There is a moment halfway through the movie where Francis (Owen Wilson), Jack (Jason Schwartzman), and Peter (Adrien Brody) find themselves in the middle of rural India on a bus. An Indian man stares at them incredulously and asks "What are you doing in this place?" and without skipping a beat Francis answers with utter sincerity, "Well originally we came on a spiritual journey but I guess it didn't pan out that way." The Indian man gives them a long understanding look, but he is hardly surprised. These aren't the first white people he's seen using his country for some sort of enlightenment, and it certainly be the last.
This exchange sums up Wes Anderson's India. It is rich and textured, with many beautiful vistas and a thoroughly lived-in culture. Yet it carries on completely unconcerned about the spiritual development of three needy and mostly unlikeable white brothers who are desperately trying to use the country's rich history of religion, culture, and spirituality to fix their own ills. The three brothers find themselves on this journey one year after the death of their father, meeting each other for the first time since that fateful day. Francis, the oldest and the surrogate parent of the three, has organized the trip following a near-fatal accident as a desperate attempt to draw the estranged siblings closer together. Out of obligation and maybe a little desperation Jack and Peter show up at the train station, each of them running away from their lives at home. Under usual circumstances, this would be the setup for a saccharine sweet movie about life-changing epiphanies and revelations with a heavy dose of familial reconciliation. But this is Wes Anderson, and he is too rightly smug to allow this to happen.
Instead The Darjeeling Limited is a meandering masterpiece about the ways we manufacture artificial epiphanies. Francis wants his spiritual journey, but he does it with heavily detailed and laminated itineraries. The other two brothers spend as much time being as obsessed about their other lives as they do whatever is happening right in front of them. All three of them have brought a ridiculous amount of literal baggage to complement the heavy metaphorical ones they carry. Any attempt at brotherly reconnections is immediately negated by each other's self-absorbtion and any second that only two of them is together is spent gossiping and criticizing the missing brother. They constantly pledge new promises to one another and then break them as quickly as they make them.
On my first viewing, this lack of progress in the storytelling and growth of the characters frustrated me. But ten years later, and ten years older, it dawned on me that Anderson is telling this story this way because he knows that any profundities uncovered in this film would be cheaply earned. He is telling a story about estranged siblings from a torn apart family and there are no cheap reconciliations with estranged siblings. The three brothers know each other intimately. They know each others secrets and weaknesses. Their frustrations with one another have been developed for years and each one knows exactly how to push the other's buttons. Whatever growth they may have had apart from each other quickly devolves into well-established and rehearsed roles the moment they come together. And most tellingly, the only bond that really keeps them together is one that is not of their own choosing. At one point Jack muses, "I wonder if the three of us would've been friends in real life. Not as brothers, but as people." And the other two remain tellingly silent.
Now of course on the surface this does sound like a downer of a plot and at some level it is. But fortunately in the hands of Wes Anderson he calibrates the film so that, like the three forlorn brothers, we are frequently distracted by the picturesque sandbox that he has created. Borrowing heavily from the playbook of the great Satyajit Ray, India's vibrancy of colours, sounds, and culture turns out to be the perfect backdrop for Anderson's distinctive style so that arguably The Darjeeling Limited may turn out to be his most beautiful looking picture. And unlike so many other Anderson movies, his India never feels like a fairy tale storybook but rather a fully lived in world in which his three white leads intentionally stick out like a sore thumb. Anderson's India is never really concerned with aiding the brothers on their journey. There is no magical minority character dispelling wise wisdom to them, and whatever revelations they come up with are the results of grasping at straws than any real profundity. The few Indians who have to interact with the unlikeable trio either do everything to ignore them or, like the train conductor, are incredibly annoyed by their antics. His is a colourful and vibrant India that does not exist for the benefit of white people, and instead has a vibrant life of its own.
However despite most of the movie being quite good, there is still the nagging sense that Anderson isn't covering any new ground here. The irony that his characters are stuck in existential ruts is not lost here as thematically Anderson seems to be merely spinning the wheels on his variations of sad-sack men who can't seem to move on from past hang-ups. It seems that in The Darjeeling Limited he finally exhausts that well, and as such represents perhaps his least interesting film thematically.
In the end, because all spiritual journeys need an appropriate climax, the brothers reach for some sort of enlightenment and at least on the surface find it. Their burdens seemingly lifted they set off to new horizons, new hopes, and leave their past behind them. Of course any evidence of real progress remains to be seen, as no major change of behaviour and character has happened. It is a brutally honest assessment of most of our grasps of epiphanies and the fact that they have a limited shelf life. Tellingly the final scene is focused not on the brothers reflecting on their personal journeys, but on another train ride and another trip to take a smoke. The camera pans away from them and we end with an extended look at the beautiful Indian countryside. The message is clear that India at least is not concerned with whatever journey these white boys have been on and carries on as it always has, waiting for the next outsider to try and use the country for their own enlightenment.


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The Tiniest Town
By Teresa Burney
Consider Micanopy. It's the kind of place where you can travel back in time with a stay at a lovely historic bed-and-breakfast and spend an afternoon browsing century-old shops. Early risers can venture into neighboring Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park to catch a glimpse of buffalo and Spanish ponies roaming freely in a natural habitat.
Micanopy (pronounced mick-an-oh-pee) is about two hours northwest from Orlando and just south of Gainesville. Hang a right off of Interstate-75 North's exit 374 and follow the Micanopy signs. In minutes you'll have forgotten modern life as you drive roads shaded by tunnels of old oak trees before popping out onto Cholokka Boulevard, Micanopy's main street.
The little town appears suddenly, like Brigadoon, if Brigadoon had a quaint street full of shops that sell everything from antique cameos to ukuleles.
Micanopy is often described as a time-capsule town, probably because it still has a good number of buildings left from the turn of the last century. There are 38 that have made it into the National Register of Historic Places.
While Micanopy, at one square mile, is tiny and hidden, it's far from unknown. It has had its moments of fame. The movie Doc Hollywood, starring Michael J. Fox, was filmed in the town, and recently The Huffington Post named it one of the 12 cutest small towns in America.
It also might be one of the slowest small towns in America. Nobody moves fast along Cholokka Boulevard. Even inveterate shoppers saunter about at a snail's pace, the better to spot the many unusual and one-of-a-kind items that so many of the stores stock on their shelves.
"It's a great place to do nothing and rest afterwards," quips one longtime shopkeeper.
On the south end of Cholokka, Monica Fowler and her cat Abigail keep watch for customers at Delectable Collectables. Here Fowler has assembled a treasure trove of about 1,500 original antique cameos. She also sells flow blue china and majolica, art pottery and antique glass. But it's her collection of cameos that dominates the shop, which is housed in an old bank building.
"I have always adored cameos," she says. She started ordering books from Europe on the art form 40 years ago, and an obsession and business were born. Fowler has been collecting and selling cameos in town for 35 years.
Over time, Micanopy's merchants have built a tight-knit society, sending customers looking for specific items they don't carry to the shops most likely to have what they seek.
Pop into the Sun Flower Gallery and you'll be greeted by artist Linda Blondheim's Florida landscape paintings — big skies bursting with clouds, oak trees dripping in Spanish moss and other natural scenes. Don't be surprised to see patrons on the gallery's patio in the middle of a painting session. Art classes are held regularly.
Midway down the boulevard is a 3,500-square-foot store simply called The Shop. Open for 36 years, the store is chockfull of home decor items and decorations for most every holiday.
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At Shady Oak Gallery & Studio, some unusual jewelry featuring minerals and fossils is on display. But the star here is the Stained Glass Studio; it's worth peeking into to see students working on stained-glass windows and panels.
And then there are stores like The Garage, which has a dizzying array of antique offerings from souvenir tablecloths to piggy banks, and Leonardo's, home to musical instruments, particularly stringed instruments, that are displayed on the walls and throughout the store.
Besides the well-established businesses, a number of new places have opened, including Somewhere Along the Way, an art studio on the north end of town. The former post office building doubles as a coffeehouse. Inside the gallery space is bright and contemporary, designed for relaxing, drinking a cup of Joe or just contemplating the colorful art on the walls. Among the featured works are pieces by Mark Richardson, who is not only a photographer, but also the proprietor.
Another new business that warrants a stop is Micanopy's Trading Outpost. The wooden Indian out front hints at the intriguing antiques inside. Furniture and items such as an old doctor's bag in mint condition are among the finds.
B&B Bliss
Overnighting it in old Micanopy at the venerable Herlong Mansion Historic Inn & Gardens adds another experience to your visit. The tallest building in town and the grandest with big Corinthian columns gracing its porches, the B&B sits on Cholokka, a short walk from the shops. Its imposing presence is almost impossible to miss.
Unlike many homes of its time, the property has 10 fairly spacious bedrooms that are furnished with period antiques, vintage photographs and old-school knick-knacks. Some rooms feature dramatic wrought-iron or four-poster beds and claw-foot soaking tubs reminiscent of luxuries of another era. However, the one thing you won't find in your guestroom is a television.
The mansion's front porches, home to rocking chairs and bed swings, invite guests to while away an hour to two with a good book. On the second-floor porch, which faces east and stretches across the entire front of the house, guests enjoy their early morning coffee as they watch the sun rise.
Breakfast at a B&B is always a treat and the Herlong inn spoils their guests with dishes like French toast casserole and cheese grits served on vintage Desert Rose china. Grab a table in the dining room where a bump out provides large windows for viewing the grounds. A stroll through the gardens after breakfast will turn up a cozy vine-covered gazebo that has provided the perfect backdrop for many beautiful weddings.
The inn began its life in 1845 as a simple pine "cracker" farmhouse. Years later Zeddy Clarence Herlong, who made his money in the local lumber industry, turned the farmhouse into a grand mansion. By 1910 it had become a brick classic Greek-Revival imitation.
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Micanopy's historic vibe goes beyond the buildings. The one-square-mile town was founded in 1821, about the same time Florida was moving from a Spanish colony to a U.S. Territory. It is said to be the oldest inland town in the state.
In 1774 naturalist William Bartram passed through and wrote about visiting Micanopy and the nearby Seminole Indian village of Cuscowilla, as well as the adjacent Paynes Prairie.
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Fort Mose brings spirit of early freedom-seekers to life | Commentary
Two forts rose up in the area, one recently determined to be located where the town now sits. Bloody Seminole war battles were fought there, and Zachary Taylor came to visit before he was elected president of the United States.
There was a communal asylum for persecuted European Jews, which was established near Micanopy in the early 1800s, according to histories of the town.
By the 1880s, after the Seminole wars, Micanopy became known as a leading producer of oranges and vegetables, and workers found opportunity in the groves and fields. But when the Depression arrived, the town fell on hard times.
Fast forward to the 21st century. Where else can you find a slice of Old Florida as authentic as the town of Micanopy?

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


My name is Luke Sullivan and I am a 14 year old boy with a severe peanut allergy. I carry multiple epi-pens everywhere I go, and I have to think about what is in every food I put in my mouth, and everything that I handle that may have come in contact with peanuts.
Constant diligence is my life. Even being around my friends who may have recently consumed peanut butter sandwiches, M&Ms, the list goes on. The simple childhood ritual of a sleep-over at someone's house is a carefully planned mission. This started when I was 5 years old. I almost died from eating a tiny chocolate containing peanut flour.
It was a peanut allergy I never knew I had. After eating that chocolate I experienced immense stomach pain, sneezing, hives, vomiting, and finally couldn't breathe at all because of a little treat my grandma gave me on Easter Sunday. If I wasn't for my mom & dad rushing me to the hospital I would have died for sure, since I did not own a single epi-pen; with no knowledge of the allergy, why would I? I arrived at the hospital unconscious and not breathing, the doctor later told my parents that it was a good thing they got me to the hospital when they did, otherwise this would have been a whole different story in a matter of minutes.
It was a traumatic experience for everyone: me, my parents, my aunt and uncle, grandparents, and cousins. Everyone but my parents thought that the symptoms were nothing and would subside. Imagine how horrible they would have felt if I had died... Because of this allergy I haven't been on a vacation, (on a commercial airline). How could I fly? Airlines have become more aware about serving peanuts on planes, but many are still doing so. Other passengers can still bring peanuts or peanut butter sandwiches or peanut bars on board with them, and there is nothing I or anyone else with this allergy can do about it. Airlines don't even ask people to not bring or eat these things on board as a matter of practice.
You cannot bring on nail clippers, fluids in full size containers, pocket knives, but you can bring all the peanuts you want even if they could kill 7.5% of the population with anaphylaxis, should they be sitting next to you. This makes the thought of flying anywhere for a vacation ( or in the future for business) very stressful for me and my family, as for something so easily preventable, I have to risk my life at least 30 thousand feet in the air, knowing that if I do have an anaphylactic reaction on board, not even an epi-pen can save me, as it would take time to land and get me to a hospital. So my parents would have to buy epi-pens (each costing over $100) enough for the length of the flight, knowing that each one may help me for about only 10-15 minutes.
I am now an honor roll student, member of student council, a Pay-It-Foward Ambassador, and I live my life to have fun while helping others and putting a smile on their faces. I feel that it would be amazing if everyone would want to help a kid in need. Many don't realize how a simple peanut or peanut oil on a seat arm could threaten someone's life. Why is it so important to have peanuts on planes knowing that it is a well-known, fatally allergenic food?
Why can't travelers consume this later? If I ran an airline I would do everything in my power to make sure every single person was safe and comfortable, especially if it was a child. It only makes sense. If a person dies on your plane for lack of a policy you could have implemented that cost you nothing, how is that publicity?
I respectfully ask that we move forward in making people more aware that 1 in 13 people are affected by food allergies, some fatal, by changing the laws to remove peanuts and tree nuts on planes, provide the necessary training for airline staff on the severity of peanut allergies and epi-pen use, and even carrying several epi-pens on planes in order to be able to help someone in need. That way people like me can travel with less stress and from time to time take the family on a vacation. I think it even makes business sense. Imagine if allergy sufferers and their families could fly; what increase in revenue would there be to the airline that states "We do not serve nuts, and respectfully ask passengers that for the safety of many, to please help us create a safe nut free flying experience and environment by leaving these products in your luggage." The more people who agree, the more chances we have at change.
Julie Bosomworth needs your help with "Justin Trudeau: The Removal Of Peanuts/Nuts from Airlines". Join Julie and 24,455 supporters today.


An inquiry into the origin of the discoveries attributed to the moderns: wherein it is demonstrated, that our most celebrated philosphers have, for the most part, taken what they advance from the works of the ancients; and that many important truths in religion were known to the pagan sages. Translated from the French of the Revd. Mr. Dutens, ... With considerable additions communicated by the author.
You are here: CollectionsOnline / An inquiry into the origin of the discoveries attributed to the moderns: wherein it is demonstrated, that our most celebrated philosphers have, for the most part, taken what they advance from the works of the ancients; and that many important truths in religion were known to the pagan sages. Translated from the French of the Revd. Mr. Dutens, ... With considerable additions communicated by the author.
London: printed for W. Griffin, 1769.
The dedication is dated 'Elsdon, December 28, 1767'. English translation of Recherches sur l'origine des découvertes attribuées aux modernes, first published Paris 1766 (q.v.). Pages 64, 351--2, 435 misnumbered 94, 251--2, 433. ESTC t137062.
Copy Notes Bought from Thomas Boone for 6s. on 9 June 1806. (Spiers Box). Inscribed in pencil on second front free-endpaper very Scarce/ -6-.
Binding C18th mottled calf, gilt-ruled spine, red morocco spine-label.


text:
https://celticswire.usatoday.com/2017/11/20/brad-stevens-coaching-philosophy-boston-celtics/
Brad Stevens expounds in detail on his dope pedagogy
Jared Weiss
November 20, 2017 5:36 pm ET
Brad Stevens' dope pedagogy has been one of the hot topics in discussions on the league's best coaches for awhile now. He is known as a soothsayer in both his game planning, embracing of emerging trends and maintaining strong relationships with his players.
The key to Stevens' success has been a steadfast adherence to a few broad principles about being open-minded and establishing an egalitarian system, while being able to accept new knowledge and information to reassess strategic priorities.
Stevens bakes plenty of coach speak into his interview responses and is good at subtly shifting criticism of the team onto himself, but he tends to be open and honest about many things in certain moments and especially when speaking at coaching events.
He was a keynote speaker with Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr at the Positive Coaching Alliance's "Respect Your Rival" event before their Thursday game. Stevens explained his general principles to managing the team and individual relationships, including how to maintain positivity while effectively levying criticism in a productive manner.
Being positive doesn't mean there's not going to be criticism. That doesn't mean there's not going to be the need to be demanding and making sure we're still on the right path," Stevens said per Boston.com's Nicole Yang. "But I think you can do that in a constructive way, and I think you also learn how to go about that within your personality and within your preparation."
This only works when you have buy-in throughout the organization, from the players to the coaches on your staff to the front office above you. One of the ringing endorsements Stevens has received from his players over the years – and even opposing players and coaches – is his empathy and valuing of his players' personal lives and objectives.
"I think that you can really coach people, and be even more constructively critical, if you've shown that you're invested in them as a person," he said.
Stevens is one of the few college coaches to jump to the pros and have immediate success. Although the wins took a little bit of time, his reputation was cemented from the beginning. Most college coaches struggle adjusting from the often authoritarian and patriarchal role they have being the dominant force on campus to being a blank slate with professionals making five times what they do. The toughest moment for the college to pros coach comes when the plan isn't working and the coach has to get the players to believe they can figure it out. Stevens had that faith from his players pretty much immediately with his calm approach and long view. He also understood that recreating that mentoring dynamic in the pros would require careful assertiveness.
"One of the things I think you see with all these guys, and a lot of the players in the NBA, is that the best coaching relationship they have is with their college coach," Stevens said. "Because ultimately it's different. You chose to play at a school, and you're usually choosing the coach that you're playing for."
The connection here came with Gordon Hayward, his star pupil in college and once again his protégé in the pros. Stevens emphasized publicly in the aftermath of the signing how much he wanted to show Hayward respect and not pull the ol college coach card.
"When we talked in that moment, it was more about, 'OK, I need to take my Celtics hat off and look at it as unbiased as I can.' But I still was pretty biased" he said, with a smile. "I understood that he was in a very good situation with a positive coach in Quinn Snyder, so I tried to just be a listener at that point.
"It was unique going from not having had that much contact with Gordon over the years to being in that room again when he's 27 years old and a totally different person than when he was 17," he explained. "But we still share that bond from what we got a chance to live through at those runs at Butler."
They will have to wait to accomplish everything they want together, with Hayward being out for the season with an ankle fracture. But Hayward is now sitting on the bench as a pseudo-assistant coach and is integrating in the process.
Stevens continues his process, which includes absorbing as much basketball as possible. He recently said he thinks about basketball all the time and doesn't do much else besides get up in the morning, play a little Ms. PacMan, and then watch more basketball. Stevens is a self-proclaimed basketball thief, who constantly watches everything in the game to find another nugget to add to his strategy.
"I think any time I turn on an NBA game, I learn a lot. I mean, it's like going to class every day for me," he said. "I watch the film, and I try to pick a part what they're doing. And I try to steal stuff that we can use with our team. So right then and there, without even knowing people personally, you're gaining a great deal from people you're competing against, just by learning what they do."
Stevens has always been a processed-oriented leader, fixated on creating the opportunities to succeed rather than dwelling on whether every shot fell through. He's noted his inspirations over the years that allowed him to be a growing young coach who managed to not jump the gun on his long-term goals and lose sight of the process.
"I think we all have been around successful leaders, managers, coaches, and you want to take what they did and make it happen again," he said. "But I think that you just have to stay true to who you are, put your best foot forward, and work the right way. Let the chips fall where they may. If they aren't in your favor, I think you can still be comfortable with the result if you go about it that way."
"I think the biggest thing is everybody has to coach to their personality," Stevens said. "They have to coach to who they want to be."
Stevens has hardly have to compromise to be the players he's wanted to be. He worked with a mismatched roster at the beginning and implemented his cultural ethos and long-term objectives from day one. As Danny Ainge and the front office have continued to evolve the roster to fit what Stevens needs to succeed, the results are getting stronger by the minute. Now on a 15-game winning streak, Boston appears to be even further beyond its goals. But Stevens is still nitpicking at all the little things gone wrong on this winding and remarkable road.
Stevens rarely seems to relish in success. He's too focused on what's to come. He's just the coach who he wants to be.


Parting ways is never easy. So that's why we stuck together. I wanted him. He wanted me. We can do it. We'll stick it out. He's only two states a way. A plane ride away. 3 hours. 5 hours. A second by Skype or call.
I think boys like to make excuses for what they are and what they aren't willing to do.
"Long distance relationships never work out." Many will tell you that. In some sense, it might seem true. But I really don't think it has anything to do with the distance. It has to do with the people in the relationship. And their needs.
The people that say that are the type of people that need the physical. It's how they define their relationship. They want the smell, the touch, the cuddling, the gazes. They want to be near you. And all in all, I would say that is essential to building something good for the long-term. It's nice. We all need that. But if it's all your boo wants, then when it's time to venture away you'll notice they'll be the first one's calling it off.
Going the distance means you can do without it for a while and that your love is strong enough to be felt over power lines and transmitted airwaves. You know eventually you'll get that long awaited hug or kiss, but that's just fine with you because you love the thrill of waiting and how everything feels when your reunited with your boo. I've always thought that long distance relationships are a sign of true love, people that have grown to love one another for their personalities, for the people they are. People that understand there is more to relationships and loving someone than just the physical. Those are the kind of people you grow old with. Those are the type of people that you call the one.
Either way it can be tough. We've all got needs! And so does your boo. On top of true love in a long-distance relationship is the important value of trust. If you can't trust 'em while you're there then don't bank on them to be on your best behavior while your away. If being apart is a temporary thing for a few months or years, then a long distance relationship will let you know if your love is tried and true. It allows you to build trust in your partner and your relationship. Because if you can make it long distance, I firmly believe your love can make it through anything.
But the best thing about going the distance is that sense of liberation that you get. Your secure because you know you've got a man, but you also have more free time to enjoy you and let your self-develop. Often times this can be good or bad for a relationship because you never know if you'll have an experience that might make you want to cut it off with your boo who is hopefully waiting back home. But sometimes time apart can really make you realize who you are as an individual and what you want out of your partner.
But it can be done. I know it.
And to any man who says a long distance relationship can't happen? Well, just watch Christina and Laith's story. It's absolutely adorable. And the truth.
aww man watched the video a couple times. i fell in love all over again each time she turns around and sees him.
anyways, long distance relationships can work as you stated. it takes the right people with the right intentions and an open mind. great article.


text:
Q: iFrame scrollTop on a non-local domain $("#topofpage").click(function() {
    $("#iframe_display").scrollTop();
});

This doesn't work, it says 'permission denied'. The URL must reside in the same domain for only scrollTop to work?  Why is this? Is there any way around it?
How about using server side code using .load instead or something ?

A: because you cannot execute scripts on non-local domains to prevent the cross site scripting a.k.a XSS
have a look at same origin policy

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Elise Knutsen
Syrian refugees allowed back across border
Elise Knutsen Aug. 11, 2014 | 12:13 AM
BEIRUT: Approximately 2,000 Syrian refugees who were stranded for two days on the highway in the Bekaa Valley have returned to Syria. The refugees were...
Stranded Syrian refugees begin to return home
ANJAR/BAR ELIAS, Lebanon: Some of the 2,000 Syrian refugees stranded on the border with Lebanon began to cross into Syria Friday after being denied exit...
Seeking an image between cultures
Elise Knutsen Aug. 08, 2014 | 09:48 PM
BEIRUT: Over the past year, Xriss Jor has been working to develop her image, to cultivate Brand Xriss. "It's been a very slow process, and people...
Inner peace by day, psychedelic by night
BEIRUT: Forestronika, a four-day music and lifestyle festival, kicked off Thursday at Ecovillage campsite in the Chouf. The festival, which is billed as...
Residents of Labweh prevent aid convoy from reaching Arsalis
BEIRUT: A humanitarian aid convoy traveling to Arsal from the central Bekaa Valley was prevented from reaching its destination by residents of Labweh. The aid...
Trapped refugees in need of medical aid
Samya KullabElise Knutsen Aug. 07, 2014 | 12:11 AM
BEIRUT: Syrian refugees are barred from leaving Arsal and in urgent need of medical care, said medical professionals and aid workers inside the embattled...
Lebanon mourns soldiers who died in Arsal
BEIRUT: Distraught family members and hundreds of friends, colleagues and supporters bid farewell Monday to the Army's 40-year-old Lt. Col. Noureddine...
Arsal officials demand a Tripoli-style security plan
Elise KnutsenNizar Hassan Aug. 01, 2014 | 12:25 AM
BEIRUT: Officials in Arsal called on the Army Thursday to implement a security plan in the town mimicking initiatives in Tripoli and the Bekaa Valley, in the...
Plumbly stands by Lebanese Army
Elise Knutsen Jul. 26, 2014 | 12:10 AM
YARZE, Lebanon: Despite the absence of a president, the international community remains committed to supporting Lebanese security services, which are...
Activist Saint Hoax talks political art
BEIRUT: At first fleeting glance, the works of local artist Saint Hoax recall the halcyon days of childhood. Incorporating Disney characters in a slew of...
Crackdown shutters Syrian businesses in Bekaa Valley
BAR ELIAS, Lebanon: Handwritten notices, sealed with red wax, dot the handles of shop shutters along the main commercial hub of Bar Elias, a stark sign of a...
Arsal on high alert as border battles close in
Rakan al-FakihElise Knutsen Jul. 19, 2014 | 12:22 AM
HERMEL, Lebanon: Residents of the northeastern town of Arsal are growing increasingly worried about their safety as a battle between Hezbollah and members of...
Hamas not seeking to draw Lebanon into Gaza war: official
BEIRUT: None of the Palestinian factions want to draw Lebanon into the current Gaza conflict, a senior Hamas official told The Daily Star Wednesday, following...
Neglected Tripoli finds strength in ISIS flag
Elise KnutsenJustin Salhani Jul. 17, 2014 | 12:17 AM
TRIPOLI, Lebanon: Azzam Sami sifted through stacks of T-shirts and unsold World Cup flags that lined his Tripoli-based toy store before settling on two...
We have to live with Sykes-Picot: French ambassador
BEIRUT: More than 20,000 French citizens in the country celebrate France's National Day Monday, with Ambassador Patrice Paoli using the occasion to call...
Lebanese cry foul as Syrian doctors fill gaps in health care
BEIRUT: There is growing concern over Syrian doctors working illegally in Lebanon, with politicians and professionals in the field questioning whether...
Brangelina's French rosé showcased in Beirut
BEIRUT: If winning Oscars and high profile humanitarianism weren't enough, Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt can now add world class wine production to their...
Lebanon's Palestinians lament apathy over Gaza
BEIRUT: Standing beneath banners bearing the smiling face of Yasser Arafat, five Palestinians in Beirut's Burj al-Barajneh refugee camp gathered transfixed...
Syrian refugees cut as part of deregistration, verification program
BEIRUT: Forty-five thousand Syrians have been removed from the United Nation's official refugee registry as part of a normal deregistration and...
Iraq crisis poses economic threat to Lebanon and Jordan: ESCWA
BEIRUT: Conflicts throughout the Middle East have hampered development, according to a new report to be issued by the United Nations. Moreover, the current...
More than quotas are needed for women in politics
BEIRUT: While Lebanon suffers from a paucity of female politicians, establishing a quota is not the only way to bolster women's participation in the...
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Animals need Tinder just as much as us, guys.
Coke is really, truly, probably healthy now.
Because we're all classy AF, glitter you can put in your prosecco is a thing.
This guy is the best bowler in the history of mankind.
Would you buy these see-through jeans?
You can now get your hair cut using an axe. Dreams = made.
Black ice cream is here to clutch at our dark, empty hearts.
Apparently there's a right way to cook with nitrogen.


Every year this international computer chess event is held in the city of Paderborn, which over the past 30 years has become one of the leading German centers for Computer Technology. This development is closely connected with the name of Heinz Nixdorf. The organiser of the tournament is Ulf Lorenz of the University of Paderborn, who is also the author of the program P.ConNerS (see below).
The 16 participants of this year's seven-round tournament are listed below. The winner was the German program Shredder, which scored 6 points. Shredder won all its games except for one, which it lost to Fritz. The Dutch-German program Fritz came second with 5.5 points, followed by Comet (4.5). All three are available in the ChessBase shop.
Design and implementation in 1991 originally guided by GNU chess 3.0. search algorithm based on alpha-beta search, triggered by a home-made modification of the MTD driver. uses 3 hash tables (transpositions, evaluation & table-base-cache). (recursive) Null-Move-Heuristic with reduction=2 and 1. 2 knowledge based cuts a depth 1, positional learning function, compatible to Ch. Donningers Auto232 and Chess232, reads and writes standard formats (EPD and PGN), supports Nalimov's 5-man endgame table bases. Available as freeware (DOS & winboard) as well as a native Chessbase analysis engine.
Started winter 1994 with DIEP. But now i'm busy with this experimental parallel program, it's called DIEP. Still using the same huge evaluation, from which as far as i know it's the most extensive chess evaluation that any chessprogram contains (although mainly middlegame/opening heuristics). Diep is now using depth limited alpha-beta with very little extensions and no other pruning mechanisms than double nullmove R=3, running under linux at a quad xeon from University of Alabama, Washington.
Fritz is build around a selective search technique known as the null-move search. As part of its search, Fritz allows one side to move twice (the other side does a null-move). This allows the program to detect weak moves before they are searched to their full depth. Move generators, evaluation functions and data structures have been designed to maximize the effectiveness of the null-move search. Fritz is the winner of the previous computerchess world championship in Hong Kong 1995. 1993 Fritz tied for 1st place in a Blitz tournament in Munich with the complete world elite. It scored the best computer result in the 1996 man-computer Aegon tournament. In 1998 Fritz was leading the prestigious Swedish rating list. It won an active chess tournament Frankfurt 1998 with a full point ahead of 36 grandmasters. Kind regards Mathias Feist ChessBase GmbH.
Gandalf was started around 1985 by Steen Suurballe. The program was a rule-based selective program, which was very slow, but did surprisingly well. In 1993 Dan Wulff joined in the work, and has been doing the opening library ever since. In 1995 Steen decided to skip the selective search, and concentrate on the evaluation function. The program got much stronger after this change, and although it has become a lot faster than the prior version, it is still rater slow, when compared with other programmes. The search was changed to a standard alpha/beta search, with null-move reductions, and a lot of extensions. The latest version of Gandalf is a WinBoard-compatible engine.
Development of Ikarus started in January 1997 when our previous program, named "BasicChess", reached the 64kb memory limit of Borland Pascal 7.0 and its source code had grown completely cryptic. The 32-bit language Borland Delphi 2.0 allowed us to finally use hash tables and the next year or so saw us implement a graphical user interface and most of the usual standard search heuristics (null move pruning, history heuristic, search extensions etc.) as well as some advanced data structures such as a pawn- king hash table. From March 1998 on a Winboard-compatible version has been autoplaying a variety of computer opponents. Ikarus also got a new hand-crafted opening book. Over Christmas 1998 we added support for the endgame databases created by Eugene Nalimov; so our program contains a port of the probing code provided by the author.
In 1991 I started to write my first C++ Project, a Class-Lib for a DOS-Window-Manager-Interface. Inspired from David Levy's "Computer Chess Compendum" (specially the Article about Chess4) i started to write a chess-algorithm in bottom-up manner (beginning with data structures like piece-sets and bitboards and fast assembler routines to modify them). Two incremential updated redundant sets PIECESET _ControlledBy for each square and BITBOARD _ControllTo for each piece are used for move generation and evaluation purposes. The Search is a standard alpha-beta Nullwindow search with Iterative Deepening and several thread extensions and Nullmove. Standard Heuristics like Killer and History are used. The Leave-Evaluation performs several tasks like extension-detection (Kingdanger, passed pawns) and sevaral Mate in one detections. With my own C++ Class-library an implementation of a graphical user interface for the chessprogram was a quite easy task - IsiChess was born. Special Feature is the abilty to play simultaniously with up to ten chessboards in separate windows.
Brutus-Experimental is the new chess engine written by Chrilly Donninger.
Patzer uses the standard alpha-beta PVS search, enhanced by hashtables (4 retries replacement scheme), recursive nullmove (R=2) with verification if only one piece present, special pruning heuristic for ALL-nodes, various extensions. It also uses a special material hash table to adjust the material balance values for certain endgames where the "usual" values do not apply. It values king safety and passed pawns rather high (too high?). It is a incremental bitboard program with attack tables that are also used during move generation and sorting.
P.ConNerS stands for 'Parallel Controlled Conspiracy Number Search'. It has been written by Ulf Lorenz, who is a member of Prof. Dr. Burkhard Monien's research group at the University of Paderborn. U. Lorenz mainly works on the research fields of domain independent selective search in game trees, and on the field of efficient parallel algorithms for optimization problems. P.ConNerS uses a variant of the so called 'Controlled Conspiracy Number Search' algorithm. As a result it examines highly selective and irregular game trees. Evaluations are done by the help of depth 2 alphabeta searches. When it runs on a parallel machine with 60 Pentium 300 MHz processors, P.ConNerS reaches a rate of about 1.2 million nodes per second. In February 1999 it won the 8th International Paderborn Computer Chess Championship.
Winner of the 9th WMCCC and the 9th IPCCC 2000 in Paderborn!


text:
struct OsmElement;
class FeatureBuilder1;
namespace feature
{
struct GenerateInfo;
}  // namespace feature

namespace generator
{
class EmitterInterface;
class RegionInfoCollector;
namespace cache
{
class IntermediateDataReader;
}  // namespace cache

// Osm to feature translator for regions.
class TranslatorRegion : public TranslatorInterface
{
public:
  explicit TranslatorRegion(std::shared_ptr<EmitterInterface> emitter,
                            cache::IntermediateDataReader & holder,
                            RegionInfoCollector & regionInfoCollector);

  void EmitElement(OsmElement * p) override;

private:
  bool IsSuitableElement(OsmElement const * p) const;
  void AddInfoAboutRegion(OsmElement const * p, base::GeoObjectId osmId) const;
  bool ParseParams(OsmElement * p, FeatureParams & params) const;
  void BuildFeatureAndEmitFromRelation(OsmElement const * p, FeatureParams & params);
  void BuildFeatureAndEmitFromWay(OsmElement const * p, FeatureParams & params);

private:
  std::shared_ptr<EmitterInterface> m_emitter;
  cache::IntermediateDataReader & m_holder;
  RegionInfoCollector & m_regionInfoCollector;
};
}  // namespace generator

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Netherlands vs. Qatar: Prediction and Preview
We preview the 2022 World Cup match between Netherlands and Qatar, including our pre-match prediction for each team's final game in Group A.
This was not the way Qatar will have wanted their home tournament to go.
With almost 12 years to prepare, the Maroons tried to put themselves in a position to be an inspirational underdog at their World Cup.
That has not proven to be the case, with defeats against Ecuador and Senegal seeing them become the first host nation ever to be eliminated after two games of a World Cup tournament.
Qatar still have one more match to go, though, and arguably the most glamorous one as they prepare to take on the Netherlands in their final outing.
Felix Sanchez's men will not just want to claim a morale-boosting big scalp to go out on a high but will also be keen to avoid defeat as no host nation have ever lost as many as three matches at a World Cup.
The Netherlands topped the group after matchday two, but only just, after an uninspiring 1-1 draw against Ecuador that kept them above La Tri on goal difference, and a point ahead of third-placed Senegal.
Louis van Gaal's side will go through if they avoid defeat on Tuesday and have history on their side as only in 1978 (versus Scotland) have the Netherlands lost their final group match at the World Cup (excluding second group phases), winning four and drawing three.
The experienced coach has acknowledged his team are yet to get going in Qatar, saying on Friday: "If we want to become world champions, we need to improve a lot, because the quality of the opponents we have yet to face is at a much higher level."
A 2-0 win against Senegal in their opener felt somewhat fortunate, while they had to rely on the woodwork to prevent Ecuador from coming back from a goal down to beat them.
While Qatar are not one of those higher-quality opponents Van Gaal will have been referring to, the Dutch will need to ensure they are on their game at Al Bayt Stadium.
Speaking after defeat to Senegal on Friday, Sanchez said: "We intend to be competitive [against the Netherlands]. We cannot miss a chance like this to play against the Netherlands, so our plan, the goal is to play a good game."
They could gain hope from the fact that the host country have won their final group match in five of the last six World Cups (including both Japan and South Korea as joint-hosts in 2002), with Russia losing 3-0 to Uruguay in 2018 in the other.
Netherlands: Cody Gakpo
The Dutch have struggled to create so far, having just four shots on target across their first two games, though three of those have ended up in the net. Since 1966, the fewest total shots on target from the Netherlands in a group stage at the World Cup is 10 in 1990.
Gakpo has been a shining light, though, having been directly involved in at least one goal in his last five appearances for the Netherlands in all competitions (four goals, one assist). For club and country in all competitions this season, Gakpo has been involved in 34 goals in 28 appearances, scoring 16 goals and assisting a further 18.
The 23-year-old has put his country 1-0 up in both games in Qatar so far, and only three players have ever scored in three consecutive World Cup appearances for the Dutch; Johan Neeskens (1974), Dennis Bergkamp (1994) and Wesley Sneijder (2010).
Qatar: Boualem Khoukhi
While they will want to put on a show for their fans as they bow out of the tournament, Qatar will surely spend the majority of the game defending.
Khoukhi put in some shift to try and keep Senegal out, even if it ended up in vain, with his nine clearances being seven more than any other Qatari player, while he also had more touches (83) and passes attempted (64) than any of his team-mates.
Qatar have conceded five goals so far, with no host nation ever conceding more in a single group stage, with South Africa also conceding five in 2010.
Netherlands vs Qatar Prediction
According to our match prediction model, this will be a straightforward win for the Netherlands, having been given an 82.9% chance of taking all three points.
The supercomputer has assigned an 11.5% chance of a draw, while what would be a famous victory for Qatar has just a 5.6% chance of happening.


text:
McCartney Announces RSD Limited Edition….Cassette?
In the lead-up to Record Store Day 2017 (which falls on 22 April), Paul McCartney has just announced he'll issue a limited edition, three-song cassette that will be distributed to some participating stores. The cassette will contain three of the "download only" demos he made for the album with Elvis Costello that will form part of his forthcoming Flowers In The Dirt box set deluxe edition. Here's the official press release:
FLOWERS IN THE DIRT — THE CASSETTE DEMOS WITH ELVIS COSTELLO
RECORD STORE DAY EXCLUSIVE 3-TRACK CASSETTE-ONLY RELEASE
With the Flowers In The Dirt Archive Collection edition's March 24th release date via MPL/Capitol/UMe fast approaching, Paul McCartney has confirmed a very special Record Store Day exclusive.
To commemorate Record Store Day this April 22nd, a limited edition three-song cassette of Paul and Elvis Costello's Flowers In The Dirt demos will be made available at participating RSD stores.
The limited edition cassette-only release will be the first time these recordings – 'I Don't Want To Confess', 'Shallow Grave' and 'Mistress And Maid'- will be made available in the same form as when Paul and Elvis first cut them directly to tape.
Speaking about these tracks Paul said: "The demos are red hot off the skillet and that's why we wanted to include them on this boxed set. What's great about these songs is that they've just been written. So there's nothing more hot off the skillet as I say. So that was the kind of great instant thing about them. I hadn't listened to them in ages but when I did I knew we had to put them out. We made a little tape of them and sent them to Elvis, who loved them too. We said we should put out an EP or something and now the moment's finally arrived."
The demos will be made available digitally only as part of the Deluxe Edition when Flowers In The Dirt is released as the 10th installment in the multiple-GRAMMY-winning Paul McCartney Archive Collection.
The Paul McCartney Archive Collection release of Flowers In The Dirt was, as always, personally curated and overseen by Paul himself. (ENDS)
As Paul Sinclair says on his influential Super Deluxe Edition website "…it is ironic that they are coming out on tape when they were denied a release on CD partly because Paul wants to stay 'modern' and embrace/drive people to streaming!"
You can read his report on the cassette here, and the saga of the "download only" decision here.
This entry was posted in Beatles, Beatles Collecting, Beatles Music, Paul McCartney and tagged Beatles, Beatles Collecting, Cassette, Flowers In The Dirt, Limited Edition, Music, Paul McCartney, Record Store Day by beatlesblogger. Bookmark the permalink.


text:
Q: Rails4: How to use HTTP instead of HTTPS (SSL) in production I use a hosting service (not heroku) for Rails4 app.
I can piggyback on the hosting service's SSL certificate for an application running on a hosting service domain like Heroku.
The browser comes to show warning message after using a custom domain, such as www.example.com.
When I type www.example.com, redirect to https://www.example.com (SSL).
Please advise me on how to use http://www.example.com instead of https://www.example.com (SSL).
I don't want to purchase and configure an SSL certificate for my domain so far.
I commented out config.force_ssl = true in production.rb.
config\production.rb
SampleApp::Application.configure do
  #config.force_ssl = true
  config.serve_static_assets = true
end

A: Try with 'false' instead of commenting out:
config.force_ssl = false


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text:
Home / Images / Artist impressions / New York Kennedy Airport: Artist's impression of future American Airlines terminal (ca. 1958)
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New York Kennedy Airport: Artist's impression of future American Airlines terminal (ca. 1958)
Having cost USD 14 million, the American Airlines terminal was put into use on February 10, 1960. Read all about its early design history here.
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New York Kennedy Airport: Artist's impression of future American Airlines terminal (ca. 1958) quantity
Category: Artist impressions Airports: New York John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK), North America, United StatesEra: 1950sAirline: American Airlines
A 1958 artist's rendering of American Airlines future terminal at New York's Kennedy Airport.
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New York Kennedy Airport: Alternative design for Sundrome (1960)
What could have been? Artist's impression for a competing design for the Sundrome (later Terminal 6) at New York's Kennedy Airport.
Categories: Artist impressions, Layouts and plans Airports: North America, United States, New York John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK)Era: 1960sAirline: National Airlines
New York Kennedy Airport: Artist's impression of future Pan Am terminal
An artist's impression of the future Pan Am terminal at New York's Kennedy Airport, made by artist Hugh Ferris
Category: Artist impressions Airports: North America, United States, New York John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK)Era: 1960sAircraft type: Boeing 707 / 720Airline: Pan Am
Paris de Gaulle Airport: Artist's impression of future airport (ca. 1971)
An early 1970s artist's impression of the "future" brand new Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport, which opened in 1974.
Category: Artist impressions Airports: Europe, France, Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG)Era: 1970sAircraft types: Aérospatiale/BAC Concorde, Boeing 747Airline: Air France
New York Kennedy Airport: Artist's impression of future TWA Flight Center (1957)
An artist's impression of the future TWA Flight Center, made in 1957.
Category: Artist impressions Airports: North America, United States, New York John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK)Eras: 1950s, 1960sAirline: TWA


Over the course of 2017, hip-hop overtook rock as the most popular music genre, broadening their core fan base to appeal to a wider audience. Despite the diverse listening base that hip-hop boasts, there is a certain class of fan that harbor incredibly similar characteristics to each other, often found awkwardly dancing to Post Malone in the corner of a party. The members of this group are known as white hip-hop fans (henceforth referred to as WHHFs). Although they have different names, identities, and backgrounds, WHHFs are cult-like, and they all share common traits with regards to their favorite music genre.
Don't get it twisted, Marshall Mathers has immense technical skill and has given hip-hop some of its most memorable performances (The Marshall Mathers LP, Rap God). However, in any discussion of great hip-hop luminaries, WHHFs will always force Eminem into the conversation while discrediting similarly technical African-American artists. Even worse, they will argue that The Marshall Mathers LP is a better album than good kid, m.A.A.d city.
They loudly sing along in the car. . .
If there's one thing which has been established about the racial climate in America, it is that white people cannot use the n-word. With many hip-hop songs containing this slur, WHHFs face a slight issue in singing along with their favorite songs. Continuing with the anecdote, the car will continue blasting "HANDS UP, EVERYBODY RUN, COLE OUTSIDE AND THEY SAY HE GOT A GUN," At this point, the WHHFs will look around and mumble the slurs that follow, turning down the hype level of the car.
There are some songs which require more than superficial attention to fully understand. For example, Kendrick Lamar's "Mortal Man" questions the benefits of fame and celebrity while commenting on racial unrest in America. WHHFs will take this too far; sometimes, Gucci Gang just means Gucci Gang.
When discussing hip-hop with a WHHF, most have absolutely no idea how to pronounce a rappers' moniker. 2 Chainz morphs into 2 ChainzzzzzzZZZ; Lil Pump turns into Lllillll Pump; Jhene Aiko is pronounced as Juh-Henn-ay Ae-ee-ko; and most of them will give up on RZA, GZA, and SZA.
Referring to their friends as their "crew" or "homies", the WHHF will overuse slang to the point of their speech pattern being mistaken for a racist impression of gang life. Building on this, WHHFs will frequently misuse slang terms. Unless you live in Los Angeles, chances are you don't know what "flock" means in a slang context. WHHFs will disregard this and use these terms incorrectly without so much as a second thought.
If you look through a WHHF's YouTube history, a plethora of the results will be titled "[Insert artist here] Type Beat", for the sole purpose of honing their freestyling skills. They will boast about a "legendary" 6-minute freestyle they dropped the other night; however, when asked to replicate the results, the WHHF will fantastically fail. The results will either be overly profane, or shallow and boring. Either way, there will be too many ad-libs and fillers.
The WHHF, along with their inability to adequately freestyle, believes that they can play producer and create their own hip-hop beats. Striving to be the next J Dilla or Metro Boomin, a WHHF will create a poor imitation of the trending sound and invite you over "to the pad to hear some heat," There will be no "heat" to be found, but rather a disjointed, unmastered, garbled mess of synths and drum patterns which even the nimblest of wordsmiths couldn't navigate.
What do you think about white hip hop fans? Tell us in the comments!
Hello friends! My name is Duncan P. Holzhall, and I am a Music Education and Hutton Honors student at Indiana University Jacobs School of Music. I am a music fanatic, with my favorites genres being neo-soul, hip-hop, R&B, and jazz. Other passions of mine include writing, fashion, food, coffee, and traveling. I can't wait to see where life takes me, and I hope to keep you all updated!


text:
Home » Business » Biden aims to lower gas prices with release of oil reserves
Biden aims to lower gas prices with release of oil reserves
London (CNN Business) The year before Covid-19 hit, the United States became a net exporter of energy for the first time since 1952, sending a strong message to the rest of the world: The country would not be beholden to foreign oil producers.
But with demand for crude surging as the impact of the pandemic fades, that no longer feels like the case.
OPEC+, which groups the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and allies like Russia, is once again flexing its muscle. The group's refusal to accede to US President Joe Biden's calls to boost output — a move that would have helped ease upward pressure on gasoline prices — precipitated the decision by the United States and other major energy-consuming nations last week to tap strategic oil reserves.
This is definitely a period where OPEC and the wider OPEC+ group is finding it has a lot of influence over oil markets."
Richard Bronze, Energy Aspects head of geopolitics
The episode displayed the group's market power, even as the energy transition gathers pace. Demand for oil could peak soon if countries meet their net-zero emissions targets, but OPEC producers and Russia are quick to note it's not going away entirely. Under climate pledges made through early October, the world is still expected to need 75 million barrels of oil per day by 2050, according to the International Energy Agency.
"This is definitely a period where OPEC and the wider OPEC+ group is finding it has a lot of influence over oil markets," said Richard Bronze, head of geopolitics at the consultancy Energy Aspects.
When it comes to oil price dynamics, it's hard to predict the future. Political or weather events can trigger a boom or fuel a huge drop. The pandemic adds to the uncertainty, especially as scientists race to assess the Omicron variant. Witness the more than 20% price crash in recent days that has taken US oil futures back to levels last seen in August.
Omicron may put OPEC and Russia on the back foot again. And analysts believe that their sway could recede further over the next year as US producers regain ground. But over time, their strength could increase — especially as the climate crisis prompts others to trim output, either because of pressure from financial backers or in anticipation of a decline in demand.
"The only producers that have put in the investment that's needed [to sustain long-term production] are Saudi Aramco and Adnoc," said Ellen Wald, author of the book "Saudi, Inc.," referring to state oil firms in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. "That shifts the balance over to OPEC."
OPEC's moment
OPEC+ will have another opportunity to demonstrate its clout on Thursday, when it's set to announce its latest policy decision. The group was reportedly considering halting an increase in output planned for January to hit back at the US decision to release reserves.
With the coronavirus variant in the equation, this looks even more likely. Brent crude futures are trading near $71 per barrel after plummeting 16% in November. There's even some chatter that slashing production could be on the table again to avoid accidentally oversupplying the market and tanking prices.
Iraq's oil minister told the country's state news agency on Wednesday he expects OPEC to stick with its planned output increase of 400,000 barrels per day next month. In short, at an uncertain moment, it's not clear what the group will do.
"The meeting on Thursday is now very much in the spotlight for oil markets," Bronze said. "I think they are going to have very limited information. … It's likely to come down to whether to pause planned increases in January or cut."
The decision by Saudi Arabia, Russia and others is particularly significant because oil production in the United States has yet to recover to pre-pandemic levels.
Over much of the past decade, when oil prices shot up, US producers rushed to ramp up output, taking on debt to pump as much crude as possible. That's not happening this time around, as oil companies prioritize returning money to shareholders and watch their bottom lines.
"There's not that capital available that there was three, four or five years ago to go out and drill and grow," said Anish Kapadia, head of energy at Palissy Advisors.
That's giving OPEC greater leverage over prices. It needs them to remain elevated, but not climb so high that US producers feel they have no choice but to boost production again.
The group only has so much control over supply and demand. Should the Omicron variant seriously dent economic activity, prices could plunge no matter what OPEC does. The full impact of the announcement by the United States, China, Japan, India, South Korea and the United Kingdom to put millions of barrels of oil on the market also remains to be seen. And some analysts believe that while OPEC countries have plenty of oil in the ground, they don't have the resources to quickly extract it.
Yet until production in the United States recovers, OPEC's policies will remain a crucial force driving markets. And for now, the group appears committed to erring on the side of caution, rather than risk member nations who depend on oil revenue having to sell into a glut.
Lasting influence?
US production is expected to snap back next year. But the unusual lag is generating questions about whether a deeper, more permanent shift is at play.
"If you step back, 80% of the growth of oil production in the 2010s came from the United States," said Nikos Tsafos, an energy expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. "If that machine is broken, and we're not going to get a lot more oil out of the United States, our whole understanding of what the oil market looks like in the 2020s needs to change."
Pressure on big oil and gas companies in Europe and the United States to rethink their strategies in light of the climate crisis is having an impact. In a report published earlier this year, the IEA found that major oil and gas companies are holding aggregate oil and gas spending flat in 2021. Their share of industry-wide spending on exploration and production is now at 25%, compared to nearly 40% in the mid-2010s.
Players like Saudi Aramco, meanwhile, are working to boost their production capacity, with an eye on supplying oil to markets as long as there's demand.
"They still see huge demand in the developing world, and they still see huge demand for oil products," said Wald, a nonresident senior fellow with the Atlantic Council Global Energy Center, noting the wide range of items that use petroleum as a component.
That underinvestment outside of OPEC, along with newfound financial discipline among smaller shale producers, could have lasting consequences, she continued.
Data from the IEA shows that OPEC and Russia's share of oil production could climb from 47% in 2020 to 49% in 2030 if countries meet all of their announced climate pledges in full. By 2050, OPEC and Russia are projected to make up 58% of output.
"Things may turn around, but there's such a deficit of investment, it will take time to come back from that," Wald said. "It does put OPEC and Saudi Arabia in a good position."
As always, though, the group's power is dependent on politics. Much could come down to whether its members can continue to get along and maintain a cohesive game plan. Breaks between Saudi Arabia and Russia in March 2020 caused prices to collapse.
"[OPEC+] needs to act collectively," Bronze said. "As soon as you get divisions or disagreements, those can really undermine the group's ability to operate and stick to decisions."
Ikea NZ: Sylvia Park jumps train tracks to head east, Swedish giant buying 3.5ha Kiwi site
European Shares Inch Higher On Strong US Data


The National Archives of Australia's Mitchell storage facility is reportedly in such shambles that they are taping down floor tiles which potentially contain asbestos.
Federal Parliament's Public Works Committee pondered evidence put forth regarding plans for an almost $100 million preservation facility to alleviate the pressure on the existing centre which is so full that it can no longer accept classified documents.
Labor Senator Ann Urqhart remarked that she had noticed at least one tile being held down by tape, on a visit to the storage site. Urqhart inquired as to what plans were in place to guarantee the safety of the staff in the event that asbestos was conclusively discovered.
Defence Housing officials informed the committee that a nearby school had been consulted by ACT planning authorities about development of site. Defence Housing also planned to communicate and work with the school.
The ACT government is thinking about taking legal action against the Federal Government over the steep cost of cleaning up asbestos.
Chief Minister Katy Gallagher discussed her unsuccessful attempts at convincing the Commonwealth into funding some of the clean-up costs from when it dumped a significant amount of contaminated soil in Canberra.
Gallagher claims the ACT government spent approximately $30 million to clean up and resign in the new Molonglo development. Almost 180,000 tonnes of asbestos were reportedly removed from the site by the ACT.
A site with 600,000 cubic metres of contaminated waste in Eastlake is expected to cost about $100 million to remove.
Gallagher strongly supports the ACT in their quest to convince the Commonwealth to contribute. The support she has stems from the belief that since the former government authority allowed such practices to occur then Canberra tax payers should not be held liable.
However, the Federal Government is expected to counter on the basis that since the land was transferred to the ACT, liability did as well.
The position of the opposition is that tax payers should not be held financially liable for the "incompetence" of the former governing authority.
Workers are concerned that the state's biggest asbestos-removal site is risking safety by frequently breaching procedure.
Worker's anonymously contacted The Advertiser news source and informed them that are doubtful that the correct removal methods were used in the first four months of the project. These four months involved the clean-up of 93,000 sq m of asbestos sheeting on the former Mitsubishi manufacturing site.
SafeWork SA officers visit the site frequently and have had inspectors issue statutory notices for non-compliant work practices.
Some of the breaches include a failure to comply with PPE (personal protective equipment) requirements for asbestos-removal. However, there have been reports by former workers (who have quit) that the dangers extend far beyond PPE issues. Some issues have been cited regarding the handling of asbestos sheeting once it is removed from the factory structure by DE-Construct.
One worker stated that sheets were simply "dumped" into trucks with a plastic lining, causing airborne asbestos particles and dust. Workers have also cited concerns with the thick cloud of dust in the factory that they believe may contain asbestos.
A spokesperson for the company stated that the company's top priority was the safety of their workers.
Asbestos removal is being carried out according to EPA guidelines and under the watchful eye of SafeWork SA.
The State Government has stated that air quality monitoring on asbestos removal projects, will remain mandatory for an additional year.Industrial Relations Minister, Russel Wortley, after undergoing the pressure of lobby groups, has stated that the current rules would remain for period of 12 months.
South Australia will (over the next year) lobby for the mandatory air-monitoring for "Class- B removals", in the harmonized occupational health and safety regulations. Wortley has stated that the decision of the government is a response to the concerns of industry affiliates and stakeholders.The asbestos that will require air-quality monitoring is the non-friable type of asbestos. Non-friable asbestos is commonly found in solid material and cannot be crushed manually when in a dry state.
Andrew Butler, a committee chairman for Steering, went on record to say that the 12-month transitional period to uphold air-quality monitoring is a significant improvement .There are concerns that dropping the mandatory monitoring would risk exposing workers to the deadly substance and subsequently, exposing them to a deadly disease. Wortley asserted in a conference, that diseases related to asbestos exposure continues to kill hundreds of Australians each year and plagues thousands of them with symptoms. No indication yet on if the air-quality monitoring will be a permanent addition to the harmonised laws.
Asbestos is a dangerous material. Just how dangerous it may be depends a great deal on your exposure to it. Workers in certain fields where asbestos was once used as a matter of course may come in contact with this material unexpectedly in the course of their work. In other cases, there are people who remove this material from businesses for a living.
The type of Asbestos training you need depends a great deal on the risk this material will expose you too. That is why it is important to understand the difference between Asbestos awareness training and the more detailed Asbestos training for a B class license. This will explain the key differences between the two types of training.
The first key difference in the two types of training is the objective of the training itself. The objective of the Asbestos training for a Class B license deals with actual asbestos removal. The people who take this training are people who know what bonded asbestos looks like and already have had some experience dealing with asbestos.
Asbestos awareness training does not deal with asbestos removal but rather keeping workers safe who may hold jobs where they may run into asbestos in the course of their work. This training is geared towards teaching workers how to recognize the presence of asbestos rather than removing it as a matter of course.
Asbestos awareness training focuses on a worker being able to recognize what asbestos material looks like, the likely place where it may be found in the course of their work, and what action they should take should they run into this material in terms of reducing their risks, reporting the asbestos etc.
This course's main focus is on keeping workers from unknowingly subjecting themselves to the risk of asbestos exposure rather than focusing on the safe removal of the material.
Training for the B class license on the other hand focuses on the safe removal of the material by trained professionals. This training focuses on making sure that those actually dealing with asbestos removal knows how to control exposed asbestos material. Part of the training deals with how to minimize the risk of exposure to asbestos fibers, and ensuring that those taking the training know how to use the personal protection equipment that will help to minimize their exposure.
It should be remembered that Asbestos training for A B class license only deals with the removal of bonded asbestos materials such as fibro. Those wishing to remove unbonded asbestos will need to have training for an A class license.
Knowing which training course is right for you is not only necessary to be in compliance with the regulations dealing with this dangerous material but also in giving you the right training you need to reduce your risks and better perform your jobs.


In the 1980s the late Robert Van Kampen, well-known investor and founder of the Van Kampen family of mutual funds, developed a new eschatological view he called "Pre-Wrath Rapture." He was able to persuade Marvin Rosenthal, then director of The Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry, to adopt and popularize this view. Since that time, to my knowledge no denomination, seminary, Bible college, mission organization or theological scholar of note has accepted the Pre-Wrath view. However, a small pocket of believers is enthusiastic about the system. It is for this set of believers that Showers has written The Pre-Wrath Rapture View.
Showers, who has for many years served on the staff of The Friends of Israel as well as on the faculties of several Bible colleges, has spent much of his life studying end-times issues. As a result he is uniquely qualified to critique the Pre-Wrath Rapture view and his critique is extremely thorough. It is so thorough that the book ends up being a virtual reference manual not only for Pre-Wrath issues but for prophetic matters in general. Unfortunately, the book lacks both scriptural and topical indexes and, if ever there was a book that needs these types of indexes it is this one. Lacking these, the reader would be wise to carefully mark this book to make full use of its valuable insights.
The format is to describe and explain from original sources (Rosenthal's Pre-Wrath Rapture and Van Kampen's The Sign) the eschatology of those who hold to Pre-Wrath. The uniqueness of this theological position lies in its belief that the Church will be on earth throughout the entire Tribulation, but not throughout the entire 70th week of 7 years. The Church will be raptured from the world between the 6th and 7th seals perhaps 5 to 5 ½ years into the 7 year 70th week. The 6th seal will be a forewarning that the Day of the Lord and the Lord's wrath is about to begin. Thus there will be no wrath of God throughout the Tribulation since the Tribulation will involve only the wrath of man and Satan. The Church will be raptured from the world before the Day of the Lord begins with the breaking of the 7th seal. It is then that God's wrath will begin to be poured out on the earth.
Thus the church is not raptured before the Tribulation begins at the breaking of the first seal, but five years are more after the Tribulation begins following the breaking of the sixth seal. Therefore the catastrophic events of the Tribulation up through the breaking of the sixth seal are not the judgment (wrath) of God because the wrath of God does not begin until after the Tribulation, according to Pre-Wrath adherents. The church will be raptured prior to Christ's wrath therefore most of judgments found in the book of Revelation are not descriptions of Christ's wrath but man's. On a practical level the Pre-Wrath view rejects the imminence of Christ's return, requiring the believer to not look for the any-moment return of Christ but to prepare for the disastrous events of the Tribulation.
Showers carefully analyzes each feature of the Pre-Wrath position in the light of Scripture. In the conclusion he sums up his findings by identifying twelve teachings of Pre-Wrath that are biblically sound and 44 that are problematic, at best, or in error. A more detailed critique would be hard to envision. Showers' final chapter is an excellent biblical defense of the imminent return of Christ complete with quotes from numerous church leaders throughout the ages, many of whom would not be defined as holding to a Pre-Tribulation Rapture position.
For those seeking to understand the Pre-Wrath rapture theory, I could not think of a better source. For those wanting a handy study of imminence, chapter ten is worth purchasing the book, although the reader may want to pick up Showers' fuller treatment of end times events, Marantha.


Channel your inner tinkerer and take to the skies with your own customizable drone! Compatible with your favorite toy building blocks, this spaceship-themed DIY drone pack teaches you key STEM concepts while you build your own flying (or driving) machine. Explore aerodynamics and weight distribution as you engineer the perfect design; then, get airborne and weave through tight spaces with a 6-axis gyro that makes for even smoother flying. And, don't worry: the drone is engineered with auto-stabilization and crash-resistant plastic, making it perfect for new pilots.


> > or ATI as they have actually posted patches for this.
> Nvidia card is the ultimate aim of the project.
> >> question related to framebuffer.
> >> at specific address, specifically speaking 0xA0000 till 0xC0000.
> > posted by AMD engineers on xen-devel for this.
> papers on the same topic.
> Here is what I have tried so far.
> 1. Nvidia: This is being used by host machine.
> 2. ATI: Want to pass-through this card to the VM.
> I start the VM with ATI card in pass-through mode.
> also saw following messages in the system log.
> [    2.459594] [drm] radeon defaulting to kernel modesetting.
> [    2.459596] [drm] radeon kernel modesetting enabled.
> [    2.783512] [drm] initializing kernel modesetting (RV380 0x1002:0x5B64).
> [    2.870703] radeon 0000:00:04.0: radeon: using MSI.
> [    3.151162] [drm] radeon: irq initialized.
> [    3.151611] [drm] radeon: 512M of GTT memory ready.
> [    3.152701] [drm] radeon: 1 quad pipes, 1 Z pipes initialized.
> [    3.544943] [drm] PCIE GART of 512M enabled (table at 0xF8040000).
> [    3.781010] [drm:r100_cp_init] *ERROR* radeon: cp isn't working (-22).
> [    3.782542] radeon 0000:00:04.0: failled initializing CP (-22).
> Graphics functionality of the ATI card and not GPGPU functionality.
> another forum. Please keep me in CC.
Looks like dri-devel material, added to CC.
aren't the same ones intended for this by the VM.


text:
Ghana Shea Landscape Emission Reductions Project (GCF-GHANASHEA)
Geographic location where the impacts of the investment may be experienced.
Green Climate Fund (GCF)
International, regional and national development finance institutions. Many of these banks have a public interest mission, such as poverty reduction.
Stage of the project cycle. Stages vary by development bank and can include: pending, approval, implementation, and closed or completed.
Bank Risk Rating
Environmental and social categorization assessed by the development bank as a measure of the planned project's environmental and social impacts. A higher risk rating may require more due diligence to limit or avoid harm to people and the environment. For example, "A" or "B" are risk categories where "A" represents the highest amount of risk. Results will include projects that specifically recorded a rating, all other projects are marked 'U' for "Undisclosed."
Voting Date
Date when project documentation and funding is reviewed by the Board for consideration and approval. Some development banks will state a "board date" or "decision date." When funding approval is obtained, the legal documents are accepted and signed, the implementation phase begins.
A public entity (government or state-owned) provided with funds or financial support to manage and/or implement a project.
The service or industry focus of the investment. A project can have several sectors.
Investment Type(s)
The categories of the bank investment: loan, grant, guarantee, technical assistance, advisory services, equity and fund.
Grant Amount (USD)
$ 30.10 million
Value listed on project documents at time of disclosure. If necessary, this amount is converted to USD ($) on the date of disclosure. Please review updated project documents for more information.
Investment Amount (USD)
Bank Documents
GCF/B.26/02/Add.09: Consideration of funding proposals - Addendum IX Funding proposal package for FP
Original disclosure @ GCF website
Updated in EWS Feb 28, 2021
Disclosed by Bank May 20, 2020
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Contact the EWS Team
If provided by the financial institution, the Early Warning System Team writes a short summary describing the purported development objective of the project and project components. Review the complete project documentation for a detailed description.
According to the bank website, The project has four interrelated outputs that will be implemented through a cross-sectoral, comprehensive and holistic approach, driven by communities, women's groups and government institutions. These outputs will be achieved through long term community resource management, sectoral investments, capacity building, knowledge sharing, impact monitoring and performance contracts through public-private partnerships at the landscape level.
Investment Description
Here you can find a list of individual development financial institutions that finance the project.
This section aims to support the local communities and local CSO to get to know which stakeholders are involved in a project with their roles and responsibilities. If available, there may be a complaint office for the respective bank which operates independently to receive and determine violations in policy and practice. Independent Accountability Mechanisms receive and respond to complaints. Most Independent Accountability Mechanisms offer two functions for addressing complaints: dispute resolution and compliance review.
Requests for project information may be submitted using the IDP Request for Information by email to: disclosure@gcfund.org.
You can also submit an information request using this online form: https://www.greenclimate.fund/about/disclosure/form. Additionally, if information requested is denied, an appeal can be filed to the Information Appeals Panel: iap@gcfund.org. You can learn more about the Information Appeals Panel at: https://www.greenclimate.fund/about/disclosure/appeals.
ACCOUNTABILITY MECHANISM OF GREEN CLIMATE FUND
The Independent Redress Mechanism (IRM) addresses complaints by people who believe they are negatively affected or may be affected by projects or programmes funded by the Green Climate Fund (GCF). The complainant can raise issues related to any of GCF's policies and procedures, including those relating to social and environmental issues, indigenous peoples, gender, and information disclosure, among others. If you submit a complaint to the IRM, it may seek to address the issues raised by facilitating problem solving or conducting a compliance process. You can learn more about the Independent Redress Mechanism and how to file a complaint at https://irm.greenclimate.fund/.
You can access a video about the IRM (English) at: https://youtu.be/1LanbriVhfs.
A brochure about the IRM can be accessed in English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Arabic, Mandarin, Mongolian, Vietnamese, Russian, Ukrainian, Korean, German, and Kiswahili at: https://irm.greenclimate.fund/.
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Suzie Shin designed these business cards for her self-branding as a graphic designer and illustrator.
According to Suzie, this was an independent project she did for herself while looking for a job, within the several months after graduating.
"In the late 1980's, my parents immigrated from South Korea to America and had three children. Like most immigrants, they had to decide on two names: one Korean name and another, English name. I was named Suzie (not short for anything), and 수지 (pronounced "Sooji") out of the purpose of convenience. I developed my logo that features my short nickname 'SUZ' alongside glyphs and the beginning characters of my name in Korean, in homage to my deeply integrated Korean-American upbringing," Suzie explained.
These business cards were printed by Moo, which according to Suzie, offers cotton business cards that are made 100% from recycled cotton t-shirts. "The prints feel amazing and hold color well, while having a luxurious feel," Suzie added.
A unique and personal way to express one's branding by using cultural elements and creative arts. Simply brilliant!


text:
August 23, 2018 qmethodorg Uncategorized
Q Bibliography: Hammami et al. on end of life priorities in Saudi males
Hammami, Muhammad M., Eman Al Gaai, Safa Hammami, & Sahar Attala (2015). Exploring end of life priorities in Saudi males: Usefulness of Q-methodology. BMC Palliative Care, 14:66. (doi: 10.1186/s12904-015-0064-5) (Link: https://bmcpalliatcare.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12904-015-0064-5)
Background: Quality end-of-life care depends on understanding patients' end-of-life choices. Individuals and cultures may hold end-of-life priorities at different hierarchy. Forced ranking rather than independent rating, and by-person factor analysis rather than averaging may reveal otherwise masked typologies. Methods: We explored Saudi males' forced-ranked, end-of-life priorities and dis-priorities. Respondents (n = 120) rank-ordered 47 opinion statements on end-of-life care following a 9-category symmetrical distribution. Statements' scores were analyzed by averaging analysis and factor analysis (Q-methodology). Results: Respondents' mean age was 32.1 years (range, 18–65); 52 % reported average religiosity, 88 and 83 % ≥ very good health and life-quality, respectively, and 100 % ≥ high school education. Averaging analysis revealed that the extreme five end-of-life priorities were to, be at peace with God, be able to say the statement of faith, maintain dignity, resolve conflicts, and have religious death rituals respected, respectively. The extreme five dis-priorities were to, die in the hospital, not receive intensive care if in coma, die at peak of life, be informed about impending death by family/friends rather than doctor, and keep medical status confidential from family/friends, respectively. Q-methodology classified 67% of respondents into five highly transcendent opinion types. Type-I (rituals-averse, family-caring, monitoring-coping, life-quality-concerned) and Type-V (rituals-apt, family-centered, neutral-coping, life-quantity-concerned) reported the lowest and highest religiosity, respectively. Type-II (rituals-apt, family-dependent, monitoring-coping, life-quantity-concerned) and Type-III (rituals-silent, self/family-neutral, avoidance-coping, life-quality & quantity-concerned) reported the best and worst life-quality, respectively. Type-I respondents were the oldest with the lowest general health, in contrast to Type-IV (rituals-apt, self-centered, monitoring-coping, life-quality/quantity-neutral). Of the extreme 14 priorities/dis-priorities for the five types, 29, 14, 14, 50, and 36%, respectively, were not among the extreme 20 priorities/dis-priorities identified by averaging analysis for the entire cohort. Conclusions: 1) Transcendence was the extreme end-of-life priority, and dying in the hospital was the extreme dis-priority. 2) Quality of life was conceptualized differently with less emphasize on its physiological aspects. 3) Disclosure of terminal illness to family/close friends was preferred as long it is through the patient. 4) Q-methodology identified five types of constellations of end-of-life priorities and dis-priorities that may be related to respondents' demographics and are partially masked by averaging analysis.
Muhammad M Hammami <muhammad@kfshrc.edu.sa> is in the Department of Clinical Studies and Empirical Ethics, King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre; and the Alfaisal University College of Medicine, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Q Bibliography: Sabir on Q technique as a tool for identifying problem areas in a company
Q Bibliography: Grover on subjective issues in educational research