friends and family contact Richard directly: richard@rhodopsin.co.uk this will speed up your orders.
Please click the icon below to view all of our galleries pictures from this years and last years events including Llandow on May 12th 2010 and many others. The gallery pictures are added for order within 2-3 days of one of our events.
We also have a video of Paul Dolans XR2 going around Curborough with a lucky customer, Paul is a very experienced driver and is on hand at all our events to help anyone if your cheeky why not ask him to take you out in it!
The above video link and photos below are very kindly done by Andy C, he is very helpful and supportive on all our days. He has also been kind enough to put all of his photos into two videos below many thanks & enjoy.
Here you can check out photos from our track days. You can also check out videos on our YouTube channel. Click any of the albums below, then any of the photos to enlarge.


text:
Tim Pettersen
Tim Pettersen is a veteran Java developer at Atlassian. After seven years of working on JIRA, Stash and other developer tools out of Atlassian's Australian office, he made the move to San Francisco. Today, Tim's official job title is Developer Provocateur. Tim thinks that all software, but particularly developer tools, should be built with extensibility in mind. He splits his days between building tools and platform APIs for Atlassian's developer ecosystem and blogging or speaking about developer tools, API design and building hackable products. Tim also claims the first commit to Stash, Atlassian's enterprise Git repository management tool. His time on Stash taught him more about Git than is probably healthy, and he enjoys regularly speaking and blogging about Git arcanery. Beyond his day job, Tim enjoys hacking on Android games and 3D graphics. His current pet project is a libgdx-powered arcade-style shooter that he hopes to release to critical acclaim later this year (although this is the 3rd year he's said that).
SaaS Workflows & Git Best Practices
Best Practices,
Speakers: Tim Pettersen, Erik van Zijst
This tutorial is intended for developers and build engineers who are looking to migrate to Git or who are already using Git but feel that they're not getting the most out of their workflow. During the presentation I'll cover: -an introduction to Git, focusing on its numerous advantages over centralized version control systems as relates to collaborative workflows -tips and tools for migrating to Git (focusing on the migration path from SVN) -how to work with very large or long lived repositories - the fundamental elements that comprise every good Git workflow, including: feature branching a discussion of rebasing in a team context (including why, when and how to use it) automatic per-branch CI builds pull request reviews with pre-merge quality checks one click deployments to dogfood, staging and prod a case study of how these elements are used to form Atlassian's SaaS workflows, that are used to continually deploy Bitbucket, HipChat and our other OnDemand offerings Ideally, participants will run through some live Git exercises, some of which that will require internet access. Attendees should come with a laptop with a modern version of Git installed. Participants will walk away with a deeper appreciation of Git's capabilities, the confidence to make the switch to Git, (if they haven't already), and the skills to architect a kick-ass Git workflow for their team.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Classic art deco styling brings chic and sophistication to these onyx and marcasite drop earrings.
Made from sterling silver, the earrings are in two parts. The upper section connected to the earpost is studded with marcasite with two crescent shapes on the stem. The drop is teardrop shaped and studded with marcasite. It has a semic-circular black onyx tip.


text:
Everything You Need To Know About The Origins of Shazam! Before You See The New Movie
Captain MarvelJoshua White Mar 12, 2019
With the upcoming Shazam! movie starring Zachary Levi coming to theaters next month in early-April, it seems just as good of time as any to address some of the FAQ on the internet with regards to what fans of the DC/Marvel superhero need to know about the history of Shazam! the character, the franchise, the comics, and the new movie.
Some of the most-frequently asked questions swirling around the upcoming Shazam! movie have to do with the confusion about the character with that of Captain Marvel.
So, is it true that Captain Marvel is really Shazam?
The quick answer is: Yes. But there's a convoluted origin story in itself that makes any other comic superhero's origin story easy-to-follow in comparison.
In the simplest of explanations:
Captain Marvel became Shazam! Here's how: Appearing in Whiz Comics #2 in 1939, Captain Marvel was a superhero, that was created by C.C. Beck and Bill Parker for Fawcett Comics, that would, for a short time, surpass Superman in popularity at the beginning of the 1940s--even though, he was a kind of rip-off of the Man of Steel himself in the Golden Age of comics. 14-year-old Billy Batson, the young man who could transform himself into Captain Marvel, would become possessed with superhuman powers, when he uttered the magic word "Shazam."
What does Shazam stand for?
Shazam, is an acronym for "Solomon," "Hercules," "Atlas," "Zeus," "Achilles," and "Mercury," who were the six "immortal elders." Turning himself into the "World's Mightiest Mortal," the teenage Batson was gifted with the strength of Hercules, the stamina of Atlas, the power of Zeus, the courage of Achilles, and the speed of Mercury, which he used in battles against a gaggle of supervillains such as Thaddeus Bodog Sivana, Mr. Mind, the Monster Society of Evil, and Black Adam.
However, when The Fawcett comic character Captain Marvel (who was actually, at first, called Captain Mar-Vell) became more popular than Superman at DC Comics at the start of the 1940s, the latter company, DC, decided to sue Fawcett and challenge the likeness of their character with their own Superman.
Settling out of court with DC Comics, Fawcett fell into the negative with the lawsuit, and were forced to stop publishing the Captain Marvel character and sell the character to DC Comics; the latter company would publish their own version of Captain Marvel for a few years before abandoning the Batson character in the 1950s.
How did Captain Marvel become Shazam?
Noticing that the copyright for Captain Marvel had expired with DC Comics, the newly-forged Marvel Comics picked up the rights, trademarking Captain Marvel, and began publishing comic books in the mid-1960s with the Captain Marvel superhero. However, the Marvel's Captain Marvel was a bit different from the original Fawcett company's character. The Marvel character was an alien superhero who had come to Earth to enslave the people of the planet before deciding that he'd rather instead to stay on earth and protect its people--not a teenage boy transformed with super powers.
So, where does Shazam! come into equation and how did Captain Marvel aka Shazam turn from a man to a woman?
Well, yes the Marvel version of Captain Marvel did, in fact, turn from a man into a woman in the 1980s, with the latest incarnation of the character, having the alter ego Carol Danvers; in the 1970s, when DC Comics decided that they wanted to reimagine the character, even though it was licensed to Marvel at the time, they spun the character off around the original's premise, just as Marvel morphed Marvel into a woman.
How did Shazam aka Captain Marvel get his power?
Taking some inspiration from the wizard that originally gifted the young Billy Batson with his powers to transform from a 14-year-old boy into a buffed-out superman at the end of the 1930s, they re-titled the character "Shazam!," based on the magic word; the company even purchased the total rights to the character in the 1990s so that they could continue on with the Shazam! series. Even though, somewhere along the way, there was a live-action Shazam! television series made for three seasons in the mid-1970s, starring Jackson Bostwick, the upcoming Shazam! movie will be the first feature film made based on the re-imagined Shazam! character that was created at DC Comics in the early 1970s.
With the film hitting theaters in less than a month anticipation is building for the next version of a live-action Shazam!. Likely, the new superhero movie will be a runaway hit at the box office; as it's such a unique premise, given how the character is based on the original characterization of Billy Batson, the 14-year-old boy who morphs into the body of a superhero, yet still has the IQ and personality of a adolescent.
This approach to the superhero movie is unique, and will likely make the film a standout this year in 2019, perhaps, even having an impact just as Black Panther did last year when it was first released, which was another innovative project.
Revisit The Shazam! Trailer Here:
Tags: Captain marvel, Dc universe, Is captain marvel shazam?, Marvel universe, Shazam! (2019), Shazam! comic book, Stan lee, Zachary levi


"Bitcoin in my Christmas hamper… I wonder maybe I'll get rich". It was December 2017. The most popular cryptocurrency had just hit $ 17,000 and the news agencies had delivered this news with great media clamour. Massimo Tortorella, President of Consulcesi Group, interviewed by the Tg1 (the principal Italian news) and anticipated the tech turning point of Consulcesi, the biggest European company in the medical and healthcare fields.
It was a new direction based on decades of experience in ICT, in digital healthcare and in legal and insurance consultancy. Consulcesi Tech was founded as a spin-off of Consulcesi in order to manage the complex technological processes of the Group and quickly became a reference point at international level.
The company rapidly expanded and became a partner in dialogue on Blockchain and Fintech in the world. Within a few months it served as consulting firm to the Moldovan Ministry of Economy in order to work together towards building the local Technological Park for Innovation through an eco-friendly cryptocurrency mining project to solar energy. It needed a new headquarter in Chisinau, the Moldovan capital, in addition to London, Lugano, Rome and Tirana. Central Balkan region has always been very important for the strategic development of the ambitious projects. They have been transformed quickly from the concept to the implementation: that is the case with "Crypto-Revelation. Why there is no turning back from Blockchain and digital currencies". The book was published by Paesi Edizioni and climbed up the Amazon and Ibs charts.
"Crypto-Revelation" was at the top of the sector-specific charts immediately after the presentation at the Link Campus University in Rome (on the same occasion the first MBA in "Blockchain and Economics of CRyptocurrencies" was announced).
The authors of the book are Massimo and Andrea Tortorella, respectively President and Ceo of Consulcesi Tech. They have been leadind actors characters of the media debate and have been invited in the main meetings to illustrate in plain language (the one chosen to "explain the Blockchain to their mother") the incredible potential of this revolutionary technology and its great opportunities.
Andrea Tortorella worked on the subject at the UDC National Convention in Fiuggi with some political figures: the European Parliament Vice President David Sassoli (Pd-Pse), Guido Crosetto (Fratelli d'Italia), Renato Brunetta (Forza Italia). After a few weeks, Massimo and Andrea Tortorella presented the book at the European Parliament to President Antonio Tajani in Brussels in a press conference with the partecipation of MEPs from across the political spectrum: for example Eva Kaili, Fulvio Martusciello and Andreas Schwab.
During the meeting "ConsulCoin Cryptocurrency Fund", the first regulated fund for cryptocurrencies and Blockchain, was presented. The fund required the need for a global regulation in the field.
A regulatory framework has become the key issue. Consulcesi Tech serves as lead advisor for "ConsulCoin Cryptocurrency Fund" and constitutes a cornerstone on this subject. The regulation, in fact, is a central theme in the major international events in the field: 2018 Crypto Fund Forum in Londra, ICO Race in Lugano and most recently World Blockchain Summit in Dubai, Malta Blockchain Summit and Casaleggio Associati's event called "How the Blockchain will revolutionize the business model". Consulcesi Group incessantly continues to pay attention especially to the subject of health and dialogues with institutions to find the most Blockchain-based advanced technological solutions: Andrea Tortorella has been invited as speaker at the National Institute of Health workshop entitled "Blockchain in Healtcare" to explain the great potential of this new digital paradigm in healthcare.


text:
WEEK TWO PREVIEW: MINNEAPOLIS REGION
Also See > Complete Minneapolis Region Preview
(1) VILLANOVA vs (4) BOSTON COLLEGE
Not only is this a matchup of two former Big East rivals, it may also be the best matchup of the entire Sweet Sixteen round. It's a classic battle of two squads with completely opposite approaches to the game of college basketball. The Wildcats' four guard lineup has taken them to a season-long top five ranking, while the Eagles' grind-it-out, pound-it-down-low approach helped them win 28 games this year, including 12 of their last 14. The two squads have combined to lose just 11 times all season and only five times since February 1. The injury to 'Nova guard Allan Ray has brought the 'Cats some attention over the past two weeks, and though the senior averages 19 points per game and is one of the best players in America, he doesn't even lead the team in scoring. That honor is bestowed upon (of course) another guard, Randy Foye. Also a senior, Foye scores more than 20 per game, and like Ray, he is a sharp-shooter from beyond the arc. Fellow guards Kyle Lowry and Mike Nardi average about 11 apiece each night out, and the latter leads the team in three-point shooting. Will Sheridan, a 6'8" forward, has stepped up his play on the inside this season, while 6'9" Jason Fraser has battled injury but still gives his best down low as well. Freshman Dante Cunningham has come on strong, and he - as well as Sheridan and Fraser - will have to be on their game come Friday night for the 'Cats to prevail.
That's because the Eagles boast one of the top inside combos in the entire country. Forwards Craig Smith and Jared Dudley combine to average 34 points, 16 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 steals, and a blocked shot each night out. They have been dominant down low for most of the season and have been hard to stop by everyone they've faced. Consider the personnel the Wildcats play with, and it looks as if it could be a huge night for the two big men. But for that pair to have ultimate success, the BC guards will have to prove they can get the job done as well. Junior Sean Marshall is a capable three-point shooter and the only other Eagle who averages double-digits. Tyrese Rice, just a freshman, scores 9 per night, while senior Louis Hinnant has stepped up his game in recent weeks and is actually the best three-point shooter the Eagles have at nearly 45%. So whose style will prevail? Will the Wildcats out-run and out-shoot the Eagles, or will BC out-muscle and out-work Villanova into the Elite Eight? Either way, it should be one of the best matchups of the entire weekend.
STAFF PREDICTIONS
BEN CORTNEY DAVID JEFF JONATHAN REED
Villanova BC Villanova BC Villanova BC
(3) FLORIDA vs (7) GEORGETOWN
Now, seriously.... Who thought these two would matchup on the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament back in November? Anyone? Didn't think so. Billy Donovan has taken his young Gator squad as high as the number two-ranked team in America, while John Thompson III has moulded an overlooked Hoyas team into one of the Big East's best clubs. After winning the SEC Tournament title in Nashville, UF picked up right where they left off last weekend, steam-rolling over South Alabama in round one before dismantling upset-happy Wisconsin-Milwaukee in round two to advance. Georgetown, meanwhile, took down Northern Iowa in their first NCAA outing and then upset second-seeded Ohio State to earn their way into the Sweet Sixteen. One the biggest reasons for the Hoyas' success this season has been the play of 7'2" sophomore Roy Hibbert. The big man has averaged nearly 17 points per game over GU's last three outings and is the team's leading rebounder. Fellow sophomore Jeff Green leads the team in scoring with a dozen per outing, and he grabs nearly 7 rebounds per game himself. Seniors Brandon Bowman and Ashanti Cook, who round out Georgetown's double-figure scorers, will be counted on to step up their game as the Hoyas try to keep their season alive. The only other two Hoyas who score significant points are guards Darrel Owens and Jonathan Wallace, each averaging about 8 points and a couple of boards per outing.
While GU's top two scorers are sophomores, the Gators depend on even more youngsters to get the job done. After the departure of the likes of Anthony Roberson, Matt Walsh, and David Lee following the 2005 season, a large portion of the work was left up to four sophomores. Big man Joakim Noah was a force in the SEC this season. He averages nearly 14 points per game while grabbing 7 rebounds and blocking a pair of shots each night out. Guards Taurean Green and Corey Brewer can be streaky from beyond the arc, but each is stingy on defense and averages about 13 points per contest. Sophomore Al Horford and junior Lee Humphrey round Florida's double-figure scorers. Each accounts for about 11 per game, and the latter is the team's best shooter from downtown. Watching Noah go up against Hibbert down low should be fun to watch, but their play is likely to cancel each other out. So the attention then turns to the guards. Which team's three-point masters will be on their game? The answer to that question is likely to determine the winner on Friday night, and in turn the one who will advance to the Elite Eight.
Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida
REGIONAL FINAL
The staff appears to have no doubt that the Gators will advance, but there is some question as to who UF will meet on Sunday. And the decision as to who earns the Minneapolis Region's Final Four bid is certainly up in the air as well. The Villanova/BC winner will bring in a tough, experienced club, while the UF/GU winner will be a fairly young and inexperienced squad. Which group will advance to Indianapolis?
Florida BC Florida Florida Villanova BC


text:
Oracle JDK License General FAQs
Oracle Java SE Licensing FAQ
Note: In the event of a discrepancy between any part of this FAQ and the license under which you receive Oracle software, the latter shall be considered correct. This FAQ pertains to Oracle Java SE releases starting April 16, 2019 and has been updated to reflect the new Oracle No-Fee Terms and Conditions License available for Oracle Java 17 and later starting September 14, 2021.
Open all Close all
What is the licensing for currently available Oracle Java SE releases?
Oracle OpenJDK releases are under the open source GNU General Public License v2, with the Classpath Exception (GPLv2+CPE) (available since Java 9).
Oracle JDK 17 and later is available under the Oracle No-Fee Terms and Conditions License which permits free use for all users.
Oracle JDK 11, Oracle JDK Java 8, and Oracle JRE with Java Web Start in Java 8, are available to Oracle Customers via My Oracle Support and also under the OTN License Agreement for Java SE. This OTN license permits personal use, development, testing, prototyping, demonstrating and some other limited uses at no cost.
Oracle JDK 7 releases are available on My Oracle Support for Oracle Customers only.
Oracle JDK and Oracle OpenJDK LTS License Guide
Java Version
Six month releases, Java 18 and later Oracle JDK, all releases Oracle No-Fee Terms and Conditions License for All Users
Oracle OpenJDK, all releases GPLv2+CPE for All Users
Java 17 Oracle JDK, releases through at least September 2024 Oracle No-Fee Terms and Conditions License for All Users
Oracle OpenJDK, releases through January 2022 GPLv2+CPE for All Users
Java 11 Oracle JDK, all releases My Oracle Support (Oracle Customers Only) and Oracle Technology Network License Agreement for Java SE for Personal, Development and other Users only.
Java 8 Oracle JDK 8u211, April 2019 and later My Oracle Support (Oracle Customers Only) and Oracle Technology Network License Agreement for Java SE for Personal, Development and other Users only.
What is the new "Oracle No-Fee Terms and Conditions" License (NFTC)?
The NFTC is the license for Oracle JDK 17 and later releases. Subject to the conditions of the license, it permits free use for all users – even commercial and production use. There is no click through license so automating downloads of it has never been easier.
How long will Oracle use the NFTC and what happens afterwards?
Oracle will use the NFTC for JDK 17 and later releases. LTS releases, such as JDK 17, will receive updates under this license for one year after the release of the subsequent LTS. After the free use license period, Oracle intends to use the OTN License, the same currently used for Java 8 and 11 LTS releases, for subsequent updates. Non-LTS releases such as JDK 18 will be available for their entire planned six months support life under the NFTC.
What are the restrictions on the "NFTC"?
Subject to the conditions in the license, the NFTC is intended to permit use by any user including commercial and production use. Redistribution is permitted as long as it is not for a fee. Separately downloaded and separately licensed Java SE Subscription product features such as Java Management Service, Advanced Management Console and GraalVM Enterprise are not available under the NFTC and licensed separately and/or with a Java SE Universal Subscription and/or legacy Java SE Subscription.
What is the history of Java's free availability?
For almost fifteen years, Oracle stewards the OpenJDK open source community and provides the latest stability, performance and security updates to the latest releases. This includes patch updates, scheduled over a year in advance; additional updates when required; and two feature updates (which also include critical patch updates) each year under the release cadence. Our contributions are available to be ported, analysed, and used by anyone, as open source. You can download the latest OpenJDK release of Java from Oracle, for free, under an open source license from jdk.java.net. Oracle JDK 8 and Oracle JDK 11 are free for Personal, Development and other uses.
Oracle JDK 17 and later release are available under a Oracle No-Fee Terms and Conditions License for all users.
What about Java SE 8 specifically?
Oracle Java SE 8 updates, which includes the Oracle JRE with Java Web Start, continues to be free for personal use, development, testing, prototyping, demonstrating and some other important uses explained in this FAQ under the OTN License Agreement for Java SE. Personal users can continue downloading the Oracle Java SE 8 JRE at java.com.
I am an Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) customer that uses Java. Is Oracle Java free for me?
OCI Customers are entitled to use Oracle Java SE products per the Oracle PaaS and IaaS Universal Credits and Service Descriptions.
I am a customer of an Oracle Product that uses Java. Is Oracle Java free for me?
If you are a customer who has a current support entitlement to any Oracle Product that includes Java, you continue to have free access to any Oracle Java SE updates for use with that Oracle Product. See this My Oracle Support (MOS) document (requires Oracle Support login) for more information.
What is the Binary Code License for Java SE ("BCL")?
Oracle Java SE versions (including updates) released prior to April 16, 2019 are the only versions licensed under the BCL license, it is no longer used for new releases.
What happens to the Oracle Java SE releases I may have downloaded under previous licenses, such as the BCL?
You may continue to use releases you have downloaded under the terms of the license under which you downloaded them. Legacy releases are still available in the Java Archives. Note that older versions of the JRE and JDK are provided to help developers debug issues in older systems. They are not updated with the latest security patches and are not recommended for use in production. Oracle strongly recommends that you remain on an up-to-date version of Java with the latest performance, stability and security updates.
Am I able to continue using auto-update for Oracle JRE 8?
If you are using Oracle JRE 8 updates on Windows or macOS, for one of the permitted uses (See question, "For what uses is Oracle Java SE, Java 8 and Java SE 11 updates, free?") of the OTN license, you will continue to receive updates as before. Oracle will provide at least 18 months notice on the Java SE Support Roadmap page should it plan to end the Auto Update service under the OTN license.
For what uses is Oracle Java SE, Java 8 and Java SE 11 updates, free?
For full information and terms, refer to the OTN License Agreement for Java SE. The OTN License Agreement for Java SE for current Oracle Java SE releases allows them to be used, without cost:
(i) For personal use on a desktop or laptop computer, such as to play games or run other personal applications.
(ii) For development, testing, prototyping, and demonstrating applications, including to use by/with profilers, debuggers, and Integrated Development Environment tools.
(iii) For use with some approved products, such as Oracle SQL Developer, or as an end user of a software application created by an approved product. (referred to as "Schedule A" and "Schedule B" Products in the OTN License Agreement for Java SE)
(iv) With identified Oracle Cloud Infrastructure products.
How do I get an Oracle Java SE license for other uses?
You can get an Oracle Java SE Universal Subscription that includes commercial use license and support at the Oracle Store. For volume discounts and larger purchases, please contact Oracle Sales.
Can you elaborate on what qualifies as Personal use in the OTN License?
Personal use is using Java on a desktop or laptop computer to do things such as to play games or run other personal applications. If you are using Java on a desktop or laptop computer as part of any business operations, that is not personal use. For example, you could use a Java productivity application to do your own homework or your personal taxes, but you could not use it to do your business accounting.
Can you elaborate on use with approved "Schedule A" and "Schedule B" products in the OTN License?
You may run " Schedule A" products on Oracle Java SE for any use.
You may also run software applications that were developed by using " Schedule B" products for any use. For example, you can use Oracle Java SE to run an "insurance claim" application provided to you by an insurance company that is an Oracle Forms licensee and used Oracle Forms to develop the application. If you are unsure if the software application that you are using qualifies, please contact your application vendor.
Oracle recommends that customers of "Schedule B" products who make applications available to third parties provide guidance to their users regarding their right to use Java with the application.
Note that Oracle customers using a "Schedule B" product, which includes Java must maintain a commercial license for the "Schedule B" product. See question "I am a customer of an Oracle Product that uses Java. Is Oracle Java free for me?" for more information.
Can I add my product to Schedule A in the OTN License?
No. Oracle offers a commercial Oracle Java SE Subscription for ISVs that is separate from the Java SE available on OTN. Please contact Oracle Sales for more information.
What if Oracle JDK is included with the application I licensed from my application vendor?
Thanks to its reputation for high quality, compatibility, reliability and a predictable release schedule known well in advance, Oracle Java runtimes are a favorite target for Java developers. Accordingly, many third-party software vendors beside Oracle develop, test and certify their software for Oracle JDK and recommend its use to run their applications. Your application vendor may have an ISV agreement with Oracle to provide you with Java updates to run the application vendor's product. If this is the case, you will not need a separate license from Oracle for Java running on the application. Please contact your application vendor to determine whether your application vendor is authorized to distribute Java to you with their application.


The third edition of the Encyclopedia of Analytical Science was released in February 2019. The work features a chapter on Forensic Microscopy, which was co-authored by three Microtrace scientists: Chris Palenik, Skip Palenik, and Ethan Groves. In the chapter, the authors examine the ways in which careful microscopical analysis of evidence can assist criminal investigations.
Palenik, C. S.; Palenik, S.; Groves, E. (2019). Microscopy | Forensic Microscopy. In Worsfold, P., Poole, C., Townshend, A., Miró, M., (Eds.), Encyclopedia of Analytical Science, (3rd ed.). vol. 7, pp 57–64, Elsevier.
For more information of the Encyclopedia of Analytical Science, please click here.
The third edition of the Encyclopedia of Analytical Science is a definitive collection of articles covering the latest technologies in application areas such as medicine, environmental science, food science and geology. Meticulously organized, clearly written and fully interdisciplinary, the Encyclopedia of Analytical Science provides foundational knowledge across the scope of modern analytical chemistry, linking fundamental topics with the latest methodologies. Articles will cover three broad areas: analytical techniques (e.g., mass spectrometry, liquid chromatography, atomic spectrometry); areas of application (e.g., forensic, environmental and clinical); and analytes (e.g., arsenic, nucleic acids and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons), providing a one-stop resource for analytical scientists.
Contact us to discuss your project in more detail.


text:
Dam Chenar () may refer to:
 Dam Chenar-e Azizi
 Dam Chenar-e Hadiabad

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
America - Front
America - Back
Pocket Trap
PC, PS4, XOne
09/04/18 Modus Games
04/25/19 Arc System Works
Avg Community Rating:
Ninjin: Clash of Carrots (NS)
By Evan Norris 16th Sep 2018 | 3,928 views
Ninja scroll.
Ninjin: Clash of Carrots is about what you'd expect from its name: a fun, silly action game with an offbeat attitude. Developed by Brazilian studio Pocket Trap, Ninjin is an unlikely marriage between scrolling shooter and beat 'em up. With solo and co-op (online and offline) options, an endless rogue-lite mode, dozens of unlockables, and post-level grades, the game isn't lacking for options, even if its main campaign is relatively short, beginning to end. However, some fussy, floaty controls and uneven difficultly spoil the production to a degree.
Ninjin stars the titular rabbit (and his partner Akai, an anthropomorphic fox, in co-op) as they travel across a medieval Japanese-esque landscape in pursuit of the Shogun Moe, whose minions have absconded with all the carrots in Ninjin's village. It's a silly, slight, ultimately forgettable story, but there are enough visual gags, jokes, and cute NPCs — the adorable corgi owner of the weapons shop is a stand-out — along the way to keep you engaged.
It helps that the game sports a comely, cartoon art style and plenty of visual flourishes, including a Mega Man-ish introduction for new enemy types.
You'll take on these enemies across five worlds and 30+ levels in a mash-up of horizontal shooter and arcade beat 'em up — think Final Fight by way of Gradius. Controlling Ninjin (and perhaps partnering with Akai) players will auto-scroll left to right through dozens of multi-staged levels, fighting off bad guys with projectile, melee, and dash attacks. While you can move your character up, down, left, and right around the battlefield, you cannot stop or start the auto-scroll; nor can you face backwards, apart from on a few special stages. During the action, three gauges come into play: health; energy, which empties according to player inputs; and a special meter, which activates an explosive timed attack once full. At the end of each level you are ranked; earn S ranks across the board to unlock some secret gifts.
This auto-scrolling, face-paced stage-based action works well for the most part, despite some finicky controls. Ninjin features an odd situation where Ninjin and Akai move faster forwards than backwards — which makes sense physically, but clashes with the game's arcade sensibilities — and somewhat slippery, traction-less controls. At times, it feels like you're on ice skates, struggling for grip.
Floaty controls are only a small inconvenience compared to the Ninjin's difficulty spikes, which threaten to derail the entire game. For its first two worlds, this shooter-cum-brawler increases in difficulty and complexity at a smooth, even rate. Upon entering world three, things go sideways fast. From that point on, the game sends several punishing levels at the player, including a few that seem unfairly complicated. The penultimate and final levels are especially taxing.
There's relief in sight, though, thanks to a steady stream of rewards. By defeating enemies and bosses, you'll pick up carrots — the currency of the game — and treasure chests, which hold new weapon types. Using these accumulated carrots, which you keep regardless of whether you finish or fail a level, Ninjin and Akai can purchase swords, spears, kunai, and other offensive weapons in the Corgi Shop, alongside artifacts that increase health points, energy, and offensive potency, among other things. These weapons, each with their own stat lines, can give you a fighting chance if you find yourself failing a level over and over again.
Collecting new weapons is one of the most enjoyable parts of the game, particularly because Pocket Trap dreamt up some creative designs and names — some clearly paying tribute to other video games. There's the Fantastic Sword, which looks suspiciously like Cloud's buster sword, and reads "Who needs a remake when you've got this sword?", and the Sword of the Masters: "Last time I touched it, I woke up years later wearing a skirt...". With 101 swords, 40 projectiles, and 28 artifacts, there are plenty of items to find and experiment with in Ninjin.
Many of the more powerful items are found in Ninjin's rogue-lite Oni TV Show, an endless survival mode, also playable in co-op, that unlocks rare rewards at certain stage benchmarks. It's a fun, challenging diversion from the central campaign, and it adds greatly to the game's high replay value.
Ninjin: Clash of Carrots is a nice little game with lots of replayability, thanks to post-level ranks, dozens of unlockable items, and the endless rogue-lite mode Oni TV Show. While the gameplay loop — drawn from strange bedfellows scrolling shooter and beat 'em up — works for the most part, the overall production is held back by some floaty controls and difficulty spikes.
VGChartz Verdict
This review is based on a digital copy of Ninjin: Clash of Carrots for the NS, provided by the publisher.
Read more about our Review Methodology here


Creating the right atmosphere is vital to any special event. Blooms by Vickrey is an expert at taking your vision and making it a reality—elevating your special event to a memorable occasion. We will work with you on your theme, facility environment, budget, and logistics to ensure flawless floral enhancements.


Autism rates continue to increase in Canada. More and more parents are looking towards naturopathic and biomedical treatments to optimize their child's treatment. One of the better-known biomedical treatments for Autism is Methyl B12 injections. Multiple studies have shown decreased methylation markers in Autism, which can lead to DNA oxidative damage.
A 2016 study published in the Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychopharmacology (Hendren et al.) showed an improvement in clinician-rated symptoms in children treated with Methyl B12 injections compared to a placebo group. Lab tests also showed improvement in three markers: methionine, SAH, and SAM/SAH ratio. These improvements reflect an increase in methylation capacity, a common metabolic issue for children with Autism. Additionally in 2010 Bertoglio et al. showed MB12 injections increased plasma glutathione levels in a subset of children with Autism.
Clinically MB12 injections have been shown to help with speech, improved focus, increased eye contact, and heightened social awareness in children with Autism. Although this is a promising treatment, Autism is a complex condition that involves many systems. Complete naturopathic care addresses multiple biochemical pathways.


text:
<?php

namespace Oro\Bundle\UserBundle\Entity\Repository;

use Doctrine\ORM\EntityRepository;

use Oro\Bundle\EmailBundle\Entity\EmailOrigin;

class UserRepository extends EntityRepository
{
    /**
     * @param bool|null $enabled
     * @return int
     */
    public function getUsersCount($enabled = null)
    {
        $queryBuilder = $this->createQueryBuilder('user')
            ->select('COUNT(user.id) as usersCount');

        if ($enabled !== null) {
            $queryBuilder->andWhere('user.enabled = :enabled')
                ->setParameter('enabled', $enabled);
        }

        return (int)$queryBuilder->getQuery()->getSingleScalarResult();
    }

    /**
     * @param EmailOrigin $origin
     *
     * @return mixed
     * @throws \Doctrine\ORM\NonUniqueResultException
     */
    public function getOriginOwner(EmailOrigin $origin)
    {
        $qb = $this->createQueryBuilder('u')
            ->select('u')
            ->innerJoin('u.emailOrigins', 'o')
            ->where('o.id = :originId')
            ->setParameter('originId', $origin->getId())
            ->setMaxResults(1);

        return $qb->getQuery()->getOneOrNullResult();
    }
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


A morning networking Meeting of NCNPhilly consultants at a new venue! Join us for coffee and yogurt and leave with a few tips for your business.
8:45 am – 9:25 am: 5 Tips in Ten Minutes, 3 nonprofit consultants will present on their areas of expertise. You'll leave learning 15 Tips! Q&A.


Okay, okay - this one's a little late to the game. The hustle (and more hustle) of Fashion Month got to me and Paris Fashion Week Spring 2018 ended without my review going up instantaneously. You can't win them all!
Although tardy to the party, I promise that this review is bringing more of this season's game-changing coverage. I'm saying "no" to trend reporting and long, detailed critiques and giving you a snapshot of the best moments of the week. Because let's face it, I know you don't have time to read thousands of words. You could be scrolling through this at your desk at work, or taking a study break from the midterms mess. I'm not judging.
Off-White presented a collection inspired by the people's princess, Princess Diana herself. In every piece that walked down the runway, the gorgeous icon's signature laidback style was integrated with modern streetwear. Much like everyone else on the internet, I was truly inspired by this show.
What's more French than the Eiffel Tower? Saint Laurent took advantage of the stunning scenery by showing their collection directly in front of the iconic landmark. When I close my eyes, I can still see Kaia Gerber stomping down the runway, making a name for herself at Paris Fashion Week.
And finally, a non-Fashion Week moment. Balmain announced that they would be partnering with Victoria's SecretVictoria's Secret Fashion Show in a move that makes so much sense I can't believe we haven't thought of it sooner. You can find me posted up in front of the TV, waiting for the to air.
Joseph Altuzarra did not disappoint in his first show since leaving New York. Each look that came down the runway had a unique flair and didn't mimic any of the "trends" that we've seen this season. There were so much individuality and voice throughout the collection that I'm officially calling this one of my favorite shows of the season. P.S. I want those mid-height gladiator boots.
Rodarte was another show that stood out from the crowd for me. Known for almost having a "theme" to each collection (one year, Star Wars was the defining characteristic), this year's was clearly dark romanticism. Sheer paneling, ruffles, and shaggy fur coats were the three must-try aspects of this showing.
Pierpaolo Piccioli is still crushing it. Valentino continues to be one of my favorite shows, season after season, for its elevated take on eveningwear. However, the gowns weren't the only standouts to me in this collection. Shiny outerwear had a glamorous but utilitarian feel, while fanny packs made a case to become the next big accessory.
You know I love a naked face with a bold brow, and that's just what Isabel Marant gave us. A wash of bronzer, thickened brows and highlighted inner corners made for the perfect "I just got back from vacation" face. This look never goes out of style.
Consider this one similar to the Isabel Marant look above, but with more highlight. Undereyes were brightened with a light shade of concealer, while the cheekbones, nose, and even the forehead were given the reflective treatment.
Are you starting to sense a theme? Proenza Schouler jumped on the naked face train and took it one step further. Brows were fully filled in, the face was highlighted and bronzed and, the finishing touch, hair was slicked back to show it all off.


text:
New way to watch what stem cells transplanted into the brain do once they get there
Author Bruce GoldmanPublished on May 5, 2015 December 19, 2017
Stem cell replacement therapy is a promising but problem-plagued medical intervention.
In a recent news release detailing a possible way forward, I wrote:
Many brain disorders, such as Parkinson's disease, are characterized by defective nerve cells in specific brain regions. This makes disorders such as Parkinson's excellent candidates for stem cell therapies, in which the defective nerve cells are replaced. But the experiments in which such procedures have been attempted have met with mixed results, and those conducting the experiments are hard put to explain them.
That's because there's been no good way to evaluate what those transplanted stems cells are doing once you've put them inside a living individual. I mean, you're not gonna break into someone's brain every couple of days to take a peek, right? Instead, you have to look for behavioral changes. Is the patient or experimental animal walking better (if you're trying to treat Parkinson's), or (if it's Alzheimer's) remembering better ? Then, even when you see those changes, you still don't know whether new nerve cells derived from the newly transplanted cells integrated into the proper brain circuits and are now functioning correctly there, or whether the originally transplanted cells are just sitting around secreting some kind of feel-good factor to pep up ailing cells in the vicinity, juicing their performance. Or maybe it was a placebo effect.
It's hard to improve on a procedure when you don't really know what went wrong - or even what went right - on the last attempt. Optimizing the regimen becomes a matter of guesswork and luck.
But in a new study in NeuroImage, neuroscientist/bioengineer Jin Hyung Lee, PhD, and her colleagues came up with a way to peer deep into the living brain and view the results of a stem-cell transplant procedure. They combined an established brain-imaging technique with a newer but increasingly widespread one, called optogenetics, that lets researchers stimulate specific cells.
The first step in optogenetics is to genetically modify the cells you want to stimulate, so that their surfaces become coated by a photosensitive protein that generates electric current in response to laser light. Lee's team performed this operation on the stem cells before transplanting them into rats' brains. This way, they could selectively stimulate nerve cells derived from those stem cells and, using the brain-imaging technique, see if doing so triggered nerve-cell activity at the site of the transplant as well as other places in the brain with which the new cells had established connections.
In these experiments, the stem-cell-derived nerve cells survived, matured into nerve cells, integrated into targeted brain circuits and, most important, fired on cue and ignited activity in downstream nerve circuits. But had all that not happened, at least the researchers would have been able to pinpoint the weak link in the chain.
In principle, the new approach should be possible to use for all kinds of stem-cell therapies, and in humans as well as animals. As Lee told me when I interviewed her for my release on her new study, "If we can watch the new cells' behaviors for weeks and months after we've transplanted them, we can learn - much more quickly and in a guided way rather than a trial-and-error fashion - what kind of cells to put in, exactly where to put them, and how."
If this light-driven stem-cell-monitoring technique or some others I've reported on hold up, brave explorers may no longer have to poke around in the dark.
Previously: Alchemy: From liposuction fluid to new liver cells, Iron-supplement-slurping stem cells can be transplanted, then tracked to make sure they're making new knees, You've got a lot of nerve! Industrial-scale procedure for generating plenty of personalized nerve cells and Nano-hitchhikers ride stem cells into heart, let researchers watch in real time and weeks later
Photo by Nicki Dugan Pogue
News Home3900 Stanford1497 Stanford Medicine2251 stem cells72


Hellow people, how was your weekend? Though it is Monday but let me cheer you up a little with my food journey. I am pretty sure you will have a better appetite today.
I purchased a BellyGood voucher from Living Social few months ago as the pictures posted grabbed my attention.
So I've decided to bring along le boyfie to enjoy the meal since he said he loves meat. When both nomsters met together and the food adventure begins.
It wasn't hard to find BellyGood if you are familiar with Sunway area. You will see a big sign like this while you are finding the shop. So yeah, keep clam and read on my food adventure.
Anyone who is going to this place for meal, please order this. I can never have enough of this and in fact, I am craving it now while I'm drafting out this post. The melted cheese paired so well with the sliced bacon and this combination does not fail me at all. The bacon spiked up the you sense and "melting" in the mouth with melted cheese. The mushroom on the other hand, has this chewiness which I can't resist to bite more. The mushroom was not hard and smelly, trust me. I found out some mushrooms are served with a weird taste and that taste lingered in your mouth for sometime. This mushroom did not leave that weird smell but make me want to chew more.
AND, the mushroom is not small. It is a size of an adult's palm.
Succulent grilled baby back pork ribs served with a tantalizing spicy brown sauce accompanied by homemade mashed potatoes and fresh coleslaw.
Anyway the mashed potato was awesome. Though I love KFC's mashed potato but this is another heaven for me. I can hardly get to taste a good homemade mashed potato because they did not taste nice. To be honest, this mashed potato tasted best without any sauce on it.
Now let's talk about the pork ribs. The meat was served at its best with suitable temperature, not too hot nor too cold. The tenderness of the meat was at perfectly fine for me because I can tasted the freshness and juiciness of the meat when I was biting it. The sauce? Not quite a rich flavour but it suits well with the pork.
A superb combination of grilled pork belly, pork rib and pork chorizo sausage served with homemade mashed potatoes and fresh coleslaw.
I ate this because I love the choices of this platter: sausage, pork belly and rib. I can taste the goodness of the rib as well as the belly. The pork rib served has the exactly same serving as the Baby Pork Ribs but it was slightly smaller.
Surprisingly the pork belly was't that fat and oily compared to the one my mom cooked. You know la, Chinese do have a lot of pork dishes one. The pork belly tasted a bit like the "Siu Yok" marinated with "Char Siew" Sauce. It wasn't crispy but it has the feel of eating the pork belly with a rich "Char Siew" sauce. But of course, the "Char Siew" sauce I meant here isn't the normal "Char Siew" you ate out there. The combination of the pork belly with the sauce does give you a "wow".
The sausage on the other hand was so-so. It tasted like ordinary sausages out there except this one was served in a thicker version. The sausage was well-cooked so worry not about the taste.
So fat, this is the best peach smoothies that I've ever had. It wasn't too sweet nor tasteless. The richness of the peach taste was there as if I am eating a peach. It was served in Hoegaarden glass and worry not, it is worth the money as the portion is huge.
Not quite sure you can find this in local market but the mixture of peach and apple juice was great. It is only 300ml so those who drink much, this is not recommended for you as you might want to order for a second bottle.
Verdict: I will come back for the mushroom LOL. Anyway, heard from the person in charge that this place might be packed on weekends' night so it is better to make an appointment beforehand. The service was good too. Or maybe it was only two of us that time so they have to serve us LOL.


text:
Home > News and Policy > Memorial lecture explores interaction of light and dark
Memorial lecture explores interaction of light and dark
The first annual Jonathan Speirs Memorial Lecture took place in September, at the Glasgow City Chambers. Mark Major, fellow founder of the Speirs+Major practice gave the inaugural address.
Jonathan Speirs was an inspirational lighting designer, and the memorial lecture, established by the Society of Light and Lighting (SLL) and organised by SLL Scottish Regional Representative Tony Ownsworth, was set up to promote and continue his vision and passion.
The theme of the lecture was 'Light + Dark = Architecture', accurately suggesting that the creation and revelation of architecture is not just about light, but is also about darkness and somewhere in between.
Major suggests that quite often less can be more, and simpler can be better, when it comes to the world of lighting design. When you look at the most beautifully-lit projects, and the most awe-inspiring buildings, often the idea behind the lighting is quite simple.
Major highlighted Jonathan's early years in lighting design, both at LDP where they both worked in Edinburgh in the mid-1980s, and the early years of Speirs + Major. With the use of images, and projects he illustrated the practice's philosophy and approach.
When you look at the most beautifully-lit projects, and the most awe-inspiring buildings, often the idea behind the lighting is quite simple.
Major wanted to make the philosophy as clear and simple as possible - It's about light, darkness, change, the passage of time, the movement of light, the connection between natural and artificial light, how that changes over time, often working in harmony.
There was also the inclusion of some of the project the practice has completed since Jonathan's retirement in 2010. 'Things change', he said, 'markets change, technology changes, people change and clients change, but I think Jonathan would be proud of what's been achieved – for example, the 'In lumine tuo' project in Utrecht has won a Radiance Award from the IALD. I think the philosophy that we established all those years ago is still guiding us today'.
Major, together with fellow trustees have set up the Jonathan Speirs Scholarship Fund, which aims to offer support and encourage architects to make the transition to lighting design, in the same way both himself and Jonathan did.
www.jssf.org.uk


Tired of your dog's coat having unpleasant odours? Try this ultralight durable dog coat in one of two trendy colours. Perfect for the park! Available in sizes 33cm to 76cm, suitable for most breeds of dog.
Keep your dog warm and stylish this winter!
Have a question about the Purina Petlife Ultralight Odour Resistant Coat?


Mancala games originated in Africa, but were historically taken to many different parts of the world. They are characterised by a grid of holes, into which seeds or similar pieces are dropped.
Movement in a mancala game is by lifting all the pieces from a given hole, and dropping them one in each succeeding hole along a predetermined track, usually anticlockwise around the board. The ownership of pieces is determined by which part of the board they currently occupy. Capture of pieces is determined by different methods in different games.


text:
Q: Exception error for file uploading in java I am using simple code for file upload but i don't know why i am getting this error.I am new in java so i don't have too much idea
Used Code : -
package net.codejava.upload;
import java.io.File;
import java.io.IOException;
import java.io.PrintWriter;
import java.util.Iterator;
import java.util.List;
import javax.servlet.ServletException;
import javax.servlet.http.HttpServlet;
import javax.servlet.http.HttpServletRequest;
import javax.servlet.http.HttpServletResponse;
import org.apache.commons.fileupload.FileItem;
import org.apache.commons.fileupload.disk.DiskFileItemFactory;
import org.apache.commons.fileupload.servlet.ServletFileUpload;

public class UploadServlet extends HttpServlet {
private static final long serialVersionUID = 1L;
private static final String UPLOAD_DIRECTORY = "upload";
private static final int THRESHOLD_SIZE     = 1024 * 1024 * 3;  // 3MB
private static final int MAX_FILE_SIZE      = 1024 * 1024 * 40; // 40MB
private static final int MAX_REQUEST_SIZE   = 1024 * 1024 * 50; // 50MB

/**
 * handles file upload via HTTP POST method
 */
protected void doPost(HttpServletRequest request, HttpServletResponse response) throws ServletException, IOException {
    // checks if the request actually contains upload file
    if (!ServletFileUpload.isMultipartContent(request)) {
        PrintWriter writer = response.getWriter();
        writer.println("Request does not contain upload data");
        writer.flush();
        return;
    }

    // configures upload settings
    DiskFileItemFactory factory = new DiskFileItemFactory();
    factory.setSizeThreshold(THRESHOLD_SIZE);
    factory.setRepository(new File(System.getProperty("java.io.tmpdir")));

    ServletFileUpload upload = new ServletFileUpload(factory);
    upload.setFileSizeMax(MAX_FILE_SIZE);
    upload.setSizeMax(MAX_REQUEST_SIZE);

    // constructs the directory path to store upload file
    String uploadPath = getServletContext().getRealPath("")
        + File.separator + UPLOAD_DIRECTORY;
    // creates the directory if it does not exist
    File uploadDir = new File(uploadPath);
    if (!uploadDir.exists()) {
        uploadDir.mkdir();
    }

    try {
        // parses the request's content to extract file data
        List formItems = upload.parseRequest(request);
        Iterator iter = formItems.iterator();

        // iterates over form's fields
        while (iter.hasNext()) {
            FileItem item = (FileItem) iter.next();
            // processes only fields that are not form fields
            if (!item.isFormField()) {
                String fileName = new File(item.getName()).getName();
                String filePath = uploadPath + File.separator + fileName;
                File storeFile = new File(filePath);

                // saves the file on disk
                item.write(storeFile);
            }
        }
        request.setAttribute("message", "Upload has been done successfully!");
    } catch (Exception ex) {
        request.setAttribute("message", "There was an error: " + ex.getMessage());
    }
    getServletContext().getRequestDispatcher("/message.jsp").forward(request, response);
}
}

Getting Error :-
HTTP Status 500 - type Exception report
message description The server encountered an internal error () that
prevented it from fulfilling this request.

exception
javax.servlet.ServletException: Servlet execution threw an exception
root cause
java.lang.NoClassDefFoundError: javax/servlet/http/HttpServletRequest
org.apache.commons.fileupload.servlet.ServletFileUpload.isMultipartContent(ServletFileUpload.java:68)

net.codejava.upload.UploadServlet.doPost(UploadServlet.java:35)
javax.servlet.http.HttpServlet.service(HttpServlet.java:727)
javax.servlet.http.HttpServlet.service(HttpServlet.java:820)

root cause
java.lang.ClassNotFoundException: javax.servlet.http.HttpServletRequest
java.net.URLClassLoader$1.run(Unknown Source)
java.net.URLClassLoader$1.run(Unknown Source)
java.security.AccessController.doPrivileged(Native Method)
java.net.URLClassLoader.findClass(Unknown Source)
java.lang.ClassLoader.loadClass(Unknown Source)
java.lang.ClassLoader.loadClass(Unknown Source)
org.apache.commons.fileupload.servlet.ServletFileUpload.isMultipartContent(ServletFileUpload.java:68)
net.codejava.upload.UploadServlet.doPost(UploadServlet.java:35)
javax.servlet.http.HttpServlet.service(HttpServlet.java:727)
javax.servlet.http.HttpServlet.service(HttpServlet.java:820)

note The full stack trace of the root cause is available in the Apache enter code hereTomcat/6.0.20 logs.
Please help me, i am waiting for solution

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
dolichovespula arenaria
Face of a southern yellowjacket (Vespula squamosa)Yellow jackets are sometimes mistakenly called "bees" or more often "meat bees," as they are similar in size and appearance and both sting, but they are actually wasps. Yellow jackets may be confused with other wasps, such as hornets and paper wasps. Polistes dominula, a species of paper wasp, is very frequently misidentified as a yellow jacket. A typical yellow jacket worker is about 12 mm/0.5in long, with alternating bands on the abdomen; the queen is larger, about 19 mm/0.75in long (the different patterns on their abdomens help separate various species). Workers are sometimes confused with honey bees, especially when flying in and out of their nests. Yellow jackets, in contrast to honey bees, are not covered with tan-brown dense hair on their bodies, they do not carry pollen, and do not have the flattened hairy hind legs used to carry it. Yellowjacket stinger in its sheath in the scanning electron microscopeThese species have lance-like stingers with small barbs, and typically sting repeatedly,[1] though occasionally a stinger becomes lodged and pulls free of the wasp's body; the venom, like most bee and wasp venoms, is primarily only dangerous to humans who are allergic or are stung many times. All species have yellow or white on their faces. The mouthparts are well-developed with strong mandibles for capturing and chewing insects, with probosces for sucking nectar, fruit, and other juices. Yellow jackets build nests in trees, shrubs, or in protected places such as inside man-made structures, or in soil cavities, mouse burrows, etc. They build them from wood fiber they chew into a paper-like pulp. Many other insects exhibit protective mimicry of aggressive, stinging yellow jackets; in addition to numerous bees and wasps (Müllerian mimicry), the list includes some flies, moths, and beetles (Batesian mimicry). Yellow jackets' closest relatives, the hornets, closely resemble them, but have larger heads, seen especially in the large distance from the eyes to the back of the head.
Dolichovespula species such as the aerial yellow jacket, Dolichovespula arenaria, and the bald-faced hornet, tend to create exposed aerial nests. This is a feature shared with some true hornets, which has led to some naming confusion.
Yellow jackets are social hunters living in colonies containing workers, queens, and males. Colonies are annual with only inseminated queens overwintering. Fertilized queens are found in protected places such as hollow logs, in stumps, under bark, in leaf litter, in soil cavities, and man-made structures. Queens emerge during the warm days of late spring or early summer, select a nest site, and build a small paper nest in which they lay eggs. After eggs hatch from the 30 to 50 brood cells, the queen feeds the young larvae for about 18 to 20 days. After that, the workers in the colony will take over caring for the larvae, feeding them with chewed up food, meat or fruit. Larvae pupate, then emerge later as small, infertile females called workers. By midsummer, the first adult workers emerge and assume the tasks of nest expansion, foraging for food, care of the queen and larvae, and colony defense.
Species ID Suggestions
MaryL 8 years ago
Nice close-up! I've stepped on a nest of yellow jackets once. Their sting hurts...
AmandaCech
Saginaw Charter Township, Michigan, USA
Spotted on Aug 10, 2013
Submitted on Sep 19, 2013
Bugs of Michigan, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, and Toronto


The tamal verde con huevos was a good sized dish for the price. The tamale was a little dry, but not bad. The scrambled eggs (or huevos) served with each dish are pretty good, slightly better than the Disney-made counter service scrambled eggs elsewhere.
The chilaquiles was the best of all of the dishes in both presentation and taste. Similar in texture to the tamale, this did not have the same dry taste. This would be my recommendation if you are eating here.
The pambazo de chorizo is a weird dish, almost tasting like a hamburger covered in marinara sauce. It wasn't bad, just strange, especially for breakfast.
The huevos revueltos kid's meal is a good size dish and includes a beverage and fruit. The potatoes had a good flavor, and all of the fruit tasted very fresh.
Overall, La Cantina serves up a solid breakfast. I'm not sure if they are adding this out of necessity, but I don't think this is where I would get breakfast at Epcot if given a choice. The bakeries in France and Norway have a really solid pastry lineup I would likely choose over this, and I might even be more likely to go for an adult breakfast platter from Sunshine Seasons over this location. The lack of indoor seating for breakfast doesn't help the cause in the summer months either. Personally, I would skip this in favor of almost any other breakfast option at Epcot, even if it is on the way to Norway.
Contact Tom at [email protected]t.com.
Looks like some awesome breakfast offerings! I'm looking at the chilaquiles con huevos, and wondering why the egg whites looks so greenish compared to the white topping next to it. Did it look like that in person, or is the lighting altering the way the photo came out?


Traditional Irish Pub & Restaurant "with a twist" We offer a great selection of craft beers!!! We are a Official Chicago Blackhawks Bar We are now a Official Wildcats bar Planning an event? We can cater it for you or make it a truly special event here at the Curragh! Customized event and customized service. You name it - business lunches, parties, graduations, birthdays, funeral receptions, brunches, buffets, sales meetings, rehearsal dinners, baby showers, cocktail parties or surprise parties. We'll give you the kind of special treatment you won't find elsewhere. See what Your Events can be! We now offer delivery to the a 5mile radius of Glenview area. Call us to place an order and we'll bring it to you! Get printable menus for Lunch/Dinner.


The Oregon Small Woodlands Association (OSWA) is a member-based association that represents small woodland owners in Oregon. Our Regular Members own between 1 and 5000 acres of land with trees growing on their property. We also have an Associate Membership for those who do not own woodlands in Oregon, but are interested in the best interests of small woodland owners.
OSWA members are individuals, families, or companies who want to connect and network with other property owners in their county, state, and region.
Opportunities to participate in developing forest carbon markets, should they decide to do so.
You must file a Notification of Operation at least 15 days before starting the operation.


text:
<?php

namespace Pattern;

require 'adapter.php';

class AdapterTest extends \PHPUnit_Framework_TestCase
{
    public function testAdapter()
    {
        $adapter = new Adapter();

        $req = $adapter->Request();

        $this->assertEquals($req, 'Request');
    }
}


text:
Murphy hired campaign aide who was part of investigation into secret Bermuda bank account
Phil Murphy paid Derrick Green $2 million during his campaign for the same type of work that was investigated in Bermuda
Murphy hired campaign aide who was part of investigation into secret Bermuda bank account Phil Murphy paid Derrick Green $2 million during his campaign for the same type of work that was investigated in Bermuda Check out this story on mycentraljersey.com: https://www.northjersey.com/story/news/watchdog/2018/10/15/phil-murphy-campaign-derrick-green-investigation-jetgate-bermuda-bank-accounts/1643801002/
Dustin Racioppi, Trenton Bureau Published 11:51 a.m. ET Oct. 15, 2018 | Updated 5:12 p.m. ET Oct. 15, 2018
Derrick Green, of Green Consultants, was paid $2 million by the Murphy campaign and now works in state government.(Photo: Photo courtesy of the Bermuda Sun)
Gov. Phil Murphy's campaign paid $2 million to a consulting company led by one of his top aides who at the time was tied to a campaign finance scandal under police investigation in Bermuda known as Jetgate.
The scandal rocked the British territory and led to resignations and an investigation — probes separate from the police inquiry — into a secret bank account set up by Derrick Green, a longtime political operative in New Jersey and Maryland. The account received $350,000 from wealthy American businessmen, but no one has determined exactly where the money went after Green and an associate withdrew nearly all of it.
His firm, Green Consultants, was hired by the Murphy campaign to help get out the vote, the same kind of work it did in Bermuda. The $2 million Green Consultants received was one of the largest expenditures made by the Murphy campaign during the primary and general elections, according to Election Law Enforcement Commission records.
Green Consultants also employed Marcellus Jackson, the former Passaic councilman whose public corruption conviction a decade ago forced him to resign from the administration.
Green now is paid $140,000 as a senior adviser on diversity, faith, urban and regional growth in the secretary of state's office — $1,000 less than Secretary of State Tahesha Way, according to payroll records.
Two secretary of state employees reached by NorthJersey.com and the USA TODAY Network New Jersey last week said they did not know who Green is and deferred comment to the governor's office.
Green does not have a phone number listed in the state's directory. And a former secretary of state official told the Network he never saw Green at the agency's State Street office but has seen him around downtown Trenton.
Governors in the past have hired aides to work for them specifically only to have them listed on the payroll for other government departments. A person with knowledge of the hiring said Green was responsible for "elevating the voices and participation of urban and faith-based communities in the administration," and "he has done that."
That person also noted that Murphy won 94 percent of the African-American vote last year, and credited Green's outreach to that community.
Trouble with hires: Murphy says aide facing sexual assault allegation should never been hired
Charlie Stile: How Murphy's push to redeem a convicted Passaic councilman backfired
"Derrick was charged with that in the campaign, to a lot of success," said the source, who was not authorized to speak publicly about the campaign.
Murphy's hiring practices have come under intense scrutiny since Jackson resigned in September and another aide, Al Alvarez, abruptly quit ahead of reports about a sexual misconduct allegation during the campaign. And the pressure on Murphy to answer for his hiring threatens to overshadow a trade mission this week to Germany and Israel.
During a Monday news conference in Newark, Murphy declined to comment on whether he was aware of Green's involvement in Jetgate, but said he expects to "get right to that." At that news conference, Murphy announced an independent investigation into the Alvarez hiring that will "undertake a systemic review of the hiring and vetting practices of the governor-elect's transition office."
"It's important that we figure how this particular hire happened but also whether the procedures and vetting and hiring processes were generally" followed, Murphy said.
Green is not accused of criminal wrongdoing, but his own history in politics is blemished by the controversy. And there are many unanswered questions about his activities in Bermuda, mostly centered on the money funneled in from American donors and on his outreach activities, similar to the work he was hired to do for Murphy.
Alvarez was also hired to lead outreach in minority communities, and he and Green were among the first brought to the campaign by Murphy as he was fighting Senate President Stephen Sweeney, Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop and other Democrats to secure party support for the gubernatorial nomination.
Hiring campaign aides is common in new administrations, but Murphy's willingness to put early supporters with checkered histories on the public payroll has brought unwanted attention to the new administration.
Beachhead in Bermuda
Green had partnered with New Jersey lobbyist Gerry Gibbs of Capital Impact Group several years ago to work on the campaign of the Bermuda Democratic Alliance, which was mounting an effort to defeat the ruling Progressive Labor Party. Gibbs described it in an interview as "some very preliminary work," such as polling and messaging for the alliance, which later changed its name to the One Bermuda Alliance.
"It was Derrick's relationships that got us to the table," Gibbs said.
But they "amicably" ended the partnership before the scandal broke.
In fall 2012, before the election, Green introduced One Bermuda Alliance leader Craig Cannonier to Nathan Landow, a Maryland developer and longtime Democratic donor who was interested in building casinos on the territory. Green also had a "commercial relationship" with Landow at the time that he hadn't disclosed, according to an investigation by the alliance's former chairman, Thad Hollis.
Green and a business associate, Steven DeCosta, had also set up a bank account under the name Bermuda Political Action Club that they didn't disclose to alliance leadership, according to the investigation. That account received $350,000 — in seven installments of $50,000 — from Landow and a group of seven businessmen, the investigation found. But Hollis and alliance leaders didn't find out about the account until more than a year later.
"It is still not clear as to why a separate account had to be established that the party was unaware of and why these funds could not be transferred to the OBA's operating accounts," Hollis wrote.
The One Bermuda Alliance won the election, and Cannonier took over as premier, the leader of the territory's government.
In 2013, Cannonier and other alliance leaders flew on Landow's private jet to Washington to meet with Landow, according to the investigation.
Landow did not respond to a voicemail seeking comment, but in a 2014 interview with the Royal Gazette newspaper in Bermuda he said he and the other businessmen "were solicited by Derrick Green and we made a contribution based on the visit Mr. Cannonier paid us in Washington" in 2012.
The money was to be used for get-out-the-vote efforts, Landow said. Green and DeCosta signed for withdrawals from the account "in large denominations," Hollis said, but he could not "determine the final destination of said withdrawals" that amounted to $348,000.
Landow did not develop any casinos in Bermuda.
"It is of concern that Mr. Derrick Green did not make known to the Party Executive that he had the relationship with Mr. Landow and Bermuda, LLC. While that may or may not have had an impact upon his role as the political consultant to the OBA, it is of utmost concern that if Mr. Landow was exploring development opportunities in Bermuda and Mr. Green had a commercial relationship with him, was there any conflict of interest between the OBA, the government and Mr. Green?" Hollis said in his report.
"At the very least, without full disclosure, it gives the party's opponents the opportunity to claim that party political ties were being leveraged for personal benefit. If Mr. Green had made a full disclosure to the party, actions would have been taken to mitigate and the party would not be in the situation where I felt it necessary to conduct an investigation."
The scandal prompted Cannonier and two Cabinet members to resign in 2014. Cannonier said in his resignation speech that "nothing illegal was done, but I accept there was a failure over time to be completely transparent."
Hollis also resigned from the alliance after issuing his report. He said in an email that "I haven't seen or spoke with Derrick in years" and "there's nothing I can add or say" beyond his report.
Money questions
Green told the news outlet Bernews in 2014 that "because of U.S. tax law and rules governing campaign contributions, the account to receive the funds had to be a PAC account." He also disputed some of Hollis' findings and said he was never interviewed for the investigation.
Green told the outlet that "the vast majority of the funds" went to DeCosta's consulting firm, not Green Consultants.
"It is my hope that the money spent was used to pay for campaign activity and these workers," Green said.
The Bermuda Police Service is still investigating Jetgate but said in a statement that it "is not investigating Mr. Green at this time."
Green Consultants had to forfeit its Maryland LLC license in 2015 for not filing its annual report for the prior year, according to the state's tax department. Green formed it under the same name in 2017 with a Newark address, and it is in good standing in New Jersey, but Green still listed the business in campaign finance records as having an address in Silver Spring, Maryland, where he has a home.
State law does not require campaign consultants to disclose employees or the work they do, so it isn't clear how many people worked for Green Consultants during the campaign. It's typical for consulting groups to pay workers for canvassing and other get-out-the-vote efforts.
Jackson worked for Green Consultants between 2016 and 2018, according to his résumé obtained by the Network. He listed his title as a "faith-based coordinator" who facilitated meetings, secured venues for campaign events and supervised canvassers and phone bank workers.
Jackson resigned after media reports and an investigation by the attorney general found that his hiring was against the law. Days later, Alvarez resigned without explanation, but it happened on the same day the Wall Street Journal asked him for comment about a sexual assault allegation against him.
Green and Alvarez were among Murphy's first hires, and both had been tasked during the campaign with leading outreach efforts in minority communities.
The resignations of Alvarez and Jackson have led Republicans to call for legislative hearings into Murphy's "dangerous" hiring practices. Sen. Kristin Corrado, R-Passaic, sent a letter to legislative leaders Monday seeking a legislative investigation. And one Republican, Assemblywoman Holly Schepisi, said the Green hiring raises additional questions and that his work for the Murphy campaign should be investigated.
"There's a pattern of a very small group of people who all worked together on his campaign who have all been rewarded with government jobs, and at least with respect to Jackson and Green, a simple Google search and doing your due diligence on an employee would have raised some real concern that needed to, at a minimum, be properly vetted," Schepisi said.
"We're not talking about juvenile indiscretions. We're not talking about things that occurred 20 years in the past. We're talking about active public corruption, fraud type of concerns directly related to public trust. And to see a pattern among such a small group coming forth, it's really disturbing," she said.
Investigations into local topics take time and resources. Readers help support these efforts with their subscriptions. Support our journalism and become a subscriber today. Click here for our special offers.
Read or Share this story: https://www.northjersey.com/story/news/watchdog/2018/10/15/phil-murphy-campaign-derrick-green-investigation-jetgate-bermuda-bank-accounts/1643801002/


Alright, two weeks in a row is a good way to restart this little pet project. I must admit I am trying to streamline things a bit more and I may have to use a new method of distribution in the near future. More on that later, perhaps.
Last week I did not include the "If you read only one article…" bit, but this week would have to be the last two pieces. We all need reminders from time to time about the young people we work with every day. Plus, many of us are parents and have a bit more instruction and care to give. Those articles are good medicine, I think.
As we close out September, have a great week.
I love a good takedown as much as anyone and this is a good one. There is a lot of pretty terrible education journalism out there. And here, Thomas exposes a National Public Radio story about lagging reading levels in children and why educators are failing, highlighting the flawed premise, poor sources, and biggest factor that is routinely taken as a given.
Like a lot of false claims about education, some lies never really go away. To suggest that schools do not teach reading well is comical if one takes a minute to consider that we are at a point where more students graduate from high school and attend college in this country than at any point in human history. As Thomas explains, beating the drum of poor reading instruction always opens the commercial door for a solution.
I deeply appreciate how Thomas unmasks the sources used to support this story. While journalists cannot know everything, they ought to at least know something about the veracity of their sources. What's worse is that it would seem that neither the reporter for the original article nor anyone in an editorial capacity is capable of understanding some of the fundamental theoretical tensions in the field.
My favorite part is the section about the accountability era's corruptive and corrosive impact. As tests have become more important than ever, they have reduced reading to a mechanistic operation, as well as the reductive issues that Thomas raises. Additionally, I would argue that his final section defending teacher preparation is actually connected to the accountability regime. The teaching profession has been under attack for decades as a result, which is one of many factors that drive top-down, purchase-a-program mentalities that compounds the problems rather than offering solutions.
I am not sure that this article raises any earth-shattering information but it serves as a good reminder of just how different things are for today's teens. The proliferation of always-connected devices and permissive parenting practices has created some pretty challenging circumstances. Yet, what never changes is the tension teens feel between wanting to become independent and autonomous and occasionally recognizing that maybe they might need some help from adults.
While the secrets should not be terribly surprising to anyone paying close attention, the real value is the suggestions. The idea of not engaging a teenager about their social media habits and preferences as a parent seems to me to verge on neglect. Conversation over attempts to control seem like the only meaningful way to provide support without being completely ignorant – for both parents and their kids. Any parent that is willing to hand their kid a mobile phone with the ability to access nearly any kind of content in the world and not have some hard conversations is probably headed for some real trouble.
I don't know about anyone else but the unfolding drama around the current Supreme Court nominee confirmation has been engrossing. Aside from the sheer melodrama of the political theater in Washington, it seems like we are in the midst of a profoundly historical moment as if a number of cultural tectonic plates are colliding simultaneously.
In the world of American politics, there seems to be no end of examples where we let down our young people. Ploys purely played for power that set dubious precedents in our national politics are not lost on the young people that are paying attention. Plus, is there a teen alive that does not have a heightened hypocrite sensor?
This article actually gives me some hope. The thoughtfulness and understanding displayed by young people is a powerful reminder that kids today have something going on. Working in education it is easier to see that on a daily basis but it is also easier to grow a bit jaded too. Adults in the wider world would do well to have a look at this article and the one above to get a clearer picture of where the next generation struggles and what they have to offer.
This entry was posted in Education Evolutions Newsletter, Teaching & Learning, Teaching Today on September 23, 2018 by Fred Haas - @akh003.
It definitely has taken some time but after some deliberation, I finally got enough together to try and put together another issue of this newsletter. Now that I am back in the classroom fulltime, it has taken a few weeks to get back into the swing of things. Doing this weekly may still prove harder than I think but I thought I would at least give things a go and see what happens.
Hopefully, I can still produce this regularly. I will do my best.
I saw this piece in recent weeks and thought it was fascinating and balanced look at some of the issues facing IT in public schools. The incident of the student could hardly be properly described as a hacker, at least at first. It reads more as if a better description would have been a trespasser. Yet, as the title suggests the temptation proved to be too much for an adolescent. And, really, is there any adolescent capable of resisting temptation when genuinely curious?
Still, this post provides a window into a complex situation that has no easy answers and is really just the tip of the iceberg. Of course, there are malicious actors that could have done serious damage. Yet, this district looks like they were barely capable of keeping the doors of the building closed, let alone locked. There might as well have been a welcome mat and a staff person inviting anyone inside. Of course, that comparison does not begin to address the real problem.
As we push toward increasingly digital realities data is shared across multiple networks with little to no understanding by those whose data is involved. Even worse, there are not enough qualified people that even understand that central premise working in public education to even begin making decisions about how to handle these kinds of problems. We have been so cavalier about all of this that we now live in a world where data is shared across so many networks and platforms it is difficult to even ascertain the level of vulnerability. Think of it as if a break-in at a neighbor's house revealed an open door into your own house that you were not even aware existed. That is not as fantastic as it may seem, Plus, when is the last time a representative from any vendor was prosecuted for failing to secure your data?
Given the recent Michigan case that denied the notion that education is a fundamental right, a case cited in this article, the legality of the question looks destined for greater consideration. It may not be a federal right guaranteed by the US Constitution. However, a number of states establish education as a right in their own constitutions, also generally referenced in the article. Yet, what that actually looks like and how it is interpreted is likely to repeatedly challenged over the next decade or so.
While this article focuses more specifically on the Supreme Court case, Plyler v. Doe and the connection to illegal immigrants, I suspect the education of children aspect of the law may be in for a serious revival. It is the kind of angle that could easily be used to advance charter schools, vouchers, and other more sinister attacks on the current institution of public education, which could see a court favorable to those interests.
This is the kind of article public educators need to read. It shows how well-monied political advances are set on breaking the public school system. It is not even about "reform" anymore if it ever was. Instead, it is about siphoning even more money out of the public and into private hands. It just simply is not enough that the Koch brothers and others of their ilk have benefitted and continue to rig the system to their benefit and fortunes, further allowing them to influence politics at the federal level and across a number of states too. States are notoriously easier to push around than the federal government anyway.
Anyone advocating school choice is selling fool's gold, whether they know it or not. There has always been school choice in this country, you can send your child to the publicly funded school or you can send your child to a private school. As far as I am concerned, it is indefensible that private schools should receive any public money of any kind. They are not governed by the kinds of oversight, legal requirements, or transparency that public schools are and there is no legal basis requiring that they even exist, like public schools. In fact, they exist, at least in part, because they reside outside the public system as an alternative.
Consequently, it should not be financed by tax money. There needs to be more grassroots awareness of the kinds of spin and efforts to find any legal loophole available to advance anti-public education efforts as profiled in this report. Without it, education will no longer be a prerequisite for the kind of informed citizenry needed in a democracy because any trace of a democracy will have completely vanished.
This entry was posted in Education Evolutions Newsletter, Teaching & Learning, Teaching Today on September 16, 2018 by Fred Haas - @akh003.


There's nothing like glorious weather to bring a British seaside resort to life, and Redcar, on the Tees Valley coast, had a really great buzz about it when I visited yesterday.
The streets were packed with shoppers, and there were entertainers in both the High Street and the Regent Walk shopping centre. Even Wetherspoon's was playing host to some impromptu guitar playing from one of its customers.
I'd only been to Redcar once before, back in September 2009, but I took an immediate liking to the place. The wide, pedestrianised High Street is a pleasing public space, with coordinated street furniture and a lack of clutter (market stalls, delivery vehicles, etc.) that puts Newcastle's Northumberland Street to shame.
Shopping centres by the sea are nearly always appealing, and Redcar's Espanade runs directly behind the High Street. As I noted last time, this means that the town's former Woolworths building (still occupied by the Yorkshire Trading Company) has a wonderful sea view from its back door, a feature that it must share with very few other ex-Woolies sites – Whitby, just a short way down the coast, of course being one of them.
Of course, the town centre isn't without its problems. In the last few years, the number of empty shops in Redcar High Street has become a key issue, repeatedly flagged up in the local and national media. Since I was there last, this has prompted the local authority to create a series of 'virtual shops' to fill the voids, as part of its 'Uplifting Our Town Centres' initiative – a solution very similar to Shopjacket, but not executed with quite the same panache.
Interestingly, there's also a virtual café, a virtual restaurant, and even (on the Esplanade) a virtual house.
Clearly, as I've said before, such an approach is no substitute for bringing properties back into active – and non-virtual – use. However, as a way of ensuring that such buildings don't become a short-term visual blight on those businesses that are trading, it's an incredibly effective solution. Walking around Redcar, my eyes were drawn to the occupied buildings instead of the vacant ones, which is surely the whole point of the exercise.
Of all the virtual shops, however, my favourite has to be the virtual fashion store at 28 High Street, below, housed in what I believe used to be a branch of the collapsed DIY retailer Leveys.
Great to see you visiting redcar and finding some delight in what is a town trying to re-invent it's self.
I my self live within the borough of Redcar & Cleveland and we do consider ourselves part of North Yorkshire.
I too, was in Redcar a fortnight ago and the appearance of the 'virtual shops' certainly made an impression. In fact at one end of the High Street – furthest from the clock tower end – there seemed to be more 'virtual shops' than actual ones!
Being a Midlander and a yearly visitor to Redcar, we tend to refer to the area as Teesside – even though that has a bit of an industrial 'tone' to it. We much prefer to say Cleveland, but you still have to explain to people down here where exactly Cleveland is!
I think North Yorkshire is more than fine. Teesside is equally appropriate, in the same way Gateshead can be referred to as Tyneside.
Please don't call it the Tees Valley, Graham.


Turns out, it doesn't show up in the mirror, or really on the scale because I'm apparently developing what I'd like to call "flabs." I swim about three times a week, not doing laps or anything too stressful, I started doing it because honestly, it was a way to stretch without getting stuck in weird yoga positions on my living room floor. I still hear the shoulder and knee cracks when I'm underwater. But my arms are more defined, my legs look great and if I had a bottom, I'm sure it would look more impressive. My belly still has some "dun-lap" (as in ma belly dun lapped over my belt).
I still can't run/jog. My left knee won't have it, even after losing almost 20 percent of myself. I can do minimal yoga (which is funny to watch I'm sure). And I still have a tan that only extends from my mid-thighs down, my shoulder to my finger-tips and my face/neck. To my eye, I still have a big-ole white belly. But other people have noticed. One friend even complimented (?) me by saying, "You're not as fat as you think you are?" And therein lies the problem.
I've told myself I'm an obese slob for years of my life. Exercise? Why? I'm an overweight slob. Eat better? Why? I'm an fat-tub of goo. I was "actively" working against myself, and since I was passive, I didn't mind drinking 3 liters of coke a day, having a pizza every couple and "eating healthy" by having a couple sausage mcstuffins for breakfast, hitting a Chinese buffet for lunch and then eating chicken on pasta (with an alfredo) for dinner. If Chik-fil-hey is healthy, maybe it's time to rethink healthy.
Yes, I still eat that stuff, but that's only because it's delicious, but I stopped eating it as often and started watching what I was eating. I seriously started tracking my steps with a free app I got for my phone (please turn off your notifications). As the weight sluffed off, I noticed it was easier to do certain things, like actually walking 10,000 steps in a day. I started "pushing" myself to get more steps, and started skipping seconds. I also started getting a "to-go" box with my meals so I could just take half of it and pop it in before I started eating. I started intentionally slowing down (which people at work hated) and low and behold, I don't get "hungry." I stopped "bored" eating. I don't have snacks in the house that I like. And lately, I've done the strangest thing. I started cooking food on my own.
So far, in the past 7 months, I've saved an average of $45 a week, which doesn't sound like much, until you look at it this way. I gave myself a $1345 cash raise in the months I tracked it. By not tracking I didn't pay attention. I was passive, but decided to be active.
Now I'm not going to be participating in the Iron Man anytime soon. And that's not my ultimate goal. But I don't look at myself in the mirror and call myself names anymore. My active voice can overcome those negative thoughts. So yes I do tell myself that I'm going to be an active participant in my life, and I tell myself I'm going to eat healthier and move more.
That is my new truth.


text:
Q: Conditional Copula distribution Let C be a Gaussian or Student copula and $F_1, ..., F_d$ empirical margins.
$C(u) = F(F_1^{-1}(u_1), ... F_d^{-1}(u_d))$
I know how to draw from C and get $(u_{1}, ..., u_{d})$
Imagine that I know $u_{1}$. I was wondering how I can draw from C conditional on $u_{1}$. I don't expect a closed form formula as I have no expression for $F_1, ..., F_d$ but how would you 'numerically' generate a serie of conditional draws from $C$?


text:
Annabelle Is Getting Back on That Horse
By Kayla Hawkins
After last week's episode, it seemed like Ladies of London 's Annabelle Neilson, the resident badass sportsman and high-fashion muse, would effortlessly show up the rest of the girls yet again by riding her horse at high speeds while training for a charity race. But an unfortunate accident sent her crashing off the horse at 45 miles per hour and left her hospitalized. And it wasn't anything like Tamra Barney's tumble off of a mechanical bull — not a melodramatic creation of the promo editors, but a real, serious injury that left Annabelle unable to walk for over a month.
There are only a handful of episodes left in the first season, which was filmed over a year ago, so while we will be seeing Annabelle pretty seriously banged up on the show, she's fully on the mend now. With the extent of her injuries, which included a broken pelvis and broken bones in her sacrum, she wasn't able to make an appearance at Caroline's dinner party, the source of next week's drama (because of manners yet again, yawn).
But Annabelle seems to be doing much better now, tweeting and Instgramming her support of the show, interacting with fans, and sharing updates about how she's recovering — which luckily, is good news.
She's even posted pictures with one of her horses, Mr. Fickle (which is a GREAT name) "after a gallop." It's not clear if it's a TBT or a picture from a recent ride, but either way she's working her way back to full health and seems committed to returning to horseback riding.
The idea of falling from a horse and breaking your pelvis and back in several places is terrifying enough. But the idea of spending over a year in rehabilitation just to continue riding horses is not for the faint of heart. Like a true equestrian, Annabelle is still working at her physical therapy in hopes of getting back to racing sometime soon.
It may be a tough road to a full recovery, but is anyone actually surprised that Annabelle seems to be doing just fine?
Images: Rebecca Miller/Bravo, Annabelle Neilson/Twitter


Roughly 8 percent of healthcare organizations consider consumer expectation a high priority and have implemented several consumer-based strategies with some success, according to recent research out of Kaufman, Hall & Associates.
The report, titled the "2017 State of Consumerism in Healthcare: Slow Progress in Fast Times," is based on more than 125 healthcare organizations' responses to Kaufman Hall's 2017 Healthcare Consumerism Survey. The majority of survey respondents (74 percent) were from health systems across the U.S., while 21 percent of those surveyed identified as leaders at various U.S. hospitals.
Here are five insights from the report.
1. Roughly 90 percent of survey respondents cited improving key elements of the consumer experience as a high priority for their organizations. However, only 30 percent said they instituted tools or practices in those areas.
2. More than half (58 percent) of healthcare leaders said offering digital tools and information to enable consumer engagement represented high priorities for their organizations. But of those leaders, 14 percent said they have those capabilities in place.
3. While respondents identified access to care as one of their organization's top priorities, only 19 percent of those surveyed said their organizations offered significant access via retail clinics. Nearly half of those surveyed (47 percent) said their organization did not own or operate retail clinics.
4. More than two-thirds (69 percent) of respondents said their organization implemented an online patient portal. Roughly 43 percent of those surveyed said they implemented tools to allow patients and providers to communicate through online messaging services.
5. Almost all (97 percent) of respondents said their organization uses post-visit patient surveys to gain customer insight, followed by quantitative research (85 percent), analysis of internal patient data (72 percent), real-time feedback during visits (34 percent) and advanced analytics (23 percent).