Ask an engineer to "monitor" something and chances are you'll get a response resembling something just short of the stages of love. It will start with an overwhelming excitement and sense of ease – you'll hear something like "Oh, sure, that's easy!" This will soon be followed by countless hours being poured in and an attachment to the project that defies logic as they run through countless iterations of things working, not working, being completely thrown out and rewritten only to start the cycle again. At the end, what started this whole thing will either be fully monitored, partially monitored, or you'll have a heartbroken engineer who's just given up. At Daxko we've been through this cycle, well, let's just say a lot.
For those unfamiliar with what the Daxko TechOps team is, let me provide a quick synopsis. TechOps stands for Technical Operations, and at Daxko, it's the team responsible for the health [performance, uptime], compliance, escalated support, and operation of our production systems. Stop and think about that for a second. TechOps is responsible for ensuring that the Daxko products are 1) available, 2) not slow, 3) secure, and 4) that the data in them is consistent! That's quite a task, and our team is able to excel at it for 2 main reasons. The first is Daxko's version of DevOps – the TechOps Team and the Development Teams are closely integrated and we work with the Development Teams to ensure they can utilize and consume the tools that we use or build. The second is that we've built, and continue to iterate on, a monitoring stack that allows us to keep up with what's going on and troubleshoot complex issues. That stack is what I'm going delve into in this post.
Monitoring means lots of monitors.
When designing and building any type of solution, you have to stop and consider the purpose of what you're building and any constraints that may be in place. For Daxko, we have products that run in multiple environments (both hosted and cloud-based), using multiple database engines, and using multiple different technology stacks. Therefore, our core solution needs to be OS agnostic, scale easily, and be very malleable. On top of that, we have product-specific items that must be monitored and developers that want to know when things break. Great problems to have, but also lots of added complexity!
To say our stack is complete is like saying that Microsoft is done adding "features" to Windows. Our stack is always in a constant state of flux, and being okay with that is part of what makes things work. Needs change all the time, and the system should be able to cope with that. And, the team should be okay with that.
So, what is our current stack composed of?
#1: Chef: Wait! Chef? What? Yep, Chef is a critical part of our stack. Without it, we don't have consistency in our configurations and dependencies. Without that, everything else falls apart.
#2: Sensu: The beauty of Sensu is that it works on a complete pub/sub model where clients are configured to subscribe to certain channels and the checks for the channels are published by the Sensu servers. This means if we need another server of type X then we just spin it up and its check data automagically starts flowing in. Simple, efficient, and extremely powerful (also why #1 is so critical!).
#3: Graphite + Carbonator + Grafana: I admit it. I'm a HUGE Graphite fan. I grew up in the days of MRTG and RRD and used Cacti exclusively for many years. Graphite makes capturing, storing, and analyzing LOTS of data points extremely (well mostly) easy. It is an extremely scalable system and allows for the creation of some very complicated graphs that just seem to appear instantly. Couple that with Carbonator for capturing deep metrics on Windows systems and Grafana for building dashboards and you have a hands down rock solid solution.
#4: ELK Stack: We generate billions of log entries on a monthly basis, and we rely on the ELK stack heavily for ingesting, tokenizing, searching, and alerting on those logs. Our Kibana interface is utilized by everyone from Customer Success to TechOps to the Developers themselves!
#5: Pingdom: No system is faultless, and having an outside perspective is always a good thing. Pingdom provides us with that third party view, and we consider its data to be the gold for our uptime statistics. After all, if your servers are up but nobody can use them – are you really "up"?
#6: NewRelic: Daxko's application stacks range from .Net to Java to PHP. One of our goals is to have single interface for viewing, trending, and comparing those products. NewRelic allows us to do this and allows us to collaborate between teams easily.
#8: Daxko Monitoring Service: You won't find this one available for download anytime soon as it's an internally developed tool, but it's also one of our most powerful because it fills in the gaps left by the others. The Daxko Monitoring Service started life as a simple enough tool that was used for identifying and alerting on invalid data states that would crop up in our databases due to bugs in the software. Over the years, and multiple iterations, it has grown into a much more capable tool that still heralds back to its origins. However, in its latest iteration, it is also being expanded in a way that will allow our developers (on any team) to build test cases and execute them on timed intervals. This may seem like a trivial task; however, when you consider that some products have multiple (and some hundreds) of databases and you need the ability to be able to scale these test across all of those in a quick and effortless way while also taking some business logic into account – a custom tool is the only way to go.
A lot of tools means a lot of interfaces and honestly, that's just a plain pain. Compound that with lots of people wanting more visibility into what's going on, and this becomes very overwhelming. So how do you handle that? We searched for a tool to help us solve this problem and in the end settled on a plan that will extend our Monitoring Service UI to incorporate data and alerts from all of our external systems into a simple, easy to use, interface that will give our team members the ability to subscribe to events and alerts on a product by product / service by service level. Our hope is this will help to increase the collaboration between teams by making it easy for team members all over Daxko to get visibility into what is happening behind the scenes, leading to faster fixes and happier customers.
Ed M. is Daxko's Director of TechOps and Lead Infrastructure Architect who has a passion for problem solving, system architecture, and embedded electronics.


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Portia, champion of the poor
'I have a responsibility to protect the legacy of Norman Manley, Michael Manley, PJ Patterson'
BY MARK CUMMINGS Editor-at-Large, Western Bureau cummingsm@jamaicaobserver.com
ROSE HALL, St James — President of the ruling People's National Party (PNP) Portia Simpson Miller on the weekend vowed to remain champion of the poor and oppressed, despite harsh economic times.
Addressing hundreds of party faithfuls, Simpson Miller, who is also prime minister, said defence of the poor and oppressed was the platform on which her party was established 75 years ago. That legacy, she stressed, must be protected despite the harsh economic conditions.
"During this difficult period I will do everything that is possible to ensure that we protect the interest of the poor and the oppressed, because it has always been a part of the People's National Party's administration, and under my leadership it will be no less," Simpson-Miller told a Region Six banquet to mark the 75th anniversary at the Montego Bay Convention Centre in St James on Saturday night.
She urged the large gathering to uphold the founding principles of the party, which she said seeks to protect the poor, which constitutes the masses of the society.
In apparent response to critics who have pointed to a raft of social ills in her St Andrew South West constituency and economic hard times generally savaging the poor, Jamaica's
first woman prime minister said: "I have a responsibility to talk about the poor. At the formation of the People's National Party the masses of the people came in for special mention and Norman Washington Manley gave the party a responsibility...So I have a responsibility to protect the legacy of Norman Washington Manley, of Michael Manley and of PJ Patterson," declared Simpson Miller.
She urged PNP gathering to trumpet the many achievements of the 75-year-old party, saying: "It is us, the members of the People's National Party who must tell our story and carry the achievements of this noble party across the country. If we do not do it, no one else is going to do it."
She commended the almost 90 Comrades who received awards for their contribution to the party's Region Six which covers the parishes of St James, Hanover and Westmoreland.
"On this very special occasion, I am very happy to salute you for your contribution over the many years to the party. You are among those men and women who assisted to carry the work of the party in this region and around the island. We thank you for your love, your hard work and your sacrifice," Simpson Miller told the awardees.
Meanwhile, Vice-President of the PNP Derrick Kellier also thanked the awardees for "keeping the party strong and focused", over the years and described it as "the greatest political party in the Caribbean".
"Were there not a PNP over these 75 years can you imagine what kind of country we would have? Consider it for a moment, because everything that has happened that is progressive for the last 75 years in this country has been led by the People's National Party," remarked Kellier, who is also the minister of labour and social security member of parliament for South St James.
Saturday night's function formed part of the PNP's 75 Anniversary celebrations which are being held under the theme: "Honouring Our Past... A Powerful Foundation for Today and Tomorrow".
Among the awardees were former Governor General Sir Howard Cooke; former Speaker of the House Violet Neilson, former Tourism Minister Francis Tullouch, former Senator Janet Madden, attorney Fred Hamaty, and former members of parliament Arthur Nelson and James Thompson.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


My Yamaha Saxes and why; Performing, Recording Yamaha Sax Artist Greg Vail. With images - Slow Load.
Hello Sax Player and Sax Lover!
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Yamaha Japan keeps moving this pic around so I grabbed it and you can click this image to go to the page it was last on, if it's still up.
CUSTOM Z Yamaha SAX. You all want to see it? You want to read about it?
Download Free Wallpaper and Screen Savers from the Yamaha Japan.
I get a lot of questions about my choice of Woodwind Instruments, Sax Mouthpieces and Necks, accessories, and the like. I also see people searching the web for reviews and opinions on Saxes, Sax Accessories and general interest about different types of Saxes with people also wanting to see Pictures Of Saxes. Many younger Sax Players email questions about how I chose my Saxes and most of these inquiries have to do with "the Process," so I wrote this page to answer some of these questions.
My list of Saxes, Necks, Mouthpieces and other Woodwinds can be found in my Bio on the page titled Gear , but it does not answer the question, �Why?� I will answer that question here and now.
I am a Yamaha Performing Sax Artist. That means I play Yamaha Saxes. I did not become a Yamaha guy to get free Saxes; they don�t give anything away, nor am I a Yamaha Artist on paper with different Saxes seen when I play live like many other musicians.
When I entered Long Beach State in 1981 I owned a great Selmer Mark VI Tenor Sax, Old Buescher Alto Sax, old Buffet R13 Clarinet and a Gemeinhardt M2 Student Flute.
I bought my first Yamaha Sax in 1983. I was playing musicals at the time. I needed a Soprano to keep my gig for the next Dinner Theater Musical I had scheduled; there was Oboe all over the music and Soprano Sax can sound like an Oboe. It was a job-saving purchase that made the Music Director happy and prolonged my employment for a few more months.
Yamaha had just released the YSS-62R, a straight Soprano Sax with a slight curve or bend at the top where a neck would later be available on the Yamaha Custom Soprano. The Custom Soprano has a neck that allows you to use either straight or curved necks. Soprano Saxes are found in 3 different shapes; totally 'straight', straight with a 'curved neck' and 'curved' neck and body (like the other Saxes.) To avoid any confusion and be as clear as possible, I'll use the term 'curved neck' to refer to a Soprano with a slight curve or bend where the neck should be, but not to be confused with the totally 'curved' Soprano made by some other Sax Manufacturer's.
I played the first 'curved neck' Yamaha Sopranos to enter California, comparing it to the standard straight Yamaha then available. I had played every manufacturer's Soprano Sax over the previous year and kept finding the Yamaha was the one I wanted, but did not spend the money until I played the 62R. I had 3 straight and 2 'curved neck' Sopranos to choose from that day. The 'curved neck' Soprano was SO new that one of the two had the octave key mechanism frozen due to improper post and key placement in the curve. That left me one curved neck and three straight Soprano's to play that day.
It was an easy choice. I loved the tone, response and pitch on the bent Soprano and bought it right then. The straight Soprano had a more harsh sound and the curved neck Soprano sounded sweet. The pitch was great on both models, but the tone blew me away on the YSS-62R. It's just a side note but I also love having a 3-digit serial number knowing it was hot off the press.
For a guy that had no Soprano experience, I sounded like a real Soprano Player from the first day running. No pitch problems, no nasal tone quality and no constipated resistance when playing; I was very happy!
I still use this Soprano in 2004. It plays like a dream and looks great at 20 years old.
I had a Selmer Mark VI Tenor and needed a new Alto real bad to cover the jobs I was getting called for. I bought a used Yamaha Alto, YAS-62, in 1984 to finish my Sax studies at Long Beach State and move toward becoming a "Sax Player" and not just the "Tenor Player" I was then.
My career moved more into the studio and large live concerts over the next few years. The studio is a great environment for really hearing your tone and pitch. As I listened back to my sound then, I felt the tone was way too bright on the 62 Alto and the differences between the Yamaha Alto and Selmer Tenor seemed to get worse.
I started looking for a darker Alto sound and began working on a more modern sound on Tenor. I played every Saxophone known to man during this time. I tried 100�s of mouthpieces and different reeds in all kinds of different playing situations and began developing the thoughts I now share.
I believe in "Family." I play many different Woodwind Instruments in varied situations and I have discovered the need for similarity and simplicity, but more on that in a minute.
When the new Yamaha Custom Tenor was released I was one of the first to try it out. I had not liked the YTS-62�s tone or feel, and was eager to see what changes Yamaha had made. I liked the new Custom Tenor but was not moved to purchase the horn until Yamaha released the Black Custom Tenor.
The Black Tenor is pretty, but the tone was what killed me. The Custom Yamaha Tenor also had a great feel, very similar to the YAS-62 Alto I had just acquired. I found it also stood the test on its own merit, blew away my Selmer Tenor, and began making a case for playing horns made by the same manufacturer (same family).
The plating is very complex on the Custom Yamaha�s making the sound dark and full. To get the engraving gold against the black lacquer, Yamaha uses a pretty complex system of lacquer. Black lacquered saxes are not gold-plated. In reality, the keys and the inside of the bell flare are gold-lacquered (it's gold-colored, not actual gold). Then the rest of the body and neck is black lacquered. After that, the engraving on the bell is done. After the engraving is done, the horn is coated with a layer of clear lacquer (just like the clear coat finish on a car). This keeps the raw brass exposed during the engraving process from tarnishing.
All this to say that it sounds rich and complex, dark and full. I did not know the process until later. I just knew it sounded great!
I later realized it played more like the other Saxophones I was using and now made switching between the Saxes a breeze.
I was NEVER going to sell the Selmer VI, but at some point I realized it had been used maybe 2 times in 3 years and I didn�t even like it anymore. I kept it through the transition, but did eventually sell it when I needed some money and had no regrets.
I think this is a good way to make an instrument or accessory change. Don�t sell anything you love until you know you have outgrown it. It took me a couple of years to leave Selmer altogether after 11 years of some serious love. If you can afford to do it this way, you will never have any regrets.
My Custom Tenor was in the first shipment to California around 1991; 5 in total. When I got to the Sax Shop I had 4 to choose from and I got a great horn! I have played this Tenor a million-plus hours all over the world, and it still kills me!
Shortly after the new Tenor purchase I found out that Yamaha was doing a World Tour of the complete Sax line. It was near the end of the tour that they came to LA. I was now an official Yamaha Sax Artist since accepting the offer in 1991 with the Custom Tenor purchase. I played all Yamaha Saxes and now got the call to check out the full product line as an Artist. Yamaha had developed different necks for the horns and had every combination of special plating for all the Saxes available to see and play for the first time.
I brought my new Custom Tenor hoping there would be nothing I liked more because it was new and not cheap. It stood the test and killed every Tenor there. When I started playing different necks and realized that was a whole new world.
The Custom Tenor shipped with a M1 neck. Available options included unfinished brass, clear and black lacquered, silver and gold plating. Now they had a new neck available: the F1 neck. It also came in all the different lacquer and plating.
I loved the Silver F1 Neck with my Black Custom Tenor. One thing the Selmer did was get brighter when I blew real hard. The Yamaha did not change tone much but did get louder. This Silver F1 Neck did not affect the over-all tone of the Sax; it was still dark and full. But when I leaned into it, the tone had more edge, volume and focus with this neck. I liked the dark sound when I bought it, but did find a need for a little more edge in Pop and Rock settings. I knew I could always make the sax brighter live or in studio with EQ but then it would be bright all the time; but this neck did it all; dark and full, hard with edge. I talked my Yamaha Rep. into selling it to me right then and there and it is an important part of my sound still today. By the way, other Sax Players had also commented on the pairing of the Silver F1 neck and the Black Custom Tenor, so it wasn�t just me.
While at the Yamaha World Tour I hung with Dave Koz and we spent hours playing the Custom Alto Saxes. That day he bought the Silver Yamaha Alto he still plays and I bought the Custom Black Alto with an M1 Silver Neck. This was a huge improvement on my 62 Alto and rounded out my new Yamaha Saxophone arsenal.
I also played the Custom Soprano but decided I liked my YSS-62R better. The key mechanism felt too bulky to me and I didn't like the way it responded when blowing.
Over time, I've found the benefits of playing Instruments from the same manufacturer to be great. The feel, key placement, responseand overall tone with similar overtone series found on each horn makes moving between saxes a simple task. The fingerings for Upper Harmonics are almost the same and these similarities make doubling between saxes a mindless act.
I have played other Saxes I really liked, but I keep coming back to the simple thing that works. I play the Saxophone. I need all my Saxes to be as similar as possible. I use all Yamaha Saxophones because the family similarities makes them easier to play. I play one Mouthpiece, for each Sax, with the same Neck and Instrument Body, all the time, for every style of music because I have all the versatility I need to do it all with these products. Well... Pretty strong words here but that's the way I say stuff. I did start experimenting with Tenor Mouthpieces because my "ONLY" M.P. was falling apart. I have 6 now and tried moving to one of them, but have hit the default setting again and started playing that same old thing. The Gear pages have the "whats."
The only time I change any part of my Saxes is for recording multiple saxes. I found that faze-cancellation is a real problem when playing the same note on multiple Saxes, same guy, same day in the studio. While recording all 5 Saxes for a big band CD some years ago, I brought the old necks and an old mouthpiece with ligatures and reeds for both Alto and Tenor. Changing the whole top of the horn eliminates faze problems and gives the sax section a much fuller sound.
With my love for family, it�s no surprise that my first choice for a Baritone Sax was Grandpa Yamaha: YBS-62. I purchased my first Bari in 2001, and as I expected, it is a great horn that plays and feels just like the other Saxes I'd played for years; it just weighs a lot more.
These thoughts came from a Yamaha insider and introduces the NEW 82Z in his own words.
This horn is basically a 62 crossed with a Custom---it's got the 62 body and key work design, combined with the heavier body metal of the Custom. It responds VERY quickly (just like a 62), but has the meatiness of a Custom. That meatiness can be adjusted by changing the necks, as you know. The 82Z comes with a G1 neck that will be available in raw, lacquered, black, silver-plated and gold-plated finishes (I personally prefer the G1 gold-plated neck). As with all of our horns, the necks are interchangeable---you can use your silver F1 on the 82Z, or you can try a new G1 on your black Custom. This is a really exciting time to be a member of the Yamaha sax family!
Yamaha's new line of intermediate and professional saxophones includes the soon-to-be-legendary Z-series models, already played by professionals like Phil Woods, Mark Rivera, George Shelby, Bob Franceschini, and Lenny Neihaus. The horns are slated for a release at the upcoming winter NAMM show, including a concert event featuring seven of the top saxophonists in the US. Stay tuned for details in the next issue of BackstagePASS, and watch for great introductory offers on these exciting new models. With these horns, You'll be going places.
Now available: CD Baby has Greg Vail CDs in stock.
Sax On The Web is a great Sax Forum and cool site for Saxes and Sax Players.
Yamaha Performing and Recording Artist Greg Vail. Reviews, history, pictures and updates on Yamaha Saxes. For searches regarding Yamaha Saxes, New Yamaha's, Custom Z, 82Z Saxes and Yamaha Soprano, Yamaha Alto, Yamaha Tenor and Yamaha Bari Saxes.


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NTSF:SD:SUV::
News for Episode 10: Family Dies
Show Episodes (39) Show Reviews (2) Lists (25) Listings News Recaps
'NTSF:SD:SUV' sends Paul Scheer to prison -- EXCLUSIVE VIDEO
Sooner or later, all the great TV cops have to go undercover behind bars. Charlie's Angels did it. The new Charlie's Angels did it. That guy from Prison Break did it, I think. Except he wasn't a cop. Or was he? I didn't watch Prison Break . But I do watch NTSF:SD:SUV , the manic procedural spoof created by Paul Scheer which is currently tearing up whatever brain cells you have left after watching Childrens Hospital every Thursday. Scheer will be taking part in a Childrens Hospital / NTSF panel tomorrow at New York Comic-Con, and EW has obtained a clip from an upcoming episode where Scheer's Trent Hauser has to go to prison… for justice. Watch the clip: //insidetv.ew.com/2012/10/12/ntsfsdsuv-sends-paul-scheer-to-prison-exclusive-video/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+ew%2Fhollywoodinsider+%28Entertainment+Weekly%2FEW.com%27s%3A+Hollywood+Insider%29&utm_content=Google+Reader


The Grom Waist is the harness for future rippers. It's Wind- Kitesurf convertible harness for young ones that have enough energy to do both!
ultimi pezzi chiedi disponibilita The Grom Waist is the harness for future rippers. It's Wind- Kitesurf convertible harness for young ones that have enough energy to do both!


Join Craig Smallish for an in-depth discussion in this video Illustration: The style's the limit, part of Designing a Print Ad.
A successful print ad campaign entices the reader visually, and then delivers on its promise with a compelling message. This course details the process of constructing ad layouts for print—emphasizing the importance of visual hierarchy and how the power of composition can embolden your underlying campaign message. Using a client brief for the Landon Hotel brand, Craig Smallish explores three creative concepts and then takes the most successful concept through the complete development process, from obtaining reference material to refining the layouts. Along the way, you'll learn how to produce rough thumbnail sketches; select photos, illustrations, and typography for your design; and balance the contrast and placement of assets. Plus, learn tips for presenting your print ad campaign ideas to your clients.
What's the demographic, and where will the ad run?
What is a final comp?


Neuropathy is a debilitating condition that can make your life miserable. While there are other ones, the main symptoms of neuropathy are pain, numbness, and tingling or burning sensations. One of the treatments that has been in use for many years in Japan and Europe is the use of a lipid-soluble form of vitamin B-1, benfotiamine. This synthetic derivative of thiamine (B-1) was developed in Japan in the late 1950's to treat alcoholic neuropathy, sciatica and other painful nerve conditions. Patented in the U.S. in 1962, benfotiamine has been in widespread use in Japan since 1962 and in Europe since 1978. It has shown great results and has an excellent safety record.
Benfotiamine shows promise in treating a number of neurological and vascular conditions and appears to have beneficial anti-aging qualities, protecting human cells from harmful metabolic end products. It has been used in Europe and Japan for years to treat all manner of neurological disorders with promising results. Many studies have been done to confirm results and benefits of benfotiamine. But because benfotiamine is a dietary supplement, the FDA only requires manufacturers and distributors to have credible evidence as to its safety. The FDA itself has not evaluated benfotiamine for safety or effectiveness. Therefore it cannot be represented to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.
Why is the FDA dragging its feet concerning this natural treatment of neuropathy? In my opinion, anything that does not show promise to make big bucks gets pushed to the side. There are other natural remedies for many ailments that are also not FDA approved as far as treatments go, but they work! This is just another example. It's all about money.
Now don't get me wrong. There are many good treatments out there that do cost a bit to do but they give the results necessary. In these cases, the patient and doctor must do the right thing. However, I am a firm believer in natural treatments as much as possible so that there is little chance of side effects. With some of the medications out there, it makes more sense to cope with the disease than suffer from the side effects of the medicine.
If research scientists focus their attention to the natural bounty of herbs and vitamins, I believe many of the conditions, diseases, and disorders that are present today can be relieved and even cured. Science has only begun to scratch the surface of this untapped reservoir of medicine. I applaud the researchers who have shown the benefits of benfotiamine and other natural vitamin supplements as treatments and potential cures for neuropathic pain and other disorders.


A chronicle of the Japanese Teahouse workshop given at the Timber Framers Guild's Western Conference at Asilomar in 2003. It features Mr. Kojiro Sugimura, Master Temple Builder and head of Kezurou-Kai (a group in Japan and the U.S. dedicated to preserving knowledge of traditional tools, particularly wooden planes). Mr. Sugimura leads a group of 25 timber framers and three fellow Master Temple builders in a workshop to build a tea house. Thousand-year-old secrets are revealed, and you will be astounded by the Japanese carpenters' technique and understanding of wood and tools.


Pyotr Veniaminovich Svidler (Russian: Пётр Вениами́нович Сви́длер; born June 17, 1976, in Leningrad) is a Russian chess Grandmaster. He is seven-time Russian Champion (1994, 1995, 1997, 2003, 2008, 2011, 2013). and has represented Russia at the Chess Olympiad ten times (1994-2010, 2014) securing five team gold medals, two team silvers and an individual bronze. Another major success was his victory in the Chess World Cup 2011.
Svidler has competed in three World Championship tournaments - in the period with split title the FIDE World Chess Championship 2002 and 2005, and after the reunification of the title the World Chess Championship 2007.
Svidler is a fan of cricket,specially of Tendulkar, of Bob Dylan and of Tom Waits.
Svidler learned to play chess when he was six years old. In 1992, he tied for 1st-2nd with Ragim Gasimov in the USSR Junior Open Chess Championship. In 1994 he became Grandmaster and won the under-18 section of the World Youth Chess Championship.
In 2001, he reached the semifinals of the FIDE World Championship. Andrei Lukin is his coach.
Svidler placed shared second (together with Viswanathan Anand) in the FIDE World Chess Championship 2005 with 8½ points out of 14 games, finishing 1½ points behind the winner, Veselin Topalov. In the World Chess Championship 2007, he placed 5th among the eight players. He has won five team gold medals and one individual bronze medal at Chess Olympiads.
Svidler is a noted proponent of Chess960 (also called Fischer Random Chess). He won the first edition of the Chess960 Open held in Mainz, Germany. At the 2003 Mainz Chess Classic, he became Chess960 World Champion by beating Péter Lékó in an eight-game match. He successfully defended his title twice, defeating Levon Aronian in 2004 and Zoltán Almási in 2005, before losing it to Aronian in 2006.
In an interview given for World Chess Network after the World Chess Championship 2005 held in San Luis, he said: "I only prepared seriously for San Luis, and I think it has paid off. But in general I spend most of my spare time with my wife and kids, so my relative success in 2005 was a pleasant surprise."
His San Luis result earned him direct entry to the World Chess Championship 2007. In that tournament he scored 6½ out of 14, placing 5th out of eight players.
In 2006 he went second behind Alexander Grischuk at the World Blitz Championship in Rishon Lezion, Israel, with 10½ points out of 15 games. He also finished tied for first with Vladimir Kramnik at the Dortmund 2006.
In February 2009 he came first at the 7th Gibtelecom Masters in Gibraltar.
Svidler won the Chess World Cup 2011 in Khanty-Mansiysk, defeating Alexander Grischuk in the finals 2½-1½.
Svidler played in the 2013 Candidates Tournament, which took place in London, from 15 March to 1 April. He finished third, with +4−2=8. His four wins were against Radjabov, Aronian, Ivanchuk and Carlsen.
In the 2013 Alekhine Memorial tournament, held from 20 April to 1 May, Svidler finished tenth out of ten participants, with +0−3=6.
Svidler was selected as the wild card for the 2014 Candidates Tournament, which took place in Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia, from 13 March to 31 March. He finished seventh, with +3−4=7. His three wins were against Kramnik, Andreikin, and Topalov.
Svidler reached the final of Chess World Cup 2015 in Baku having defeated on his way there top-seeded Veselin Topalov, Chinese prodigy Wei Yi, and Anish Giri among others. He faced compatriot Sergey Karjakin in the final. Winning the first two games, he needed only a ½ point from the remaining two classical games for the tournament victory. However, he lost both subsequent games and eventually the match 6-4 on blitz tiebreaks. Nonetheless, his second-place finish qualified him to the 2016 Candidates Tournament.


Scott was born in Le Roy, New York. He suffered from polio as a child and was left with a slightly shrunken left leg, although this did not inhibit his sports career. He made the University of Notre Dame team as a lineman, and played for two seasons with the Buffalo Bills of the AAFC before joining the Hamilton Wildcats franchise in 1949. The Wildcats merged with the Hamilton Tigers in 1950 to create the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, and Scott played for the merged team until his retirement in 1962. He made six Grey Cup appearances, and helped the Tiger-Cats win the cup in 1953 and 1957.
He worked at Stelco after his retirement, and later entered the real estate business. He hosted a talk show in the 1970s and 1980s, and was named to the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 1982. He was elected to Hamilton City Council for the city's fourth ward in the 1982 municipal election, and subsequently participated in discussions with Tiger-Cats owner Harold Ballard to ensure that the team remained in Hamilton. Fellow councillor Mike Davison described him as a conservative.
Scott was defeated in his bid for re-election in 1985. He suffered a stroke the following year, and never fully recovered. He died in 1992 following a lengthy illness.
In 2007, he was inducted into the New York State Public High School Athletic Association Section V Football Hall of Fame.
Some information is taken from Rian Melzer, "Star full of heart", Hamilton Spectator, 14 July 1992, C1, an obituary piece.
^ The Lethbridge Herald, 1956-11-06 "Vince Scott of the Tiger-Cats, no longer considered an import since he became a Canadian citizen, was picked for one of the defensive guard positions"
^ "Four enshrined at Canadian Football Hall of Fame", Globe and Mail, 10 June 1982, S7.
^ Marty York, "Ballard's threat has its skeptics", Globe and Mail, 21 March 1983, S5.
^ Michael Davison, "Vince Scott was a true man of the people", Hamilton Spectator, 17 July 1992, A9.
^ "Section V Hall of Fame 2007 - 'Boomer' Scott". leroyfootball.com.
This page was last edited on 26 April 2018, at 19:43 (UTC).


Police in Witbank, Mpumalanga, have launched a manhunt for suspects who allegedly killed three men by forcing them to drink acid on Friday afternoon.
Mpumalanga police spokesperson Brigadier Leonard Hlathi said a fourth man, who survived the ordeal, confirmed to police that they were kidnapped, assaulted and forced to drink acid by a group of people linked to the taxi business.
The man is in serious condition at a local hospital.
Hlathi said the survivor told police that they were accused of being behind several taxi hijackings in Witbank and surrounding areas.
He added that local police received information earlier on Friday that four men had been kidnapped by a group of people associated with the taxi business and had been taken to a local taxi rank.
"It is alleged that the four victims were kidnapped and taken to a taxi rank in Vosman Extension 2 in Witbank. Our members swiftly responded to the information. When they arrived there, they were told that the victims have been moved to another taxi rank in Extension 11.
"Police again swiftly rushed to the second taxi rank. When they arrived there, that is where they made the gruesome discovery," Hlathi said.
He explained that police went into an office at the second taxi rank and found three dead bodies while the fourth man was in pain.
"The survivor told police that they had been severely beaten and forced to drink acid which resulted in three of the men he was tortured with losing their lives. The deceased were certified dead on the scene, while the survivor was rushed to hospital," said Hlathi.
He said it was not yet known which association the suspects belonged to.
Hlathi said there were several active taxi hijacking cases in Witbank and surrounding areas. However, he could not confirm if the deceased and the survivor were linked to those cases.


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How Albertsons maintains close customer connections
NRF 2022: CEO Vivek Sankaran shares lessons in earning loyalty
Vivek Sankaran, chief executive officer of Albertsons Companies Inc., speaks with Sara Eisen, co-anchor of CNBC's "Closing Bell" at NRF 2022: Retail's Big Show.
Peter Johnston
NRF Contributor
In a well-attended session on Monday afternoon at NRF 2022: Retail's Big Show, Albertsons CEO Vivek Sankaran discussed his company's discoveries and experience in the art of earning and keeping customer and employee loyalty in a time of rapid and unpredictable change. Sara Eisen, co-anchor of CNBC's "Closing Bell," moderated the discussion.
A close relationship with its customer base has long been a distinguishing characteristic of Albertsons and, in Sankaran's opinion, an index of its worth. "I find one of the best things about us is customers who've been with us forever," he said. "I talked to a customer recently who has been shopping with us for 47 years. In my opinion, that's the true measure of our value."
NRF 2022 On Demand
Watch NRF 2022: Retail's Big Show on demand and catch up with latest sessions.
This "customer stickiness," Sankaran said, plays out in customers' relationships with the Albertson's staff. He recounted an experience he had in December, while he was working in an Albertsons in Dallas with Ron Watson, the store's produce manager. In the four hours Sankaran was there, three customers approached Watson and gave him Christmas cards.
"We build a closeness at a very fundamental human level," Sankaran said. "Then on top of that, you're using a lot of technology — personalization, ecommerce, delivery — that builds on this emotional bond and creates a lot of stickiness. And I think that's a lot of the value of the company."
What about the pandemic, Eisen asked: How did it change people's relationship with the grocery?
In the beginning, Sankaran said, the pandemic created chaos for all hands. "We had to figure out what to do," he said, "because it was so unpredictable. One of the things we had to learn was where the customers were going in relation to it. We had to understand what they were looking for from a safety standpoint, and also from a product standpoint. We needed to understand how we could make things simpler and easier for them, and also to make sure the associates were safe."
But the first question was, what were customers looking for? "There were three things that came out of COVID for us," he said. "One was understanding what the customers wanted. Then we had to have a deep empathy for the associates, because without them, you can't have a retail operation. Third was speed. It's like hockey. It's hard to know where the puck is going, but if you can react quickly to change, you gain an advantage. And that's what we've learned to do."
"How did you keep morale up so that associates would be able to work through this difficult and uncertain time?" Eisen asked.
Essentially, by figuring things out as they went along, Sankaran said. "In the beginning," he said, "there was very little prescriptive information about how to keep people safe. Before COVID came to the United States it had already broken out in Europe, and we learned from what had been done there — things like putting up plexiglass, for example."
Looking ahead, Albertsons is preparing to deal with the post-pandemic world and capitalizing on its learnings.
One thing the company is doing, Sankaran said, is putting an increasing emphasis on food freshness. "Secondly," he said, "we're focusing on creating stickiness, through loyalty programs, ecommerce, our pharmacies, rewards programs and so on. We are giving customers added incentives to stay with us."
And what leadership lessons, Eisen asked, can you share, looking back over your career?
"I'm having a blast," Sankaran said. "My leadership is still a work in progress, but so far it has proceeded through three phases. The first phase was problem-solving, which I've always enjoyed. Then I went to Frito-Lay, where I just learned to get things done. And now I'm enjoying getting people to do things they didn't think they could do."
At NRF 2022: Retail's Big Show, Albertsons CEO Vivek Sankaran discusses areas of focus for the future.
NRF 2022, Retail's BIG Show, Customer Loyalty
How working from home is changing consumer behavior
NRF 2022: Research shows the importance of going local.
How to harness the buying power of Chinese shopping festivals
NRF 2022: JD.com and Authentic Brands Group on differentiation, accessibility and logistics.
Sam's Club delivers on automation, engagement, convenience and retention
NRF 2022: CTO Vinod Bidarkoppa on multi-channel collaboration.


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'The Simpsons' Producers Confirm Apu Will Remain In The Series
By Will Thorne, Variety	 Aug 25, 2019 at 11:34am	 6041 Shares
Laurence Fishburne to Produce 'Marvel's Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur' Series for Disney Channel
'The Mandalorian,' 'Lizzie McGuire' and Talking Dogs: 5 Things We Learned at D23 Day One
Frankie Rodriguez Thanks 'High School Musical: The Series' Showrunner for Adding Diversity to Show
The Simpsons has never shied away from lampooning Disney over the years, but maybe that's no longer the case.
Homer, Marge and co. are of course now part of the Disney family and made their first appearance at the Mouse House's D23 Expo convention, where the show's producers were asked plenty of questions about what the relocation as part of the Disney-Fox merger means for the series.
The assembled Simpsons gang addressed the ever-present question of a second movie outing for the characters, with executive producer Al Jean teasing that they "have talked about it" with Disney, as well as ideas for potential spinoff series.
"I think Disney would be supportive of anything we wanted to do, maybe a crazy limited series with a side character or a movie that we surprised you with, they've been really creatively supportive and this is going to afford so many new ways to do the show than just the traditional format," added fellow EP Matt Selman.
The panel kicked off with a montage of all the Disney-related jokes to appear on the show, including Homer eating one of the fish in an Under the Sea Little Mermaid sequence and a Snow White parody in which one of the seven dwarves says, "Well at least we don't work for Disney!"
It's clear that the irony of the situation hasn't been lost on any of the producers, who took wildly different approaches when addressing the Mouse in the room.
"Isn't this the craziest thing you could imagine, that we would start out working for an evil corporation and then working for a nice one?" said Selman, perhaps a little tongue in cheek.
Later on, creator and executive producer Matt Groening effectively dodged the question with a crowd pleasing "we do it for the fans" response.
"This is rare opportunity to get feedback from people who like what we do, so thank you," said Groening.
As previously announced, all episodes from the show's 30 seasons will be available to stream on Disney Plus upon launch in November. It remains to be seen if forthcoming seasons of the series will change in tone or be lighter on Disney jabs given its new home.
Meanwhile, the show also confirmed that the character of Apu is not leaving The Simpsons, despite earlier reports to the contrary. Following the controversy surrounding the long-running character, creator Matt Groening reaffirmed the show's commitment to the Kwik-E Mart clerk on Saturday during the show's D23 Expo session.
When asked by a young fan whether Apu would remain on the show — following reports that the character had been written out of the show — Groening said, "Yes. We love Apu. We're proud of Apu."
The issue of Apu was the centerpiece of the documentary The Problem with Apu, in which comedian Hari Kondabolu interviewed celebrities of South Asian descent about the negative impact that the character has had on them. Executive producer Al Jean previously said that he had watched the documentary and that it had been discussed in the writers' room.
"Some people are offended by the character and I take that very seriously," he said last year. "Others really love the character. It's a difficult choice. I don't want to offend people but we also want to be funny. We don't want to be totally politically correct. That has never been us. It's given us a lot of thought."
Hank Azaria, the voice of Apu, also told reporters last year that The Simpsons was mulling how to address the future of Apu and what the show might do differently with the character.
In an April 2018 episode, "No Good Read Goes Unpunished," Marge and Lisa Simpson alluded to the fact that The Simpsons has not quite figured out what to do with the character, or when to address it.
Last fall, producer Adi Shankar said that he had heard from inside the show that Apu had been phased out of the show, but Jean later said those reports were inaccurate.
WHERE TO STREAM THE SIMPSONS


Picture it: two young lovers road trip to Canada before hopping into a hot-air balloon and taking to the sky as the sun sets and a soft breeze brushes across their faces. That might sound like a scene from a romance film — in fact, I'm pretty sure it is — but it's actually a special date Cole Sprouse took Lili Reinhart on. OK, we don't know if the sun was setting or if there was a breeze, but the rest is definitely true!
In a March interview with Glamour magazine, Cole talked about his relationship with Lili while promoting his latest movie, Five Feet Apart. When asked about the most romantic gesture he's ever made for his Riverdale costar and girlfriend, Cole recalled the dreamy outing, saying, "I took [Lili] on a date where we drove to this location deep into Canada, and I surprised her with a big hot-air balloon adventure, which was quite a bit of fun. I like travelling quite a bit. I like road-tripping. Those grand experiences always end up yielding the greatest memories — and the greatest romances." Awww!
Cole and Lili first sparked dating rumours back in July 2017. Although they never officially announced their relationship, they certainly dropped enough hints that helped fans piece things together. They finally made their romance public at the Met Gala in 2018 and have continued to be lovey-dovey on social media. Recently, they made a rare PDA-filled red carpet appearance at the premiere of Five Feet Apart. Between taking sweet trips together and gushing about how much they love each other, it's clear that these two were meant to be!


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1. Ideal Thunderbolt 3 storage solution for professionals especially those with strict speed and safety requirements, including 4K video editing.
2. Two 40Gbps Thunderbolt 3 interfaces, transfer speeds up to 780MB/s.
3. Capitalising on the Thunderbolt 3 and DP interfaces, the D4 Thunderbolt 3 supports multi-screen display with up to 3 screens.
4. Daisy-chain up to 6 devices; Support up to 56TB storage capacity (14TB x 4, in RAID 0); Multiple hardware RAID: RAID0, RAID1, RAID5, RAID10, JBOD, Single.
5. Power delivery provides up to 15W of power to recharge compatible laptops. Aluminum-alloy shell, 2*80mm fans ensure great heat dispersion.
TerraMaster D4 Thunderbolt3 RAID storage - More Power, More Speed.
Equipped with two Thunderbolt 3 interfaces, the TerraMaster D4 Thunderbolt 3 RAID storage enables users to connect with any USB device at 8 times the speed of USB3.0, while supporting full 4K video performance.Equipped with two Thunderbolt 3 interfaces, the TerraMaster D4 Thunderbolt 3 RAID storage enables users to connect with any USB device at 8 times the speed of USB3.0, while supporting full 4K video performance.
TerraMaster's 4-bay D4-Thunderbolt 3 is compatible with 3.5" SATA disks and 2.5" SSDs, allowing professionals to capitalize on a total storage capacity of up to 56TB. As a result, you can be assured the device gives you the tools you need to overcome any storage challenge.
Drawing on a pair of Thunderbolt 3 interfaces (40 Gbps) and a hardware RAID controller, the D4 Thunderbolt™ 3 can operate at transfer speeds of 780 MB/s under a 7200 RPM high-speed hard disk and RAID 0 array mode.
Given its HD DP digital interface, video editors can connect the D4 Thunderbolt™ 3 to a 4K HD display to satisfy their needs.
Capitalizing on the Thunderbolt 3 and DP interfaces, the D4 thunderbolt 3 supports multi-screen displays with up to 3 monitors or daisy-chain up to 6 devices. This is an ideal solution for multitaskers, especially when efficiency is the end goal. The Thunderbolt 2 devices with the daisy-chain function can also be daisy-chained to the D4 Thunderbolt 3.
Operating System: 64-bit Windows 8/10 or later; MAC OS X 10.12 or Version later; Mac Mini is not supported.
Hardware Requirement: CPU Intel i5 Quad-Core or higher.
Interface: Thunderbolt 3 or 2; If your device has only the USB ports, it will not be compatible.
Applicable Hard Drive: 3.5" SATA enterprise hard drive, SSHD hybrid hard drive, NAS hard drive (SATA III or above), or 2.5" SSD (SATA II or above).
If your Mac has Thunderbolt 3 and Thunderbolt 2 ports, you can capitalize on the D4 Thunderbolt 3 to achieve high-end transfer rates. With Apple's Thunderbolt™ 3 (USB-C) to Thunderbolt 2 adapter (not sold with the D8 Thunderbolt™ 3), compatibility between the D4 Thunderbolt™ 3 and earlier Thunderbolt technologies is straightforwardly achieved.
The D4 Thunderbolt™ 3 can operate with RAID 0, 1, 5, and 10, as well as JBOD disk array modes for all your application needs. This underpins the all-important concern for guaranteed data security, and it ensures that your storage capacity is utilized in the most efficient way possible.
Replacing lost content is inconvenient, costly, and, ultimately, unworkable for all professionals. Therefore, with the D4-Thunderbolt3, TerraMaster has not comprised on its use of state-of-the-art storage technologies to ensure data safety and security. Now, freed from concerns about inadequately protected data, users can focus on what matters to you.
Given its compactness, its large storage capacity, and its lightning speed, the D4 Thunderbolt™ 3 is ideally suited for the most demanding applications, including 4K video editing, as well as seamless 4K streaming. Other users, especially those with strict speed and storage requirements, will find a valuable partner in this device.
The time needed for virtually every aspect of the post-production workflow falls when using the D4 Thunderbolt 3. At lightning speed, users can transfer several hours of footage from a Blackmagic device to Adobe Premiere Pro. In turn, with uncompressed HD 10-bit and 12-bit video, users can edit the ProRes 422 (HQ), ProRes 4444 XQ, and other data streams. Thumbnails and preview rendering are significantly more responsive when using large items with numerous high-definition clips.
Both Apple and Intel have certified the D4 Thunderbolt 3's design and performance, ensuring the device's consistent performance and reliability.
As D4 thunderbolt 3 adopts an aluminum-ally shell and low-noise fans, it is solid and reliable with good heat dissipation and low noise. Due to the use of removable hard drive tray, it is easy to install the hard drive that also supports hot swap.
This item is covered by TERRAMASTER Return Policy.


Social Selling: It's about focusing on S.H.I.T. and being C.R.A.P. at I.T.
The bottom line for a business of any size today is that unless we focus on Strategically Harnessing Information Technology (S.H.I.T.) available to us, we will lose our competitive edge. What's more in today's information age, we all have to stand out for effective Social Selling of our brand, products and services.
In order to do so, we have to be Creative, Reactive, Active and Proactive (C.R.A.P.) at Intelligently Targeting (I.T.) our market place.
The pace of change in technology can be overwhelming even for people like me who practices social selling every day. So I can imagine what it is like for novice users engaging on Social and Mobile software platforms using a variety of hardware platforms like PCs, Tablets and Smartphones to promote their business for the best possible results!
So in this article, let me try and make it easy for novice users of ICT (Information Communication and Technology) users to understand, how to embrace S.H.I.T. and be C.R.A.P. at I.T.
I'll ensure that you understand my acronyms before you read the rest of this article .
Before delving further we need to understand what we want to get out of these Social & Mobile technology platforms – Be clear on the ROI!
Now let's get into the meat of the content.
Ensure there's a strategy to measure Brand Awareness i.e. increasing our website traffic by X% which should be measured before and after! For instance the number of leads can be equated to the volume of enquiries generated from your online presence. This can be measured by having efficient online and offline marketing and measurement processes in place.
Ask yourself, "Do I have an effectively structured online presence in order to convert the traffic into leads?" For example on your LinkedIn presence, "Do I have the right key personnel and individual profiles and relationships set up correctly?" of course this applies to other Social Networking platforms as well.
"Does my company have a strong online presence so users can consume the content, while I see an increase in conversions on our company website/mobile site and Social Networking platforms?" For instance are there enough targeted keywords, appealing images and emotionally charged messages that can relate to users?
"Do I have company information that can be accessed by all technology platforms which are important and used by my target market?" For instance is the web content easily viewable on traditional desktops as well as mobile devices running on all popular platforms such as Apple, Windows and Google Technologies?
In order to stand out from the rest, we have to use a unique style or approach like I have used in writing this article. Few business professionals would have the nerve to even say S.H.I.T. and C.R.A.P. in front of the work colleagues let alone write about it!
Unfortunately Social networking platforms are dynamic in nature and in order to succeed online, we have to react to situations either by replying to a question, handling complaints and managing expectations of our customers. To be ahead of the competition, we need have our internal processes in place so we can react quicker than we ever did in the past.
With dynamic messages coming at you from all directions and rising expectations from your prospect to find you at their finger tips and ever diminishing loyal customer base, we have to be a lot more active than before. I.e. at a minimum keeping on par or ahead of our competitors.
Gone are the days when we could prepare for 3-5 years business plans due to the fast changing nature of technology and its use. This means, not only do we need to have a business plan and digital marketing strategy with an implementation plan in place but also the flexibility to be able to review these at least yearly. This is an absolute must!
Today's Social Network platforms and the smart hardware platforms used, we have access to a global market and therefore, we have to Intelligently Target our referral base to be in-line with our business plan and planned strategy. This means, every aspect of our digital marketing outlook must be geo-targeted to attract our LEADS!
Why Personal Profile Transparency is Important for your Social Selling Success?
Is your web presence Social, Local and Mobile friendly?


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Princess Beatrice's 2016 party foul is making headlines yet again after Ed Sheeran's manager spoke publicly for the first time about a swing of a ceremonial sword that resulted in stitches to the singer's face.
Stuart Camp, who has worked with the "Shape of You" singer for a decade, branded the princess an "idiot" for the mishap, which involved Sheeran and singer James Blunt.
According to Camp's telling on the "Straight Up" podcast, the three were partying at the Royal Lodge in Windsor, the home of Beatrice's disgraced father Prince Andrew, when Blunt cracked that he wanted a knighthood.
Beatrice jokingly picked up a ceremonial sword without realizing Sheeran was standing nearby slashed a gash in his cheek that required stitches.
John Stillwell – PA Images via Getty Images
Ed Sheeran performs at East Anglia's Children's Hospices gala dinner in London in 2016, where his scar still looks recent.
"I got quite protective over that," Camp said, explaining that he received a call from the palace afterward and hadn't told the story before. "Because we've never publicly commented on it. But certain people said, 'Oh, you should lie and say it wasn't her and say it was someone else.'"
"I said, well, we're not telling anyone anything. I'm not lying, just because someone's a fucking idiot," he added. "Because they're thinking, yeah, I will get paralytic and take a sword off the wall. You're just asking for trouble. You know, we've not heard hide nor hair from her since."
Buckingham Palace told HuffPost Wednesday that they had no comment in regard to the story.
The outline of the story leaked in the tabloids at the time, but Blunt denied the reports, saying instead that he and Sheeran concocted a lie and people fell for it.
Sheehan spoke about what led to the stitches in his cheek in an interview with Absolute Radio in 2017, though the "Perfect" singer still didn't name the princess as the assailant.
Isa Foltin via Getty Images
Ed Sheeran and James Blunt arrive for the Goldene Kamera on March 4, 2017 in Hamburg, Germany.
"I got hit in the face, and I was like, all right, OK, and then started carrying on," Sheeran said then.
"And then I looked down at my shirt and it was just completely covered in blood. And everyone was kind of gaping open-mouthed at me," he explained. "What, have I got a nosebleed or something? What's happened?"
Despite the incident, Sheeran remains friendly with some of the royals. He and Prince Harry participated in a project together for World Mental Health Day in October:
He hasn't raised the subject of whether he wants a knighthood.


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The slaty finch (Haplospiza rustica) is a bird species in the family Thraupidae (formerly in Emberizidae).

It is found in Central America and the northern Andes. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist montane forests and heavily degraded former forest.

References

slaty finch
slaty finch
Birds of Central America
Birds of Guatemala
Birds of the Northern Andes
slaty finch
Taxonomy articles created by Polbot
Taxobox binomials not recognized by IUCN

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


The team's investigation into a petty officer's death leads to the discovery that he is gay, and the investigation gets Hollis Mann involved when the victim was being considered for the Medal of Honor. Meanwhile, Breena goes into labor and gives birth to a daughter: Victoria Elizabeth Palmer.When a Marine private is found dead,NCIS Season 15the investigation leads Tony and Bishop to the private's former school (and also Tony's), where they discover some dark secrets lurking in the academy. Bishop and Jake ask Gibbs, Tony, and McGee to dinner.NCIS hunts down a homegrown terrorist after a rescue mission in Syria reveals that an American was involved in the kidnapping of a social worker. McGee and Bishop question Tony's recent habits as ATF Special Agent Zoe Keats returns to work the case and turns out to be his girlfriend. Meanwhile,NCIS Season 15 DVD Tobias Fornell is struggling with the loss of Diane and raising Emily alone.


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From bench to bedside: new research centre to benefit humans, animals and the environment
A new national centre, unique in the UK and Europe, that will take research out of the laboratory and closer to the bedside to ensure more patients worldwide can access ground-breaking treatments as quickly as possible will be officially opened on Thursday 9 June.
The £6.2 million Translational Biomedical Research Centre (TBRC), funded by the University of Bristol, the Medical Research Council (MRC) and the British Heart Foundation (BHF), will be opened by the MRC Chief Science Officer, Dr Declan Mulkeen and by the BHF Medical Director, Professor Peter Weissberg.
Translational medicine aims to take lab science performed 'in vitro' – in a test tube or on tissues, cells or molecules outside of the body – and prove it has positive effects on a whole living organism. Prior to human trials, new discoveries are tested in animals, but only when there is no other way to confirm they are safe and have beneficial health outcomes. This is often the case when testing new medical devices such as heart valves, vascular stents, joint replacement prostheses, instrumentation used for key-hole surgery, devices to deliver new drugs in patients with cancer or to test novel drugs and stem cells.
TBRC will use experimental models highly relevant to human disease and anatomy to test such pioneering new medical approaches, devices or therapies in a state-of-the art animal hospital theatre operating at NHS standards. Results of any interventions will then be tracked in living animals using state-of-the-art scanners, just like in the NHS. This will allow researchers to develop new treatments and interventions whilst reducing the number of animals needed because they are able to monitor the animals over time. During and after treatments the animal will be treated by veterinary specialists that will ensure the highest standards of animal welfare and reproducibility of the procedures.
The centre will also have a bio-bank on site – a long-term store for cells and tissues collected post-mortem that can be shared nationally to biomedical scientists, which will reduce the future need for animal tissue samples. The bio-bank will enable cells (including stem cells), spare eggs and tissues to be kept alive for 20 years or longer, just like how the NHS keeps human samples.
TBRC will operate under the One Health concept that recognises the health of humans is connected to the health of animals and the environment. Given people share many of the same health problems as animals; they both suffer from tumours and age- related diseases such as arthritis, research done at the centre could also improve the lives of many animals. Veterinary clinical scientists will also work at TBRC to develop new methods to treat animals, which often could be as simple as adapting treatments already established in humans.
Professor John Iredale, Pro Vice-Chancellor for Health at the University of Bristol, said:
"The new centre is a key part of the University's research strategy to fast track the translation of fundamental discoveries to the bedside. TBRC will work together with other centres in the UK and EU to drive the developments of new treatments. The animals and the centre will benefit from the University's extensive veterinary expertise and the state-of-the-art hospital.
"This is an important development in the University's vision for a research culture that feeds directly and quickly into real and lasting benefits for the health and welfare of both humans and animals."
Professor Raimondo Ascione, Director of TBRC and Professor of Cardiac Surgery and Translational Research in the Faculty of Health Sciences, explained:
"The new research centre will bridge a gap in the UK research system between basic scientists, the NHS, and the biomedical industry. It will allow a new medical device to be delivered by expert vets and NHS doctors on a single animal at clinical standards and to be tracked, non-invasively, over time, just as we do in NHS patients, using sophisticated scanning techniques. With the on-site veterinary and animal welfare expertise, we can be sure that the animals are treated with the same care and sensitivity as human patients."
Professor Peter Weissberg, Medical Director at the BHF, added:
"The BHF invests millions of pounds in basic scientific research each year. We are committed to ensuring that discoveries in the laboratory, made possible by the public's donations, are translated into new treatments for patients as quickly as possible.
"The BHF is delighted to partner once again with the MRC in advancing cardiovascular health. The TBRC will ensure that research carried out in Bristol and beyond, particularly relating to new surgical techniques, will reach patients even more quickly."
TBRC will be aligned to Home Office, NHS and Good Laboratory Practice Monitoring Authority (GLPMA) standards.
Health technology Innovation Research news University of Bristol


Please Don't Hate Me For Two-Timing You!
You need to hire me to create your blog. You wanna know why? Because I figured out the Oxygen theme in an afternoon. Yes, you read that right. I've been power designing since 5 p.m. This new website did not exist five hours ago!
When I created this blog you're reading now, it was meant to be a "catch all" for my various endeavors across the world wide web (ha! remember the WWW?!). I really think I managed to put together a cohesive site that truly has earned me The Versatile Blogger Award, but it's a little too, well, versatile. I need to niche it up a bit.
My new blog is going to be focused on making money, which means beer promotion. I will be focusing on my PR/marketing of all things brew related in the hopes of getting a solid and consistent flow of money while writing about the potable I love to imbibe.
How this impacts the readers of astridcook.com is that I will be far less focused on beer here, which is probably a good thing, all considerations being equal. I will still blog here several times a week, but I may not be able to blog every day. You can catch my new gig at brooklynbeerbitch.com (did you doubt I would come up with such a title? my only surprise was that this URL was actually available!). You can also hit up this blog at the menu to the right of my nameplate.
I'm becoming quite the WordPress expert (see #1) above, and I promise to get caught up on all my pithy blog posts very soon. April is just around the corner, and I'll be doing another 30-day series.


Create your own free digital storybook with images and text. Use our provided pictures or bring your own on a flash drive. Books are saved in EPUB format and compatible with most eBook readers. Walk in craft. Participants should give themselves at least 45 minutes to construct their book.


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Local musican and attorney Mike Masse performs tribute to cancer-stricken son
Burger with Relish: Music by David Burger
Local musican and attorney Mike Masse's baby boy was diagnosed with a rare, aggressive cancerous brain tumor on the Fourth of July.
Noah turned one this last Friday and Mike posted a YouTube video of "Let it Be" in honor of his birthday.
The video received 40,000 hits in less than 24 hours.
Masse has cancelled his upcoming gigs so he can help care for Noah and his other son Timmy. Here is a link to the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-YAu-sGIpwQ Even the Daily Mail in the UK wrote something about it: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2176888/Father-Mike-Masse-posts-touching-rendition-Let-It-Be-You-Tube-raise-money-year-old-son-brain-tumour.html?ito=feeds-newsxml
He and his family are in our prayers.
Here is a story I wrote about him in March 2011:
Mike Massé and Jeff Hall are Utah attorneys familiar with the wheels of justice. They're also musicians interested in doing justice to songs by Pink Floyd, U2 and Tom Petty. The two longtime friends represent opposing sides in the criminal justice system — Massé is a Salt Lake County public defender, and Hall is a Salt Lake County deputy district attorney — yet they team up monthly to weave tight harmonies at the The Pie Pizzeria.Set aside the members' educational backgrounds, and the duo is much more than just another cover band. Using skills as a recording engineer that he learned in college, Massé has posted nearly 80 videos on YouTube that are brilliantly recorded and superior in sound and video quality.The videos recently amassed more than 2 million hits, earning the Utah duo national and international fans."A guy last week asked when we're going to tour," said Hall, 40, of Sandy. "Another guy asked when we're coming to Poland.""We are more appreciated by people out of state than locals," said Massé, 41, of West Jordan.—-Singing covers, and hearing reality » Hall and Massé met as undergraduates at Brigham Young University, when they formed a cover band. As graduation neared, reality set in."We both individually came to the decision that we needed real jobs," said Massé, who was studying music with a sound recording emphasis and singing with the BYU Singers."I didn't want to rely on music as a way to make a buck," said Hall, who earned a humanities degree with an emphasis in music. He had acquired the rare skill of being able to build an organ, but realized that even in organ-rich Utah, that job "was a sure-fire way to poverty."So both went to law school, and Hall went on to become a law clerk for Pat B. Brian, the late district judge in Salt Lake, Tooele and Summit counties. He eventually ended up working for the district attorney's office from 2000 to 2007, then returned to the office after the election of Sim Gill.In contrast, Massé became a trial attorney working for the Salt Lake Legal Defender Association.—-Sounding off » Massé is a musical nut — he can whistle all nine Beethoven symphonies — who began playing acoustic guitar at The Pie in 1993 as an outlet for creativity. Hall joined him on bass several years later.They didn't expected much from the gig, except a chance to relive their days as a cover band. Their only pay is tips and pizza slices.But Massé, using his skills as a recording engineer, began recording their performances and posting them on YouTube. The videos caught on, attracting dozens of hits, then hundreds, thousands and now millions."The beauty of YouTube is that we have performed for the equivalent of Rice-Eccles Stadium from The Pie," Hall said.—-Playing for the world, from The Pie » Among the duo's devoted fans are Jerry and Sherlyn Snapp, from Momence, Ill., population 3,300. Jerry found the videos on YouTube and showed them to his wife. "She was equally as impressed as I was. We began watching more and more. What I liked best initially about Mike and Jeff on YouTube was it wasn't just another cover band. You could feel the music they delivered, and it made you believe."As the couple's 25th anniversary approached, Jerry, 48, did something special. "I decided to surprise my wife with airline tickets to Salt Lake City to go see Mike and Jeff at The Pie Pizzeria," he said, admitting he had never been on a plane before. "We were both so captivated by the music it made for the best concert ever. They were two very nice gentlemen who gave us the anniversary celebration of a lifetime. There were times we were moved to tears throughout the set."New Yorker Stephen Matthews came across Massé's videos while searching for some Grateful Dead tunes. "Mike has a very unique sound and an incredible voice, [and] the harmonies with Jeff are phenomenal — I am from the East Coast and love that Jeff is always in New York Yankees garb," Matthews wrote in an e-mail. "To top it off, these guys are playing in a pizza joint."Matthews' company, Alembic Global Advisors, was planning a conference in Deer Valley, and he shared the videos with his colleagues. "The first thing I thought was hiring these guys," Matthews said. "They are even better in person. Mike brings song lists for the audience to make requests from, which I thought was brilliant, especially at a corporate gig." Now he's looking forward to hearing the pair play at The Pie — as well as at the company's next annual conference.The videos also have a global reach, according to Richard Drew, of Australia. He came across a Massé-Hall video while searching for Snow Patrol's "Chasing Cars." "I was blown away by the clarity, the simplicity and emotion and the quality of the performance," Drew wrote in an e-mail.Drew had never traveled to the United States. "I was so impressed — being a fellow musician — I said to myself, 'Damn, I'm going to Salt Lake City to sit in the pizzeria with a beer and soak up the superb talent.' And I did, approximately three weeks later, and it was worth every cent."The Australian expresses such passion for the music that he sounds as if he should be appointed as one of the state's economic-development advisers. "Everyone in Salt Lake City and beyond should be proud of this modest and extremely talented duo," Drew wrote. "They complement each other perfectly, have a ball in doing what they do best, and give us all the opportunity to experience something extremely special. I will be back and will bring more Aussies with me!"—Stepping out, musically » Massé has been encouraged by fans all over the world to finance and produce his first album of original songs."It's a big step for me, because if the project is successfully funded, it'll mean my audience of supporters is interested in more than just hearing me reproduce the work of others," Massé said. "It'll demonstrate that there's interest in hearing what I can do with my own material. I'm excited to see what happens."In the meantime, every first Monday of the month, he and Hall will be strumming their guitars and harmonizing at The Pie, playing to whoever will listen. And even if there is no one in the audience that night, the duo knows a global audience awaits.And, since they've learned crime does pay in their day jobs, they've also discovered the ongoing joy of playing music has its own rewards.


LUCRF Super offers you a range of flexible options for insurance through your super account.
While we hope that it's never needed, it's comforting to know that our insurance can provide you and your loved ones with greater financial security if any unseen or unfortunate events were to occur.
Insurance is offered on your super account through an agreement between LUCRF Super and our insurance provider, OnePath Life Limited.
If the worst was to happen, you'll need to make an insurance claim with us in order to receive your benefit.
We have a duty to act in your best interests (known as our 'fiduciary duty'). This includes ensuring that you receive all superannuation and insurance benefits that you're entitled to.
If you want to make an insurance claim (or have any questions about your insurance) you should contact us first. One of our dedicated member service representatives will be able to explain the claims procedure and send you the necessary forms and paperwork. They'll help you understand our claims assessment process and will work with you to ensure that we receive all the required information and that your claim is processed as smoothly as possible.
Tip: You'll need to provide us with any information the insurer reasonably considers necessary to properly assess your claim. This may include medical reports and employment records.
After making your initial enquiry, you'll need to complete and submit the forms provided to you and supply all requested information in order for your claim to be further assessed. Many of our forms can be received and/or submitted electronically or in paper form. When you return everything to us, please attach all the documents requested in the claims pack we'll send to you.
If you're unsure about any of the questions asked or need help completing the form, our member service representatives will be more than happy to help.
Tip: It may save you time if you provide all of the requested information and fill in the forms completely and accurately the first time. Your claim could be delayed if we have to clarify anything, or ask for more information.
We'll check your application and, if you're eligible to make a claim, we'll forward all of your documents and information to our insurer.
Generally, we'll be the contact between you and our insurer. However, it may be necessary for our insurer to contact you directly during the claims process.
Our insurer will use the information you provided to make their assessment.
They will generally pay for any additional medical reports they request and any examinations they arrange for you to attend.
make an appointment for you to have a medical examination with an independent specialist/s.
After considering all of the medical evidence and other information, our insurer will decide whether, in their opinion, you meet the relevant definition (for example, 'TPD' for total and permanent disablement claims, or terminal illness) under their insurance policy.
Our insurer will then advise us as to how they have assessed your claim and whether it should be accepted, deferred or declined.
On average, between 85-90% of genuine insurance claims have been paid out historically across the superannuation industry.
We have a legal obligation to act in the best interests of all fund members. This means that we need to independently review your claim and form our own opinion as to whether our insurer's decision is the right one.
If your claim is accepted, you'll receive a letter from us informing you of this. We'll also send you information on how the benefit can/will be paid to you.
We may agree with our insurer's decision to defer your claim for a period of time to determine the full extent of your disability and whether it's permanent. Your claim will be reviewed again at the end of this period.
We may agree with our insurer's decision to decline your claim. In this case, we'll write to you stating the reason/s why we agree with our insurer's decision.
If your claim is declined or deferred, we'll review the insurer's initial decision on your behalf.
If we disagree with our insurer's decision to decline or defer your claim, we may request that our insurer reconsider the claim or ask for further medical evidence.
When we finish the review process, your claim may be accepted or it may be deferred or declined. We'll advise you of the decision in writing.
If your claim is declined and you disagree with our decision, or you're not happy with how your claim has been managed, you can send us a written complaint.
We'll respond as soon as possible following an investigation into your concerns. This may take up to 90 days. Your claim may be referred to our Claims Review Committee for further review and decision making.
The AFCA may be able to help you resolve your complaint, but you must have complained to your fund first before contacting the AFCA. The AFCA will acknowledge your complaint within seven days of receiving it and then send a notice to your fund advising them of the complaint registration. In certain circumstances (for example, with complex cases or those involving mental health issues), individuals may benefit from legal representation.
The AFCA offers a free, user-friendly alternative to going to court.
The AFCA is an independent body established by the Commonwealth Government to assist superannuation fund members (or their beneficiaries) to resolve certain superannuation complaints.


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Q: row deleting event giving error in gridview While deleting a row from a gridview an error with this message is thrown:

Specified argument was out of the range of valid values.

aspx code
<asp:GridView runat="server" ID="gridviewEditProformaInvoice" OnRowEditing="gridviewEditProformaInvoice_RowEditing" AutoGenerateEditButton="true"  OnRowCancelingEdit="gridviewEditProformaInvoice_RowCancelingEdit" AutoGenerateDeleteButton="true" OnRowUpdating="gridviewEditProformaInvoice_RowUpdating" OnRowDeleting="gridviewEditProformaInvoice_RowDeleting" ></asp:GridView>

code behind
protected void gridviewEditProformaInvoice_RowDeleting(object sender, GridViewDeleteEventArgs e)
{
     SqlConnection con = new SqlConnection(ConfigurationManager.ConnectionStrings["abc"].ConnectionString);
     GridViewRow row = gridviewEditProformaInvoice.Rows[e.RowIndex];

     string uniqueid = (row.Cells[2].Controls[0] as TextBox).Text;
     SqlCommand cmd = new SqlCommand(@"delete from tbl_proformaDetails WHERE uniqueid ='" + uniqueid + "'", abc);
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


CRA Tax Penalites - Tax 911 NOW!
Thousands of Canadians file their taxes late. Be prepared to pay hefty penalties and to lose some government benefits if you do.
Millions of Canadians filed their tax returns before the April 30th deadline, but there are thousands that end up filing late, or not filing at all.
If you do not owe money, there is no late filing penalty. You will still be able to file later and still receive your tax refund. However, if you owe money and file late for whatever reason, you will end up triggering penalty fees, face interest payments and become ineligible for certain government benefits.
There are two different kinds of penalties levied by the the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA).
There are late filing penalties when you owe taxes and don't file your return on time. The penalty is 5 per cent of the amount owed, plus an additional 1 per cent of the balance owing for each month that your return is late – to a maximum of 12 months.
For example, if you owe $2,500 and file six months late, you will be charged 11 per cent – or $275.
On top of the late filing penalty, you will also be charged interest on any amount owed. Interest is compounded daily, and interest rates can change every 3 months.
If you filed a late return this year, and you were also charged a late-filing penalty in one of the previous three years, your late-filing penalties will double. The CRA will charge a penalty of 10 per cent of the taxes you owe, plus an additional two per cent for each full month that your return is late, up to a maximum of 20 months.
First time late filing penalty: if you owe tax and do not file your return on time, CRA will charge you a late-filing penalty. The penalty is 5% of your tax balance owing, plus 1% of your balance owing for each full month that your return is late, to a maximum of 12 months. In another word, if you have late tax unfiled, for the very first year, you will have 17% of tax owing for the penalties alone.
Repeating late filing penalty: if the late filing is a re-occurring event within three years, then the penalties become nearly tripled. The late-filing penalty becomes 10% of your tax balance owing, plus 2% of your tax balance owing for each full month that your return is late, to a maximum of 20 months. That is a late filing penalty of 50% of your tax owing.
In addition to the late filing penalties, CRA charges much higher interest than banks on your tax balance and penalties. The interest is compounded DAILY. Use rule of thumb, if assumed interest is 7%, which is not abnormal for CRA for many years, then tax owing doubles in about ten years. When the interest is compounded daily, the interest keeps running when you sleep.
What You Need to Do Now is to stop procrasnating, start taking actions. You can not afford to wait any longer!
To control your damage right away, we will do a quick, sometimes, on the spot assessment, if you have unfiled taxes for years and you do not owe taxes. Then we will quickly help you to reconstruct all the financial information and locate all your missing pieces of tax information to report your tax returns properly.
If we determine that you have unfiled back taxes and large tax debts owing for many years and thus the interests and late filing penalties are alarmingly high. Then we may need to help you to file under the Voluntary Disclosure Program or Tax Amnesty immediately to avoid the risk of being caught by CRA and thus lose the opportunity to file under the protective Voluntary Disclosure Program to reduce the severe damage. The penalties alone may force you into bankruptcy.
Unlike these accountants or the tax filers with seasonal appearance in the malls, we can not only fix your back tax problem, we can also help you to negotiate with CRA for the matters before and after the filing.
Before the filing, we can help you to file Tax Amnesty program to completely remove your penalties and/or some of the interests.
If the tax bill is too high, then we can negotiate a tax relief for you to reduce the tax penalties and interest, or we can help you to negotiate an affordable payment plan so no legal collection actions will be taken against you by CRA.
We are different because we can provide much more comprehensive services to protect you in many aspects and all stages of your tax dealing with CRA.
To begin with, we offer RISK FREE no obligation initial consultation just to help you to understand the depth and complexity of your tax problems. We will also provide you the recommended steps to take to fix your tax problems. Then it is completely up to you to decide what to do from there.
If you do decide to engage us to fix your tax problems, we will provide price match guarantee within the entire tax negotiation industry.


Minneapolis, March 2010 – Greenspring Media Group is pleased to announce the appointment of Katie Dohman as Style Editor of Minnesota Monthly. Serving in this highly visible position, Dohman will cover retail, fashion, and lifestyle trends and will edit the magazine's newly redesigned Style section. Additionally, she will attend store and restaurant openings, charity and fund-raising events, and make media appearances as requested.
Dohman has extensive background in journalism. A graduate of the University of Minnesota, she began her career in newspapers but later switched to magazines. She has edited a custom publication for Macy's and served as Beauty Editor at Mpls.-St. Paul Magazine while employed by MSP Communications. Most recently, she worked as a web writer with Brain Traffic, serving such clients as UnitedHealth Group and 3M. A Twin Cities native, Dohman is familiar and knowledgeable about local fashion, retail, products, and designers.
Dohman's byline will first appear in the May issue of Minnesota Monthly, which hits newsstands on April 15, 2010.
Greenspring Media Group, publishes Minnesota Monthly as well as several other magazines, including Midwest Home, Real Food, and Drinks and multiple custom publications. In addition to the publishing segment of its business, Greenspring Media Group produces signature special events including the Twin Cities Food and Wine Experience, Luxury Home Tour, and the Midwest Home Show.


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Growth through music
Q u e s t i o n s ?
Brianna Bobbitt
School: Berklee College of Music
Instrument: Drum set, Percussion
Originally from Arizona, Brianna Bobbitt is a session/touring drummer, arranger and educator. Brianna started playing drums when she was 12 and was playing gigs regularly by the time she was 14. Having fallen in love with playing live, she dedicated her life to perusing music.
After high school, Brianna began her studies at Berklee College of Music where she studied music business and production. It was during her first year of college that she began teaching drums and realized the transformative power of music education. She has experience teaching private instructions and workshops for children of all ages. Brianna also has experience playing and instructing a wide variety of music including Pop, Rock, Latin, and Jazz. Aside from drums, Brianna is proficient on the piano and has a vast knowledge of music theory, reading, and arranging/composition. She hopes to inspire others to pursue music to any extent they are looking for and says "I would love to motivate and enlighten my students the same way my incredible mentors have with me".
contact@echokidsmusic.com


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Home Features Texas State Parks invites Texans to join in celebrating 100 years of...
Texas State Parks invites Texans to join in celebrating 100 years of state parks in 2023
TPWD Photo
H-E-B Supports Centennial Celebration with $1 Million Donation
AUSTIN— The Centennial Celebration of Texas State Parks is right around the corner, and park lovers are invited to get outside and join celebrations across the state. Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) in partnership with Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation (TPWF) will celebrate 100 years of Texas State Parks beginning January 2023.
"We invite all Texans to experience these precious public lands that truly belong to them," said Rodney Franklin, TPWD's Texas State Parks Director. "We hope this is the year every Texan visits at least one state park. We are going to take advantage of the excitement about the Centennial to showcase everything our parks have to offer, and we're thrilled that H-E-B will be supporting our celebration."
H-E-B is the presenting sponsor of the Centennial Celebration and donated $1 million to help Texas State Parks engage all Texans in discovering and exploring their parks.
"In a state rich with majestic landscapes, our support of this effort aims to provide access to our parks and the beauty of our great state for all Texans to enjoy," said Winell Herron, H-E-B Group Vice President of Public Affairs, Diversity and Environmental Affairs. "Only a very small fraction of land in Texas is public land, and it's our commitment to work alongside organizations such as our longtime partner Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation to protect these precious resources, so Texans can use them for generations to come."
When Governor Pat Neff called for a State Parks Board in 1923, he envisioned a Texas dotted by camping and recreational spaces held in sacred trust for the public good. Texas State Parks have lived up to that vision and so much more. Texas State Parks play a significant role in conserving habitat that benefits people and wildlife, encompassing some 630,000 acres, including 481,000 acres of Texas aquifers, rivers and reservoirs that protect our drinking water. Parks also provide critical habitat for wildlife, including more than 50 threatened and endangered species. They also attract close to 10 million visitors every year, generating $891 million in economic value and $18 million in sales tax revenue.
The Centennial Celebration will officially kick off statewide on Jan. 1, 2023, with "First Day Hikes." New Year's Day hikers will be welcomed across the state, and many parks will offer ranger-guided walks and hikes for this special event. Throughout the year, TPWD will encourage hikers, campers, picnickers and nature lovers to share their first-time park experiences on the Texas State Parks Facebook and Instagram pages.
The celebration will continue with special events at 89 state parks throughout the year, inviting Texans to visit with their families and friends. State parks offer a variety of experiences, from easy-to-access playgrounds and picnic and camping areas to back country hiking for the more adventurous.
Park visitors can stay in-the-know about celebrations near them, plan visits with how-to videos, and purchase limited edition state park merchandise on the new Texas State Parks 100 Years website, the Texas State Parks app, and Texas State Parks Facebook and Instagram pages. The TPWD PBS series will feature Centennial programming throughout the 2023 series, and Texas Parks & Wildlife magazine will publish a special issue in May 2023. The State Park Guide, available for free beginning in January 2023, will also feature Centennial-related content. Centennial-branded retail merchandise will be available in Texas State Park stores and online beginning in November 2022.
Throughout the Centennial Celebration, H-E-B will engage with customers to inspire a love of the outdoors with campfire cooking recipes from H-E-B chefs, hosting Texas park rangers in stores; fun, Texas parks-themed merchandise; and more. H-E-B works year-round to champion sustainability initiatives throughout its own operations and across the Lone Star State.
Earlier this year, the retailer announced Field & Future by H-E-B, its line of sustainable, environmentally friendly products, will benefit state parks and wildlife conservation. Through its commitment to Our Texas, Our Future, H-E-B is additionally focused on increasing awareness and education of the environmental stewardship that state parks bring to preserve Texas' land, water, and air.
In addition to celebrating the past, the Centennial is about looking ahead to the next 100 years. In January 2023, TPWF will kick off a Centennial Fundraising Campaign to raise funds for priority projects at state parks across Texas. TPWF's fundraising effort will drive statewide, grassroots giving to raise $2 million that will deliver equipment and enhancements to the visitor experience for 89 state parks. These donations will allow Texas State Parks to continue delighting visitors of all ages for generations to come.
The Centennial Fundraising Campaign is complementary to the ongoing TPWF fundraising effort for Palo Pinto Mountains State Park, the first new state park in North Texas in 25 years. The new park will be another cause for celebration. Palo Pinto Mountains State Park is located on 4,871 acres of scenic, undeveloped land approximately 75 miles west of Fort Worth and 75 miles east of Abilene. Philanthropic support raised by TPWF, including donations through Field & Future by H-E-B, will be leveraged with $21 million in public funds to construct the roads, utilities, buildings, campsites, trails and other facilities necessary to open the park to the public. Fundraising is still underway, and officials are hoping for a soft opening with some facilities available to the public by late 2023.
"Texans are wild about their state parks, with millions choosing to explore Texas' wild side annually," said TPWF Executive Director Anne Brown. "The prospect of a brand-new park also received a warm Texas welcome, and it's gratifying to see the support from generous donors for Palo Pinto. We know we can count on Texans' longstanding support of their parks for the upcoming Centennial Fundraising Campaign, and we owe H-E-B a B-I-G thank you for leading the charge with their Texas-sized show of support for the Centennial."
The Centennial will also be commemorated with "The Art of Texas Parks" exhibit, which will be hosted at several museums, starting in January at the Bullock Texas State History Museum in Austin. The exhibit is a visual arts survey of state parks and features 34 parks by some of Texas' best contemporary artists.
For more information on the Centennial Celebration, including signature events, the history of Texas State Parks and how to make a day visit or overnight reservation, visit the newly launched Texas State Parks 100 Years website at TexasStateParks.org/100years.
The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department mission balances outdoor recreation and sustainable use of resources with conservation and management of natural and cultural resources. The department operates 89 Texas state parks, natural areas and historic sites, 50 wildlife management areas, three saltwater fish hatcheries and five freshwater hatcheries. TPWD game wardens and wildlife and fisheries biologists work in every Texas county, enforcing laws and encouraging management to conserve fish and wildlife.
ABOUT TPWF
Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation, the official nonprofit partner of TPWD, raises private funds to ensure that all Texans, today and in the future, can enjoy, explore, and be inspired by the lands, waters, and the wildlife of Texas. Since 1991, Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation has raised and invested more than $220 million to conserve the wild things and wild places of Texas.
ABOUT H-E-B
H-E-B is the Presenting Sponsor of the 100 Years of Texas State Parks Celebration. In April 2022 H-E-B launched their environmental commitment to Our Texas, Our Future and announced a partnership between TPWF and Field & Future by H-E-B, a clean and green product line which helps preserve state parks and wildlife conservation. Field & Future is made with recycled or recyclable content, biodegradable formulas or plant-based ingredients and without over 165 harsh chemicals. Since 2012, H-E-B has contributed more than $20 million to over 500 environmental organizations in land and water conservation, habitat and coastal preservation, and community cleanups.
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74th Livestock Show set