text:
import os
import sys

if sys.version_info[0] < 3:
    import httplib # pragma: no cover
    from urllib import urlencode # pragma: no cover
    from urllib2 import urlopen # pragma: no cover

else:
    from http import client as httplib # pragma: no cover
    from urllib.parse import urlencode # pragma: no cover
    from urllib.request import urlopen # pragma: no cover

import socket
from httplib2 import Http, ServerNotFoundError

from . import exc, interface, meta, serialization, response

def validate(obj):
    """Validates a handler implementation against the IRequest interface."""
    members = [
        'add_param',
        'add_url_param',
        'add_header',
        'make_request',
        'handle_response',
        ]
    metas = [
        'response_handler',
        'serialization_handler',
        'serialize',
        'deserialize',
        ]
    interface.validate(IRequest, obj, members, metas)

class IRequest(interface.Interface):
    """
    This class defines the Request Handler Interface.  Classes that
    implement this handler must provide the methods and attributes defined
    below.

    All implementations must provide sane 'default' functionality when
    instantiated with no arguments.  Meaning, it can and should accept
    optional parameters that alter how it functions, but can not require
    any parameters.

    Implementations do *not* subclass from interfaces.

    """

    def add_param(key, value):
        """
        Add extra parameters to pass along with  *every* request.
        These are passed with the request 'payload' (serialized if a
        serialization handler is enabled).  With GET requests they are
        appended to the URL.

        Required Arguments:

            key
                The key of the parameter to add.

            value
                The value of the parameter to add.

        """

    def add_url_param(key, value):
        """
        Similar to 'add_params', however this function adds extra parameters
        to the url for *every* request.
        These are *not* passed with the request 'payload' (serialized if a
        serialization handler is enabled) except for GET requests.

        Required Arguments:

            key
                The key of the parameter to add.

            value
                The value of the parameter to add.

        """

    def add_header(key, value):
        """
        Add extra headers to pass along with *every* request.

        Required Arguments:

            key
                The key of the header to add.

            value
                The value of the header to add.

        """

    def make_request(method, path, params=None, headers=None):
        """
        Make a request with the upstream API.

        Required Arguments:

            method
                The HTTP method to request as.  I.e. ['GET', 'POST', 'PUT',
                'DELETE', '...'].

            path
                The of the request url *after* the baseurl.

        Optional Arguments:

            params
                Dictionary of parameters to pass with the request.  These will be serialized
                if configured to serialize.

            headers
                Dictionary of headers to pass to the request.

        """

    def handle_response(response_object):
        """
        Called after the request is made.  This is a convenient place for
        developers to handle what happens during every request per their
        application needs.

        Required Arguments:

            response_object
                The response object created by the request.

        """

class RequestHandler(meta.MetaMixin):
    """
    Generic class that handles HTTP requests.  Uses the Json Serialization
    handler by default, but only 'deserializes' response content.

    Optional Arguments / Meta:

        debug
            Boolean.  Toggle debug console output.  Default: False.

        ignore_ssl_validation
            Boolean.  Whether or not to ignore ssl validation errors.
            Default: False

        response_handler
            An un-instantiated Response Handler class used to return
            responses to the caller.  Default: drest.response.ResponseHandler.

        serialization_handler
            An un-instantiated Serialization Handler class used to
            serialize/deserialize data.
            Default: drest.serialization.JsonSerializationHandler.

        serialize
            Boolean.  Whether or not to serialize data before sending
            requests.  Default: False.

        deserialize
            Boolean.  Whether or not to deserialize data before returning
            the Response object.  Default: True.

        trailing_slash
            Boolean.  Whether or not to append a trailing slash to the
            request url.  Default: True.

        timeout
            The amount of seconds where a request should timeout.
            Default: None

    """
    class Meta:
        debug = False
        ignore_ssl_validation = False
        response_handler = response.ResponseHandler
        serialization_handler = serialization.JsonSerializationHandler
        serialize = False
        deserialize = True
        trailing_slash = True
        allow_get_body = False
        timeout = None

    def __init__(self, **kw):
        super(RequestHandler, self).__init__(**kw)
        self._extra_params = {}
        self._extra_url_params = {}
        self._extra_headers = {}
        self._auth_credentials = ()
        self._http = None

        if 'DREST_DEBUG' in os.environ and \
           os.environ['DREST_DEBUG'] in [1, '1']:
            self._meta.debug = True

        response.validate(self._meta.response_handler)
        if self._meta.serialization_handler:
            serialization.validate(self._meta.serialization_handler)
            self._serialization = self._meta.serialization_handler(**kw)
            headers = self._serialization.get_headers()
            for key in headers:
                self.add_header(key, headers[key])
        else:
            self._meta.serialize = False
            self._meta.deserialize = False

    def _serialize(self, data):
        if self._meta.serialize:
            return self._serialization.serialize(data)
        else:
            return data

    def _deserialize(self, data):
        if self._meta.deserialize:
            return self._serialization.deserialize(data)
        else:
            return data

    def set_auth_credentials(self, user, password):
        """
        Set the authentication user and password that will be used for
        HTTP Basic and Digest Authentication.

        Required Arguments:

            user
                The authentication username.

            password
                That user's password.

        """
        self._auth_credentials = (user, password)
        self._clear_http()

    def add_param(self, key, value):
        """
        Adds a key/value to self._extra_params, which is sent with every
        request.

        Required Arguments:

            key
                The key of the parameter.

            value
                The value of 'key'.

        """
        self._extra_params[key] = value

    def add_url_param(self, key, value):
        """
        Adds a key/value to self._extra_url_params, which is sent with every
        request (in the URL).

        Required Arguments:

            key
                The key of the parameter.

            value
                The value of 'key'.

        """
        self._extra_url_params[key] = value

    def add_header(self, key, value):
        """
        Adds a key/value to self._extra_headers, which is sent with every
        request.

        Required Arguments:

            key
                The key of the parameter.

            value
                The value of 'key'.

        """
        self._extra_headers[key] = value

    def _get_http(self):
        """
        Returns either the existing (cached) httplib2.Http() object, or
        a new instance of one.

        """
        if self._http == None:
            if self._meta.ignore_ssl_validation:
                self._http = Http(disable_ssl_certificate_validation=True,
                                  timeout=self._meta.timeout)
            else:
                self._http = Http(timeout=self._meta.timeout)

            if self._auth_credentials:
                self._http.add_credentials(self._auth_credentials[0],
                                           self._auth_credentials[1])
        return self._http

    def _clear_http(self):
        self._http = None

    def _make_request(self, url, method, payload=None, headers=None):
        """
        A wrapper around httplib2.Http.request.

        Required Arguments:

            url
                The url of the request.

            method
                The method of the request. I.e. 'GET', 'PUT', 'POST', 'DELETE'.

        Optional Arguments:

            payload
                The urlencoded parameters.

            headers
                Additional headers of the request.

        """
        if payload is None:
            if self._meta.serialize:
                payload = self._serialize({})
            else:
                payload = urlencode({})
        if headers is None:
            headers = {}

        try:
            http = self._get_http()
            return http.request(url, method, payload, headers=headers)

        except socket.error as e:
            # Try again just in case there was an issue with the cached _http
            try:
                self._clear_http()
                return self._get_http().request(url, method, payload,
                                                headers=headers)
            except socket.error as e:
                raise exc.dRestAPIError(e)

        except ServerNotFoundError as e:
            raise exc.dRestAPIError(e.args[0])

    def _get_complete_url(self, method, url, params):
        url = "%s%s" % (url.strip('/'), '/' if self._meta.trailing_slash else '')

        if method == 'GET':
            url_params = dict(self._extra_url_params, **params)
        else:
            url_params = self._extra_url_params

        if url_params:
            url = "%s?%s" % (url, urlencode(url_params))

        return url

    def make_request(self, method, url, params=None, headers=None):
        """
        Make a call to a resource based on path, and parameters.

        Required Arguments:

            method
                One of HEAD, GET, POST, PUT, PATCH, DELETE, etc.

            url
                The full url of the request (without any parameters).  Any
                params (with GET method) and self.extra_url_params will be
                added to this url.

        Optional Arguments:

            params
                Dictionary of additional (one-time) keyword arguments for the
                request.

            headers
                Dictionary of additional (one-time) headers of the request.

        """
        if params is None:
            params = {}
        if headers is None:
            headers = {}
        params = dict(self._extra_params, **params)
        headers = dict(self._extra_headers, **headers)
        url = self._get_complete_url(method, url, params)

        if self._meta.serialize:
            payload = self._serialize(params)
        else:
            payload = urlencode(params)

        if self._meta.debug:
            print('DREST_DEBUG: method=%s url=%s params=%s headers=%s' % \
                   (method, url, payload, headers))

        if method is 'GET' and not self._meta.allow_get_body:
            payload = ''
            if self._meta.debug:
                print("DREST_DEBUG: supressing body for GET request")

        res_headers, data = self._make_request(url, method, payload,
                                               headers=headers)
        unserialized_data = data
        serialized_data = None
        if self._meta.deserialize:
            serialized_data = data
            data = self._deserialize(data)

        return_response = response.ResponseHandler(
            int(res_headers['status']), data, res_headers,
            )

        return self.handle_response(return_response)

    def handle_response(self, response_object):
        """
        A simple wrapper to handle the response.  By default raises
        exc.dRestRequestError if the response code is within 400-499, or 500.
        Must return the original, or modified, response object.

        Required Arguments:

            response_object
                The response object created by the request.

        """
        response = response_object
        if (400 <= response.status <=499) or (response.status == 500):
            msg = "Received HTTP Code %s - %s" % (
                   response.status,
                   httplib.responses[int(response.status)])
            raise exc.dRestRequestError(msg, response=response)
        return response

class TastyPieRequestHandler(RequestHandler):
    """
    This class implements the IRequest interface, specifically tailored for
    interfacing with `TastyPie <http://django-tastypie.readthedocs.org/en/latest>`_.

    See :mod:`drest.request.RequestHandler` for Meta options and usage.

    """
    class Meta:
        serialize = True
        deserialize = True
        serialization_handler  = serialization.JsonSerializationHandler

    def __init__(self, **kw):
        super(TastyPieRequestHandler, self).__init__(**kw)

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
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El GDG DevFest Mallorca empieza aquí!
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El 12 de diciembre todos los desarrolladores de Sa Roqueta tenéis una cita en el Parc Bit.
Y para los más aventureros, el sábado 13 os espera una hackaton de Google Cardboard... continue reading

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text:
Categories: movie releases, movie review, movies and Uncategorized
Tags: american animals, art, bart layton, books, chas andrews, Evan Peters, heist, transylvania, udo kier, university
Starring Ann Dowd, Evan Peters, Blake Jenner, Barry Keoghan, Jared Abrahamson, and Udo Kier. Directed by Bart Layton
Not your usual heist.
Our story begins with four men dressed to be much older. Waiting. For what we know from the trailers – they're committing an art heist. Why? That's the question the movie answers whether you're satisfied with the explanations or not.
Following the titles we get into the characters: Spencer Reinhard, (Barry Keoghan), a sensitive art student who excels at illustration (painting, drawing). Lost in the mire of classes he's lost purpose in his life to the point of asking himself why he bothers with fraternity hazing. Stepping in to fill that void is Warren Lipka (Evan Peters), a guy whose credo is "fly by the seat of your pants." Both are students at Transylvania University in the fall/winter of 2003. One day while visiting the University's Library he enters their rare book collection and finds books of value which sparks a question: what would it be like to steal the book, sell it for money, and live off the cash? The purported value of said rare books is somewhere over $17 million…
So begins the plot, or rather journey, the characters take to commit an art heist that no one saw coming. Warren brings in other friends: the smart loner Erik Borsuk (Abrahamson) and Alpha-personality Chas Allen (Blake Jenner). Erik is there to help with the planning, Chas because he has money and winds in being their getaway driver (in a minivan, nonetheless). Cautiously and meticulously they observe the times to get into the Library, exit strategies, and etc. while teaching themselves how to commit a heist (including a scene from one of my favorites, "The Killing")
If you know anything of the story you know that they pulled it off, were found out by the FBI, and sentenced to 7 years in Federal Prison. What you don't know is how and why, which is where director Bart Layton steps in. Interspersed with the scenes of the actors going through the steps are "retrospective" shots featuring the REAL Warren, Barry, Erik, and Chas along each major beat of the story offering their perspective explanation as to what was going on (sometimes conflicting). It reminded me a lot of "When Harry Met Sally" or more importantly, "Confessions of a Dangerous Mind" whereby others, including the librarian who was subdued during the heist, offer their recollections and opinions. Structurally you can run parallels to "I, Tonya."
Does it work? It the very least it's an interesting take on how to do a heist film. Instead of a fictionally-plotted occurrence everything that happened DID actually happen in the way portrayed. The reactions from the real participants is REAL as opposed to conjured up for movie's sake. Just like in the movies the heist was based on people make stupid mistakes. And, like so many heist films, they're found out in the end (although there is only speculation as to how they were found as opposed to FBI agents commenting on what happened).
Overall, I enjoyed the film. Then again, I always enjoy a good heist movie. While watching the film I looked at the films they rented just to make notes on how to do a heist and realized I owned most of them (including "Rififi"). This isn't "Inside Man," "Heat," "The Bank Job," or the "Killing" – this, while very much like them, is something different.
Is it worth your time? Sure. At the very least check it out matinee or even wait for it at Redbox. In a pseudo-documentary sort-of way it's a sobering look at boredom and "crossing the line." As one of the characters states you don't know UNTIL you cross that line and, maybe, that's less the moral but more the point of the film. While you're at it check out the director's previous film, "The Impostor." It's true and somewhat unsettling.
Categories: film, movie releases, movie review, movies and Uncategorized
Tags: avengers, benedict cumberbatch, chris hemsworth, infinity, josh brolin, robert downey jr., scarlett johansson, war
I gots no mo' money for Marvel.
Starring Chris Hemsworth, Robert Downey, Jr., Benedict Cumberbatch, Mark Ruffalo, Scarlet Johanson, Chris Pratt, and every-other Marvel character actor save Jeremy Renner and Paul Rudd.
Directed by Anthony and Joe Russo
*WARNING! THE FOLLOWING REVIEW MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS!*
Everybody dies!
Wait. Let me start over.
Comic book heroes and heroines for me growing up were mostly on TV. The only access I had to comic books happened to be my dad's collection which harbored "Flintstones," "Twilight Zone," "Boris Karloff," and others while the TV showcased the supers – "Superman," "Spider-Man," and "The Incredible Hulk." While writing this sentence I just realized the irony of TV shows turned into comic books and comic book heroes turned into TV. But enough about me – my point is that I never really grew up following any Marvel or DC series so please understand that when I grade, or review, these films I come from a middle ground between cinema and understanding the comic book world as much as I can. With that being said let me go into this one:
I can't really say where any of this left off because the Marvel movies go in the order they want to go instead of "The Avengers," "The Avengers: Age of Ultron," and "Avengers: Infinity War." Trying to watch them strictly in that order is tantamount to playing "Another Brick in the Wall Part 1," "Part 2," and "Part 3." Sure, you get the gist but there's that feeling that a lot of crap is missing between the parts; same thing here. I could also go on and ask why "Captain America: Civil War" wasn't renamed for the "Avengers" (it's not a Captain America story!) but at this point it really doesn't matter.
Our story starts off with purple galactic villain Thanos (played/voiced by Josh Brolin) having already obtained one Infinity Stone obtaining the second (a blue one) from Loki (Tom Hiddleston) while Thor (Chris Hemsworth) pleads against this. There's some fighting and Hulk is tag-teamed to kick some Thanos only for things to go badly: Hulk is hurt and magically transported back to Earth to warn of Thanos while Loki is killed and Thor left to die in the vacuum of space. Moving on…
Meanwhile on Earth the Avengers, post-banishment, are scattered to the four winds. The Hulk arrives at Dr. Strange's (Cumberbatch) place and together they go to contact Tony Stark (Downey, Jr.) who then wants to contact Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) but instead winds up in a melee against alien thugs sent by Thanos to retrieve the Infinity Stones left on Earth, one notably held by Dr. Strange because it can shift time. Joining that fight is Spider-Man (Tom Holland) who follows along to help Stark/Iron Man save Dr. Strange but even moreso to keep Thanos from getting that stone.
And on the other end of the galaxy happens to be… the Guardians of the Galaxy. Responding to a distress call they pick-up the free-floating body of Thor who commands them to a special place whereby he can have another hammer made that can defeat Thanos. Good idea in principle. Gamora, Drax, and Peter Quill decide to hunt down Thanos to try and keep him from getting another Infinity stone and which leaves Rocket and Groot to help Thor out.
Am I missing anyone? Oh yeah – Captain America, Black Widow, and Falcon are flying around evading capture by the authorities. Scarlet Witch (Olsen) and Vision (Bettany) are hunkered down in the Scotland. Hawkeye and Ant-Man are on "house arrest." And let's not forget Black Panther presiding over Wakanda.
"Everybody got that?" -Dark Helmet, "Spaceballs"
What follows is a mess of a film. Not even a fun mess like, say, "Smokin' Aces." A character from one set of circumstances will fall into the scene of another and vice-versa. Instead of all of the Avengers coming together its more like, Superhero Clique Number One stumbles upon either Thanos, a representative of Thanos, or one of the other superhero cliques. It's two-and-a-half hours of this, folks. If all you want out of a film is superheroes fighting each other or taking swings at the latest villain, then this is your movie. There's a lot of that to be had. If you're wanting something a bit more… this is only slightly less disappointing than the prior "Age of Ultron."
The biggest issue with this mess is that, overall, it's dumb. It reminds me of the TV version of Stephen King's "It" where Pennywise, the clown in the sewer, was finally shown to be a giant alien praying mantis. I was entirely with the whole shebang up to that point. "What?!? A friggin' praying mantis?!? You gotta be kidding me!" "Infinity War" is very much like that. How come the 20+ superheroes can't get together to take down the -supposedly baddest villain in the universe? Speaking of dumb if these Infinity stones are that important to Thanos then why even bother with Ultron? Here's a creation, oversaw by Thanos, set to destroy the Earth by using a nuclear device to blow-up a city in Earth's stratosphere. It's like it was an afterthought. "Well, I couldn't blow up the Earth… What? They have TWO Infinity Stones? I could use those. Good thing that Ultron didn't blow it up." Dumb. Dumb. Dumb.
"That ending was trash." – Guy sitting a few seats away from me in the theatre.
Honestly there's nothing more that I can tell you about this film. If I spoiled it for ya, sorry. I will say that not EVERYONE dies – I counted at least seven supers that survived but yeah, a lot of people die. If you want to know how, and why, check the movie out. Should you watch it? Sure, but prepare to be disappointed if you're wanting some form of the "hero" arc. With that in mind I paid a little over $5 and I was still mad. Just sayin'
My grade: C-
Categories: #fortyfor40, cinema, movie releases, movie review, movies and Uncategorized
Tags: art, ben johnson, chas andrews, cinema, entertainment, ernest borgnine, film, motion picture, movie, robert ryan, sam peckinpah, the wild bunch, warren oates, william holden
Starring William Holden, Ernest Borgnine, Warren Oates, Ben Johnson, Robert Ryan, and Edmond O'Brien
Directed by Sam Peckinpah
Holden is Pike, an Old West gang leader living in a time coming to a close. After a small-town bank heist is found to be a setup him and his gang (Borgnine, Johnson, Oates among them) make their way to Mexico. On their trail is Deke Thornton (Robert Ryan), a former gang member who worked with Pike before being captured. Now in the employ of the railroad Thornton has 30 days to capture Pike using a ragtag group of come-alongers interested in the money. Pike strikes a deal with a Mexican General named Mapache for a load of 16 guns. Pike must keep his own crew together while getting the guns and not getting caught by Thornton. However, the General has some plot twists of his own…
Why This Made the Top 40:
I remember first buying the DVD from a Wal-Mart rack in Carbondale, IL while being in school there. One of my friends, Jason H., was emphatic. "There are like 300 Mexicans that die in one scene alone! It's the bloodiest movie ever made." I took it back to my dorm room, threw the disc into my computer, and watched it from my computer screen. Loved it. The final showdown scene was everything he said it was.
It's been a few years since I've watched the film and now I have a 4k TV. Plasma aside, Warner Bros. did a great job transferring the film to blu-ray. For the most part it looks amazing. Sure, sometimes the excessive clouds of dust and smoke seem a little flat but overall the deep focus of the film makes it feel vibrant. One could complain about this and the sound being a little flat but it was a product of its time. Maybe one day it'll all be cleared up but until then this transfer is a good enough one.
As for the film itself it turned me onto more of Peckinpah's work. I almost considered "Major Dundee" and "Straw Dogs" but in the end I came back to "The Wild Bunch." I do also recommend "The Getaway." "Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia," not so much.
Tags: #fortyfor40, 2002, chas andrews, cinema, entertainment, film, hero, jet li, maggie cheung, movies, reviews, video, zhang yimou
Starring Jet Li, Tony Leung Chiu-Wai, Maggie Cheung
Directed by Zhang Yimou
Set in the time before the Great Wall of China, Jet Li is the Nameless Man who's not too different than Clint Eastwood's "Man With No Name." China is divided into seven warring factions and Nameless approaches the Emperor Qin claiming his victories over master fighters Broken Sword, Sky, and Flying Snow. Upon speaking with Qin he relays the stories of how he beat all three. What we're then treated to is three stories about how it all went down. The real reason behind the assassinations and Qin's fate unravel as the tales unfold.
I had never watched it before this week. I remember someone saying that I would like it, giving it to me, and I can't remember who. Did I like it? Sure. I think I didn't watch it when it came out due to thee fact that I'm just not a big person on fantasy stories; kinda pick-and-choose. I did go to a theatre and watch, "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon," and wasn't really all that impressed. It looked nice but too much "wire-fu" and the story wasn't all that great. Again, my opinion.
This time around being removed from the early aughts wire-fu movement I can say that I enjoyed the film. It pays homage to a few other films you may know. I mentioned earlier that Li's character reminded me of the old Sergio Leone Clint Eastwood character. Aside from that there are a few references back to Kurasowa's, "Rashomon," in story structure and the fight with Broken Sword. At one point in the film (minor spoiler) a calligraphy teacher's in a building being hit by multitudes of arrows. He commands his students to stay in their places as he is. Sitting cross-legged on the floor arrows fly around him much like the retired Emperor in, "Ran." I'm sure there are several more references in this film.
Again, I'm not a huge fan of Asian cinema but every now and then there's one I like. For it's breathtaking scenery and mis en scene, "Hero," is an incredibly beautiful movie. I actually went looking for it on Blu-ray as I only have the DVD version which is constantly grainy/pixelated. The one advantage to having the DVD version is that the original Mandarin Chinese 5.1 DTS sound mix is incredible while the video is, unfortunately, lackluster. Meanwhile the word is that the Blu-ray looks incredible while unfortunately the DTS 5.1 mix is the English dubbed version. Apparently, it's one or the other…

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Submissions for full papers should be made at the following link: https://precisionconference.com/~hri/. Let the Program Chairs know if you have any questions.
The HRI2016 conference will take place at the Chateau On The Park in Christchurch, right next to the Hagley Park.


An 11 to year-old girl makes a heroic decision to be with Jesus in the Most Blessed Sacrament during the 1948 to 49 Communist revolution in China. Many years later her actions in the desecrated village church will be an inspiration to Bishop Sheen.
After a plane crash takes the life of her beloved grandmother and throws her mother into a deep depression, 16-year-old Katelyn Roberts discovers a single rosary bead that will change her life, faith and family forever.
Thirteen-year-old Gabe Carpenter is just like any other middle-school boy at St. Jude Academy…well, except for the fact that he is a genius who can't even open his own locker or talk to his crush. Themes include: self-acceptance, giftedness, humor.
Gabe—St. Jude's resident genius—is back for his final year of middle school. As an eighth grader, he must fulfill a community service requirement and decide if he will attend a high school for science and math. Themes include: gifts and limitations/service/humor/ high school admissions.
Simply structured sentences paired with whimsical illustrations show children the power of three simple words: I Forgive You. A note "For Grown-Ups" explains that this resource sparks conversation with children about balanced Christian forgiveness, and shows how to apply it in their lives.


text:
September Holidays
National Video Games Day
September Holidays / 3 minutes of reading
Children and adults like video games. Children love games like Talking tom, Temple run, Tom Rider, and adults love these as they relieve stress. Video games are of different types, and each person will have their own preference. Some would play video games to pass the time; video games are the best stress relievers for some. We live in an era where there are infinite video games to give joy to us. In the present-day, it is hard to see a person who doesn't play any video game. Most of us would have downloaded our favorite video game on our gadgets and played them infinite times.
1 History of National Video Games Day
2 History of Video Games
3 What can be done on National Video Games Day?
4 Why should we celebrate the National Video Games Day?
5 When is National Video Games Day?
5.1 Other Days Celebrated in September
History of National Video Games Day
The national video games day is celebrated on September 12th. It is more popular in the United States of America and a few other countries. The history of the creator and the creation of the national video games day are not documented.
The history of video games dates back to date farther than one could imagine. In 1940, Dr. Edward Uhler Condon revealed the first game machine at the New York World's fair. The game was based on an ancient mathematical game called the Nim.
The first game system for commercial home use emerged in the year 1967. Ralph Baer and his team released the brown box, and it could be connected to the Television set.
Since the humble start, video games have undergone a great evolution. Now, we live in an era in which video games on smartphones are the trend.
What can be done on National Video Games Day?
The best way to celebrate the day is to join together with video game lovers and play favorite games. Friends can get together after a long day at work and spend the evening playing video games. None can play video games 24/7 as it is the national video games day because it is not an official holiday. The nights and evenings after work, school, or college can be set aside to enjoy the day. The dinner after having the joy of playing video games will be amazing.
Why should we celebrate the National Video Games Day?
Video games make one think and gives joy. Some video games give a spirit of competition. The multiplayer video games are the source of joy, and it teaches the skill of getting along with the team. Video games should give enormous joy and clear the mind from stress. Some people get addicted to video games, and the routine gets disturbed. The addicted ones can pledge to limit the habit of playing video games on national video games day.
Video games should always be played in limits. It should never be an addiction. Video games should give joy and never lead to stress. Let national video games day be a reminder to play video games within limits for relieving the stress.
When is National Video Games Day?
Other Days Celebrated in September
National Read a Book Day
National Guacamole Day
National Beer Lovers Day
National Pepperoni Pizza Day
National Talk Like A Pirate Day
National Sons Day 2023
National Drink Beer Day
National Daughters Day
National Lobster Day


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The 2nd Cannes International Series Festival is a television festival that took place from 5 to 10 April 2019 in Cannes, France.

The closing ceremony was hosted by French comedian Monsieur Poulpe and aired live on Canal+. Spanish comedy series Perfect Life won the Best Series of the festival.

Juries
The following juries were named for the festival. English actor Stephen Fry was set to jury the competition section but withdrew his participation.

Competition
Baran bo Odar, German director and screenwriter, Jury President
Miriam Leone, Italian actress
Emma Mackey, French-British actress
Katheryn Winnick, Canadian actress
Robin Coudert, French composer

Short Form Competition
Greg Garcia, American director and producer, Jury President
Fanny Sidney, French actress
Josefine Frida Pettersen, Norwegian actress

Official selection

In competition
The following series were selected to compete:

Short Form Competition
The following series were selected to compete:

Out of competition
The following series were screened out of competition:

Awards
The following awards were presented at the festival:
Best Series: Perfect Life by Leticia Dolera
Best Screenplay: Bert Van Dael and Sanne Nuyens for The Twelve
Best Music: Christoph M. Kaiser and Julian Maas for Bauhaus: A New Era
Special Interpretation Prize: Perfect Life by Leticia Dolera
Best Performance: Reshef Levi for Nehama
Best Short Form Series: Over and Out by Christiaan Van Vuuren and Adele Vuko

Special awards
The following honorary awards were presented at the festival:
Variety Icon Award: Diana Rigg
Serieously Award: Lindsey Morgan
Excellence Award: Dominic West

References

2019 in French television

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


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HomeBusinessWhite House: No New Drilling for Now
White House: No New Drilling for Now
April 30, 2010 WSP
The White House Friday said there would be no expansion of offshore oil drilling in new areas until an investigation of an explosion that occurred last week on the BP (CVX) rig Deepwater Horizon and its subsequent massive oil spill in Gulf of Mexico, which is sending thousands of gallons of crude oil toward Louisiana's shores, has been conducted.
Reuters: "No additional drilling has been authorized and none will until we find out what happened here and whether there was something unique and preventable here," White House adviser David Axelrod said on ABC's "Good Morning America" show.
"No domestic drilling in new areas is going to go forward until there is a adequate review of what's happened here and of what is being proposed elsewhere."
In late March, President Obama lifted a decades-old moratorium on oil drilling for many offshore areas, including the Atlantic and Gulf areas. Axelrod told ABC the Obama administration reacted quickly to the disaster, which apparently killed 11 workers. "We had the Coast Guard in almost immediately," he said.
Many select drillers including Dril-Quip, Inc. (DRQ), Energy XXI (Bermuda) Limited (EXXI), ATP Oil & Gas Corp. (ATPG) and W&T Offshore Inc. (WTI), were downgraded this morning on concerns over the oil leak taking place in the Gulf of Mexico. Continued negative publicity around the recent BP offshore oil spill is likely to continue depressing the entire offshore group.
Meanwhile, BP's Chief Executive Tony Hayward told Reuters in an interview that his company takes full responsibility for the spill. "We will clean it up and where people can present legitimate claims for damages we will honour them. We are going to be very, very aggressive in all of that," he said.


Since the 1910s, Paramount has showcased the talents of film's all-time heavyweights, including Tom Hanks and Leonardo DiCaprio. The notable site has been home to everything from famous television shows like "I Love Lucy," "Cheers" and "The Brady Bunch" to box-office hits like "Mission: Impossible" and "Titanic." Today, Paramount Pictures is the only remaining film studio in the Hollywood area.
For an authentic Hollywood experience, set aside some time to tour the grounds. On the two-hour studio tour, a guide will take you around the site's 65 acres in a golf cart, and you'll also be able to hop off and explore sound stages and recognizable studio sets from many current TV shows and movies. Previous visitors praised the friendly and knowledgeable tour guides, although some felt the tours offered at Warner Bros. Studio were better. Also, keep in mind the tours' age restrictions. Studio and VIP tours permit visitors ages 10 and older, while After Dark tours only welcome travelers 12 and older.
A trip to Paramount Pictures Studios would pair well with a visit to the Hollywood Forever Cemetery, as the attraction is located in Hollywood just south of the cemetery. To visit the studio, you must reserve a spot in advance for a guided tour, which start at $58 per person. Evening walking tours and VIP tours with a meal, a souvenir photo and exclusive access to the property's production facilities are also available. Standard tours are offered every half hour from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily; parking costs $15 per vehicle but is free if you have an upgraded tour ticket. For more information, check out the Paramount Pictures Studios website and the Paramount Pictures Studio Tour website.


How do you find out WHO you are? There are many people today that want to know their roots, hence the sale of DNA testing. We as a people need roots. Maybe that is why the Word used trees to explain people at times. We want roots, we want desperately to know where we come from, who we are, what made us, our lineage, our history. We are always searching because, I believe, God put that desire in us to search Him out. What a priceless gift from a Father that dearly loves the whole world (all people).
Yet, knowing who you are is invaluable. Sure we know we are humans, we have a history and a unique DNA that makes us…well us. Yet, there is so much more to our story than that. As a believer in Jesus Christ I truly believe when we receive His free gift we are made into a new creation in Him (2 Cor 5:17). I believe this impacts all parts of us: spirit, soul and body. Remember we have been created in His image (Gen 1:27) and now through the death and resurrection of God's Son, Jesus, we once again have the ability to be whole as we rest (Sabbath) in Him. As we begin to fully understand who we are in Christ the gates of hell will not prevail.
My intention with this blog and my life is to help believers know WHO they really are and to WALK in that core understanding. Not just say it but really, truly believe it– From the INSIDE-OUT. Living with the value of who you are is the key, I believe, to binding and loosing talked about in Matthew. How do we fight…and are we on the defense or the offense???? Are we praying what the Holy Spirit has asked for us to pray or for what we want? What did Paul and the other disciples pray? I think these questions and their answers are a sign as to whether or not our core values line up with what we say we believe. These answers for myself show where I am standing and what I actually believe. Don't think I haven't faltered and need reminding of who I am….yet the longer I walk in the truth as the Holy Spirit nudges me I can much easier repent (change my way of thinking to God's way) and rest in Him. Isn't that really what we want. See God never promised us no evil days….yet He did give us weapons for the warfare so that when the evil days come we would stand–not in our strength or our righteousness or even our great big faith…..but in His.
A long time ago the Lord had told me that we (the Christian church) have lost our roots. I didn't fully understand what He meant back then and I probably still don't fully understand. But I do know He was talking about the Jewish part of our roots. So, I began studying what did Jews believe in the time of Jesus. What did the parables mean to the Jewish people in those times. How would what Jesus said or the words of Paul be taken? I had questions and I began looking for answers and have continued looking. For me the Lord has had to tear down old belief systems I had been taught as a believer; so that He could rebuild them (my understanding) on a firm foundation which begins with the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ– all of what He did on the Cross and in His resurrection. When you build your house on a faulty foundation it crumbles; yet when built on the firm foundation of the Truth you can withstand any storm. What is so interesting to me is once I understood the foundation of exactly WHAT Jesus accomplished in His death and resurrection when I went back to the readings I had done in the past, which I hadn't really understood, now all of a sudden were clear. They made sense!!!! It fit together like a beautiful puzzle. I was amazed…so much so that I began to cry for the beauty of God and His plan.
This is the clarity I want to share with you. This is a simple foundational truth. There have been things that I was taught to believe and things I was taught not to believe; I am now finding out were not built on the foundational truth of the New Covenant. The things I am sharing here are the rebuilding that God is doing starting on the right foundation.
The gates of hell are not weapons attacking the people of God but the contrary.
God's people should be plundering or attacking the strongholds of the enemy.
As believers, we need to understand both what the keys are and what binding and loosing entails. We need to understand our righteousness in and of our own self (our behavior) doesn't make us powerful (that is living in the law); BUT our FAITH in Him, Jesus, causes us to be righteous. This righteousness then gives us the authority in the earth realm (keys to the kingdom of heaven) to prohibit (bind) or allow (loose) on earth. We have keys to the kingdom of heaven ONLY because of what Jesus Christ did on the Cross for us. What we declare on earth has the power of Heaven with it.
The power of God-that is, God doing what he wants.
They prevailed over their enemies in the battle.
to wish that the right side might prevail.
He prevailed upon us to accompany him.


R.S.V.P. makes a complete line of Endurance® measuring cups and spoons, including individual measuring spoons from 1/8 teaspoon to 1 tablespoon. Their stacking measuring cups are our favorites, due to their compact size, high quality stainless steel, and rounded sides that make scraping easy.


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package org.springframework.test.context.env.repeatable;

import org.junit.jupiter.api.Test;

import org.springframework.test.context.TestPropertySource;

/**
 * Integration tests for {@link TestPropertySource @TestPropertySource} as a
 * repeatable annotation.
 *
 * @author Anatoliy Korovin
 * @author Sam Brannen
 * @since 5.2
 */
@TestPropertySource(properties = "key1 = local")
@MetaInlinedTestProperty
class LocalInlinedPropertyAndMetaInlinedPropertyTests extends AbstractRepeatableTestPropertySourceTests {

	@Test
	void test() {
		assertEnvironmentValue("key1", "local");
		assertEnvironmentValue("enigma", "meta");
	}

}


Thank you, 2017 was a great year!
As the year draws to a close, and everyone rushes to put the finishing touches on the last of the projects, we would like to take a moment and share how much we appreciate our customers, staff and partners and what they bring to our world.
The past year has been one of the most active and interesting in recent memory. SEAL has engaged in work with over 300 new and existing projects from our customers. From creating new ways to procure and view 3D data on the SAP and various PLM platforms, to working with digital applications in mobility, through complexities in compliance requirements for EAR, DFARS, FAA, FDA and more, this truly has been a wild ride. Thank you!
For the staff at SEAL Systems domestic and international, we have enjoyed an energetic period of growth and innovation. Solutions addressing the standards of our modern times are reflected in the ingenuity of our teams to bring fast reliable software to the industries we serve. Have you seen our digital production order software? It leaves an impression, something to see! In the realms of government compliance, information management, output system management, and digital applications, SEAL developers and project engineers have cultivated our suite of out of the box technical marvels with an eye on the future. Thank you!
Adding to the mix, we have established stronger ties to our partners. Together we have worked to improve our ability to bring quality applications to the market while driving the accomplishments of customer projects more comprehensively than ever before. We would like to send a special thank you to CENIT, CIDEON, DSC, itineris, LeverX, McKit, Siemens, VIZIYA and all our partner consultants that have the success of clients foremost in their focus. Thank you!


The Volkswagen new chief officer comes from one of the automaker's many subsidiary brands.
Volkswagen named Matthias Müller as the company's new CEO, tasking him with the challenge of steering Europe's biggest car maker through an emissions-cheating scandal.
The head of Porsche has been tapped to save Volkswagen.
Volkswagen's new chief has to move the company beyond the emissions scandal.
QOTD: How Much Do People Really Care About Emissions?
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Vance Thompson Vision is very fortunate to have three fantastic locations in Fargo, ND, Sioux Falls, SD, and Bozeman, MT. Dr. Michael Greenwood, our board-certified ophthalmologist surgeon, leads the Fargo practice with a staff of experienced optometrists and medical personnel. Located just off of 45th Street and 32nd Avenue in southwest Fargo, Vance Thompson Vision is changing lives by creating vision. At Vance Thompson Vision – Fargo, we're passionate about providing a customer experience second to none and offering our patients the world's latest technologies and surgical procedures. If you are coming to our facility as a referral, we are happy to share in your eye care and work directly with optometrists near you, wherever that may be. Visit us for a tour. We would love to show you around and make you feel welcome to our Fargo practice. You will see first hand our private consultation rooms, welcoming reception areas, and state-of-the-art technologies for your vision treatment. We offer LASIK vision correction plus cornea, glaucoma, and cataract surgeries with follow-up appointments to document the state of your progress. You can also attend a free seminar to learn more about vision correction options. Come visit our office, and we will answer questions you may have about our world-class procedures and vision services.
To visit our Fargo site, please click here.
Vance Thompson Vision – Fargo, under the leadership of Dr. Michael Greenwood, has provided premium vision surgeries and eye care to adults since 2016.


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I have a couple of free hours between a meeting in St James's Square and another in South Kensington; London being what it is I can walk almost the entire journey of over two miles through green spaces; despite an icy wind I hear a dunnock singing as I emerge into Green Park. Wood pigeons graze and a pair of magpies, which have every reason to be shy birds in the countryside, allow me to approach and enjoy the wonderful cobalt sheen to their feathers. I hear a mistle thrush singing in the distance and walk over; he too allows me close enough to photograph (below).
I cross into Hyde Park and spot ring-necked parakeets on some feeders; several people are photographing them with mobile phones. I was just in East Anglia where, for all the successful outreach by conservation bodies, midweek birdwatchers are inevitably mostly Anglo-Saxon and retired; here people of all ages and ethnicities stop to take a look, and maybe a selfie, as part of their daily routine. The birds would have looked equally unusual at Minsmere; ring-necked parakeets are natives of Africa and Asia, with a separate subspecies in each. They have long been popular as pets due to their colourful plumage, acrobatic skills and ability to mimic the human voice. The Ancient Greeks kept the Indian subspecies, and the Ancient Romans the African one. The Indian subspecies is declining fast in the wild, but is naturalised in many cities around the world, including London where they first bred in 1969. They are spreading fast around England and Wales.
In countries such as Israel, they are major pests for fruit growers, and there is also concern that they may out-compete native species in competition for food and nest holes. A cousin, the monk parakeet was recently exterminated in London as a public health hazard. However the ring-necks seem to be here to stay, and an easily viewed group such as this in the corner of Hyde Park will surely help to connect otherwise hard to reach groups with wildlife. Some native species have actually benefitted-in the last few years hobbies, agile falcons which normally feed on swallows, swifts and dragonflies, have bred in Hyde Park for the first time, feasting almost exclusively on these conspicuous colonists. Peregrines and tawny owls have also been tucking in, and as I leave the feeders the squarks of the parakeets go up in pitch and they break for cover as a female sparrowhawk flies over.
I move over to the Serpentine, where a similarly wide range of people is feeding a wide range of birds. Feral greylags, Canada geese and hybrids are joined by another colourful newcomer with a history; Egyptian geese, more closely related to shelducks than geese, are natives of sub-Saharan Africa and the Nile valley. Considered sacred by the Ancient Egyptians, they are commonly found in Egyptian art. They were introduced to England in the 17th Century, but their habit of breeding in January meant that until the 1990s they struggled to spread and were mostly restricted to Norfolk. Mild winters in the last 20 years have allowed a population explosion. Here they lap up the abundant bread on offer in a feeding frenzy with mute swans, feral pigeons, starlings, mallards, black-headed gulls (below), moorhens, coots, tufted ducks, even a pair of gadwall. Herons fly to and from their nests on the island; offshore three coots get into in a fight (above), while further out, a pair of great crested grebes, almost extinct in Britain in the 19th century, perform their spectacular display. The grebes stay too far out for i-pad photography, but anyone can capture the rest of this cosmopolitan cast at point-blank range.
Unspoiled?
Medieval Suffolk was wealthy, well populated, commercialised and urbanised. Dunwich was a major international port. A mile or two away, Minsmere (now a flagship RSPB reserve) was a broad tidal estuary with a small port of its own. Boats must have been everywhere. Dunwich gradually declined from the 14th century and eroded into the sea; from the early 17th century a sand spit gradually blocked the mouth of Minsmere estuary, creating a huge tidal lagoon - a haven for smugglers. The spit closed up in 1780, and briefly creating a freshwater marsh, which may have looked like it does now (above). In the 1810s it was drained and the land was reclaimed for grazing. Soon afterwards local landowners, the Ogilvies, planted up the surrounding sandlings (treeless heaths used for rabbit warrens and grazing sheep), for hunting and shooting.
The grazing marshes remained until 1940, when Minsmere beach (above) was identified as an easy landing area for German invaders. Concrete blocks were lined up along the spit to keep out tanks (right), mines were laid, and barbed wire was stretched along the beach. The hamlet by the main sluice gate was evacuated and used by the RAF for target practice; grazing marshes were flooded.
After the war the Ministry of Agriculture started to reclaim the land. As flood levels dropped in 1947, four pairs of avocets (elegant wading birds which had been exterminated in the UK in the mid-19th century by hunting, drainage, and egg collecting) nested. The Ogilvies realized that protecting avocets could help maintain duck shooting enhanced by the floods. Together with the RSPB they lobbied the Ministry of Agriculture, suspended the drainage, and the RSPB started to lease the site in 1947, the Ogilvies retaining shooting rights. However through natural succession the flooded marsh quickly became overgrown with reeds (below), attracting other colonists including bitterns, bearded tits, and marsh harriers, but driving out the avocets.
To counteract this the Minsmere Scrape (below) was created in 1962, a pioneering piece of artificial habitat creation by warden Bert Axell, a great conservationist and character (read this) but not a big fan of visitors ('they're wasting my bloody time'). When I first visited on a family holiday in 1974, my father had to write off to RSPB headquarters for a permit for us to be shown round on a specific day. Health and safety had yet to appear and I fell down a hole in one of the hides and broke a toe. This was a blessing in disguise, as I got a personalized wheelchair ride round the reserve; since then I have followed the reserve's development.
The RSPB bought Minsmere in 1977, building it up to its present 2500 acres. The Scrape was enthusiastically admired and imitated by conservationists as far away as Japan, but many local people regarded Minsmere as somewhere where they were not welcome, and it was feared that increased visitor numbers would effect rare breeding species. Eventually public consultations were held about how to make the reserve attractive to locals. From 2014-16 Springwatch was filmed at Minsmere for three years, causing a massive spike in visitor numbers and public profile. On recent evenings flocks of people, not all regular birdwatchers, have convened to see murmurations of up to 40,000 starlings. Interestingly numbers of rare breeding species have risen incrementally with the number of visitors, which is now around 120,000 per year; I wonder what Bert Axell would have thought.
Minsmere is part of Suffolk Coast and Heaths Area of Natural beauty, marketed as 'unspoiled'; its swaying reeds can conjure up an impression of remote timelessness. In fact it has frequently been 'spoiled' by both man and nature; scratch the surface and you realize that this remarkably bio-diverse landscape is in a constant state of flux. Due to rising sea levels it could to revert to a tidal estuary within this century; in the short run increased water abstraction for cooling at the new Sizewell C nuclear power station next door may alter the delicate balance between fresh and saline water.
Recent colonists: nuclear power station and little egret
Birds in Time
I've been coming to Elshieshields near Lochmaben in South-West Scotland for the past fifteen years. During this time there have been obvious changes to birdlife in its 20 acres of mixed woodland on the banks of the river Ae. 15 years ago nuthatches were just establishing themselves in Scotland; now they are common here, encouraged by global warming and more bird feeding (left), without which cold weather such as this might have killed them in the past. On the debit side, ten years ago the fields around here resounded with the bubbling of curlews in spring; last year I heard only one, briefly. Their breeding habitat has been drained, and the few corners left are easily found and worked over by predators. Lapwings are going the same way.
How about the more distant past? I look up Lochmaben in the Scottish Statistical Accounts; in 1845 the local minister Thomas Marjoribanks lists birds in his parish. Many are still here, sometimes under different names: white owl (our barn owl), water-ouzel (our dipper-'most destructive to the salmon fry'), golden-crested wren (goldcrest), willow or silver-wren (willow warbler and chiffchaff, lumped together as one species), white and yellow (pied and grey) wagtails. Three species Marjoribanks specifically ascribes to Elshieshields, 'missel-thrush', 'long-tailed titmouse' and jay, are still on site. Like me Marjoribanks enjoyed locating local rarities- I too have found quail, but not butcher-bird (red-backed shrike). Finches are lumped together as 'various species of linnet'; life was hard without binoculars.
The landscape was different then; in 1845 stone-chats were 'in great abundance on the Lochmaben Moors', and both black-cock and red grouse bred within a mile of town; goat-suckers (nightjars) were frequently seen. These moorland birds are long gone along with the moors. The parish church used to be thatched with dried heather; now hardly any heather grows in the parish. Marshland birds have also decreased; snipe are still here in winter but no longer 'particularly common'; water-rail was 'abundant about the outlets from the lakes', now they are rare.
To fill the gap between Marjoribanks's time and mine I visit the Gladstones at Capernoch. Robert's grandfather Hugh was a bird obsessive, who kept lists of everything he saw and wrote a number of books, including the encyclopedic Birds of Dumfriesshire (1910). He also collected what is said to be the largest private collection of British bird books (right), kept intact by his grandson. I browse and learn that bitterns were common round Lochmaben in the 18th century; they are mentioned by Robert Burns, but must have become extinct by Marjoribanks' time, as he doesn't mention them. Interestingly a few have been seen recently -perhaps they will recolonize. Our local speciality the willow tit was not identified as a British species until 1897, and a Scottish one until the 1910s; Marjoribanks would have called them marsh tits, a bird now thought never to have occurred in Dumfriesshire. I find a reference to curlews around Lochmaben in the 1790s, saying they were nesting in every field until recent agricultural improvements. Gladstone says that the alarm calls of the 'whaups' alerted persecuted 17th century Covenanters to the approach of troops.
The evocative calls of large flocks of whooper swans (right) and pink-footed geese (below) are a characteristic part of Lochmaben's winter landscape. It is tempting to think this is a shared acoustic experience that has been going on for centuries. I am surprised to learn from Gladstone that in 1845 most wild swans here were Bewick's rather than whoopers, and most wild geese were bean geese rather than pinkfeet. Bewick's swans are now rarely seen in South West Scotland, and bean geese are a rare species in the UK, but these must have been the 'wild swans and goose' Marjoribanks knew, with subtly different calls filling the air.
What birds will be here in 2100?


Stings is one of five special poems Sylvia Plath wrote in October 1962, at a time of great emotional turmoil for the poet and mother of two.
The five poems, known collectively as the Bee Sequence, comprise The Bee Meeting, The Arrival of the Bee Box, Stings, The Swarm and Wintering.
They each stand on their own as poems but read together form a comprehensive exploration of Sylvia Plath's female identity at a time in her life when emotions were supercharged and the future uncertain.
A mix of real life autobiography, metaphor and mythological story, Stings takes the reader into the life of the hive through the eyes of a speaker who is personally involved in the practicalities, yet crucially distant enough to widen the picture as she searches for a sense of self, which comes in the shape of the Queen Bee.
The poet also used extracts from her journal in the poem, typically weaving them into a dream-like partially surreal narrative set in the present.
The speaker explores the ambiguous role of the queen bee and thus the feminine power within the hive. This power is also that of the female artist within society and specifically Plath's vocation as a poet. The two male figures, bee-seller and 3rd person (father and Ted Hughes) heighten the tension of the narrative.
She was looking forward to having some honey of her own eventually. By studying the local bee populations in Devon, Sylvia had consciously connected to the legacy of her father, Otto Plath, who died when Sylvia was only eight years old.
Otto Plath was an entomologist, an authority on bumble bees, and wrote a book about them in 1934, Bumble Bees and Their Ways, which is still regarded as a classic.
As summer turned to autumn in 1962 Sylvia Plath's life began to unravel. She discovered that the love of her life, Ted Hughes, was having an affair with one Assia Wevill, wife of Canadian poet David Wevill, who were renting the London flat owned by Sylvia and Ted.
There's no doubting Sylvia Plath's need to translate life into poetry. At this point in time with her marriage in tatters she decided to move to London with her two children. All the time she was working on her poems, in addition to being a full-time mother.
She poured the emotional mix into some of the most profound poems over the next few months, with Stings in particular focusing on her relationships with men.
Using extended metaphor and a dream-like persona, she explores the world of the hive in an attempt to understand her own feminine identity. In the end she breaks out, becomes a queen, a burning red comet, miraculous in flight.
First published in the London magazine in April 1963, Stings appeared in Sylvia Plath's posthumous book of 1965, Ariel.
Stings is set in the immediate present, the reader being right there next to the first person speaker as the narrative begins. This present tense commentary is perfect for the act of delving into a bee-hive, an environment where you have to know what you're doing or risk upsetting the bees in their home.
This poem, on the surface, is about an exchange of honey for clean combs. There are two people in action, the speaker and a man in white who is smiling but without a name. Later on it becomes clear that he's the bee-seller.
The bare hands of both suggest that this is a delicate operation that leaves them vulnerable (cheese gauntlets notwithstanding) but the smile and the interaction means there is sufficient trust between them.
This is a positive start but note the curious fourth line, where wrists gain throats and become silken flowers. The speaker has noted the bare wrists and likened them to throats, exposed yet brave, smooth like the lily flower skin, flower of death and beauty.
So the speaker is hinting at something beyond sweetness - perhaps sacrifice - which the reader has to digest and hold on to.
The shortest line - He and I - must point to an important relationship in the poet's life, more than likely that of father and daughter. This is Sylvia Plath's father Otto Path represented by the bee-seller, the expert, the authority and such an influence on her psyche in real life.
So the bee-seller is the father, Daddy, this time not someone to fear but someone to do business with, who is good. They're working together on the one hive, with many clean cells between them (worker bees clean out the old cells ready for the new), which implies they've been through a lot.
With enjambment taking the reader directly from the first stanza, the business of sweet exchange begins to take shape, numerically and figuratively. The eight combs may well stand for the eight years Sylvia Plath lived until her father died, when she lost something irretrievable.
The hive metaphorically is home and all things domesticated. In real life Sylvia Plath had painted her hive in the belief that her life (with Ted Hughes, as part of an ideal family) would be a home sweet home, full of good things.
Plath's commitment and passion were without doubt. She had so loved her father - he left early - she was so in love with Ted Hughes - he abandoned and wronged her.
Again, the second stanza flows into the third and this tender, cooperative opening is complete with a repeat of 'Sweetness'.
Here the reader experiences a shift in the mood. The honey exchange is over and the speaker now concentrates on the brood cells, where the grubs and larvae grow, where either workers or drones emerge.
The first signs of foreboding appear. The speaker fears these cells. They're like fossils, old and without life. Could this be a reflection of Sylvia Plath's own mistrust of her self when it comes to reproduction and the giving of birth? Of her own questions of what it is to be a female, part of the collective brood?
That strange question of a 14th line...gone is the honey, gone are the cells...there's only in idea of mahogany gone wrong. Mahogany is a hard wood used for the best furniture. Beehives are made from the cheapest and lightest, often pine wood.
So the suggestion is that the bee-seller is trying to fob her off with rotten furniture. The bee-seller, her father, isn't all he's cracked up to be. The speaker is so suspicious because of her inner fears, she evens questions the presence of a queen.
The speaker is uncertain but tentatively identifies with a queen who is old, beyond repair...Rubbed of its plush...plush is anything that is soft and fluffy....and certainly has fallen from grace.
There's no doubt that this image of the fallen queen is a disturbing reminder of Sylvia Plath's inner feelings in connection with her femininity and femaleness. Could it be that her excessive love for her children (she was known to be a highly doting mother) was offset by her darker insecurities and Electra complex?
Once more the last line of a stanza is enjambed. The speaker stands with other unmiraculous women who are dull (drudges), almost slaves to the hive production.
Here the language is a bizarre mix of domestic and imagined life. The speaker relates to all those women who have sacrificed their lives for the good of the family, working hard to make life sweet.
Although the speaker is aware of her presence within this realm of the unmiraculous women, the female society at large, she dreads it all, the soul-destroying existence as the sacrificial mother.
Her strangeness has to be her oddball creativity, her personality, her energy, her eccentricity; the blue dew could be the blood running under her dangerous skin.
Sylvia Plath had a thing about skin; it crops up in her poems, novels and letters and seems to signify both life and death. She was also keenly aware that her mundane life as housewife and mother somehow was incompatible with her desire to make a name for herself through her writings.
So she questioned if she would be hated by those ordinary mothers - the bees who have to go out foraging on cherry and clover flowers.
A definite turn occurs in this stanza, the speaker declaring herself in control. Of what exactly? Is this control over the domestic issues? Her marital problems? Her muse? Her inner decisions? her fears?
Perhaps all of these things she's going to put behind her and produce her own honey quite by instinct. She will start afresh. She is no mere worker. No longer is she prepared to be a victim but will now use her femininity, through art and creativity.
Some powerful images in this stanza spill over into stanza 8.
Half way through this stanza another person enters the scene. It's a male who is not connected to the speaker or bee-seller. It's as if he has been dismissed or has been caught in a compromising situation.
This male then is Ted Hughes, (some critics also see this 3rd person as a sort of Christ figure) who in real life hurt Sylvia Plath with his extra-marital affair. The image is slightly bizarre - part fairy tale, part real-life - of a man bounding (striding) away - echoes of the father in the second stanza - leaving his slippers and white handkerchief behind as reminders of a former blissful domestic life.
The handkerchief is taken from real life. When he and Sylvia were learning the art of beekeeping, Hughes had forgotten to put on a hat and instead placed the white linen handkerchief on his head. The bees managed to get in under this and actually sting him. Sylvia with her proper hat on, continued unscathed.
That word scapegoat is both prophetic - Ted Hughes would be blamed by many following Sylvia Plath's suicide some months after this poem was written - and apt, for the goat is a creature of potency and virility.
Stanza 10 continues with the description of the male onlooker (Hughes) who must have put so much effort into getting results. What results are these? The two children they had together? Or his poetical efforts? It's true, they were great literary rivals for a time.
The echo of sweet comes through in sweat, so there is positivity here. But once the bees get hold of the male's lips there is no relenting. They sting him and die in the process. This is the fate of the honey bee once it uses its sting.
The speaker though is not like these suicidal bees - she is in control at this point - intent on becoming the queen and forming her true identity.
They're onto his lips like lies and distort his face, turning him into a very different kind of human.
With this male onlooker out of the way, the speaker is nearing the climax of this unusually fraught narrative. First the self has to be recovered. Questions arise, as in the third and sixth stanzas. There is uncertainty, but the image is crystal clear - that lion-red body and wings of glass, strength and fragility, a see through blood.
And in the twelfth stanza this queen, this new self, finally rises and flies. It's the high point of the whole Bee Sequence - the queen lives but in living has to die - despite flying regally over the system (machine) that put her there in the first place.
Stings has more than a fair share of internal rhyme, both near and full. This interlocking of sounds throughout the poem brings rewards for the reader and sets up resonances and echoes, helping to fuse the stanzas together.
Stings is a free verse poem having 12 stanzas each of 5 lines, making a total of 60 lines of varying length.
There is no set rhyme scheme and the meter (metre in British English) varies from line to line.
Several poetic devices are used. Both alliteration and assonance create interesting sound patterns for the reader.


text:
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I recently received a flier in the mail from Camp Pope Bookshop touting two or their new titles, Vanishing Footrpints: The Twenty-Second Iowa Volunteer Infantry in the Civil War and Skim Milk Yankees Fighting: The Battle of Athens, Missouri, August 5, 1861. I've included the all of the information in the flier (taken from the links above) below as well. As always, please be sure to support the good independent Civil War publishers by purchasing their books directly.
It had it all: Cemetery Hill, the Cornfield, a cannonade, ignominious skedaddles, valorous stands, backs to a river, a numerically inferior force triumphing, neighbors firing upon neighbors, refugees, a bayonet charge, an arms differential, entrenching, casualties, death, bloated corpses, and the wonder and terror of volunteers "seeing the elephant." Evoking such epic engagements as Shiloh, Antietam, or Gettysburg, these characteristics belong to the nearly unknown Trans-Mississippi Civil War Battle of Athens (pronounced "Aythens"), Missouri. Commencing around 5:30 a.m. on the sultry morning of August 5, 1861, in Clark County, in the far northeast corner of Missouri near the Iowa border, it was over in a couple of hours.
Long known as the "farthest north" battle of the Civil War (although Salineville, OH, and St. Albans, VT were, as historian Leslie Anders put it, nearer to the north pole) Athens was in fact the closest actual combat came to the state of Iowa. The town of Athens, a thriving market community with a population of about 800 in 1861, stood on a bluff above the Des Moines River in northeast Missouri. Across the river was the Iowa town of Croton, which was connected by rail with the important northern military hub of Keokuk, Iowa. In the early months of the Civil War, a regiment of pro-Union Home Guard militia under Colonel David Moore occupied Athens while it received military supplies at Croton. A pro-Confederate Missouri State Guard militia unit under Colonel Martin Green, itself in search of arms and ammunition, attacked Moore's numerically inferior force on three sides. Better weapons and tactics decided the battle in the Home Guard's favor. An opening artillery assault by the State Guard overshot the Home Guard position, one round passing through the front and out the back of the home of a prominent citizen (the famous "Cannonball House," which is still standing) and destroying at least one building in Croton, which represents Iowa's closest brush with the mayhem of battle.
The Battle of Athens secured northeast Missouri for the Union, although the distraction of Green's attack and subsequent activity in the area probably contributed to Confederate victories in the Battles of Wilson's Creek and Lexington. Many of the men of the 1st Northeast Missouri Home Guard went on to serve in the 21st Missouri Infantry Volunteers, of which their colonel David Moore became the commander.
Author Jonathan Cooper-Wiele's mother grew up in Kahoka, Missouri, only 12 miles from what had once been the town of Athens. He visited the unmarked, overgrown area with his parents during the Civil War centennial and became instantly fascinated with the battle. Years later, when Athens had finally been preserved as a Missouri State Historic Site, and after discovering he had two ancestors who fought at the battle, Jonathan decided to write an article about it. He first contacted the Camp Pope Bookshop in early 1998, asking if I would be interested in publishing what had grown into a small book. Considering my own interest in the battle, I had always thought it could use a comprehensive study, as, although a few dedicated local historians had been promoting the battle for years, none had been written to date. But then the project got pushed onto the proverbial back burner. Two years ago, while selling books at one of Athens's triennial battle reenactments, I decided it was time to make a serious commitment to finishing the project.
The result is the first scholarly, in-depth study of the Battle of Athens. Using scores of contemporary and historical sources never before brought together in one book, author Jonathan Cooper-Wiele places a detailed narration of the battle against the backdrop of the historical events in Missouri and the rest of the nation that led to the Civil War. The maps are new, drawn by Athens Park Ranger Matt Kantola, making use of archaeological discoveries of the last 20 years. And most of the 55 photographs have never before been published. Skim Milk Yankees Fighting is a 168 page quality paperback, with 55 illustrations, three maps, notes, bibliography, index, and, published here for the first time ever, the reconstructed rosters of men sworn to the service of the United States in the 1st and 2nd Northeast Missouri Home Guard, as gathered in 1863 by the Hawkins Taylor Commission.
168 pages, 55 photographs, 3 maps, roster, notes, bibliography, index, paperback 6 x 9.
About the author: Jonathan K. Cooper-Wiele, a descendant of two soldiers who fought in the Battle of Athens, teaches middle school in Boston, Massachsetts.
"Expertly edited, meticulously researched, astutely analyzed, and persuasively argued, Skim Milk Yankees Fighting is a unique contribution to the military history literature of the Civil War." Andrew Wagenhoffer, Civil War Books and Authors.
"This lively, well written and thoroughly researched account presents a fresh view of the battle and of the local rivalries and tensions that led backwoods Missourians to take up arms and face one another with deadly intent in a remote corner of the nation, far from the epicenters of disunion, where the great fratricidal blood letting had only barely begun." James Denny, co-author with John Bradbury of The Civil War's First Blood: Missouri 1854-1861.
Over one hundred years ago Samuel Pryce, Iowa City businessman and Civil War veteran, wrote the definitive history of the "Johnson County" regiment, the 22nd Iowa Volunteer Infantry, titling it Vanishing Footprints. This unit, mustered in the summer of 1862, made a wide circuit of the Confederacy, from Missouri to Georgia, distinguishing itself as the only Union regiment to breach the walls of Vicksburg, and was one of only three Iowa regiments to fight in the Eastern Theater. In the first few pages of his massive (827 page) manuscript Pryce goes into detail about the appearance he wanted for his book: how the title, with the author's gilt stamped signature, should read on the cloth cover, how it should appear on the title page, with examples from other books of text design and the sorts of type faces he wanted. Pryce had an advantage that the author of "the other" history of the regiment, the personal memoir of Lt. Samuel C. Jones, Reminiscences of the 22nd Iowa Volunteer Infantry (privately published 1907 in Iowa City), didn't—the endorsement in writing of the 22nd Iowa Regimental Association. All indications were that Pryce was serious about seeing his book in print, but that never happened. The first draft was written in the last years of the 19th century. The Association gave its approval in 1903. But, in a 1919 footnote to this document, Pryce notes that "it is not certain" that his book will be published, as "not more than forty or fifty were present at the reunion this year." It seems an unlikely reason. If I had to guess, I would say Vanishing Footprints never made it into print for the same reason a lot of books never make it into print: no money.
Because in its original form, Pryce's history would have been a massive tome, and publication would have been an expensive undertaking that the author himself probably would have had to finance. Any potential publisher looking at the manuscript would have quickly discovered that only a fraction of it deals with the history of the 22nd Iowa Infantry. Pryce's attempt to present the historical events that led to the Civil War ramble aimlessly through myth, ancient history, the Bible, world literature, current events, science, politics, sports and local gossip. His account of the 22nd's service suffers from the same distractions. When I discovered this document at the State Historical Society in Iowa City 15 years ago, I knew that I wanted to publish it, and I paid for a Xerox copy to be made. But I also knew that some serious editorial surgery would have to be undertaken. Years went by, and I never found the time.
Then in 2006 I got an email from Jeffry Burden, who had written the introduction for my reprint of Jones's Reminiscences (1993), asking if I knew of any writing projects in connection with the 22nd Iowa he might undertake. Jeff's interest stems from the fact that his ancestor Sergeant Milton Lingo was in the regiment. Jeff first came to my attention when I read an article he had written about the 22nd Iowa in Ted Savas's quarterly journal Civil War Regiments in 1992. This looked like a perfect opportunity to return to Vanishing Footprints, and I mailed the ten pound manuscript to Jeff.
He expertly pared Pryce's opus down to its essentials, added annotations and an introduction, and found some appropriate photographs to be included. Jeff's sister, graphic designer Laurel Burden, drew maps and designed the book's cover, while I secured permission from SHSI to publish the book and gathered together more illustrations. The result is a lean historical document that covers the whole service of the 22nd Iowa from the summer of 1862 to its muster-out in 1865, but preserves Samuel Pryce's humor and unique writing style. Added to this are 52 photographs and illustrations, many published for the first time, 11 maps, notes, bibliography and index.
256 pages, 52 photographs, 11 maps, notes, bibliography, index, paperback 6 x 9.
About the author: Jeffry C. Burden practices law in Richmond, Virginia, but has family roots deep in the Iowa soil. He is a long-time student of, and writer on, the Civil War and the Hawkeye State.


The City-State moved on a hard path, studded with dramatic passages. Still, the country was able to maintain its independence and to build its prosperity. Singapore was probably the brightest pearl in the Asian necklace, a fruitful struggle for a dramatic redemption. It not only consigned to history its colonial past, but also built a model now respected all over the world.
This publication is twofold: to spread in Italy the knowledge of Singapore's experience and to envisage some possible scenarios. The Asian country requires an analysis with global parameters, not centered on western criteria. In effect, its role in the globalized arena has been both pioneering and farsighted. At the same time, it is appropriate to imagine for Singapore a future that goes beyond its geographical limitation of "little red spot" on the Equator. On this track we can see an unprecedented convergence of intents between two countries at first sight so far and different.


text:
Building A Cannabis Startup
With founder/CEOs Ryan Smith (LeafLink), Benjamin Witte (Recess), Beryl Solomon (Poplar), Robert Tankson (COO, PrestoDoctor).
Wednesday, June 26, 2019 at 06:30 PM $25
Alley Chelsea, 119 W 24th St, 2nd Fl
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2018 was a landmark year for the cannabis industry: California, Vermont, Oklahoma, Canada, & Mexico all deregulated marijuana, making it more widely accessible.
With deregulation, entrepreneurs & investors have made the cannabis space a hotbed of innovation, attracting the attention of press, lawmakers, investors, & consumers.Global funding to cannabis companies reached nearly $2.2B (a new record high for this emerging industry).
On July 26th, 4 of these frontier entrepreneurs will join us to discuss what inspired them, how they determined the right business model & how they've grown their business thus far. We'll also hear about the unique challenges of the space, from legal & regulatory complexities to the residual stigma of cannabis.
We'll also discuss
Designing & prototyping your product
Marketing for cannabis products
Adhering to rules & regulations
Fundraising options for a cannabis startup
About the panelists
Ryan Smith is the Co-founder & CEO of LeafLink, the cannabis industry's standard platform for orders, sales & relationship management. LeafLink has $14 million in venture capital from investors including Lerer Hippeau & Nosara Capital. The platform went live in Colorado in March 2016 & now has more than 2900 retailers placing orders for over 950 brands across 19 territories. In 2016, Ryan was the first CEO of a cannabis-facing company to be listed on Forbes' 30 Under 30 list. In February 2018, LeafLink was the first company in the cannabis space to make Fast Company's 2018 list of Top 10 Most Innovative Companies in Enterprise. Prior to co-founding LeafLink, Ryan successfully founded & exited two companies, one of which he sold to an NYSE public firm.
Benjamin Witte is the Founder & CEO of Recess, a consumer wellness company creating CBD infused functional beverages & nutraceutical products to help people feel balanced in an increasingly stressful world. While working at Life Capital, Witte began to experiment with CBD, as he has always been hyper, wired & overwhelmed with the stresses of everyday life. CBD (oil) helped Witte feel more balanced, creative, happier & productive - but he had a problem with the delivery method...placing the product under the tongue simply wasn't the most delightful experience. There was an incredible opportunity to bring CBD into new formats, with beverage serving as the largest market that already came with an engrained functional education.
Beryl Solomon is the Founder & CEO of Poplar, a platform that offers curated CBD products with expert insights on how they work, what they do, & ultimately, how it will benefit specific health & wellness needs. Prior to founding Poplar, Beryl served as the CEO of STATE bags. Under her leadership, revenue grew more than 100% YoY.
Robert Tankson is the Co-founder & COO PrestoDoctor,an online medical cannabis recommendation service based out of California that puts patients in contact with cannabis-friendly doctors in California, Nevada, Oklahoma, & New York. All evaluations are conducted online via a secure video chat for an easy, discreet, HIPAA compliant process. Prior to PrestoDoctor, Tankson worked as ananalyst for both technology & finance companies. He spent time at Google, where his team launched the Chromebook & partnered with Virgin America for marketing efforts. In addition to PrestoDoctor, Tankson is a board member for Cannabis Sativa & the Minority Cannabis Business Association.
6:30 - 6:50: Drinks & Networking6:50 - 7:50: Panel7:50 - 8:15: Audience Q&A8:15 - 9:00: More Drinks & Networking
Stacklist hosts startup events in NYC to help entrepreneurs learn from successful founders & experts. Previous speakers have included the founders of Greenhouse, Movable Ink, x.ai, & Techstars. You can find all of ourpast events & speakers here!If you have any questions, please email me atdanny@stacklist.com.
Thanks to Alley powered by Verizon for hosting our event. Alley powered by Verizon locations are developed by Verizon, the world's leading technology company, in collaboration with Alley, a membership-only community workspace for creators. Each location is a curated community powered by the emerging technologies & thought-leadership of Verizon.
Audio transcripts, videos & photos will be taken at the event. As an attendee, you acknowledge that such recordings, videos & photos may be used for promotional or marketing purposes.


Audience engagement features affect the perceived value of a news outlet only slightly, Isabelle Krebs and Juliane A. Lischka, both of University of Zurich, write. The authors surveyed 313 Swiss university students over their online news consumption behaviour.
Engagement -meaning commenting, sharing, poll-taking and so forth- had little to no effect on the news outlets' "customer-based brand equity" or CBBE. CBBE measures the audience's views on a news outlet's quality and the outlet's brand.
Some forms of engagement had no appreciable effects, but "low-level engagement" (i.e. social media sharing or poll-taking) and customization seemed to increase brand loyalty. More importantly, content rather than engagement had the most effect on CBBE – news organisations should thus focus on content over engagement, the authors suggest.
The study also confirmed earlier findings, according to which most online users do not engage with news and when they do, the engagement is mostly "low-level". This, and engagement's seemingly negligible effects on CBBE, still do not mean that audience engagement should be abandoned, Krebs and Lischka warn: the lack of engagement features may be viewed negatively, even if the audience wasn't too keen on using them.
The article "Is audience engagement worth the buzz?" was published by the journal Journalism. It is available online (abstract free).
Picture: Comments by Judit Klein, licence CC BY-ND 2.0.


Danis states that everything about his experience with the offices of Hill & Moin was outstanding. Danis appreciated the way he was treated by the staff and attorneys. Furthermore, the presence of a Spanish-speaking staff gave him additional understanding of the legal process. Danis is grateful to Hill & Moin for instilling full confidence in the pursuit of his civil remedy.
Hello, I had an accident and someone referred me to this office – someone recommended me to this office, and for me it was the best. They are good. Good people, good attorneys. They have treated me well, every person that works here. Thank you very much. That's all I can say is: thank you for everything. And always – any time something like this happens I will always recommend this office because they are very good and that is something I am very thankful for, from the bottom of my heart.
I'm very thankful to everyone that works here. Everyone I have interacted with here have been very good to me. I thank you from the bottom of my heart and thank you for everything. I will always be here, whatever happens I know that I can count on them. If anything ever happens to my friends or family I will refer them to this attorney's office.
This entry was posted on Wednesday, January 23rd, 2019 at 2:50 pm and is filed under Our Clients Speak. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.