BEIJING/SHANGHAI (Reuters) - Fan Bingbing, an A-list Chinese movie star who has appeared in the "X-Men" and "Iron Man" film franchises, has more than 62 million followers online in China and fronted campaigns for Montblanc watches and De Beers diamonds, has disappeared.
The star's vanishing act - she dropped off the radar in June when reports started to swirl that she was involved in a probe into tax evasion in the film industry - has sparked wild speculation in China about her fate, including reports the actress had been detained.
Reuters was unable to contact Fan. Calls to her agent went unanswered. When asked about Fan, a spokesman for China's Foreign Ministry replied: "Do you think this is a question of diplomacy?" The Beijing Public Security Bureau declined to comment.
The real-life drama has been playing out at a time when Beijing is tightening the reins on popular culture, looking to stamp out behavior seen as going against the ruling Communist Party's ideological line and co-opting movie stars, pop bands and online celebrities to endorse socialist values.
"It is written in our new movie promotion law that entertainers need to pursue both professional excellence and moral integrity," said Si Ruo, a researcher at the School of Journalism and Communication at China's prestigious Tsinghua University.
Fan Bingbing is the most prominent example. The actress, 36, is China's equivalent of Hollywood star Jennifer Lawrence. She topped Forbes' China celebrity rich list last year with earnings of 300 million yuan ($43.78 million).
A Chinese TV anchor in May was widely reported to have posted tax-dodging pay agreements online known as "yin-yang" contracts - one setting out the real agreed payment terms and a second with a lower figure for the tax authorities - that appeared to implicate Fan.
Hong Kong's South China Morning Post reported that Fan's studio denied she had ever signed separate contracts for a single job. China's tax bureau said in June it was launching a tax evasion investigation into the film and television industry.
But the culture clean-up is more widespread, snaring video games, online bloggers and rap artists. Critics say it threatens to stifle creativity in some sectors, and is hitting the bottom lines of firms such as tech and gaming giant Tencent.
An open letter earlier this month from members of the Beijing Trade Association for Performances said the body would "purify" the city's entertainment and performance sector and guide artists towards "core socialist values".
"Celebrities are seen as a weapon in the Party's ideological battle, which is fought across all sectors all the time," said Jonathan Sullivan, Director of China Programmes at the University of Nottingham.
China has long sought to control the creative arts, from censoring movies to literature. However, a boom in online media has prompted a new push to cleanse the arts world, as President Xi Jinping looks to tighten his grip over a huge and diverse cultural scene popular with China's youth.
That drive has created a dragnet that has swept over the creative arts, leaving few unaffected.
Fangu, a grunge band from Beijing, which has toured across China, said it had hit an issue with its name, which translates literally as "anti-bone", though means something closer to "rebellious spirit".
The band was forced to change its name this week ahead of a concert in Shanghai.
Video game makers have had to tweak their offerings to add patriotic Chinese elements. Others have simply seen approvals withheld. Big media platforms have been rapped for not censoring their content enough and some have had to take sites offline.
A report this month from a state university and circulated in official media, ranked Chinese stars in order of their social responsibility, including their moral conduct - underscoring an increasingly puritanical focus on good behavior.
The ongoing shake-up is also hitting China's burgeoning movie and entertainment industry hard. Share prices of related companies tanked after the government probe was announced and many are conducting self-checks on their tax situations.
Claire Dong, partner and attorney at Beijing-based Tiantai law firm, said there has been a surge of consulting requests since Fan got into hot water.
New policies are swiftly eroding the favorable tax treatment that actors and artists once enjoyed.


Almost all are anonymous. I refuse to get in to an argument with someone who hides behind an anonymous tag. If we all did that, the cowards would get no oxygen.
These people are ugly. They are also gutless cowards for throwing senseless comments and lies behind an anonymous internet handle.
Twitter is being ruined by trolls whose only intent appears to be ruining others enjoyment by posting personal insults or false allegations. They rarely post a meaningful comment, and are spoiling the experience for everyone else. The following is a list of identified trolls.
Excellent idea, Julian. I recognise many of those trolls and, upon closer inspection, many of them do double time on Facebook.
He has attacked both you and I – I refuted him once and he instantly blocked me; not even man enough to have a debate!
There is an issue of accuracy here in this 'Troll' list. The use of the term 'troll' to describe bullying behavior is a problem. A troll is a person who plays a trick, a prankster. Trolling is what you do on April first. If you call a bully a troll, that's like saying they are 'only joking'. Bullying is serious, whether it's in person or online. This is why people tackling the problem call it online bullying, not trolling. Please consider renaming the list 'bullies' … unless it's just a list of pranksters.
Fair comment, if you are talking about the real world.
"…In Scandinavian mythology, One of a race of supernatural beings formerly conceived as giants, now, in Denmark and Sweden, as dwarfs or imps, supposed to inhabit caves or subterranean dwellings" This is supported by quotations from 1616 and 1851.
Blocked most of them Julian. Within the firsttweet if they are rude they need to be reported and blocked. Let's make Twitter Troll Free.And you are a wonderful human being. Thank you for being such a humanitarian.
Great idea with the list, I recognise a lot of these trolls as belonging to the #WingNutSockCollective.
My only suggestion is whether @annikasmethurst should be on there. She is a daily telegraph journalist.
Julian (and Pascal), people writing things on the internet that don't agree with aren't necessarily "trolls", they're people with a different point of view to you. Suggesting adding a journalist the this 'Troll List' because you don't like what she writes is a reflection of your personal intolerance and willingness to censor people. Nice work. Stay classy.
Bravo Mr Burnside! What an eloquent, classy response to an ugly, ignorant comment.
It's very hypocritical that you all claim the moral high ground yet are so intolerant of opposing ideas that you label it as 'hate speech" or like Pascal, relentlessly troll people so badly he violates twitter policy.
I believe that this collective frustration from refugee advocates stems from their inability to achieve any measurable outcomes which is compounded by the fact that most Australians have woken up to the lies of the illegals on Manus and their advocate agitators.
It's just a pity that most Australians have not woken up to the lies of the (LNP) politicians, who call boat people "illegal" and treat them like criminals.
The fact is, they do not commit an offence by coming here as they do, without a visa. That's why none of them is ever charged with any offence for arriving in Australia without a visa.
They are simply taken by force and dumped on Manus Island (part of Papua New Guinea) or on Nauru: a small Pacific island, an independent republic, with a population of 10,000 people and a land area smaller than Tullamarine airport in Melbourne.
Here's the question all Australians should ask our politicians (both major parties): Are we now a country that imprisons and damages innocent people who are brave enough to try to escape persecution?
Hopefully, "we are now a country that" has learnt from Europe's grave mistake in importing Islamic terrorism into its cities.
Let's hope you never need help yourself, from a fellow human being.


As long as you are not renting a car in Milan (and really, there's not much reason to rent a car in any of Italy's big cities), that leaves you with three major forms of public transit.
Like many big cities around the world, Milan has a subway system. It's not as huge or extensive as the subways in Paris, London, or New York, but the three lines serve almost all the tourist stops in the city (as well as plenty of other places besides).
The other main rail-based transport in Milan is the city's network of trams. There are more tram lines than subway lines, and depending on where you are in the city these can be really convenient to get where you're going.
Milan's buses cover many of the same areas that the Metro and trams do, but they also go a bit further afield than those other two transportation methods.


text:
<?php

use Illuminate\Support\Facades\Schema;
use Illuminate\Database\Schema\Blueprint;
use Illuminate\Database\Migrations\Migration;

class CreateArtistReferencesTable extends Migration
{
    /**
     * Run the migrations.
     *
     * @return void
     */
    public function up()
    {
        Schema::create('artist_references', function (Blueprint $table) {
            $table->unsignedInteger('manga_id')->references('id')->on('manga');
            $table->unsignedInteger('artist_id')->references('id')->on('artists');

            $table->timestamps();
        });
    }

    /**
     * Reverse the migrations.
     *
     * @return void
     */
    public function down()
    {
        Schema::dropIfExists('artist_references');
    }
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


The Metrowoman Power Brunch Series has launched a programme devoted to empowering female entrepreneurs. It was held on January 20, 2018 at the Labule Restaurant in Lekki Phase 1.
The Session which is the first of a series of mentoring meetings that will hold quarterly during the year to empower female entrepreneurs in relevant areas of building their businesses. The areas include setting structures, innovation, leadership development, tax, human resources and accounting.
The session, which had over 35 select participants, featured a goal setting and execution presentation from Chinenye Nnoli, the founder of Metrowoman Limited. Padebi Ojomo, a small business coach for female entrepreneurs moderated a practical goal-setting class. Nelly Agbogu who is the founder of Nellies, a health food business and Naija Brand Chick, a social media business influencer taught the class on how to set up structures and grow their brands leveraging on social media. Chinwe Egwim a professional financial analyst reviewed the Nigeria macroeconomics and the impact for business in 2018 to help the business owners position their companies for the year.
The participants left empowered and excited to take on the year with zest. The dates for the subsequent programme will be announced in due course.


text:
Street Dogs – Self Titled
A solid album of sing-along upbeat street punk from these Boston veterans.
Street Dogs – CD
Boston's Street Dogs return after a two-year gap with this new self-titled album. In the past two years the band wasn't just sitting around though as they went on a bunch of tours and of course found time to write and record this album, their second for Hellcat Records.
The band has stuck to the formula that has made them as successful as they have been in their eight year career thus far. The songs are based off of UK street punk that are anthemic and melodic. They are mostly mid-tempo songs with real hooky choruses but they do speed things up a bit here and there and bust out some speedier songs. They also slow things down on a song or two as well, with one of them being a near-ballad.
This album contains 18 songs and the band is a pretty positive and up-beat one that delivered a strong album of feel-good, energetic punk songs that are guaranteed to get your feet tapping and you'll find yourself singing along to the songs after the first listen. If you are already a fan you'll be happy to hear the band won't let you down this time out and if you are looking to check the Street Dogs out for the first time, this is as good a place to start as any.
Street Dogs on amazon.com
Street Dogs at iTunes
Devil's Brigade – Self Titled
The Acacia Strain – Wormwood
earthdog70 says:
Going to see them next week in DC-should be a good show!
lewdd says:
I think this could be there best release yet. Much better than the disappointing prior release. A lot of the songs on this release will make good live songs. I may go see them at Reggie's on 9/25.
The Berzerkers – Can't Stand Still LP
The Berzerkers – Can't Stand Still LP Hostage Records Hailing from the punk rock hotbed known as Orange County, CA, The Berzerkers present us with their debut album on Hostage Records, a label with...
Pezz – More Than You Can Give Us LP
Pezz – More Than You Can Give Us LP Truant Records Hailing from Memphis, TN, Pezz has been around since 1989. While they haven't been as active recently as they were in the past, they seem to surprise us...
Spider – Energy Gone Wrong 7″
Spider – Energy Gone Wrong 7″ Cpryt Cntrl Records Spider is a fairly new Southern California punk rock band and this three song 7″ is their debut release. While you may not be familiar with them, if...

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


How to apply Arunachal Pradesh PSC JE Recruitment 2019?
Latest Employment news, Arunachal Pradesh PSC JE Recruitment 2019 has released to fill 12 Posts. Official Arunachal Pradesh PSC Junior Engineer Notification is available to download. Click on the link provided here and apply Arunachal Pradesh PSC JE Recruitment 2019 before last date. Interested candidates can apply for Arunachal Pradesh PSC JE Vacancies 2019 from 4/12/2019. The link of Arunachal Pradesh PSC JE Jobs Apply will be deactivated after 5/10/2019. Authorities has provided the detailed information of Arunachal Pradesh PSC JE Recruitment 2019 at official website appsc.gov.in.
Are you planning to apply Arunachal Pradesh PSC JE Recruitment 2019? Then you must complete 12th.
Arunachal Pradesh PSC Junior Engineer Jobs detailed information available here. Don't miss the chance to apply Arunachal Pradesh PSC JE Recruitment 2019. Download Arunachal Pradesh PSC Junior Engineer Notification and check the eligibility criteria. One should have clear idea on the educational qualification and age limit before apply Arunachal Pradesh PSC JE Recruitment 2019.
In our site we always provides the detailed information of Sarkari Naukri, Syllabus, Admit Cards, Previous Papers and Results. Bookmark our page for Arunachal Pradesh Public Service Commission JE details.


"I'm from the, uh, Times"
NYC's most tight-roped events are crawling with partiers faking their way in as reporters, according to an AMNewYork exposé.
Public-relations maven Claudia Stepke told the daily that "about 24 fake journalists tried to get into a recent gala to raise money for poor children." (You know things are getting out of hand when someone who does PR in Manhattan for a living starts siding with integrity.) The article goes on to name one faker who reportedly went as far as making up business cards, inventing an imaginary assistant and barraging PR firms with impatient phone calls… all posing as a reporter for (you guessed it) AmNewYork.


text:
PAPSS to save Africa over $5billion in payment transaction cost annually
Home World Africa 'Rising Casinos: a platform for illicit financial flows in Zambia'
'Rising Casinos: a platform for illicit financial flows in Zambia'
A BOOM in any given sector of the economy is always a blessing to the development of the country.
But it seems, this is not the case with the increased casino business activities in Zambia.
Gambling is legal in Zambia. This applies to casinos, slot machines and the national lottery.
About five years ago, Zambia has had three legal casinos in operation within its borders. And these were found at New Fairmount Hotel and Falls Casino in Livingstone while the Majestic Casino is located in Lusaka.
However, there has been a massive increase in Casino businesses, with latest figures indicating that over 35 casinos, with the majority being located in Lusaka, having been registered in the last three years.
But who is establishing these casinos? Is it an indication of a rising middle class with enough money for gambling? Do economic indicators reflect this?
Actually, most casino structures are well built, and posh-looking with ultra-modern facilities, but who is benefiting from these businesses? Is it an aspect of placement, layering and integration of laundered money into the normal financial system?
Given the foregoing, the Financial Intelligence Centre (FIC) has since called for the strengthening of regulations governing Casino operations in Zambia because gambling is a vulnerable platform for illicit financial flows.
According to the national money laundering and terrorist financing risk assessment report released by the FIC, that vulnerability to money laundering of the Casino sector is rated as very high at 0.73 from 1.00.
The FIC has since recommended that applications for casino licences should be properly vetted to prevent criminals or their associates from having any controlling interest in the casinos.
It stated the sector is vulnerable due to the fact that it is not being regulated comprehensively and effectively.
"The law provides for regulation through the Licencing Committee, which in practice is not operational. Instead, there is an individual who has been given the role of licensing casinos at Ministry of Tourism and Arts.
"The licensing process is therefore vulnerability for the sector as the one individual cannot carry out thorough checks on the applicants for licences," the report read in part.
Releasing the findings of the report, FIC deputy director Clement Kapalu said the other factor contributing to the sector's vulnerability is the fact that most of the high-value clients are foreigners and politically exposed persons (PEP).
In financial regulation, PEPs is a term describing someone who has been entrusted with a prominent public function. PEPs, generally presents a higher risk for potential involvement in bribery and corruption by virtue of their position and the influence that they may hold.
"Further, casinos offer online gambling which is not properly understood or regulated by the licensing authority. Identification of customers is not performed and source of income is not established.
"There are large cash transactions that take place involving foreigners and PEPs making the sector vulnerable to tax evasion and fraud," he said.
According to the report that anti-money laundering [AML] controls are weak and do not have any impact on reducing the vulnerability that is inherently present in the sector.
"As a matter of priority there is need to amend the Tourism and Hospitality Act and other relevant laws that deal with the Casino sector to provide for effective and comprehensive overall and AML supervision," it stated.
At the time of the assessment last year July, there were over 35 registered Casinos in Zambia, with the sector's contribution to Gross Domestic Product (GDP) standing at a paltry 0.03 percent.
Given that casinos seem to have skeletons in its closets, some stakeholders have called on Government to strengthen regulations governing the sub-sector.
See Also: Putting Africa's secondary cities first
It is widely believed that the casino business is used by people allegedly involved in illegal money-making ventures who attempt to make their shady money legitimate.
In a recent interview, Stanbic Bank Zambia risk compliance manager Daniel Luswili said there is need to strengthen regulations governing operations of some institutions such as casinos that handle huge sums of money if Zambia is to reduce cases of illicit financial flows (IFF).
He said there is need to have a robust regulatory framework to combat money laundering and other financial crimes.
"Commercial banks are heavily regulated by the central bank but sub-sectors such as casinos are not highly regulated yet huge sums of money are transacted there.
"We need to bring on board everyone [real estate agents, law firms, mobile money agencies] who handles cash so that they are well regulated," Mr Luswili said.
Mr Luswili said financial crimes are becoming more and more complex due to the advancement in technology.
"We want to see the flow of money being done correctly, this is why banks are kept awake due to the increase in cybercrimes, internet fraud and related crimes," he said.
Echoing Mr. Luswili's sentiments, Mr Kapalu said financial crimes have significantly increased.
"Our statistics are based on any suspicious transactions such as drug trafficking, corruption and abuse of office. So far, we have gathered over 1, 000 reports which have been presented to various law enforcement agencies for action and very soon, we are going to see more prosecutions," he said.
The FIC doesn't have powers to prosecute but their mandate is to investigate and compile reports on suspicious financial transactions and submit their findings to bodies such as the Anti- Corruption Commission, Drug Enforcement Commission and the Zambia Police's fraud and anti-money laundering units.
And the Center for Trade Policy and Development executive director Isaac Mwaipopo said Zambia could have avoided negotiating for an International Monetary Fund (IMF) bailout if adequate measures to stop IFF had been implemented.
Mr Mwaipopo has since challenged security wings and other public institutions to urgently act on findings of the FIC report, which revealed how multinational companies are robbing Zambia of billions of Kwacha through IFF.
According to the FIC suspicious transaction report that Zambia loses about US$3 billion annually.
Mr Mwaipopo said the resources that Zambia keeps losing outstrip the financial aid of US$1.6 billion it is seeking from the IMF and other international financial institutions.
"Zambia is currently negotiating a bailout package from the IMF to help address the current fiscal and economic challenges.
"But these are development paths the nation would have avoided if adequate measures had been taken to curb illicit financial flows," Mr Mwaipopo said.
To ensure that a boom in casino business makes a meaningful contribution to the growth of the Zambian economy, Government strengthens measures to regulate casinos while maximizing business revenues and minimizing any negative effects.
See Also: Data can help to end malnutrition across Africa
World over, Casinos are the mainstay of economies in jurisdictions such as Macao, the US state of Nevada and many others.
So Zambia should establish strong regulations to oversee gaming operations while instituting a monitoring system designed to ensure casinos are operating to these mandated guidelines…..ends
This story was produced and written as part of Wealth of Nations, a pan-African media skills development programme run by the Thomson Reuters Foundation. More information at www.wealth-of-nations.org"
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Rating Comments: Voted in favour of MP Woodworth's principled Motion 312, to study whether a child in the womb is a human being, based on the preponderence of modern medical science.
There are no quotes for Stella Ambler at this time.
Here are the answers for the questionnaire as provided by Stella Ambler on April 5, 2011.
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I have 2 SyncMaster 226 BW on my Nvidia 8800GTX for about 5 years. They are almost always running. 1 month before, I noticed flicks on startup on my primary monitor, just like you mentioned. As time passed, the flicking time increased. Now it takes about a minute. But the second monitor is qorking still perfectly.
Note that both monitors runtime in 5 years were same, regardless of being primary or secondary displays. I aggree about warm up issue, but 1 monitor is not doing that. There must be a failure on warm up component on the monitor maybe (is there is one).
Or this must be the way of an LCD monitor saying "Replace me"
I consider any monitor giving over 3yrs. of service a blessing. Since yours is 4yrs. old you got your money's worth, IMHO. As Robert stated, any repair cost is going to look bad when applied to new monitor cost.
Afterall, most new monitors are offering great displays and if you have CRT type, then a LCD one will be appealing. If you want your old monitor to work again, there's only a repair service should do. High voltages are present and depending on your skill may(not) be up your alley, so consider a pro to do it.
Your symptoms, appears due to wear tear more than likely it can't scan as well or the HV is going out. Also, I find getting certain electronics a difficult task if you don't part take into ordering parts regularly as sources vary if you plan to repair.


Majority of people today are going through financial crisis and thus are not able to make their monthly payments on time. The effect of this is that they have a higher chance of defaulting on loans, and this affects their credit standings. If you are in such a position, then the best option you have in paying your debt on time is to refinance your car credit. By choosing to refinance your credit, you will be able to negotiate with the lender for a lower rate of interest.
Before you decide to refinance your car credit, you need to contact the lender and check your loan balance. Some lenders will only allow for a refinance if the value of the car is greater than the outstanding loan amount. Let the lender inform you of their refinance policy and whether or not you qualify for the refinance.
Regardless of whether you need to refinance your car credit loan or not, you need to make your payments on time. There are lenders who will not discuss with you the option of refinancing your credit if you have been making late payments. Lenders are in the business to make profit and thus will not put their money on the line if you are likely to default. Make them have faith in you by making your monthly payments on time.
Once your credit ratings are damaged, it may take a while before they are up again. Thus, you should do everything possible to prevent your ratings from worsening by refinancing your car credit. However, if your ratings are already worse, you can still improve them by negotiating for better terms with the lender. Nowadays, online lenders are much more willing to renegotiate for better terms with borrowers. Take advantage of this opportunity and seek for terms that are affordable to you.
This entry was posted on Friday, January 27th, 2012 at 8:33 am and is filed under Car Credit. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.


text:
The Looptail, The Travel Blog Powered By G Adventures
Home » The Looptail, The Travel Blog Powered By G Adventures » Eye in the Sky: Our experience with the DJI Phantom 2
Eye in the Sky: Our experience with the DJI Phantom 2
July 7, 2014 Jeff Garriock
At G Adventures, showing you the world is kind of what we do. Now, we're taking to the skies. Meet Otto, the G Adventures remote unmanned aerial vehicle, and find out how we earned our wings from Creative Video Producer Jeff Garriock.
We finally did it! We went out and bought a unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV for short—we've named it "Otto," obviously), the DJI Phantom 2, and we're pumped. Until recently, it was tough getting anything larger than a GoPro in the air, but now that quad-copter technology has become cheaper, you can finally do it yourself.
DJI Phantom 2, or Otto as we prefer to call it.
The DJI Phantom 2 is a game-changer. It is equipped with everything you need, and ready to fly once you remove it from the box. Plus, the Zenmuse H3-3D gimbal helps steady your camera in flight, so that no matter which way the copter is tilted, the camera is level.
Meet Otto, G Adventures' New UAV Camera
I decided to put Otto through the wringer by taking it to Wheatley Provincial Park in Ontario, Canada. I wanted to fly it higher, and after some YouTube research, I noticed that people were flying the Phantom 2 at 900m (2,953 ft) high. (Side note: In Canada you can only fly up to 500m (1,640 ft) high.) We equipped the Phantom 2 with a GoPro HERO3+ and shot 2.7k @ 24fps, to see if I could lose the protective cushion of slow motion.
I got low over the water, managed to take off and land from the narrow bridge, and flew as high as 250m (820 ft) to get some shots looking over the lake and the channel. There was a bit of a breeze at those heights, which was definitely taxing on my battery.
Into the Weeds
I decided to film a few shots walking down a sheltered path. For the first minute or so, everything seemed to be going well, but then the Phantom 2 started sinking like a sad balloon. As it wobbled off the path and started cutting the grass at the side of the road, the rotor finally got caught up in a tree. It fell about 1m (3 ft), and the foliage stopped it from a hard impact. Lesson learned – low battery means low battery.
The next day, I took it out of the campground and along the road into town. The land stretched out in all directions, and big lumbering wind turbines swiveled slowly in the breeze. There was a pretty constant wind, but the Phantom 2 made it through.
I'd spent a lot of time focusing on shooting people, but wanted to follow something faster. I was curious to see how I'd do shooting aerials of cars, boats, and wildlife. So after capturing some sunset shots and farm scenery, I started chasing cars down the road.
The Phantom is quick, and although I certainly couldn't keep pace with the cars, I was able to track alongside long enough to create a nice cinematic follow shot. These aren't all framed as nicely as I would like, as l wanted to stay away from the power lines on the far side of the road. (Remember, safety first, kids!)
The last test I wanted to take the Phantom 2 out at night and decided to capture some Canada Day fireworks. This test was short, because sadly, the GoPro doesn't really hold up at night. However, the Phantom 2 is great as there are two sets of lights underneath, so that you can see which way you're going. It really helps with orienting yourself as you're looking up in the sky and not down at your screen.
Conclusion: An All-Round Fantastic Solution
All in all, the Phantom 2 is fantastic. It's light and little, fairly easy to use, and costs less than the day rate of a rental octo-copter. You're not going to be lifting a Red Epic anytime soon, but with a few tweaks in post you can get a pretty cinematic look out of the GoPro. In fact, Philip Bloom has an excellent tutorial on some AfterEffects tweaking that'll remove the barrel distortion, and really pull the colours out of your GoPro footage.
Also, legality is something to consider, and also check to make sure that you're not in any no-fly zones. In Canada, you submit an application to Transport Canada for a document called an SFOC, which is basically a flying permit for a UAV. Once they've approved your flight path, flight time, etc., you're good to go. This only applies to people using these copters for commercial use. If your company owns it, or you will in any way profit from it, it becomes a UAV. If you're just up there flying for fun, it's a model airplane, and as long as you fly under 152 m (500 ft) and stay away from any major crowded areas, you can more or less do as you please.
The Phantom 2 is unbelievably easy to fly—it's light, rugged and perfect for travel. It requires the Zenmuse H3-2D or H3-3D (as reviewed), video downlink and monitor. Interested in more information? Check out DJI's site. We equipped the Phantom 2 with a GoPro HERO3+. Combined with 30% longer battery life, 4x faster Wi-Fi, a sharper lens and compatibility with all GoPro mounts and accessories, the HERO3+ Black Edition is the most advanced GoPro yet. Check out GoPro's site.
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Sensational snacks and marvellous meals in the Colombian capital
© G Adventures


Snappy Dogs is the closest place for me to get a nice, grilled Pearl Frank, so when the ladies announced Opening Day 2013 was April 8, I marked my calendar! After a winter that dumped over 100 inches of snow, only a week before opening day 2013, there was a BIG pile of snow where the Snappy trailer usually parks.
Teresa shoveled day and night for a week to get the spot ready!
Snappy Dogs is quickly becoming a local favorite and opening day 2013 was shared by another local favorite: April 8 was also the Red Sox home opener, a game they won 3-1 over Baltimore. As Lisa and Teresa fed the hungry masses that thronged to their "cute little trailer," they began running out of food! They'll be sure to order more for Patriot's Day when they'll be parked on the Hopkinton Town Common to participate in all the Boston Marathon festivities. Not many runner scarf down a Snappy Dog before the 26 mile run to Boston, but the fans think they're tops!
The trailer is situated differently this season, allowing for smoother flow with the condiments and more seating. The ladies were obviously hard at work this winter as the full array of Snappy Dog home-made condiments were on hand. The condiments include several kinds of mustard, the red stuff (for the kids), zucchini relish, cranberry relish, rhubarb chutney, spicy slaw, green tomato relish, watermelon rind chutney, jerk ketchup, wasabi mayo, and Dr. Pepper bbq sauce. Unfortunately, they ran out of chili!
I mingled with the multitudes for a bit, then ordered up a Big Dog with red onion relish, spicy slaw, zucchini relish and Gulden's mustard. I haven't had a grilled Pearl since last September; that first crackling bite was a sign that summer (and the 2013 National Hot Dog Month Tour) isn't far away!
As usual, Lisa and Teresa were cutting it up with the crowd as they served them their dogs. It was a true Grand Opening Day 2013!


text:
By Yarrawonga Chronicle
Members of the St Andrews Uniting Church Tony Bradshaw and Joan Thom (middle right) with Target Assistant Store Manager Jo Bugbird (middle left) and Target staff members Maxine, Michelle and Crystal.
In the true spirit of Christmas, Target and UnitingCare Australia are joining together to improve the lives of thousands of Australians struggling during this festive season.
Funds raised from their annual Christmas Appeal will help the UnitingCare Network to support its community services and programs nationwide.
Now in its 27th year, the Appeal has helped hundreds of thousands of families across Australia.
It is easy to contribute in Target stores across Victoria including Yarrawonga and Tasmania by simply purchasing an appeal bauble for $2, a white Christmas gift box for $3 or giving an unwrapped gift at your local Target store.
Volunteers from the UnitingCare Network will collect donations and distribute them to people and families in need.
Uniting Volunteer Rev. Richard Franklin said " The team at Uniting is thrilled to play even a small part in such an important community campaign and encourage shoppers to donate as much or as little as they can."
In 2017, the appeal raised $700,000 nationwide from over 22,000 donations, helping support over 42,000 Australian families.
This year, organisers hope to reach more people who will struggle this Christmas thanks to the generous support from all Australians.
The Target UnitingCare Australia Christmas Appeal runs from November 1 until December 24.
Target Yarrawonga is located at 154 Belmore Street to make donations.
For more information on the appeal, and to donate online visit www.unitingcarechristmasappeal.com.au.
Being part of NAIDOC Week
Rainstick making, facepainting, dreamtime story and dance were activities throughout the Federation Council area last week, as part of NAIDOC Week. A cultural workshop was conducted for 14 Mulwala Public School students at Mulwala Library last...
Nominate now for Rural Women's Network
Local women making a difference in regional Victoria are encouraged to apply for a place on the Victorian Rural Women's Network to develop their leadership skills and advocate for country communities. The $500,000 program provides funded places on...
Yarrawonga Chronicle
Farmland values again soared
Values of farmland in the district continued their stellar rise in 2018 and have more than doubled in the last two decades. Despite the drought impacting some sales in Southern NSW and the Federation Council area, recent figures released by the...
70% for Green Route
Seventy per cent of Mulwala residents want the new Yarrawonga Mulwala Traffic Bridge to be the Green Route, alongside the railway line which crosses Lake Mulwala. Thirty per cent favour the Grey Route which would be closer to the existing bridge...


Control of technological processes of coal preparation takes place in the presence of wide disturbances. An important problem is the choice of the controller which is robust for a variety of disturbances. No less important problem in the control process is the tuning of the controller parameters. In the paper the analysis of influence of changes in object model parameters on the course of the controlled value was carried out. For the controller settings, calculated according to model parameters research was carried out on object with other values of parameters. In the studies a sensitivity analysis method was used. The sensitivity analysis for the three methods of tuning PI controller for control systems of coal preparation processes characterized by dynamic properties of the inertial element with time delay was presented. Considerations were performed at various parameters of the object on the basis of the response of the control system for a constant value of the set point. The assessment of the considered tuning methods based on selected indices of control quality was realized.


Global Spirits, a privately held international manufacturer and marketer of wines and spirits, intends to expand its global presence by establishing an Americas Business Unit which will be based out of the company's New York office.
To lead this initiative, Global Spirits has appointed Julius Criscione to the position of managing director – Americas.
In this newly created position, Criscione will report to Global Spirits USA's newly appointed CEO Maxim Dubossarsky. Criscione will be responsible for the development of the Global Spirits portfolio for the Americas domestic (excluding US) and duty free markets as well as the international brand development for Leaf vodka.
A Fortune 500 company in Europe, Global Spirits was established in 2008 and has operational hubs in New York, Moscow and Kiev. The company's annual volume exceeds 12 million cases, with distribution in more than 80 countries.
"Our goal is to establish a network of business partners who share the same values and passion for building brands in an open and transparent environment," he said.
Criscione joined Global Spirits in 2012 as the national sales and marketing director at Global Spirits USA and was responsible for the operational development, commercialisation, and market launch for LEAF Vodka in the US.
Criscione has more than 25 years of cross-functional leadership experience in the international wine and spirits industry. Prior to joining Global Spirits, he held a number of leadership positions at Pernod Ricard USA including vice president of inventory management, vice president of business support at Malibu-Kahlua International, VP international division, and VP Seagram's Malt-Based beverages division.
Key strategic brands include: Khortytsa vodka (4th largest selling vodka brand at 6.4 million cases), Morosha vodka (fastest growing international vodka brand at 3.3 million cases), Pervak vodka (acquired in 2013) and Leaf vodka (launched in the US October 2013).


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rest of what we call the fine arts revolve, receiving light and warmth. He should consider that only they whose understandings are superior to and include that of the artist can criticize his work by intuition. He should feel that his duty is to follow his author, and not to guide him. Above all, he should consider that the effort which the
author has made to please the world was very likely not intended as a personal insult to be indignantly resented, but should make an attempt to read the book he is about to pronounce judgment upon, and that, too, with a civil attention.
The difference between a true poet and a mere rhymer is not one of degree, but of kind. It is as great as that between the inventor and the mechanician. The latter can make all the several parts of the machine, and adapt them to each other with a polished nicety. The idea once given, he can always reproduce the complete engine. The product of his labor is the highest finish of which brass and steel are capable, but it remains a dead body of metal still. The inventor alone can furnish these strong, weariless limbs with a soul. In his creative intellect resides the spirit of life which shall inspire this earthborn Titan, which shall set him at work in the forge and the mill
, and compel him to toil side by side in friendly concert with the forces of nature. There, in the dark, patiently delves the hundred-handed Pyrophagus, and it is this primal breath of the master's spirit which for ever gives motion and intelligence to that iron brain and those nerves of steel.
The first thing that we have to demand of a poet is, that his verses be really alive. Life we look for first, and growth as its necessary consequence and indicator. And it must be an original, not a parasitic life, -- a life capable of reproduction. There will be harnacles which glue themselves fast to every intellectual movement of the world, and seem to possess in themselves that power of motion which they truly diminish in that which sustains them and bears them along. But there are also unseen winds which fill the sails, and stars by which the courses are set. The oak, which lies in the good ship's side an inert mass, still lives in the green progeny of its chance-dropped acorns. The same gale which bends the creaking mast of pine sings through the tossing hair of its thousand sons in the far inland. The tree of the mechanic bears only wooden acorns.
Is Robert Browning, then, a poet ? Our knowledge of him can date back seven years, and an immortality which has withstood the manifold changes of so long a period can be, as immortalities go, no mushroom. How many wooden gods have we seen during that period transformed into choppingblocks, or kindled into unwilling and sputtering sacrificial fires upon the altars of other deities as ligneous as themselves! We got our first knowledge of him from two verses of his which we saw quoted in a newspaper, and from that moment took him for granted as a new poet. Since then we have watched him with a constantly deepening interest. Much that seemed obscure and formless in his earlier productions has been interpreted by his later ones. Taken by itself, it might remain obscure and formless still, but it becomes clear and assumes definite shape when considered as only a part of a yet unfinished whole. We perceive running through and knitting together all his poems the homogeneous spirit, gradually becoming assured of itself, of an original mind. We know not what higher praise to bestow on him than to say that his latest poems are his best.
His earlier poems we shall rather choose to consider as parts and illustrations of his poetic life than as poems. We find here the consciousness of wings, the heaven grasped and measured by the aspiring eye, but no sustained flight as yet. These are the poet's justifications of himself to himself, while he was brooding over greater designs. They are the rounds of the ladder by which he has climbed, and more interesting for the direction they indicate than from any intrinsic worth. We would not be considered as undervaluing them. Had he written nothing else, we should allow them as heights attained, and not as mere indications of upward progress. We shall hope presently to show by some extracts, that they are not simply limbs, but are endowed with a genuine and vigorous individual life. But Mr. Browning can afford to do without them. And if he has not yet fully expressed himself, if we can as yet see only the lower half of the statue, we can in some measure foretell the whole. We can partly judge whether there is likely to be in it the simplicity and comprehensiveness, the poise, which indicates the true artist. At least, we will not judge it by its base, however the sculptor's fancy may have wreathed it with graceful or grotesque arabesques, to render it the worthy footstool of his crowning work. Above all, let us divest ourselves of the peity influences of contemporaneousness, and look at it as if it were just unburied from the embalming lava of Pompeii. Is the eye of the critic so constituted, that it can see only when turned backward ?
Mr. Browning's first published poem was Paracelsus. This was followed by Strafford, a Tragedy, of which we know only that it was "acted at the Theatre Royal, Covent Garden. We do not need it in order to get a distinct view of his steady poetical growth. Next comes Sordello, a Poem; and the list is completed by Bells and Pomegranates, a series of lyrical and dramatic poems published at intervals during the last six years. Were we to estimate Paracelsus and Sordello separately and externally as individual poems, without taking into consideration their antecedent or consequent internal relations, we should hardly do justice to the
Viewed by itself, Sordello would incline us to think that Mr. Browning had lost in simplicity, clearness, and directness of aim, in compactness and decision of form, and in unity of effect. We may as well say bluntly, that it is totally incomprehensible as a connected 'whole. It reminds one of Coleridge's epigram on his own Ancient Mariner :
" Your poem must eternal be,
Dear Sir, it cannot fail ;
For 't is incomprehensible,
And without head or tail." It presents itself to us, at first view, as a mere nebulosity, triumphantly defying the eye to concentrate itself on any one point. But if we consider it intently, as possibly having some definite relation to the author's poetic life, we begin to perceive a luminous heart in the midst of the misty whirl, and, indeed, as a natural consequence of it. By dint of patient watchfulness through such telescope as we possess, we have even thought that it might not be wholly incapable of resolution as a system by itself. It is crowded full of images, many of them truly grand. Here and there it opens cloudily, and reveals glimpses of profound thought and conception of character. The sketch of Taurello, the Italian captain of the Middle Ages, drawn rapidly, as with a bit of charcoal on a rough wall, is masterly. Perhaps we should define what is in itself indefinable as well as may be, if we say that we find in Sordello the materials of a drama, proVOL. LXVI. — NO. 139.
fuse, but as yet in formless solution, not crystallized firmly round the thread of any precise plot, but capable of it. We will say that it was a fine poem before the author wrote it. In reading it, we have seemed to ourselves to be rambling along some wooded ridge in the tropics. Here gigantic vines clamber at random, hanging strange trees with clusters that seem dipped in and dripping with the sluggish sunshine. Here we break our way through a matted jungle, where, nevertheless, we stumble over giant cactuses in bloom, lolling delighted in the sultry air. Now and then a gap gives us a glimpse of some ravishing distance, with a purple mountainpeak or two, and all the while clouds float over our heads, gorgeous and lurid, which we may consider as whales or camels, just as our Polonian fancy chooses.
A book is often termed obscure and unintelligible by a kind of mental hypallage, which exchanges the cases of the critic and the thing criticized. But we honestly believe that Sordello is enveloped in mists, of whose begetting we are quite guiltless. It may have a meaning, but, as the logicians say, a posse ad esse non valet argumentum. Or the meaning may be in the same category with those flitting islands of the Canary group, which vanished as soon as seen, and of which stout Sir John Hawkins says mournfully, that " it should seem he was not yet born to whom God hath appointed the finding of them." Obscurity is a luxury in which no young author has a right to indulge himself. We allow writers of established reputations to tax our brains to a limited extent, because we expect to find something, and feel a little natural delicacy about confessing that we come back from the search without a mare's egg or so, at the very least. Then, too, there are some writers whose obscurity seems to be their chief merit. Of these, some of the Persian religious poets, and, above all, the " later Platonists," may serve as examples. These have a title by prescription to every imaginable form of obfuscation. When we hear that any one has retired into obscurity, we can fancy him plunging into the speculations of these useful men. Before we had seen the Epistolæ Obscurorum Virorum, we took it for granted as a collection of their correspondence, though we found it hard to conceive of any contemporary class of persons who corresponded with them in the smallest particular.
We do not by any means join in the vulgar demand, that
who pay
authors should write down to the average understanding ; because we have faith that this understanding is becoming equal to higher and higher tasks from year to year. Nor should we be thankful for that simplicity which many inculcate, and by which they mean that an author should be as artificial and as Alat as he can. The simplicity of one age can never be that of the next. That which was natural to Homer would be a mechanical contrivance now. Our age is eminently introspective. It is continually asking itself (with no very satisfactory result), Whence ? and Whither ? and though seven cities quarrelled over one limb of this problem after Homer's death, it is hardly probable that he ever asked himself the question, whence he came, or whither he was going, in the whole course of his life. Our poets do not sing to an audience who can neither read nor write. The
persons for their verses are not a half-dozen of petty kings, who would not (as the boys say) know B from a bull's foot, and the polish of whose courts would be pretty well paralleled in that of his present Gracious Majesty of Ashantee. The law of demand and supply rules everywhere, and we doubt not that Apollo composed bucolics in words of one syllable for the edification of his serene dunceship Admetus. His sheep (a less critical audience) may have heard grander music, of which Orpheus perhaps caught echoes among the hills. We cannot have back the simplicity of the song without the simplicity of the age to which it was addressed. Our friend Jinks, who is so clamorous for it, must wear raw bull's-hide, or that still less expensive undress of Sir Richard Blackmore's Pict. The reading public cannot have its cake and eat it too, still less can it have the cake which it ate two thousand years ago. Moreover, we are not Greeks, but Goths; and the original blood is still so vivacious in our veins, that our rustic architects, though admitting, as a matter of pure æsthetics, that all modern meeting-houses should be exact Grecian temples or tombs (steeple and all), will yet contrive to smuggle a pointed window somewhere into the back of the building, or the belfry.
Having glanced confusedly at Sordello, as far as it concerns ourselves, let us try if we can discover that it has any more distinct relation to the author. And here we ought naturally to take it in connection with Paracelsus. From this point of view, a natural perspective seems to arrange itself, ,


A handpainted note made by your child is sure to delight your friends and family.
Brush poster board with Cloudless. Let dry.
Flatten toilet paper roll. Cut into strips approximately ¾" to 1".
Carefully push one creased end towards other creased end to form a heart. Tape rounded ends of heart to secure. Create two hearts.
Pour Pink Parfait onto foam plate. Dip flat side of heart into paint and stamp onto poster board. Stamp randomly and let dry.
Dip second heart into Cameo Pink and repeat stamping process. Let dry.
Cut poster board into rectangles. Cut two short ends with decorative edged scissors.
Personalize Valentine's card with a name or sentiment using black paint marker.


Researcher is looking for older children and teenagers living with a Growth Hormone Deficiency aged between 12 and 17 to take part in an online community site. We would also like to invite the parent/s to take part as well. This would involve both of you logging onto the site over a 5 day period – starting ideally tomorrow (Friday 20th January) to share your experiences of what's it like for you and your child on a day to day basis. You will be asked to be interactive with others throughout the 5 day period and to also share your experiences of using the Easypod device. You do not have to complete the daily entries together.
If you are interested please call Ann on 020 3716 3101 and she will be pleased to tell you more about it.


Wayne State University is trying to be the winner of the Gift of Life Michigan Campus Challenge against 13 other colleges and universities for the eighth straight year. The challenge encourages people to sign up for the Michigan Donor Registry, giving hope to those in need of a lifesaving organ or life-healing tissue transplants. Register to be an organ donor now.
Wayne State has won the competition the past seven years and is looking to do it again by adding the most names to the donor registry. WSU has registered almost 5,000 people to Michigan's donor registry over the past seven years.
Since 2012, WSU's Gift of Life campaign has been spearheaded by Beverly and Tim Butler, an associate business professor, who lost their daughter, Rebecca Joy Butler, in May 2011 while waiting for a lung transplant. Rebecca was a marketing student at WSU and a member of the Alpha Gamma Delta Sorority.
Alpha Gamma Delta, with the help of other student organizations, has led WSU's efforts in the Campus Challenge through emails, social media, posters and at donor registry stations across campus.
Since 2016, WSU has partnered with police departments in the community to honor fallen Sgt. Collin Rose, who in his final act of service saved or improved the lives of up to 70 people through organ and tissue donation. Police officers are encouraged to register as well.
To sign up for the donor registry and support Wayne State in the Campus Challenge, visit www.giftoflifemichigan.org/go/wayne. The competition ends at 11:59 p.m. Feb. 20. To see the current standings, visit https://www.giftoflifemichigan.org/campus-challenge.
For more information, visit the Wayne State Gift of Life Facebook page.


The play that I used when Iago was telling Othello what happened to Cassio and how it all started, Act 2, scene 3 line 213-222.The character that I play was Iago. I understand that saying the tone of Iago you must be significant with your tone and talking in a loud and persuading tone so the audience could tell that you are Iago. The character traits that I understand about Iago is you must be persuading with your tone and performance And the emotion you must have is trying to be wicked.
Fehi recording of Iago's by Fatafehi is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.


Every plant tells a story. Whether you have an afternoon or a whole season, you can make an important contribution to a better understanding of changing climates. BudBurst is a national network of people monitoring plants as the seasons change. Project BudBurst data is collected in a consistent manner across the country so that scientists can learn more about the responsiveness of plant species to changes in climate locally, regionally, and nationally. If you would like to make a meaningful contribution to understanding environmental change, join Project BudBurst today!
SharkFinder and Paleo Quest featured in Science magazine!
The first set of Aecern Citizen Scientist data capture apps are now available for Apple and Android devices, including iPads.
SharkFinder Scientists in Marine Science Today Spotlight!
SharkFinder scientists Jason Osborne and Aaron Alford, and their Paleo Quest work, are featured in a "Spotlight" article in Marine Science Today.
SharkFinder and Paleo Quest in article by journal Nature!
SharkFinder and PaleoQuest founders were included and quoted in an article in the journal Nature.


Northern has produced travel advice for those customers seeking to use some of the most popular rail routes across the north of England on Saturday 8 April.
Industrial action will mean around 32 per cent of Northern services will run on Saturday, with more than 300 additional rail replacements buses also on hand to help customers keep on the move.
Saturday promises to be an extremely busy day on the rail network with the Grand National taking place as well as several significant football matches and events at arenas across the region.
The majority of Northern services will run between 9am – 5pm with very few services anywhere on the network outside of these hours.
There will also be five trains per hour at Liverpool Lime Street from 9am to 6.30pm, but all are expected to be busy as thousands of people head to the city for the Grand National.
Trains will run between Manchester Victoria and Todmorden calling at Rochdale, Smithy Bridge, Littleborough and Walsden. A replacement bus service will then run from Todmorden to Halifax /Brighouse calling at Hebden Bridge, Mytholmroyd and Sowerby Bridge. Trains will run from Halifax to Leeds calling at Bradford Interchange, New Pudsey and Bramley.
TransPennine Express operate a direct service between Manchester Victoria and Leeds via Huddersfield.
Trains will run between Liverpool Lime Street and Manchester Oxford Road via Warrington Central and between Liverpool Lime Street and Manchester Victoria via Huyton and Wigan.
TransPeninne Express and East Midlands Trains are operating their full timetable as normal.
Trains will run between Blackpool and Manchester Airport calling at Poulton-le-Fylde, Preston, Buckshaw Parkway, Chorley, Horwich Parkway, Bolton, Salford Crescent, Manchester Oxford Road and Manchester Piccadilly only.
Trains will run from Leeds to Sheffield calling at Wakefield Kirkgate, Barnsley and Meadowhall only. There will be no northern service between Sheffield and Nottingham. East Midlands trains will be making additional calls at Langley Mill and Alfreton on their services between Nottingham and Sheffield.
Trains will ruin between Newcastle and Carlisle. All stations will be served on this route.
Trains will run between Leeds and Skipton calling at all stations. Replacement buses will run between Leeds and Settle. Between Settle and Carlisle no service is available.