogy.
You can have vastly different setting flavors depending on what sourcebooks you use and what areas you focus on.
The Red Wizards for example go from D&Dified Conan Stygian sorcerers, to high magic 2e villain country (with the evil never wins caveat of the late 1e-2e era), to 3e's evil magical merchant diplomatic enclaves, to the lich takeover.
Reactions: Maxperson, AtomicPope, Scott Christian and 5 others
The Campaign Set even acknowledges that Moonshae was tacked on. In principle, not a bad idea. But in the long run, it appears that nobody else ever did anything with it later. Though there are plenty of regions in similar positions, especially in the south.
From what I remember, the focus has always been on the corridor Sword Coast, Cormyr, Dalelands, Moonsea, and then later the North as well, which eventually became the main focus. (I blame BioWare.) Then there also was some content for Rashemen and Thay and I believe one attempt to do something with Impiltur, but that seems to be about it. Rashemen has a full two pages of description, and Aglarond and Thay both half a page each. Those are very long compared to most places that are described. This makes me assume that this part of the Realms had already been quite developed before this box. Does anyone know anything about their origin?
Interestingly, all regions that the Campaign Set regards as northern Faerûn, which are distinguished from the South in the section on rangers:
"The Rangers are a phenomenon primarily confined to the North, in particular that region north and west of the Sea of Fallen Stars. There are occasionally individuals of this type from Amn or Chondath, but a ranger further south is as rare as pity in a beholder. This may be due to fact that the Rangers function best in those regions which are still being developed and explored by civilized man, and as such have little to do in those regions that have been settled and ruled (at least in name) for centuries."
Zardnaar
1E was more 14th century with dark ages vibe. 2E more renaissance and 16th and 17th century.
Reactions: Weiley31
pming
Yora said:
I DM in the FR on rare occasion. When I do... Grey Box. Ever single time. Wait...I did DM the Phandelen (?) adventure in the 5e Starter Box Set when it first came out...but everyone died to a green dragon (surprise!). Does that count as "new FR"? I mean, I still used my 1e FR knowledge as the basis for, well, everything.
IMNSHO, the 1e FR is the best FR. It is of the "here's some stuff...us it as you will", in stead of the current mindset that I've encountered of "here's some official new stuff...use it or else!".
Paul L. Ming
Reactions: Warpiglet-7, guachi, doctorhook and 6 others
QuentinGeorge
I think that's because it's all basically part of Ed greenwood's original setting. Hordelands, Kara Tur, Al Qadim, Maztica are all the bits added in later by other designers.
Olgar Shiverstone
I prefer the Grey Box for FR campaigns -- less lived in, no timeline advancement, not Realms-shaking events. Just a nice sandbox for adventure.
Reactions: Aran, GuyBoy, guachi and 2 others
I've been taking some measurements on the map from 1st edition The Savage Frontier and 5th edition Sword Coast Adventure Guide, and there's been significant changes to the scale at some point between the two. I only measured in the North, but that region has been shrunk down to only half it's original area.
Not sure if that affects only the North, since that region used to be much further north and the whole sword coast had to be squished to move it south.
Reactions: vincegetorix
Orius
Well first thing is that the Realms have, or had, a timeline that was being continually updated. The original 1e box was 1356 DR before the 2e developments, no Time of Troubles, no Tuigan horde, none of Cyric being a lame and ineffective villain, etc. The North later took all that stuff and presented the region as it looked 14 years later in game with 9 years of setting development. Then the Silver Marches tacked on another 2-3 years at least. So you're getting changes there.
Second, I wouldn't pay much attention to real world historical dates as given. D&D has always had this whole generic medivalism with a lot of anachronisms, so accurate historical periods really aren't part of the game. Of course TSR emphasized this in the Gray Box because this was at the beginning of their historicity kick which produced the D&D Gazetteers, Kara-Tur, the Horde, Maztica, the HR books and so on. You're better off going with Hollywood history with D&D because of the anachronisms and inaccuracies, and that's probably what the players will expect anyway.
Published Realms isn't entirely Ed's Realms anyway. He objected to the tacked on real world stuff because it wasn't how he conceived his original setting and they clashed with it. Plus as originally written the Realms were darker, the bad guys weren't screw ups, civilization wasn't guaranteed and even the Harpers tended to do as much harm as good.
Reactions: S'mon
Orius said:
That's till pretty much present in the 1st edition version of the setting, though. In 2nd edition, that very much changed, however.
Plaguescarred
D&D Playtester for WoTC since 2012
I love the Savage Frontier sourcebook and the 1st Forgotten Realms Campaign set. I thought The North sourcebook nicely expanded but i sincerely don't recall the differences between them that much, only that it used it as base and expanded it significantly.
Reading the Savage Frontier inspired me to launch a campaign in the North back then. Awesome cover art too! I also had the D&D card of that half-orc warlord who's name i can't remember now. Uthgarth or something IIRC
Another one i liked and found very inspiring as the Under Illfarn sourcebook also from AD&D 1st edition.
Reactions: TarionzCousin and Yora
Yup, the 2e problems were all Satanic Panic fallout, and the result was TSR's stupid content code. Honestly, if I were to run the Realms, I'd probably use 3e's starting date of 1372 DR and not Disneyfy the villains.
Reactions: Weiley31 and Maxperson
Plaguescarred said:
Reading the Savage Frontier inspired me to launch a campaign in the North back then. Awesome cover art too! I also had the D&D card of that half-orc warlord who's name i can't remember now. Uthgarth or something IIRC.
I'm currently working on an idea using only the Campaign Set and Savage Frontier. Going through both of them with a fine comb keeps digging up lots of new interesting discoveries. The history of the region is kept really quite vague, but the detailed timeline of historic events that was established later contradicts it at several points. And it's overall much more basic.
The North has exactly two ancient elven Kingdoms: Illefarn and Eaerlann, and that's it. Netheril had wizards, but no mention of flying cities, and it declined over many centuries and not in one sudden event. The people of Silverymoon, Sundabar, and Everlund are the remnants of the Netherese and not related to the Northmen or the Southerners at all. Silverymoon apparently has a few dozen elves living or visiting there, not 10,000, and is considerably smaller than Sundabar. The dwarves are down to only two strongholds, which couldn't be more further apart on the edge of the Anauroch and the coast of Icewind Dale. And as I mentioned, the area is double the size of what it is in later editions.
I find this all extremely fascinating, and a great place for a fresh start to run a campaign that reimagines what the region and the Forgotten Realms as a whole can be. Not being much of an expert on Greyhawk, but it all feels quite similar to the presentation I've seen in various Greyhawk-based modules.
Though at the same time, The Savage Frontier doesn't actually provide a great deal to work with. My first idea was to start a campaign in Secomber, with a party of adventurers just arriving from the South to gain their first foothold in the area. But there's not really anything to give any kind of exciting look and feel to the lower Delimbiyr Valley. What do you do there?
Even if you assume that the region has only been resettled by people from Waterdeep in the last two or three hundred years (implied by several references), and that Secomber and Loudwater are build on the ruins of much older post-Netherese towns, what does the place feel like? What's going on in the area? What are the threats? Of course it's easy enough to make something up from scratch. But that's something you can do anywhere else just as well. How would it be different from some remote villages outside Baldur's Gate, in Sembia, or Amn? The Dessarin Valley is similarly unexciting. Things look more interesting further north near the Spine of the World, where there's a lot more stuff going on. Abandoned dwarf strongholds. Orc tribes. Uthgardt barbarians. Trolls. Undead. Foreboding Mountains. I can absolutely understand why in 3rd edition, they only updated the Silver Marches instead of the whole North.
I normally would say that the region has a lot of fat to trim, even all the way back at the start. Except that there isn't even any fat. Just emptiness.
Reactions: schneeland, S'mon and Plaguescarred
S'mon
I basically agree. I use the 1e/2e transition Bloodstone Lands setting for my 5e FR campaign, currently in 1360 DR, but with a darker & more plausible (to me) tone, eg Dimian Ree is King of Damara and it is distinctly 'Post War' in feel. Stuff like The Third Man (post-WW2 Europe) is an influence.
vincegetorix
Jewel of the North
and that Secomber and Loudwater are build on the ruins of much older post-Netherese towns, what does the place feel like? What's going on in the area? What are the threats? Of course it's easy enough to make something up from scratch. But that's something you can do anywhere else just as well. How would it be different from some remote villages outside Baldur's Gate, in Sembia, or Amn? The Dessarin Valley is similarly unexciting.
I'd say go with a mix'n match approach.
Use the 1st ed stuff where it is interesting, and for the places where there's not much, use stuff from later editions. For de Dessaring Valley, I'd use the stuff from Princes of the Apocalypse, it develops the region while keeping it focused as an adventuring location with a Point of Light theme.
For the Delymbir vale, I remember someone used the Nentir Vale stuff from 4e and transposed it to the Delimby vale, so that could give you some adventure locations without adding too much civilization and lore to it.
Reactions: Parmandur and el-remmen
My first idea was to start a campaign in Secomber
I had started my campaign in Daggerford, they eventually went to Secomber while exploring the Dessarin Valley, and went further north.
Plus Google what the 'festhalls' originally were.
I suspect a lot of people would like to see Ed's original Realms, but I doubt Wizards would want that--there are probably copyright issues I don't fully understand.
Blue Orange said:
WoTC did released Ed Greenwood Presents Elminster's Forgotten Realms I never checked it but blurb says it's a book that provides a rare glimpse into the setting as imagined by its creator. It contain new information on its visible and clandestine rulers, various merchant and trade princes, the churches and mercenary companies of the Realms, renown magic-users and secret societies, adventuring companies, and the web of alliances and enmities that connect them.
There are a couple other add ons to Greenwood's world in the original 1e boxed set
From the commentary on the PDF sale page: "TSR also decided to incorporate projects then in process into the Realms, marking the first major changes to Greenwood's worlds (and the first major additions by creators other than Greenwood or Grubb). They rolled back Greenwood's Great Glacier to make room for the Bloodstone Pass adventures (1985-1988) and they outright replaced Greenwood's own Moonshae islands with a Celtic-influenced Moonshaes created by Douglas Niles for a trilogy of novels (1987-1989). Meanwhile, Ten Towns got added in the North to accommodate R.A. Salvatore's upcoming novel, The Crystal Shard (1988). I3-5: Desert of Desolation (1987) was perhaps the easiest integration, because it was built on the history of a long-last land. FR10: "Old Empires" (1990) would later improve that integration."
D&D 1E L3 Deep Dwarven Delve released in POD format on DriveThruRPG!
Alzrius
RFB Dan
D&D 1E H1 Bloodstone Pass released in POD format on DriveThruRPG! (UPDATE: POD option, previously taken down, is now available again)
aco175
D&D General Origin of each Forgotten Realm
D&D 1E Q1 Queen of the Demonweb Pits released in POD format on DriveThruRPG!
OD&D A quick method for teaching and pickup games, which I've taken to calling "N'OC D&D"

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Despite a leg injury, Fort Simpson student Sky Lennie has battled her way to a spot on the territorial snowshoe biathlon team, destined for Greenland in March.
Lennie, 15, attended biathlon trials in Hay River in December.
She originally sought to compete in ski biathlon but injured her ankle while skiing down a hill at the trials.
However, instructors were so impressed with her shooting skills they offered her a spot on the snowshoe biathlon team.
"It was a good feeling," Lennie said, adding she thought it was over for her after she injured herself.
Cadet Capt. Steve Nicoll, who has trained Lennie in shooting, said she refused to stop even though she was injured.
"She was really willing to push herself and not give up," he said.
Acceptance onto the snowshoe team brings its own challenges. Lennie said she hasn't snowshoed since elementary school, and although she's a good runner she knows she needs to hit the snow hard over the next six weeks before the games begin.
"I don't know how long I can (run) for, but I want to try to find out. That's what I'm working on now," she said.
As for her shooting, Lennie is confident in her skills – although she still plans to hit the range regularly to keep in practice.
Lennie's interest in marksmanship developed through her involvement with Fort Simpson Cadets. She now has years of practice under her belt as well as experience at marksmanship and biathlon competitions.
"(Cadets) is where it all started for me," she said.
Nicoll, who leads the cadets, said he was not surprised to find out Lennie had made the team for Arctic Winter Games.
"She's a hard worker and she's dependable, so she shows up. She has a lot of maturity and all of these things allow me to speed her training," he said.
Her shooting skills have set a precedent for younger cadets, Nicoll said, adding that Lennie's tight groupings give other shooters an example to aspire to.
Lennie will be practising with a .22-calibre rifle, which is what she will shoot with at the games. During the games, she will be shooting a distance of 50 metres at drop-down reactive targets.
Aside from competing, Lennie said she is looking forward to meeting new people.
"That's the big one. As for heading to Greenland, I'm not too sure," she said.
The Arctic Winter Games run from March 6 to 11.


text:
ComD
BS in Communication
MS in Communication
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Clinic Educators
Educational Mobile App Becomes Big Hit
This April Hideout, an educational iPad and iPhone app, was launched on iTunes as supplemental material for the Systematic and Engaging Early Literacy Program (SEEL). Featuring fun and relevant activities, such as a popcorn scene that allows children to make popcorn pop, hop, and stop by tapping on the screen, the app is designed to teach preschool and early elementary school children to recognize phonic patterns in words.
Now, only seven months after its debut, Hideout has reached over 1 5 ,000 downloads and has a rating of four and a half of five stars on iTunes. Hideout was recognized by smartappsforkids.com as "Good Free App of the Day", and after the review in October it was the 60th highest download of a free educational app in the U.S. on iTunes.
Barbara Culatta, a professor in the Department of Communication Disorders in the McKay School, began to develop the SEEL program from grant funds in 1998, and it has since been developed and applied through the McKay School. The SEEL program uses playfulness to instruct as it helps improve literacy teaching of children at preschool and elementary levels.
When children use Hideout to learn phonics, they believe they are playing, which helps to make the experience more memorable so they are more likely to understand and acquire well-developed skills. "If children can have well developed skills and understand the meaning and function of reading early on, they are less likely to lag behind," Culatta said.
Hideout is used inside and outside the classroom. It functions as a stand-alone tool or fits into the larger SEEL program along with various other materials. The popularity of the app on iTunes shows its merits as a stand-alone tool. One customer review read, "In the short time I 'field tested' this with my kindergarten class, it became a fast favorite! You could hear them chanting the word families and they enjoyed the game that went along with each one." One review from a parent read, "I so thoroughly loved this app and the reactions from my children that I am desperately looking for more! I homeschool and have studied several modalities of teaching and types of learning and this app takes the cake…and then some."
The Hideout app designer, Joseph Baird, talked about the critical success of the app saying, "You would be hard pressed to find an app so universally loved by kids, parents, teachers, and academics alike." Culatta said the apps' success could be attributed to its strong academic foundation. "The popularity of the engaging Hideout app is not surprising because it is developmentally sound and relevant to the young learners," Culatta explained.
"Hideout is popular because it targets both sound awareness and reading; the activities also vary for each pattern taught," Culatta said. "Each word ending is placed in a different scenario. Other early literacy apps repeat the same task for each new phonic or sound pattern taught. "
The app is currently undergoing updates that will be launched in the coming weeks to improve the user experience and add new play scenarios. Hideout can be found on the iTunes store, and more information about the SEEL program can be found here.


Is the Black Church Still an Agent of Change?
The Black Church has always been an agent of change in the Black community. Many of the strides that we have made as a people has come from the power of the black Church. Many of our institutions of higher learning, our politicians, our entertainers, and our civil rights movements all had their genesis in the Black Church. The Black Church has been the one institution in the Black Community that has weathered the storms of racial inequality, prejudice, socioeconomic ills, and the harsh winds of racial hatred. I applaud the Black Church yet I am concerned about the new waves that are coming through our churches. In our attempt to do what others are doing, we are now adopting the styles and methods of the seeker sensitive churches. Perphaps, the Purpose Driven Agenda doesn't mesh with all the churches of our community and our demographic. Every church in the black community has not been called to be a megachurch. I am not megachurch bashing for I am a product of a megachurch. Yet, I feel like the bigger is better movement has swept the Black Church. Sure, God wants all of our houses of worship full, but I don't believe that he would agree with all of our methods. If an evangelist preaches a hard word against sin, he will not be one of the most sought after conference speakers around. We all want to hear how we are going to be blessed. I wholeheartedly believe that God wants his children to be blessed, but not at the cost of us running after other Gods. The god of mammon has permeated the black church to the extent that we will spend 45 minutes on an offering that was preceded by a 2 minute Altar Call. Where are we going? Have we all been lulled into complacency and a self satisfied slumber? Are we at ease in Zion? What can we do in order to get the Black Church, the Church that I love and cherish back to it's place as the premier agent of change in the Black Community? Would we need to march and picket as much, if more of us would get on our knees and pray?


text:
Кургантепи́нський район () — один з 14 районів (туманів) Андижанської області. Розташований в північно-східній її частині.

Утворений 29 вересня 1926 року.

Площа району становить 480 км².

Населення становить 160,4 тис. осіб (2005). Більшу частину складають узбеки. Проживають також киргизи, таджики, росіяни, казахи та інші народи. Щільність населення становить 334 чол./км².

Район складається з 2 міст (шахарі) — Кургантепа і Карасув та 5 сільських рад (кішлак-фукаролар-їгині) — Дардак, Кургантепа, Савай, Султанабад, Чимен.

Адміністративний центр — місто Кургантепа.

Природа
Район розташований в передгірській частині Ферганської та Алайської гірських систем. Рельєф району складається з рівнин, які знижуються зі сходу (висота 1 000 м) на захід (500 м), та адирів Ташахур і Сузак.

Клімат континентальний. Пересічні температури липня +26,6 °C, січня 2-3 °C. Вегетаційний період становить 220 днів. За рік випадає в середньому 250—400 мм опадів, в основному взимку та навесні.

Територією району протікають річки Карадар'я та Карагунон. Є канали Шахрихансай і Савай.

Ґрунти лучні та лучно-сіроземні.

На цілинних ділянках та адирах зростають лебеда та інші рослини. Серед диких тварин поширені вовк, лисиця, дикобраз, плазуни, гризуни, птахи, у водоймах водиться риба.

Цікаві факти
Сільська управа Барак, що організаційно належить до Кара-Суйського району Киргизстану, повністю оточена територією району.

Див. також
 Список населених пунктів Андижанської області
 Ферганська долина

Посилання
 Сайт Андижанського обласного хокіміяту

Райони Андижанської області

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
The corpse flower just bloomed in Vancouver and this is how gross it smells (PHOTOS/VIDEO)
Darcy Matheson
Uncle Fester the corpse flower at the Bloedel Conservatory / Darcy Matheson
As the parent of two young children and guardian to two small dogs, I am no stranger to things that smell bad.
But getting a whiff of the extremely rare Amorphophallus titanum — aka the giant corpse flower — in real life is taking things to a whole new level.
One of the largest and most unpredictable flowers on the planet, "Uncle Fester," bloomed Wednesday at Vancouver's Bloedel Conservatory but will only be in bloom for the next 24 to 48 hours. After that brief window, the spathe will close, and the plant will collapse into dormancy once again.
A post shared by Daily Hive Vancouver (@dailyhivevancouver)
Uncle Fester the corpse flower at the Bloedel Conservatory/Darcy Matheson
At the ripe age of 12, Uncle Fester has left its mark — and very distinct aroma — on the Vancouver tourist attraction. Its infamous scent is akin to rotting flesh but has also been compared to dirty diapers or rotten meat.
To me, the exact aroma was hard to pin down, but standing downwind, you are reminded of a mixture of garbage languishing on a hot day or something that has gone very bad in the fridge.
The horrible scent is by biological design: The scent emitting from the open spathe is intended to attract pollinator insects like flesh flies and carrion beetles that feed on dead animals.
This is a rare event in the floral world. The last time the plant bloomed was in 2018, and it could take up to another decade for it to happen again. Some years, the tropical plant will only produce a single leaf, reaching up to 15 feet tall.
The corpse flower has bloomed at the Bloedel Conservatory in Vancouver and I can confirm that Uncle Fester really, really, like really, stinks. @DailyHiveVan @ParkBoard pic.twitter.com/Jo5NZ7A3Dy
— Darcy Matheson (@darcynews) August 19, 2021
Innessa Roosen, Acting Conservatory Lead, told Daily Hive that sometimes the bloom could develop as a leaf or like a flower. When the conservatory received Uncle Fester and potted him, he came up as a rather large leaf — around 9 or 10 feet tall.
After 12 to 14 months, the leaf went dormant and came back as a flower. The process took around 7 months of dormancy before it bloomed.
"It's a long journey," Roosen said.
The species of flower is endangered and only grows in the equatorial tropical rainforests on the island of Sumatra in Indonesia. It is legally protected in its home country and classified as Endangered on the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List.
Fewer than 1,000 plants of its kind remain in the wild.
This giant flower that smells like rotting flesh is about to bloom in Vancouver
Hasan Minhaj coming to Vancouver this fall as part of massive tour
Explore 14 stunning floral pop-up installations at the Fairmont Vancouver
Uncle Fester was only brought to the conservatory on August 4, after growing offsite in one of its greenhouses for the last few years.
The public is invited to visit Bloedel Conservatory at Queen Elizabeth Park to see Uncle Fester in the flesh for the next 48 hours. However, tickets online are already sold out. Flower lovers can also go to BloedelConservatory.ca to see a livestream of Uncle Fester.
And here's a time-lapse video of the 2018 blooming of Uncle Fester if you're interested in learning more about the whole growth process.
Darcy Matheson+ FOLLOW


Nikon To Announce New 20mm F/1.8G with Nano Coating? D610 to be Discontinued?
We are all waiting for that Nikon D750 announcement, which may come next week, but another Nikon rumor caught my eye this morning. It appears that Nikon may have a new 20mm F/1.8G lens in the works, though no word on if it will be announced at Photokina or not.
The report comes from Nikon Rumors, who references a tweet (from an account that has since been made private and is no longer publicly viewable) from a camera shop worker in Japan. That tweet, in addition to other details from other sources, leads the NR admin to believe that this is indeed a lens that Nikon has coming down the pipes.
The other interesting tidbit there is about the Nikon D610 possibly being discontinued soon. That, would be VERY surprising to me as the camera is so new, but I suppose it is a possibility if Nikon feels that the D750 will kill the D610 market.
What are your thoughts on this new 20mm lens rumor? Do you think that Nikon would really discontinue the D610 so soon? Leave a comment below!
I own the D600 as my backup body to my D3S. I just can't get myself to pick up that camera unless I absolutely need too. If there's time to change lenses during a wedding, I find that I'll change to the D3S everytime vs just using the lens that is attached to the 600. I wish I could go back in time and not buy this camera. And that's not b/c I don't think it's a great camera. I am probably not giving it the chance it really deserves….but I don't think my decision to buy it was the right one at the time…it came more out of necessity, needing a Full Frame backup that wouldn't cost me the same as another D3S or D4 in case my main camera failed on a job.
OK but seriously, yes the D600 is an amazing camera, in that it is lightweight and offers great image quality at an affordable price. That's about it though. Everything else about it is prosumer. If you're used to a flagship, it's gonna feel prosumer. So while I wouldn't hesitate to take a D600 on a landscape adventure any day, versus either a D700 or D3s, …I wouldn't hesitate to forego a D600 and opt for a pair of D700's for a wedding or similar type of paid job.
The Nikon D4S is a whole other level of camera. It is for people who really demand extreme precision any given situation.
You are right Matthew, the D700 are for people who are working and need performance. I think if they can achieve 8fps that would be amazing at 24 mp. But maybe they will only be able to shoot at 6.5 a little faster than the Canon 5D Mark III at a higher resolution. I am praying for 8fps.
Rafael, the 5D mk3 has one thing working against it: the only raw setting is 14-bit lossless compression. Nikon has 12-bit lossy compression as an option, which more than cuts the filesize in half, often less than 1 megabyte per megapixel. In other words, if the 5D mk3 can hit 6 FPS at 22 MP 14-bit lossless raw, the D750 could absolutely hit 8 FPS using 12-bit lossy compression.
I think the D610 has plenty of life left in it, and when it's done well get a killer D650 or something. The discontinuation of the D610 will probably not come too soon, but maybe Nikons sales aren't as high as they'd hoped for either the 600 or the 610 , and they're anticipating needing to retire it sooner than they had originally expected. Compared to say, the Canon 6D's potential lifespan which seems to be doing alright.
Either way, having the D750 in the lineup will make it more FX cameras than ever! I think. D4s, Df, D810, D750, D610. Have we ever had five FX bodies and only three DX bodies?
Yeah, I will be pretty surprised if Nikon axes the D610 already. Unless they kill off the whole D6xx line and make the D750 a little cheaper than most are expecting.
This could just be a huge ploy to get rid of the D6xx line, and really the D750 is just the D650, and they wanted to distance themselves from the D600 debacle. Regardless, the sheer amount of FX cameras in the Nikon system is nuts.
Indeed, you could be right.
The answer to this conundrum will hinge on whether the D750 has the body styling of the D610, or the D810.
Hey Mark Save money and buy one! After you have it you will love it!
As for the 20mm I'm not in the market for that focal length but the D610 might be discontinued? Really curious to see where the price point will be for the D750 if that's the case.
I agree. The D600 was a problem for Nikon and the D610 seemed like a more than acceptable replacement, especially if you were one of the people who got one for free as a replacement for your defective D600. But this is Nikon's entry level full frame camera. It's about $1,000 more than their top of the line DX, the D7100. I can't imagine that market is not viable, especially when you go up the chain, you're dropping $2,000 more above the cost of the D7100 for the D800.
Considering the price of the D700 and D800, (both about $3k) I don't think the D750 will deviate from that number by more than $200-300.and considering the price of the red-headed stepchild that is the Df, I'm gonna bet that the D750 costs about as much as the D810.


text:
ARENA PANELS GET A QUOTE
Home Products Drivable Event Flooring Arena Panels
Load-distributing Aluminum Ground Protection for Vehicle Traffic and Pedestrians
eps custom-designed Arena Panels for stadiums. Similarly, the system is also helpful for large-scale venues that accommodate heavy equipment or large crowds. The aluminum panels create solid bases. Moreover, these provide suitable access roads for heavy loads on soft surfaces. The panels can function as a stable base for large stages. Similarly, these serve as a substructure for large stages or grandstands. You can erect these grandstands on lawns in stadiums. Moreover, these can also function as grandstands or as safe access for forklifts, site traffic, trucks, and heavy goods vehicles.
Pedestrian-friendly textured grip and counter-sunk connections
The weight distribution of load protects the subsurface and reduces compression
Supports access for heavy vehicles up to a maximum weight of 12 t (26,455 lbs) per axel
Check availability in your region
You haven't found a match? Don't worry. Get in touch, and let us find the perfect alternative for you.
Protection of Sensitive Soils
Stadium Turf and Running Tracks
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Temporary Access Roads
Special ground issues, difficult terrain? No problem. Our team has got the right solution for all your needs.
PRODUCT FEATURES FOR ARENA PANELS
Our ArenaPanel® system is lighter than other heavy-duty floor protection systems. Moreover, it is available in various sizes. A standard panel is 3 meters (9 feet 10 inches) wide and 2.15 meters (7 feet 1 inch) long. It weighs around 190 kilograms (419 pounds). There are also narrower and shorter versions. Moreover, these versions have a height of 4.8 cm (2 inches). We use extruded aluminum with a slightly profiled surface for the production phase.
The material offers silver-colored and unpainted aluminum plates. We offer these panels for long-term rentals. Similarly, these offer fireproof properties and stable texture. The high-quality floor protection comes in packages of 10 panels. Moreover, we can also take care of transport, construction, and breakdown. Similarly, one of our installation supervisors can provide on-site support.
Completely Even Surfaces
Arena Panels connect on all sides via an internal bolt and plate system. Moreover, this creates a completely even surface. Similarly, it ensures the most efficient weight distribution. Our systems are capable of supporting the heaviest of loads. Moreover, our panels are also compact and light enough. Therefore, you can lay them down manually with the help of a forklift.
Strand-cast aluminum
2.15 × 3.00 × 0.048 m (7 ft 1 in × 9 ft 10 in × 2 in)
Approx. 190 kg (419 lbs) per panel
Slightly textured, pedestrian-friendly surface with fully retracted nuts and bolts
Geotextile or EnkaMat
Load bearing capacity:
Up to 6 t wheel load / approx. 139 t per m² (28.400 lbs per ft²)
(depending on underground)
125 panels per standard trailer
Approx. 806,25 m² (8,678 ft²)
US: 105 per truck = ca. 677 m² / 7.276 sqft
We offer all relevant accessories, such as screws, brackets, 90° connectors, cable ducts, multiplex filling pieces, or plugs. We make underlays from PE foil, EnkaMat, or Geotextile. Moreover, these materials help prevent contamination. Similarly, these also protect the lawn at high temperatures. Ramps create smooth transitions from the laid floor panels to the underlying floor.
Universal and ADA Ramps
In addition to start and end ramps and universal ramps for the panels' transverse sides, we also have corner ramps and flatter. Therefore, we can offer wheelchair-friendly ADA start and end ramps. These are also ideal for enabling vehicles to enter and exit particularly gently. You can combine Arena Panels with all turf protection systems.
EXTENSIONS AT A GLANCE
Ramp accessories to ensure safe and smooth transitions to subsurfaces
ADA Ramps facilitate wheelchair access
Optional range of underlays to protect subsurfaces and adapt to ground conditions
Transition products to seamlessly connect Arena Panels with other ground and turf protection systems
Flex Panels to create seamless curves in roadways
Compatible with eps's range of pedestrian and drivable flooring
Cable Protectors to safeguard equipment and audiences on the event floor
CAD design to help optimize planning processes
Arena Panels are the perfect pedestrian-friendly floor protection in any weather, here at the "Openair Frauenfeld" and "Wacken Open Air"
ARENA PANELS: DID YOU KNOW?
The panels are lightweight. Moreover, these are stable enough to withstand heavy loads. You can also lay down large Arena Panels by hand. There is no need for a crane truck when laying the panels. However, the installation process may be complex. So, you may need several helpers for smaller areas. The panels are very firmly and stably connected. Therefore, you can only adapt them in one direction.
Stumble-Edge-Free
There are a few things you should know to protect sensitive lawns. You should ensure that the material, which is neither translucent nor permeable to air, is only suitable for a shorter lay period. The heavy-duty panels are convincing as stumble-edge-free protection. Moreover, these are pedestrian-friendly. Similarly, you can easily use these for floor covering. This happens due to counter-sunk bolts below the surface.
More efficiently transportable compared with other aluminum roadways
eps Box Panels are recommended for uneven/undulating ground conditions
100% recyclable materials
Arena Panels are also suited for the short-term construction of working. In addition to this, you can also use these for parking areas. Similarly, these are also ideal for easily accessible car parks. The floor plates ensure improved load-bearing capacity. Moreover, these offer the best load distribution under extreme point loads.
Ideal for High Load Requirements
This provides an ideal basis for preparing the football stadium. Moreover, Arena Panels are suitable for festival grounds or other event locations. These locations offer a venue for the high load requirements of large outdoor events.


text:
/**************************************************************************************************
 *** This file was autogenerated from GrClampedGradientEffect.fp; do not modify.
 **************************************************************************************************/
#include "GrClampedGradientEffect.h"

#include "include/gpu/GrTexture.h"
#include "src/gpu/glsl/GrGLSLFragmentProcessor.h"
#include "src/gpu/glsl/GrGLSLFragmentShaderBuilder.h"
#include "src/gpu/glsl/GrGLSLProgramBuilder.h"
#include "src/sksl/SkSLCPP.h"
#include "src/sksl/SkSLUtil.h"
class GrGLSLClampedGradientEffect : public GrGLSLFragmentProcessor {
public:
    GrGLSLClampedGradientEffect() {}
    void emitCode(EmitArgs& args) override {
        GrGLSLFPFragmentBuilder* fragBuilder = args.fFragBuilder;
        const GrClampedGradientEffect& _outer = args.fFp.cast<GrClampedGradientEffect>();
        (void)_outer;
        auto leftBorderColor = _outer.leftBorderColor;
        (void)leftBorderColor;
        auto rightBorderColor = _outer.rightBorderColor;
        (void)rightBorderColor;
        auto makePremul = _outer.makePremul;
        (void)makePremul;
        auto colorsAreOpaque = _outer.colorsAreOpaque;
        (void)colorsAreOpaque;
        leftBorderColorVar = args.fUniformHandler->addUniform(kFragment_GrShaderFlag,
                                                              kHalf4_GrSLType, "leftBorderColor");
        rightBorderColorVar = args.fUniformHandler->addUniform(kFragment_GrShaderFlag,
                                                               kHalf4_GrSLType, "rightBorderColor");
        SkString _sample1099("_sample1099");
        this->invokeChild(_outer.gradLayout_index, &_sample1099, args);
        fragBuilder->codeAppendf(
                "half4 t = %s;\nif (!%s && t.y < 0.0) {\n    %s = half4(0.0);\n} else if (t.x < "
                "0.0) {\n    %s = %s;\n} else if (t.x > 1.0) {\n    %s = %s;\n} else {",
                _sample1099.c_str(),
                (_outer.childProcessor(_outer.gradLayout_index).preservesOpaqueInput() ? "true"
                                                                                : "false"),
                args.fOutputColor, args.fOutputColor,
                args.fUniformHandler->getUniformCStr(leftBorderColorVar), args.fOutputColor,
                args.fUniformHandler->getUniformCStr(rightBorderColorVar));
        SkString _input1767("t");
        SkString _sample1767("_sample1767");
        this->invokeChild(_outer.colorizer_index, _input1767.c_str(), &_sample1767, args);
        fragBuilder->codeAppendf("\n    %s = %s;\n}\n@if (%s) {\n    %s.xyz *= %s.w;\n}\n",
                                 args.fOutputColor, _sample1767.c_str(),
                                 (_outer.makePremul ? "true" : "false"), args.fOutputColor,
                                 args.fOutputColor);
    }

private:
    void onSetData(const GrGLSLProgramDataManager& pdman,
                   const GrFragmentProcessor& _proc) override {
        const GrClampedGradientEffect& _outer = _proc.cast<GrClampedGradientEffect>();
        {
            const SkPMColor4f& leftBorderColorValue = _outer.leftBorderColor;
            if (leftBorderColorPrev != leftBorderColorValue) {
                leftBorderColorPrev = leftBorderColorValue;
                pdman.set4fv(leftBorderColorVar, 1, leftBorderColorValue.vec());
            }
            const SkPMColor4f& rightBorderColorValue = _outer.rightBorderColor;
            if (rightBorderColorPrev != rightBorderColorValue) {
                rightBorderColorPrev = rightBorderColorValue;
                pdman.set4fv(rightBorderColorVar, 1, rightBorderColorValue.vec());
            }
        }
    }
    SkPMColor4f leftBorderColorPrev = {SK_FloatNaN, SK_FloatNaN, SK_FloatNaN, SK_FloatNaN};
    SkPMColor4f rightBorderColorPrev = {SK_FloatNaN, SK_FloatNaN, SK_FloatNaN, SK_FloatNaN};
    UniformHandle leftBorderColorVar;
    UniformHandle rightBorderColorVar;
};
GrGLSLFragmentProcessor* GrClampedGradientEffect::onCreateGLSLInstance() const {
    return new GrGLSLClampedGradientEffect();
}
void GrClampedGradientEffect::onGetGLSLProcessorKey(const GrShaderCaps& caps,
                                                    GrProcessorKeyBuilder* b) const {
    b->add32((int32_t)makePremul);
}
bool GrClampedGradientEffect::onIsEqual(const GrFragmentProcessor& other) const {
    const GrClampedGradientEffect& that = other.cast<GrClampedGradientEffect>();
    (void)that;
    if (leftBorderColor != that.leftBorderColor) return false;
    if (rightBorderColor != that.rightBorderColor) return false;
    if (makePremul != that.makePremul) return false;
    if (colorsAreOpaque != that.colorsAreOpaque) return false;
    return true;
}
GrClampedGradientEffect::GrClampedGradientEffect(const GrClampedGradientEffect& src)
        : INHERITED(kGrClampedGradientEffect_ClassID, src.optimizationFlags())
        , colorizer_index(src.colorizer_index)
        , gradLayout_index(src.gradLayout_index)
        , leftBorderColor(src.leftBorderColor)
        , rightBorderColor(src.rightBorderColor)
        , makePremul(src.makePremul)
        , colorsAreOpaque(src.colorsAreOpaque) {
    this->registerChildProcessor(src.childProcessor(colorizer_index).clone());
    this->registerChildProcessor(src.childProcessor(gradLayout_index).clone());
}
std::unique_ptr<GrFragmentProcessor> GrClampedGradientEffect::clone() const {
    return std::unique_ptr<GrFragmentProcessor>(new GrClampedGradientEffect(*this));
}


The Paperfox H500A Rotary Die Cutting Machine is a heavy duty press that can be fitted with any design of die. Ideal for short run digital print such as business cards and greetings cards. This affordable solution for die cutting means you can keep you jobs in house and under full control. The H500A is not just for cutting paper but also plastic, card and leather. The cylinder press mechanism allows for high pressure to be exerted meaning a sharp and neat finish. The H500aA really is a solid piece of equipment weighing in at 47kg it will endure years of trouble free die cutting. Any standard die can be used on this machine using a rule height from 20mm right up to 70mm.
Binding Store can supply bespoke dies to order. All we need is for a template to be emailed to us.
Great machine. Much more massive and strong than it looks in the pictures. Great product. Thanks.


Q: Find positive integers A, B and C such that 3^A + 5^B + 7^C (3 to the A power + 5 to the B power + 7 to the C) is a perfect square. What is the smallest perfect square possible?
Previous PostAugust 2015 Brain Teaser SolutionNext PostStudent work: How much is 12/0?


Cooper Baltzell is a 3-year-old patient at University of Minnesota Masonic Children's Hospital. Gregory is a 57-year-old hospital custodian. Together, they have forged an adorable friendship over their shared love of popcorn.
Cooper Baltzell has been hospitalized many times in his young life. Fortunately, he has a friend at University of Minnesota Masonic Children's Hospital: 57-year-old Gregory Watson, a hospital custodian.
Three-year-old Cooper Baltzell has plenty of friends at University of Minnesota Masonic Children's Hospital.
During his frequent visits to the hospital, Cooper hands out candy to the nurses, hams it up with hospital volunteers and plays in Kyle Rudolph's End Zone. He's so well known that staff members often stop to say 'hi' to him in the hallways.
Amid a sea of friendly faces, though, one stands out.
Gregory is a 57-year-old environmental services aide at the hospital. For eight years, he has worked at the children's hospital cleaning patient rooms and nursing staff areas so that the building can be a healing place for families. And in his spare time, he has struck up an unlikely and adorable friendship with Cooper.
Hangouts like the one they held on a Friday afternoon in late March are a regular occurrence for Cooper and Gregory. Both love buttery, movie theater-style popcorn—which they get at the hospital's Family Resource Center. The center regularly hosts "Popcorn Days," and pops batches using a mobile popcorn machine.
But all of that falls by the wayside during Cooper's time with Gregory. Instead, they crack jokes, steal popcorn, color with crayons, and get in playful wrestling matches. Cooper is a budding extrovert, according to Ashley, and friendships like Gregory's are vital for his happiness and sense of normalcy.
Gregory takes a more philosophical approach when he reflects on his friendship with Cooper.


From Marsha Lederman in the Globe and Mail, on Dida Zende's FIT at the Waldorf Hotel, which is set to close January 20th, 2013.
"I remember exactly where Mr. Fazio made the Disneyland comment. We were on our way to the parking lot, to visit a shipping container that was being turned into an art gallery by Dida Zende, a visiting artist from Berlin who reclaims old spaces and turns them into creative venues (he usually uses gas stations). Inside, fellow Waldorf operator, entertainment director (and musician) Thomas Anselmi was working on a video installation. For me, Vancouver never felt more world class than it did inside that tiny, dark shipping container."
Please join us Thursday, November 1st at 8:30 pm to celebrate the launch of Goethe Satellite@ Vancouver//RAW DATA.
Photos from the opening of PWN the Wall!
Join us Thursday October 18 for an art opening in the FIT.
and a simple but completely altering intervention.
international trade aiding directly in the production of great wealth.
We were happy to arrange a tour for Klaus-Dieter Lehmann, the President of the Goethe Institut, and his wife Lieselotte, who visited Vancouver this weekend. One stop was Nothing Happens in Good Weather, a public art project by Instant Coffee curated by Barbara Cole for Other Sights.


Old Uncle Benjamin was a nudist. It is reported that he first perceived the electricity in lightning when he was using a kite tied to his protuberance to tow himself across the lake. I bet he caused sparks after that. (Or as my physics teacher in high school used to say: 'the angle of the dangle is directly proportional to the heat of the meat.) No wonder the French women were taken by him and did much to gain the support of France. Fortunately, because otherwise we'd probably be all excited about the royal family in an official way.


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John Beilein contract extension with Michigan nearing the finish line
After highly publicized interview with the NBA Detroit Pistons, the school is putting the final touches on a deal to keep the Wolverines' all-time winningest basketball coach in the fold.
John Beilein contract extension with Michigan nearing the finish line After highly publicized interview with the NBA Detroit Pistons, the school is putting the final touches on a deal to keep the Wolverines' all-time winningest basketball coach in the fold. Check out this story on detroitnews.com: https://detne.ws/2thcPLS
The Detroit News Published 6:31 p.m. ET June 21, 2018 | Updated 7:06 p.m. ET June 21, 2018
"I am very pleased with the outcome, and I am extremely happy he is staying and will be our coach," says Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel about John Beilein's impending contract extension.(Photo: David J. Phillip, AP)
Ann Arbor — John Beilein's contract extension proposal from Michigan is getting its final touches and should be finalized anytime now.
Beilein, 65, is the all-time winningest coach at Michigan and had a much-publicized flirtation with the Pistons and their then-head-coaching vacancy. But he decided this month to stay at Michigan, where he has a 248-143 record. He led the Wolverines to the NCAA title game in March and in 2013, and also back-to-back Big Ten tournament championships the last two years.
He signed a two-year contract extension in November 2015 and is under contract through 2021. Michigan currently pays Beilein $3.37 million annually, which made him the ninth-highest paid coach in college basketball last season.
"I had a meeting on it today with our lawyer just to finalize and go over some points," Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel said Thursday after presenting the athletic department budget to university Regents. "If it's done today and his lawyer gets it tomorrow and they want to sign it tomorrow, I'll sign it.
"This process started for me in April after the season. For me, I look forward to putting everything on the dotted line and dotting all the I's and crossing all the T's and putting our signatures to a contract. I'm not concerned. I'm very happy."
Manuel said he would discuss financial terms of Beilein's extension when the contract is finalized.
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He laughed heartily when asked if he was relieved Beilein decided to stay.
"Oh, very relieved," he said. "That's old news now."
Manuel had made it clear since late in the NCAA Tournament run that he wanted Beilein to finish his career at Michigan. They had been working on a contract when the Pistons came calling. Beilein met with Manuel to tell him of the NBA team's interest.
"I don't know if it was any reaction, surprise or not," Manuel said. "John is a great coach. There are pro teams that need great coaches and it's probably in their best interest to look at the college game and to look at our college coaches. I am very pleased with the outcome, and I am extremely happy he is staying and will be our coach."
He said the two had an open dialogue the entire time.
"John and I were communicating as much as he needed and as much as I needed," Manuel said. "We were also talking about different things related to the program here and the daily stuff or weekly stuff or every month stuff that I talk to my coaches about anyway."
Manuel said Beilein's decision to stay did not hinge on his assistant coaches and their pay.
"That was done in April," Manuel said, saying he had already considered everything Beilein needed going forward. "Listen, this wasn't a, 'I'm going to the Pistons if you don't do this.' All that was laid out right after the season and given as part of their success and what they had driven and not anything related to the fact that I was trying to stave off any offer.
"I was trying to provide for John and his staff and what they needed and, in my view, they had earned with the success we had produced."
achengelis@detroitnews.com
twitter.com/chengelis
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Michigan football adds Bob Shoop, Brian Jean-Mary to defensive staff
Mark Dantonio says he'll 'make changes' at Michigan State but won't elaborate


The statue of Leifur Eiriksson, first European to find America. Reykjavik's Hallgrimskirkja in the background.
Das Denkmal für Leifur Eiriksson, den ersten Europäer der Amerika besuchte. Dahinter Reykjavik's Hallgrimskirkja.
The Sólfar sits right at Reykjavik's watefront, here illuminated by the midnight sun.
Der Sólfar in der Mitternachtssonne am Strand in Reykjavik.
Þingvellirkirkja (Þingvellir Church), as seen from the Lawrock (Lögberg).
Die Þingvellirkirkja (Þingvellir Kirche) vom Lögberg gesehen.
Archeologists are said to have found indications that the rock in the background may have been the original Lögberg of the Alþing, before christianity was adopted.
Archeologen haben angeblich Hinwese gefunden daß der Felsen im Hintergrund hier mölicherweise der alte Lögberg des Alþings war, bevor Island das Chritentum übernahm.
The first Þingvellirkirkja(Þingvellir Church) was built in this location shortly after in the year 1000 A.D. the Icelanders decided to adopt christianity as the national religion.
Wo die Þingvellirkirkja (Þingvellir Kirche) heute steht wurde die erste offizielle Kirche Island's errichtet, nachdem in 1000 A.D. Island das Christentum als Staatsreligion übernahm.
Þingvellir was the place where the Alþingi convened from 930 A.D. to 1799. Today, a flagpole marks the location of the Lögberg, the law-rock, where the Law Speaker, at the beginning of each session would recite the laws of Iceland to the assembled members of the Alþingi.


Are Wii U and 3DS Sales Dragging Nintendo Down?
Another miss to end the year. Revenue was 73 billion yen versus our estimate of 91 billion yen and consensus of 106 billion yen. Hardware revenue was 29 billion yen versus our estimate of 68 billion yen. Nintendo sold under 100,000 units of the 2DS in its second-quarter of availability, and had its worst month ever for 3DS sales. Publishing revenue was 43 billion yen versus our estimate of 23 billion yen. Sales for the DS, 3DS, and Wii exceeded our expectations, while sales for the Wii U were below. EPS was (273) yen versus our estimate of (282) yen and consensus of (271) yen.
FY:15 guidance appears unrealistic given 3DS Q4 hardware weakness and Wii U struggles. Initial FY:15 guidance is for revenue of 590 billion yen, operating income of 40 billion yen, and EPS of 169 yen. In FY:14, Nintendo had revenue of 572 billion yen, an operating loss of (46) billion yen, and EPS of (184) yen. We are lowering FY:15 estimates for revenue to 515 billion yen from 578 billion yen, for operating loss to (20) billion yen from 0 yen, and for EPS to (100) yen from 0 yen. We think hardware guidance is unrealistic without price cuts that would create additional margin pressure.
We believe Nintendo has an unrivalled collection of owned intellectual property that could be used to bolster financial results now that management is more open to the concept of licensing. In its results release, the company announced that, "Nintendo strives to utilize its abundance of character IP more actively, providing its IP with more exposure in places other than video games, while achieving a certain level of profit from its licensing business at the same time." It is unclear how, when, or where Nintendo will license its content, so we are unable to model the FY:15 impact. However, we see licensing as a long-term driver of growth that could offset current handheld and console weakness.
Lifetime sales statistics highlight how poorly the Wii U and 3DS have fared compared to their predecessors. The current worldwide hardware installed base for the Wii U is 6.17 million, compared to the Wii's 101.06 million, and for the 3DS it is 43.33 million, well below DS' 153.99 million. Lifetime software sales for the Wii U are 32.28 million, compared to the Wii's 895.22 million, and for the 3DS are 162.92 million, compared to the DS' 943.98 million.
We are maintaining our NEUTRAL rating and lowering our 12-month PT to 10,000 yen from 12,000 yen. Our PT reflects an enterprise value of 500 billion yen, which reflects the value of Nintendo's IP to a potential acquirer based on similar transactions.


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Dana Rosemary Scallon ()  o cântăreață și om politic din Irlanda, membru al Parlamentului European în perioada 1999-2004 din partea Irlandei.

A câștigat concursul muzical Eurovision 1970 din Amsterdam cu piesa All Kinds of Everything, acumulând 32 de puncte.

Note

Nașteri în 1951
Nașteri pe 31 august
Europarlamentari pentru Irlanda 1999-2004
Politicieni irlandezi
Cântăreți irlandezi
Irlandezi americani
Câștigătorii Eurovisionului
Irlandezi în viață
Femei din Irlanda
Politiciene din secolul al XX-lea
Politiciene din secolul al XXI-lea
Oameni din Londra


"Dear Praveen Please read Original DSpace Manual, there are so many process/instructi…"
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"Dear AbilashYeah! I know UGC has not any restriction to appear in NET.But Question w…"
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"Thanks Dr. Bandan for providing many helpful platforms to LIS professionals, which a…"
"Dear Kumar There is a lot of free materials available on Internet so anyone can easi…"
"Thanks Dr. Anubhav for letter sharing."


Halftone silkscreen print, blood and pigment on paper.
Photo emulsion, indirect stencil, silkscreen prints. Edition of 6.
Inspired by the Polish idiom Znaleźć się między młotem a kowadłem — To be caught between a hammer andan anvil.
No emulsion, direct stencil, silkscreen print. Edition of 4.
Halftone silkscreen print, blood and pigment on Fabriano Tiepolo paper.


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NOW blasts Bush on Title IX
February 7, 2003	8:09 AM CDT By Evelina Alarcon
Washington – "In the best Orwellian tradition, the Bush administration is trying to convince us that left is right, up is down, war is peace and that its so-called Commission on Opportunity in Athletics actually cares about women's equal participation in sports," said National Organization for Women (NOW) Membership Vice President Terry O'Neill.
George W. Bush has mounted a double-barreled assault on Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, the law that requires federally funded schools and colleges to provide equal educational opportunities to girls and women, O'Neill charged, adding, "The recommendations adopted on Jan. 30 by the group appointed to 'review' Title IX were not moderate, as some news reports suggested – they were an outright attack on Title IX."
As the Reagan administration did in the 1980s, the Bush administration is now trying to reverse Title IX's major progress for women and girls in athletics and education, O'Neill said. "But Bush knows that the vast majority of people in this country – 70 percent of adults familiar with Title IX – want it to be better enforced or left alone, and certainly not weakened, as this commission is trying to do."
The majority leaders on Bush's commission, "are being disingenuous about their real goal," O'Neill said. "They say they're for Title IX while doing everything they can to demolish it. Then they gag the minority, refusing to allow a minority report to be released. But the voices of the majority of this country will not be silenced. We call on the commission to respect the right of the minority to have its say. What are they so afraid of anyway?"
"We also deplore the unfair process by which the commission desperately tried to project an image of broad and deep support for undermining Title IX," O'Neill said. "Such support doesn't exist, and stacking the commission with opponents of equality, who in turn stacked their own hearings with like-minded right-wing idealogues, can't change the fact that the people of this country want equality for women and girls in sports."
"The National Organization for Women stands with other women's rights groups to put the Bush Administration on notice that we won't go back to the days women and girls were told they couldn't play sports because it wasn't ladylike," O'Neill said. "My twelve-year-old daughter and her friends won't stand for this and neither will their parents."
Evelina Alarcon


The Du Page County Board on Tuesday postponed making two reappointments to the Du Page Airport Authority after questions arose about the process used to screen applicants.
Board members voted to hold off on reappointing Thomas Marziani and Vern McCarthy to the Airport Authority following a heated discussion initiated by board member Ed Merkel.
"I'm concerned about how we go about reviewing candidates," Merkel said. "This process is just not complete enough."
Merkel argued that the county's Executive Committee, which is charged with reviewing appointment applications for the county's 63 citizen panels, does not interview applicants, check their references or verify their credentials.
"In my opinion, the Executive Committee just goes through the motion," Merkel said. "It's kind of a charade."
Executive Committee Chairman Robert Schroeder said that interviews are supposed to be conducted by County Board Chairman Aldo Botti's office. Botti was on vacation Tuesday and could not be reached for comment.
Marziani's application will go back to the Executive Committee for further review and is expected to come back to the board for a final vote later this month.
McCarthy's application, however, was put on hold until after next week's election. That's when county officials will learn whether Airport Authority member Mike Dow will leave the board. Dow is running for Lisle Township road commissioner, and McCarthy, a former member of the airport board, could succeed him on the nine-member panel.
County Board member Sam Tenuto objected to postponing Marziani's reappointment, saying the West Chicago resident is well-suited for the position.
"This gentleman has done an exemplary job," Tenuto said.
Marziani, an official with Jel Sert Co., a West Chicago manufacturer of food products, has been on the Airport Authority since 1985.


"At Last" is a song that will always remain buried in my memory as a song that not only makes me feel relaxed but also reminds me of my mother as I was growing up. You see, before I knew who the Stones or the Beatles were, I would hear this song play on my mother's old Crosley record player during the holidays and always knew she was baking cookies.
Miss Peaches or better known as Etta James has that effect on people. Back in 2000 Rolling Stone Magazine ranked her #62 in their list of 100 greatest artist of all time. With her bluesy voice with a touch of gospel elements as well as her influence on so many singer/songwriters, she should be rated much better than #62. She was loved by many and worshiped by others and her voice will live on forever. Ms. Etta James passed away on January 20, 2012 at the tender age of 73.


There is one sure way to escape the delusions of religion: Receive Christ as Lord of our lives and begin to obey Him in everything. Submit to the truth and let it search us. Submit and obey are hard and exacting words; but necessary if we would be true Christians." – A.W. Tozer .
Able to express his thoughts in a simple but forceful manner, Tozer combined the power of God and the power of words to nourish hungry souls, pierce human hearts, and draw earthbound minds toward God. When he was 15 years old, Tozer's family moved to Akron, Ohio. One afternoon as he walked home from his job at Goodyear, he overheard a street preacher say, "If you don't know how to be saved just call on God." When he got home, he climbed the narrow stairs to the attic where, heeding the preacher's advice, Tozer was launched into a lifelong pursuit of God.
This entry was posted in Inspirational Messages and tagged aw tozer, i want to know God, prayer. Bookmark the permalink.


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Chrome extensions were used to steal data from millions of users: What to do
By Sean Riley published 19 June 20
The malicious extensions were downloaded over 33 million times
(Image credit: Jeramey Lende/Shutterstock)
Google rolled out significant updates for the Chrome browser in April, then again in May, that were meant to address security vulnerabilities. However, those updates failed to prevent attempts at stealing sensitive data from users by using malicious Chrome extensions.
Security research firm Awake released a report today revealing that it had discovered 111 malicious Chrome extensions, most found in the Chrome Web Store, that had been downloaded nearly 33 million times (via TechRadar).
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The 79 extensions that were available in the Chrome Web Store have since been removed after Awake brought them to Google's attention. The extensions were naturally disguised as a variety of things, including, rather ironically, extensions to flag dangerous websites or simple tools like file converters.
The extensions were capable of installing malware, taking screenshots of the users' devices without their knowledge, gathering user input, and more. The data was all being sent to domains (over 15,000) that had been purchased through a registrar named GalComm, which denies any knowledge of the activity.
Due to the high percentage of the company's domains associated with the crime (some 60%), the security researchers at Awake indicated that "GalComm is at best complicit in malicious activity."
There were 32 other Chrome extensions identified by Awake that were not in the Chrome Web Store. Instead, these depended on installing the open-source Chromium browser when they were downloaded so they could run without going through Google's approval process.
In an interview with Reuters, Google spokesman Scott Westover indicated that "When we are alerted of extensions in the Web Store that violate our policies, we take action and use those incidents as training material to improve our automated and manual analyses."
Hopefully, this should help eliminate, or at least reduce, similar attempts in the future.
Other than using this as motivation to review the Chrome extensions you have installed on your machine, this should serve as a reminder to pay careful attention to the permissions that an extension asks for. Some of the extensions found in the Chrome Web Store could signal red flags depending on the stated purpose of the extension.
It also should drive home that most users shouldn't install Chrome extensions from outside of the Chrome Web Store. While Google's security measures failed to protect some 33 million users in this case, it had nonetheless reduced your exposure to potential malware and spyware versus extensions found on the open web.
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Sean Riley has been covering tech professionally for over a decade now. Most of that time was as a freelancer covering varied topics including phones, wearables, tablets, smart home devices, laptops, AR, VR, mobile payments, fintech, and more. Sean is the resident mobile expert at Laptop Mag, specializing in phones and wearables, you'll find plenty of news, reviews, how-to, and opinion pieces on these subjects from him here. But Laptop Mag has also proven a perfect fit for that broad range of interests with reviews and news on the latest laptops, VR games, and computer accessories along with coverage on everything from NFTs to cybersecurity and more.
Laptop Mag is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.


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Remembering Lady Diana on her 23rd death anniversary
by Web Desk August 31, 2020
Today marks the 23rd death anniversary of a humanitarian, fashion icon, hands-on mother, rule-breaker Diana, Princess of Wales.
She was the first wife of Charles, Prince of Wales, the heir apparent to the British throne, and the mother of Prince William and Prince Harry.
Lady Diana Princess of Wales, better known as Lady Diana, was born on July 1, 1961, in Norfolk, UK. He was more interested in welfare work than in educational activities
young Lady Diana Frances Spencer, who was later to become Britain's HRH The Princess of Wales, from her private family photo album dated 1969-1972.
CREDIT: Spen/AL/Camera Press/Redux
Diana sports a black felt hat during a summer holiday in Itchenor, West Sussex in 1971.
CREDIT: Central Press/Getty Images
Princess Lady Diana, who rose to fame, was a sympathetic woman. Princess Diana, who was part of the British royal family, remained popular because of her fashion and humaneness. ۔
Prince Charles and his fiance, Lady Diana, stand with Queen Elizabeth II after her Majesty's private council approved the crown prince's wedding, March 30, 1981 at Buckingham Palace in London. Announcing the royal engagement, the Queen said, "We are all delighted."
CREDIT: Keystone-France/Getty Images
Prince Charles kisses the hand of wife, Princess Diana, on a balcony of Buckingham Palace following their wedding ceremony, July 29, 1981.
CREDIT: © Wally McNamee/Corbis via Getty Images
She had an unparalleled beauty and attractive personality, her wedding was called a fairy tale marriage and millions of people around the world watched her wedding, her two sons Prince William and Prince Harry.
Princess Diana holds her eight-month-old son, Prince William, at London's Kensington Palace in February 1983.
CREDIT: Tim Graham
Diana kneels with three-year-old Prince William and Prince Harry, who had just turned one the month before, at the piano in Kensington Palace in October 1985.
Diana and the young princes ride the Logger's Leap at Thorpe Park in Surrey, April 13, 1993.
CREDIT: Julian Parker/UK Press
Princess Diana of Wales and her son, Prince William, attend the 1991 Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championships in London.
CREDIT: Bob Thomas/Getty Images
Princess Diana died in a car accident in Paris on August 31, 1997, but her charismatic personality and philanthropy will always be remembered.
Lady Diana, Queen of Hearts, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1997 for her valuable services.
In an overwhelming outpouring of grief and sympathy, over one million bouquets of flowers were left at Kensington Palace, Buckingham Palace, and St. James's Palace after the tragic automobile accident on August 31, 1997 in which Diana, Princess of Wales, was killed. The flowers, stuffed animals, and bottles of champagne were collected and distributed to children and to the sick and elderly in hospitals and homes.
CREDIT: Peter Turnley/Corbis
Tags: Death Anniversary Lady Diana
PPP observes 15th death anniversary of Benazir Bhutto today
The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) is observing the 15th death anniversary of first Muslim woman prime minister of Pakistan, Benazir
Sindh announces public holiday on December 27
The Sindh government on Tuesday announced a public holiday on December 27 (Tuesday) on account of the 15th death anniversary
Maya Ali pens down heartfelt note on her father's death anniversary
Maya Ali remembered her father on his death anniversary by saying "nothing can bring you back to me". Actress Maya


What is a Nourishing Infusion? It is a large amount of nourishing herb prepared as a tea that is soaked for more than four hours, typically overnight. The beauty of this type of preparation is that it is very safe (highly nourishing herbs with less medicinal action), powerfully nutritive (1 cup of nettle nourishing infusion is about 200 mg of calcium, opposed to 5-10mg in a regular tea), easy to make, and tastes comparatively good.
Weight out dry herbs and place them in a quart jar. Fill the quart jar with boiling water. Cover jar and let sit overnight. Let sit at least four hours. Strain and drink hot or cold. You can (mildly) sweeten it if you wish.
The creator of the nourishing infusion concept, Susun Weed, rotates through five nourishing infusions: linden, nettle, oatstraw, red clover, and comfey. Comfrey is quite controversial so I don't feel completely comfortable about recommending it, but Susun Weed has used it for years.


Now as WordPress is the most popular website CMS, it goes without saying that the Woocommerce shopping addon is also a very popular way to run your online store.
However Woocommerce doesn't always perform well from an SEO perspective fresh out of the box, and so it requires a little bit of customisation to really get these websites ranking.
Read on for the 3 Woocommerce SEO tips of 2017 / 18 now.
By default, the Woocommerce shopping cart plugin creates very poor urls from an SEO perspective.
This is vastly different to the way I recommend you to structure your ecommerce website urls and internal links.
This structure seems to have been created so that you can attach a shop to your existing blog, as opposed to being a shopping cms built outright for that purpose.
This is fairly obvious when looking at the /shop/ url, as all of the products are children of this page, and therefore relay their relative internal link equity back to it. Usually an ecommerce site will want to send this equity back to the homepage or main category page which is used to rank for the most competitive keyword.
Whereas in Woocommerce they're sending all of the equity to the shop page instead.
Thankfully I've found a great plugin to fix the Woocommerce url issues, and you can read my article on it here.
Now optimising your meta information is by far the best way to increase the rankings of your ecommerce store, and Woocommerce is no exception.
The page title has been shown to be the most important on-page SEO factor over countless years, and so making sure you get your most valuable keywords in there is really important.
However with the increased importance of click through rate in the Google algorithm, you don't only want your keywords in your meta information, you also want to attract the click with a really appealing page title.
Now doing this without Yoast is very trick with titles, and impossible with meta descriptions. If you tried to create optimised titles within the WordPress category name, it would make it also appear in every single breadcrumb, creating some very interesting results!
That's why using Yoast premium can help, it allows you to customise each page title and meta description. The premium version allows you to visualise how your information will look on a search engine, and also allows you to create and visualise custom information for Facebook and Twitter markup too.
Slow loading shopping websites can heavily impact your sales, with Amazon losing $1.6 Billion for every second their site loads more slowly.
While your operation will most likely be slightly smaller than Amazon, you will still lose conversions if your site speed isn't good.
While a large foundation of this is your hosting provider (you should definitely be on a VPS to run a shopping site), you can also optimise your WordPress install.
I highly recommend you purchase WP Rocket as it's worth the time and effort saved on optimising your website. They also offer great setup services to help you tweak settings.
There are obviously plenty more techniques that could improve the SEO of your woocommerce store, however these 3 will create the baseline for a well optimised store.
To learn more about improving your websites SEO, see my SEO category.
You can also browse more woocommerce related articles here.
Basically as long as you keep a clean site structure you are fine. Their example in the article is quite far fetched (the about-page bit) which I can't see happening to a store in the real world. I may do some tests in the future to check the difference in performance.


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Calls for sentencing review after serial rapist bailed
There have been calls for tougher sentences in cases of rape and sexual assault - after a 72-year-old man was bailed despite pleading guilty to the rape of his daughter over a nine-year period.
Tue, 22 Jan, 2013 - 08:10
Mr Justice Paul Carney suspended nine years of a 12-year sentence imposed on Patrick O'Brien of Old Court Avenue, Bray, Co Wicklow after describing his crime as "one of the most serious cases of serial rape of a daughter".
He has been granted bail on the basis that his trial was fit for appeal and the court heard O'Brien is in "extremely poor health".
The Dublin Rape Crisis Centre said that it cannot understand the leniency of his sentence.
Labour TD Aodhán Ó Ríordáin said last night that a review is urgently needed.
"I don't know if a woman, or a man, or a boy, or a girl who is a victim of sexual assault, looking at that sentence that's been handed down today, albeit pending an appeal, would be as brave, considering what has happened today in court," he said.
"And that is the very dangerous message that this sentence has sent out."
CourtsHeathrowPlace: Old Court Avenue, BrayPlace: WicklowPerson: JusticePerson: Paul CarneyPerson: Patrick O'BrienPerson: O'BrienPerson: Labour TDPerson: Aodhán Ó RíordáinOrganisation: Dublin Rape Crisis Centre
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I was thoroughly underwhelmed on hearing about this film, as the X-Men franchise has been on a consistent downward track since the not-too-shabby start. But lots of people seemed to think it had actually turned out okay. Fair enough, then. siggav and I wandered off to see it.
It's not bad. I quite enjoyed it. I won't say it's amazing, but still.
It's set back in the 1960s, with a young Charles Xavier (James McAvoy), still able to walk, as a postgraduate at Oxford (or was it Cambridge? Or some Ivy League US place? Wasn't really paying attention.) His "sister" is Mystique (Jennifer Lawrence, who has been living with him since breaking into his house mansion when they were both children. Meanwhile, Erik Lehnsherr (Michael Fassbender), the future Magneto, is travelling around Europe hunting down all the Nazis that experimented on him during the war, and (not incidentally) killed his mother. Chief among these is Kevin Bacon's Sebastian Shaw, who is now leading a group of supervillians who are manipulating events to cause the Cuba missile crisis.
CIA Agent Moira MacTaggert (Rose Byrne) discovers what Shaw's up to, and drafts Xavier in to help, as an expert on mutants; once the top brass are convinced that such things are real, a new research agency is set up, and Xavier and Erik start recruiting.
There are some interesting aspects to the film. For example, it's explicit that we should frown on everything done by Shaw and team, and that Erik's self-destructive quest for revenge is Not A Good Thing, but the film refrains from commenting on Xavier's creepy use of mind-reading to pick up chicks, or the sinister implications of his casual use of coercion. The film also makes much of how Erik, with his darker approach to things, is also much more accepting of the mutations that are visibly different (which has always been part of Magneto in the earlier films).
There's a good training sequence in the middle. It isn't just the usual montage; Xavier is portrayed as a teacher, and as someone who helps and encourages. It's interesting that we never see him training, however.
I'm sure that now there's a film that includes Emma Frost, the Interwebs will at last be happy (especially since she spends half the film in underwear, which I gather isn't far from canonical), but personally, I found January Jones' portrayal to be bland.
There are plot holes. During the early sequences with young Erik, there's an obvious sequence of events that just doesn't happen, and the only reason that it doesn't is that it would break events that they want to occur later in the film. Bah. Clumsy. But on the other hand, how Xavier ends up in the wheelchair is quite well done.