At some point in your life, I can almost guarantee that you will be presented with the opportunity to do some fundraising for a certain cause. Whether you are asked to do so to help others or decide to do some charity of your own accord, the whole ordeal can be stressful and overwhelming – trust me, I would know. Having become involved in various charities and movements over the summer, mainly the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND), I have had to do a multitude of fundraising and awareness projects. While I have done many things, by far the easiest and most effective project that I have found is a bake sale. Simple but effective, a bake sale is relatively easy to organise, popular, and most importantly familiar. People are far more likely to spend their money in a familiar setting/ environment than not.
With this being said, here's an (almost) step by step guide to hosting the perfect bake sale.
First things first, it is important to organise the very basics of your event. Where will your event be? When will it be? Who is your target audience? Who can help you on the day? Why are you doing this fundraising in the first place? There are of course more questions that you could ask yourself and your team, but I believe that the ones above are the most important, and I would make sure that you definitely have these answered before you begin to advertise. Also, I would make sure that you have permission to stay in the place you have chosen, and that you also make these decisions as quickly as possible and in plenty of time to avoid rushing at the last minute.
Once you have the when, where, who, and why sorted, it's time to create some buzz! Its time to make Facebook pages/ events, tell friends, send emails out (especially if you have a mailing list!), and send out leaflets – whatever your heart desires. I try and do everything electronically in an attempt to save paper, but any way that it is easy for you to promote the event, you should do it - exposure is important in enticing potential customers. Keep the information you send out simple and easy to understand, but don't be afraid to get colourful and creative.
Once you have sorted what the public see, it's time to look at some of the more formal things you need to do behind the scenes. Firstly, it is essential to organise a rota for the day of the event, so that your stall is always being manned, and that people get a chance to have a break or grab some food. If you are part of a group, the other people involved should be your first call for this, but don't be afraid to reach out to other people and ask for help. For example, I was a planning a CND bake sale and was struggling for volunteers, so asked some of our very own HC Aberdeen girls to volunteer, and they were more than happy to give up an hour of their time to help. As long as you are honest and respectful of what you need from people, most will lend a hand when needed.
Similarly, it is important to set up a money float i.e. an amount of money that is usually in pound coins or similar change that you can give to people as change. I would recommend a float of £20, and remember to take whatever the amount is back out at the end of the day to make sure that you don't overestimate your profits and mess up your finances.
Now on to the fun bit, the baking! Knowing what you will make, and what others are going to contribute can help alleviate a lot of stress when it comes to the few days before the sale, so make sure to double check with people who intend to bake, and ask what creation they want to bring along. Personally, I like to look online for recipe inspiration, and collect all the recipes I want to attempt into one large word document – making sure to put the recipes in order of what I want to bake first, second, third etc. When compiling this list, I like to think about what needs refrigerated, what needs more time in the oven, and the temperatures that oven needs to be. All of these factors will affect what order you bake in. Finally, it's important to think about allergens and allergies people may have; as a rule of thumb, I stay clear of nuts in any bake sale (it is honestly so much easier than trying to permeate baked items, trust me!). Also, in most places it is required that you fill out allergen sheets for every item you are selling: within the University of Aberdeen, AUSA provide these when a room/ space is booked for a bake sale, and they have the right to make sure you have filled them out, so make sure you don't forget them.
The night before, I will always double check with everyone who's helping on the day, just to make sure that they are all on board and are aware of what's expected. I also like to pack as much stuff as I can in advance to make the next morning as stress-free as possible. On the day, I think it is really important to enjoy yourself, and not worry too much about what's expected financially – what will be, will be and if you have prepared well enough you won't have to worry. Furthermore, it's important in all of this to remember that you are fundraising for a cause you are passionate about, and as long as you get your message across to someone, even just one person, then you have done your job.
Below is a checklist of sorts that I like to follow the morning of a bake sale, to ensure I haven't forgotten anything. Good luck!
All pictures are Iona's own.


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2010. We hope to give more clarity for our readers about the way forward.
the acquisition of the residence held by a trust.
The taxpayer must have personally and ordinarily resided in the residence being transferred.
the primary residence of the individual concerned.
shares directly in the company.
a far greater application than the previous regime.
An important difference is the reference to a residence that is mainly used for 'domestic purposes'.
(provided that it is not rented out more than 50% of the time) to be transferred to the individual.
example occur where the founder is already deceased.
the ordinarily associated consequences of STC, CGT and transfer duty.


text:
Obama's Trade Pick Owes IRS $10,000 – Here We Go Again
December 14, 2016 September 27, 2019 Billy Wells
You know I consider myself a fair person, full of grace and mercy. I truly believe in the notion of forgiveness when people make mistakes. But I have to tell you I am growing weary of Robert Gibbs, WH Press Secretary continually making excuses for Presidential nominees who cannot seem to pay their taxes. The latest from Gibbs: US Trade Rep. Designate Ron Kirk's and the subsequent revelation that he owes $10,000 in back federal taxes is "minor".
WOW! Here we go again. Wonder what would happen if I owed the IRS say $500 dollars or so–OOOPS–Been there–Done that. Got lots of nasty grams, threats and even more threats to put a Lein on my home if I did not pay up. Hmmmm, then the IRS realized it owed me money (you all saw my post on this back in January) for an OVERPAYMENT I made when I had a small business–and they settled the matter for $60 of interest that I would have paid if I owed the tax.
Get my point Mr. & Mrs. America???
For those of you who may not know, Former Dallas mayor Ron Kirk, who is President Obama's nominee to be the U.S. trade representative, failed to pay almost $10,000 in taxes during the past three years because of a series of mistakes.
Supposedly, his major mistake was in not treating as taxable income $37,500 in speaking fees. Kirk asked that the fees be paid directly to his alma mater for a scholarship fund he had created, and his accountant did not think the donated fees were taxable income, the committee said.
The news about Kirk's mistakes comes after the nominations of several high-profile appointees were threatened or derailed because of tax errors. Former senator Thomas A. Daschle (D-S.D.) was forced to abandon his bid to be secretary of health and human services after revelations that he had failed to pay taxes on his use of a chauffeur.
Kirk, who would become the fourth African American in the Obama Cabinet, served six years as Dallas mayor before launching a losing bid against Republican John Cornyn for the seat of retiring Sen. Phil Gramm (R).
Kirk's failure to pay taxes on the honoraria amounted to a $5,800 underpayment, according to the committee, which concluded that he should have accepted the payments, paid taxes on them and then made his charitable contributions.
I am really starting to kick myself–this is NOT change we can Believe In Folks–this is more of the same and I truly hope that President Obama puts a stop to business as usual and gives us the most ethical administration in U.S. History (haven't we heard that one before??).
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Obama's Fixation On Fabricating Fantacy – The State Of The Union
Talking About Politics: LEFT WING & RIGHT WING

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Cecil Airport: Protecting the Jacksonville of Today and Beyond
Cecil Airport has a rich history beginning at the onset of World War II. In 1942, the United States Navy acquired a parcel of land which they developed into Naval Air Station Cecil Field. As time progressed, Cecil Field would become the U.S. Navy's largest master jet base to support our troops through every major war until Desert Storm.
In October of 1999, after 58 years of serving the United States Military as a U.S. Navy master jet base, Cecil Airfield was decommissioned by recommendation of the U.S. Base Realignment and Closure Commission. If you ask the Jacksonville Aviation Authority (JAA), they will tell you that this decision by the military was one of JAA's greatest gains in recent years. Together with the City of Jacksonville, the JAA eagerly took over ownership of Cecil Airfield and began the process of transforming the airfield into the aviation powerhouse that Cecil Airport represents today.
An integral portion of this process included fostering strategic partnerships with entities like Boeing, Florida State College at Jacksonville, the US Military, and the Florida Department of Transportation, among others. The relationship between Cecil Airport and Boeing resulted in the construction of a Boeing maintenance, repair, and overhaul operations facility. For the past 20 years, this facility has played a valuable role in military upgrades and modifications at Cecil Airport. Boeing has assisted in over 1,000 aircraft upgrades including F/A-18 A-D Hornet, F/A-18 E/F Super Hornet and EA-18G Growler.
In 2020, this relationship became even more solid when Pond assisted JAA in developing the programming and preparing the accompanying construction budget to respond to an RFP from Boeing. Upon selection, JAA unanimously approved and signed a 25-year lease with Boeing to expand operations at Cecil Airport. Because of our long, successful history of projects with both JAA and Boeing, Pond was exclusively selected to design this 8-bay Hangar Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul Hangar (MRO) and Ramp. It is rare and humbling to collaborate on a project of this scope and impact from concept to reality, and Pond was honored by the trust placed in us by both JAA and Boeing.
The programming Pond provided included planning the site layout including future development in accordance with Part 77 surfaces and previously permitted wetland impact areas. The airside design includes a parking apron with seven 737 parking positions and two taxi lanes to provide access from existing Taxiway Echo to the new MRO Hangar Facility. The apron will include service utility pits and tie downs to maintain aircraft including two parking positions dedicated for fueling and defueling operations. The project also includes all landside facilities and infrastructure including parking lots, access drives, security fences and gates, water systems, sanitary sewer systems, stormwater management, and stormwater conveyance systems for the approximate 50-acre site.
By creating larger hangars and more useable space, Pond will help Boeing and Cecil Airport expand their presence in Jacksonville and their ability to provide complex solutions to prestigious aviation clients. These improvements assure that Boeing will be able to remain competitive for a full scope of Department of Defense contracts from Cecil Airport. This expansion will also make room for a new digital maintenance platform currently in development which will streamline aircraft maintenance and significantly improve efficiency.
Additionally, the updated facility brings over 400 new jobs to the state of Florida. This will further solidify Cecil's position as an economic boon to the Jacksonville area. "Florida is attracting the biggest names in aerospace and this announcement with Boeing marks another milestone for the industry's expansion in our state," said Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. "We congratulate Boeing and the City of Jacksonville for this important achievement, which will help sustain economic recovery in Northeast Florida at a critical time."
On October 27th of this year, Pond attended the groundbreaking ceremony for this site. The 370,000 square-foot facility is set to open in 2023 and will represent the aviation industry's first digitally-enabled maintenance facility.
"We are honored by the trust placed in our team by JAA, Boeing, and the Jacksonville community. Our aviation team is excited to see the dedicated efforts of planning, design, and collaboration come to fruition for this complex endeavor," said Hugh Weaver, Pond's VP of Aviation.
ATCT Feasibility Study and Design - John C. Tune Aiport (JWN) | Nashville, TN
Ronald Reagan Boulevard Extension - Forsyth County, GA
Evaluating Georgia's Aviation System and its Need for Aircraft Storage Hangars
I recently had the opportunity to meet with the Georgia State Legislature Joint Study Committee on Airport Infrastructure and Improvements. I presented findings evaluating Georgia's current aviation infrastructure with a special focus on hangars. A clear plan for...
Pond Selected to Advance the Boeing Cecil Airport Facility
JACKSONVILLE - (12.22.2020) The Jacksonville Aviation Authority (JAA) signed a 25-year lease with Boeing to expand operations at Cecil Airport, which can bring over 400 jobs to Florida. As a proud partner of JAA, Pond had been exclusively selected to design the new...
Huntsville International (HSV) Security Upgrade Featured in Airport Improvement
Pond designed a facility-wide security upgrade for Huntsville International Airport in Huntsville, Alabama. After performing a security threat and vulnerability assessment, Pond helped the airport develop an automated multilevel system to replace the outdated...
A recent ruling may have significant impact on clients in the utilities; mining; residential, commercial, and industrial development; agricultural; recreational; stormwater management; mariculture; and renewable energy industries. Pond is following the situation closely and working with clients across the affected industries to evaluate contingencies and is available for discussion.
We are currently experiencing a unique legal situation that is affecting the ability of the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) to authorize the 2021 Nationwide Permits (NWPs), which allow for the discharge of fill to Waters of the US under Section 404 of the Clean Water Act.
On October 21, 2021, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California vacated the US Environmental Protection Agency's (USEPA) 2020 Clean Water Act (CWA) Section 401 "Certification Rule" ("the 2020 Rule"). In re Clean Water Act Rulemaking, No. 20-cv-4636, et al. (Oct. 21, 2021). The vacatur is now in effect and is applicable nationwide. The effect of the Court's ruling is to reinstate USEPA's previous Certification Rule, which had been in effect since 1971 ("the 1971 Rule"). The USEPA had already identified substantial concerns with the "2020 Rule" and was already in the process of revising the 401 Certification Rule prior to the ruling and vacatur. The USEPA requested the District Court of Northern California to remand the rule without vacatur while USEPA continues working on a revised rule. A critical effect of this vacatur is the apparent inability of the USACE to issue authorizations for permit requests under the 16 NWPs, which were issued/reissued in 2021, as these NWPs rely on the "2020 Rule" for 401 Certification. Please note that this appears to affect the 16 Nationwide Permits which were issued/reissued in 2021. The remaining 40 Nationwide Permits which were issued/reissued in 2017 would not be affected as long as they received a conditional 401 Certification at the time of issuance. However, if a specific state withheld conditional certification in 2017 or a specific project exceeds the limits of a conditional certification, then we presume that the vacatur would now prevent the issuance of a 401 Certification; thereby, preventing USACE from authorizing permit coverage in such instances. These limitations apply not only to USACE, but also to any state (i.e., Michigan, New Jersey, and Florida) or Tribal Government which has assumed the administration of the Section 404 program on behalf of the USACE. At this time, there has been no official messaging from USACE as to if/how they plan to proceed except for a very short statement:
Who is Affected?
The industries most likely to be affected by this situation include: utilities (oil, natural gas, electric, telecom, water, etc.); mining; residential, commercial, and industrial development; agricultural; recreational; stormwater management; mariculture; and renewable energy. See Table 1 for a list of affected 2021 NWPs.
Table 1. List of 2021 Nationwide Permits (NWPs) which are Currently Not Being Authorized
12. Oil or Natural Gas Pipeline Activities
21. Surface Coal Mining Activities
29. Residential Developments
39. Commercial and Institutional Developments
40. Agricultural Activities
42. Recreational Facilities
43. Stormwater Management Facilities
44. Mining Activities
48. Commercial Shellfish Mariculture Activities
50. Underground Coal Mining Activities
51. Land-Based Renewable Energy Generation Facilities
52. Water-Based Renewable Energy Generation Pilot Projects
55. Seaweed Mariculture Activities
56. Finfish Mariculture Activities
57. Electric Utility Line and Telecommunications Activities
58. Utility Line Activities for Water and Other Substances
How Can Pond Help?
Pond's regulatory specialists have reached out to multiple USACE Districts to discuss the situation. USACE regulatory staff have confirmed the inability to authorize applications for coverage under the 2021 NWPs and have also indicated that they are unable to authorize Individual or Standard Permits at this time. District staff indicated that Pre-construction Notifications ("PCNs") for coverage were still being accepted and reviewed but that authorization cannot be issued until the 401 Certification issue is resolved. Applications for coverage under the 2017 NWPs or Letters of Permission can still be authorized. We anticipate forthcoming guidance from USEPA regarding next steps for moving forward with 401 Certifications under the "1971 Rule" as they move forward with revised rulemaking. It is also possible that the vacatur may be appealed and could be stayed or otherwise limited.
In the meantime, Pond is working closely with our clients across many of the affected industries to inform them of the situation and collaboratively evaluate contingencies and alternatives. In some cases, this may mean simply delaying projects until the issue is resolved. In other cases, Pond is working to identify revisions to project plans which may avoid the need for Section 404 permitting all together and thereby sidestep the issue. As we near the end of the calendar year, this unanticipated challenge can also have implications for financial forecasting and capital improvement budgets. Pond is assisting many clients with reallocating program budgets to accelerate shovel-ready projects which are not constrained by this issue. Pond's environmental team maintains close communication with multiple USACE Districts and will continue to monitor the situation. If you are concerned about how this may affect your projects, then please do not hesitate to reach out any of Pond's environmental leaders to discuss specific considerations and implications.
Glenn Martin, PWS, CE
Director of Environmental Services
With more than 15 years' experience in the environmental space, Glenn has permitted hundreds of miles of corridor studies for linear infrastructure and thousands of acres of site work. A Professional Wetland Scientist and Certified Ecologist, Glenn is an expert in stream and wetland delineation and assessment, coastal permitting, and NEPA analysis and documentation.
Connecting Crabapple
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Five-star boutique hotel chain Dream has appointed John Doe to handle global lifestyle PR duties.
NEW YORK--Five-star boutique hotel brand Dream has appointed John Doe US to handle global lifestyle PR duties.
John Doe is tasked with developing the brand's lifestyle media relations and creating campaigns to highlight its interaction with the worlds of fashion and design. The agency was appointed following a competitive pitch.
The brainchild of hotelier Virkam Chatwal, Dream recently entered into an agreement with Wyndham Hotel Group, in which Wyndham gained exclusive rights to franchise and manage the Dream brand globally. Dream currently has hotels in the US, Thailand and India.
"The Dream brand is at an exciting stage with great properties, innovative services and an inspiring story," said senior VP of brand development Brendan McNamara. "We wanted to work with an agency that understood not only our consumers but also how we interact in their cultural lives."
Day to day direction of the account will be led by John Doe publicity director Meena Khera. The new account comes after John Doe launched its US operation in October of this year.


Chicco's Softeners freshen and soften all of baby's garments without irritating its sensitive skin. The natural additives make the fabrics soft and gently perfumed, without damaging fibres of colours. Dermatologically tested, nickel tested, antistatic and biodegradable. Each bottle makes 4 litres.


text:
Q: Extracting image from PDF with /CCITTFaxDecode filter I have a pdf that was generated from scanning software. The pdf has 1 TIFF image per page. I want to extract the TIFF image from each page.
I am using iTextSharp and I have successfully found the images and can get back the raw bytes from the PdfReader.GetStreamBytesRaw method. The problem is, as many before me have discovered, iTextSharp does not contain a PdfReader.CCITTFaxDecode method.
What else do I know? Even without iTextSharp I can open the pdf in notepad and find the streams with /Filter /CCITTFaxDecode and I know from the /DecodeParams that it is using CCITTFaxDecode group 4.
Does anyone out there know how I can get the CCITTFaxDecode filter images out of my pdf?

A: This library... http://www.bitmiracle.com/libtiff/ and this example below should get you 99% of the way there
string filter = pd.Get(PdfName.FILTER).ToString();
string width = pd.Get(PdfName.WIDTH).ToString();
string height = pd.Get(PdfName.HEIGHT).ToString();
string bpp = pd.Get(PdfName.BITSPERCOMPONENT).ToString();

switch (filter)
{
   case "/CCITTFaxDecode":

      byte[] data = PdfReader.GetStreamBytesRaw((PRStream)pdfStream);
      int tiff = TIFFOpen("example.tif", "w");
      TIFFSetField(tiff, (uint)BitMiracle.LibTiff.Classic.TiffTag.IMAGEWIDTH,(uint)Int32.Parse(width));
      TIFFSetField(tiff, (uint)BitMiracle.LibTiff.Classic.TiffTag.IMAGEHEIGHT, (uint)Int32.Parse(height));
      TIFFSetField(tiff, (uint)BitMiarcle.LibTiff.Classic.TiffTag.COMPRESSION, (uint)BitMiracle.Libtiff.Classic.Compression.CCITTFAX4);
      TIFFSetField(tiff, (uint)BitMiracle.LibTiff.Classic.TiffTag.BITSPERSAMPLE, (uint)Int32.Parse(bpp));
      TIFFSetField(tiff, (uint)BitMiarcle.Libtiff.Classic.TiffTag.SAMPLESPERPIXEL,1 );

      IntPtr pointer = Marshal.AllocHGlobal(data.length);
      Marshal.copy(data, 0, pointer, data.length);
      TIFFWriteRawStrip(tiff, 0, pointer, data.length);
      TIFFClose(tiff);

      break;

      break;

}

A: Here is python implementation:
import PyPDF2
import struct

"""
Links:
PDF format: http://www.adobe.com/content/dam/Adobe/en/devnet/acrobat/pdfs/pdf_reference_1-7.pdf
CCITT Group 4: https://www.itu.int/rec/dologin_pub.asp?lang=e&id=T-REC-T.6-198811-I!!PDF-E&type=items
Extract images from pdf: http://stackoverflow.com/questions/2693820/extract-images-from-pdf-without-resampling-in-python
Extract images coded with CCITTFaxDecode in .net: http://stackoverflow.com/questions/2641770/extracting-image-from-pdf-with-ccittfaxdecode-filter
TIFF format and tags: http://www.awaresystems.be/imaging/tiff/faq.html
"""

def tiff_header_for_CCITT(width, height, img_size, CCITT_group=4):
    tiff_header_struct = '<' + '2s' + 'h' + 'l' + 'h' + 'hhll' * 8 + 'h'
    return struct.pack(tiff_header_struct,
                       b'II',  # Byte order indication: Little indian
                       42,  # Version number (always 42)
                       8,  # Offset to first IFD
                       8,  # Number of tags in IFD
                       256, 4, 1, width,  # ImageWidth, LONG, 1, width
                       257, 4, 1, height,  # ImageLength, LONG, 1, lenght
                       258, 3, 1, 1,  # BitsPerSample, SHORT, 1, 1
                       259, 3, 1, CCITT_group,  # Compression, SHORT, 1, 4 = CCITT Group 4 fax encoding
                       262, 3, 1, 0,  # Threshholding, SHORT, 1, 0 = WhiteIsZero
                       273, 4, 1, struct.calcsize(tiff_header_struct),  # StripOffsets, LONG, 1, len of header
                       278, 4, 1, height,  # RowsPerStrip, LONG, 1, lenght
                       279, 4, 1, img_size,  # StripByteCounts, LONG, 1, size of image
                       0  # last IFD
                       )

pdf_filename = 'scan.pdf'
pdf_file = open(pdf_filename, 'rb')
cond_scan_reader = PyPDF2.PdfFileReader(pdf_file)
for i in range(0, cond_scan_reader.getNumPages()):
    page = cond_scan_reader.getPage(i)
    xObject = page['/Resources']['/XObject'].getObject()
    for obj in xObject:
        if xObject[obj]['/Subtype'] == '/Image':
            """
            The  CCITTFaxDecode filter decodes image data that has been encoded using
            either Group 3 or Group 4 CCITT facsimile (fax) encoding. CCITT encoding is
            designed to achieve efficient compression of monochrome (1 bit per pixel) image
            data at relatively low resolutions, and so is useful only for bitmap image data, not
            for color images, grayscale images, or general data.

            K < 0 --- Pure two-dimensional encoding (Group 4)
            K = 0 --- Pure one-dimensional encoding (Group 3, 1-D)
            K > 0 --- Mixed one- and two-dimensional encoding (Group 3, 2-D)
            """
            if xObject[obj]['/Filter'] == '/CCITTFaxDecode':
                if xObject[obj]['/DecodeParms']['/K'] == -1:
                    CCITT_group = 4
                else:
                    CCITT_group = 3
                width = xObject[obj]['/Width']
                height = xObject[obj]['/Height']
                data = xObject[obj]._data  # sorry, getData() does not work for CCITTFaxDecode
                img_size = len(data)
                tiff_header = tiff_header_for_CCITT(width, height, img_size, CCITT_group)
                img_name = obj[1:] + '.tiff'
                with open(img_name, 'wb') as img_file:
                    img_file.write(tiff_header + data)
                #
                # import io
                # from PIL import Image
                # im = Image.open(io.BytesIO(tiff_header + data))
pdf_file.close()

A: It has been written extension for this (c#).
PdfDictionary item;
if (item.IsImage()) {
  Image image = item.ToImage();
}

A: Actually, vbcrlfuser's answer did help me, but the code was not quite correct for the current version of BitMiracle.LibTiff.NET, as I could download it. In the current version, equivalent code looks like this:
using iTextSharp.text.pdf;
using BitMiracle.LibTiff.Classic;

...
      Tiff tiff = Tiff.Open("C:\\test.tif", "w");
      tiff.SetField(TiffTag.IMAGEWIDTH, UInt32.Parse(pd.Get(PdfName.WIDTH).ToString()));
      tiff.SetField(TiffTag.IMAGELENGTH, UInt32.Parse(pd.Get(PdfName.HEIGHT).ToString()));
      tiff.SetField(TiffTag.COMPRESSION, Compression.CCITTFAX4);
      tiff.SetField(TiffTag.BITSPERSAMPLE, UInt32.Parse(pd.Get(PdfName.BITSPERCOMPONENT).ToString()));
      tiff.SetField(TiffTag.SAMPLESPERPIXEL, 1);
      tiff.WriteRawStrip(0, raw, raw.Length);
      tiff.Close();

Using the above code, I finally got a valid Tiff file in C:\test.tif. Thank you, vbcrlfuser!

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
30% of Android Smartphones Impacted by Mediatek Vulnerabilities
Three of Them Were Patched in October, the Fourth Will Have Security Updates in December.
ANDRIOAIE
SECURITY ENTHUSIAST
Researchers have discovered four Mediatek vulnerabilities that, if successfully exploited would have permitted malicious hackers to perform a series of actions like Android phone calls eavesdropping, commands execution and increased rights elevation. Three of the discovered flaws were fixed by the company along with the Mediatek Security Bulletin from last month and the fourth will be addressed by next month's security update.
The Mediatek Vulnerabilities: More Details
The Mediatek vulnerabilities were identified by CheckPoint researchers and these have the following CVEs: CVE-2021-0661, CVE-2021-0662, and CVE-2021-0663, these are caused by an inaccurate bound check that triggers local privilege escalation through the possibility of an out of bound write and the fourth dubbed CVE-2021-0673 for which no details have been provided yet, these being expected next month.
How did the researchers discover these vulnerabilities?
According to their report, a DSP, which means Digital Signal Processor, is the name of the dedicated audio processing unit that is used in modern MediaTek processors. Its role is to work on better performance of the CPU, thus reducing loads, and also works on the performance and quality enhancement of the audio playback.
Android applications transmit audio processing requests to this unit by means of an IPC system and also a driver. That means that an unprivileged application can abuse the vulnerabilities, this leading to using the audio chip to run code or to the manipulation of request handlers.
What's worth mentioning here is that the audio driver will not establish direct communication with this Digital Signal Processor, meaning that the system control processor (SCP) will receive IPI messages.
Since the DSP firmware has access to the audio data flow, a malformed IPI message could potentially be used by a local attacker to do privilege escalation, and theoretically eavesdrop on the mobile phone's user.
So the researchers reverse-engineered the Android API that was facilitating the audio communications, making them gain more knowledge about the system and eventually identifying the vulnerabilities under discussion.
What could do a hacker if he chains these Mediatek vulnerabilities? This could lead to cyberattacks based on local privilege escalation, targeting the DSP chip to hide there or run code on it, or sending messages to the DSP firmware.
Mitigation Measures Taken by Mediatek
According to BleepingComputer, Mediatek mitigated the CVE-2021-0673 exploitation by eliminating the possibility to use the parameter string command through the AudioManager. More details about this fourth flaw are expected in a bulletin that will be published next month, in December.
For CVE-2021-0661, CVE-2021-0662, CVE-2021-0663, patches were issued during October, so all users using Mediatek chips should implement these security updates as soon as possible to avoid malware infiltration or eavesdropping attacks.
Did you enjoy this article? Follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Youtube, or Instagram to keep up to date with everything we post!
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I applaud your sentiments and certainly would not denigrate your choices. Thank you for clarifying your statement for me. It sounded extremely judgemental. And for the record, we have two cats and a dog. One of our cats is a recovered diabetic and is doing amazingly well. The cats get Purina Dental Diet and 1/3 can of commercial cat food twice a day. They are both in exceptional health and are both over 15 years old. My sisters siamese eats friskies or something like that and is well over 20. They can only confirm 20 as thats how long THEY'VE had her. They know she is significantly older than that.
Frankly, we feed our pets what we can afford to feed them, and we give them what they have shown a preference for.
Now that we have hijacked your thread royally, we should try to get it back on topic.
Sooooo...would you make your dish again Keltin?
Yes, with the tips I've received from the great people here at DC, I am actually itching to try this again as I think I can get more flavor from it.
And I applaud you for taking care of your "babies". It sounds like you've made a most excellent home for them and I applaud you!
Too many people take their "extended family" for granted!


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Bausch + Lomb Initiates Phase 3 Program for Glaucoma Drug Candidate Licensed from Nicox
January 29th, 2013.
Sophia Antipolis, France and Madison, NJ, USA.
Bausch + Lomb, the global eye health company, and Nicox S.A. (NYSE Euronext Paris: COX) today announced that Bausch + Lomb has initiated its Phase 3 clinical program of latanoprostene bunod (previously known as BOL-303259-X and NCX 116) for the reduction of intraocular pressure (IOP) in patients with glaucoma or ocular hypertension. Latanoprostene bunod is a nitric oxide-donating prostaglandin F2 alpha analog licensed by Nicox to Bausch + Lomb.
This pivotal Phase 3 program includes two separate randomized, multicentre, double-masked, parallel-group clinical studies, APOLLO and LUNAR, designed to compare the efficacy and safety of latanoprostene bunod administered once daily (QD) with timolol maleate 0.5% administered twice daily (BID) in lowering IOP in patients with open-angle glaucoma or ocular hypertension. The primary endpoint of both studies, which will include a combined total of approximately 800 patients, is the reduction in mean IOP measured at specified time points during three months of treatment. The Phase 3 studies are pivotal for U.S. registration and will be conducted in North America and Europe. Additional information about the studies can be found at www.clinicaltrials.gov.
"There is a need for more effective, safer and better tolerated therapies to lower IOP," said Robert N. Weinreb, M.D., chairman & distinguished professor of Ophthalmology, University of California San Diego and director, Shiley Eye Center and Hamilton Glaucoma Center. "The Phase 2b results for latanoprostene bunod were promising, so it is exciting that this potential new therapy is now in pivotal trials."
Bausch + Lomb's decision to proceed with a pivotal Phase 3 program followed positive results with latanoprostene bunod in a Phase 2b trial in 413 patients with elevated IOP due to glaucoma and ocular hypertension. This study showed that latanoprostene bunod consistently lowered IOP in a dose-dependent manner. All four doses tested in the Phase 2b trial showed greater IOP reduction compared with Xalatan® 0.005%, with the differences for two of the four doses reaching more than 1mmHg (statistical significance: p<0.01).
"Bausch + Lomb believes that latanoprostene bunod has the potential to become an important new treatment option for people suffering from elevated IOP due to glaucoma and ocular hypertension," said Cal Roberts, M.D. executive vice president and chief medical officer, Bausch + Lomb. "We look forward to completing this pivotal research program, and hope to develop an effective new treatment option to benefit physicians and the patients they serve."
"Latanoprostene bunod is a nitric oxide-donating compound which was discovered in our Research Laboratories in Milan and is the first Nicox program licensed to a partner to enter into Phase 3," said Michele Garufi, chairman and CEO of Nicox. "We are pleased with Bausch + Lomb's commitment to pursuing this program in an area of significant therapeutic need. The whole Nicox team has contributed to this important milestone which underlines the potential of our research platform in the ophthalmic field."
Nicox and Bausch + Lomb Worldwide Licensing Agreement
In March 2010, Bausch + Lomb signed a worldwide licensing agreement with Nicox for latanoprostene bunod, and made an initial license payment of $10 million. In light of the positive results of the Phase 2b study completed in 2011, Bausch + Lomb made an additional $10 million milestone payment in April 2012 following their decision to pursue further development of latanoprostene bunod. If certain regulatory, commercialization and sales milestones for latanoprostene bunod are met, Nicox stands to receive from Bausch + Lomb additional potential payments which, over time, could total $162.5 million. Nicox will also receive tiered double-digit royalties on the sales of latanoprostene bunod and has the option to co-promote the product in the United States.
About Glaucoma
Glaucoma is a group of eye diseases which can lead to the loss of peripheral vision and eventually total blindness. Glaucoma is frequently linked to abnormally high pressure in the eye (intraocular pressure, IOP), due to blockage or malfunction of the eye's drainage system. Abnormally high IOP does not cause any symptoms itself, however it can lead to optic nerve damage and vision loss if left untreated. Drug therapy is used to reduce IOP and therefore prevent further vision loss, typically through increasing the drainage of intraocular fluid by relaxing certain muscles in the eye. Several large trials have demonstrated that reducing IOP can prevent the progression of glaucoma in both early and late stages of the disease. A significant proportion of patients with elevated IOP require more than one medication to maintain their IOP within target levels, highlighting the need for more effective treatments.


The Islamic Arts Museum reflects an awareness of the rapid growth of interest in Islamic arts. It is one of Southeast Asia's most prominent museums, dedicated to being a custodian, collector, preserver and educator of Islamic art.
In this learning experience, you will learn how to construct geometrical patterns in Islamic art. This Learning Experience is suitable for learners Secondary 4 and above.
- Measure lines and angles.
- Construct simple geometrical figures from given data using ruler and protractor as necessary.
- Construct angle bisectors and perpendicular bisectors using straight edge and pair of compasses only.


text:
Home > Series Feature: Most Requested > The Most Requested Folk/Pop Songs
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The Most Requested Folk/Pop Songs
Series: Most Requested
Publisher: Cherry Lane Music
A comprehensive collection of 62 folk/pop favorites, including: Blowin' in the Wind • California Dreamin' • City of New Orleans • Do You Believe in Magic • Fast Car • The House of the Rising Sun • If I Had a Hammer (The Hammer Song) • If I Were a Carpenter • Leaving on a Jet Plane • Like a Rolling Stone • Little Boxes • Mr. Tambourine Man • Morning Has Broken • The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down • Puff the Magic Dragon • The Sound of Silence • Teach Your Children • The Times They Are A-Changin' • Turn! Turn! Turn! (To Everything There Is a Season) • The Unicorn • Who'll Stop the Rain • Worried Man Blues • The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald • and more.
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$19.99 (US)
Inventory #HL 00110225
Prices and availability subject to change without notice.


Manchester Tree Surgeon Myers Tree Care began the re-planting of Dan Bank on Wednesday 23rd March. The planting is the second phase of Myers Tree Care's involvement in the Dan Bank Project and is one of the most satisfying elements of a tree surgeon's work. It will be carried out progressively over the next few weeks, as the main contractor releases areas of the site that will no longer be disturbed by further invasive works.
There are a total of 70 Standard trees to be planted with an average height of 2 metres and these will be staked and tied to aid their establishment on the banking. Also to be planted are approximately 1,600 whips with an average height of 1 metre. The species of trees are of native provenance and include Yew, Ash and Oak plus many others.
As well as the trees, there is also a range of native wild flowers to be planted in designated areas. Once all the planting work has been undertaken, the main contractor will then cover the areas affected by the works with locally sourced topsoil, which will cover all the earth retention materials and make the whole site more aesthetically pleasing.
Hopefully when our work is finished local people will be reassured that steps have been taken to compensate the immediate landscape for the widening works that have been carried out. Within a short time its recovery should become apparent and in the longer term 'Dan Bank' will benefit from the more pro-active management determined by the ten-year Woodland Management Plan that has been put in place for the whole of Dan Bank Wood.
Being a local tree surgeon, I am proud that Myers Tree Care was awarded the technically difficult tree work aspects of this major project and to have undertaken them to the high Arboricultural standards that are expected of us. I am also very pleased to have been given the responsibility for planting of the new trees as, like many people who live in Marple, I will pass them pretty much every working day for many years to come.
Stockport Council awarded Myers Tree Care two key elements of the tree surgery works on Dan Bank, Marple, in January 2011.
The first part of our involvement was to remove the trees that would have proved too technically difficult for the nighttime contractor to undertake in the dark. The work was carried out safety during the daytime whilst the road remained 'live' and was completed on Friday 28 January, ready for the nighttime works to commence during the overnight road-closures.
As the only privately owned approved contractor of the Arboricultural Association in the South Manchester area this part of the work was particularly suited to our skills of dealing safely with trees in difficult situations.
A gallery of photos taken during our part of the tree removals is included at the bottom of the page.
Myers Tree Care was not involved in the overnight tree surgery works that were carried out from 31 January; another contractor did this on behalf of the council.
The report in 9th February's Stockport Express - that we attended a protest with local councillors to answer residents' questions - was not correct. We did not attend this protest, as we are not involved in the overnight phase of the works that attracted the attention of local residents.
This is not the first time Myers Tree Care has worked on Dan Bank. Back in April 1999 we also carried out the emergency removal of a mature Beech tree that failed and fell across the highway during rush hour. Fortunately nobody was injured and as a locally based tree surgeon from Marple Bridge we were able to ensure that the road was re-opened quickly, efficiently and, most importantly, safely.
An unusually big gap in the traffic allows us to take a "before we start" picture.
Tree surgeon Richard Morrey section felling an ash tree on Dan Bank.
Arisings from the tree felling work on Dan Bank are stacked close to the highway for chipping.


Hello Everyone! I'm not new to synths but I'm new to syncing everything together, and it's been great fun. As of now I'm running my Model D reissue to a Korg SQ-1 via midi, SQ-1 to DFAM and M32. Soon I'll have a Volca beats which I would like to use as a master clock for everything. When my Moog One arrives I'd also like to add that to the mix. SO the question is, where will the One fit in the mix, sync wise? Or, if you're familiar with all of this gear, how would you link it all together? Thank you!
I think patch the DFAM adv/clock to the Volca sync out.


Litigating in federal court may seem intimidating and complicated. However, with the proper guidance, tools, and helpful tips, immigration attorneys can find inspiration and solid ground to get started. Our panelists will share their experiences of going outside their comfort zones and into federal court.
What Inspired Me to Litigate in Federal Court?
How Did I Convince My Client That Litigation Was the Best Option?
Where Did I Start? Did Anyone Provide Guidance?
What Happened After I Filed the Pleadings in Court?
Be the first to review Federal Court Litigation Inspiration: How to Get Started!


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Texas Legislature Requiring More Tests to Enter Capitol
Visitors to the Texas Capitol on the opening day of the 87th Legislative Session will be forced to submit to a mandatory Pap smear test, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety.
The test only takes about 15 minutes according to Dr. Bill Cosby, who is administering the tests.
Sources have suggested the shift in protocol was pushed by the State Preservation Board, the governing authority for the Capitol.
According to the constitution, the Texas government can make you submit to any test they feel like before you are allowed to have your basic rights. This is according to science.
Civil rights groups have complained the mandatory Pap smear tests only apply to biological females, creating equal protection concerns in exercising first amendment rights.
However, another new mandatory test requirement for Capitol visitors in response to the Coldvid-19 pandemic has been confirmed to originate from new House Speaker Dade Phelan. Once again the requirement is said to be gender specific in order to "manage risk."
Phelan will be refusing to let biological males into the Capitol without first providing a blood sample into a golden chalice. Aides to Phelan will be collecting the samples at public entrances inside makeshift booths. It is unclear where the lab testing will take place and what tests will be run.
Reports suggest that the blood tests will not be the only option for biological males. Sources say that a second crystal goblet will be available at the main entrance where those declining to submit a blood sample can instead submit a semen sample directly into the crystal goblet held by Phelan himself.
House Speaker Dee-Dee Phelan
It is unclear how this will "flatten da curve" of the coldvid-19 pandemic, but lawmakers have said they are doing it anyway, according to science.
Slippy Toad reporting from Austin


I notice rain. Just after dawn, coming down in buckets, like cats and dogs, teaming. Or is it teeming? It thundered and lightened and made an awful fuss before coming down. This rain has been in the offing for 24 hours, announcing itself over and over again with two brief showers yesterday, neither long enough to be "rain" and mounting humidity until I turned on the air in the late afternoon. We've slept in the cool, manufactured air for which I am grateful.
I notice rain because Julia hates the comings of storms. During her first two years of school, I would get calls to bring her home because thunder unhinged her, and then there were years of being terrified of rain because if it rained, there might be thunder. Now, she merely dislikes storms. She doesn't like getting wet and she can complain almost as loudly as the thunder. Sometimes when a fierce storm rolls into town in the middle of the night, she comes into my room with arm fulls of stuffed dinosaurs and dolls. She wakes me up, takes over the middle half of the bed, steals all the covers and then falls blissfully to sleep while I lie with eyes trained on the ceiling hoping that the worst thunder cracks are finished and that I can eventually extract my arm from under her head because it no longer has feeling. But still, I am grateful that she has grown into sleeping through rain.
I notice rain, because of planting. Each day I garden, I rip root from their comfortable homes and tuck them into the many corners and empty holes in the back garden beds. The more transplanting the more watering. The task grows. Watering gives every mosquito in Madison a chance at a very appealing meal. I spray myself but the pesky bugs bite through tee shirts and pants and around my face where I can't dare spray. One day, I did not put on a cap and was bitten along the part on the top of my head. But I continue, focusing on the green, but there is no way that my hose can come close to the benefits of a good rain and I have grown aware of just how long it was since the last one. I've been moving five plants a day for days, many, many days without rain. And so, this morning is glorious! More than a relief from watering for the day, a good, long, deep drink for everything I've moved.
Julia had a hard start to the school day. She was evaluated by a therapy provider who may have space in their program and from the information I have been gathering may be a good place to move her therapy goals. She did brilliantly at the evaluation but when she got to school, she could not get into the rhythm of the day. I rarely take her out of school during the day or bring her late because of appointments. Today proved my reasoning sound although scheduling personal in professional offices sigh when I ask for the precious after school appointments.
She could not focus during social studies which was her first class of the day. She blurted out that she was dumb and could not do the work, even though she participated. She was frustrated with herself although she could not articulate whether the frustration came from the work or from her missing the two classes before social studies and possibly feeling out of time with the class. According to her teachers, the lack of focus continued during lunch and she could not/would not sit down to eat. She wrote on her end of day behavior sheet and later told me that she was trying to get another student's attention, a student with disabilities who Julia befriended last year. She told me that she was "giving L her eyes as she was talking to L and L smiled at her." "Giving her eyes" when she is talking is a phrase that I use instead of saying "look at me, look at me!" Some of her therapists have "asked for her eyes" when having conversations and this summer, we talked about the "gift of eyes" during conversations. Reading what she wrote and listening to her explanation for spending her 30-minute scarfing down food time communicating, I was almost proud of her.
They want blind obedience, or at least acquiescence to the minute by minute schedule. I know her teachers can't do this but I wish that Julia could have given L her eyes and seen an encouraged conversation and a lunch time that lasted an hour or more. The idea that Julia was trying to communicate with someone who is not easy to communicate with and who probably would not talk about HP or Sonic the Hedgehog is pretty thrilling.
How to give her this education!?
When I write, anything really, I allow myself time to just pour out anything and everything. I empty, I vomit up thoughts and feelings and descriptions and histories. I allow myself this messy process because I know that eventually I will get to what I want to, need to say at that time. I trust in the process. The process doesn't fail me. Interesting to others or not, the process works to please me.
Now the task is to find a process that will lead us to educating Julia. I have no idea of where I am going but, to be completely honest, many times when I write, I have no idea what is at the core of my need to communicate. Truly this scares me to death. I don't want to fail. I don't want to be foolish with her time and talents, I don't want to aim too high, I don't want to underestimate her abilities. Can I take a chance being really messy with her education? I observe her returning from our summer together in Italy a little more independent, a bit more aware. She crossed the street last week! What would traveling the world do for her? Could we really do it?
Actually, this morning, the day after I began this post, the day after a hard school day and after finding a real possibility for a new therapy home, I am, for the first time, actually contemplating this grand project. Global education for a kid on the spectrum. I have roots here. We have roots here. We have a home. Is it time for the training of wings?


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Gatekeepers: The Wing, Facebook & The NYTimes (Cafe Society Dinner Discussion #8)
Plus: Diversity @ Maxwell, The Sweetgreenification of Society & Charter Cities
Cafe Society is Maxwell Social's weekly magazine on the intersection of community and society — an anthropological look at the underpinnings of what makes the world tick, written by David Litwak (@dlitwak) and the Maxwell team.
Share Cafe Society
Because we didn't want to come across as tone deaf, minimizing the massive issues going on both with African Americans and in Hong Kong, we decided to pause and skip a couple weeks of this newsletter. We also debated on whether to say something but we felt uneasy doing so, feeling like many of the statements of support came across as pandering and opportunistic virtue signaling . . . even the NFL, after belittling Kaepernick for years, is suddenly woke . . .
Our feelings were aptly summarized by Professor Galloway in Just Don't:
Just Stop It. Systemic racism is a serious issue, but a 30-second spot during The Masked Singer doesn't prove you are serious about systemic racism."
So I'll leave it with this - as a company intimately interested in organizing communities that are diverse, we're asking for your help on one thing internally before moving onto the weekly update: if you know someone from a diverse background who would love our mission to build a new type of social club, we'd love to chat with them.
Onto the update that we'll keep relatively short.
Gatekeepers, Openness & Open Society: What FB, The NYTimes and The Wing All Have In Common
I started writing this week's article with what we thought was a relatively small insight — what do the debate about Twitter and Facebook "censorship," the CEO of The Wing stepping down and the Tom Cotton Op-Ed in the NYTimes all have in common?
Answer: They all revealed gatekeepers who either don't understand that they are gatekeepers or what they are gatekeeping for, and the misunderstanding of the tacit agreement they have made with their users has started to blow up in their face.
But we kept on coming back to Facebook and its fundamental misunderstanding: they think they have been empowered to guard against any threats to openness and transparency, while many of its users think they have empowered Facebook to guard against threats to an open society, i.e. protect the truth and facts.
The supreme irony is that Facebook unseated MySpace based on a better understanding of guarding an open society through restricting freedoms, specifically around the core concept of identity - remember how you could change your name, your profiles look, etc. on MySpace?
We really went deep this week, so click through to the medium post to read more.
Read On Medium
What Else We're Reading
John Cleese on Being Self-Righteous to Justify Just Being An Asshole
Among all the turmoil right now I thought this tweet from John Cleese of Monty Python from 30 years ago was good reminder that we should all still be kind as we bring people along to our viewpoints. "Once you're armed w/one of those super-lists of enemies, you can be as nasty as you'd like, and yet feel your behavior is morally justified."
John Cleese @JohnCleese
Hard to tell if I recorded this 30 years or 10 minutes ago...
8:10 PM ∙ Jun 12, 2020
155,972Likes59,565Retweets
The Causal Effect of Local Non-Profits on Violent Crime
Drawing on a panel of 264 cities spanning more than 20 years, we estimate that every 10 additional organizations focusing on crime and community life in a city with 100,000 residents leads to a 9 percent reduction in the murder rate, a 6 percent reduction in the violent crime rate, and a 4 percent reduction in the property crime rate.
The Sweetgreenification of Society
Great article on how our societies are naturally segmenting:
We are losing the spaces we share across socioeconomic strata. Slowly, but surely, we are building the means for an everyday urbanite to exist solely in their physical and digital class lanes. It used to be the rich, and then everyone else. Now in every realm of daily consumer life, we are able to efficiently separate ourselves into a publicly visible delineation of who belongs where.
We lost the lunch line. We lost the coffee cart. We're losing the commute. Innovation has bestowed upon us an entire homescreen worth of transportation options that allow us to congest the roads and never brush elbows with those taking the subway. Meanwhile, the crumbling of the subways aren't felt by an ever growing number of the somewhat well-to-do.
We're partnering with the fantastic ladies at Fyli to put on a Happy Hour with OUR New York Vodka on Thursday, 25th June.
OUR are treating you to free product - on the house! (And shipping it to you, I mean, how good are these guys?!). All you need to do is email us (kyle@ourmaxwell.com), tell us the address to ship it to and we'll take care of the rest. LIMITED to 12 people.
Here's what we're doing
- Mixing a tasty Moscow Mule, OUR Vodka style
- With Henry Polanco from OUR
- Fun social mixer afterwards
Thanks, and if you enjoyed our newsletter please send it to a couple friends!
David (@dlitwak), Kyle, Joelle & Dana


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Hip Hop Dance & Exercise
From R&B and House to club and pop, Hip Hop classes utilize upbeat music from various genres in addition to the latest Hip Hop hits. The resulting outcome is a fun, energetic class that not only teaches you Hip Hop movements and technique, but also improves rhythm and precision in your muscle memory.
From R&B and House to club and pop, Hip Hop classes utilize upbeat music from various genres in addition to the latest Hip Hop hits. The resulting outcome is a fun, energetic class that not only
2022-02-10 Thu 10 Feb - 2022-03-31 Thu 31 Mar 2022
8pm - 9pm (UTC+11:00)
Please bring plenty of water, towel and soft shoes or sneakers for footwear. No heels please.
More about Hip Hop Dance & Exercise...
Thu 10 Feb 2022 8pm - 9pm (UTC+11:00) Maria Lock Room - Western Sydney Skills Hub
Thu 03 Mar 2022 8pm - 9pm (UTC+11:00) Maria Lock Room - Western Sydney Skills Hub


If you apply directly to another country you need to do that through their systems, and not through IP Australia. You will need to apply to each country separately. We recommend that you seek advice from an intellectual property (IP) professional before you file overseas.
Whichever option you choose, you will still end up with separate trade mark applications in each country.
The Madrid Protocol is a treaty that provides international registration of a trade mark. It is administered by the International Bureau of WIPO in Geneva. It facilitates filing of trade mark applications in a number of countries in one application.
All requests for protection in Madrid member countries are examined according to the trade mark legislation and laws existing in the designated countries. You may want to get the advice of an IP attorney professionals who is familiar with the details of each country.
WIPO provides a full list of member countries that an international application can cover.
Conversely, the Madrid Protocol also allows trade mark owners overseas to designate Australia in their international applications. This means that overseas traders could have trade marks similar to yours that are operational in Australia. You should be checking databases to make sure there are no crossovers.
An International Trade mark application filed through the Madrid Protocol must be filed through the Office of Origin (where the basic trade mark was filed).
IP Australia will only accept an International Trade mark application filed though the Madrid eFile System found in Online Services (eServices).
IP Australia will no longer accept the physical MM2 application form as of the 01 July 2016. The exception is when there is maintenance being performed with Online Services or the Madrid eFile System.
How long does an international registration last?
Your international registration is protected for a period of 10 years from the date of registration. Registration can be renewed every 10 years upon payment of the relevant fees.
The Madrid Protocol allows you to extend the protection of your Australian trade mark registration into its member countries, all in one request. This can be simpler and cheaper than directly applying to each country, depending on how widely you want to trade.
You do not need to have an address for service within the contracting countries at the time of filing.
You only need to make a single request to make changes to, or renew, international registrations. If your international registration is granted protection in a designated country, your trade mark will have the same protection that would be extended to a national registration in that country.
Another benefit of international registration is the ability to make subsequent designations in other Madrid member countries at a later date.
You can work out the cost of applying for an international trade mark by using the WIPO fee calculator to determine the amount due in Swiss francs. Please note the exact figure in Australian dollars will depend on the conversion rate used on the day your application is submitted.
If you're thinking about expanding your business and entering the US market, it's important to understand how to protect your brand while you're there.
The US is a huge opportunity for businesses and having the legal right to protect your brand can be your most valuable marketing tool. One aspect of protecting a brand is through trade mark registration. Your trade mark is the way you show your customers who you are. The more successful your business, the more valuable your trade mark becomes.
Find out more about trade mark protection in the US.


Ginger creme fraiche, tobiko, sweet potato crisps.
Pork belly, tonkatsu sauce, pickled cucumber, scallion.
Wagyu beef & pork, house-made chicharrones, roasted chili oil, black vinegar, sichuan peppercorn, fresh herbs.
Lump crab guacamole, green apple daikon slaw.
Spicy tuna salad, crispy rice cakes, soy reduction, sriracha, jalapeño.
Green apple, daikon sprouts, scallion, ginger vinaigrette.
Japanese fried chicken, fresh lemon, green tea salt.
Crispy fried calamari, okra, tonkatsu sauce, lemon aioli.
Raw baby octopus marinated in wasabi stem.
Chilled & salted or sauteed in garlic & soy.
Arare, golden raisins, sesame dressing.
Chicken broth, tori karaage, ajitsuke tamago, kale, scallion, ginger-scallion oil.
Creamy pork broth, pork belly, ajitsuke tamago, crispy shiitakes, menma, scallions, black garlic oil.
Roasted vegetable broth, marinated tofu, kale, crispy shiitakes, scallion, sun-dried tomato oil.
Togarashi preserved lemon, cilantro, red onion, olive oil.
Cilantro scallion salad, spicy mustard ponzu.
White soy, dried miso, green apple, ginger-scallion oil.
Tuna, steelhead, snow crab, avocado, cream cheese, ginger vinaigrette, cucumber wrap.
Crisp steelhead skin, gobo, cucumber, avocado, topped with anago, tobiko, sweet soy reduction.
Bacon-wrapped scallop, scallion, red chili aioli, topped with smoked salmon & avocado.
Tofu, hummus, cucumber, toasted quinoa, crispy kale.
Soft shell crab tempura, gobo, avocado, tobiko, daikon.
Steelhead, asparagus, avocado, tobiko, lemon aioli.
Wagyu tataki, lump crab, scallion, asparagus, tempura fried, topped with lemon aioli & sweet soy reduction.
Tuna, snow crab, cream cheese, scallion, tobiko, asparagus, tempura fried, red chili aioli.
Local catch tempura, red bell pepper, daikon sprouts, lemon aioli, garlic panko.
Shrimp tempura, cucumber, red chili aioli, topped with wagyu tataki, avocado, sweet potato hay.
Shrimp, avocado, cucumber, topped with blackened tuna tataki & spicy snow crab salad.
Tofu, scallion, wakame, nameko mushroom.


Note: pcms servers my own needs, so I just implement what is necessary for my projects. If something is missing, that means I just had no use for that feature.
simple, fast, node-based page delivery system.
No database needed, file-based only.


As officially announced during the GNOME Foundation AGM and in foundation-announce by Glynn, I'll replace Dave in the GNOME Foundation Board.
It's a big honnor to replace Dave. I hope I can do at least half of what he did for the Foundation. Dave, I wish you the best in your future steps!
Thanks for the board members for trusting me this position and everyone for the kind words!


Eddie Redmayne and Benedict Cumberbatch have paid tribute to Stephen Hawking, who has died aged 76.
The acclaimed actors have both previously portrayed the legendary physicist: Cumberbatch in 2004 BBC film Hawking – the first time the scientist was ever played on screen – and Redmayne in 2014's Oscar-winning The Theory of Everything.
Many figures from the world of science and showbiz have paid tribute to the renowned professor, including presenter Prof. Brian Cox, astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson and physicist Jim Al-Khalili.


Please support our efforts to present the best in experimental, non-commercial film and video to Los Angeles. Filmforum is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization and all fiscal donations are fully tax deductible. In addition to project support for Alternative Projections, here are some ways we could use your support: Season Sponsorship ($5,000); Screening Sponsorship ($500); Season and Yearly Memberships (Single $60/$150, Double $95/$250); Equipment Donations/In-Kind Contributions; Volunteering (invaluable).


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Q: Prove that the function $\frac{e^x-1-x}{x^2}$ is increasing. Prove that the function $$\frac{e^x-1-x}{x^2}$$ is increasing for all real values of $x$.
It sounds elementary but in fact it is challenging.

A: On $(0,\infty)$, we may use Taylor expansion (just as noted in the comments).
We have:
$$f'(x) = \frac{e^x(x-2) + x +2}{x^3}$$
let's show that the numerator, which we'll call $g(x)$, is $\le 0$ for $x<0$.
$$g'(x) = e^x(x-1) + 1$$
$$g''(x) = xe^x$$
Thus, $g'$ is decreasing on $(-\infty,0)$, and $\lim_{x\to -\infty}g'(x) = 1$ and $g(0) = 0$, so $g'(x) > 0$ on $(-\infty,0)$. Therefore $g$ is increasing on $(-\infty,0)$. But $\lim_{x\to -\infty} g(x) = -\infty$ and $g(0)= 0$, therefore $g(x) < 0$ on $(-\infty,0)$, and therefore $f'(x) > 0$ on $(-\infty,0)$.

A: Taking Mark's advice,
$$\frac{e^x-1-x}{x^2}=\frac12+\frac16x+\frac1{24}x^2+\dots$$
Studying monotonicity when $x>0$ is then trivial.  To tackle when $x<0$, notice that we get an alternating series with simple upper and lower bounds due to the absolute value of each term being monotone:
$$\frac12+\frac16x<\frac12+\frac16x+\frac1{24}x^2+\dots<\frac12$$
Or,
$$\sum_{n=0}^{2k-1}\frac1{(n+2)!}x^n<\sum_{n=0}^\infty\frac1{(n+2)!}x^n<\sum_{n=0}^{2k}\frac1{(n+2)!}x^n$$
From there, observe that for any $k$, these bounds are monotone as well as monotone wrt $k$ for large enough $k$, and so, by the squeeze theorem,  the function in interest is monotone when $x<0$

A: Let
$$ f(x)=\frac{e^x-1-x}{x^2} $$
and then
$$ f'(x)=\frac{e^x(x-2)+x+2}{x^2}. $$
Now we show that $f'(x)>0$ for $x<0$ or $g(x)=e^x(x-2)+x+2>0$ for $x<0$ and hence $f(x)$ is increasing for $x<0$. Note
$$ g'(x)=1+e^x(x-1)=e^x(e^{-x}+x-1)<0\text{ for }x<0$$
and hence $g(x)$ is decreasing. Therefore for $x<0$, one has $g(x)>g(0)=0$.

A: One can prove the following generalization:

For all integers $k \ge 1$ is
$$ e^x - \left(1 + x + \cdots + \frac{x^{k-1}}{(k-1)!}\right) = x^k f_k(x) $$
where the function
$$ f_k(x) = \frac{1}{(k-1)!}\int_0^1 e^{xu} (1-u)^{k-1} \, du $$
is continuous and strictly increasing on $\Bbb R$.

This follows immediately from Taylor's theorem with the integral remainder:
$$
 e^x - \left(1 + x + \cdots + \frac{x^{k-1}}{(k-1)!}\right) = \int_0^x \frac{e^t}{(k-1)!}(x-t)^{k-1} \, dt \\
 = \frac{x^{k}}{(k-1)!} \int_0^1 e^{xu} (1-u)^{k-1} \, du \, ,
$$
where we have substituted $t = xu$ in the last step.

A: Express $f(x)= \frac{e^x-1-x}{x^2}$ as a triple integral
$$f(x)=\int_0^x \int_0^t \int_0^s \frac{ue^u}{t^3}dudsdt>0
$$


This Twister Car is made from high-quality virgin plastic, rugged and durable. Kids will like its vivid, sleek and aerodynamic look, just like a racing car. This Twister car is not only stylish and easy to operate, but also economic. No pedals, no gears and no batteries are required for movement. All it needs is a smooth, flat surface, just twist its steering wheel and off you go.
To stop the Twister Car, just cease rotating the steering wheel and, when the car slows down put your feet on the ground to bring it to a halt. Works best on smooth, flat surfaces, like laminate flooring and outdoors on the pavement.
Note: The front small wheels of Twister cars are designed in such a way that they do not touch the ground.
both last year ..still same..
Good Quality MAgic car, I was a bit apprehensive about the safety, but it is safe. Product is Sturdy.


text:
Meet the 2018 National Olmsted Scholar and Finalists: The Graduates
The Landscape Architecture Foundation's Olmsted Scholars Program is the premier leadership award program for landscape architecture students. The program honors students with exceptional leadership potential who are using ideas, influence, communication, service, and leadership to advance sustainable design and foster human and societal benefits.
Here, we showcase the 2018 graduate winner and finalists, who were announced in April after being selected from a group of 50 graduate students nominated by their faculty. The winner receives $25,000, and each finalist receives $5,000.
They are among the 85 LAF Olmsted Scholars named in 2018 and will be honored on October 18-19 in Philadelphia at a luncheon, LAF's 33rd Annual Benefit, and a celebration of 10 years of the Olmsted Scholars Program.
National Olmsted Scholar Elizabeth Camuti of the University of Virginia
Elizabeth researches resiliency for communities facing relocation, due to climate change climate change and extreme weather, specifically the U.S. Virgin Islands and the city of New Orleans.
National Olmsted Scholar Finalist Rachel Ison of the University of Southern California
Rachel addresses the issues of lead contamination in vulnerable communities of Los Angeles and exploring alternative remediation strategies.
National Olmsted Scholar Finalist Steven Nuñez of the University of Texas, Arlington
Steven discusses urban agriculture as a means for achieving social, environmental, and economic equity.
National Olmsted Scholar Finalist Nicholas Jabs of the University of Pennsylvania
Originally from a small town in Minnesota, Nicholas has since lived in New Jersey, Arkansas, New York City, and Philadelphia. He is interested in the environmental and economic performance of working landscapes in middle American cities. At Penn, he has pursued this topic through independent research and a thesis project that explores how emerging forms of manufacturing can build on the region's legacy of making and be leveraged to create new types of dynamic urban environments. His work also includes participating in the McHarg Center's inaugural piece of research. The national study, "The Next 100 Million Americans," illustrates the effects of a changing climate and population growth on development patterns and natural systems over the next half-century.
LAF Fellowship Spotlight: Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Landscape Architecture
2023 LAF Medal & Founders' Award
LAF Fellowship Spotlight: Realizing the Value in Vacant Land
LAF Fellowship Spotlight: Landscape, Incarceration, and Rehabilitation


Have you hiked the trail yet?
As a glorious summer in Quechee turns toward the home stretch, be sure to give the Ottaquechee Trail a try! At this time of year, you can see the hay baled and ready for pickup at Marshland Farms and all manner of songbirds migrating south with their fledglings.
Next PostTrails Day is June 4,2016!
Trails Day is June 4,2016!
Mary Hampton on Save Dewey's Pond!
Dr. Schwamb on Save Dewey's Pond!


I:CO collaborates with Suitsupply in order to provide their customers a simple, convenient solution to promote product end-of-life responsibility. Customers of the men's fashion brand can return their worn-out clothing and shoes in selected Suitsupply stores across the globe. These textiles are then sorted and brought to their next and ecologically most appropriate use. Items in good condition get a second life, unwearable textiles are recycled.
Okaïdi – Obaïbi, the French childrenswear brand for kids, launches its LOVE BAG campaign together with I:CO, the global solutions provider for the collection, sorting, reuse or recycling of textiles and footwear. Parents and children are encouraged to bring in their used clothing and shoes at all participating Okaïdi – Obaïbi and IDKIDS.COMMUNITY stores in Germany, France, Italy, Belgium, Spain, Poland and Luxemburg.
On May 11, 2017, decision-makers from the global fashion industry come together in Copenhagen for the 5th Copenhagen Fashion Summit. It is the main event of the non-profit, year-round initiative called the Global Fashion Agenda (GFA). The world's leading business forum on sustainable fashion will address the most critical issues that our industry and planet face.
This year's main theme for the Summit is "Commitment to Change". One of the expected outcomes of the 2017 Summit is the signing of a concrete call to action pledge put forward by GFA to create a unified effort in accelerating the fashion industry's transition to a circular system.
GFA will create a toolbox for the signatories in partnership with I:CO, the global solutions provider and innovator for the collection, re-use and recycling of used clothing and shoes. I:CO serves as an exclusive partner and provides case studies and the sharing of data, insights and experiences in order to support fashion brands in implementing the commitment.
Founded at the Copenhagen Fashion Summit in 2017, "Make Fashion Circular" brings together decision-makers from the fashion industry. I:CO is proud to participate in this 3-year initiative. The goal is based on three key principles: clothes that are made to be made again, from safe and renewable materials, and business models that mean they are used for longer.
From May 2017, ETERNA – together with I:CO – not only makes take-back of worn-out clothing possible but also organizes the responsible utilization of the items returned. Since 1863, the long-established German company based in Passau stands for business shirts and blouses. Before starting the campaign, some successful test runs have already been carried out in selected stores. As ETERNA customers have enthusiastically received the campaign, it will be extended to all ETERNA stores in Germany and Austria. Customers who return sorted-out clothing – no matter which brand or in which condition – will receive a bonus for it. For each piece of clothing returned, customers will get a voucher worth 10 euros to be redeemed immediately or later when buying a new ETERNA shirt or ETERNA blouse. For the moment, the campaign is calculated for a period of six months.
Good news for outdoor and globetrotter fans: Following February 2017, they will be able to hand in worn textiles and footwear at all branches of the leading outdoor and travel equipment supplier in Germany. This is how Globetrotter Ausrüstung GmbH is expanding its commitment to sustainability, while at the same time providing the basis for a closed cycle of recyclable material.
With a first branch for expeditions, safaris, survival and trekking, the founders as well as survival experts Klaus Denart and Peter Lechhart hit the ground running in Hamburg as early as 1979. Today Globetrotter is represented by branches in Hamburg, Berlin, Dresden, Frankfurt, Cologne, Munich, Stuttgart and Ulm, as well as by outlet stores in Bonn and Metzingen. From today on, Globetrotter will accept disused clothing and shoes from their clients. Thus, hiking, trekking or winter boots, socks, jackets, ski pants and much more can be brought to their optimal purpose.
The new Garment Collection campaign "Bring It" will debut globally on January 26 at hm.com. The goal of the campaign is to spread awareness on the importance of garment recycling. In order to reach this goal, a brand new film directed by Chrystal Moselle will kick-off the Garment Collecting campaign "Bring It".
Since 2013, H&M has run its worldwide Garment Collecting initiative and has collected over 40,000 tonnes of clothing. Customers can bring any unwanted clothing from any brand and in any condition to all H&M stores year-round. H&M aims to advance the amount of clothing collected every year in order to attain a total collected volume of 25,000 tonnes annually by 2020.


text:
Q: Iterating a huge list causes gc overhead limit exceeded I have a very big file. For each bigram (two-word) for each line of the file I have to check the whole file. What I have done in scala is obviously wrong, but I have no idea how to fix it.
This function returns all lines of the file (around 3 millions!)
def allSentences() : ArrayList[String] = {
      val res: ArrayList[String] = new ArrayList[String]()
      val filename = "/path/test.txt"
      val fstream: FileInputStream = new FileInputStream(filename)
      val br: BufferedReader = new BufferedReader(new InputStreamReader(fstream))
      var strLine: String = null
      while ({strLine = br.readLine();  strLine!= null})
        res.add(strLine)
      br.close()
      return res
   }

And this is how I use it:
val p = sc.textFile("file:///path/test.txt")
val result11 = p
           .flatMap(line => biTuple(line))
           .map(word => (word, 1))
           .reduceByKey(_ + _)

          val result10 = result11
            .flatMap { tuple => allSentences().map(tuple._1 -> _) }
            .map(tuple => (tuple._1, count10(tuple._1,tuple._2)))
            .reduceByKey(_ + _)

I'm almost sure the problem is here in .flatMap { tuple => allSentences().map(tuple._1 -> _) } but is there any other way to do it!?
P.S: biTuple() returns an ArrayList of all bigrams of the line. count10() returns 1 if the first word of bigram exists in line but the second doesn't.
result11 is an RDD of all bugrams and their counts like ("word1 word2", count)
This is the error output:
java.lang.OutOfMemoryError: GC overhead limit exceeded
        at org.apache.spark.serializer.DeserializationStream$$anon$2.getNext(Serializer.scala:201)
        at org.apache.spark.serializer.DeserializationStream$$anon$2.getNext(Serializer.scala:198)
        at org.apache.spark.util.NextIterator.hasNext(NextIterator.scala:73)
        at scala.collection.Iterator$$anon$13.hasNext(Iterator.scala:371)
        at scala.collection.Iterator$$anon$11.hasNext(Iterator.scala:327)
        at org.apache.spark.util.CompletionIterator.hasNext(CompletionIterator.scala:32)
        at org.apache.spark.InterruptibleIterator.hasNext(InterruptibleIterator.scala:39)
        at org.apache.spark.util.collection.ExternalAppendOnlyMap.insertAll(ExternalAppendOnlyMap.scala:152)
        at org.apache.spark.Aggregator.combineCombinersByKey(Aggregator.scala:58)
        at org.apache.spark.shuffle.BlockStoreShuffleReader.read(BlockStoreShuffleReader.scala:83)
        at org.apache.spark.rdd.ShuffledRDD.compute(ShuffledRDD.scala:98)
        at org.apache.spark.rdd.RDD.computeOrReadCheckpoint(RDD.scala:306)
        at org.apache.spark.rdd.RDD.iterator(RDD.scala:270)
        at org.apache.spark.rdd.MapPartitionsRDD.compute(MapPartitionsRDD.scala:38)
        at org.apache.spark.rdd.RDD.computeOrReadCheckpoint(RDD.scala:306)
        at org.apache.spark.rdd.RDD.iterator(RDD.scala:270)
        at org.apache.spark.rdd.MapPartitionsRDD.compute(MapPartitionsRDD.scala:38)
        at org.apache.spark.rdd.RDD.computeOrReadCheckpoint(RDD.scala:306)
        at org.apache.spark.rdd.RDD.iterator(RDD.scala:270)
        at org.apache.spark.scheduler.ShuffleMapTask.runTask(ShuffleMapTask.scala:73)
        at org.apache.spark.scheduler.ShuffleMapTask.runTask(ShuffleMapTask.scala:41)
        at org.apache.spark.scheduler.Task.run(Task.scala:89)
        at org.apache.spark.executor.Executor$TaskRunner.run(Executor.scala:214)
        at java.util.concurrent.ThreadPoolExecutor.runWorker(ThreadPoolExecutor.java:1145)
        at java.util.concurrent.ThreadPoolExecutor$Worker.run(ThreadPoolExecutor.java:615)
        at java.lang.Thread.run(Thread.java:745)

Note that I have SPARK_WORKER_MEMORY=90G and SPARK_DRIVER_MEMORY=90G.

A: It looks like what you are trying to do is a cartesian product of result11 with p (your original list of sentences), but you're doing it by opening and reading the entire file into memory for every entry in result11.  That's bound to stress the garbage collector, although I can't say for sure that's the cause of the GC problem.  Spark has a cartesian method on RDDs, and if my interpretation of what you're trying to do is correct, it will probably work better.  (It will do a lot of data copying over the network, however.)
You also might investigate whether the count10 logic should be used in a filter operation, reducing the number of entries that need to be handled by the final reduceByKey.


text:
Home » Ag industry urging for USTR confirmation
Ag industry urging for USTR confirmation
Robert Lighthizer, Trump's nominee for USTR.
WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S — In light of U.S. President Donald Trump's comments on the possibility of renegotiating or withdrawing from the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), agriculture trade associations and companies are urging for a confirmed U.S. trade representative.
The groups took the action following a 26-0 vote on April 25 by the Senate Finance Committee to recommend Robert Lighthizer's, Trump's nominee for USTR, confirmation to the full Senate. Lighthizer is expected to work in developing and implementing policies that lower the U.S. trade deficit, expand economic growth, and strengthen the nation's manufacturing base.
In a letter to the U.S. Senate, 137 food and agriculture trade associations and companies cited the central role that the USTR plays under U.S. law in developing and coordinating U.S. international trade policy and leading trade negotiations with other countries. They noted that action on Lighthizer's confirmation is "particularly urgent" given the administration's plans to notify Congress soon of its intent to renegotiate NAFTA.
The letter, organized as part of the ongoing work of the U.S. Food and Agriculture Dialogue for Trade, emphasized that delays in scheduling a vote on Lighthizer's confirmation risk "imperiling U.S. national interests" by creating a vacuum during which "foreign competitors are ramping up efforts to supplant U.S. leadership and take away U.S. market share while nervous U.S. foreign customers seek out non-U.S. suppliers to meet their import requirements to ensure basic food security for their people."
Confirmation of the USTR is an "essential step" in enabling the U.S. government to put its teams in place to engage in trade negotiations on NAFTA and with Asia-Pacific nations "to further enhance U.S. economic growth and job creation," the groups wrote.
"To enable the United States to reengage on trade to benefit all Americans, including U.S. food and agriculture producers, manufacturers and agribusinesses, it is of utmost importance to confirm (Lighthizer) as USTR immediately," the organizations state in the letter.
Once confirmed, the groups reiterated their desire to work with Lighthizer and other administration officials and Congress to "develop and implement a coherent and effective U.S. trade policy that continues to promote America's food and agriculture producers and exporters."
NGFA, AFBF urge for senate confirmation of U.S. ag secretary nominee
Doud confirmed as chief agricultural negotiator for USTR
USDA, USTR pursuing applicants for ag committees


Offering ultra-convenient airport and freeway convenience free Wi-Fi and complimentary breakfast the newly remodeled Quality Inn & Suites in north Houston is packed with improvements for our guests headed to Space City. Bravo to whoever decorated this place assuming chic and contemporary style is what guests like. Even the lobby lounge is a cool place to kick back by the slate fireplace surf with free Wi-Fi and unwind. With 81 smoking and non-smoking rooms this two-floor interior-corridor hotel (completely remodeled in 2010) offers free Wi-Fi ultra high-end bedding flat-panel TVs microwaves and refrigerators. Select rooms stretch the comforts even further with private balconies sofa sleepers and jetted tubs. More quality is served up at the complimentary daily hot breakfast buffet with fresh waffles. Guests can feel free to relax by the outdoor pool and hot tub or wrap up their work and their workout at the 24-hour business center and exercise room. Parking is complimentary. Quality Inn & Suites' handy location right off I-45 and five miles from George Bush Intercontinental Airport most definitely adds to the quality of guests' stay. The thriving Greenspoint business district including Greenspoint Mall is less than a 10-minute drive. Whether the thought of a day of water slides or thoroughbred racing turns them on guests can race to SplashTown water park or Sam Houston Race Park in 10 minutesÂ' time. Especially close to the airport the overhauled Quality Inn & Suites with free Wi-Fi and complimentary breakfast is a prime destination for our guests seeking value convenience and modern style.


text:
The Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny
Kurt Weill and Bertolt Brecht
Met Opera on Demand
Metropolitan Opera House, New York
From 12 December 2020
Go to stream...
The Cast of The Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny Credit: Metropolitan Opera
Money, money makes the world go round, go round. The biggest crime is to have no money. Kurt Weill and Bertolt Brecht wrote their satire on the self-destructiveness of capitalism in 1929. It was initially intended for the cabaret stage. It premièred as an opera in Leipzig in 1930, became a succès de scandale and has remained an opera ever since.
The Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny is a moral and a political statement as potent as George Grosz's cartoons. The 21 short and sharp scenes are a portrait of life in Germany in the terrible post-World War I period when inflation is high, life is hard and the nation is disenchanted.
Weill was never keen for the opera to be revived, feeling it was fixed in its time. I am surprised how well it stands up in this performance at The Met, New York in 1979.
John Dexter's excellent production, designed by Jocelyn Herbert and conducted by James Levine, brilliantly captures the 1920s period and gives the staging the full Brechtian expressionistic treatment, captions and all.
The score has the unmistakable Weill sound, a melodious mixture of jazz, ragtime, cabaret and music hall with tableaux to Gluttony, Lechery, Boxing and Corrupt Criminal Courts.
Mahagonny is a gold town, a town of pleasure, built by a whore and two gangsters in the middle of the Nevada desert as a net to catch people who want to escape the evil of the city. Despite the cheap whiskey and the cheap sex, the town becomes such a dull, godless, chaotic cesspool that even hurricanes and typhoons make detours to avoid it.
Nothing is more stupid than to end up in Mahagonny; but this is what happens to Jimmy Mahoney, a lumberjack from Alaska, who runs out of money. Being broke is far worse than committing murder. He stands trial, sheer farce, and, since he has no cash to bribe the court, he is executed by electric chair.
The cast is first-rate. Richard Cassilly is Jimmy. Teresa Stratas is Jenny, the prostitute who befriends him and sings "A Man is Not a Beast". Astrid Varnay is the formidable brothelkeeper who builds and runs Mahagonny.
There are a number of ways of tapping into this opera and others at will. The Met Opera on Demand service offers annual ($149.99) and monthly ($14.99) subscriptions as well as a one-off payment ($3.99) for those who have limited time or only want to watch the occasional opera.
Reviewer: Robert Tanitch


Web & FTP Statistics - what type of info do they hold, how it can be useful and tips on how to easy access them.
Site visitor stats are an important part of any hosting service. The number of people which have been to your site can supply you with additional information about how it is performing and will tell you if you have to work on improving it. The web stats for an Internet site include the day-to-day and the monthly visits (unique and reloads), the most visited pages and the referrer Internet sites, so if you notice that certain pages are getting a smaller amount website traffic than others, you could consider making them more alluring to the visitors to use the entire potential of your website. When you are advertising on the web, you'll also be able to see if the money was well-invested or not, because the Internet stats usually provide info about third-party Internet sites and search engines like Google that refer visitors to your site. Having detailed and reliable statistics shall help you enhance your Internet site and plan your advertising and marketing strategies more effective, as a way to get more potential clients.
The web stats that we shall provide you with are quite detailed and will offer you all the info that you may require with regards to the traffic to your websites. Through the Hepsia CP, provided with our cloud hosting accounts, you can access 2 different programs - AWStats and Webalizer, so as to get a better understanding of how the Internet sites are doing. The stats are hourly, day-to-day and monthly and provide quite a lot of information - what amount of traffic is generated by real people and what amount by bots or search engines, where the site visitors have come from and if they are new, the most downloaded data, the visitors' IP addresses, and so forth. This info is displayed in graphs and tables and you could save it if you need to make a report about the performance of any site, for example. An in-house developed software tool will also show you the website visitors and their international locations in real time.
If you start a semi-dedicated server account with us, you shall get 2 apps that will allow you to monitor thorough reports of the entire incoming website traffic. Webalizer and AWStats may be accessed with a couple of clicks via the Hepsia hosting CP and they'll offer you information not only about the amount of visitors on a per hour, daily and per month basis, but also about the search engines they came from, the keywords they were searching for, the most popular landing and exit pages, the duration of the visits and much, much more. The data, which will be presented with the help of convenient downloadable charts and tables, will help you determine which parts of your Internet sites don't perform adequately. You can then improve their content or adjust your advertising and marketing strategies to get more traffic to them, which in turn will bring more visitors and potential clients.


Mount Athabasca is one of the most popular objectives in the Canadian Rockies. Its quick access via the Columbia Icefield Parkway lends to its popularity no doubt. It is sandwiched between the Athabasca and Saskatchewan Glaciers on the border of Banff and Jasper National Parks. These are two of the four adjoining national parks that make up the central Canadian Rockies. Athabasca is the Cree Indian name for "where there are reeds" and originally was referring to Lake Athabasca. It was named and first ascended by Norman Collie and Hermann Woolley in 1898.
Mount Athabasca, in its entirety, is above tree line. The main ascent for Mount Athabasca's five routes is the Little A Glacier to the north (aka North Glacier). You can follow this glacier all the way to the summit (Alpine II) or climb an ice bulge closer to the summit known as the Silverhorn route (Alpine II) or head to the base of the north face which contains three Alpine III routes, Regular, Hourglass and North Ridge.
The Columbia Icefield is the largest in the Canadian Rockies and Mount Athabasca is only one of ten high Canadian peaks that encircle it (Stutfield Peak, North Twin Peak, South Twin Peak, Mount King Edward, Mount Columbia, Mount Bryce, Mount Andromeda, Snow Dome and Mount Kitchener). It covers over three hundred square kilometers and its depth varies from 100 to 365 meters.
Getting There- The Trans-Canada Highway dissects Banff National Park east to west as you come in from Calgary. Continue past the Banff and Sunshine Ski Resort exits to Lake Louise. Exit onto the Icefields Parkway. Drive 130 kms+/- northwest to the Columbia Icefield Center. Turn left onto the shuttle road and continue to a small parking area and trail head on your left.
There is a park kiosk as you enter the Icefields Parkway which serves as a forced stop to check park driving permits which you should already have. The Icefields Parkway is probably the most "wildlife viewed" road in all of North America. I have witnessed moose and bear crossing the road in this area. I advise following the speed limit for that reason. We encountered a black bear crossing the parkway at Mosquito Creek in 2005.
Red Tape- You will be required to purchase a national park pass as you enter the parks via Banff, Jasper or Rocky Mountain House. This pass is good for all four national parks. If you plan many visits to Canadian National Parks within one year, you should purchase an annual pass. There are no permit requirements to climb in the National Parks, but all camping is regulated. There is also a backcountry permit required if you plan on spending a night in the backcountry versus the town campsites. This can be obtained via the parks website which is included in the camping section below. Park headquarters are located in Banff and Jasper and you will drive through the manned kiosks as you enter the parks from any direction.
When To Climb- As with most climbs in the Canadian Rockies, the driest time is from June through September. I climbed Mount Athabasca in August and it was in relatively dry condition. Most of the existing crevases at lower elevations were in plain view. There are no published backcountry ski routes up Mount Athabasca.
Camping- The closest camping is located back east a kilometer at the Columbia Icefield Campground located on the north side off of the Columbia Icefields Parkway. You can go on line at Jasper National Park to pick your camp site and obtain your camping permit. You will also be required to obtain your backcountry permit, if you are going to use a backcountry site, which is separate, but can be obtained simultaneously.
Mountain Conditions- The National Park website has weather, wildlife reports, trail closures, etc. Outside of the parks web site, Canadian Avalanche Association is also useful, particularly for winter travel. Canadian Alpine Accident Reports is also extremely relevant.
There are 21 accident reports relating specifically to climbing Mount Athabasca, therefore, caution is advised.
Silverhorn route description and photos can be found at the dowclimbing.com link or my attached summit log.
There are 49 trip reports for Mount Athabasca.
Went up the Silverhorn route. Pretty icy that day and socked in/windy. Great route, though, and a wonderful peak. If you like snow routes with sustained moderate slopes (40 deg), this is a good one.
Mostly snow-covered from the glacier onwards to the summit. Mix of weather conditions. Warm and sunny as well as windy and blustery near the top. Reached the summit in 8 hours.
Summited Mt Athabasca with Yan via Silverhorn route. Weather was awesome. We had lots of fresh snow - partly knee-deep. We started at 5am and reached the summit at 10.
AA col with Danny Gallagher from calgary. First of many for myself. Great views once you hit the ridge.
Very few crevasses. Those present were obvious and easily navigated. Mixed sun and cloud and a great day overall for climbing. Summited via the Silverhorn route.
Incredible climb. No crevasse or schrund issues, whiteout conditions on Silverhorn...summitted at 0830. Scott, Julie, Peter and Chris--thank you!! You are all so awesome!!
Successful in reaching summit via Normal Route, 7 1/2 hour round trip. Good snow conditions, no crevasse hassles.
North Glacier route. Snow on upper glacier still very solid, and route was in good shape. Had some seracs fall while descending though. Smokey.
Climbed the Silver Horn Direct to the summit along with Zac Robinson and Shane Jensen. Decsended the AA Col. Both routes were very icy. Spectacular summit views from the top.
Silverhorn route, 5 am start. Perfectly clear day, not as dry as previous year. Fantastic view of Mt Bryce to the west. Capped off by a cold Pilsner (or two) back at camp.
Via A-A Col (walls to left). 5:30 start. 6.5h up, 3.5 down (including hanging around).
Normal route with "shortcut" on Silverhorn. Soft snow in the afternoon. Snow bridges are solid over crevasses. Darcy keating and Yan Godbout.
Up North Face with Dave Shulman, perfect conditions, gorgeous view.
Whiteout conditions at the top meant my stay at the top was short. Took the A1 route, 6 hour ascent time.
Everyone should see the Columbia Icefields from one of its major peaks on a day this beautiful. Conditions were ideal, hardly a cloud in the sky and hard, cold conditions on the snow.
Yamnuska Snow and Ice Weekend. Excellent intro into mountaineering. Great guides. Perfect weather.
We took Silverhorn route. A very hot day caused our descending not a very plasent one.
Ascent via Silverhorn About two feet of new snow. Another party was caught in a small avalanche on the descent.