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Task force slams Flint crisis, demands review of emergency manager law
The report calls the Flint debacle a story of government failure, intransigence ... and environmental injustice."
Task force slams Flint crisis, demands review of emergency manager law The report calls the Flint debacle a story of government failure, intransigence ... and environmental injustice." Check out this story on Freep.com: http://on.freep.com/1MlYX8Q
Paul Egan and Matthew Dolan, Detroit Free Press Published 10:33 a.m. ET March 23, 2016 | Updated 5:01 a.m. ET March 24, 2016
Gov. Rick Snyder, who appointed the task force in October, joined task force members at Mott Community College in Flint on Wednesday morning for the report's release.(Photo: Salwan Georges, Detroit Free Press)Buy Photo
FLINT — A task force appointed by Gov. Rick Snyder issued a hard-hitting report on the Flint drinking water public health crisis, slamming the catastrophe as a story of "government failure, intransigence, unpreparedness, delay, inaction and environmental injustice."
The 116-page report said the state's controversial emergency manager law contributed to the lead contamination crisis by removing governmental checks and balances. It called for a review of the law and said Snyder should look for alternatives to the current approach so that locally elected officials can be kept more engaged.
The report also calls for creation of a Flint Toxic Exposure Registry "to include all the children and adults residing in Flint from April 2014 to present."
Time to govern, move forward to fix Flint
Though it puts most of the blame on the state Department of Environmental Quality, the report also singles out for blame the governor's office, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, Flint emergency managers who Snyder appointed, the City of Flint, the Genesee County Health Department, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
The DEQ "caused this crisis to happen," the report said. "Moreover, when confronted with evidence of its failures, (it) responded publicly through formal communications with a degree of intransigence and belligerence that has no place in government."
Two DEQ ranking officials have already resigned and one DEQ employee was fired earlier in the fallout from the crisis. The task force on Wednesday did not call for additional officials to resign or be fireD over the crisis, saying those decisions should be left up to government leaders.
Snyder, who appointed the task force in October, joined task force members at Mott Community College in Flint Wednesday morning for the report's release. He said he appreciated the work of the task force and would work on implementing its recommendations, though he did not appear to fully embrace all of them.
"They have 44 recommendations in the report … I can tell you of the recommendations, there are 25 that we're already working on, there are nine we're still checking on and there are 10 that are being referred to other organizations " Snyder said at a news conference in Flint after the report's release. Work triggered by those recommendations, he said, will go on for an "extended period of time and for many years. ... This is a problem I made a commitment to fix."
The report said the Flint water crisis "occurred when state-appointed emergency managers replaced local representative decision-making in Flint, removing the checks and balances and public accountability that come with public decision-making."
The report said the EM law "can be improved to better ensure that protection of public health and safety is not compromised in the name of financial urgency."
"Emergency managers made key decisions that contributed to the crisis, from the use of the Flint River to delays in reconnecting to DWSD (the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department) once water quality problems were encountered," it said.
"Given the demographics of Flint, the implications for environmental injustice cannot be ignored or dismissed."
But the report also said there were valuable aspects to the crisis, including "the critical role played by engaged Flint citizens, by individuals both inside and outside of government who had the expertise and willingness to question and challenge government leadership, and by members of a free press who used the tools that enable investigative journalism.
"Without their courage and persistence, this crisis likely never would have been brought to light and mitigation efforts never begun," the report said.
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Snyder appointed the task force in October, three weeks after he and his administration acknowledged a problem with unsafe levels of lead in Flint drinking water, following months of denials from DEQ officials. Snyder called for an independent review of what led to the lead poisoning of Flint's drinking water and "offer recommendations for future guidelines to protect the health and safety of all state residents."
The report cited "intransigent disregard of compelling evidence of water quality problems and associated health effects," and "callous and dismissive responses to citizens' expressed concerns."
It said Snyder and his office continued to rely on inaccurate information provided by DEQ and DHHS "despite mounting evidence from outside experts and months of citizens' complaints."
The governor earlier acknowledged in a published interview this year he was aware in the summer of 2015 about concerns related to lead in the drinking water but said tests showed they weren't at dangerous levels. He said he and other state officials should have been more proactive about getting better information.
The report released Wednesday appeared to confirm that account in general terms.
"In mid-summer 2015, the governor and senior staff discussed Flint water issues; lead was apparently part of those discussions," the report said.
However early conversations among the governor's top staff members in 2014 about problems with Flint water should have caught Snyder's attention, the report concluded.
When Snyder's top legal advisers told other Snyder officials in October 2014 that Flint should be switched back to the Detroit water system, that should have prompted, "at a minimum, a full and comprehensive review of the water situation in Flint," the report said.
Chris Kolb, a task force member and president of the Michigan Environmental Council, said the governor's office was playing "Whack-a-Mole" in trying to run down concerns about Flint's water quality.
"Every time an issue came up, they asked about it, they were told it's being taken care of, it's solved, and then another issue would come up. At some point, though, you have to say: 'Wait a second. My gut's telling me something's wrong.' " Kolb said.
The task force says Snyder "must assume the leadership of, and hold state departments accountable for, long-term implementation of the recommendations in this report, including but not limited to the need for cultural changes across multiple state agencies, the need for health mitigation and (lead service line) replacement in Flint, and the need for a funding strategy to address replacement of LSLs statewide."
Brandon Dillon, chairman of the Michigan Democratic Party, said the report confirmed that state Treasury officials and Flint EMs actively prevented the Flint City Council from reconnecting to Detroit water, by making that a condition of an emergency loan the state provided.
"The governor's own hand-picked task force totally contradicts his testimony before Congress last week, placing responsibility for the Flint Water Crisis squarely with him, his emergency managers, and his administration," Dillon said in a news release.
While emergency managers have been seen as a success in places like the city of Detroit during its ride through municipal bankruptcy, others including in Flint have floundered as strict oversight without local control dragged on for years.
"In many states, the governor would not get involved in a city's financial troubles or its operations," Stephen Fehr and Mary Murphy at the Pew Charitable Trusts, a Washington-based public policy research center, wrote in a new analysis published Wednesday. "But Michigan and some other states have traditions of aiding troubled local governments."
How race, class set the stage for Flint water crisis
Other models that have shown some success in other states include appointing an independent control board or a coordinated group of financial consultants to aid a city's own financial recovery, Fehr and Murphy wrote. Snyder said on Wednesday he would be open to a task force recommendation to assign subject matter experts to a city or school district under the state's emergency control.
On Wednesday, Flint's mayor praised the report's findings, but insisted the task force's impact could be limited without financial support to engineer the city's revival.
"While this report is welcomed, without funding from the Michigan Legislature and Congress, these are only recommendations and promises that do absolutely nothing to get Flint on the road to recovery," Flint Mayor Karen Weaver said in a news release. "Our residents were poisoned by drinking lead-laced water for 18 months and still cannot use the water coming out of their taps for drinking, cooking or just brushing their teeth.
She added that the city's nearly 100,000 residents "are paying a high price for mistakes that were made. Yet there has been absolutely no sense of urgency by state and federal elected officials to get Flint the funding it needs."
The mayor noted that two months have gone by since Snyder said in his State of the State address that he would do everything he could to help Flint. State lawmakers have yet to approve $127 million in supplemental spending the governor asked to aid Flint.
The report cites communications breakdowns between state and local officials and Weaver said some of those tensions continue today.
"The continued failure to communicate with the elected officials here in Flint is simply astonishing," said Weaver, who said she was given no advance warning about the task force's findings or a timeline for its release to the public. "I have avoided placing blame for the Flint water crisis, trying to focus the community's and my attention on moving forward. That can happen only if the state works cooperatively with local officials. But Gov. Snyder continues to ignore me, my administration, and the residents of Flint."
Ari Adler, the governor's spokesman, said in an e-mail Wednesday that the task force was an independent body that controlled when it would release its report and to whom.
Snyder has repeatedly called the crisis a failure of state, local and federal governments. The report does not contradict that, but puts it the vast majority of the blame on the state.
Task force members, who did not have subpoena power, said they mostly got the cooperation they needed, but not in every instance. Notably, they couldn't get an interview with Lockwood, Andrews & Newman (LAN) Inc., the engineering firm hired to get the Flint Water Treatment plant ready for its expanded role and has been named as a defendant in several lawsuits. A LAN spokesman earlier told the Free Press it was the city and the DEQ, not the company, that made the crucial decision not to use corrosion-control chemicals in treating the Flint Water, which resulted in lead leaching from pipes, joints and fixtures. The task force submitted written questions to LAN, as requested, but did not receive answers, the report said.
Late Wednesday, LAN spokesman Pete Wentz e-mailed the company's responses to those questions to the Free Press, saying they were sent to the task force before the report was made public. In the documents, the company says it wasn't responsible for overall water quality, recommended a 60- to 90-day test run of the plant to test water quality, which apparently didn't happen, and questioned the decision not to use corrosion-control chemicals, but was told by city officials they intended to do no more than what the DEQ required.
Though wide-ranging, the report did not delve deeply into every area the members saw as meriting investigation. For example, it questioned state approval for the new Karegnondi Water Authority pipeline to Lake Huron to serve an economically distressed area "that had ample water supply and treatment capacity." It said the issue was outside the scope of its work but should be reviewed, possibly by the the state attorney general or U.S. Attorney's Office.
The report raises the issue of environmental racism by citing "environmental justice" and noting the demographics of Flint, a majority black city.
Snyder said environmental justice is important, but "I don't know if you can conclude it was a racial issue by any means."
But the governor's comments were quickly appended by members of his task force, who drew a brighter line connecting Flint's fortunes to its socio-economic makeup.
"Environmental injustice is not about overt acts of racism," Ken Sikkema, a member of the task force, senior policy fellow at Public Sector Consultants and former state representative and state senator, told reporters Wednesday. "It's not about motivation. It's not about deliberate attacks on a certain population group. It's not about overt violations, attacks upon civil rights."
"It's about equal treatment, in this case, equal environmental protection and public health protection regardless of race, national origin or income as one pillar of it. And the second pillar is meaningful participation in government decision making," Sikkema said. "In both cases, clearly what happened here is a case of environmental injustice."
Task force member Dr. Lawrence Reynolds, who is black, added that "the components of environmental justice require that people who are different are listened to fairly," and "this is our challenge to meet that standard."
Initially expected to report in February, the task force's work was extended by emerging issues, particularly the possible connection between Flint River water and outbreaks of Legionnaires' disease in the Flint area that is believed to have contributed to 10 deaths.
In late December, the task force issue an interim report that placed most of the blame for the catastrophe on the DEQ and prompted the immediate resignation of Dan Wyant, who was then the department director, and Brad Wurfel, who was the department's communications director. Liane Shekter-Smith, who headed the DEQ's drinking water section, was later fired. Another DEQ official, Stephen Busch, is suspended pending completion of investigations and disciplinary proceedings.
Recommendations include:
A culture change for the DEQ, especially the Office of Drinking Water and Municipal Assistance, to "refocus the department on its primary mission to protect human health and the environment."
Ensure adequate funding for the drinking water office. The report said preliminary figures suggest Michigan's office has one of the lowest budgets in the region, "while having one of the largest, if not the largest, number of community water systems to regulate."
Changes at the DHHS that would "ensure input by health experts and scientists when permit decisions may have a direct impact on human health."
Ensure DHHS is transparent and timely in reporting and analysis of aggregate data regarding children's blood lead levels.
The health department, in cases of future switches of water supplies, should assume that outbreaks of (Legionnaires' disease) cases may be related to changes in water source and communicate the potential risk to the public, rather than assuming and communicating the opposite."
Expand information flow to the governor so information important to key decisions comes from more than one trusted source, and is verified.
Create a culture in state government that is not defensive about concerns and evidence that contradicts official positions, but rather is receptive and open-minded.
Ensure that communications from all state agencies are respectful, even in the face of criticism, and sensitive to the concerns of diverse populations.
The federal EPA should "exercise more vigor, and act more promptly, in addressing compliance violations that endanger public health," the report said.
The task force members are: Ken Sikkema, a senior policy fellow at Public Sector Consultants and a former GOP Senate majority leader; Chris Kolb, president of the Michigan Environmental Council and a former Democratic lawmaker; Dr. Matthew Davis, a pediatrician in the U-M Health System and a professor of public policy at U-M's Gerald R. Ford School; Eric Rothstein, a national water issues consultant, and Dr. Lawrence Reynolds, a Flint pediatrician and president of the Mott Children's Health Center.
Contact Paul Egan: 517-372-8660 or pegan@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @paulegan4.
Read or Share this story: http://on.freep.com/1MlYX8Q
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Through some help of the PerlMonks board I have decoded the file name correctly; but when you dump it does not match the physical file name as it is stored within the file system ie.
so when one tries to compare to what is read from a directory listing you cannot match them together :( How do I get the decoded name to be as it is meant to be; as show above.
> > the name ?????.txt.
> > names are generated.
> > reflect its really Chinese name ?  Hope this make sense!


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Xbox Game Pass Adds Star Wars Favorites, Including Knights of the Old Republic
By Nathan Birch
Last week Microsoft revealed the games coming to Xbox Game Pass in June, and, frankly, the lineup felt a little light. Well, it turns out Microsoft was holding out on us – in addition to the previously-announced games, Xbox Game Pass is also getting a selection of classic Star Wars games this month! They include the fan-favorite Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga, and Star Wars: The Force Unleashed and its sequel. Check out quick descriptions of all the games, below.
Related Psychonauts 2 Has Been Delayed Again, Now Coming 2020
A classic Star Wars role-playing game, Star Wars: Knights of the old Republic puts the player in the midst of the battle to save the Republic. As the last hope for the Jedi Order, your every move — from dialog choices to big plot decisions — puts you on a path that leads to the light or dark side of the Force. Combat is turn-based, and the story is epic.
A light-hearted Lego romp through the first six Star Wars "original" episodes, Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga is a fun-filled adventure for the whole family. With 36 levels and challenge modes, it's sure to keep you entertained for a parsec or two.
The action in Star Wars: The Force Unleashed takes place between "Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith" and "Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope." You play as Starkiller, a secret apprentice to none other than Darth Vader. This is your shot to be the villain you've always dreamed of, kicking sanctimonious Jedi butt all over the galaxy.
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed 2
In this action-adventure game sequel, you play as (spoiler) Starkiller's clone. For real. And you need to find your girlfriend before Boba Fett does. This time around you can fight for the light side or be as bad as you wanna be — the choice is yours.
Xbox Game Pass celebrates its first anniversary today, and Microsoft certainly seems pleased with how it's been received. According to the company, Game Pass subscribers are "playing more games than ever before," leading to more active Xbox players across the board. The service really seems to have helped Sea of Thieves and State of Decay 2, both of which may have been somewhat overlooked otherwise.
Xbox Game Pass grants players access to more than 100 Xbox One and Xbox 360 games (161 as of today) for $10 a month — you can check out a full list of available games here. In January it was announced all Microsoft Game Studios Exclusives, including major games like Sea of Thieves and Crackdown 3, will be available through Game Pass from day one.
Excited to delve into some Star Wars classics? If you haven't played it before, KOTOR is absolutely worth your time, and I've always through The Force Unleashed games were a bit underrated.
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Chinese President Xi Jinping said here Friday that China and Ecuador need to keep stepping up dialogues and exchanges between their legislative bodies to promote a steady development of the two nations' comprehensive strategic partnership.
The top Chinese leader made the remarks while meeting with Ecuadorian President of the National Assembly Gabriela Rivadeneira.
Xi arrived in the Latin American nation on Thursday for a state visit, the first trip to the country by a Chinese head of state in 36 years, and the first leg of his three-nation tour to the continent.
In a joint statement issued after the talks between Xi and his Ecuadorian counterpart Rafael Correa on Thursday, Beijing and Quito agreed to lift their relationship to the comprehensive strategic partnership.
While meeting with Rivadeneira, Xi said friendly cooperation between the Chinese and Ecuadorian legislatures is an important part of the two nations' comprehensive strategic partnership.
In recent years, the National People's Congress (NPC) of China and Ecuador' s National Assembly have maintained close exchanges and cooperation, which has played an important role in promoting mutual understanding and friendly ties between the two countries, Xi said.
He also urged the two countries to enhance their exchanges in the experiences of legislative oversight and state-governing.
China, as always, sees its ties with Ecuador from a strategic and long-term perspective, and is ready to further deepen pragmatic cooperation with Ecuador in all areas so as to bring more benefits to the two peoples, Xi said.
For his part, Rivadeneira appreciated China's assistance in the wake of April's major earthquake, saying Xi's visit to the country will surely boost the two nations' cooperation in such areas as economy and trade, as well as people-to-people and cultural exchanges.
He also said Ecuador's National Assembly would like to strengthen its cooperation and exchanges with China's NPC in a bid to push forward the relationship of Ecuador and the wider Latin America with China.
Besides Ecuador, the week-long tour will also take the Chinese president to Peru and Chile. In Peru, Xi will attend the 24th Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Economic Leaders' Meeting from Nov. 19 to 20 in the capital city of Lima.


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What better gift than the famous Kempinski hot chocolate. Make your choice between one of our homemade and big hot chocolate pots: dark, milk or white chocolate. Served with small Amaretti biscuits, whipped cream, Muscovado sugar, marshmallows, black and white chocolate shavings and caramel fudge, you won't be able to resist.


Pakistan rugs became a fairly strong element in the country's economy particularly in the last half of the 20th century. During the known 5000 years of Pakistan's history, it was part of India for about only 700 years. More than 500 of these were Muslim, about 100 years Buddhist (Mauryan), and another 100 years Christian (British).
Pakistan has looked more west than east, both commercially and culturally. Pakistan rugs are consistent with this direction. Rug making first came to Pakistan about the time it came to India, during the 16th century. The first weavers were Persians. Perhaps because of this, and the country's strong western-oriented predisposition, rugs making did not develop a uniquely Pakistani character. Pakistan, however, is the fourth largest rug exporter in the world today. Both design and manufacturing methods are still borrowed.
Two rug styles predominate in Pakistan today. Almost without exception these are made of wool on cotton foundations. The first are consistent with the Persian Kerman, Kashan, and Tabriz designs. The other, centered in the Lahore area of northern Pakistan, embraces the famous Turkmen Bokhara design. Interestingly the city of Bokhara is Afghan, not Turkmen. It became associated with the rugs because it was a trading center where the Turkmen rugs accumulated.
Two other styles are also worth noting. European designs, specifically Aubusson, are beginning to be produced in Pakistan. Another is Persian in style but features modern elements and is proving especially popular in the United States. These Pakistan rugs are called war rugs. The design elements they feature include tanks, guns, and helicopters instead of medallions or geometric flowers. At the same time, the dyes are natural, the knots hand tied, and the colors the traditional deep blues and reds.


Just a couple of days ago I said LG are expected to bring ready-to-market 4K OLED TVs at CES 2014, and today indeed they announced they will show new 55", 65" and 77" curved 4K OLED TVs. It seems that the 77" and the 55" ones are actually the ones that they will release first as they already have a model number (77EC9800 and 55EB9600).
LG's OLED TVs will all be smart TVs, and will offer new image enhancement technologies. The new 55" one (the 55EB9600) will be more eco-friendly than the current 55EA9800 as it is more energy efficient and it is made from fewer component. It also uses more recycled materials. LG, by the way, will also show the flat Gallery OLED TV at CES - for the first time in the US.
USA Today reports that LG thinks that 2014 will mark the beginning of a "rapid shift" to the new 4K and OLED technologies. LG estimates that global OLED TV sales will reach 30,000 to 50,000 in 2014, and they want to lead the market. This is actually a low estimate from LG. Their Gen-8 OLED fab should begin producing panels in the second half of 2014. The monthly capacity will reportedly be 26,000 subtrates - or about 150,000 55" OLED TVs. Of course yields will be lower and LG may produce some larger panels, but still it is strange that they expect only up to 50,000 OLED TV shipped (and that's together with Samsung of course).
LG also says that they are preparing for the "imminent growth in demand for OLED TVs around the world". The company is establishing production bases in countries outside of Korea - they have already completed the construction of new TV plants in Brazil, Poland, China and Thailand with an advanced facility in Mexico commencing operation this year producing OLED TVs for the North American market. These facilities will only assemble the TVs as the actual OLED panel production takes place in Korea.


A few weeks ago, when I reported on the upcoming [November 12, 2011] Paso Garagiste Festival (www.pasogaragiste.com), I promised an update. Well, I had the opportunity recently to sit down at The Cellar with festival founder Doug Minnick and fellow festival organizer Lisa Dinsmore (follow her on Twitter @DailyWine) to get the latest scoop on the festival.
The biggest news is that tickets are now on sale. And, there are various ticket levels, which makes the festival appeal to people who want to participate in the entire festival, or just selected parts of it.
Tickets for those who wish to attend the Consumer Tasting only are just $45 [$55 after October 10th]. For the after party only, tickets are $20 [$25 after October 10th]. To attend both seminars, consumer tasting and after party, there are VIP tickets available for $85 [$100 after October 10th].
Doug pointed out that tickets will be limited to 400, so when they are gone, they're gone.
Doug reminded me that, since the festival is limited to wineries with annual production of less than 1200 cases, very few of them have tasting rooms that are open to the public. The festival provides a unique opportunity to taste these hard-to-find wines from all of these wineries in one place, as well as order them directly from the winery.
Finally, Doug is working on scheduling pre-events in Southern California, designed to whet your appetites and palates for what is to come. I'll keep you posted on developments.
The Paso Garagiste Festival (www.pasogaragiste.com) is scheduled for November 12, 2011 at Windfall Farms in Paso Robles. Sign up for their newsletter to stay abreast of new developments and insider info, as well as "liking" them on Facebeook.
The first seminar looks great, now that they've announced the speakers. From the website and posted this week: Justin Smith of Saxum (whose '07 James Berry GSM was named the #1 wine in the world (!) for 2010 by Wine Spectator), Terry Culton from acclaimed Adelaida Cellars, and Neil Collins of famed Tablas Creek Vineyards and Lone Madrone will share "wine stories" and "artisan wisdom" in the spirit of camaraderie and support that has always been a unique part of Paso's winemaking "terroir".
Those all sound like awesome speakers! I hope a peep that goes (hint) takes notes (hint) and shares!


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How Genetic Testing and Targeted Treatments Are Helping More Cancer Patients Survive
Scientists are studying cancer genomes to more precisely diagnose their patients' diseases – offering hope for targeted drug treatments.
Next, he recalls, he felt ushered into "the jaws of the medical system very quickly." He spent a couple of days meeting with a team of doctors at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in nearby Boston. One of them was from a medical field he hadn't even known existed, a pulmonary interventionist, who would perform a biopsy on the mass in his lung.
"Knowing there was a medicine for my particular type of cancer was like a weight lifted off my shoulders."
A week later he and his wife Allison returned to meet with the oncologist, radiologist, pulmonary interventionist – his medical team. They confirmed his initial diagnosis: Stage 4 metastatic lung cancer that had spread to several parts of his body. "We just sat there, stunned," he says. "I felt like I was getting hit by a wrecking ball over and over."
An onslaught of medical terminology about what they had identified flowed over the shocked couple, but then the medical team switched gears, he recalls. They offered hope. "They told me, 'Hey, you're not a smoker, so that's good,'" Reiner says. "'There's a good chance that what's driving this disease for you is actually a genetic mutation, and we have ways to understand more about what that could be through some simple testing.'"
They told him about Foundation Medicine, a company launched in neighboring Cambridge, MA, in 2009 that develops, manufactures, and sells genomic profiling assays. These are tests that, according to the company's website, "can analyze a broad panel of genes to detect the four main classes of genomic alterations known to drive cancer growth." With these insights, certain patients can be matched with therapies targeted specifically for the genetic driver(s) of their cancer. The company maintains one of the largest cancer genomic databases in the world, with more than 500,000 patient samples profiled, and they have more than 65 biopharma partners.
According to Foundation Medicine, they are the only company that has FDA-approved tests for both tissue- and blood-based comprehensive genomic profiling tests. One other company has an FDA-approved biopsy test, and several other companies offer tissue-based genomic profiling. Additionally, several major cancer centers like Memorial Sloan Kettering in New York and Anderson Cancer Center in Texas have their own such testing platforms.
Currently, genomic profiling is more accessible for patients with advanced cancer, due to broader insurance coverage in later stages of disease.
"Right now, the vast majority of patients either have cancers for which we don't have treatments or they have genetic alterations that are not known," says Jorge Garcia, MD, Division Chief, Solid Tumor Oncology, UH Cleveland Medical Center, which has its own CGP testing platform. "However, a significant proportion of patients with advanced cancer have alterations that we can tap for therapeutic purposes."
Foundation Medicine estimates that in 2017, just over 5 percent of advanced solid cancer patients in the U.S. received CGP testing. In 2021, they estimate that number is between 25 to 30 percent of advanced solid cancer patients in the U.S., which doesn't include patients who are tested with small (less than 50 genes) panels. Their panel tests for more than 300 cancer-related genes.
"The good news is the platforms we are developing are better and more comprehensive, and they're going to continue to be larger data sets," Dr. Garcia adds.
In Reiner's case, his team ordered comprehensive genetic profiling on both his tissue and blood, from Foundation Medicine.
At this point, Reiner still wasn't sure what genetic mutations were or how they factored into cancer or what comprehensive genomic profiling entailed. That day, though, his team ushered the Reiners into the world of precision oncology that placed him on much more sure footing to learn about and fight the specific lung cancer that had been troubling him for more than a year.
What genetic alterations were driving his cancer? Foundation Medicine's tests were about to find out.
At the core of these tests is next generation sequencing, a DNA sequencing technology. Since 2009, this has revolutionized genomic research, according to the National Center for Biotechnology Information, because it allows an entire human genome to be sequenced within one day. Cancer genomics posits that cancer is caused by mutations and is a disease of the genome. Now, cancer genomes can be systemically studied in their entirety. For cancer patients such as Reiner, NGS can provide a more precise diagnosis and classification of the disease, more accurate prognosis, and potentially the identification of targeted drug treatments. Ultimately, the technology can provide the basis of personalized cancer management.
The detailed reports supply patients and their oncologists with extensive information about the patient's genomic profile and potential treatment options that they can discuss together. Reiner trusted his doctors that this approach was worth the two- or three-week wait to receive the Foundation Medicine report and the specifically targeted treatment, rather than immediately jump into a round of chemotherapy. He is especially grateful now, he says, because the report delivered a great deal of relief from his previously exhausting and growing anxiety about having cancer.
Reiner and his team learned his lung cancer contained the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutation. That biomarker enabled his oncologist to prescribe Tagrisso (osimertinib), a medication developed to directly target that genetic mutation.
"Knowing there was a medicine for my particular type of cancer was like a weight lifted off my shoulders," he says. "It only took a week or two before my cough finally started subsiding. This pill goes right after the particular piece of genetic material in the tumor that's causing its growth."
Dr. Jerry Mitchell, director field medical oncology, Foundation Medicine, in Columbus, Ohio, explains that genomic profiling is generating substantial impacts today. "This is a technology that is the standard of care across many advanced malignancies that takes patients from chemotherapy-only options to very targeted options or immunotherapy options," he says. "You can also look at complex biomarkers, and these are not specific genetic changes but different genes across the tumor to get a biomarker."
According to Dr. Mitchell, Foundation Medicine's technology can test more than 324 different cancer-related genes in a single test. Thus, a growing number of patients are benefitting from comprehensive genetic profiling, due to the rapidly growing number of targeted therapies. While not all of the cancers are treatable yet, the company uses that information to partner with researchers to find new potential therapies for patient groups that may have rare mutations.
Since his tumor's diagnosis, Reiner has undergone chemotherapy and a couple surgeries to treat the metastatic cancer in other parts of his body, but the drug Tagrisso has significantly reduced his lung tumor. Now, having learned so much during the past couple of years, he is grateful for precision oncology. He still reflects on the probability that, had the Tagrisso pill not been available in May 2019, he might have only survived for another six months or a year.
"Comprehensive Genomic Profiling is not some future state, but in both the U.S. and Europe, it is a very standard, accepted, and recommended first step to knowing how to treat your cancer," says Dr. Mitchell, adding that he feels fortunate to be an oncologist in this era. "However, we know there are still people not getting this recommended testing, so we still have opportunities to find many more patients and impact them by knowing the molecular profile of their cancer."
$1.25 million Edna House expansion fills recovery gap, adds long-term housing
Researchers Get Closer to Gene Editing Treatment for Cardiovascular Disease
New gene therapy helps patients with rare disease. One mother wouldn't have it any other way.
Ahead of the Curve: Anisfield-Wolf Award Founder Championed Diversity a Century Ago
Neighborhood Family Practice builds trust to vaccinate near west side's marginalized communities
Cleveland working to promote convenient access to healthy foods in neighborhoods
A New Stem Cell Therapy Provides Hope to Patients with Blood Cancer
The WWII-era scientist who revolutionized cancer research—despite the Nazis
Ensure Honey Bee Health By Managing Healthy Colonies
© 1987-2017, Christopher Johnston


text:
Q: ElasticSearch sort via a (painless) script - array values are mysteriously deduped I am PUTting the following document in ElasticSearch:
{
    "_rootId": "327d3aba-4f7c-4abb-9ff3-b1608c354c7c",
    "_docId": "ID_3",
    "_ver": 0,
    "val_labels": [
        "x1",
        "x1",
        "x1"
    ]
}

Then, I GET the following query which uses a painless script for sorting:
{
    "query": {
        "bool": {
            "must": [
                {
                    "term": {
                        "_rootId": "77394e08-32be-4611-bbf7-818dfe4bc853"
                    }
                }
            ]
        }
    },
    "sort": [
        {
            "_script": {
                "order": "desc",
                "type": "string",
                "script": {
                    "lang": "painless",
                    "source": "return doc['val_labels'].toString()"
                }
            }
        }
    ]
}

And this is the response that I receive:
{
    "took": 30,
    "timed_out": false,
    "_shards": {
        "total": 12,
        "successful": 12,
        "skipped": 0,
        "failed": 0
    },
    "hits": {
        "total": 1,
        "max_score": null,
        "hits": [
            {
                "_index": "my-index",
                "_type": "views",
                "_id": "77394e08-32be-4611-bbf7-818dfe4bc853.ID_3",
                "_score": null,
                "_source": {
                    "_rootId": "77394e08-32be-4611-bbf7-818dfe4bc853",
                    "_docId": "ID_3",
                    "_ver": 0,
                    "val_labels": [
                        "x1",
                        "x1",
                        "x1"
                    ]
                },
                "sort": [
                    "[x1]"
                ]
            }
        ]
    }
}

The weird thing is that the val_labels field in the response shows ["x1", "x1", "x1"] (as expected, see the inserted object) whereas the sort field shows just a single x1 value.
Is there any explanation for this?

A: Field _source in result is the original unmodified document whereas the sort script is accessing doc values doc['val_labels'] which are processed fields. This can be debugged by fetching docvalue_fields explicitly:
{
    "query": {
        "match_all": {}
    },
    "docvalue_fields": [
      "val_labels"
    ]
}

which yields the following hit (I only indexed a single doc)
{
  "hits": [
    {
      "_index": "test",
      "_type": "_doc",
      "_id": "ID_3",
      "_score": 1,
      "_source": {
        "val_labels": [
          "x1",
          "x1",
          "x1"
        ]
      },
      "fields": {
        "val_labels": [
          "x1"
        ]
      }
    }
  ]
}

Note the deduplicated values in result. This is because multiple same values result in increasing the term frequencies
GET /test/_doc/ID_3/_termvectors?fields=val_labels
{
  "term_vectors": {
    "val_labels": {
      "field_statistics": {
        "sum_doc_freq": 1,
        "doc_count": 1,
        "sum_ttf": -1
      },
      "terms": {
        "x1": {
          "term_freq": 3,
          "tokens": [
            {
              "position": 0,
              "start_offset": 0,
              "end_offset": 2
            },
            {
              "position": 1,
              "start_offset": 3,
              "end_offset": 5
            },
            {
              "position": 2,
              "start_offset": 6,
              "end_offset": 8
            }
          ]
        }
      }
    }
  }
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


As much as the day's activities, your stress level, and other lifestyle factors affect how well you sleep at night, various foods can also help you get a good night's rest. Jennifer Ferdinand, CMT, CHHC, at Wellness Week™ participant Serendipity Wellness Studio in Fairfax, Virginia, gave us a basic breakdown of what our bodies need for restful sleep and why.
Meals that are high in tryptophan and carbohydrates, and low to medium in protein will help you relax in the evening and set you up for a good night's sleep.
With the list of tryptophan-rich foods Ferdinand provided us, we thought this Yellowfin Tuna Burger recipe from Saybrook Point Inn & Spa fit the bill perfectly. Encrusted with sesame seeds and served with wasabi mayonnaise and seaweed salad, this unique burger is full of tryptophan-rich foods! Be sure to use a whole-grain roll and purchase U.S. troll-caught, pole-caught or handline-caught yellowfin tuna – these are environmentally friendly fishing techniques, making it a "Best Choice" in Monterey Bay Aquarium's Seafood Watch List! To learn more about choosing seafood wisely, visit Monterey Bay Aquarium's Seafood Watch section.
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine and thoroughly mix all ingredients.
3. Divide the mixture to form 6 burger patties (6 oz. each).
4. Heat oil in a non-stick pan over medium heat and sear the patties, until golden brown. Carefully flip the patties and cook the other side for 5 minutes.
5. Finish baking in the oven until golden brown, or to desired doneness; medium rare is suggested.
6. For the Wasabi Mayonnaise: Thoroughly mix wasabi powder and water to form a paste, then whip in mayonnaise.
7. Assemble the burger and add some seaweed salad if you'd like, or have it on the side – seaweed is full of tryptophan, too!
And, be sure to sign up for news and updates to find out what Wellness Week™ offers both Saybrook Point Inn & Spa and Serendipity Wellness Studio will feature from March 21-27!


Domain Name: MinkCreek.com is for sale, and also available for lease for 1-10 years terms.
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← What if 2-Factor Authentication is not working?


You can create objects in Active Directory by using the Active directory users and computers console. Start -> Administrators tools -> Active Directory users and computers. On the Active Directory users and computers console, right click on the container object within which you would like to create an object. how to buy vc in nba 2k18 ps4 Create bulk users in Active Directory using .CSV format and PowerShell. Bulk user creation in Active Directory can be completed using .CSV import and the steps are follows.
Create an Azure Active Directory application Let's jump straight into creating the identity. If you run into a problem, check the required permissions to make sure your account can create the identity. how to write sql query to create primary key 4/03/2018 · This video shows how to create domain user account in Active Directory step by step. Hope you enjoy watching this video. Please subscribe for more videos.
What are the steps to create a new object in Active Directory?
You probably already know that a User Account in Active Directory is an Active Directory Object, or simply said, a record in an AD database. Most of the time we create user accounts for people, however user accounts can also be created for applications or processes.
Creating new users with the Active Directory Users and Computers tool is almost as easy. Open Server Manager and select Active Directory Users and Computers from the Tools menu.


Clash of Clans 10.134.7 APK is familiar to users of smartphones and tablet strategy game occur a fantasy world where the holders can now play PCs running on Windows systems that are operating as a result of Google's Android, platform emulator. Players take control of a settlement that is small which we converted into a military power, without problems become able to conquer the enemy village and repel the attacks of enemies.
Clash of Clans APK is an epic strategy game, build your village, teach troops and combat with thousands of different gamers online. Clash Of Clans is a thrilling blend of strategic making plans and competitive rapid-paced combating. Collect the army of barbarians, navy men, wizards, dragons and other robust opponents. Join the clan of conflict of clans players and climb up the ranks, or create your own extended family to challenge ownership of the kingdom. Goblins are best the first step – your quest isn't always over till your clan is in complete manage of the relaxation.
Clash of Clans Unlimited Gems is one of the maximum fashionable game on Android, in which you create and expand your agreement, attack enemies, build equipped safety and do the entirety possible to make your clan end up the most powerful in the game. You can play both towards artificial intelligence, and towards actual human beings. To accumulate the essential resources and to get a hand in battles, we advocate first to move in the direction of looting the orc villages. Once you are relaxed in the game, you may start to attack the settlements of actual players, but remember approximately safety, at any time the enemy can attack your village and plunder it. To keep away from most destruction, you should contend with strong safety in advance – robust walls and watchtowers ought to cool the enthusiasm of the enemy. Improve buildings, boom your stage of play, build new forms of buildings.
Create your village in an impregnable castle.
Battles with players around the world.
Unite with different players to form your clan.
14 unique gadgets with several levels of upgrading.
Fight in opposition to the king of goblins in an epic marketing campaign.
Defend your village inside the clash of the clans with weapons, towers, mortars, bombs, traps, and partitions.
The game was divided into two completely one-of-a-kind elements. In the first element you want to create small buildings, residential buildings, and hire humans to construct an agreement (yes, you owe them money), and inside the 2d, you may participate in strategic battles in real time, in that you have to show all of your talent and skill. The game has ten unique kinds of units that you may pump, benefit enjoy and gold. You can also create all forms of one-of-a-kind protecting buildings in your settlement, and this is important in case you need to withstand the assaults of the most dangerous enemies, who eventually will come after your sources.
It's time to deliver your own extended family to victory over enemies, bursting into this classic tactical game. Before the start of the development of frenzied movement the participant will need to create from scratch his very own village, then engage in schooling the hired navy and compete with several tens of lots of customers in cooperative mode. The game looks through a non-trivial plexus of the strategic genre, arcade and speedy-paced battles, precisely because of such functions, the toy manages to get the attention of new customers from all parts of the planet. To win a lightning victory, you want to calculate every step carefully. Strong mages, combatants, ancient reptiles and different squares have fascinating traits, and each of them may be very beneficial in combat.
Each user of Clash of Clans will need to recognize each feature of a definite type of hero so that the gameplay does now not appear too complicated. Know that charismatic goblins aren't but the final story of the conflict of the clans, and there might be some heroes here, so long as your guild is prepared to move hiking for new lands. Since its launch on smartphones, the toy has considerably modified, now not only in the layout of gameplay but also inside the format of visible performance. Before that, the pictures component of the game did now not stand out in this type of manner, however far it has come to be an actual lawmaker of the approach style for mobile systems! It is likewise worth bringing up that in the Clash of Clans you can get game forex thru labor, and you can buy it for real money. You can do it in the in-recreation save. There you may purchase for your self a new form of armor for warriors, purchase gadget, exciting places, capsules, and different thrilling matters.
The accomplishment of the target within the Clash of Clans APK just isn't as straightforward as it may seem. In the beginning, we get you a modest availability of raw materials. With a significant number of necessary raw materials, we will be in a position to develop an army that is high build a defensive system of the village. Huge numbers of people currently playing Clash of Clans APK, one of many latest booms. It combines the strategy that is classic having a multiplayer mode, which is in high demand among app downloaders. Never to mention the element that's is social an added benefit. However with therefore players that are numerous their villages all the time.
Train troops being multiple different levels of upgrades.
Plan battle that is unique with countless combinations of spells, troops, and Heroes!
Fight in Clan Wars is an organized group of other players across the world.
Friendly Challenges, Friendly Wars, and events that are special.
Fight for the Goblin King in a campaign through the realm.
Join a Clan of other players or begin your very own and buddies who are invited.
Protect a multitude in your village of cannons, bombs, traps, mortars, and walls.
Cart, while the Hero Battle that is the new device.
Get head to head along with other players in the Versus battle that is brand new mode.
Journey to the Builder Base and learn new buildings and figures in a new world that is mysterious.
That all enjoy the unlimited Gems Free.


Good news! Freedom Park, an off-leash dog park in Fleetwood, now has lights which go on at dusk. This will be really helpful in the winter when it gets dark around 5 pm.
All dogs over the age of six months living in Surrey must have a current license. Dogs are required to wear their dog license at all times. It must be affixed to a leather or metal collar around the dog's neck. Any unlicensed dog can be impounded for failure to have a dog license.


text:
describe('template', function() {

  var ModalService = null;
  var rootScope = null;
  var $httpBackend = null;

  angular.module('templatetests', ['angularModalService'])
    .controller('TemplateController', function ($scope) {
    });

  beforeEach(function() {
    module('templatetests');
    inject(function(_ModalService_, $rootScope, $injector) {
      ModalService = _ModalService_;
      rootScope = $rootScope;
      $httpBackend = $injector.get('$httpBackend');
      $httpBackend.when('GET', 'some/template.html').respond("
template
");
      $httpBackend.when('GET', 'some/invalid/template.html').respond(404, 'Not Found');
    });
  });

  afterEach(function() {
    $httpBackend.verifyNoOutstandingExpectation();
    $httpBackend.verifyNoOutstandingRequest();
  });

  it('should http get the specified template url', function() {

    $httpBackend.expectGET('some/template.html');

    ModalService.showModal({
      controller: "TemplateController",
      templateUrl: "some/template.html"
    }).then(function(modal) {
      expect(modal).not.toBe(null);
    });

    $httpBackend.flush();

  });

  it('should fail to get an invalid template url', function() {

    ModalService.showModal({
      controller: "TemplateController",
      templateUrl: "some/invalid/template.html"
    }).then(function(modal) {

    }).catch(function(error) {
      expect(error).not.toBe(null);
    });

    $httpBackend.flush();

  });

  it('should use the template cache for subsequent requests for the same template',
    inject(function($templateCache) {

    $httpBackend.expectGET('templatetobecached.html').respond('
template
');

    ModalService.showModal({
      controller: "TemplateController",
      templateUrl: "templatetobecached.html"
    }).then(function(modal) {

      //  The template should now be cached...
      spyOn($templateCache, 'get').and.callThrough();

      ModalService.showModal({
        controller: "TemplateController",
        templateUrl: "templatetobecached.html"
      }).then(function(modal) {
        expect(modal).not.toBe(null);
      });

      //  ...so get should have been called.
      expect($templateCache.get).toHaveBeenCalledWith('templatetobecached.html');

    });

    $httpBackend.flush();

  }));

});

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
package kieker.tools.traceAnalysis.systemModel;

import kieker.tools.traceAnalysis.systemModel.repository.AbstractSystemSubRepository;
import kieker.tools.traceAnalysis.systemModel.repository.SystemModelRepository;

/**
 * Specific subtype for the root execution container.
 *
 * @author Holger Knoche
 *
 * @since 1.6
 */
public class RootExecutionContainer extends ExecutionContainer {

	/**
	 * Creates a new root execution container.
	 */
	public RootExecutionContainer() {
		super(AbstractSystemSubRepository.ROOT_ELEMENT_ID, null, SystemModelRepository.ROOT_NODE_LABEL);
	}

	@Override
	public boolean isRootContainer() {
		return true;
	}
}


Software engineers, programmers, web site administrators, and system administrators who will be designing and creating programs using Perl. Anyone desiring the ability to read and understand Perl programs for maintenance and update purposes.
This course is available in a "crunched" 4-day version, which eliminates some of the extended lab reviews and prolonged discussions of alternate techniques.
How Do I Put an Array Inside an Array?
How Do I Access What the Reference Refers To?
Students are invited to bring their current ideas and questions to the classroom for discussion. Lecture, group problem solving, and online laboratories will be used. Students will be encouraged to enhance their skills utilizing the techniques presented through classroom problem solving and controlled online workshops. This course is approximately 50% labwork.


I've been on Windows 10 for a while now, but each build has a few new things I haven't had a chance to look at in detail. One of them is the Update Delivery Optimization feature that allows Windows to pull updates from other local computers or PCs on the Internet. You can find this from Settings -> Updates -> Advanced Options by clicking on the "Choose how updates are delivered". By default it's enabled for Enterprise/Education editions it is set to PCs on my local network and for all others it is set to PCs on the local network and PCs on the Internet. You can read all about how it works in the FAQ. For now I'm changing to PCs on my local network, then at least my other local machines can benefit, just not sure I'm ready to share yet!


text:
Дин Джеффри Геркен (; ) — английский футболист, вратарь.

Карьера
Геркен родился в Рочфорде и начал свою карьеру в команде «Саутенд Юнайтед», а затем перешел в «Колчестер Юнайтед». В подростковом возрасте он привлек внимание известного вратаря и тренера Рея Клеменса. Он дебютировал в первой команде «Колчестера», в матче против «Брентфорда» в Лиге Один в 2004 году, в качестве дублер Саймона Брауна и Ричарда Маккинни. А уже в сезоне 2004/05, заменил первого голкипера Айдана Дэвисона, Геркен и сохранил ворота в неприкосновенности в четырех матчах из семнадцати сыгранных. В успешном для Кольчестера сезоне 2005-06 также провёл четыре "сухих" матча (в том числе в решающем матче против Йовил Таун (0:0), а сам Кольчестер поднялся во второй дивизион английского футбола. По итогам сезона 2006-07 был признан лучшим молодым игроком клуба.

12 июля 2013 на правах свободного агента присоединился к клубу «Ипсвич Таун».

Примечания

Ссылки

 Профиль на официальном сайте «Ипсвич Таун»

Футболисты Англии
Игроки ФК «Колчестер Юнайтед»
Игроки ФК «Дарлингтон»
Игроки ФК «Бристоль Сити»
Игроки ФК «Ипсвич Таун»

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Sometimes other people's honesty can have a profound impact on the way you perceive yourself, leading to introspection that can change your life forever. It doesn't have to be a bang-and-whistles speech – it could be just a throwaway moment in ordinary conversation.
I don't think anybody else was really paying attention. At least, I remember the topic changed pretty quickly thereafter. But it's always stuck in my head, perhaps because I'd just emerged from a rather unhappy two years of deep unkindness that I had perpetrated and suffered in equal measure. That whole mess had ended mere months before that class, marked forever in my mind by the passing of a woman known to be unkind to those who loved her best and needed her most.
That day it all came together and knit itself into a lesson people had been trying to teach me for years to no avail – that a bit more thought and flexibility could do wonders for my personality. I knew how to apologize and mean it, but that day it occurred anew to me that nine times out of ten, life gives you ample opportunity to avoid creating situations that end in meaningful apologies.
It's been ten years since that day. I'd like to think that I've changed and evolved since then, to what degree I'm not certain but enough that I'm satisfied not to be the same person I used to be. Or rather, I'm satisfied that everyday I try to be a better person than the one I know myself to be.
That itself is growth, I think.


A Russian NGO has revealed that several Nigerians who went to see the World Cup are stuck in Russia after they were scammed into buying fake tickets home.
200 Nigerians are said to be stuck in the capital city Moscow, and 60 reportedly spent the night in front of the Nigerian embassy.
The embassy has promised to accommodate them for two days, but no plans have been announced for when that time has elapsed.
The Russian NGO "Alternative" is currently their only help.


We support Alberta schools who register their school-aged, funded students in courses through ADLC.
How do I register my students into ADLC-instructed courses?
Parents are unable to register children directly with ADLC. Parents are advised to contact their local school for more information.
Partner Schools are required to create an account for their school by completing the Partner School Registration Form.
Already Registered? Update your school's account information using the same form.
The registered email will receive login information for our Student Information System (SIS).
With the self-serve nature of SIS, schools can manage their own student enrolments (as an affiliation Super User), create their own sections (courses), add students/teachers and track student performance.
Our Course Listing is located in SIS. Check the course description to determine if any prerequisites are required. Also, make note of which materials your students will need. Many courses are available as either print or online. You can decide if an online or print course is right for your student.
Note: Prerequisites for courses are set by Alberta Education.
Schools need to ensure that the prerequisites are confirmed prior to enrolling students.
If a student completes a course without the prerequisite, they may not receive the credits and there may be a funding conflict.
Visit the Alberta Education website for the most accurate and up-to-date information relating to prerequisites and the authority to waive them.
We recommend a maximum of 10 credits to be taken at a time.
Materials – Some materials are required for course completion (noted as such in the course description) and can only be purchased from ADLC.
Textbooks are required for course completion but can be purchased anywhere. When purchased from ADLC, textbooks returned in good condition may be eligible for partial refund. See our Refund Policy. Where multiple novels are listed for the course, only one needs to be chosen.
Homeschooling in Alberta offers a lot of choice and flexibility and can often be confusing.
Families can choose to direct their child(ren)'s education on their own, or they can choose to have professional teachers provide this direction. ADLC provides teacher instruction aligned to the Alberta Programs of Study through print and online courses. This service is available through any school authority in Alberta.
ADLC is mandated to serve only Alberta school-aged funded students (see section 8 of the School Act) through their local schools.
Adults, Out-of-Province and International students can visit the Alberta Education Online Learning Directory to find an online school accepting direct registrations.
International Students can also review Alberta Educations recommended Alberta Accredited International Schools for more information.


Sakthivel Nathan, a Chennai-based network engineer, has been trading the markets, and the Budget, for over a decade now. The last three Budgets have been good for him, the rest weren't bad, but he considers trading on that day an invaluable experience. Sakthivel prefers to trade only on Nifty options. He gives an emphatic No to trading stock futures and options on Budget day. But why does he prefer only the index options?
"Due to liquidity issues, the spread — the difference between the best buy and the best sell price — is higher for the stocks. But for Nifty, the spread remains low. Also, speculative bets by people with deep pockets are more likely in stocks whereas it is tough to do the same in Nifty," explains Sakthivel. So, how does he approach and trade the index options on Budget day?
He says the first trend on the day gives a hint on where the market is going to end for the day. According to him, there will be an initial reaction to the headlines, which will be followed by an opposite move later and then the market usually goes back along the initial move. "There is always a move on both sides, because it takes time for people to go through and understand the fineprint and study the impact before reacting accordingly," says Sakthivel.
He doesn't expect a very populist Budget today as the elections are still three years away. However, he thinks this Budget could be positive for stocks in PSU banks, metals and mining, infrastructure and renewable energy, such as solar power, and he expects the Nifty to close in the green today. He looks to bet on State Bank of India, Monnet Ispat, JP Power, Coal India and NMDC from a long-term investment perspective.
As a trader, he has his own wishlist from this Budget. He wants the securities transaction tax (STT) to be reduced and the dividend distribution tax (DDT) to be abolished. Do not carry any overnight positions heading into big-event days and do not approach Budget day with fear and greed.
Ramkey Ananthakrishnan, who has 20 years of career experience across 10 countries, has come back to Chennai. He now provides personalised wealth management solutions to individuals. He believes that on Budget day, there will be no single trend and volatility is the name of the game. "Given the global turmoil, this year won't be any different and more volatility is expected this year too," he asserts.
Last year, he had bets on Bank Nifty but this year he would prefer to stay away from it. "With all the issues in public sector banks, I wouldn't be looking at Bank Nifty this year," says Ramkey. Instead, he is interested in stocks linked to the domestic economy, such as Capital Goods and Infrastructure stocks, with good management and an established business.
Ramkey wants to bet on Larsen and Toubro, BEML, Ultratech and Texmaco this Budget. He likes taking speculative bets the day before the Budget, carry over night positions into the big day and watch the Budget speech closely for further opportunities.
He prefers to trade in options than in futures or the cash segment. "A good trader always needs to look for opportunities to make money but at the same time he has to protect the downside as well," says Ramkey, to justify his stance. According to him, unless the Finance Minister comes out with an outstanding Budget, the market is expected to trade negatively post the Budget and he would approach the market accordingly.
Vikrant says he has learnt two main lessons from Budget day trading. First, Budget is a one-day event and it is always better to exit most positions on the same day, especially positions in options, as the value will go down on holding it further. Second, it is always better to trade in options rather than cash or futures as one would know the maximum loss if the trade goes wrong.
How does Vikrant prepare for B-Day? He says he likes to stay calm ahead of the Budget speech and puts away distractions such as mobile phones. "The most important thing is to stay calm and listen to the Budget speech rather than anyone else. The Finance Minister gives enough insights to make a good trading strategy," he states.


Henry Cocksedge was the son of William Cocksedge and Margaret Unknown.
Henry died after July 1740 in Ireland .
Henry Cocksedge was mentioned in the will of William Cocksedge dated 29 July 1740.
William Cocksedge was the son of Henry Cocksedge.
William Cocksedge was mentioned in the will of William Cocksedge dated 29 July 1740.
Anne Cocksedge was the daughter of William Cocksedge and Margaret Unknown.
Anne Cocksedge married Rev Thomas Apjohn.
Anne Cocksedge was mentioned in the will of William Cocksedge dated 29 July 1740.


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Florence Foster Jenkins Biography
19th July In History
Singers #938
Soprano Singers #1
Died At Age: 76
Sun Sign: Cancer
Also Known As: Narcissa Florence Foster
Born in: Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, United States
Famous as: Socialite
Pianists Socialites
Spouse/Ex-: St. Clair Bayfield, Frank Thornton Jenkins (m. 1885)
father: Charles Dorrance Foster
mother: Mary Jane
Died on: November 26, 1944
U.S. State: Pennsylvania
City: Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania
Maya Harris
Florence Foster Jenkins was an American amateur soprano, socialite, and philanthropist. She was a rich woman who began financing her own shows in the 1920s, hoping to become a star, despite her total lack of musical talent. With her charm and shining costumes, she actually succeeded in becoming a singer and was loved by many. However, at the same time, she was mocked by the rest. Although she was considered the worst possible opera singer, she remained an icon in the musical scene of New York until the 1940s. She sang out of tune, had no rhythm, and was unmusical overall. However, people still remember her. She was even portrayed by Meryl Streep in a movie in 2016.
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Florence_Foster_Jenkins_at_Carnegie_Hall_cropped.jpg
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Florence_Foster_Jenkins.jpg
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Narcissa Florence Foster was born on July 19, 1868, in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, to Charles Dorrance Foster and Mary Jane Hoagland Foster. Her family was wealthy and educated. Her father, a wealthy attorney, was a descendant of a land-owning family. She had a younger sister named Lillian, who died of diphtheria as a child.
Her family took care of her education, and she took piano lessons till the age of 15. Her passion for music and performing in front of an audience became evident when she was only 7 years old. She would perform at various functions and was usually introduced as "Little Miss Foster." She even went on stage at the 'White House' when Rutherford B Hayes was the president.
She graduated high school and nursed the dream to go to Europe to study music. However, her father refused, although they had the money to support her. Thus, in order to follow her dream, 17-year-old Florence ran away with Frank Thornton Jenkins, a physician who was 16 years older than her. They eloped and got married in Philadelphia. Their relationship lasted for a year, until Florence discovered he had given her syphilis, a disease that was incurable at that time. She cut all ties with him. Although she later said they had divorced, there was no document to prove it. She continued to use his name and went back to following her passion, attending the 'Philadelphia Academy of Music.'
After an injury to her arm, she could no longer dream of becoming a famous pianist. Thus, she started offering piano lessons to make a living. Following this, she moved to New York City with her mother.
In 1909, she met a British actor named St. Clair Bayfield, a man much younger than her, who remained her partner for the rest of her life. The same year, her father died, leaving her a considerable fortune. She was then able to start working on her dreams, ironically using the money from the person who had denied her even the possibility to study abroad.
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Using her father's money, she began preparing to become a singer. Bayfield became her manager. She took singing lessons and started to attend the social clubs in New York. She got really involved with these organizations. She produced "living pictures," which were a favorite in her social circles. She loved flamboyant costumes and designed many for these pictures. Hers was always the most complex, as she wanted to be the central piece.
Still dreaming of a career as an opera singer, she performed for the groups she was part of, such as the 'Verdi Club.' Although she sounded horrible, the members would praise her, as they needed her financial contributions. She was even named the "President Soprano Hostess" of the club. The money she invested in her career multiplied when her mother died and left her with even larger resources.
Although a good pianist, Florence was not talented when it came to singing. Not only was her voice bad, but she also had weak diction, especially when she had to sing in foreign languages. She only chose difficult parts. Thus, her flaws became even more obvious. She was called the "anti-Callas." Many critics and impresarios found her performance ridiculous but kept attending nevertheless.
She liked to be called "Lady Florence," and it was not clear whether she actually thought she sang well or knew the truth and did not care. Although many laughed during her performances, her friends did their best to support her by applauding and cheering. There was also the possibility that her hearing had been affected by syphilis and the treatment she had received.
On the other hand, the fact that she controlled the public by only performing in front of small gatherings and removing those who made fun of her suggested she knew she had no talent. However, she enjoyed singing and loved the reactions from the audiences, not caring if they were sincere.
Nobody could deny that she knew how to put on a show. She sang opera and classical songs, designed fabulous costumes for herself, and practiced dramatic gestures (such as always fanning herself or throwing flowers at the audience). When she was in her 70s, she even did five recordings financed by herself and got the label 'Melotone' to release them. The first recording actually sold well, probably because of the public's curiosity.
Her greatest performance was, without a doubt, at the 'Carnegie Hall' on October 25, 1944. Her fans had actually requested for that event for a while. It was a general admission performance. The tickets were sold out quickly and did not seem sufficient. The concert was huge, and the reactions were as expected: enthusiasm, shock, and mockery. The audience continued to applaud, as if to encourage her to sing even worse.
Florence had a heart attack 5 days after the show at 'Carnegie.' This led to her death about a month later, on November 26, 1944. However, she did get to live her dream of performing in front of a massive audience and to have people talk about her.
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Although her marriage was not a happy one and even brought her a serious illness, Frank Thornton Jenkins was her ticket to the world and the beginning of her adventure. Her relation with Bayfield, on the other hand, was steady and long-term. They made a good team.
Her health was seriously affected by syphilis and by the medication that was available at that time. By the time penicillin was prescribed as a treatment, her illness had become too advanced to respond to it.
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See the events in life of Florence Foster Jenkins in Chronological Order
Florence Foster Jenkins Bio As PDF
- Florence Foster Jenkins Biography
- https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/florence-foster-jenkins-45733.php
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ColorChip collect...
ColorChip collects another $17M for data centre modules
The growth in mega data centres is also fuelling expansion of the companies that supply them with optics.
Optical transceiver company ColorChip, has secured an additional $17 million on top of the $20 million in investment received last summer (see Integrated optics start-up ColorChip raises another $20M).
The latest financing was led by CIRTech fund, an Israeli venture capital firm, joined by Scale-Up fund. Alex Lazovsky, managing partner at CIRTech Fund and Scale-Up, has joined ColorChip's board.
The new capital will be used to accelerate go-to-market initiatives, expand ColorChip's manufacturing capabilities and fuel research and development.
ColorChip has hired 100 additional team members in the past 12 months, bringing its headcount to 300, and expects an additional 50 employees to join during 2017.
Lazovsky said: "ColorChip's optical transceiver solutions have been recognised for exceptional efficiency and reliability and are being deployed and trusted by leading mega data centres worldwide. The unique features of the SystemOnGlass architecture gives ColorChip a clear advantage and pave its way to a leading position in this market."
The company recently reported that it is shipping in volume a 100G QSFP28 CWDM4 module, which is "OCP accepted". This means it has been designed for and accepted by Facebook's Open Compute Project, which has more relaxed specifications for reach, loss budget and temperature than traditional telecom transceivers. ColorChip's module has a power consumption of only 2.6W and operates over a distance of 500m.
ColorChip plans to release several new products over the next two years, with recent demonstrations at OFC 2017 last month offering clues about what those might be. The company showed the building blocks for 200G transceivers in two different styles: one using CWDM4 combined with PAM4 in the QSFP56 form factor, and the other a 2x100G "two in a box" CWDM4 design that could be packaged in either QSFP-DD or OSFP.
Yigal Ezra, ColorChip's CEO, said: "The space of web 2.0 and cloud providers is growing at an unprecedented rate and ColorChip solutions and roadmap are in high demand. The company is building capabilities to support mega data centres in the US and Asia, while developing next-generation 400G solutions."


Attention All Vets! AT&T Stadium Is Hosting A Job Fair Just For You Today!
Attention all veterans and spouses, if you're looking for a job head to AT&T Stadium today!
DAV and RecruitMilitary are hosting a Veterans Job Fair from 11am to 3pm for veterans, military spouses, transitioning military personnel, active duty service members, National Guard members and Reserve members. The job fair will feature 88+ exhibitors who are looking to hire – with military spouses and transitioning service members as top hiring targets.
Click HERE to get all the info.


This post originally appeared at Demos' Policy Shop blog.
Pew had an interesting analysis earlier this week of the last 21 years of Census income data. In it, they break down the average incomes of households over this period sorted by educational attainment. The data reveals a clean cut along attainment lines. If you had a Bachelor's degree or greater, your income, on average, went up in the last 21 years. If you had less education than that, your income fell.
This should serve as another reminder of a point I have been pressing for some time now: as popular as it is to obsess over the plight of college graduates, it's really the non-graduates who bear the brunt of the economic pain. This holds at any given age level as well. If you think young college graduates have it bad, take a look at young non-graduates to see how bad it actually gets.
The increasing income divide between graduates and non-graduates will probably worsen our country's already weak levels of social mobility. Research from Dynarsky-Bailey tells us that the percentage of low-income kids who complete college is 9 percent, while the percentage of high-income kids who do so is 54 percent. The divide in college completion among middle class groups moves up proportionately as well. Because parental income is such a strong factor in whether a kid enters and completes college, the growing divergence of income detailed in the above chart will likely just intensify class entrenchment. Graduates will make more and more money, boosting their kids chances of being a graduate, while non-graduates will make less and less money, boosting their kids chances of being non-graduates.
The milquetoast policy response to this observed phenomenon is to try to somehow sever the link between income and college completion rates. So you are supposed to try as best you can, even in the backdrop of severe income inequality, to push a few more poor kids through. It remains to be seen how effective that strategy can actually be. I am skeptical. But the saddest thing about that strategy is that it doesn't deliver nearly what you would imagine. All things equal, squeezing a poor kid through college will probably increase their adult income. But it wont bring them anywhere near parity to their rich cohorts. As I reported earlier this year, a rich kid that completes college is 5x more likely to be in the top income quintile as an adult than a poor kid that does so. More troulbing still, a rich kid that doesn't complete college is 2.5x more likely to be in the top income quintile as an adult than a poor kid that does.
Obviously on the policy side, you do what you can with what you have. But we face this intractable combination of problems right now: 1) increasing income inequality that diverges on educational lines, 2) a strong link between parental income and childhood educational attainment, and 3) a strong link between parental income and offspring income that even dominates over educational attainment. In the face of that cocktail of issues, it is really hard to see how anything short of altering the income distribution is supposed to deliver the goods.
Matt Bruenig writes at Demos' Policy Shop blog. His work has also appeared at The Atlantic, The American Prospect and Salon.


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an-inconvenient-mating-with-two-alpha-lions-mmm
An Inconvenient Mating with Two Alpha Lions (MMM)
by Marcy Jacks
Cats and Dogs 3
2 Ratings (4.0)
Contemporary Paranormal Alternative (M/M, Gay)
[Siren Menage Everlasting ManLove: Paranormal, Alternative, Supernatural, Werewolf, Action, Suspense, Contemporary, MMM, HEA]
Watson Redwolf's life sucks. Getting married to Belmont, the pack's biggest asshole, would do that.
Watson will do as he's told.
But not before one more visit to a friend.
Being caught by two lion warriors, and realizing they are both his mates is not in the plan, and something he almost can't believe.
But believe it he does. His body calls to them, and Chronos and Mattis answer the call and make him sing with pleasure in return.
If Watson doesn't go back and marry Belmont, the wolf will leave the pack to suffer in the Winter, but if Watson does, a miserable life of pain waits for him with an alpha who cares nothing for him.
For the first time, Watson wants to be selfish, to not do as he's told, and with Chronos and Mattis threatening to go against the pride and fight Belmont for Watson's hand, why not take the biggest gamble of his life?
Marcy Jacks is a Siren-exclusive author.
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It was a shifter. He could tell as he closed in. Testosterone, and high levels of it, so definitely a male.
And it belonged to him. The male was his.
He was going to take it. Take him. Chronos was going to fuck him and fight Mattis off if the other man thought for one instant that the male belonged to him.
Where was he? Where was he? That feeling of being at peace with his inner lion began to disappear on him. He struggled to control himself as he soon realized he couldn't find the male that scent came from.
He needed that scent. He needed the man, whoever he was. He needed to stake his claim before Mattis got to him!
He could see the other lion, running proudly through the trees. Mattis kept a long distance, barely visible through the brush from where he ran. Far enough away that he could follow the scent while still keeping out of reach of Chronos's claws.
And he felt his chance slipping away from him.
So he pumped his front and hind legs faster.
Closer. He was getting closer, he wasn't going to allow Mattis to take him.
Shit!
Chronos dug his paws into the dirt, the sharp pain of pine needles stabbing at him, but that was easy enough to ignore when he realized that he'd run past the source of that scent.
He was hiding. Whoever that beautiful smell belonged to was hiding, and Mattis clearly realized the same thing as he turned, as well.
But now Chronos was ahead of him, he could practically taste that wonderful scent on his tongue.
So close. So close.
There!
Chronos jumped. He saw the head peeking out from the shrubs growing out from an overturned tree.
So that was why he'd missed him.
The other male looked up at him, hazel eyes flying wide as his mouth dropped open in a near scream. Likely something to do with the massive clawed paws reaching out for him, but that wasn't going to be an issue for him in a moment.
Chronos pushed his claws back where they couldn't hurt the other man just as he touched the guy's chest. He'd only needed them to pull himself faster through the forest, and now that he had what he wanted, the male and him falling back, he was fine.
The other man threw his arms up, as though to defend his face from an attack he thought was coming, but of course Chronos didn't attack him.
He just looked.
He looked, and he enjoyed the sight and smell.
He could hear the heavy beating of the man's heart. It was a fine, strong heart, the sort of heart that Chronos wouldn't mind owning.
Figuratively.
He purred. Chronos didn't often purr, and he could hardly believe he was doing it now, but he didn't exactly try to stop himself from purring, either, as he leaned in closer, bumping the man's chest with his nose, letting him feel more of the purring, more of the comfort that Chronos wanted to give him.
He was not going to hurt this man. He would never hurt this man, and he just needed the guy to know it.
Mine. This is mine.
The male lowered his arms, slowly, when he realized there was no attack coming for him. He looked up at Chronos with those pretty eyes, soft shades of brown like glowing sand, if sand could glow, staring up at him with wonder.
And fear.
He smelled like a dog.
Ah, so that was why.
Mattis snarled behind him. "You should get off him, Chronos."
Chronos whipped his tail around behind him. He wasn't going anywhere, and the low, warning growl in the back of his throat was more than enough to let the other man know just that.
"H-help," said the male, his blond hair splayed out around him, pine needles and some twigs tangled in the golden mess.
Help? Really? Chronos was honest to God hurt by that.
He shifted, not wanting to be in his lion shape if his own mate was going to fear the sight of him. Chronos definitely sensed a difference in the beating of his heart. No longer so afraid of being ripped up when there wasn't a literal lion with a huge mane sitting on top of him.
But as much as Chronos wanted to comfort him, he turned back to Mattis, baring his teeth, readying himself for a fight. "Why the fuck should I listen to you?"
Mattis popped his knuckles. "You either get away from my mate, or we're going to come to blows there, friend."
Mate?
Chronos's eyes flew wide. He looked down at the blond-haired male, then back at Mattis, at the way the male snarled, the stance of his feet and the look of his hands.
As though he was about to jump into a fight and didn't give a damn about anything else.
"This is my mate," he snapped back.
Mattis looked just about as confused as Chronos felt.
They looked at each other, then down at the wolf shifter. It seemed to click for the both of them at the same time. "Oh fuck," they both said.
They had to share their mate with each other, just like Elias and Cerberus.
Well, wasn't that a giant bitch?
He reached between them, taking Watson's cock into his slippery hand, stroking the other male while Mattis kissed him. Watson moaned against Mattis's mouth. He pushed his thighs up against Chronos's hand, pushing his cock between his fingers.
"You like that?"
Watson sighed, pulling his mouth away, panting for breath as he looked up at him. His eyes were incredibly dilated. "Yeah," he said with a gasping breath. "I do."
Good to know. Chronos tightened the grip of his hand, twisting it and letting his fingers play at the underside of Watson's cockhead.
"You feel real good," Chronos said, and he wasn't just blowing smoke up the guy's ass, either. His dick felt nice in Chronos's hand. He was heavy in size, probably as thick as Chronos was, and he was uncut.
Which was just the way he preferred his males to be.
Uncut and heavy in the hand, giving him something he could really grasp onto, or enjoy in his mouth. And he couldn't wait to enjoy his mate.
He was so busy enjoying the touch of Watson that it took him a second to notice Mattis wasn't moving. He'd frozen, and he was looking at Chronos.
Right. He was still shuddering from the delusion that the male beneath him belonged only to him.
Chronos decided to have a little fun with that. "See something you like?" he asked, putting his hand behind Mattis's head and yanking him close.
He definitely surprised the other male by kissing him, but at least Chronos was the first to do this, to get his point across that even though they were in Mattis's bedroom, Chronos still had seniority and rank over him, and they were going to work together on this until a compromise could be made.
When he pulled back, it was petty and everything, but Chronos couldn't help but enjoy the look of shock on Mattis's face, and then he glanced down and noted the deepening blush on Watson's face.
"Did you like that?" Chronos asked.
Watson nodded silently.
Cat got his tongue alright, and Chronos hadn't even kissed him. He'd just traumatized his friend a little.
"Don't do that again," Mattis said with a low growl.
"Sure thing, whatever you say," Chronos said. "Unless Watson wants me to."
Mattis glanced down at Watson, as though just now remembering the other male was beneath him.
Watson shrugged helplessly. "Sorry, I thought it was… I thought you both looked really… good, you know?"
"You thought that?" Mattis asked.
"You don't have to sound like that's the most shocking thing you've ever heard in your life," Chronos said. He happened to think he looked really good when kissing someone. Even if that someone was a stoic little shit like Mattis.
Watson nodded, and there was a hint of color blooming in Mattis's cheeks at the revelation.
Chronos almost laughed. The other man seriously thought their own mate wouldn't find it hot to see them kissing in front of him.
Also, the fact that he was blushing at all was hilarious as all hell. Chronos was never going to stop throwing that in the man's face for as long as he lived.
"Let's give him another little show." Chronos put his hand behind Mattis's head, and it was almost cute watching as the other warrior seemed to get bashful all of a sudden, but he still allowed himself to be pulled forward, letting Chronos kiss him, his tongue tracing against the crease of his lips.
Chronos made sure Watson could see it when he slipped his tongue between Mattis's lips. He also loved the sound of the other man's moan more than he thought he would, and then there was the groan Watson let out beneath them.
That was the only reason why he didn't tease and torment Mattis more than he knew he could get away with.
They were here to take care of their mate, not each other.
"You want to try that?" Chronos asked.
Watson nodded. "Yeah, kiss me, too."
Chronos did, and as he kissed his new mate, he couldn't help but think there was something erotic to this. That he would taste a little like Mattis as he kissed Watson, letting his mate take in a little of both of them.
Watson moaned, pushing his fingers through Chronos's hair, gripping tight enough that it hurt, but it was a good kind of pain, the sort that let him focus a little more on what he was doing, that pushed his orgasm further to the back of his mind, preventing him from coming too soon.
Mattis already had Watson's knees pushed forward, exposing his hole. All Mattis had to do was reach his still wet fingers down to Watson's pucker, let his fingertips slide around the ring of muscle, and…
Watson groaned hard.
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OK you may be wondering why I am posting about July...well Sunset in July is the new single from my favorite band, 311! If you are unfamiliar with them, their style is hard to explain. They can't really be put into a genre. I can say, when you listen to the band you instantly feel like you should be sitting on the beach (at least with their last few CDs). You may know them best for Amber or the updated versions of The Cure's Love Song. To put their style into perspective, they were featured on the 50 First Dates soundtrack.
And in keeping with the theme, and the Pink & Green Thursday theme hosted by Pink Preppy Lilly Lover every week, here are some beautiful pink and green sunsets!
Head on over and join in on the Pink & Green Thursday fun!
Ooh, pretty pictures. How cool to go to Jimmy Kimmel! I've always wanted to go to a show taping. Have a blast!!
Those sunsets are unreal! Say hi to Jimmy for me!
Have fun at Jimmy Kimmel! I have always wanted to go to a Craig Ferguson taping.
Jealous!!! Hope you're having fun at Jimmy's.
Can't wait to hear them play Sunset in July, I have been listening to it all day!
Sunsets just make me think of summer. They're so beautiful in the summer.
I've never heard of that band, I will have to check them out!
oh lord i used to be OBSESSED with 311!! :) love them! And so cool that you get to see them again!
very pretty sunset pictures. and i LOVE 311! I'll def have to check out this new song. Thanks for stopping by the blog!
Love those sunsets - I live 8 miles from the beach (except when we're at the family house which is one block!!!) so seeing sunsets on the water is a great pastime!
Thanks for sharing - get psyched for the 4th!!!!
I hope you and Steph had a great time at Jimmy Kimmel! That is so exciting and you know I completely understand on the whole concept of being a devoted fan.
I love the title of the song because my b'day is in July and sunsets are one of my favorite things in the world. I just took a listen and this sounds like such a great summer song!!
oh my gosh how fun and exciting for you! i know how much you love that band.
please PLEASE post pics if you can!
ahhh I haven't listened to 311 in so long! you are soooo right about feeling like you need to be on the beach...perfect way to describe them!
Sunsets are so romantic. Love them.
2. I really enjoyed the song.
Oooh gorgeous sunsets for a pink and green Thursday and thanks for introducing a fab band to me!


The recreational and technical rebreather world is ever changing. New parts and accessories arrive, old parts get discontinued, and the internet rumour mill is ever churning with questionable information. Give us a call or an email if you have any questions on the latest consumables, parts and accessories for your rebreather.
Soon you may find yourself on a boat with a rebreather diver; or perhaps you may even get assigned a rebreather diver as a buddy. Like you, the rebreather diver has been trained to do a few minutes of setup and checks on their equipment before they dive. Often, another diver will approach and begin asking questions at just this moment. The rebreather diver really would like to talk about their equipment and answer questions, but part of their training included a reminder to avoid becoming distracted during their checks. Help them out by waiting until you see their setup is completed. If you are assigned a rebreather diver as a buddy, they will need to have a brief safety protocol discussion with you as there are some differences from your open-circuit training.