Penelope Anne Cole is an observer. When she noticed a child moving into "double digits," she wondered how she could put this aging process into a book for children. Magical Matthew is the result. She herself is much like Matthew; she has worked helping people as a Human Resources person and as a teacher. Ms. Cole has a Multiple Subject Teaching Credential from San Jose State University and a Masters in Human Development Education from the University of Maryland.
What kid wouldn't want to have special powers—like the one Matthew has? Matthew can magically fix things, but he keeps it a secret for a long time. It's important that whoever learns about the secret can be trusted. Lily, Matthew's good friend, helps him find things that need to be fixed. When she figures out about the secret power, Matthew shares everything with his grandma. Grandma wonders if Lily can be trusted and Matthew says he thinks she can. But suddenly Matthew no longer has his power. He lost his last baby tooth and this is a signal that he's getting too old. At first he's angry, but Grandma convinces him there are other ways to fix things, even though those ways take more effort. He and Lily will continue to do good deeds. But the power to fix things isn't lost. When you read the book you will see how the spirit of helpfulness lives on!
Kevin Collier's illustrations show just how excited and astonished Matthew is when he realizes he has this power and later, his disappointment when he outgrows it. It's very interesting the way Kevin interpreted Penelope's poem about the way Matthew sees himself. Together, Penelope and Kevin have created characters whom young readers will be happy to know and parents will find trustworthy.
disclaimer: I purchased a copy of Magical Matthew from Guardian Angel Publishing http://www.guardianangelpublishing.com/matthew.htm in order to review it. I enjoyed it and think it is a worthwhile book to add to any child's collection. The book is also available at Amazon and Barnes and Nobel.
BOO !! and The Next Big Thing !!
Hope I didn't scare you too much, there.
I am participating in THE NEXT BIG THING Blog Hop, and I have been asked to answer some questions about my Work in Progress.
But before I do, let me mention that this blog hop will continue next week on the blogs of Shellie Neumeier and Jayne Moraski. You will find their blog addys down at the end of this post.
And I want to thank Penelope Anne Cole for inviting me to participate and look forward to The Next Big Works of Literature here and in the other postings.
Ten Interview Questions for The Next Big Thing Blog Hop:What is the working title of your book? RANIL AND THE BABY ELEPHANT.
Where did the idea come from for the book? I LEARNED ABOUT AN INDIVIDUAL WHO WAS WORKING TO HELP THE ELEPHANT SITUATION IN SRI LANKA IN AN ARTICLE IN THE SMITHSONIAN MAGAZINE. THE SAD THING IS THAT ELEPHANTS ARE LOOSING THEIR HABITAT BECAUSE IT TAKES FORWARD THINKING PEOPLE TO PLAN AND IMPLIMENT WAYS FOR ELEPHANTS AND PEOPLE TO SHARE A SMALL-ISH ISLAND.
What genre does your book fall under? MIDDLE GRADE CONTEMPORARY FICTION.
What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book? IN ORDER TO SAVE THE BABY ELEPHANT FROM BEING TAKEN BY A CIRCUS, RANIL MUST COME UP WITH A WAY TO MAKE MONEY IN HIS VILLAGE.
Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency? I WOULD BE VERY HAPPY IF MY BOOK WERE TAKEN UP BY AN AGENCY, BUT IN LIEU OF THAT, I WILL PROBABLY TRY TO GO WITH A TRADITIONAL PUBLISHER.
How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript? THE STORY STARTED OUT AS A MAGAZINE STORY—VERY SHORT. THEN WHEN I DECIDED TO EXPAND IT, IT TOOK ABOUT A YEAR OF WRITING AND RESEARCHING.
What other books would you compare this story to within your genre? SINCE THIS IS AN ENVIRONMENTAL STORY, I WOULD COMPARE IT TO CARL HIAASEN'S HOOT.
Who or What inspired you to write this book? I FEEL TERRIBLE THAT THE ELEPHANTS OF SRI LANKA ARE LOOSING THEIR HABITAT AND THEIR LIVES TO AGRICULTURE.
I SALUTE HELPFUL PEOPLE, SUCH AS KARL WALD, WHO ARE WORKING HARD TO OVERCOME THE PROBLEM.
What else about your book might pique the reader's interest? THE SOLUTION THAT RANIL COMES UP WITH IS TO START A COMPANY IN HIS VILLAGE TO MAKE PAPER OUT OF ELEPHANT POO.
Now, tune in next Wednesday, November 7, to the following blogs to hear all about Shellie's and Jayne's upcoming books.
Here's another extraordinary picture book from storyteller, Liam Maher, and illustrator, Gin May. THE PLUMBER AND THE WISHING WELL is published by Guardian Angel Publishing.
The plumber is in a quandary because he lost his job and has no money with which to buy Christmas presents for his family. His friend Tupo Hoopoe flies to visit Oracle Owl to see if he has any advice. Sure enough, he does.
Oracle Owl sends Tupo to the Wishing Well, where from the tall fir tree, he sees something unexpected.
Then the scene changes as three magical creatures approach the Well: an elf, a fairy, and a leprechaun. Each one wants to make a wish. The elf wants a robot to do his wife's housecleaning; the fairy wants a white horse for her fiancé; and the leprechaun wants a gold bar for the Leprechaun King.
Now they are up against a quandary, too. Their wishes do not come true, even though they tossed golden coins into the well over their left shoulders as they had always done.
Tupo Hoopoe offers to go get the plumber to fix the well. The three magical characters accept his offer and the plumber comes.
The plumber is tall enough to look down into the well and see the problem. Now he's both a clever and generous person, so he comes up with a surprising and fun solution that makes everybody happy.
The magicals all get their Christmas wishes and the plumber has enough money to buy his wife and son and daughter nice gifts. Even the plumber's donkey wishes the fairy's horse (the one she wished for as a gift for her fiancé) a Happy Christmas and it's reciprocated.
Gin May's illustrations capture the place and emotions of the characters perfectly in a variety of ways, from pastel to jewel colors and even a captivating silhouette. She does a fantastic job with the birds.
Liam Maher grew up in the beautiful gardens of Dromoland Castle in County Clare, Ireland.
This and the surrounding picturesque countryside coupled with the old beliefs during his boyhood days of leprechauns, ghosts and fairies were to inspire his children's stories that were to come in later life and originally written for his grandchildren.
Liam has had two other books published with Guardian Angel, The Golden Daffodils and Mr. Topper, the Lucky Potbellied Pig. More are coming soon.
Liam spends his time gardening, keeping fit, entertaining his grandchildren and searching for leprechauns.
How nice to come home from a week in North Carolina celebrating the Fourth of July to find a surprise in my Inbox. I've been tagged.
For the Fabulous Blog Ribbon, I get to name five things I like and five I don't.
The Booker Award comes with the request that I name five favorite books. My list of favorite books is a mile long, so I will name five that just pop into my head.
Those who know me well know I refuse to live in the real world.
Check these bloggers out. They are all fabulous writers of children's stories and I am honored to be in their company.


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after I plug in my cp9135 and select read it starts linking and it continues to say linking for as long as I leave it plugged in sometimes after I unplug and replug a few times it starts working like new again. what can I do to fix this problem.
i cant afford to send it in for repairs. if theres anything I can do please!


Discount Flooring has over a decade of experience as a leading online flooring provider. That's why we understand the need to supply high quality lines like the Megatrade Corp. Sassi Series Porcelain of flooring. Our flooring team is on hand to answer any questions you may have, and when you purchase your floors, we'll deliver them directly to your door. Make your next flooring project simple and stress free by enlisting help from Jim and the rest of the flooring experts.


The Science & Art Cabaret is supported by the Technē Institute for Arts & Technology.
The Science & Art Cabaret is an ongoing collaborative program between Hallwalls, the University at Buffalo, and the Buffalo Museum of Science begun in October 2009. The cabaret attempts to bring forth intellectual and creative ideas centered around given themes, in a mash-up of ideas concocted to investigate the connections between these distinct fields of investigation.
Allen Farmelo is a record producer, founder of the record label Butterscotch Records, and editor of Pink Noise Magazine, a feminist publication about recording and audio. A Buffalonian by birth and at heart, Farmelo spent the past decade working in NYC and now lives in the Hudson Valley. He holds an M.A. in Sociomusicology from the Department of American Studies at SUNY Buffalo.
David Gutierrez is a longtime Buffalo musician, guitarist for the Irving Klaws, and venerable DJ at The Pink.
Professor Elaine Stathopoulos completed her Ph.D. at Indiana University in 1981 and does research in the area of respiratory and laryngeal function during typical voice production. More recently, she has completed a large project on how speakers with Parkinson's disease use their voices. Dr. Stathopoulos teaches courses in Voice Disorders, and Anatomy and Physiolgy of the speech mechanism, as well. She has numerous publications on strategies for breathing during voice production, and has served as associate editor and editor in a flagship journal - The Journal of Speech and Hearing Research.
Since receiving his PhD in 1985 from the University of Wisconsin - Madison in Comparative Studies in Human Social Interaction, Jeff Higginbotham has used his skills in the video analysis of discourse and talk-in-interaction to research how people interact—in real time—to co-produce meaning, emotion and identity. He has applied this research toward the development of new communication technologies for individuals with complex communication needs, including persons with cerebral palsy, autism and neurodegenerative disorders. More recently, Jeff has begun to apply his interests in human interaction and technology to explore alternative ways of engaging others through the use of recorded sound, music and visual modalities of expression.
The Inverse Square Trio was founded in 2013 with the mission of exploring the intersections of music and science. From the profound to the absurd, they offer a unique concert event featuring original compositions, performances of existent works old and new, demonstrations, and explanations. With a repertoire that includes works by Alvin Lucier, Steve Reich, Richard Feynman, and Monty Python, the Inverse Square Trio is an ambitious project that aims to entertain and educate audiences of all ages.


The year 1922 saw the birth of modernist masterpieces like In Search of Lost Time, Ulysses, The Castle and The Waste Land. The focus of this class will be a systematic and synchronic study of that year taken as a slice of global cultural history including developments in the arts (music, painting, film), politics, philosophy, sciences and technology. We will also pose the question of the relevance of these works for the future. Were those masterpieces meant to last for more than a century? Will they still be taught in 2022, and if so, how? If 1922 ushered in the production of the radically new, at the same time, it entailed a return to a "modern classicism." We will wonder whether the original mixture of the new and of tradition (which is what we call "modernism") can be the classicism of the future. We will study in their historical contexts selections from In Search of Lost Time, Ulysses, The Castle,The Duino Elegies, The Enormous Room, Geography and Plays, Jacob's Room, The Garden Party, Life and Death of Harriet Frean, and The Waste Land, while each time attempting to capture the element of futurity contained in them. Requirements: two short papers (8 pages), one research paper (12 pages) and one oral presentation.


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Q: Amplify Build Failure, Module not found './aws-exports' Ive seen a few posts about this but ive been unable to find a solution as of yet. Im trying to create a react.js app with an Amplify backend with graphQL, for whatever reason when i try run my Build on AWS Amplify i get the following error.
2022-05-31T03:56:26.492Z [INFO]: Creating an optimized production build...
2022-05-31T03:56:27.198Z [INFO]: Failed to compile.
2022-05-31T03:56:27.199Z [INFO]: Module not found: Error: Can't resolve './aws-exports' in '/codebuild/output/src520478948/src/my-vet-dental/src'
2022-05-31T03:56:27.210Z [WARNING]: npm
2022-05-31T03:56:27.210Z [WARNING]: ERR! code ELIFECYCLE
                                    npm ERR! errno 1
2022-05-31T03:56:27.212Z [WARNING]: npm
2022-05-31T03:56:27.213Z [WARNING]: ERR! my-vet-dental@0.1.0 build: `react-scripts build`
                                    npm ERR! Exit status 1
                                    npm ERR!
                                    npm ERR! Failed at the my-vet-dental@0.1.0 build script.
                                    npm ERR! This is probably not a problem with npm. There is likely additional logging output above.
2022-05-31T03:56:27.220Z [WARNING]:
2022-05-31T03:56:27.220Z [WARNING]: npm ERR! A complete log of this run can be found in:
                                    npm ERR!     /root/.npm/_logs/2022-05-31T03_56_27_213Z-debug.log
2022-05-31T03:56:27.220Z [HELP]: Outputting the npm debug log
                                 [object Promise]
2022-05-31T03:56:27.223Z [ERROR]: !!! Build failed
2022-05-31T03:56:27.223Z [ERROR]: !!! Non-Zero Exit Code detected
2022-05-31T03:56:27.223Z [INFO]: # Starting environment caching...
2022-05-31T03:56:27.224Z [INFO]: # Environment caching completed

How do i fix this issue?

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Washington, D.C. – Rana Jazayerli, a partner with Phillips Lytle LLP, a premier regional law firm that is recognized nationally for its legal excellence, will took part in a panel discussion on the topic "Heightening Due Diligence in the EB-5 Program," on January 17, 2015. The panel discussion was part of EB-5 Investor Magazine's Second Annual Las Vegas EB-5 Conference and took place at the Encore Resort.
In addition, Ms. Jazayerli provides counsel on all areas of U.S. immigration law, with a focus on employment based visas, counseling employers on a broad range of immigration matters including hiring of foreign nationals under temporary employment visa categories such as H- 1Bs and L-1As. She also advises employers on proper I-9 form compliance, and use of the federal E-Verify employment authorization program.
She earned her J.D. from Columbia University School of Law, an M.A. from American University, School of Communication, and a B.S.F.S. from Georgetown University, School of Foreign Service.


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Grant County Sheriff's Deputy charged with felony child abuse, placed on administrative leave
August 6, 2016 February 6, 2018 alinksy Leave a comment
By Tony Galli
Posted: Aug 02, 2016 3:48 PM EST Updated: Aug 17, 2016 4:50 PM EST
Deputy Vance VanKirk
Lancaster (WKOW) – A Grant County Sheriff's deputy has been charged with felony child abuse, and placed on administrative leave from his position.
A criminal complaint states, 47-year-old Vance VanKirk used "the belt from his duty pants" to spank one of his children in May. The complaint states the child told school officials VanKirk told the child not to discuss what had happened.
According to the complaint, VanKirk admitted to spanking the child 4 or 5 times with his belt. The complaint says the child was bruised. Court records say VanKirk suspected the child had cut the hair of another child on a school bus against the child's wishes, and the spanking with the belt was punishment. The complaint says VanKirk later learned his child had not cut anyone's hair.
The complaint states VanKirk told investigators his child has a history of acting out, and VanKirk worried the child's action would escalate.
"Vance stated, when asked what led up to the spanking, enough is enough," according to the complaint. "If (child) is assaulting a girl on the bus and cutting her hair, what is next?" the complaint states.
VanKirk is scheduled to make an initial court appearance Aug. 16. The case is being handled by Iowa County District Attorney Larry Nelson as a special prosecutor.
Sheriff Nate Dreckman says VanKirk has been with Sheriff's department for fifteen years.
Here is the statement from the Sheriff Nate Dreckman:
The Grant County Sheriff's Office was notified of an allegation involving Grant County Deputy Vance VanKirk and his child. Due to the matter involving a juvenile and an employee of Grant County, the investigation was turned over to the Iowa County Sheriff's Office and the Iowa County Department of Social Services.
On August 2, 2016, the Grant County Sheriff's Office was informed that a charge of child abuse-recklessly cause harm, a Class I felony, was filed against Vance VanKirk, by the Iowa County District Attorney's Office, through the Grant County Circuit Court.
To protect and ensure the integrity of the Grant County Sheriff's office, Vankirk was immediately placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of this matter.
http://www.wkow.com/story/32601047/2016/08/02/grant-county-sheriffs-deputy-charged-with-felony-child-abuse-placed-on-administrative-leave?platform=hootsuite
Police MisconductGrant County, Iowa, Officer, Police Misconduct, Vance VanKirk
← Mobile police officer accused of harassing stepson
UPDATE: Berrien sheriff pleads guilty, is replaced →

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
TRIBUTE TO THE CREWS OF CHALLENGER AND COLUMBIA Forever Remembered memorializes the 14 brave astronauts who perished during the loss of orbiters Challenger and Columbia. This permanent exhibit displays personal items from each astronaut and recovered hardware from both orbiters, including a section of Challenger's left fuselage with American flag and the framework of Columbia's cockpit windows. Learn about NASA's physical recovery of the space shuttles, the emotional recovery from these tragic losses, as well as the agency's return to flight while emphasizing the importance of learning from the past.
Launch Director Tour of Space Shuttle Atlantis®
Experience Space Shuttle Atlantis with Launch Director Mike Leinbach, who gave the final "go" for the launch of 37 space shuttle missions, including the final flight of Atlantis STS-135.
Learn about the successes, setbacks and spinoffs of Hubble Space Telescope, the first of NASA's Great Space Observatories.


Localisation Caribbean area in 3D Publications Who are we ?
The Human Development Index (HDI) world average has progressed in 2000 compared to 1997: respectively 0.722 against 0.706.
1. PPP: purchasing power parity. The base year for the PPP data is 1996; data for the reference year 2000 were extrapolated using relative price movements over time between each country and the United States, the base country.
2. Pendeng the outcome of ongoing efforts to calculate GDP per capita (PPP) for Cuba, the Human Development Report Office estimate of the sub-regional weighted average for the Caribbean of $4 519 dollars (PPP) was used.
Reference diffusion website for Caribbean and the Americas : Centro León.


Part of Mercado do Bom Sucesso building, the design Hotel da Música offers a 24-hour reception 400 metres from Casa da Música Metro Station. It features a restaurant and bar on site.
The kosher-certified property is a 10-minute walk from the Kadoorie Mekor Haim Synagogue. The nearby metro station offers easy access to most of Porto's landmarks, including Clérigos Tower and Lello bookshop in a 20-minute metro ride. Porto International Airport is 13 km from Hotel da Música.


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Q: VBA code not working in non English systems I have a VBA program which works perfectly in my computer and other English computers. But it gives a Runtime 1004 error when the same code is run on French computers. I have changed the primary language of Excel from French to English and yet it shows the same error. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in Advance.
Range M15 to M25 contains percentages from 0 to 100 and N15 to N25 contains percentage from 100 to 0
Dim mean1 As String
Dim mean2 As String
If ComboBox1 = "Royal Dutch Shell" Then mean1 = Range("B33")
If ComboBox1 = "Exxon Mobil Corp" Then mean1 = Range("C33")
If ComboBox1 = "PetroChina Co Ltd" Then mean1 = Range("D33")
If ComboBox1 = "British Petroleum" Then mean1 = Range("E33")

If ComboBox2 = "Biogen Inc" Then mean2 = Range("F33")
If ComboBox2 = "Johnson & Johnson" Then mean2 = Range("G33")
If ComboBox2 = "Pfizer Inc" Then mean2 = Range("H33")
If ComboBox2 = "GlaxoSmithKline" Then mean2 = Range("I33")

Sheets("EfficientFrontier").Select

**Runtime Error 1004 starts from here**

   Range("o15").Formula = "=M15 * " & mean1 & " + N15 * " & mean2 & ""
   Range("o16").Formula = "=M16 * " & mean1 & " + N16 * " & mean2 & ""
   Range("o17").Formula = "=M17 * " & mean1 & " + N17 * " & mean2 & ""
   Range("o18").Formula = "=M18 * " & mean1 & " + N18 * " & mean2 & ""
   Range("o19").Formula = "=M19 * " & mean1 & " + N19 * " & mean2 & ""
   Range("o20").Formula = "=M20 * " & mean1 & " + N20 * " & mean2 & ""
   Range("o21").Formula = "=M21 * " & mean1 & " + N21 * " & mean2 & ""
   Range("o22").Formula = "=M22 * " & mean1 & " + N22 * " & mean2 & ""
   Range("o23").Formula = "=M23 * " & mean1 & " + N23 * " & mean2 & ""
   Range("o24").Formula = "=M24 * " & mean1 & " + N24 * " & mean2 & ""
   Range("o25").Formula = "=M25 * " & mean1 & " + N25 * " & mean2 & ""

A: If the cells of row 33 contains percentage then the value you get is decimal (25% -> 0.25). So when you concatenate this value to build the formula, you have an issue with the decimal separator that is either . or ,. The , is a key character in Excel formulas. Thus, it breaks the formula
Try to solve it by casting your variables mean1 and mean2 to strings and replace the , with .. Then use these strings to build your formula
Dim sMean1, sMean2 as String
sMean1 = Replace(CStr(mean1), ",", ".")
sMean2 = Replace(CStr(mean2), ",", ".")
Range("o15").Formula = "=M15 * " & sMean1 & " + N15 * " & sMean2

Other tips :

*

*End the formula with the concatenation of an empty string & "" is useless

*You can use a For loop to write the formula instead of Range("o15"), Range("o16"), ...

For i = 15 To 20
    ' Column "O" is the 15th column
    Cells(i, 15).Formula = "=M" & i & " * " & sMean1 & " + N" & i & " * " & sMean2
Next i

*

*The Sheets(...).Select let the user see the changes the macro does and it slows your program down. You should prefer the With syntax

Dim sMean1, sMean2 as String
sMean1 = Replace(CStr(mean1), ",", ".")
sMean2 = Replace(CStr(mean2), ",", ".")

With Sheets("EfficientFrontier")
    For i = 15 To 20
        ' Column "O" is the 15th column
        ' Note the "." at the beginning of the line below so that the line means Sheets("EfficientFrontier").Cells(i, 15).Formula ...
        .Cells(i, 15).Formula = "=M" & i & " * " & sMean1 & " + N" & i & " * " & sMean2
    Next i
    ' ... other code related to this worksheet
End With


text:
Dubai's Newly Opened The Hunger Games Theme Park
This seems like a really odd idea. I understand that the Hunger Games is a popular franchise, I do get that part. It was a decent movie and as I've heard the books are even better, but making a theme park about it seems a bit, strange. It could be a really fun theme park but unlike others that have been in operation for so long it seems a little limited really since even the world of the books was bound between one page and another. Those parks such as Disney and even Six Flags aren't bound by a story, but by an idea which is about as limitless as it gets.
The World of The Hunger Games is OPEN! Book your visit now: https://t.co/XSP0810XgZ#MOTIONGATEDubai #TheWorldOfTheHungerGames pic.twitter.com/GvB7y1qOI0
— MOTIONGATEDubai (@motiongateDubai) October 21, 2017
I guess my real confusion comes from the fact that a world written into a book can only expand so far before it becomes too stale and dried out. The Hunger Games is a magnificent story that got a little misinterpreted by the movies and in some cases almost ripped apart and put back together in a haphazard fashion. Making a park about the story seems to indicate that it might get picked at even more since the amount of detail that would have to go into this place to make it appealing at all would be enormous. Making a theme park is a huge undertaking and usually will be picked apart by critics and fans alike if things aren't completely up to snuff.
That's not to say that it couldn't be great. If the rides are fun, the experience is something unique, and the entire park is something that's seen as a nice time for the family or the individual then it could be a good time that doesn't need the added bonus of being spot on when it comes to the inspiration. I just get the feeling that if this was made in America that people would be checking every last inch of the place to make sure that it conforms to their ideal of what The Hunger Games were all about. Maybe things in Dubai are a little less demanding and maybe the fans are not as restrictive in their thinking. One can only hope so at least.
#TheWorldOfTheHungerGames Capitol Bullet Train coaster at #MOTIONGATEDubai pic.twitter.com/AyKvdgGDIq
The rollercoaster looks like it could be fun, especially if it runs at night. I'm still trying to get my head around the idea of a Hunger Games theme park though. In my mind I see the training room experience where Katniss had to wow the onlookers, the arrival of the other tributes for presentation, and the life or death struggle in the different arenas where the tributes had to continually struggle against one another and the terrain. I know we're not seeing a lot in these clips but it would be nice to know that the other experiences of the Hunger Games would be represented and that it isn't just the Panem experience
#TheWorldOfTheHungerGames is OFICIALLY OPEN! #MotiongateDubai #DubaiParksAndResorts pic.twitter.com/MlhIX9Jt78
That seems like it would be a giant cheat to the fans. I can only hope that's not the case.
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text:
Liberal Party funding between the wars
By David Gourley
Type: History
One of the major problems facing the Liberal Party in the inter-war period was the lack of funds that they had at their disposal. As the Party became increasingly defunct, so it became impossible to attract the wealthy donors, who formed the foundation of the Liberal finances.
Yet, as the Party's financial situation deteriorated further, so it became unviable to fund the kind of sophisticated campaigns that were necessary in order to retain such support. More and more Liberal candidates were forced to fund themselves, which they became increasingly reluctant to do as the Party's chances of success became slimmer. The Million Fund was established by Asquith in 1925, in an attempt to solve the Party's financial problems by attracting smaller donations from a greater number of sources. However, potential donors were reluctant to part with their money, given rumours that the Party had access to Lloyd George's private fund, which supposedly amounted to millions of pounds. Unfortunately for the Liberals, the gossip was indeed little more than rumour and Lloyd George proved stubbornly reluctant to part with his money.
Lloyd George had accumulated the fund during his time as Prime Minister, through the sale of honours to wealthy newspaper proprietors and those who wished to buy influence within the political arena. Such a practice was not a new phenomenon and had been a common practice for some time. Indeed, the Tory agent, Sir George Younger, warned Bonar Law in January 1921 that Lloyd George 'was poaching the Conservative Party's preserves'. The honours list of 1922 had attracted such criticism that it led to the formation of a special commission to investigate dubious awards and eventually resulted in legislation which led to the conviction of the honours tout, Maundy Gregory in 1933.
The existence of Lloyd George's fund therefore presented many Liberals with something of a dilemma. By attempting to gain access to his tainted money, they would be compromising their own moral values, but if they ruled out its use, they would be snubbing their only potential source of significant funding. In the end, they concluded that lofty principles were a luxury that the cash strapped Party could not afford to subsidise and Liberal headquarters subsequently began issuing Lloyd George with awkward pleas for assistance.
Lloyd George's reluctance to part with his money proved to be an ongoing bone of contention within the Party and increased feelings of animosity towards him amongst Asquith's supporters. Even following the re-unification of the Party in 1923, the fiery Welshman had maintained his own headquarters at 21 Abingdon Street, just three doors away from the official Liberal headquarters at number 18. For the man who lacked a party of his own, the fund was a useful tool to barter with, in order to strengthen his own political position and was not a resource that he was going to part with lightly.
In January 1924, Donald Maclean approached Lloyd George and suggested that both wings of the Party should pool their resources. Lloyd George refused these terms, stating that he would only agree to provide periodic grants to Liberal headquarters, on the proviso that his key allies, Freddie Guest and William Edge were given prominent roles within the organisation. Although such stipulations angered many Liberals, the prospect of fighting another election, without adequate resources, was not one that they relished and so they had little choice but to barter with him.
The Party's treasurer, Herbert Gladstone, subsequently made a concerted effort to get Lloyd George to part with his money, initially asking him for an agreed annual sum and an additional £100,000 towards financing a future election. Unfortunately, Lloyd George decided that it was he who should stipulate demands and in April 1924 he told Maclean that no money would be forthcoming unless he was consulted more by the Party and the efficiency of the organisation were improved. Realising that he would be unable to plan ahead on the basis of such a vague gesture, Gladstone recruited Asquith to press Lloyd George into making a more definite pledge.
Asquith bowed to these demands by establishing a special committee, under Sir Alfred Mond, to investigate how the Party could reform its structure. Lloyd George, however, refused to accept its findings on the grounds that five of its members were prominent Asquithians, who he claimed were part of the very problem at Liberal headquarters. His ensuing attempt to secure the removal of key Asquith supporters from their posts served only to exacerbate the vengeful feelings his enemies felt towards him.
Two days after the Labour Government was finally ousted in 1924, Lloyd George finally agreed to donate £50,000, but this was far off the £130,000 that the Party had requested for election expenses and many Liberals subsequently blamed Lloyd George for the Party's poor performance at the polls.
Nonetheless, Lloyd George was able to continue using the fund to gain further leverage over the Party and eventually replace Asquith as Liberal leader. By financing a series of policy studies in the later 1920s he was also able to steer the Party along his own ideological lines and sideline the former Asquithians and traditionalists that might stand in his way. He continued to provide sporadic funding until 1931, when he finally withdrew his support in disgust at the Party's decision to accept the National Government's tariff policy.
From then on, the Party's financial health rapidly deteriorated. 'Unless certain steps are taken immediately we shall be unable to maintain the present structure of the party apart from any question of enlarging and strengthening it', the deputy Liberal leader, Archibald Sinclair warned his new boss, Herbert Samuel, following the election of 1931. The Chief Whip, Harcourt Johnstone, also cautioned that the Party would need to raise around £10,000 a year, in addition to a £20,000 election fund, if it were to survive. With access to a mere £1000 a year and a maximum of £4500 in the election pot, the situation looked dire and deteriorated further following the death of the Party's wealthy donor, Lord Cowdray.
By the time of the 1945 election, the Liberal Chief Whip was congratulating himself on being able to field even the smallest number of candidates. 'We had no large headquarters fund to finance candidates and they had to depend first on contributions out of their own pockets and secondly on money raised locally', Tom Horabin admitted. A Party committee was established to examine the situation, resulting in the establishment of a Foundation Fund in May 1946. This initiative was relatively successful, raising over £58,000 within the first eight months of its existence. Nonetheless, the general lack of funding that had hampered the Party's political chances and exacerbated internal tensions throughout the preceding period, continued to be an ongoing problem for the organisation over subsequent years.


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Videogame Indictment: Dragon Age Inquisition
Posted byGame Writer Guy	 November 24, 2015 November 28, 2015 Leave a comment on Videogame Indictment: Dragon Age Inquisition
A Dragon Age Review with Bugs Attached
Been playing this popular game on PS4 recently and man, am I disappointed. I really want to love it, but instead I just think about how Bioware shipped this thing about six months before it was finished, with some bad design decisions baked in. I'm also a bit irate to see how badly they've evolved in the storytelling process while Bethseda has leapfrogged them handily with titles like Skyrim and Fallout.
It looks and sounds lovely and there's clearly a heapton of backstory and thought. The characters are interesting and well-acted, when you can figure out what they're saying*. You can see that, as Ray Muzyka said in a Wired interview, they "aggressively checked out" Skyrim and tried to borrow some concepts. Some of them have good conflicts with each other while all pursuing common goals in their own ways. All of this merely adds to the disgust and tragedy of this buggy, burdened, burdensome game: I think of all those game developers who poured their hearts into this damned box and all they (and we) got for their inspired labor was a shining turd.
What's Broken in Dragon Age: Inquisition
The key bugs that annoy me in DA:I are clear A-class bugs in combat, especially in the time-stopping Tactical View, which is a necessity in tough fights, when the AI's decisions can quickly decimate your party (and frankly, there's really no AI that can handle a tough fight as well as a person can). What kind of bugs? Party members going completely AFK. I give them an order, and they just stand there. Forever. I have to pop out of Tactical View into real-time and jump with that character to wake them up. Why? Who knows. It might be a terrain issue; I have seen party members fall through gaps and occasionally stick on terrain until their deaths.
Oh, did I mention that the Tactical View camera traverses the terrain like a person? So when you want to attack an enemy from up on a rock ridge, you have to guide the damned thing down a walkable path to target the enemy. And then back up again anytime you want to check your guys or adjust them. And Maker help you if you're fighting in a narrow gully with trees roofing it. The camera will hop around like a bullfrog on crack as you move it, and positioning a spell effect area precisely is hopeless when you can't get high enough or low enough due to ceilings and obstacles. Bioware, here's a hint: Please don't do detailed collision detection with the damned camera. Make stuff translucent when the camera goes through it. It can be done. It has been done. Please.
Or I hit the button to switch characters and nothing happens. I can only control one character until I finish the fight or get to a menu somehow. I tell someone to stay out of danger, and they inexplicably start wandering. (Yes, I am double-tapping on the target location to see the little shield icon for HOLD POSITION.) Rubberbanding foes that teleport across the area in Tactical View (no, they weren't being yanked by heroes' grapples). And yeah, it'd be nice if the AI didn't cast fire spells on the fire demons… sigh. The latter is a rarity in RPGs, I know, but one that wouldn't be all that hard to code.
The menu system is a mess too. Inventory's complicated if powerful. But you can't equip items in the shop interface, which means you have to hop in and out of menus to buy an upgrade (buy new item, switch to inventory, unequip old item, equip new item, switch, sell old item). Nor can you discard item crafting patterns ("schematics") for useless low-level items; instead you have to scroll through an ever-growing list of junky schematics, comparing their numbers, to find the good stuff. Feels like work.
And when you're crafting items, you can't compare the proposed item's attributes with what you're currently using. I actually wrote a bunch of numbers down on paper to figure out whether crafting was a good use of my resources. Uhhhh… really? Feels like work.
The final insult: you also can't switch a character between melee and ranged weapons during a fight. I certainly understand penalizing a character with a delay as they swap weapons, or keeping someone from swapping between a dozen weapons like Duke Nukem, but utter inability to switch between a bow and a sword? Unheard of. This from the company whose heritage extends back to the original tactical party RPG, Baldur's Gate. Just freaking shameful.
So Many Unique Lootz That You Hate Lootz; So Many Quests That You…
The game also manages to make loot uninteresting. There are so many unique items that you never know when you've found something cool. Instead, everything's different and 99% of it is junk. (Granted, the latter's true of any real RPG.) As a result, you don't care about anything you pick up.
In Skyrim, you run across dozens of iron swords. When you get another iron sword, you immediately know it's junk. But when you see an mithril sword of cleaving, that name gives you an obvious tip-off that it's your lucky day. Also, it glows because it's magic and you light up like Christmas.
But no, in DA:I, everything's got a different name and you can't see it physically unless you take the special effort to pop through a few menus and equip it to view it inventory. All you see is a loot item that, when opened, shows a list of the items within. Rarity is indicated by color (blue and purple being rarest), but there are useless purple items and good common items. And crafted items are generally the best of all, which means new item designs ("schematics") can be valuable, but you'll have to drag your butt to a crafting station to figure it out.
So it all sits in your bag until you have a chance to sort through it. Kind of like your bank statements. Congratulations, Bioware. You've managed to nerf one of the primary joys of RPGs.
I think they went the opposite (and wrong) direction of Fallout 4 on loot in this game, a grave error. In Fallout 4, you don't even have to press a button to see what's inside a container — you just look at it and the text appears showing contents. This avoids the annoyance of opening empty chests when you've doubled back on your path. Bethseda's gotten rid of the opening action entirely.
There's a minor innovation in the form of a war room where you can commit points to unlock abilities (like larger inventories) and new map areas. You can also send your war council on errands to solve problems and expand your influence, giving a nice impression of a larger international conflict (and challenges of leadership) that compliments your individual adventuring. Too bad the UI is tedious to navigate and the tasks apparently can be completed in almost any order, with few conflicting tasks and no time-dependent tasks. The UI is a lot like scrubbing a scene in a pixel-hunting adventure game; it's littered with icons that are irrelevant, and positioning the cursor is onerous. Feels like work. A little snap-to-POI algorithm would go a long way here.
And of course there are meaningless quests galore. Find the pisspot you lost in the Sewers of Despair? Sure, I'll do that in hopes of getting 5 gold and another item that looks like all the other junk in my bag. Heck, maybe it'll be a multi-part quest. Love those.
Other Gamer Grousing
In addition, the multiplayer mode is dumbed down and unstrategic. No Tactical View, and the one time I tried it, my friend and I were killed repeatedly in the first scenario such that it felt hopeless.
*And as mentioned earlier, the dialog is oddly oblique and obtuse. All of the heroes are apparently politicians. No one says, "I hate demons and I want to see them all dead." Instead they say something like "Demons are offensive to the Maker. When I am inclined to consider action, I find my aims aligned with the Maker." Uhhh, right. As a purported wordsmith, I admire the artistry here, people, but this all feels like work.
I will give unadulterated praise to one feature of the game, though. There is a throne that you can sit in to decide what happens to various prisoners and defeated NPCs. The options are thought-provoking and I appreciated the effort to create a "heavy is the head that wears the crown" effect, presenting the player with moral decisions.
Having a horse on call to speed through maps is good. (Also in Skyrim.) I did genuinely enjoy the tavern songs by Raney Shockne, which were pleasant and also distinctive. I'd have to say this is one thing that Inquisition did better than Skyrim.
And the skill trees and the skills themselves are quite cool and generally make a clear difference in combat. Also in Skyrim, and probably the one thing that kept me going as far as I did. In retrospect, maybe I should've just played Skyrim.
Storytelling is Not an Afterthought, People
Especially in a text-heavy RPG. And text-heavy is one of the problems: Bioware continues to think that quantity is a substitute for quality. Just like older Bioware games such as Planescape: Torment, the landscape is littered with characters who want to tell you their life story, but the core experience is buried under all that excess… especially when most of them speak in that same constipated manner I mentioned earlier.
Maybe the name Inquisition itself should've been a warning. Any game that chooses a title so closely tied to an oppressive, murderous, and inhuman movement as the Spanish Inquisition is going to be a little tone-deaf.
I don't want to know why the gardener is sending me on this FedEx quest to take his stupid broken trowel across the treacherous swamp; I want solve the mystery of my hero's talent and beat the big boss. And when I don't get tapped into that big conflict in a regular and meaningful way, I feel like the game is simply throwing chores at me while I grind my character toward advancement. I could be playing a game. In my leisure hours, why should I bother with all this work?
I'm sure an apologist would mention the rifts you have to close across every new map. Each rift is a reminder of the main quest and your special ability, and they do spawn new and tougher creatures as you progress. (Sometimes well beyond your ability, and much tougher than anything else in the map, with no indicator of difficulty.) But there's a real lack of panache in the presentation. For example, I ran into a new beastie at one rift – a Pride Demon about forty feet tall and tough as nails. But no one in town was talking about him, and none of my party reacted to this obvious challenge. Opportunity missed.
A Modest Proposal for Books in RPGs
Actually, both Skyrim and Dragon Age fail with the many books you encounter in their worlds. These are amazing opportunities to enrich and entertain the player, but instead the developers are treating them like easter eggs, fodder for the completists. FAIL. How come these books almost never have anything related to the current quest that you're on? How come they rarely mention anything useful or funny about characters you have encountered? Weapons or spells you're using? Journals of people who are facing the same decisions as you are? How come we never start a quest or finish a quest by reading a book? How's that for a way of telling the player that these things are just window dressing?
Here's my simple proposition: make these damned things fun. I don't want to read 14 volumes about ancient lore, in random order. I want to see the same number of books around, but 75% of them are dull-colored so only the completists will read them. Or maybe they're even empty: when you pick them up the game says "You've read this one before in school" or "Yet another advice book on how think positively about the bubonic plague." However, the brightly-colored books are always funny or relevant to your immediate situation. Make it so, people!
Posted byGame Writer Guy November 24, 2015 November 28, 2015 Posted inGame WritingTags: bethseda, bioware, dragon age, dragon age inquisition, dragon age review, game, game writer, Game Writing, inquisition, inquisiton review, skyrim, videogame writer, writer
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The definitive list of the best films of 2022
Taking a slight diversion from what is generally a newsletter about TV to discuss movies.
Dan Barrett
December 30, 2022 ∙ 6 minutes read
2022 was the lousiest year in my experience as a cinema goer. Some of the films I saw were great, but the volume of films released was well below what we were seeing pre-pandemic.
It means that when it comes to looking back at the films I am happy putting in my top 10 list, I don't have ten films I think are worthy of being in a list like this. For example, I had a lot of fun watching Top Gun Maverick, but I don't think it really did all that much in terms of artistic or technical achievement.
So... I don't have a top 10 list this year. I reached eight titles. And even then I look at some of these titles and know they wouldn't have made my list in years where there were more films released.
8) Significant Other
7) Don't Worry Darling
6) Barbarian
5) Banshees of Inisherin
4) Kimi
3) Everything Everywhere All At Once
2) The Batman
1) Avatar: The Way of Water
In terms of my top 3, I was surprised to see how much I have favoured speactacle where in most years a title like Banshees of Inisherin would likely be the sort of title I'd be inclined to put in at number one.
Everything Everywhere All At Once I thought was an absolute gem of a film. It nicely balanced spectacle and emotional weight on what was a pretty limited budget. I didn't think there was anything new one could do with a dark Batman that I hadn't seen in a film or a comic book, but The Batman surprised me with its exceptionally dark story of a Batman finding his way. The sound and visual design of that film delivered a number of moments that will define 2022 in cinema for me.
And then there's Avatar: The Way of Water - some people have accused me of being so pro-Avatar as a grift. Some sort of performance art. And maybe they're right. But also, James Cameron delivered a film that on a sheer technical level was one of the most incredible achievements I have ever seen captured on film. The sophistication of the special effects, combined with what was highly introcate world building at a scale that we never seen in Hollywood blockbusters was frankly incredible. I won't disagree that the dialogue was a bit whiffy at times and that the film would have been well-served to trim a good 15-20 minutes out of it. But also, I had such a grand time luxuriating on the moon Pandora that when I think about all of the other cinematic experiences I felt this year, nothing quite rivalled it.
Fleishman Is In Trouble Finale
Yesterday the series finale of the very good Fleishman Is In Trouble streamed on Hulu (US) / Disney+ (International). If you haven't watched the show, what are you waiting for?
Here's a feature interview with creator Taffy Brodesser-Akner and actor Lizzy Caplan:
When I turned 40, a lot of people started coming to me and telling me they were getting divorced. They would show me their phones and I thought it was wild the way people were dating now. When I was dating, so much involved you showing up as a person. And the utter efficiency of being able to date while you're watching TV? Just, all of it was so appealing to me.
'Fleishman Is in Trouble': A Chat About the Ending, With Taffy Brodesser-Akner and Lizzy Caplan
The showrunner, who wrote the novel on which the FX on Hulu series is based, and her star, who also narrates the story, speak to The Hollywood Reporter about the questions posed in the finale.
The Hollywood ReporterJackie Strause
Here's Lizzy Caplan going solo talking about the perspective change that turned her into the series protagonist in the final episode.
The thing that gutted me the most is this idea of divorce. I'm 40 now. Some of my friends are starting to get divorced. It really is what she says in the show: You point at this one person for all your other failures. If you just get rid of your husband, then you get to be yourself again. It's not true because what you really want is to be young again. And that is a gut punch.
Fleishman Is in Trouble Feels Like Being Inside Lizzy Caplan's Head
"I have friends that ask themselves these questions and we talk about it. I don't know if there is a solution."
VultureJen Chaney
Here's Claire Danes talking about her role in the show now that the series has concluded. Please don't read this if you haven't watched the show...
The scream I really enjoyed. The scream I didn't have much anxiety about because when do you get to do that? That's like, not a thing. (Laughs.) That's not one of those scenes you're going to compare to another version. I just love the baldness of it. I love how it's set up, too. That she's completely resistant; she's kind of giggling nervously. She's working real hard to evade and avoid it. And then it allows for this kind of insane catharsis.
Claire Danes on Waiting for the Big Reveal of 'Fleishman Is in Trouble' — and Where She Lands on the Ending
"It was just one trauma too many," the actress tells The Hollywood Reporter while unpacking her character, Rachel Fleishman, and discussing the ripe-for-debate finale of Taffy Brodesser-Akner's series.
Stranger Things Tokyo is an anime series apparently in the works for Netflix. Read: Dark Horizons
Bill Cosby is talking about touring his comedy show again. Read: Variety
The Green Lantern series has not been cancelled by HBO Max, despite rumors. Read: Deadline
This is a really good list of 10 anticipated series to launch in 2023. Read: THR
And this is a really good list of 10 video essays worth watching from 2022. Read: Polygon
What will and won't be possible with using Mickey Mouse once Steamboat Willie enters the public domain? Read: NYT
RIP film director Ruggero Deodato. The director of VHS cult fave Cannibal Holocaust was 83. Read: The Wrap
Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery is the 6th largest film debut on Netflix. Read: THR
Paramount+ reports Top Gun: Maverick is its most-watched movie, but fails to report on whether more than 15 people watched it. Read: Deadline
Avatar: The Way of Water has now passed $1 billion in global box office. Read: THR
John Cleese wwas found complaining on Twitter recently about how the BBC no longer plays Monty Python and hasn't for 20 or so years. This ignores the BBC playing an evening of Monty Python in 2019 and Netflix holding the rights to the show in the UK. Read: Deadline
That's it for this morning. I'm off to eat some crumpets.
The top TV piracy of 2022
The definitive list of the top 10 TV shows of 2022
The Good Wife Extended Universe (GWEU) lives on
The cover lifted on DC Universe TV & film future
The conversation doesn't matter. Yes, this is a bit about Avatar.
Australia to impose local content quota on streamers
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The must-read daily news wrap about all things on your TV - streaming, movies, games, metaverse. Written by Dan Barrett. Expect news, commentary, and some really terrible jokes.
Always Be Watching © 2023. All Right Reserved. Published with Ghost & Okiro.
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Solar Panel Ep. 7.5: Which All-Time Sun Would You Take in a Fight?
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Who the heck is the newest member of the Suns Jarrel Eddie? Suns Solar Panel host Tim Tompkins had that very question so he did some research. He breaks down what fans can expect from this 10-day signee in this midweek bite sized edition of the Solar Panel.
Ep. 6: To Bench Devin Booker or Not?
Solar Panel Ep. 5: Phoenix Suns 2020 NBA Champs?


We were approached by Wyvern Architects, who are specialist architects for disabled individuals, to adapt and extend an existing house to make it suitable for a child wheelchair user and her family.
The internal accommodation of the property had to be completely altered to provide two separate living spaces, one for the child and her carer and the other for her parents and siblings.
On the child and carer's side of the property we created a stimulating therapy room with coloured lights and integral blinds as well as a state-of-the-art hydrotherapy pool.
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The SanDisk Extreme 60MB/s UHS-I U3 memory card offers performance and value. SanDisk claims it offers 60MB/s read and 40MB/s write speeds. The label displays the new UHS Speed Class 3 (U3) designation, meaning the card can sustain at least 30MB/s continuous write speed for recording 4K HD video streams. The card also exceeds SD Class 10 for supporting at least 10MB/s read and write speeds.
The Extreme 60MB/s carries a lifetime warranty from SanDisk. As of the time of this review, it is offered in 16, 32 and 64GB capacities. Here we review the 64GB version. The Extreme 60MB/s 32GB was previously reviewed.
We test the SanDisk Extreme 60MB/s 64GB SDXC card using a variety of SD card readers and cameras. Read speed in card readers was above specification at just over 70MB/s in all readers. Write speeds were also faster than advertised, reaching 52MB/s in card reader benchmark tests. These speeds are impressive, but are slightly below the results measured using a 32GB version of this card.
In actual camera tests the Extreme 60MB/s 64GB card performed well. In cameras such as the Canon 6D and 70D it provides just about the performance necessary for the cameras' capabilities. For many digital cameras this is about all the speed one would need. Only the very fastest cameras would benefit from a faster card.


There are many reasons why businesses fail, family firms are not immune to these but they also face a number of unique challenges that non family businesses simply don't face.
This article examines some of those issues.
In our experience working with advisers that truly understand the family dynamic in a family business can help.
We also find that the traditional definition of 'success' means that many businesses 'fail' simply by following a path that goes against this definition.
Make your own definition of success and this picture changes.
While lawyers, accountants, financial planners, therapists etc. have formidable technical skills, many require a more sophisticated level of understanding around business families and their unique challenges.


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Francesco Francia (* 1447 in Bologna; † 5. Januar 1517 in Bologna; eigentlich Francesco Raibolini) war ein italienischer Renaissance-Maler, Goldschmied, Medailleur und Bildhauer. Er gilt als Begründer der Bologneser Schule der Malerei.

Leben
Francia wird von Vasari im zweiten Teil seiner berühmten Künstlerbiographien (Le vite dei più eccellenti architetti, pittori et scultori italiani) behandelt.

Bevor er sich 1485 der Malerei zuwandte, machte er eine Ausbildung als Goldschmied. Er studierte beim italienischen Maler Francesco Squarcione. Seine Bilder sind vorwiegend mit der Darstellung der Jungfrau Maria und von Heiligen geprägt. Daneben malte er Porträts. Zu seinen Schülern gehörten Innocenzo Francucci, gen. Innocenzo da Imola, und der Kupferstecher Marcantonio Raimondi. Über seine Lebenszeit sollen insgesamt über 300 Schüler seine Werkstätte durchlaufen haben.

1483 wurde er Obmann der Goldschmiedsgilde, welches Amt er wiederholt (1489, 1506–1508 und 1512) bekleidete. 1514 ward er Obmann der vier Künste. Von den Bentivogli zum Münzmeister bestellt und vom Papst Julius als solcher bestätigt, gewann Francia bedeutenden Ruf im Stempelschnitt, Silberornament und Niello. Zwei Nielloteller von ihm befinden sich in der Akademie zu Bologna.

Berühmter ist er in der Malerei mit einem großen Volumen an meist sakralen Bildern in repetitiver Idealisierung (aufgrund der häufig involvierten Werkstätte in unterschiedlichen Qualitäten). Als Oberitaliener war Francia nicht so in der Florentiner Zeichenkunst geschult wie Perugino und deshalb wirken seine Figuren schlaffer und flächiger. Es genügen ihm meist wenige Figuren, in die er einen gemessenen, weihevollen Ausdruck, ein zartes Seelenleben, besonders bei den weiblichen Gestalten, zu bringen wusste. Francia und Perugino gelten als die eigentlichen Wegbereiter der Hochrenaissance in Mittelitalien. Indem sie sich zunehmend von den realistischen Tendenzen des Quattrocento zugunsten einer Idealisierung abwandten, näherten sie sich bereits dem klassischen Stil, der dann von Raffael perfekt ausgearbeitet werden sollte. Francia und Raffael standen in einem freundschaftlichen Verhältnis (Briefwechsel von 1508). Von Vasari wird die Anekdote überliefert, Francia wäre beim Anblick Raffaels "Die Verzückung der Heiligen Cäcilia" (Pinacoteca Nazionale di Bologna) gestorben.

Oft zitiert ist sein (als verschollen geltendes) Porträt von Isabella d'Este 1511, da dieses als Paradebeispiel für fehlende Modellsitzungen in der Renaissance gilt. Francia malte die Markgräfin anhand einer fremden Zeichnung (wahrscheinlich Leonardo da Vinci) und mündlicher Beschreibungen ihrer Halbschwester. Isabella war so begeistert, dass sie 1534–36 mit über 60 Jahren Francias Porträt wiederum Tizian als Vorlage für ein verjüngendes Porträt (wiederum ohne Modellsitzung) vorgab. Als Ergebnis gilt (aufgrund barocker Inschrift auf einer Kopie) Tizians "Schwarze Isabella" im Kunsthistorischen Museum in Wien oder alternativ (aufgrund Idealisierung) "La Bella" in der Galleria Palatina Florenz.

Besonders viele (sakrale) Bilder finden sich in Bologna (Madonna von 1490 in der Misericordia, Madonna von 1499 in der Bentivogli-Kapelle von San Jacopo Maggiore, der tote Christus und eine Madonna in der Pinakothek, Fresken aus der Geschichte der Hl. Cäcilia im Oratorium der Hl. Cäcilia etc.). München besitzt die Madonna im Rosenhag, Dresden die Anbetung der heiligen drei Könige sowie die Taufe Christi, Berlin eine Madonna von 1502 und eine heilige Familie aus seiner Jugendzeit, die Nationalgalerie zu London eine Madonna, das Louvre zu Paris Christus am Kreuz mit Hiob, die Galerie zu Parma eine Kreuzabnahme etc. Francias Söhne Giacomo (geboren vor 1487, gest. 1557, der bedeutendere) und der jüngere, Giulio (geb. 1487, gestorben nach 1543), arbeiteten im Stil des Vaters, aber mit geringerem Talent. In der Spätphase haben sie an den Werken des Vaters mitgearbeitet und häufig werden ihre Werke für die des Vaters ausgegeben.

Werke (Auswahl Malerei)

Vor 1500
 Kreuzigung mit St. Johannes und St. Hieronymus, ca. 1485, 52 cm × 33 cm, Öl auf Holz, Palazzo d'Accursio, Bologna
 Die Heilige Familie, ca. 1485, 54 cm × 40 cm, Öl auf Holz, Gemäldegalerie, Berlin
 Madonna und Kind mit Engel, ca. 1490, 58 cm × 44 cm, Öl auf Holz, Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh
 Portrait Bartolomeo Bianchini, ca. 1485-1500, 57 cm × 41 cm, Öl auf Holz, National Gallery, London
 Die Taufe Christi, ca. 1490, Öl auf Holz, 29 cm × 55 cm, Museu Calouste Gulbenkian, Lissabon
 Madonna und Kind mit zwei Engeln, ca. 1495, 64 cm × 49 cm, Öl auf Holz, Alte Pinakothek, München
 Pala Calcina, 1500, 193 cm × 151 cm, Öl auf Leinwand (ehemals Holz), Ermitage, St. Petersburg

Jahre 1500–10
 Maria mit Kind, ca. 1500, 67 cm × 52 cm, Öl auf Holz, Wallington National Trust, Northumberland
 Maria mit Kind und den Heiligen Franziskus und Hieronymus, 1500–10, 75 cm × 57 cm, Tempera auf Holz, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
 Verkündigung mit dem Heiligen Albert (Karmeliter), ca. 1503–04, 182 cm × 132 cm, Öl auf Leinwand (ehemals Holz), Musée Condé, Chantilly
 Anbetung des Kindes, 1500–05, 175 cm × 132 cm, Öl auf Holz, Alte Pinakothek, München
 Portrait Evangelista Scappi, 1500–05, 55 cm × 44 cm, Öl auf Holz, Uffizien, Florenz
 Portrait Bischof Altobello Averoldo, ca. 1505, 54 cm × 41 cm, Öl auf Holz, National Gallery of Art, Washington
 Kreuzigung, ca. 1505, 246 cm × 146 cm, Öl auf Holz, San Giacomo Maggiore, Bologna
 Legende der Heiligen Cäcilia und Valerian – Szenen 1 (Heirat) und 10 (Begräbnis), 1504–06, 360 cm × 290 cm, Fresko, Oratorium der Hl. Cäcilia, Bologna
 Venus und Cupido, 1505–10, 80 cm × 49 cm, Öl auf Holz, Musée des beaux arts de Mulhouse
 Die Taufe Christi, 1509, 209 cm × 169 cm, Öl auf Holz, Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister, Dresden

Nach 1510
 Die Heilige Familie, ca. 1510, 64 cm × 49 cm, Öl auf Holz, Szépművészeti Múzeum, Budapest
 Porträt Federico Gonzaga (Sohn von Isabella d'Este), 1510, 45 cm × 34 cm, Öl auf Holz transferiert auf Leinwand und zurück auf Holz, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
 Porträt wahrscheinlich Isabella d'Este, 1511, 44 cm × 35 cm, Öl auf Holz, Wien
 Pala Buonvisi, 1510–12, 195 cm × 180 cm, Öl auf Holz, National Gallery, London
 Jungfrau mit Kind und dem Heiligen Johannes als Kind, 1510–15, 65 cm × 51 cm, Öl auf Holz, Museu de Arte de São Paulo
 Jungfrau mit Kind und dem Heiligen Johannes als Kind (Francesco Francia und Söhne), ca. 1515, 115 cm × 94 cm, Öl auf Holz, National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne

Literatur
 Iacopo Alessandro Calvi: Memorie della vita, e delle opere di Francesco Raibolini detto il Francia, pittore bolognese. Bologna 1812 (Digitalisat).
 Leonard Forrer: Biographical dictionary of medallists, coin-, gem-, and seal-engravers, mint-masters, etc. ancient and modern. With references to their works, B. C. 500 – A. D. 1900. Band 2, London 1907, S. 137- 145 (Digitalisat).
 Leonard Forrer: Biographical dictionary of medallists, coin-, gem-, and seal-engravers, mint-masters, etc. ancient and modern. Supplement. Band 7, London 1923, S. 318 (Digitalisat).
 Giuseppe Piazzi: Le opere di Francesco Raibolini, detto il Francia, orefice e pittore. Azzoguidi, Bologna 1925.
 Emilio Negro, Nicosetta Roio: Francesco Francia e la sua scuola. Artioli Editore, Modena 1998, ISBN 88-7792-057-2.
 Sally Hickson: Giovanni Francesco Zaninello of Ferrara and the portrait of Isabella d'Este by Francesco Francia. In: Renaissance Studies Bd. 23, 2009, S. 288–310.

 Mario Scalini, Elena Rossoni (Hrsg.): Il Genio di Francesco Francia. Un orafo pittore nella Bologna del Rinascimento. Marsilia, Venedig 2018, ISBN 978-88-317-9697-2.

Weblinks

 virtualuffizi.com

Einzelnachweise

Maler der italienischen Renaissance
Geboren 1447
Gestorben 1517
Mann

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Discussion in 'Cichlids' started by sarah, Mar 13, 2006.
OK, so my tank is a 55 gallon rectangle and in it are (dont get to excited about the mixed breeds, it has worked out so far) 1 electric yellow (6cm) 2 red jewels (8cm each) 2 convicts (one is 3cm and one is 6cm) one pink convict (8cm), 1 red emperor (given to me, 12cm), 1 lithobate (6cm), 2 brichardi (7cm) 1 johanni (6cm), 1 zebra (9cm) 1 lombardoi (8cm) 1 pleco (17cm) 1 baby pleco (3cm) the baby was just given to me.
It isnt the cleaning or anything, i clean every two weeks and add bacteria. It isnt the tank because i have never had any probs with that department. The fish themselves are all good, healthy, there is some fighting occurring but they all seem to work it out.
I am just concerned that i will be asking for trouble if i keep it stocked at this level, i wont be adding any more fish and havent done so in six months.
A general rule of thumb is 1 inch of fish per gallon of water, you breakdown to about a total of 45 inches per gallon (1 inch = ~2.54cm and 114/2.54 = 44.88) which is okay for now. However I don't know the if all of your fish are full grown? If any of these fish are expected to grow considerably (most likely the plecos depending on what type you have) you may need a larger tank or may need to find a few fish some new homes in the future. Or you could get another 55 and split your current stock between the two tanks.


text:
Countries → USA → Events in Oxon Hill, MD
Widespread Panic, 16 September 2022
The Theater at MGM National Harbor Oxon Hill, MD, USA
Fri, September 16 2022
Southern Rock Psychedelic Rock Blues Rock
Concert of Widespread Panic in The Theater at MGM National Harbor
Ticket prices may fluctuate, based on demand, at any time. Resale ticket prices may exceed face value.
About Widespread Panic
Widespread Panic is an American rock band from Athens, Georgia. The current lineup includes guitarist/singer John Bell, bassist Dave Schools, drummer Duane Trucks, percussionist Domingo "Sunny" Ortiz, keyboardist John "JoJo" Hermann, and guitarist Jimmy Herring. Michael Houser and George McConnell have also played lead guitar for the band, Todd Nance retired in 2016 as their original drummer.
The band was formed in Athens, Georgia, in 1986, and is influenced by the Southern rock, blues-rock, progressive rock, funk and hard rock genres. They have been compared to other jam bands such as the Grateful Dead and Phish. Widely renowned for their live performances, as of 2015, they hold the record for number of sold-out performances at Red Rocks Amphitheatre (Morrison, Colorado) at 54 and Philips Arena (Atlanta, Georgia) at 20.
The Theater at MGM National Harbor
MGM National Harbor Resort & Casino, 101 MGM National Ave, Oxon Hill, MD 20745, USA Open in Google Maps
Oxon Hill, MD, USA
https://www.mgmnationalharbor.com/en/entertainment/the-theater.html
See all rock & metal events in The Theater at MGM National Harbor


This week we talk about the #MonstersAnonymous showing and Q&A panel in #Pensacola, Jay gives his car-poolers a lesson in Lactose-Intolerance, Stephie plays #HollowKnight, the boys appear in #MississippiRiverSharks on SyFy, & the PCP crew come up with a new idea for a Shark Movie.
This week: Jay & Stephanie hold down the fort while Steve & Wally are out on assignment, but we are still so full of good news that we are bursting at the seams! Steph gets the news that she is an official Twitch.TV affiliate, & Jay is going to be a part of a new sci-fi/apocalyptic film Sur'Vi and the #IndieGoGo campaign is over halfway funded after only 3 days!


text:
HUSTLERS (2019) – My rating: 8.3/10
Hustlers is a crime drama written and directed by Lorene Scafaria, based on New York magazine's 2015 article "The Hustlers at Scores" by Jessica Pressler. Jennifer Lopez is also a producer on the film through Nuyorican Productions, alongside Jessica Elbaum, Will Ferrell, and Adam McKay through their Gloria Sanchez banner. The plot follows a crew of strippers in New York City who begin to steal money by drugging stock traders and CEOs who visit their club, then running up their credit cards. I had no idea the New Yorker article would become a movie, they did a good job.
**** SOME SPOILERS BELOW ****
In 2014, former New York City-based stripper Dorothy/Destiny (Constance Wu) is invited for an interview with Elizabeth (Julia Stiles), a journalist working on a story involving Dorothy's former friend and mentor, Ramona Vega (Jennifer Lopez). Seven years prior, Dorothy, known by her stripper name as Destiny, is working at Moves, a strip club, to support her grandmother (Wai Ching Ho) but is barely getting by. Mesmerized by Ramona's performance plus all the tips she earns, Destiny meets her on the roof of the club. Ramona looks Destiny over and decides to take her under her wing thus forming a formidable team. Destiny enjoys her newfound wealth and friendship with Ramona. A year later (2007), the financial crisis strikes and both women find themselves short of cash. Destiny becomes pregnant and bows out of the stripper scene. Unable to find a regular job,
Destiny goes back to stripping at the club but Moves has changed: the financial crisis has impacted their business, and the club is primarily staffed by immigrant women from Russia willing to perform sex acts for money, a line Destiny is unwilling to cross. She reconnects with Ramona, who introduces her to a new scheme. Along with her two protegées, Mercedes (Keke Palmer) and Annabelle (Lili Reinhart), Ramona targets rich men at bars, get them drunk, then escorts them to Moves where the girls steal their credit card numbers and charge them to their limit. Destiny joins in and learns Ramona uses a mix of ketamine and MDMA to impair judgment and cause memory loss in their targets, a tactic deemed worthwhile since their victims will rarely admit to being robbed by strippers.
Hustlers is a pretty decent, indecent movie about some very hard working women who feel instant, illegal money is worth the risk of jail. I must first mention 50-year old J. Lo has done a magnificent job of keeping her body sexy, tight and presentable for any role she's up for. While she looked a little amazon-ish next to 37-year-old Constance Wu, she still has it going on. However, none were a match for Keke Palmer (26 years old) who was a fantastic addition to the gang. Hustlers is obviously not for children nor is it for sanctified worshippers who don't need to see how some desperate women choose to live their lives for money. Hustlers pretty much keeps you intrigued and entertained. The film has grossed $110 million worldwide and received positive reviews from critics, with Lopez's performance singled out for praise. I enjoyed Hustlers, especially the brilliant performances by J. Lo and Constance. I recommend Hustlers for those who don't mind a good sexy movie. Check It Out!
Tagged alpha, Annabelle, Big Jay Oakerson, Brandon Keener, Cardi B, constance wu, Dawn, Destiny, Devin Ratray, Diamond, dj, Dorothy, doug, Elizabeth, Frank Whaley, G-Easy, Gerald Gillam, Hustlers, Jennifer Lopez, joe, Johnny, Jon Glaser, journalist, Jovanni Ortiz, julia stiles, Justice, Keke Palmer, Lili Reinhart, liz, Lizzy, Madeline Brewer, mama, mark, Mercedes, Mercedes Ruehl, Mette Towley, Ramona Vega, Reese, Rhys Coiro, Spencer, Stephen, Steven Boyer, Trace Lysette, Tracey, usher, Wai Ching Ho
VALERIAN AND THE CITY OF A THOUSAND PLANETS (2017) – My rating: 8/10
Since I don't read comic books, I didn't know what to expect or even that this movie was derived from a comic book series. The pitch was "Valerian is the most beautiful movie we'll ever see." It was compared to Avatar and I was convinced that if it was half as good as Avatar, it still would be pretty fantastic as far as outstanding special effects goes. As it turns out, some of this was right but not all. It wasn't until two thirds through, I found Valerian becoming more than tolerable and even interesting. The acting was good but the story was a little confusing. Then something happened; camera, action, a change of pace — oh boy, I think I like this after all.
A space station called Alpha was started in the 28th century where millions of creatures from different planets could live peacefully, exchange knowledge and cultures without any problems. What began as a space station around the planet Earth, grew as many nations from Earth and races from other planets joined. One of the planets called Mül was a low-tech humanoid race that lives peacefully in a tropical paradise. They fish for energy-containing pearls and use certain animals to duplicate the pearls. Their philosophy was to give back what was given to them, much like Luke 12:48 – (NLT) "When someone has been given much, much will be required in return; and when someone has been entrusted with much, even more will be required."
Major Valerian (Dane DeHaan) and Sergeant Laureline (Cara Delevingne) are romantically involved as well as special agents of the human police forces. In a dream, Valerian sees this planet in all it's beauty and glory. As this idyll is destroyed by spaceship debris crashing onto the planet, Valerian wakes up to find he and Laureline on a mission to retrieve one of the rare animals from his dream, called a "converter", from a black market dealer.
Valerian interrupts a meeting of the dealer with two prospective customers for the converter, both looking like the humanoids from his dream. He and Laureline obtain the converter, and he surreptitiously steals one of the pearls that had been given to the dealer as payment. They now return to Alpha, where they are told by their Commander, Arün Filitt, (Clive Owen) part of the station has been infected by an unknown force, rendering it highly toxic, and troops sent into the area have not returned, plus the infection is spreading. Laureline and Valerian are assigned to protect the commander. However, while briefing an assembly about the infection, they are ambushed by the humanoids, who incapacitate all participants and kidnap him. Valerian frees himself and the others and chases the kidnappers, who head for the infected area. Valerian loses control of his vehicle and Laureline loses contact with Valerian who infiltrates the residential sector of the group with the help of a shapeshifter named Bubble (Rihanna).
While this is all starting to sound a little confusing, you probably can understand why I became a little loss in the beginning. Trust me, it all comes together and even is fun and very interesting, especially when Rihanna enters the scene. It definitely was not the fabulous movie they promised but it was descent. You'll learn why and who destroyed the planet Mül, as well as what happened to the planet's beautiful inhabitants. Also Valerian ask for Laureline's hand in marriage, does she say yea or nay? Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets is not too violent and the special effects are fantastic. Nicely done! You will also get to see: Ethan Hawke as Jolly the Pimp, Herbie Hancock as a Defence Minister and hear John Goodman as the voice of Igon Siruss, a Kodar'Khan pirate captain and the galaxy's most-wanted criminal. Check it out!
Tagged alpha, bubble, cara delevingne, clive owen, commander Arün filitt, dane dehaan, defence minister igon siruss, ethan hawke, herbie hancock, john goodman, jolly the pimp, kodar khan, laureline, mül, rihanna, shapeshifter, space station, valerian and the city of a thousand planets


text:
Q: Trouble with Autohotkey key combination I have seen various references that say you can make key combinations by seperating the keys using the ampersand symbol &. When I implement this, somehow it doesn't work.
Why would this script:
Up::Volume_Up
Down::Volume_Down

work? and this one:
LCtrl & Up::Volume_Up
LCtrl & Down::Volume_Down

Not?

A: It works if you use the send command
LCtrl & Up:: Send {Volume_Up}
LCtrl & Down:: Send {Volume_Down}

or
<^Up:: Send {Volume_Up}
<^Down:: Send {Volume_Down}

"LCtrl & Up" isn't a key you can replace with another. It's a combination of two keys.


text:
target("${TARGETNAME}")

    -- set kind
    set_kind("shared")

    -- add defines
    add_defines("__tb_prefix__=\"${TARGETNAME}\"")

    -- add the header files for installing
    add_headerfiles("../(${TARGETNAME}/**.h)")

    -- add includes directory
    add_includedirs("..", {interface = true})

    -- add packages
    add_packages("tbox")

    -- add files
    add_files("*.cpp")

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Rock Best Bet: The Black Keys
Written by Emma Kat Richardson
The Black Keys wsg Cage the Elephant
Van Andrel Arena, Grand Rapids
Sept. 7, 8 p.m.
$35, $55, $75
vanandelarena.com, (616) 742-6600
For such a tiny band, The Black Keys sure are capable of producing a massively huge sound. And that's exactly the thing the group's fans love it for – the keen, sly ability to create so much with so little. Despite sustaining a devoted cult following for years, The Black Keys didn't really manage to pop until the duo's 2010 album Brothers was released, garnering the Key boys three Grammys and a whole slew of critical praise. Like so many other musical innovators – Devo, The Pretenders and David Allen Cole, just to name a few – childhood friends Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney grew up in Akron, Ohio, and like their forebears, have incorporated the city's tinny, industrial surroundings directly into the Keys' heavy musical presence. With its latest release, Turn Blue, still fresh in the minds of fans, The Black Keys show every indication of maintaining a fantastic upward trajectory. Dare I say we're all keyed up about the band's future?
Published in Best Bets
More in this category: « Indie Best Bet: Owen Pallett	Punk Best Bet: X »


text:
Talking Some Sense
11. 19. 21 / by Tony Tran
COVID May Have Messed Up One Million Americans' Sense of Smell
A new study sheds some light on the long-term effects of the pandemic.
11. 19. 21 / Tony Tran
Image by Getty / Futurism
One of the most well-known symptoms of COVID-19 is anosmia, or the loss of the sense of smell. Now, a new study says that more than one million Americans might have permanently lost the ability to smell due to the pandemic — suggesting that the symptom could be much more widespread than previously thought.
The study, published Thursday in the journal JAMA Otolaryngology – Head & Neck Surgery, estimates that between 700,000 and 1.6 million people in the US have suffered from anosmia that lasted at least six months after being infected by COVID. That estimate includes people who have experienced parosmia, meaning a distorted sense of smell. Disconcertingly, the study's authors add that the numbers might actually be an underestimate.
"In the last couple of months, my colleagues and I noted a dramatic increase in the number of patients seeking medical attention for olfactory dysfunction," Jay Piccirillo, an otolaryngologist at Washington University in St. Louis and the study's lead author, told Gizmodo.
A messed up sense of smell isn't as bad as dying — and it's worth noting that 750,000 Americans are estimated to have lost their lives to the virus so far, with no end in sight — but it is a serious, life-changing symptom that demonstrates the sweeping risk of COVID even for survivors.
Piccirillo said that while most cases of anosmia related to COVID typically resolve within two weeks, cases that last beyond six months are "not good." In fact, roughly five percent of patients with COVID-onset anosmia will permanently lose some or all of their sense of smell.
The implications are bleak, especially when you consider how fundamental the sense of smell is to our everyday lives. Imagine not being able to properly taste your favorite food again, or not being able to smell something as simple as a flower. At worst, imagine not being able to smell a gas leak or a burning fire in your house.
Luckily, there's hope. Some organizations, like the Baylor College of Medicine, are coming up with what are essentially physical therapy treatments for your nose. There are also studies underway for experimental treatments for anosmia.
Regardless, it's another clear sign that you should get vaccinated — and boosted — if you haven't already. While it doesn't guard you 100 percent against COVID, it does give you a much better chance of avoiding it — and its devastating symptoms.
READ MORE: Over a Million Americans May Have Permanently Lost Their Sense of Smell to Covid-19 [Gizmodo]
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Chill Employers Are Letting Burned Out Employees Take Sabbaticals
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Omicron Is the "Fastest Spreading Virus In History," Experts Say
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Study Finds That People Who Believe COVID Myths Are More Likely to Catch COVID
1.06.22 Studies
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People may be avoiding sex entirely out of fears of sexual assault.
By Noor Al-Sibai / Read More >>
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That sounds really painful!
By Abby Lee Hood / Read More >>
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Not really something to joke about.