text:
Have I mentioned I'm lazy? I think I've mentioned I'm lazy.
Not in every aspect of my life, but certainly in too many. One of the more benign, yet highly irritating, forms is my middle-aged-onset laziness with regard to t.v. and movies: I don't want to watch something in which I don't know what happens.
This goes beyond not minding spoiler alerts into not wanting to endure uncertainty. I know something's going to happen, and it about kills me not knowing the what and the when and the how.
I think that's why I like procedurals: there's such an established pattern with the plot that any anxiety over what-next is smoothed into mere waiting by the predictability of the genre: in Criminal Minds, for example, there's the initial crime, then a second crime, then either the nabbing of a third victim (during which clock-ticking the team discovers something from the past) or a failed attempt that gives the team crucial information to identify the guy. Then they find the victim.
Bones had (has) its own pattern, as did Numbers, but they all had/have a pattern. I might roll my eyes at the predictability, but you betcha I rely on it.
That bothers me. Not that I like procedurals—who am I hurting?—but that I'm unwilling to try something else that I might like, might miss a movie which could move me, all because I get so wrapped up in not knowing the what-next that I can't sit still for the what-is. And even when I am willing to try a new show—Flashpoint, Bletchley Circle, Lie to Me—what are they?
Prcedurals.
Pitiful. I used to watch so many different types of movies, read so many different types of novels, and while I might still read fiction, it's not as much as I'd like. I used to enjoy, if not not-knowing, then at least, the getting-to-know or the finding-out. Not knowing was a chance, not a threat.
A little predictability isn't the worst thing, but so much, too much, makes me feel small. I don't always need to be big, but I miss the chance.
Tags: anxiety, big, laziness, life, movies, police procedurals, predictability, small, televisioin, uncertainty
Never happens.
As a fan of adventure/thriller/nuke films (which provenance ought to make clear are always of the B variety), I am willing to leap over any number of realities in order to join the fun, but I do have to retain some belief that there is ground at the takeoff point.
War Games: kid hacks into government computer (believable) and inadvertently starts countdown to nuclear war (leap). Red October: Soviet sub captain seeks to defect (believable) along with innovative tech (ehhh. . .) and American analyst figures this out in time to help him (leap). Peacemaker: corrupt Russian soldiers hijack a ten-pack of nukes to sell (believable) and only the Americans figure this out (ehhh. . .) in time (leap). The Sum of All Fears: Israel loads a nuke onto a plane during the '73 war, which, after having been shot down, is left to be found 29 years later (skid to a stop at the edge).
The Israelis don't recover a lost nuke? No. No no no no no no no.
The opening scene already doesn't make sense—Israel is invaded and overrun, so sends aloft a solo-piloted fighter jet with a nuke, which is shot down when the pilot is distracted by a photo of his family and thus sees a missile too late—not least because no mention is made of the purpose or destination of such a flight. More to the point, that the Israelis would lose track of a nuclear missile and apparently just shrug their shoulders at the loss requires not a leap of faith but a stumble into stupidity.
Of course, once the viewer folds her arms and raises her eyebrows, the rest of the events can only be viewed with snorts.
It's too bad, really, because loose nukes are a fine premise on which to build a movie; then again, The Sum of All Fears relies yet again on Nazis (Alan Bates, underused; et. al.) as the bad guys, aided by an amoral and cosmopolitan arms dealer (Colm Feore, also underused). This movie was released in 2002: do we still need Nazis as the Big Bads? And are all arms dealers sophisticated foreigners with a chilling accent?
They also stole a line from The Peacemaker (I'm not afraid of the man who wants ten nuclear missiles, colonel. I'm terrified of the man who only wants one):
President: Let's see, who else has 270,00 nukes for us to worry about?
CIA Director Cabot: It's the guy with one I'm worried about.
I did enjoy James Cromwell as the president and Liev Schreiber as an apparently worn-out assassin-spy, and Ciarán Hinds has such a magnificent face how could I not want to watch him? Ben Affleck once again demonstrated his limited skills as an actor, although the role hardly demands anything of interest from him. And Morgan Freeman as Cabot, hell, it's Morgan Freeman; I originally mistook him as the president.
A waste all around.
The filmmaker would have been better to take the lead from the ridiculous premise and jettisoning any relationship to realipolitik whatsoever. Ditch the Tom Clancy-solemnity and substitute a gleeful malice instead—now that might have been fun to watch.
Tags: adventure, fun, leap of faith, movies, nuclear weapons, realpolitik, The Sum of All Fears, thrillers
Categories : Review
It's all about the peace, baby
I love the move The Peacemaker.
Not as a guilty pleasure, not ironically, not contrari-wise. And no, not (just) because of this guy:
Devoe, Tom Devoe.
Or my general attraction to tormented Eastern Europeans:
Marcel Iureş , as Dušan Gavrić , the man who'd bring the Bosnian war to the US
Nope. I love The Peacemaker because it takes bureaucracy seriously.
Now, no, this is not a documentary and all the usual suspensions of belief—getting information at the last minute, getting out of the car/truck/church just before it goes up in flames/falls off a bridge/explodes—apply, as do the usual tropes of the roguish operative who clashes with the beautiful and smarter-than-he-is woman. It's a combo spy-action flick, not Godard.
But unlike so many spy-action flicks, the hero and heroine (a likably brittle Nicole Kidman as Dr. Julia Kelly) work for and more importantly within agencies. She's a part of the Executive Office of the President, thrown into the interim position as adviser to the president on nuclear issues; he's a lieutenant colonel in the US Army Special Forces, and while both rely upon their wits and experience as they try to prevent 9 Russian nukes from ending up on the open market, their authority is clearly drawn from the positions they hold within their respective agencies.
Kelly discovers that the alleged accidental nuclear explosion was deliberate by looking at spy satellite photos provided by the NSA. Devoe gets information on the corrupt Russian officer from his contacts within government. They fly to Europe on a jet filled with staffers, and Devoe acts on the information he and Kelly find by calling the army and setting up a special op (which he commands, natch).
And then the crucial scene, at the launch site of the special op: three choppers would have to cross Russian air space in order to intercept the nuke-loaded truck before it enters Iran and almost certainly disappears. They can't do it, however, without authorization. Devoe pushes, says, hey, at least let us get in the air, "it's only jet fuel":
Up he goes, to the border, and. . . waits. He waits! He doesn't do the I'm-a-motherfucking-warrior-god and order the crews across, but sits on the border, however impatiently, waiting for authorization.
Which he gets, of course. Duh. (Around the 6-6:45 minute mark)
Kelly and her team trace payments to an address in Sarajevo, wherein IFOR (the NATO-led Implementation Force operating in the former Yugoslavia)—not some punk kid or homemaker-slash-freedom-fighter freelancer or burned-out ex-spy roused to one last sacrificial act—find Gavrić's tape explaining his final act.
On the flight back to New York, the team notes that, again, they need authorization to shut down the airports. Once in New York, the military works with the city police to block off traffic (too successfully, as it happens). The team works with airport security to track Yugoslavian passengers, realizing they missed their man when an airport official notes that official delegations do not go through customs. At the hotel where Gavrić is staying, a State Department official cautions that internationally-agreed-upon protocols mean they can't just barge into delegates' rooms.
(The hotel scene also provides the biggest groaner of the film: Really, you have a man with a backpack nuke staying there, and you don't think to cover all entrances and exits—including all elevators?!)
The Department of Energy tracks radiation concentrations, and a special agency (NES?) team is tasked to deal with they nuke. They get stuck in traffic, of course, so it's up to our heroine to defuse the nuke.
Which she does, just in the nick of time. Of course.
Okay, so not a great movie, and one with more than a few flaws. But it's grounded movie, one which tries, not always successfully, to remain tethered to political and bureaucratic realities.
And physical realities: In an early scene, Kelly is swimming when summoned to the White House by an officer. The next scene shows her at the office with her hair still wet. Not a big deal, I know, but one which rings truer than a scene in which an adviser to the president takes the time to dry and style her hair before responding to a nuclear emergency.
This is too much for what is, really, just a diverting B-movie, isn't it? Maybe I am too overcome by Clooney and those tormented Eastern Europeans, and maybe I adore Armin Mueller-Stahl (as a scene-stealing Russian office) just a little too much. And yes, I do have a weakness for nuke movies.
But I also believe in the necessity of government and thus, by extension, of the necessity of the bureaucracy. I get all of the complaints against both—I've made more than of few, myself—but if you want government to work then you need agencies within the government to work. You need bureaucracy.
It's nice to see a movie which gets that.
Tags: action, bureaucracy, George Clooney, Marcel Iures, movies, Politics, spy, The Peacemaker
Zombies give me nightmares.
Actually, scratch that: zombies onscreen give me nightmares. I read and enjoyed Max Brooks's World War Z and have sketched out a short 'story' (basically, a fake journal article on zombies) and nary a blip in dreamworld.
But put a zombie where I can see it? Shudder.
I don't know why. I mean, in 28 Days Later—which jolted me out of my sleep for a week after, and then sent me lurching awake a full six months after viewing—what shocked was not the zombies (and really, not zombies, but rage-virused monsters) but the people. That military commander? The thought that one would become the rape-thing to a bunch of despairing soldiers?
Jesus, at least the monsters were just hungry, not evil.
And in the new show The Walking Dead, again, the forewarning that the problem will be with the people, not the zed-heads.
That's what set this post off—the premiere to The Walking Dead. I watched it early yesterday evening on Hulu, figuring that gave me enough time before bedtime for me to forget it, but: no.
It wasn't that scary, honestly, certainly not in comparison to 28 Days Later. And afterward, I thought, Eh. Too soap-opery, too predictable, too somber, not scary enough. And the lead? Okay, so he needs to wear his sheriff's outfit to keep himself in line, but is he really this innocent?
Dumb, actually. Or maybe not dumb, but not thinking. He needs gas, all those cars on the road, and he leaves the road to walk some ways to a gas station, which—surprise!—is out of gas.
He never heard of a siphon?
Then he ditches the car in favor of a horse, because, let's face it, nothing makes more sense than leaving behind a steel-and-glass contained space (with storage!) for a pretty pretty equine bit of zombie bait.
Maybe if it all moved faster, carried some of the jangle that good B-movies like 28 Days Later or even the nausea-inducing Cloverfield managed to convey, I could enjoy rather than pick apart the predictability.
But nightmares for the boring? No thanks.
I should add that I enjoyed Shaun of the Dead, and that since it's been so long since I've seen any of George Romero's movies, I can't remember if those gave me nightmares.
Anyway, it's not just zombies. The Ring creeped me out, and I vowed never to camp in Maryland after The Blair Witch Project. Oh, and I recently made the mistake of watching the mediocre Event Horizon before bed—not a good idea.
I'm not generally a scary- or horror-movie aficionado, and have little patience for spatter movies, but I do enjoy a well-crafted bit of unease. (Okay, enjoy may be the wrong word; appreciate, perhaps?) The Others wasn't scary, and even a bit somnolent, but I liked its meditative vibe.
The Sixth Sense and Signs? No.
I don't recall any nightmares following The Road, but, then again, I don't know that that would count as a horror film. It's full of horror, true, but perhaps one reason my response was dulled was because I knew nothing would get better. The hope or possibility of escape or reprieve was gone, as with it the altertness that one holds on behalf of the characters. It was the end, that's all, and I was sad for the characters, that's all.
I had nuclear nightmares as a teenager, but as I had been experiencing those prior to seeing The Day After or Testament, I blame the miasma rather than the movies.
No, my worst nightmares when young were unrelated to anything I saw on t.v. or at the movie theatre—likely because my parents didn't let me watch scary flicks. I'd already demonstrated the, ah, ability to scare myself shriekingly awake (Over vents. Don't ask.), so I'd guess that they thought 'Why tune her up even more?'
Still, there was that one episode of The Outer Limits, wherein the woman tried to vacuum up something in the corner. . . .
That probably set me off, too.
Still, I'm not eight and I don't believe in zombies. In fact, I consider nuclear or environmental or even cosmic apocalypse, however unlike in my lifetime, still more likely than a zombiepocalypse. So why the scare at the latter and not the former?
Maybe because I don't consider it likely at all, and thus don't have the rational responses to the truly fantastical (the undead) that I do to the merely improbable.
Maybe there's something about the uncanniness of the zombie: to be dead, but still restless, ravenous, recognizably human but demonstrably not.
Or maybe because I just keep watching these @#$!!$% zombie movies too close to bed. . . .
Tags: apocalypse, death, life, movies, nightmares, zombies
Categories : Musing, Review
Waiting for Armageddon
I do loves me some apocalypse—fictionally.
But actual death and destruction does not make my heart go pitter-pat, unless by 'pitter-pat' one means racing-with-anxiety-and-despair-not-joy.
Yeah, I have my moments of 'fuck 'em all' and 'people suck', but I have no real sense that all humans should perish, or that by large numbers of us perishing the survivors will be redeemed. I don't think we can be made clean or whole or without all the crap that led us to the apocalypse in the first place. Maybe the survivors would chomp on one another, a la Cormac McCarthy, or maybe they'd*separate themselves into chosen communities and live-and-let-live; either way, it's not at all clear to me how this is in any way 'better'.
('*They', not 'we': I have a chronic disease which requires daily treatment; absent that treatment, I die. It's possible that I could manage to stockpile the thousands of pills necessary to keep me going for years, but I doubt it. The apocalypse will have to go on without me.)
C. and I had a conversation about this the other night, and while I'll desist saying much about her position beyond noting that she's more optimistic about post-apoc possibilities than I, I will admit that I was a bit startled by her, mm, cheer.
I am not cheerful about humans, pre- or post-apocalypse. We're greedy and self-centered and violent and far too willing to use one another for our ends. Sure, we have our good qualities—I happen to like that we figured out how to make wine, chocolate, and a comfy pair of slippers—but we're not all that.
We are, however, all that we have.
Now, the godly among us might disagree, but except for the world-hating of the god-believers, most of the faithful admit there can be joy in the world.
In any case, this is our world: beat-up and weird and so, so complicated and ours. This world is ours, and we are who we are in this world. If this world ends, so do we.
And I think that would be a damned shame—again, not because we're so great, but because we're not, because we don't have to be, because we can be beat-up and weird and so, so complicated. I'm pissed that we're fucking our world over because in so doing we're making it increasingly difficult to find out just how we can be human in the world. The possibilities we're foreclosing. . . .
There are some among us, of course, who do revel in the foreclosure. Some may be secular (extremist environmentalists, for example), but it's that minority of the godly who look forward to the end-times who grab the bulk of the attention.
Which brings us, belatedly, to Waiting for Armageddon. This short documentary, now streaming on Netflix, follows a group of dispensationalists who are straining at the confines of the world and looking forward to its end—an end which begins in Jerusalem.
It's basic Bible-prophecy stuff: The in-gathering of the Jews in Israel is foretold in scripture, as is the rebuilding of the Temple, one-world government headed by the anti-Christ (and, for some pre-tribulationists, the early return of Christ), the rapture of the faithful, the tribulation (think 'great wailing and gnashing of teeth', 'four horsemen', etc.), and the millennial reign of Christ on earth. One hundred forty-four thousand Jews will convert and be saved, while the rest will perish, (along with almost everyone else), all as a prelude to the great cleansing and the springing forth of heaven on earth.
Great, huh? One guy said it was going to be a lot of 'fun'. Well, y'know, he said, maybe not fun-fun, seeing as how so many will suffer and die horrible, horrible, deaths, but fun in that I was-right-and-I-get-to-watch kind of way.
Whoo-hoo! Totally not at all like the crowds cheering the lions ripping apart the Christians in the Coliseum.
Some of the folks at least managed to be chagrined at the thought of so much death, and most preferred not to dwell on how exactly the Al-Aqsa mosque and al-Haram ash-Sharif complex will be removed without utterly destroying the site of the putative third Temple—but hey, God will take care of all that.
What matters most of all of that these people are right, and if it takes the destruction of the world to prove them in their right[eous]ness, so be it.
Of course, they'd say it's not about them, it's about God, that they're just following the Word. But they're so God-damned happy about all of this, so God-damned sure that this is The Way, that it's difficult not to conclude that this is less about God and more about them.
They don't like the world, and they want to see it end.
Not coincidentally, those who are younger are less avid for The End. They want to marry and have kids and then maybe the end could come, as one young woman said, 'When I'm 85,' i.e., when she would end anyway. She doesn't despise the world quite enough for it to end before she's had a chance to enjoy it.
These dispensationalists are a minority even among evangelicals, who are themselves not representative of all of Christianity. The film was too short fully to engage cross-Christian talk on The End, nor even those who believe that we are in End Times and are pained by the prospect of the extermination of billions of people.
Instead, we are left with the smiling faces of those who want to see us all end.
Tags: apocalypse, Christianity, dispensationalists, God, life, movies, world
Is it really too much to expect, when I pop a DVD into the computer, that the movie actually be watchable?
Jesus Christ, it's been over an hour, and I'm still nauseous—and no, not in a French New Wave-existentialist way.
Tags: Cloverfield, movies, nausea
Dirty War
I love war movies.
Spy movies, dirty tricks, government and intrigue—love 'em!
Can't say exactly why. Oh, sure, I have this ongoing affair with politics (don't know why that is, either), but while I enjoyed West Wing and Dave, I don't swoon for the up-front political movies the way I do for the backstage stuff. Even Bob Roberts, which was more backstage than on-, didn't turn me on. A good—a very good—movie, but nothing I want to watch over and over again.
Unlike Dirty War. I saw this movie for the first time while living outside of Boston. I didn't have cable then, either, but I did have a t.v., and PBS broadcast this HBO production over the freewaves. I think I saw it twice.
Well, now three times, since I just watched the DVD from Netflix. Christ, if this movie streamed, I'd probably watch it once a month.
The set-up is simple: We're shown nuclear smugglers in central Europe, and cops, fire fighters, government ministers, and terrorists, in London. We see radioactive material smuggled into London, cops trying to track down terrorists cells, a government minister who knows better nonetheless lying so as to reassure the public, and the terrorists themselves, as they meet, assemble the bombs, and prepare to carry out their allegedly divine task.
No, no spoilers here. Watch it for yourself.
Again, I"m not quite sure what the attraction is. The movie is well done, and, to this civilian, utterly plausible. The moviemakers note the research behind the movie, and while I can't vouch for a smidgen of it, I'm still left thinking Yep, that's how this could work.
I don't worry about terrorism on a regular basis. I moved to NYC in 2006, aware that it remains a target, but not terribly concerned about it. I don't know if it will be hit again, but were I afraid that it would be, I'd have moved somewhere else.
I don't think of this as denial so much as the same kind of practical calculation that eight million of my neighbors have made. I want to be here, so I am.
Still, there is one possibility which, mmm, tweaks me a bit: the detonation of a dirty bomb.
I was the kid who had nuclear nightmares, who was sure that the world would end before I, well, before I'm the age I am now. This could have been the adolescent impossibility of imagining oneself at middle-age, the morbid outlook of a self-destructive depressive, and/or my rational political concerns mutating into nighttime irrationality.
I don't have dirty bomb nightmares. But I do think, rationally, that if some group really wanted to fuck over a city, their best bet would be through a detonation of a conventional bomb packed around radioactive material.
A nuke itself would be too hard. Even if a group could manage to get its hands on one, there's the matter of access to a detonator, as well as that of transport and concealment. Yeah, I remember the material on backpack nukes and worries over uneven security of the nuclear stockpile of various nations, but nuclear weapons, even thousands of nuclear weapons, are still relatively rare things.
What about biologicals? The issue here is one of predictability. Anthrax was used to kill a number of people and frighten a hell of a lot more in 2001 and 2002, but the total number directly affected was relatively few. That's no comfort to the victims, of course, but as a weapon of mass death, biological agents leave much to be desired.
First, there's the matter of accessing the biological agent. If it's controlled, as with smallpox, one has to find a way to get hold of it; if it's not controlled, one has to find a way to get it and control it before it kills you. Ebola is a nasty disease with a high mortality rate, but it is precisely its nastiness which makes it difficult to handle. Flu is capable of killing tens and even millions of people, but to create a flu like the one which hit the world near the end of WWI requires decent lab facilities and highly trained people—and even that is no guarantee that one could derive a virus both highly transmissible and highly virulent, which could then be released in a maximally controlled manner.
Radioactive material isn't just scattered like pennies on the streets, but it can be culled from college campuses, hospitals, research facilities, and, of course, nuclear power plants. Further, to make uranium or plutonium suitable for a true nuclear explosion requires extensive processing; the cast-offs from low-grade processing can be used as is.
And it's use can be controlled. Conventional home-made bombs are apparently not that hard to make (I wouldn't know, not being the bomb-making or -throwing kind); once the radioactive material has been obtained, you steer your van or boat or truck to the location you want to hit and BOOM. Blast damage, fire, death, and mayhem. And long-term radioactive contamination.
My understanding is that New York City has a very good intelligence network (although in the wake of the apparently mishandled investigation of Najibullah Zazi, the FBI might disagree), and that agents almost certainly are on alert for any and all kinds of bombs, be they dirty or clean.
So I mostly don't worry. It's not that I think the cops and intelligence agencies are infallible—hah!—but given that certainty isn't possible, the best that can be expected is vigilance. Hell, even with the errors of the Zazi case, they did manage to stop the guy.
But certainty isn't possible, and bombs do go off.
It's this sliver of knowledge that has worked its way deep under my skin. It doesn't bother me on a daily basis, but sometimes, when a train is stopped too long on its tracks, or I notice all the trucks in the Financial District or the boats in the harbor, I remember it's there, and I wonder.
Tags: dirty bomb, Dirty War, intelligence, movies, New York City, nuclear weapons, terrorism


A resident says he has been passed from pillar to post after raising safety concerns over exposed drains at Watney Market in Shadwell.
Thomas Turner believes the metal grating from drainage channels outside the Thomas Neale pub and Santander bank was stolen about four months ago.
He said: "As a result ditches approximately 10cm deep were exposed. Local traders and residents fashioned improvised covers from pieces of broken wood, card, plastic, and fibre board.
"But these improvised covers and the ditches beneath are a trip hazard and make the area look shabby and horrible.
Since reporting it Mr Turner says he has been thrown forwards and backwards between Tower Hamlets Council and various housing associations trying to determine whose responsibility it is.
He said: "The lack of action on this is shameful, especially as it is a health and safety risk but also because it contributes to the overall shabbiness of Watney Market.


text:
One Square Meter
World's most livable city in 2015 is ...
Paul Armstrong, CNN • Updated 1st September 2015
Hong Kong (CNN) — It's usually all about the top cities to live in when the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) publishes its annual livability ranking -- but this year the picture is rather more gloomy.
And that's because of a surge in global instability over the past 12 months, from terrorist shootings in France and Tunisia, to ongoing conflicts across the Middle East, Ukraine and Libya.
In any event, it's as you were for the "haves" at the top of list, with Melbourne taking the top spot for a fifth year running, with Vienna, Vancouver, Toronto and Adelaide/Calgary (tied at 5) completing the top five most livable cities in 2015.
According to the EIU, these cities have "relatively few challenges to living standards," and enjoy a good infrastructure, healthcare system and a low murder rate.
CNNGo explores Melbourne, Australia's second city and voted one of the top most livable places in the world.
Unsurprisingly, Damascus remains the least livable city, with Syria embroiled in a bloody civil war.
But elsewhere, there's been a marked deterioration in previously stable regions, such as Europe and North America, caused by events such as The Charlie Hebdo attacks in the heart of Paris and race-fueled civil unrest in a number of U.S. cities.
READ: Tunisia struggles with jihadist groups
"The EIU ranking, which provides scores for lifestyle challenges in 140 cities worldwide, shows that since 2010 average liveability across the world has fallen by 1%, led by a 2.2% fall in the score for stability and safety. While this may seem marginal, it highlights that 57 of the cities surveyed have seen declines in liveability over the last five years," this year's report stated.
Bucking the trend
By contrast, some regions have bucked the trend -- seven Chinese cities improved their ranking over the last 12 months "largely because of a lower threat from civil unrest," the report said. "Chinese cities saw liveability fall in the wake of riots and unrest in 2012, most notably due to widespread anti-Japanese sentiment."
China's top-ranked city, Beijing, moved up five places to 69 in the global ranking.
Amnesty International's Nicholas Bequelin discusses China's new sweeping security law that covers everything from space, the web, sea beds and polar regions.
But Hong Kong's pro-democracy protests last year resulted in a 3.2% decline in livability. Though the protests were largely peaceful, some parts of the city were brought to a standstill for several months.
However "Asia's World City" still remained three places above city rival Singapore -- 46th and 49th place respectively.
"Hong Kong's liveability has been hit by the disruptive protests that took place last year. The city retains bragging rights over its regional competitor Singapore, but by a tiny margin. In fact both cities can still lay claim to being in the top tier of liveability where few, if any, aspects of life are restricted. This has not been the case in other parts of the world, with instability and unrest features undermining the scores of a number of cities globally," said Jon Copestake, editor of the EIU survey.
Top five most livable:
1. Melbourne, Australia
3. Vancouver, British Columbia
4. Toronto
5. Adelaide, Australia
5. Calgary, Alberta
Least five livable:
136. Tripoli, Libya
137. Lagos, Nigeria
138. Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea
139. Dhaka, Bangladesh
140. Damascus, Syria

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


How To Make Money Online On A Budget.
Well thats the $60,000 question and there are many ways to do so.
As many people will tell you the internet is an Aladdins Cave of opportunities to make a succesful business work and prosper online because at the end of the day thats what we want. For me there is no point in making a quick buck, think about it would you rather make $2,000 – $5,000 on an idea that once it's over thats it or would you prefer to make a steady income that will see you financially free for the rest of your life?


text:
Peter Pan: The Panto
A Traditional British Panto
November 8 to November 25, 2023
In the grand British tradition where audiences cheer the hero and boo the villain, Peter Pan boasts a winning combination of incredible musical numbers, slapstick comedy, outrageous costumes, audience participation, and of course, a dash of theatrical magic.
So bring your children, grandchildren, nieces and nephews, and join us for the holiday season as the beloved tale about the boy who never grew up becomes awash in swash and buckle. Float through the clouds to Never Land and be reunited with all your favourite characters. You'll be hooked!
Regular: $55
Discount Dates: $45
Youth Under 20: $34
Groups 10+: $50
4 Show Subscriber: $49 (15% off)
Production Sponsor
Design Sponsor
Buddy - The Buddy Holly Story
June 15 to July 1
Buy Tickets More Info
Fiddler on the Loose
July 12 to August 5, 2023
August 10 to September 3, 2023


An original and still-working 1922 model of the electrical safety switch that helped save lives in American factories in the early 20th century was donated in November to the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C., by Schneider Electric, Palatine, Ill.
The donation was made as the company commemorates the 100th anniversary of the Square D brand. The lifesaving steel-enclosed Square D safety switch replaced the standard open-knife switch common on factory floors in that era. The open-knife switches could easily electrocute machine workers who came into contact with exposed metal switch blades and live electrical current.
The Square D safety switch was the invention of electrical engineer Bryson Horton, who incorporated McBride Manufacturing Co. with James McCarthy in Detroit in 1903. The company's first products were cartridge-type electrical fuses, which two women assembled in an 18-by-40-foot rented room.
The cartridge fuse business produced rapid growth for McBride Manufacturing in its early years. It was renamed the Detroit Fuse and Manufacturing Co. in 1908.
In 1915, the company began marketing a new sheet metal version of its cast iron enclosed safety switch — with the cover displaying an embossed letter "D" (for Detroit) within a square border. The simple trademark design soon had customers asking for the "Square D" switch. In 1917 the fuse business was sold, and the firm officially changed its name to Square D Co.
The invention went a long way to answer the call of industrial reform efforts that demanded improved working conditions in the early 1900s. The significant potential for electrical hazards in the workplace prompted the company to promote its switch through an advertisement featuring a worker running from a factory floor proclaiming "Jones is Dead!" The industrial ad vividly engraved the Square D safety switch in the minds of company managers concerned about the shock hazard of exposed electrical switches.
The 1922 safety switch that was donated to the permanent collection of the Smithsonian had been in use at Mariani Square, a former fruit processing plant in San Jose, Calif. In presenting the product, Chris Richardson, CEO and president of the Schneider Electric North American Operating Division, said that the company's mission has remained true to its founders.


DECORATE YOUR HOME: Use any colors individually or use your favorite color mixes to celebrate patriotic holidays, schools, sports teams & more.
SOLAR CHARGING BATTERY: Sun charges the solar batter by day and automatically turns on at dusk and off at dawn. As long as there is sun for the battery to charge the light will shine all through the night.
50 LED LIGHTS: These bright LED's are positioned along a 25ft cord which will bring light to your yard throughout the whole year!
Made with 50 decorative LED lights with 25ft. cord.. Sun charges lights by day and they automatically turn ON at night. Decorate your balcony, stairway, yard, trees & plants all year long.


text:
Q: Suggestions for Creating an Image for Each Word in a Text I am looking for a way to automatically create an image rendering for each word in a text file (I am working on an "easy" way to display a complex script on computers and cell phones that don't support the complex script).  Is there an easy way to do something like this?  The text will be in Khmer (UTF-8).  I've already tried imagettftext (php) but it doesn't seem to be compatible with Khmer Unicode fonts (see here).
The word separation character is not a normal space as in English, but a zero-width space (U+0200B).
Sample Text:
កាលដើមដំបូងឡើយ ព្រះបានបង្កើតផ្ទៃមេឃ និងផែនដី។
Any help you can give would be greatly appreciated!  Thank you!

A: Use Gtk3::WebKit to capture rendered HTML to any libcairo output target.
As of 2011, this is the most modern and flexible solution.

Sample rendering to PNG of the whole Khmer phrase

A: Another option would be to prerender the texts with LaTeX.

A: For simple I would use Perl::GD.  I have used it in the past.  Take a look at this.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
www.guardian.co.uk
Culture commentator says that America keeps bringing back the past while the UK is culturally constantly trying the new.
This article titled "How Britain got its patriotism back" was written by Jonathan Jones, for The Guardian on Saturday 17th December 2011 00.05 UTC
It takes a rare party leader to reach beyond the arid debates of the political elite and touch the passions of the people. David Cameron has proved himself that kind of leader with his use of Britain's European veto. This controversial gesture has struck a patriotic chord with a large part of the nation. It has put the Conservatives ahead in the polls and left Ed Miliband's leadership of Labour looking exposed while Cameron's leadership of the Conservatives is sacralised at the Eurosceptic altar.


text:
By Gemma Greenwood
Tue 1 May 2007 12:00 AM
Outbound leisure market is bursting with opportunities
As we prepare for the 2007 instalment of Arabian Travel Market, it's refreshing to witness the influx of new tour operators entering the region, particularly in Dubai where the outbound leisure sector is undergoing a definite boom cycle.
Newcomers to the Dubai market this month range from the world's oldest travel company, Cox&Kings, to start-ups such as Lufthansa's Holiday Europe, while companies such as Dnata Holidays have totally revamped and re-launched their product.
Stalwarts such as Emirates Holidays are continuing to expand their product and this year are keen to promote new destinations such as Sao Paulo, Bangalore and Nagoya.
The company's theme for 2007-2008 is family holidays, with each brochure in its portfolio showcasing a photo of a cute kid on its front page, while inside, children's activities have been ramped up and highlighted.
The UAE's national carrier, Etihad Airways is now a force to be reckoned with on the holiday front, with new destinations rolled out in line with its aggressive route expansion strategy. Destinations of note for 2007 include Australia, Milan, Dublin and Kerala.
Etihad Airways CEO James Hogan told ATN the holiday division was an essential component of the business and that his team planned to enhance the web proposition for this division by the end of 2007.
Travel agents too are jumping on the leisure bandwagon and compiling increasingly meaty itineraries. Look out for Sharaftravel and Kanoo Holidays at ATM, while Al Rostamani Travel is also looking to get a piece of the action later this year.
With many new players entering the outbound leisure game, the market is maturing and niche specialists are finally beginning to emerge.
Holiday Europe is a venture launched in the UAE this month by German flag carrier Lufthansa. The operation will work with local operators and package its flights with holiday product in cities across Europe.
This taps into the trend that many operators and airlines have noticed for more frequent travel and for short city breaks.
Holiday booking patterns are no longer restricted to one long vacation from late June to early September, but instead, travel savvy consumers are taking five or more breaks throughout the year.
Australia-based Tempo Holidays, which is represented in the Gulf by Dubai-based Gulf Reps and Lebanon-based Wild Discovery, which operates an outbound programme for the UAE market have both identified demand for specialty holidays. Painting holidays in France and cooking lessons in Italy are just two examples, while both operators offer extensive itineraries to South America, a destination that is new to this market. Only when Emirates Airlines starts flying to Sao Paulo later this year will we start to see mainstream interest in this location.
Every operator appears to be targeting the lucrative weddings and honeymoons market, particularly now more flights to a country synonymous with romance - Italy -are coming online (Etihad to Milan and Emirates to Venice).
And finally the need to cater to the region's High Net Worth individuals has finally been realised -with Dnata Holidays' glossy 256-page magazine-style brochure a testament to that.
And there's more where that came from as the tour operator gears up to produce several brochures catering to niche markets, from wellness holidays to golf breaks. If you think that you have missed the boat, you're wrong.
The outbound leisure market is exploding and the customer demands choice, so there's still time to get your slice of the pie.
Fly higher
"Your phone call is important to us….please hold the line."
The great distribution debate
Sticky business for Hogan
Bawadi plans for success
Forgotten: hotels that got away


text:
"""This code example archives ad units.

The parent ad unit and all ad units underneath it will be archived. To create ad
units, run create_ad_units.py.

Tags: InventoryService.getAdUnitsByStatement
"""

__author__ = 'api.shamjeff@gmail.com (Jeff Sham)'

# Locate the client library. If module was installed via "setup.py" script, then
# the following two lines are not needed.
import os
import sys
sys.path.insert(0, os.path.join('..', '..', '..', '..', '..'))

# Import appropriate classes from the client library.
from adspygoogle import DfpClient
from adspygoogle.dfp import DfpUtils

def main(client, parent_id):
  # Initialize appropriate service.
  inventory_service = client.GetService('InventoryService', version='v201206')

  # Create a query to select ad units under the parent ad unit and the parent ad
  # unit.
  values = [{
      'key': 'parentId',
      'value': {
          'xsi_type': 'NumberValue',
          'value': parent_id
      }
  }]
  query = 'WHERE parentId = :parentId or id = :parentId'

  # Get ad units by statement.
  ad_units = DfpUtils.GetAllEntitiesByStatementWithService(
      inventory_service, query=query, bind_vars=values)
  for ad_unit in ad_units:
    print ('Ad unit with ID \'%s\' and name \'%s\' will be archived.'
           % (ad_unit['id'], ad_unit['name']))
  print 'Number of ad units to be archived: %s' % len(ad_units)

  # Perform action.
  result = inventory_service.PerformAdUnitAction(
      {'type': 'ArchiveAdUnits'}, {'query': query, 'values': values})[0]

  # Display results.
  if result and int(result['numChanges']) > 0:
    print 'Number of ad units archived: %s' % result['numChanges']
  else:
    print 'No ad units were archived.'

if __name__ == '__main__':
  # Initialize client object.
  dfp_client = DfpClient(path=os.path.join('..', '..', '..', '..', '..'))

  # Get the Network Service.
  network_service = dfp_client.GetService('NetworkService', version='v201206')

  # Set the parent ad unit's ID for all children ad units to be fetched from.
  root_id = network_service.GetCurrentNetwork()[0]['effectiveRootAdUnitId']
  main(dfp_client, root_id)

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


An interesting study from Japan shows that sprouted barley helps treat ulcerative colitis, a disease characterized by bloody diarrhea and ulcers in the colon.
All plants contain carbohydrates that your body can't break down, so they can't be absorbed in your upper intestinal tract. They pass to your colon which is loaded with bacteria that can break down some of the unabsorbable carbohydrates into short-chain fatty acids. Short-chain fatty acids have been shown in various studies to help heal damage to the linings of the colon, and they and serve as ideal foods for the good bacteria that also help heal the colon. Eating foods made with ground-up grains that have had the fiber and germ removed can cause constipation, while eating cooked whole grains and sprouted whole grains can help treat diseases of the colon including constipation, diarrhea, Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, and the alternating diarrhea and constipation called irritable bowel syndrome. See report #G213.


text:
PROJECT_ROOT = '/home/rene/docker'
BACKUP_DIR = "#{PROJECT_ROOT}/backup"
APP_DIR = "#{PROJECT_ROOT}/apps"
ATTIC_DIR = "#{PROJECT_ROOT}/attic"
ADMIN_DIR = "#{PROJECT_ROOT}/admin"
TEMPLATE_DIR = "#{ADMIN_DIR}/templates"
PACKAGE_DIR = "#{ADMIN_DIR}/installation_scripts"
ROUTINE_DIR = "#{ADMIN_DIR}/routines"
BASE_IMAGE_DIR = "#{PROJECT_ROOT}/base_images"


text:
9 City law firms make gender equality employer list
By Aishah Hussain on Jul 30 2020 11:36am
Recognised for creating workplace environments inclusive of women
The legal profession has taken a total of nine spots in this year's gender equality employer list.
The 2020 'Top 50 Employers for Women' was unveiled today by charity Business in the Community (BITC) in partnership with The Times. The list is not ranked, and among the law firms, features top employers from the worlds of banking, consultancy, insurance, the military and the arts.
The City law firms recognised for creating workplace environments inclusive of women are, in alphabetical order, Allen & Overy, CMS, DWF, Eversheds Sutherland, Hogan Lovells, Irwin Mitchell, Linklaters, Pinsent Masons and Simmons & Simmons.
Our Firms Most List shows they all have partnerships made up of over 20% women.
This is the second year running seven of the firms have featured in the top 50 list, which is now in its tenth year. DWF and IM were out in place of Addleshaw Goddard and Norton Rose Fulbright in last year's list, which also featured nine City firms.
The 2020 Legal Cheek Firms Most List
"This year marks ten years of the awards, and the bar was especially high," said Charlotte Woodworth, BITC gender equality campaign director, continuing:
"A decade of expertise and experience underpins Business In the Community's assessment, which sees organisations reviewed across a wide range of areas including transparency around pay practices, family friendly policies and to what extent the gender equality agenda is embedded into wider strategy."
Two magic circle firms make the cut, A&O and Links, with the former this year announcing 45% new female partner promotions, up from 24% in 2019. Thirteen of A&O's 29 new partners are female. Meanwhile, Links announced 27% new female partner promotions earlier this year, down from 33% in 2019. Eight of the firm's 30 new parters are female.
Big Four accountancy giants, Deloitte, EY, KPMG and PwC, all feature on this year's list, alongside other big names, including Barclays, British Army, Financial Conduct Authority, GlaxoSmithKline, ITV, Lloyds, Marks & Spencer, Ofcom, PepsiCo, Royal Mail, Shell, Sky and Vodafone.
Sign up to the Legal Cheek Newsletter
Allen & Overy City law firms CMS Diversity DWF Eversheds Sutherland Gender Hogan Lovells Irwin Mitchell Linklaters Partners Pinsent Masons Simmons & Simmons Solicitors
Magic circle firms reveal gender pay gap results
As government confirms reporting requirements scrapped in light of COVID-19 outbreak
Apr 7 2020 12:02pm
Legal profession launches gender equality pledge
Signatories commit to supporting women into top lawyer roles
Jun 20 2019 11:00am
The partner problem means law firm gender pay gap stats are pretty useless
A clutter of results impossible to compare


text:
La « maison Sandić à Zrenjanin » (en serbe cyrillique :  ; en serbe latin : ) est située à Zrenjanin, dans la province de Voïvodine et dans le district du Banat central, en Serbie. Elle est inscrite sur la liste des monuments culturels de grande importance de la République de Serbie (identifiant SK 1146).

Présentation
La maison, située 21 Karađorđev Trg à Zrenjanin, a été construite en 1790. Elle est caractéristique du style pannonien en usage dans la région de Voïvodine à la fin du  et en constitue l'un des rares exemples subsistants.

Construite en briques crues, elle est recouverte d'un toit à deux pans en roseaux. La façade sur rue est dotée de deux fenêtres et d'un pignon au niveau du toit. La façade sur cour dispose de trois entrées. Au centre, une entrée donne sur une cuisine entourée de deux pièces latérales ; dans la cuisine se trouvait autrefois un foyer ouvert, aujourd'hui fermé. Une deuxième porte ouvrait sur une pièce destinée à la conservation des denrées, nourriture et boissons et la troisième donnait sur une étable sans doute construite ultérieurement.

Sur la rue, une plaque commémorative rappelle qu'Aleksandar Sandić (1836–1908) a vécu dans cette maison. Écrivain et secrétaire de Vuk Karadžić, le grand réformateur de la langue serbe, il a enseigné au lycée de Sremski Karlovci et au lycée de Novi Sad ; il a également travaillé pour la Matica srpska, l'institution scientifique et culturelle la plus ancienne du peuple serbe (créée en 1826), et pour le Théâtre national serbe de Novi Sad (créé en 1861).

La maison est dans un état critique mais des travaux de restauration seraient envisagés ou en cours.

Notes et références

Article connexe
 Monuments culturels du district du Banat central

Monument culturel de grande importance en Serbie
Monument culturel à Zrenjanin
Sandic
Zrenjanin

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
The price of gold League of Iran and the World Google plus twitter Facebook
Sources of Emulation
United Ummah
Anti-Arrogance
Islamic Resistance Front
Image Report
Single Photo
Hujjat al-Islam Fadhlullah warns against the distortion of Imam Khomeyni's ideas
The presence of the Supreme Leader at the top of the Islamic Resistance Axis means the destruction of the Deal of the Century
Jihadi seminarians are the pride of the Islamic Seminaries
Iranian, Syrian FMs hold meeting in Damascus
Service : Special Cases » All News
News ID: 450149
Senior Expert on International Relations:
World is going through a period of bullying and arrogance by the US
Referring to the movement of Iranian oil tankers toward Venezuela, Dr. Narimousaei said, "The world is going through a period of bullying and arrogance by the United States."
RNA – In an exclusive interview with Rasa News Agency, Dr. Gholamreza Narimousaei, an expert on international relations, referred to the movement of Iranian tankers toward Venezuela and said, "Despite sanctions, the Islamic Republic of Iran will continue its economic activities, including oil exports, and will not wait for the permission of the United States because there are countries that are not under the political domination of the United States and have political and economic relations with our country."
The professor at Jihad Daneshgahi Institute of Higher Education (ACECR) in Ahvaz noted that Venezuela is the second-largest oil-producing country in the world and added said, "The United States has proved that it's no longer able to confront Islamic Iran and prevent it from exporting its oil and hasn't been able to achieve this through the United Nations Security Council and has sent its ships to the Persian Gulf."
He noted that the Islamic Republic doesn't surrender to American military threats, "The Islamic Republic conducts economic relations with any country it wants and doesn't stop exporting oil. The political achievements of sending oil tankers intelligently has become apparent over time."
Mr. Narimousaei added that the world is going through a period of bullying and arrogance by the United States, adding, "The United States is unlikely to stop Iranian oil tankers from moving toward Venezuela because the events of the past few months and the reaction of the Iranian armed forces toward the United States have proved that it will avoid any confrontation and reaction."
He said that the movement of tankers to Venezuela has economic and political goals for the Islamic Republic of Iran, and emphasized, "Part of the Islamic Republic's international revenues, which were cut off by American sanctions, will be offset by such action, and the political debate will tell the world that political affairs in the world are not in accordance with the intent of the United States and its allies."
Referring to the negative effects of COVID-19 (Coronavirus) on the Western economy and the high death toll, Mr. Narimousaei added, "The Western idea of the spread of the Coronavirus in Iran was that it would lead to famine and deaths but our methods of responding to the Coronavirus and the issuing of testing kits showed that such a threat has become an opportunity."
Iran is shipping tons of gasoline to Venezuela in defiance of American sanctions on both countries in a symbolic move guaranteed by Tehran's missile prowess.
Reports of a shipment of Iranian fuel to Venezuela in the face of American sanctions against the two allies have infuriated the United States, with one official threatening to take "measures" against the "unwelcome" development.
A senior official in American President Donald Trump's administration told Reuters on May 14th that the United States was considering measures against Iran in response to the fuel shipment. The official spoke on condition of anonymity.
Rasa News Agency
112/977
Tags: Narimousaei Venezuela Iran Oil USA
Short Link rasanews.ir/201t6T
Senior Teacher in the Islamic Seminaries of Ahvaz:
Arrival of Iranian tankers in Venezuela is more terrible for the US than the attack on of Ayn al-Asad
Shaykh Shafiq Hudda:
al-Quds Day is a day when we take time from our busy schedules to remember the oppressed
Pope urges removal of international sanctions against countries amid pandemic
UN chief warns of biological terrorist threat amid pandemic
Scholar:
Trump's demands of Iran show moral bankruptcy of US under him
Fmr. US VP Biden calls for US sanctions relief on Iran amid coronavirus outbreak
UN adopts resolution of global fight against COVID-19, fails to condemn unilateral US sanctions
US lawmakers press Trump to lift Iran sanctions amid 'borderless' pandemic
Syria:
US Inhuman Sanctions Harm Fight Against Coronavirus
Iran's academics call for prosecution of top US, European officials over sanctions
Iraq: Destroy and Rule - Again and Again and Again
Please type in your comments in English.
The comments that contain insults or libel to individuals, ethnicities, or contradictions with the laws of the country and religious teachings will not be disclosed
About Rasa
Copyright © 2018 RasaNews.ir . All rights reserved
Powered by"Iransamaneh"


Black Friday is nearly upon us and the end of this week will bear witness to hundreds of high street and online stores slashing their prices in order to incite a pre-Christmas spending frenzy.
Black Friday is an American concept and a relatively recent addition to the British calendar. Although it didn't make its way across the Atlantic until 2010, it has since been gaining serious momentum and has already joined Christmas Eve and Boxing Day as one of the biggest shopping days of the year. It is estimated that Brits plan to collectively spend over £7bn during the Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales this year – that translates as an average of £220 each person.
Whilst Black Friday's presence and popularity may be rising with every passing year, so is a simultaneous anti-Black Friday movement. Initiatives such as 'Buy Nothing Day', 'Just a Card' and 'Black out Black Friday' continue to grow in response to all the spending.
There are several explanations for these anti-Black Friday sentiments. One is the negative impact the day has on small businesses – when consumers buy the majority of their Christmas shopping in the same place and at the same time, it snatches sales from independent sellers and eats into their much-needed profits.
Another possible reason for Black Friday boycotts is that it not only encourages, but symbolises greed and consumerism. The very day after Thanksgiving – a holiday dedicated to being thankful for what you have – we find shops opening earlier, prices falling lower, mall-brawls turning uglier. All so that we can buy things we perhaps don't need.


text:
Home/Current Affairs/COVID-19 death toll in United States breaks Record
WorldCurrent Affairs
COVID-19 death toll in United States breaks Record
Washington – The death toll from the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in the United States has broken a record, surpassing the 3,000 daily death mark.
At least 3,011 people have died of coronavirus in the country in the past 24 hours, it said. The New York Times reported citing officials.
The record of last week was 2,760 daily deaths.
According to Johns Hopkins University, the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the United States stands at 15,379,574, with 289,283 deaths and 5,889,896 recoveries.


He became acting president in 2006 when his brother Fidel Castro surprised the world and announced his retirement following emergency surgery. In 2008, the National Assembly formally elected Raul to the post. Three years later he was named leader of the Communist Party of Cuba.
For many years, he was viewed by the public as the second in command to his more charismatic brother, who died in November 2016. But he has left a distinctive mark on Cuba in the course of a 12-year administration. He oversaw a limited opening of the private sector, without ceding state control over the economy, and a thaw in relations with the United States.
Raul was born in eastern Cuba on June 3, 1931, the fourth of seven brothers. After the Cuban revolution in 1959, he served more than four decades as defense minister before becoming head of state.
He was married to the late guerrilla leader Vilma Espin and had four children with her.
Upon leaving the presidency this week he will remain head of the Communist Party, giving him oversight of his successor.
In recent years, Machado was considered the second most powerful figure in Cuba and as a potential successor to the Castro brothers until Miguel Diaz-Canel was elected first vice president in 2013.
Machado was born Oct. 26, 1930, in the province of Villa Clara. In 2011, he was named second-secretary of the Communist Party, an influential post he still holds.
A doctor by training, he is known as an orthodox communist and keeps a low public profile. His revolutionary activities began when he was a young medical student and he joined the struggle against the dictator Fulgencio Batista.
He later joined the July 26 Movement, a political organization created by the Castros and run by Ernesto "Che" Guevara. He served as health minister in 1960-1967.
Valdes was a key figure in the revolutionary struggle and in the first years of Fidel Castro's government. But he had a falling out with the president while serving as interior minister in 1986 and was considered out of the main circle of power until 2003, when he rejoined the Council of State.
In 2006, Raul Castro chose Valdes to lead the telecommunications ministry in his first major decision after taking over presidential powers his convalescing brother, Fidel. Three years later, Vales was elevated to vice president.
He has long been associated both on and off the island with Cuba's restrictive access to the internet and global communications.
He was born April 28, 1932, in the western city of Artemisa.


Breast cancer can be treated successfully when caught early.
According to Patty Hanson, administrative director of the John R. Marsh Cancer Center at Robinwood Medical Center in Hagerstown, the first defense is regular mammograms, clinical breast exam and breast self-exam. Knowing the factors that increase the risk of having breast cancer is another.
According to the American Cancer Society, men can develop breast cancer, but breast cancer in women is about 100 times more common. Risk increases with age. About 18 percent of breast cancer diagnoses are among women in their 40s while about 77 percent of women with breast cancer are older than 50 when diagnosed.
Many factors that raise a woman's odds for developing breast cancer cannot be controlled. Risk is higher among women whose close relatives have the disease. Having a mother, sister or daughter with breast cancer almost doubles a woman's risk of developing breast cancer, and having two such relatives increases her risk five-fold. White women are slightly more likely to develop breast cancer than black women. However, black women are more likely to die of breast cancer because they often are diagnosed at an advanced stage of cancer, when it is harder to treat and cure. Women who started menstruating before age 12 or who went through menopause after age 50 have a slightly greater risk.
Somewhat controllable factors that may increase risk include: having a first child after age 30; using oral contraceptives; long-term use of hormone replacement therapy, obesity, high-fat diets and use of alcohol.
Increased risk does not mean someone will have cancer; rather it allows people to be more aware of their health and take the steps to monitor it. For more information, visit the KidwellEngland Cancer Resource Center in the John R. Marsh Cancer Center, Suite 129, at Robinwood Medical Center. Books, videos and other sources of information are available on many cancer topics for anyone who would like to learn more.


text:
NASA announces new astronauts as safety panel recommends strategic planning for space exploration
Dec 12, 2021 NASA announces new astronauts as safety panel recommends strategic planning for space exploration
WASHINGTON — NASA announced a new class of astronauts that will be eligible for missions to the moon on the same day the agency's safety advisers called for strategic planning to ensure success in those exploration efforts.
In a ceremony at Ellington Field near NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston Dec. 6, the agency introduced the 10 members of the astronaut class of 2021. The six men and four women, ranging in age from 32 to 45, include military pilots, engineers and a flight surgeon who previously worked for both NASA and SpaceX.
The astronaut candidates will start two years of training in January, joined by two Emirati astronauts selected by the U.A.E.'s space program in April. After that, they will be eligible for flight assignments. The first two members of the previous astronaut class, selected in mid-2017, to go to space are Kayla Barron and Raja Chari, who are on the International Space Station as part of the Crew-3 mission that launched Nov. 10.
"Today we welcome 10 new explorers, 10 members of the Artemis Generation," said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson at the ceremony. "We're going back to the moon and we're continuing on to Mars."
While agency officials played up the roles those new astronauts could play in future exploration plans, NASA's Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel (ASAP) offered a cautionary note. In a meeting a few hours earlier, the panel recommended changes in how NASA managed its exploration programs.
"Past accomplishments do not guarantee future successes," said Patricia Sanders, chair of the panel, during a short teleconference held outside of its usual quarterly schedule of public meetings. "For NASA to continue its record of accomplishment in the decades ahead, it will require NASA to proactively plan for and manage its operations in the presence of numerous challenges and constraints."
Among those challenges and constraints, she said, include NASA's evolving relationship with industry, increased complexity of missions and greater risk of missions to the moon and Mars, and cooperation with international partners.
She also cited the need for "constancy of purpose" with political stakeholders and improved management of exploration programs. An example she gave was the cancellation of the Constellation program and NASA's short-lived efforts afterward to develop human missions to near Earth asteroids. "When the asteroid objective lost traction within a few years, it created a ripple of uncertainty and a loss of strong mission focus in the workforce that still echoes today."
Sanders presented three recommendations that ASAP is making to NASA on the issue. One calls for the agency to develop "a strategic vision for the future of space exploration and operations" that extends for at least 20 years. That vision, which she said should include alternative scenarios, would describe how NASA will work with commercial and international partners, assess its workforce and infrastructure needs, and criteria for deciding whether to make, manage or buy capabilities.
"All aspects of the strategic vision and its implementation should be clearly and unambiguously communicated throughout the workforce of the agency," she said.
A second recommendation is that NASA establish a "board of directors" comprised of the directors of its field centers and other key officials. The role of the board, she said, would be on "providing benefit to the agency's mission as a cohesive whole and not to the individual components of the agency," including aligning roles among the various centers.
The third recommendation is that Artemis be managed as an integrated program, rather than a collection of programs, such as the Space Launch System, Orion, and Exploration Ground Systems. Artemis, in that approach, would be led by a single program manager "endowed with authority, responsibility and accountability."
Sanders said ASAP will elaborate on its recommendations in the panel's annual report, to be published in early 2022. No other members of the committee spoke during the brief meeting.
NASA did not comment on panel's recommendations, but at the astronaut introduction event, one official suggested the agency was already working on implementing the recommendation regarding long-term planning.
"We're not going to rest on the laurels of the last decade," said NASA Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy. She said the agency's senior leadership "is very focused on building a blueprint for how we will explore, with humans, not just to the moon, not just on to Mars, but figuring out the blueprint for how we're going to go into the solar system. That is what we are focused on right now."
"We're going to practice on the moon, we're going to learn, and we're going to push out," she told the agency's newest astronauts. "And that will be your generation."
https://tautaruna.nra.lv/forums/tema/46993-dsfgdfg/
https://qiita.com/advent-calendar/2021/crackstreams-nfl
https://www.deviantart.com/greycupss/journal/saints-vs-jets-live-100-pm-et-nfl-streams-9liveclu-900545327
https://qiita.com/advent-calendar/2021/nfl-live
https://qiita.com/advent-calendar/2021/guya
https://qiita.com/advent-calendar/2021/watch-nfl-streams-in-hd-for
https://qiita.com/advent-calendar/2021/crackstreams-seahawks-vs-texans
https://qiita.com/advent-calendar/2021/southern-california-off-topic
https://www.deviantart.com/greycupss/journal/NFl-for-free-900545013
https://www.deviantart.com/greycupss/journal/nflstreams-reddit-nfl-streams-178104029-900545059
https://www.deviantart.com/greycupss/journal/jaguars-vs-titans-live121221stream-reddit-900545108
https://www.deviantart.com/greycupss/journal/nfl-webcast-nfl-live-stream-free-online-178104033-900545188
https://www.deviantart.com/greycupss/journal/new-york-jets-vs-new-orleans-saints-live-900545244
https://247sports.com/college/usc/Board/59419/contents/new-orleans-saints-vs-new-york-jets-reddit-livestream-178101508/
https://247sports.com/college/usc/Board/59419/contents/new-york-jets-vs-new-orleans-saints-live-stream-reddit-178101520/
https://247sports.com/college/usc/Board/59419/contents/saints-vs-jets-live121121stream-reddit-178101545/
https://247sports.com/college/usc/Board/59419/contents/crackstreams-saints-vs-jets-reddit-crack-streams-nfl-178101573/
https://247sports.com/college/usc/Board/59419/contents/livesaints-vs-jets-bilasport-livestream-reddit-178101611/
https://247sports.com/college/usc/Board/59419/contents/saints-at-jets-buffstream-live121121stream-reddit-178101619/
https://247sports.com/college/usc/Board/59419/contents/jets-vs-saints-streams-live-reddit-178101627/
https://247sports.com/college/usc/Board/59419/contents/livejets-vs-saints-bilasport-livestream-reddit-178101655/
https://247sports.com/college/usc/Board/59419/contents/crackstreams-jets-vs-saints-reddit-crack-streams-nfl-178101663/
https://247sports.com/college/usc/Board/59419/contents/atlanta-falcons-vs-charlotte-panthers-reddit-livestream-178101720/
https://247sports.com/college/usc/Board/59419/contents/charlotte-panthers-vs-atlanta-falcons-live-stream-reddit-178101724/
https://247sports.com/college/usc/Board/59419/contents/falcons-vs-panthers-live121121stream-reddit-178101735/
https://247sports.com/college/usc/Board/59419/contents/livestream-falcons-vs-panthers-live-broadcast-free-12-december-178101882/
https://247sports.com/college/usc/Board/59419/contents/atlanta-falcons-vs-carolina-panthers-reddit-livestream-178101887/
https://247sports.com/college/usc/Board/59419/contents/carolina-panthers-vs-atlanta-falcons-live-stream-reddit-178101893/
https://247sports.com/college/usc/Board/59419/contents/crackstreams-falcons-vs-panthers-reddit-crack-streams-nfl-178101994/
https://247sports.com/college/usc/Board/59419/contents/livefalcons-vs-panthers-bilasport-livestream-reddit-178102001/
https://247sports.com/college/usc/Board/59419/contents/falcons-at-panthers-buffstream-live121121stream-reddit-178102031/
https://247sports.com/college/usc/Board/59419/contents/panthers-vs-falcons-streams-live-reddit-178102035/
https://247sports.com/college/usc/Board/59419/contents/livepanthers-vs-falcons-bilasport-livestream-reddit-178102044/
https://247sports.com/college/usc/Board/59419/contents/crackstreams-panthers-vs-falcons-reddit-crack-streams-nfl-178102070/
https://247sports.com/college/usc/Board/59419/contents/livestream-seahawks-vs-texans-live-broadcast-free-12-december-178102134/
https://247sports.com/college/usc/Board/59419/contents/seattle-seahawks-vs-houston-texans-reddit-livestream-178102139/
https://247sports.com/college/usc/Board/59419/contents/houston-texans-vs-seattle-seahawks-live-stream-reddit-178102145/
https://247sports.com/college/usc/Board/59419/contents/seahawks-vs-texans-live121121stream-reddit-178102179/
https://247sports.com/college/usc/Board/59419/contents/crackstreams-seahawks-vs-texans-reddit-crack-streams-nfl-178102184/
https://247sports.com/college/usc/Board/59419/contents/liveseahawks-vs-texans-bilasport-livestream-reddit-178102188/
https://247sports.com/college/usc/Board/59419/contents/seahawks-at-texans-buffstream-live121121stream-reddit-178102214/
https://247sports.com/college/usc/Board/59419/contents/texans-vs-seahawks-streams-live-reddit-178102219/
https://247sports.com/college/usc/Board/59419/contents/livetexans-vs-seahawks-bilasport-livestream-reddit-178102223/
https://247sports.com/college/usc/Board/59419/contents/crackstreams-texans-vs-seahawks-reddit-crack-streams-nfl-178102256/
https://247sports.com/college/usc/Board/59419/contents/livestream-chiefs-vs-raiders-live-broadcast-free-12-december-178102304/
https://247sports.com/college/usc/Board/59419/contents/las-vegas-raiders-vs-kansas-city-chiefs-reddit-livestream-178102309/
https://247sports.com/college/usc/Board/59419/contents/kansas-city-chiefs-vs-las-vegas-raiders-live-stream-reddit-178102316/
https://247sports.com/college/usc/Board/59419/contents/raiders-vs-chiefs-live121121stream-reddit-178102344/
https://247sports.com/college/usc/Board/59419/contents/crackstreams-raiders-vs-chiefs-reddit-crack-streams-nfl-178102348/
https://247sports.com/college/usc/Board/59419/contents/liveraiders-vs-chiefs-bilasport-livestream-reddit-178102354/
https://247sports.com/college/usc/Board/59419/contents/raiders-at-chiefs-buffstream-live121121stream-reddit-178102395/
https://247sports.com/college/usc/Board/59419/contents/chiefs-vs-raiders-streams-live-reddit-178102397/
https://247sports.com/college/usc/Board/59419/contents/livechiefs-vs-raiders-bilasport-livestream-reddit-178102404/
https://247sports.com/college/usc/Board/59419/contents/crackstreams-chiefs-vs-raiders-reddit-crack-streams-nfl-178102460/
https://247sports.com/college/usc/Board/59419/contents/livestream-browns-vs-ravens-live-broadcast-free-12-december-178102537/
https://247sports.com/college/usc/Board/59419/contents/baltimore-ravens-vs-cleveland-browns-reddit-livestream-178102541/
https://247sports.com/college/usc/Board/59419/contents/cleveland-browns-vs-baltimore-ravens-live-stream-reddit-178102551/
https://247sports.com/college/usc/Board/59419/contents/ravens-vs-browns-live121221stream-reddit-178102628/
https://247sports.com/college/usc/Board/59419/contents/crackstreams-ravens-vs-browns-reddit-crack-streams-nfl-178102634/
https://247sports.com/college/usc/Board/59419/contents/liveravens-vs-browns-bilasport-livestream-reddit-178102685/
https://247sports.com/college/usc/Board/59419/contents/ravens-at-browns-buffstream-live121121stream-reddit-178102691/
https://247sports.com/college/usc/Board/59419/contents/browns-vs-ravens-streams-live-reddit-178102696/
https://247sports.com/college/usc/Board/59419/contents/livebrowns-vs-ravens-bilasport-livestream-reddit-178102708/
https://247sports.com/college/usc/Board/59419/contents/crackstreams-browns-vs-ravens-reddit-crack-streams-nfl-178102720/
https://247sports.com/college/usc/Board/59419/contents/livestream-cowboys-vs-washington-live-broadcast-free-12-decemb-178102777/
https://247sports.com/college/usc/Board/59419/contents/dallas-cowboys-vs-washington-reddit-livestream-free-178102786/
https://247sports.com/college/usc/Board/59419/contents/h2h-washington-vs-dallas-cowboys-live-stream-reddit-178102797/
https://247sports.com/college/usc/Board/59419/contents/cowboys-vs-washington-live121221stream-reddit-178102871/
https://247sports.com/college/usc/Board/59419/contents/crackstreams-cowboys-vs-washington-reddit-crack-streams-nfl-178102881/
https://247sports.com/college/usc/Board/59419/contents/livecowboys-vs-washington-bilasport-livestream-reddit-178102884/
https://247sports.com/college/usc/Board/59419/contents/cowboys-at-washington-buffstream-live121121stream-reddit-178102954/
https://247sports.com/college/usc/Board/59419/contents/washington-vs-cowboys-streams-live-reddit-178102960/
https://247sports.com/college/usc/Board/59419/contents/livewashington-vs-cowboys-bilasport-livestream-reddit-178102963/
https://247sports.com/college/usc/Board/59419/contents/crackstreams-washington-vs-cowboys-reddit-crack-streams-nfl-178103069/
https://247sports.com/college/usc/Board/59419/contents/livestream-jaguars-vs-titans-live-broadcast-free-12-december-178103125/
https://247sports.com/college/usc/Board/59419/contents/jacksonville-jaguars-vs-tennessee-titans-reddit-livestream-178103131/
https://247sports.com/college/usc/Board/59419/contents/h2h-tennessee-titans-vs-jacksonville-jaguars-live-stream-reddit-178103145/
https://247sports.com/college/usc/Board/59419/contents/jaguars-vs-titans-live121221stream-reddit-178103189/
https://247sports.com/college/usc/Board/59419/contents/crackstreams-jaguars-vs-titans-reddit-crack-streams-nfl-178103196/
https://247sports.com/college/usc/Board/59419/contents/livejaguars-vs-titans-bilasport-livestream-reddit-178103208/
https://247sports.com/college/usc/Board/59419/contents/jaguars-at-titans-buffstream-live121121stream-reddit-178103239/
https://247sports.com/college/usc/Board/59419/contents/titans-vs-jaguars-streams-live-reddit-178103249/
https://247sports.com/college/usc/Board/59419/contents/livetitans-vs-jaguars-bilasport-livestream-reddit-178103254/
https://247sports.com/college/usc/Board/59419/contents/crackstreams-titans-vs-jaguars-reddit-crack-streams-nfl-178103326/
https://247sports.com/college/usc/Board/59419/contents/saints-vs-jets-live-100-pm-et-nfl-streams-9liveclub-178103407/
https://247sports.com/college/usc/Board/59419/contents/nfl-live-seahawks-vs-texans-streaming-reddit-week-14-178103541/
https://247sports.com/college/usc/Board/59419/contents/crackstreams-seahawks-vs-texans-nfl-stream-reddit-178103578/
https://247sports.com/college/usc/Board/59419/contents/watch-raiders-vs-chiefs-free-nfl-live-stream-reddit-178103625/
https://247sports.com/college/usc/Board/59419/contents/cowboys-at-washington-live-streaming-reddit-1252021-nfl-178103697/
https://247sports.com/college/usc/Board/59419/contents/nfl-week-5-titans-at-jaguars-live-streams-free-on-reddit-178103736/
https://247sports.com/college/usc/Board/59419/contents/nfl-stream-reddit-reddit-nfl-streams-nflstreams-178103821/
https://247sports.com/college/usc/Board/59419/contents/nflbite-stream-original-nfl-streams-reddit-nfl-streams-178103855/
https://247sports.com/college/usc/Board/59419/contents/nfl-streams-official-reddit-nfl-streams-178103868/
https://247sports.com/college/usc/Board/59419/contents/reddit-nfl-streams-nflstreamlinks-will-alternative-rnflstreams-178103902/
https://247sports.com/college/usc/Board/59419/contents/nfl-streams-nfl-live-stream-178103907/
https://247sports.com/college/usc/Board/59419/contents/reddit-nfl-streams-buffstream-178103918/
https://247sports.com/college/usc/Board/59419/contents/givemenflstreamscom-nfl-streams-reddit-nfl-live-178103968/
https://247sports.com/college/usc/Board/59419/contents/watch-hd-nfl-streams-for-free-on-nfl-streams-100-178103951/
https://247sports.com/college/usc/Board/59419/contents/nflstreams-reddit-nfl-streams-178104029/
https://247sports.com/college/usc/Board/59419/contents/nfl-webcast-nfl-live-stream-free-online-178104033/
https://247sports.com/college/usc/Board/59419/contents/bestsolaris-stream-mma-streams-nfl-ufc-nba-boxing-178104034/
https://247sports.com/college/usc/Board/59419/contents/watch-nfl-streams-in-hd-for-free-reddit-alternative-to-rnflst-178104076/
https://247sports.com/college/usc/Board/59419/contents/weakstreams-reddit-nflstreams-streamlow-178104114/
https://247sports.com/college/usc/Board/59419/contents/nfl-streams-topstreamstv-178104131/
https://247sports.com/college/usc/Board/59419/contents/reddit-nfl-streams-the-best-alternative-of-rnflstreams-178104152/
https://247sports.com/college/usc/Board/59419/contents/nfl-stream-reddit-replacement-xyz-streams-free-178104214/
https://247sports.com/college/usc/Board/59419/contents/nfl-redzone-100-pm-et-nfl-streams-9liveclub-178104234/
https://247sports.com/college/usc/Board/59419/contents/nfl-reddit-streams-legit-streamz-178104280/
https://247sports.com/college/usc/Board/59419/contents/nfl-live-hd-streams-sportsurge-markky-stream-178104433/
https://247sports.com/college/usc/Board/59419/contents/reddit-stream-watch-nfl-live-on-buffstreams-and-crackstreams-178104500/
https://247sports.com/college/usc/Board/59419/contents/streams-all-game-nfl-on-site-topstreamstv-178104522/
GHGSat to launch three spacecraft on Falcon 9
Phase Four debuts improved thruster
Ultrathin Solar Cells Get a Boost – "Efficiencies of Perovskites Have Skyrocketed"
Science Fiction Revisited: Ramjet Propulsion for Interstellar Space Travel
Seeing Dark Energy's True Colors: DESI Creates Largest 3D Map of the Cosmos


text:
Q: Best way to manage ListViewItems in a Detailed ListView? I've adopted the following pattern for putting ListViewItems in a ListView with multiple columns (when I want to display information about a list of MyObject types), and I'm just curious to see if this is the best way to accomplish this task, or if there's anything more efficient and readable in code:

*

*Create an inherited ListViewItem class that takes a MyObject object in the constructor - I'll call this MyObjectListViewItem - and a Refresh() method that clears and re-populates the ListViewItem subitems.

*Populate the ListView with my new MyObjectListViewItem items.

example:
public MyObject MyObject { get; set; }
public MyObjectListViewItem(MyObject myObj)
{
    MyObject = myObj;
    this.Refresh();
}

public void Refresh()
{
    this.SubItems.Clear();
    this.Text = myObj.FirstColumnProperty;
    this.SubItems.Add(myObj.SecondColumnProperty); // etc...
}

Suggestions? Better ways?

A: Have you considered using a BindingSource, or creating your own which implements IBindingListView? This keeps concerns about the data and its state scoped to the data itself and not on any controls which consume it. Since .NET controls are already built to work with BindingSources, you can take advantage of some more robust functionality. Instead of explicitly invoking a screen refresh, the control is simply responsible for responding to events raised by the binding source, and a controller that notifies whether the control is ready to be refreshed without forcing it.

A: Making ListViewItems that know how to build themselves is a good idea.
If you extend that idea a little, you make the columns know how to build each subitem, which also allows them to be able to automatically sort the ListView, support grouping and copy/drag and drop rows. This is just a few of the things that ObjectListView does for you.
ObjectListView is an open source wrapper around a .NET WinForms ListView control that makes the ListView much easier to use -- as well as adding some very nice new features and getting around some annoying bugs/limitations.

If you did like @Rex's idea of using a BindingSource, the ObjectListView project also provides a data-aware DataListView which is data bindable.


When we heard about Iontophoresis, Ross started off with five treatments in a row in one week; he was then able to cut down them down to one a week and now he only needs one treatment a month. I decided to buy the IonUnit, so that he can use it whenever it's needed.
The IonUnit is fantastic. It made a big difference to the practical side of his daily life at school and in sports."


text:
The Best Urban Running Routes in America
By ACTIVE.com
Running is a sport that can essentially be done anywhere at any time, as long as you have a path and some shoes. But when you're traveling or live in the city, it can be difficult to find a decent route without running into congestion or a dead end.
We worked with runners around the country to find the best running route in some of the largest cities in the U.S. Complete with step-by-step directions, use these routes to take in must-see landmarks, breathtaking sights and unmatched running experiences.
The Best Running Route in Downtown Austin
By Erica Schuckies 1 of 9
From live music to the flourishing healthy, active lifestyle, the capital city of Texas is like no other place in the U.S. Go for a run in Austin and you're in for a treat. Image credit: Austin Convention & Visitors Bureau.
next race
The Best Running Route in Boston
By Sue Parke 2 of 9
Beantown, The Hub, Titletown. We have a new nickname for Boston: Our favorite place to run.
The Best Running Route in Chicago
By Meg Sullivan 3 of 9
Next time you're in Chicago, tour the Windy City with a lakefront run. From Navy Pier to Soldier Field and back, you'll see Chicago in a whole new way.
The Best Running Route in Denver
By Khem Suthiwan 4 of 9
Denver is well known for its majestic mountains, crisp air and super athletic residents. Live as a Coloradoan and take in one of the best running routes in the state.
The Best Running Route in Downtown Los Angeles
By Brianna Sacks 5 of 9
Los Angeles is not all traffic and Botox. We found a fantastic running route through the heart of it all.
The Best Running Route in New York City
By Michele Gonzalez 6 of 9
New York City is famous for many things, but we vote to make it famous for being one of the best running cities in America.
The Best Running Route in San Francisco
By Melanie Clancy 7 of 9
Everyone knows San Francisco for its bridge and nearby wineries. But don't miss a chance to take in all the city has to offer with a run through key areas.
The Best Running Route in Seattle
Before you hit up the best tastes of the city's famous farmer's market, experience Seattle through a perfect running route.
The Dos and Don'ts of City Running
Running Events Near You
Explore Similar Activities
Runners and Foot Injuries: 4 Causes of Foot Pain
ACTIVE Fall 2020 Running Shoe Guide
The Funniest Running T-Shirts
How Far Should You Run?
How to Treat and Prevent Runner's Knee


Thinking about a destination bush wedding in South Africa? Here's why you should consider the Mpumalanga Lowveld as your dream destination wedding venue. Continue reading below.
The Lowveld is a stunning destination for an outdoor wedding ceremony. Choose to say your "I dos" on the Elephant Deck overlooking six resident elephant, on the banks of the Sabie River in the stunning Hippo Hollow Country Estate. The ceremony usually takes place outdoors , although this is entirely up to the bride and groom. Surrounded by African bushveld, the location is atmospheric and romantic and there's always the chance of seeing a herd of elephant crossing the river in the distance.
In our opinion, there are few settings on earth that compare to the South African bushveld at sunset. Not only is the golden light spectacular for photographs, dusk is one of the busiest times of the day to see game – meaning resident wildlife is likely to feature in your 'golden hour' photographs.
Located in the heart of Mpumalanga, Hippo Hollow Country Estate is surrounded by a wealth of local culture and tradition. An element of this rich heritage can be incorporated into your destination wedding during or after cocktail hour.
As a venue, Hippo Hollow Country Estate has a stylish, African flair to it and the surrounding wilderness adds the perfect amount of ambiance to the special day. The events team at Hippo Hollow is renowned for their careful attention to presentation and service when it comes to coordinating your day.
Not only is Hippo Hollow Country Estate a fantastic place for a bush wedding, the estate is a spectacular destination for a safari honeymoon. Hippo Hollow offers private dining experiences and activities, but is also located near Kruger National Park and the surrounding private reserves. You can combine a stay at Hippo Hollow with a stay at another luxury lodge nearby for a complete South Africa honeymoon.
South African law requires foreign couples wishing to be married to attend an appointment at the Department of Home Affairs before they can be legally married in South Africa. Since this is quite a cumbersome task for someone on safari, we suggest that you process all legal marriage documents in your home country and enjoy your ceremony on safari in a more traditional way.
Please don't hesitate to contact our reservations team at +27 13 737 7752 or via email at reservations@hippohollow.co.za about your Lowveld wedding. We look forward to being apart of the planning of your special day.
Hippo Hollow Country Estate is nestled amongst lush indigenous gardens on the outskirts of Hazyview, and is only a 10 minute drive from the world famous Kruger National Park.


text:
Home » Articles » Profile Stories » Dahkota Pinkerton: "I Used to Feel like a Ghost"
Dahkota Pinkerton:
"I Used to Feel like a Ghost"
What seemed like a simple stomachache turned into a mystery that stumped doctors for six years.
Dahkota Pinkerton: "I Used to Feel like a Ghost"
It was an ordinary Sunday in December, and 10-year-old Dahkota Pinkerton was standing on the staircase, clutching her stomach. "Mom, I don't feel good," she said.
Dahkota's mom, Traci Pinkerton, has five other children. Having dealt with their various childhood illnesses over the years, she figured Dahkota had the sort of harmless bug that besets all kids at some point. She would have never guessed that she and Dahkota were about to embark on a years-long battle against a host of mystery illnesses that threatened to take her daughter's life.
The next day, Dahkota was doubled over in pain. Bruises began showing up all over her body, and every time she tried to eat, she puked. Doctors couldn't diagnose the problem, and simple triggers like loud noises and offensive odors started causing severe hives.
Violent reactions become so frequent that Traci began keeping packed bags by the door, just in case they had to dash out to the emergency room. She moved the family from their home in Mesa, Arizona, to a quiet plot outside of town, and she quit her job of 13 years to tend to her daughter's needs.
"Before everything started, Dahkota was a normal kid," says Traci. "She went to school, played, swam, ran. There were no signs of anything strange." But over time, her daughter detoured from the path of a normal child.
READY TO TRY KATE FARMS? Find out which formula is right for you.
Dahkota even developed a new vernacular to describe her suffering: "I have a stabbing pain, a pinching pain, a burning pain, and shocking pain. I like to describe it like there are little people inside me, doing what they can to get out. I'm at a pain level of 7 every day."
Perhaps the thing that's most frightening to Traci is how quickly the problems attacked. "You hit yourself on the head and go, 'Did I see any of this coming on?'" the mother asks. Then, answering her own question: "Nope, I didn't see anything."
A Disease Without a Name
Dahkota's illness continued to stump doctors. One specialist implied that Dahkota's bruises were self-inflicted. Another accused her of being anorexic and bulimic. "But I want to eat food," Dahkota insisted. "I just can't keep it down."
She was dismissed over and over, with one pediatric pain doctor telling her coldly: "You're 10 years old. Buck up and get on with your life." To Traci and Dahkota, it seemed that nobody would take them seriously.
After bouncing from doctor to doctor, a specialist at UCLA finally diagnosed Dahkota with mast cell psychosis. That evolved into mast cell activation syndrome, and in the years that followed, it was joined by diagnoses for gastroparesis, postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome, Ehlers–Danlos syndromes, and fibromyalgia.
Dahkota's also been diagnosed with complex regional pain syndrome, visceral hyperalgesia, visceral sensitivity, osteoporosis, and more. Her joints, blood vessels, and digestive tract all seemed to be attacking her. And there doesn't seem to be a root cause.
We're sharing all good things.
Sign up for more stories, updates, and special offers.
Early in her battle, Dahkota began receiving calories by way of standard formula ingested through a gastrostomy-jejunostomy (or G-J) tube. But her body weight continued to drop. Along with it, her skin became pale and her hair started falling out.
Dahkota eventually found a group of doctors in Colorado who were willing to join her in battle, rather than look for easy solutions and point fingers when those solutions failed. "These ladies were so interested in Dahkota's story," says Traci. "They'd never met someone with gastroparesis so bad that they couldn't eat anything at all."
"These ladies were so interested in Dahkota's story," says Traci. "They'd never met someone with gastroparesis so bad that they couldn't eat anything at all."
At one point, the doctors suggested surgically implanting a gastric pacemaker, which uses electrodes to send shockwaves to the stomach. In theory, that should jumpstart Dahkota's digestive muscles. "I was excited," says Dahkota. "Everybody was like, 'It's going to work! It's going to work!'"
But it didn't work. When the doctors installed the pacemaker, pain shot through Dakhota's body and she vomited on the wall. They had to remove it immediately. "That's when I was starting to lose hope," says Dahkota. "Every time they say something's going to work, it doesn't for me."
Finally, Help Arrives
In March, one of her Colorado doctors suggested Kate Farms. They added a few tablespoons of Peptide 1.5 into her daily feed, and every three days, they bumped it up. "I didn't want to get my hopes up again," says Dahkota. "But I could tell that my body was accepting it. I wasn't feeling sick or hungry like I used to be."
For three years, Dahkota's weight stayed solidly below 100 pounds. She didn't like to look at herself. "My eyes were sunken into my head," she says. "You could see every bone on me." But now she's 111 pounds. Her hair's coming back, she has energy, and her skin has taken on a healthier coloring.
Most importantly, her optimism is up. "I used to feel like a ghost, like life wasn't real," she says. Now she's reanimated, attending church with her mom and watching movies with friends again. She's not back in school yet (she's working on her GED from home), but she was recently able to attend her high school prom.
"I feel healthy," she says. "Without this I truly believe that I would be dead by now. And I'm not joking. I'm so happy it makes me want to cry."
The battle is far from over. Dahkota still occasionally vomits. And in addition to her GJ tube, she has to go for infusions twice a week for a disease called Parks, which prevents her from staying hydrated on her own. She wears a mask to block environmental irritants that could trigger a dangerous reaction, receives blood work every two weeks to manage blood clotting, and flies to Colorado every three months for appointments with specialists.
But she's no longer spiraling. The worst, it seems, is behind her.
It's been six years since that morning on the stairs. And nothing makes Traci happier than seeing her daughter take a turn for the better. "She has been so weak for so long, and now her energy level is up," she says. "In this next year, I think we're going to see a whole other change. I think her healing is just beginning."


The first ever British e-racing championships saw Rosamund Bradbury and Cameron Jeffers crowned national title-holders.
A televised live final saw the best 10 male and female riders fight it out over three events on Thursday (March 28).
The British Cycling competition was held on virtual training platform Zwift in front of a 100-strong audience at the BT Sport Studios in East London.
Racers competed in an elimination race, a points race and a scratch race, with GB rowing team athlete Bradbury and 22-year-old Jeffers taking overall victory.
Bradbury clinched the women's title by winning the final race, ahead of Kiss Racing Team's Mary Wilkinson in the sprint finish.
Jeffers hadn't actually qualified for the live finals after a 400-participant open qualifying event earlier this year.
But after two people dropped out of the finals, he was invited to race and took victory.
Bradbury said: "I'm feeling great now. It was pretty hard in the final race, it was so tactical.
"I got a good power-up for the sprinting really early on, so I had to decide whether to use it and hope I'd get another one later or save it.
"At the beginning of the day, I didn't know what to expect. I could see I was quite strong on the sprints, but this last race there were hills.
"And I'm obviously one of the bigger riders and don't have the advantage.
Jeffers was the dominant man on the day, surging 13 points ahead after the first two races.
He said: "It's all a little bit surreal really.
"I finished 12th in the qualifiers, then due to two guys dropping out of the finals I managed to promote myself to tenth and got a position in today's finals.
"I came to this race knowing that Madison-Genesis had four guys in the line-up and in terms of out-and-out power numbers they were probably the strongest guys here.
Winners received £400 prize money and a virtual national jersey to be worn on Zwift for a year.


text:
https://www.accessnow.org:443/digital-rights-community-charlie-hebdo-tragedy-must-not-be-used-by-governments-to-expand-surveillance/
Digital rights...
Digital rights community: "Charlie Hebdo tragedy must not be used by governments to expand surveillance"
29 January 2015 | 12:09 am
Brussels – Today more than 20 digital and civil rights organisations, including Access, EDRI, EFF,, Article 19, ORG, PEN International, Fundación Karisma and La Quadrature du Net, released a joint statement calling on world leaders to resist expanding surveillance measures in wake of the Charlie Hebdo tragedy. Read the full statement and view the list of signers here.
"Charlie Hebdo journalists fought all their lives for an open democratic society where everyone could speak freely," said Access Policy Analyst Estelle Massé. "It's ironic, then, that in response to the attack some are suggesting short-sighted national security reforms that would ultimately undermine our privacy, our civil liberties, and everything these cartoonists stood for."
Earlier this month, the French government asked to move forward two proposals that would drastically impact human rights — a problematic EU Passenger Name Record agreement that has been discussed in Brussels since 2011, and ad-hoc measures for internet platforms to monitor hate speech.
Both agreements stand to trample our civil liberties. The establishment of an EU Passenger Name Record agreement would enable governments to store, access, and profile the passenger data of millions of Europeans, exponentially expanding their surveillance capacity. Other new measures would compel internet platforms like Google and Facebook to monitor and censor online content, a violation of our basic right to free expression.
In response, the coalition of digital rights groups released a statement calling for world governments to:
Invite the French government to conduct a thorough evaluation of relevant policies, before enacting new laws and policies that can harm fundamental rights;
Ensure the protection and defence of national level human rights protections, particularly free expression and privacy online and offline;
Engage citizens and institutions in a public dialogue on targeted solutions that can help protect society while upholding human rights;
Defend a free and open society where human rights are not only protected, but celebrated, and where diverse viewpoints, including the satirical perspectives embraced by Charlie Hebdo, can be expressed online and offline.
"Increasing the scope and scale of government surveillance is not the answer to our societal problems," Massé continued. "If world leaders want to honor Charlie Hebdo, they must promote a society that honors freedom of expression and human rights above all."
Go here to access the full text of the statement and the list of signatories.


This podcast is brought to you our InSession Film Podcast: Bonus Content. Look for another edition of Settling the Score with Mark Hurne, coming soon.
This week on the InSession Film Podcast, we discuss one of the year's best films in Kubo and the Two Strings as well as our Top 3 stop-motion animated films. We also finish off our French New Wave Movie Series with Jean-Luc Godard's 1962 film, Vivre sa vie.
No guest this week but we have a lot of fun on this hostful episode of InSession Film, discussing how family friendly films are saving this summer from total disaster, at least in terms of mainstream films. We also enjoyed our conversation around stop-motion animation, which is an art form that we particularly love.
Inspired by Kubo and the Two Strings, we discussed our favorite stop-motion animated films. These movies aren't just some of the best animated films of all-time, they are some of the best films we've seen, period. Stop-motion is an art form that has become lost in the world of digital, but when it's executed well, it's really quite beautiful. Since its inception, there have been many stop-motion animated films to grace the big screens and we found some great ones for our lists this week. On that note, what would be your top 3?