text:
Addictive mobile game Color Switch tops 75M downloads in three months
Dean Takahashi@deantak
Image Credit: Color Switch
Color Switch has proven to be a tremendously popular mobile game, clearing more than 75 million downloads in just three months on the app stores.
Above: Zeb Jaffer of Fortafy Games
Image Credit: Zeb Jaffer
That growth shows it's still possible for small independent developers to create mega hits in the maturing $34 billion mobile game industry. And now the company is trying to ride the rocket that comes with striking it rich in the app stores.
The title is addictive because it seems so simple, but it takes a lot of skill. It has funky music and colorful, if simple, 2D graphics. It's also easy to play in a short time, over and over again. Zeb Jaffer, cofounder of Fortafy Games in Sydney, Australia, said in an interview with GamesBeat that the game has benefited from word-of-mouth virality, social sharing by celebrities, and worldwide featuring on Google Play.
"It's very exciting," Jaffer said. "We were at No. 1 on the U.S. charts for 27 days straight. It continues to be a very socially active game."
On iOS, the game is currently at No. 19 among overall apps. Back when we wrote about it in February, the game had only 15 million downloads.
The developers of the game are David Reichelt and Aditya Oza, and the publisher is Fortafy Games in Sydney, Australia. Reichelt and Oza initially made the game using Buildbox, which allows for simple, drag-and-drop development procedures. It took them about a week to make the game. And Reichelt was able to make the game — which is filled with dazzling colors — despite being colorblind.
Jaffer and his partner, chief technology officer Marc Lejeune, are trying to parlay the success into more momentum. Jaffer said a new arcade machine partner will make 30,000 arcade machines based on Color Switch and launch them in the U.S. in the fourth quarter.
Sam Ratumaitavuki, vice president of strategy, has been managing the app's social media activity, which has now topped 1 billion impressions. The app has gone viral on networks such as Vine and Twitter.
Some of the social attention has been accidental. When Kanye West tweeted that his app had reached No. 1, he inadvertently drew a ton of attention to Color Switch with this tweet.
Man thank you so so so much everyone for signing up to Tidal. Tidal is now the number one app in the world!!! pic.twitter.com/O3r9DkX03R
— KANYE WEST (@kanyewest) February 15, 2016
And the Jenner sisters, Kylie and Kendall, drew massive attention to Color Switch when they shared their own app's success.
Above: Kylie and Kendall Jenner inadvertently promoted Color Switch.
Image Credit: Fortafy Games
"They did a great job for us," Jaffer said. "It never felt so good to get beaten."
Fans are helping out with their own viral videos, such as this one. Jaffer also secured new music for the game from DJ Tom Garnett in the United Kingdom.
And the game is getting lots of updates. The title has more than 100 levels, and it now has 12 different game modes. And the free-to-play game uses the Heyzap ad mediation tool for serving ads. The game is monetizing through banner ads, rewarded video, video interstitials, and static interstitials.
"We're chasing down the magic number of 100 million downloads," Jaffer said.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aJ26eEKM8S0


text:
HomeConcerts TicketsComedy TicketsGeorge Lopez Tickets
Buy George Lopez Tickets
George Lopez Tickets
George Lopez has been entertaining television audiences since 2002. Even then, he was no stranger to fans of standup comedy, having been performing it for a while now. George is arguably the most famous Latino entertainer on television. However, his talents don't end with standup and television. He has earned roles in several films that helped George gained popularity. He has also found work as a sports commentator as well as a talk show host. George's famous style is observational comedy and he engages in satire as well. He covers a wide variety of topics ranging from Mexican American life to politics.
Known for:
Comedy, The George Lopez Show, Lopez Tonight
Film appearances:
The Spy Next Door, Beverly Hills Chihuahua 2, The Adventures of Shark Boy & Lava Girl
Childhood Inspiration
Comedian and actor George Lopez had a rough childhood. Yet he persisted and used his experience and anecdotes as material for his early standup shows and television specials. In the '80s, before he became the well known comedian that he is today, he was touring at clubs all over the country. His audiences discovered his innate talent and many were able to relate to the hardships that he has had to endure. After about a decade of standup, he started to get noticed. In the '90s he acted in the comedy films Ski Patrol and Fatal Instinct, launching him into the spotlight.
Beginnings of a TV Show
In 2002, Lopez became one of the few Latinos with their own television specials. His show, George Lopez became a national family favorite. The sitcom depicts him and his fictional family going through their day to day lives with plenty of golden comedy moments to be shared. George met his on-screen wife, actress Constance Marie, and the two immediately started to think of a television show together. They were frustrated by the lack of proper roles for Latinos in Hollywood and so opted to break out together; making their show one of the most watched ones on ABC.
It was during George's first film, Ski Patrol (1990) that he met his now ex-wife, Ann Serano, with whom he had a daughter. Although his career hadn't shot off then, he worked towards gaining more fame and popularity by doing more standup as well as appearing in another film, Fatal Instinct (1993). His role in the HBO drama film Real Women Have Curves earned him the 2002 Audience Award. Following film roles include appearances in The Adventures of Shark Boy & Lava Girl, Swing Vote, The Spy Next Door and Mr. Troop Mom, among many others. He has lent his voice to several animated films including Beverly Hills Chihuahua 1 and 2, the latter earning him two awards for best actor. The Smurfs 1 and 2 and Rio are other films that he has lent his voice to.
George Lopez has received numerous nominations and has been the recipient of many awards throughout the course of his career. He has even earned a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his contribution to television, through his self-produced show George Lopez. His wins include an ALMA Award, an Imagen Award as well as a Teen Choice Award. His popularity has also led the way for numerous other nominations including a Young Artist Award, a BET Comedy Award and a People's Choice Award. The television show which brought his career to a new level won ten awards during its running duration and was nominated for thirty two other awards.
More About George Lopez…
George was born in Mission Hills, California.
His wife Ann donated a kidney to him when he required a transplant.
George headlined a popular morning radio show for a while.
He began performing comedy in 1983.
His popular television show George Lopez lasted for six seasons.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Whether it's the office Kris-Kringle or a little something for your child to bring their teacher on the last day of school, you can't go with a luxurious gift pack. Available in-store only, these gorgeous gift packs are a thoughtful gift that the receiver can actually use!
For a little something with that personal touch, these monogrammed hand towels are the perfect gift.
Christmas in Australia means plenty of time by the pool, under the sprinkler or at the beach, so you'll find a beach towel is the perfect gift. With adorable character towels for the tiny tots and stylish bright towels for the teenagers, a beautiful beach towel will be appreciated all summer long.
You don't want to turn up empty-handed to your end of year Christmas drinks with friends.
These gorgeous monogrammed towels are a personal gift that's not too big or too small.
A 100% Australian made Downs wool quilt is a universally popular gift. Premium quilts made locally in Australia, boasting a 100% cotton japara cover and even distribution of the wool across the quilt, they are made for ultimate comfort. At 500GSM in weight, the Downs wool quilt can be used all year round, staying cool in summer and warm in winter.
A luxurious towel is a thing of joy after a long day, and our 610 GSM Royalty Bamboo towels are beautifully soft, making a thoughtful gift for someone busy.
Available in Grey and White in 3 sizes.
There's nothing better than a gift that is useful, but not something you'd splurge on for yourself. Pure Zone's luxurious range of 100% TENCEL® Sheet Sets are a wonderful gift that will be enjoyed year-round. TENCEL® Sheets are constructed of a sustainable and eco-friendly fabric produced from the Eucalyptus plant. Pure Zone TENCEL® Sheet Sets offer a smooth 500 Thread Count made of 100% TENCEL®. Another luxurious sustainable fibre is bamboo. Our 100% bamboo sheet sets not only feel great, bamboo's antibacterial, antimicrobial and hypoallergenic properties make them an excellent choice for a special gift.


text:
package cleanup

import (
	"fmt"
	"os"
	"os/signal"
	"reflect"
	"sync"
	"syscall"
)

type todo struct {
	fn   interface{}
	args []interface{}
}

var cfg = struct {
	funcMap map[string]*todo
	last    *todo
	*sync.Mutex
	*sync.Once
}{
	funcMap: make(map[string]*todo),
	last:    nil,
	Mutex:   &sync.Mutex{},
	Once:    &sync.Once{},
}

// Register registers a function with the given name and arguments to be
// called when the server exits. It will panic if it finds duplicate
// functions. I.e., Register("foo", fn) ... Register("foo", fn2) will panic.
func Register(name string, fn interface{}, args ...interface{}) {
	if _, ok := cfg.funcMap[name]; ok {
		panic(fmt.Errorf("Unable to re-register function %v under name %q", fn, name))
	}

	cfg.Lock()
	cfg.funcMap[name] = &todo{fn: fn, args: args}
	cfg.Unlock()
}

// DoLast registers a function to run *after* every other function has run.
// This can only be called once, and will panic otherwise.
func DoLast(name string, fn interface{}, args ...interface{}) {
	if cfg.last == nil {
		cfg.last = &todo{fn: fn, args: args}
	} else {
		panic("Cannot call DoLast more than once!")
	}
}

// Wait catches signals and waits until all cleanup functions have has been
// ran before it returns. It will only run once, no matter how many times it's
// called.
func Wait(print bool, signals ...os.Signal) {
	cfg.Do(func() {
		ch := make(chan os.Signal, 1)
		signal.Notify(ch, signals...)
		s := <-ch
		if print {
			fmt.Printf("Caught signal %s\n", s.String())
		}
		run(s)
		close(ch)
	})
}

// run invokes the given function and arguments for each value in
// the map.
func run(s os.Signal) {
	for _, val := range cfg.funcMap {
		call(val.fn, val.args...)
	}

	if cfg.last != nil {
		call(cfg.last.fn, cfg.last.args...)
	}

	sig := s.(syscall.Signal)
	os.Exit(int(sig))
}

// call calls fn with the given args. It's mostly borrowed from
// https://golang.org/src/text/template/funcs.go, with some minor
// changes.
func call(fn interface{}, args ...interface{}) (interface{}, error) {

	v := reflect.ValueOf(fn)
	typ := v.Type()

	if typ.Kind() != reflect.Func {
		return nil, fmt.Errorf("non-function of type %s", typ)
	}

	numIn := typ.NumIn()

	var dddType reflect.Type

	if typ.IsVariadic() {
		if len(args) < numIn-1 {
			return nil, fmt.Errorf("wrong number of args: got %d want at least %d", len(args), numIn-1)
		}
		dddType = typ.In(numIn - 1).Elem()
	} else {
		if len(args) != numIn {
			return nil, fmt.Errorf("wrong number of args: got %d want %d", len(args), numIn)
		}
	}

	argv := make([]reflect.Value, len(args))
	for i, arg := range args {
		value := reflect.ValueOf(arg)

		var argType reflect.Type
		if !typ.IsVariadic() || i < numIn-1 {
			argType = typ.In(i)
		} else {
			argType = dddType
		}
		if !value.IsValid() && canBeNil(argType) {
			value = reflect.Zero(argType)
		}
		if !value.Type().AssignableTo(argType) {
			return nil, fmt.Errorf("arg %d has type %s; should be %s", i, value.Type(), argType)
		}
		argv[i] = value
	}

	return v.Call(argv), nil
}

// canBeNil reports whether an untyped nil can be assigned to the type. See reflect.Zero.
func canBeNil(typ reflect.Type) bool {
	switch typ.Kind() {
	case reflect.Chan, reflect.Func, reflect.Interface, reflect.Map, reflect.Ptr, reflect.Slice:
		return true
	}
	return false
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


If you have recently started using Lightroom, or maybe have been using it for some time but not yet got fully to grips with it, this tutorial from e-photozine, may prove of value.
Tutorial On Using Lightroom Presets - Peter Bargh explains how Lightroom presets can save you time when making similar changes to your photos. Also how they let you perform and repeat advanced colourising and vignetting effects as well as apply treatments perfected by other users.
Lightroom has a useful option to save a series of adjustments / filters as a preset so you can reapply those settings to other photos later.
These presets appear on the left of the screen when you're in the Develop module.
By default the program installs Lightroom's ready made collection of presets which includes popular ones such as infrared, various vignettes, antique or split toning and a wide range of black & white contrast control options.
Hovering over the link on the left-hand menu shows the effect of the preset on your photo in the small preview window above the menu.
When you have a Lightroom question, where do you look? Do you trawl through thousands of web pages looking for the information you need? Perhaps post on a forum and wait for hours for anyone to reply? Maybe try to figure out the Help files? From now on, you look right here!
This is the reference book that should have shipped with Lightroom. Adobe Lightroom 4 - The Missing FAQ is a compilation of the most frequently asked questions, presented in question and answer format so that you can easily find the answers you're looking for.
Whether you're a new user who likes to dive straight into new software and figure it out as you go along, a more experienced user wanting to learn how to get the best out of Lightroom, or you've just got a burning question you'd like answered, this book is for you.
These are real-world answers to real questions asked by real Lightroom users.
It not only covers how to do things, but also why they work the way they do. Lightroom may have a mind of its own... but now you can learn how it thinks. There's a story behind this book... and a FREE bonus! The Adobe Lightroom - The Missing FAQ series was originally intended to be a searchable eBook, however once the books were released to the public, a demand arose for a paperback version too.
Whilst some books have a PDF supplement, this book is the other way round - the color PDF eBook is designed to be the primary book, and this black & white paperback is the supplement. Anyone purchasing the paperback version is invited to contact the author via her website to download the main PDF version and 2 other digital formats absolutely FREE.


Create your editorial media contact list of New York newspapers, magazines, radio and TV stations. New York media outlets are listed alphabetically by city.
You can purchase this media list with all 556 New York media outlets for $393.65.
Or uncheck the boxes for any New York media outlets you don't want to contact. Then click 'Preview Your List' at the bottom of this page. The cost of your customized New York media list will be displayed on the next page.
You can also uncheck all boxes, or see only New York newspaper contacts.
Learn more about New York newspapers, magazines, radio and TV stations at Mondo Times, the worldwide news media guide.


The meat of kodshei kodshim (olah, chattat and asham) sacrifices, as well as the remnants of a mincha offering, must be eaten by kohanim within the precincts of the azarah courtyard of the Beit Hamikdash. Does this preclude their doing so within the heichal, whose sanctity is on a higher level? Such a question could arise in the event that enemies were bombarding the besieged open azarah and shelter could be found only in the covered heichal.
The ruling of Rabbi Yehuda ben Beseira is that in such circumstances the kohanim could eat these sacred foods in the heichal and it would not be considered that they rendered them unfit by removing them from the prescribed area of consumption.
Tosefot (Zevachim 29a) cites this ruling as a challenge to the statement of Rashi (Zevachim63a) that there was no consumption of sacrificial meat in the heichal. It is interesting to note the difference between Rashi's explanation of the above-mentioned danger to the kohanim in Mesechta Zevachim and in Mesechta Menachot. In the former he describes it (Zevachim 63a) as bombardment from "arrows and catapult boulders" while in our gemara it is described as exposure to "spears and bows". The gemara does not report that such a situation ever developed, so that the nature of the danger remains only a theoretical one.
"The mincha offered by the sinner is not treated with oil and frankincense because he does not deserve to have it adorned."


text:
Observations, recollections, and occasional bursts of radical common sense about places that matter, books worth reading, roots music to nourish the soul, the times we live in, and whatever else tickles my fancy
Monday Musings
Saturday Soundtrack
Places That Matter
Heritage Travel
Observations from…
Random DJB Thoughts
The Times We Live In
About More to Come…
Acoustic Music, Bluegrass Music, Random DJB Thoughts
Pokey laps the field at Day I of Red Wing II
written by DJB
The second annual Red Wing Roots Music Festival in spectacular Natural Chimneys Park began on Friday afternoon under a beautiful summer sky. The promise of the inaugural festival – hosted by the Steel Wheels – brought out an even larger crowd this year. And for the most part the music didn't disappoint.
My friend Oakley Pearson and I arrived in time to catch the full set of Furnace Mountain, a band from the Berryville, Virginia, area. Comprised of Aimee Curl on bass and vocals, Danny Knicely on mandolin and fiddle, Dave Van Deventer on fiddle, and Morgan Morrison on bouzouki, guitar and vocals, Furnace Mountain is a first-rate roots music band. Knicely is an especially inventive mandolin player, and he displayed some great chops and songwriting skills in today's set.
Caravan of Thieves was a band I wasn't familiar with, but they grew on me very quickly. Their web site has a catchy – yet pretty accurate – description of this group::
Driving gypsy jazz rhythms, acoustic guitars, upright bass and violin lay the foundation for mesmerizing vocal harmonies and fantastic stories. It's theatrical and humorous. It's musical and intense. It entertains, dazzles and defies classification while welcoming the spectator to join the band throughout the performance in momentary fits of claps, snaps and sing-alongs. If Django Reinhardt, the cast of Stomp and the Beatles all had a party at Tim Burton's house, Caravan of Thieves would be the band they hired.
That last line is pretty funny.
The band plays hot gypsy jazz, but the vocals have pop sensibilities. Fuzz (I'm not making that up) and Carrie Sangiovanni sing wonderful harmonies. And these guys try anything – one of the wildest being their take on Sympathy for the Devil with a little bit of The Devil Came Down to Georgia and who knows what else thrown in.
The Hackensaw Boys played a spirited set of old time music while we caught some supper. Then came the best band of the day – by a wide margin.
Pokey LaFarge was playing his second Red Wing festival, but he put on a set as if he wasn't going to get paid unless he won the crowd over.
With a mix of early jazz, ragtime, blues and western swing, LaFarge — backed by a hot acoustic trio and a three-piece horn section — grabbed the crowd with Bowlegged Woman and kept the joint jumping all the way through until Central Time.
The songs – while they sound old – are often LaFarge originals. They played a number of tunes from his newest self-titled CD (which was produced by Old Crow Medicine Show's Ketch Secor. Column interruption: Candice used to work for Ketch's father in a Staunton-area private school and she taught his younger sister. Who knew Ketch would go on to such stardom…in old time music!)
In any event, LaFarge is a great entertainer with a hot band. Pokey really did lap the field today. If you get the chance to see them, take it!
The final full set we stayed for was for The Dukhs.
The band was battling some sound system issues at the beginning, and was not as sharp as the reunion tour configuration that played Red Wing last year. They featured songs from their new CD Get Beyond the Blue, and I always enjoy singer Jesse Havey and the band's version of Death Came A Knockin'.
The crowd quickly gathered at the main stage for what was clearly to be the night's big act, Trampled by Turtles. However, three songs into a very loud set that was all beginning to sound the same, we headed out into the night. It was refreshing, after the overbearing noise of TBT, to get in the car and have Claire Lynch's beautiful Dear Sister come up in the iTunes rotation. Now that's music!
But to remember the best of Day 1 of Red Wing Roots Music Festival II, let's go out with a video of Pokey LaFarge's Bowlegged Woman. Whoa!
DJB
This entry was posted in: Acoustic Music, Bluegrass Music, Random DJB Thoughts
Tagged with: #Redwingroots, Acoustic Music, Bluegrass Music, Caravan of Thieves, Furnace Mountain, Pokey LaFarge, Red Wing Roots Music Festival, The Duhks, The Hackensaw Boys
by DJB
I am David J. Brown (hence the DJB) and I originally created this personal blog more than ten years ago as a way to capture photos and memories from a family vacation. After the trip was over I simply continued writing. Over the years the blog has changed to have a more definite focus aligned with my interest in places that matter, reading well, roots music, and more. My professional background is as a national nonprofit leader with a four-decade record of growing and strengthening organizations at local, state, and national levels. This work has been driven by my passion for connecting people in thriving, sustainable, and vibrant communities.
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By our love, the divine may be reached and held; by our thinking, never.
Anonymous, The Cloud of Unknowing
Bringing a sense of order and clarity in a chaotic world
Protecting the pearl of the Black Sea
The hot and sassy swing of the Avalon Jazz Band
Life is what happens as we're working towards perfection
Ukraine and the myths of war
Sara Watkins
Tony Rice, R.I.P.
Gratitude to Ukraine
The lonesome sound of Tyler Childers
Observations from the Mekong River
Grand Canyon: Photo taken by Claire Holsey Brown during the 2008 trip that was the original inspiration for this blog
More to Come...


text:
Campaigns Rescue in Northern Israel Saving Animals in the Line of Fire
Saving Animals in the Line of Fire
Rescue in
Northern Israel
Saving Animals
Lifeline to Animals
in Evacuated Areas
Happy Reunions
Spaying & Neutering
Adoption Days
(U.S.)
Adoption Days (Israel)
Puppies for
Adoption (U.S.)
Adoption (Israel)
Photos of Puppies Adopted in the U.S.
Garden Party: Reunion in the U.S.
Stories of Rescued Puppies
How to Help the Rescued Animals
Four tons of food and hundreds of water containers are sent to northern Israel
Abandoned puppies drink from containers
provided by CHAI/Hakol Chai.
Photo: Avi Hirschfield
July 2006: Working through the night to avoid the danger of rocket fire, Hakol Chai, CHAI's Israeli sister charity, rushed four tons of food and hundreds of plastic water containers to the northern Israeli community of Nes Amim, near Nahariya, where volunteers immediately began the process of distributing it to animals in need throughout the region.
While terrified residents in the north remain prisoners in their homes, another kind of humanitarian disaster is taking place on the streets. Starving and dehydrated cats and dogs, some injured, many lost, are running in panic from the explosions of rockets. Some residents left their cats and dogs behind when they evacuated, believing they would return soon. In other cases, animals fled the sound of missiles, became disoriented, and lost their way. Without food and water, they are desperate for help.
Volunteers unload food sent to the north
by CHAI/Hakol Chai. Photo: Avi Hirschfield
Part of Hakol Chai's relief shipment was donated by the pet food company, Purina, and by the container manufacturer, Madaf-Plazit. The rest was purchased with donations from caring people around the world eager to help in this crisis.
At midnight, the delivery van carrying the much-needed supplies pulled in to Nes Amim, where it was met by the coordinator for volunteers in the north. While rockets exploded in the background, local Dutch and German residents helped unload bag after bag of food and begin the distribution process. Afterwards, Hakol Chai's rescue team quickly moved on to Akko, responding to a report of animals abandoned in cages behind a house. As they went, they saw dogs and cats desperate for food and water everywhere on the streets.
Entering the back yard location in search of the animals, Hakol Chai's team was soon joined by police, alerted by neighbors alarmed by the sounds in the night. As soon as the police took stock of the situation, they joined Hakol Chai's efforts. Three dogs, eight puppies, pigeons and rabbits in small cages, 20 chickens, parrots, and numerous cats had been abandoned. All animals were fed and watered, and the volunteer coordinator was alerted. The animals are now being transported to foster homes until permanent ones can be found. The team worked until 3 A.M. putting out food and water on the streets of the city and in backyards. Then the noise of the explosions grew louder, and they were forced to head south.
"We are obligated to care for animals in the line of fire, too," says Yadin Elam, Director of Hakol Chai. "We cannot watch these terrible scenes day after day and fail to act."
CHAI/Hakol Chai will donate additional shipments of food and water containers, as needed. We have also been asked to help evacuate horses. One hundred percent of donations made to help in the crisis will go directly toward the rescue efforts.
Please help us help these animals.
Volunteers prepare donated food for
distribution. Photo: Avi Hirschfield
(This video has no sound)
Farmers report that due to stress, cows are producing less milk, and the shells of chicken eggs are so thin they fall apart in their hands when they try to pick them up. Seventeen cows and seven calves were killed by bombs falling on Kibbutz Amir, near Kiryat Shmona. Three dogs were killed when a bomb hit a house in Kiryat Shmona inside which they had been tied up and left by their guardian, who evacuated the area. Two more dogs were killed on the streets. Some animals have been injured. Fire fighters are working to extinguish the fires in the northern forests, but many animals, including endangered eagles, may perish.


text:
Tag Archives: Doug Hutchison
2009, Action/Adventure, ★½
Give 'em Hell, Malone (2009, Russell Mulcahy)
9 June 2010 Andrew Wickliffe	Leave a comment
I've read some reviews describe Give 'em Hell, Malone's genre as a mix of noir and action. Genre assignations are utterly useless, but in this case, it might actually be an amusing diversion. It's hard to assign a genre to a picture where a bunch of characters acting like they're in a film noir while they're amidst thoroughly modern characters and situations (bluetooth headsets, for example).
The opening, an exceptionally violent action set piece set to Thomas Jane's narration, is fantastic. It's visceral hyper-violence without any glorification. It's boring. It's this elaborately choreographed sequence and it's boring. It's great, but completely disinterested with itself.
It doesn't hurt Jane's doing the narrating. His presence makes Malone work. He's maybe the only leading man type today who can do genre-bending absurdity and still make it have emotional resonance.
The supporting cast is, for the most part, real strong. Ving Rhames is basically doing the same solid thing he does all the time, but French Stewart's great in a smaller role. Leland Orser, Gregory Harrison, Doug Hutchinson, all excellent. Leading lady Elsa Pataky is iffy… but does look the femme fatale part perfectly.
Mulcahy's direction is occasionally stylized, but always sure-footed. He only fumbles when the script does, which, unfortunately, is more often than not. Some of execution problems appear to be budgetary. They do wonders on a small budget, but not miracles.
It's an interesting piece, nearly successful a lot of the time. Probably even most of the time.
★½
Directed by Russell Mulcahy; written by Matt Hosack; director of photography, Jonathan Hall; edited by Robert A. Ferretti; music by David C. Williams; production designer, Vincent DeFelice; produced by Erik Anderson, Johnny Martin, Brian Oliver, Richard Rionda Del Castro and Richard Salvatore; released by National Entertainment Media.
Starring Thomas Jane (Malone), Ving Rhames (Boulder), Elsa Pataky (Evelyn), French Stewart (Frankie the Crooner), Leland Orser (Murphy), Chris Yen (Mauler), William Abadie (Pretty Boy), Gregory Harrison (Whitmore), Doug Hutchison (Matchstick) and Eileen Ryan (Gloria).
OTHER FILMS DIRECTED BY RUSSELL MULCAHY
Doug HutchisonElsa PatakyFrench StewartGive 'em Hell MaloneGregory HarrisonLeland OrserNational Entertainment MediaThomas JaneVing Rhames
2008, Action/Adventure, ⓏⒺⓇⓄ
Punisher: War Zone (2008, Lexi Alexander)
Punisher: War Zone got a theatrical release (sorry for the passive voice, but pointing out Lionsgate released it in the theater sort of kills the emphasis). I'm not sure I have the vocabulary to describe the terrible script. Watching an early exchange between mobsters, I kept wondering if Italian American associations were aware of the film (I'm guessing they aren't). The characters are so stereotypical, the portrayal so offensive… it's incredible. But the mob being the movie's big villains elucidates War Zone's biggest (narrative) idiocy–it's just a hodgepodge of superhero movies. The movie rips off an opening scene from Frank Miller's Batman: Year One comic book, but then cribs the entire approach from Batman Begins (where the hero doesn't actually fight crime unrelated to the plot's main villain). But there's a Superman reference in the subway hideout and some other malarky I'm sure. The script's idiotic.
So why watch Punisher: War Zone? The terrible opening credits don't give any indication of it, but Michael Wandmacher's score is good and Steve Gainer's photography is fantastic. The photography seems to go for HDR (high dynamic range), which makes the Panavision frame wondrous at times. Lexi Alexander intercuts Manhattan skyscrapers with Montréal streets to poor effect–actually, Montréal's a decent stand-in, physically, for New York, but Alexander's movie New York is one of the most absurd I've ever seen. It's like she's not only never been there, she hasn't even watched a movie set there. Alexander's actually a decent director. She has an annoying Panavision habit of putting people, in cuts, on opposite sides of the frame, but by the end of the movie, she's got it working. She'd direct great commercials or music videos, since she can't impart any emotionality to her work. There isn't a single subtle moment in War Zone, it's just too stupid.
Some of the stupidest developments in the film are the inclusion of Wayne Knight as a sidekick and the revelation the Punisher dropped out of seminary. I don't know why the latter got included, maybe so they could have a dumb scene with the Punisher at church, but it's one of the stupider things in the film. Knight's sidekick, who seemingly funds the Punisher's war on selected criminals from a tiny apartment, is also something else. Knight–even with the goatee–isn't bad. He's got some dumb lines, but he isn't bad.
Producer Gale Anne Hurd has made some big movies and some good movies. Presumably, while on set, she must have noticed Ray Stevenson couldn't act. He's atrocious as the lead. Punisher: War Zone has a future as a drinking game. Alexander barely gives him any lines, but he flubs every single one of them. Julie Benz (is she the Lionsgate version of 1990s Miramax Neve Campbell or something?) is awful. Colin Salmon, who's usually good, gives a terrible performance. Talking about him, I forgot to mention the stupid last names. Everyone in the film has a super-ethnic last name, presumably to make it more authentic. Dash Mihok, in the movie's supposedly comic role, is terrible. Alexander and the script don't understand humor. They should have brought Rob Schneider or the guys who wrote Beverly Hills Ninja in to give it some oomph.
But talking about the actors brings me to the real reason to watch Punisher: War Zone. Dominic West. He's not stretching any thespian muscles in his portrayal of a psycho (oh, another comic book movie reference, the Burton Batman), but he's a joy to watch. Given the filmmakers were able to hire West to appear in this cinematic turd, it's a testament to their jaw-dropping lack of intelligence they didn't fire Stevenson and put West in the lead. If he can make this underwritten goober of a role work, imagine what he could have done as the Punisher.
As West's cannibal sidekick, Doug Hutchinson is fine. He's been acting for a long time, so Alexander's ineptness at directing actors mustn't have contaminated him.
Punisher: War Zone is watchable dreck. The movie looks good–Alexander's action scenes concentrate too much on the gore instead of, well, any action–and West is a joy to watch. I wonder if anyone involved in the film has seen "The Wire," but all evidence suggests not. And it's definitely one of Lionsgate's less appalling pictures.
Directed by Lexi Alexander; screenplay by Nick Santora, Art Marcum and Matt Holloway, based on the Marvel Comics character created by Gerry Conway, John Romita Sr. and Ross Andru; director of photography, Steve Gainer; edited by William Yeh; music by Michael Wandmacher; production designer, Andrew Neskoromny; produced by Gale Anne Hurd; released by Lionsgate.
Starring Ray Stevenson (Frank Castle), Dominic West (Billy Russoti), Doug Hutchison (Loony Bin Jim), Colin Salmon (Special Agent Paul Budiansky), Wayne Knight (Microchip), Dash Mihok (Det. Martin Soap) and Julie Benz (Angela Donatelli).
OTHER PUNISHER FILMS
Colin SalmonDash MihokDominic WestDoug HutchisonJulie BenzLionsgatePunisher: War ZoneRay StevensonWayne Knight


Interviewer: Mr. Trump, you have stated that you will hit all of America's enemies hard the instant you take office.
Donald Trump: Very hard, so hard you wouldn't believe!
Interviewer: But we have conflicts circling the globe. How would you be able to disperses troops quickly.
Donald Trump: I would beam them there of course. It will be huge!
Donald Trump: William Shatner, a close friend of mine, a really great guy, talked to me about beaming.
Interviewer: Beam them there? But that's impossible. Beaming is not a real thing. It breaks all the laws of quantum physics.
Donald Trump: Impossible? Think again. I'm the greatest deal maker in the world. I will meet with all members of congress, it will be huge, I guarantee we will repeal these stupid, politically correct, laws of quantum physics.
This interview is not expected to be released anytime soon but nothing can hide from Odd Conspiracy Central.


Q. How do I change the status of a task?
You are here: Home / LifeTopix / Common Questions / Q. How do I change the status of a task?
Every task has a status which can be determined by its icon. The task statuses are: Not Started, In Progress, Completed, On Hold, and Canceled.
To change the status of a task, tap the icon for the task, then select the new status. Tasks can be accessed from Task List and Task Calendar under Tasks + Projects, or from My Calendar. Tasks that have been associated with topic objects can also be accessed directly from the detail view for those topic objects.


text:
A History of Sunscreen
At least four different inventors created a type of sunscreen
Sunscreen. RTimages/Getty Images
Protecting skin from the sun's harmful rays has always been a concern. Early civilizations fought this danger by utilizing a variety of plant extracts. For example, ancient Greeks used olive oil, and ancient Egyptians used extracts of rice, jasmine, and lupine plants. Zinc oxide paste has also been popular for skin protection for thousands of years.
Interestingly, these ingredients are still used in skincare today. When it comes to the sunscreen we are familiar with, however, all active ingredients are chemically derived, a feat that could not have been possible thousands of years ago. Perhaps that's why most modern sunscreens were invented by chemists.
So, who is responsible for the invention of sunscreen, and when was sunscreen invented? There are several different inventors who have been credited over time as being the first to develop the protective product.
Who Invented Sunscreen?
In the early 1930s, South Australian chemist H.A. Milton Blake experimented to produce a sunburn cream. Meanwhile, the founder of L'Oreal, chemist Eugene Schueller, developed a sunscreen formula in 1936.
In 1938, an Austrian chemist named Franz Greiter invented one of the first big sunscreen products. Greiter's sunscreen was called "Gletscher Crème" or "Glacier Cream" and had a sun protection factor (SPF) of two. The formula for Glacier Cream was picked up by a company called Piz Buin, which was named after the place Greiter was sunburned and thus inspired to invent sunscreen.
In the United States, one of the first sunscreen products to become popular was invented for the military by Florida airman and pharmacist Benjamin Green in 1944. This came about because of the hazards of sun overexposure to soldiers in the Pacific tropics at the height of World War II.
Green's patented sunscreen was called "Red Vet Pet," for "red veterinary petrolatum." It was a disagreeable red, sticky substance similar to petroleum jelly. His patent was bought by Coppertone, which later improved and commercialized the substance. They sold it as the "Coppertone Girl" and "Bain de Soleil" brands in the early 1950s.
A Standardized Rating
With sunscreen products becoming widely used, it was important to standardize the strength and effectiveness of each product. That's why Greiter also invented the SPF rating in 1962. An SPF rating is a measure of the fraction of sunburn-producing UV rays that reach the skin. For example, "SPF 15" means that 1/15th of the burning radiation will reach the skin (assuming the sunscreen is applied evenly at a thick dosage of two milligrams per square centimeter).
A user can determine the effectiveness of a sunscreen by multiplying the SPF factor by the length of time it takes for him or her to suffer a burn without sunscreen. For example, if a person develops a sunburn in 10 minutes when not wearing a sunscreen product, that person in the same intensity of sunlight will avoid sunburn for 150 minutes if wearing a sunscreen with an SPF of 15.
Further Sunscreen Development
After the U.S. Food and Drug Administration first adopted the SPF calculation in 1978, sunscreen labeling standards have continued to evolve. The FDA issued a comprehensive set of rules in June of 2011 designed to help consumers identify and select suitable sunscreen products that offered protection from sunburn, early skin aging, and skin cancer.
Water-resistant sunscreens were introduced in 1977. More recent development efforts have focused on making sunscreen protection both longer-lasting and broader-spectrum, as well as more appealing to use. In 1980, Coppertone developed the first UVA/UVB sunscreen, which protects skin from both long- and short-wave UV rays.
How Sunscreen Is Different From Sunblock, and What SPF Means
Examples of Everyday Chemistry in the World Around Us
Does Sunscreen Really Protect You?
How Much UV Light Does Glass Really Filter?
How Sunscreen SPF Is Measured and Tested
Why the First Skyscraper Was Only 10 Stories Tall
Should You Buy Weatherproof or Weather-Resistant Gear?
From Phillips to Allen: A History of Screws and Screwdrivers
How Much Do You Know About the History and Invention of WD-40?
Google: The Story Behind One of the Richest Companies in the World
Bill Gates and Other Inventors Whose Names Start with 'G'
Hippocrates Discovered Aspirin (He Just Didn't Know It)
Where Did the Computer Printer Come From?
Cool Science Projects About Materials
History of the Automobile
Who Created the Colt Revolver?


The 1990s witnessed the demise of clinical autonomy and paternalism, and in their place came informed consent theory and evidence-based practice incorporating protocols, guidelines and audit.
Both have been heralded as significant boosts to improved standards of healthcare. But the two may also conflict where an informed patient decides, perhaps in the doctor's view irrationally, to reject a course of treatment recommended by guidelines in favour of something untried, untested or even clearly detrimental to the patient's health.
What should the doctor do if a patient refuses treatment?
Adult competent patients are entitled to accept or reject treatment options. Their reasons do not have to be sound or rational; indeed, they do not have to give any reasons at all.
Where a competent adult refuses treatment recommended by guidelines, the doctor is bound to respect that refusal. If he does not, the doctor may face disciplinary action by the General Medical Council, plus possible civil and criminal proceedings in battery.
The patient must be competent.
He or she must have sufficient information to be able to make a choice.
The decision must be made voluntarily.
Does the patient understand the treatment information, i.e. the implications of accepting or rejecting the various treatment options?
Does the patient believe it?
Can he or she weigh it in the balance to arrive at a choice?
If the answer to all three questions is yes, the patient is competent to give or withhold consent.
How much information should the doctor give?
Assuming the patient to be competent, how much information should be given to a patient about prospective treatments?
The GMC booklet Seeking Patients' Consent: The Ethical Considerations2 gives specific advice on information that should be given to patients (see extract in Figure 1, below).
As can be seen from the extract, there is now a considerable duty on doctors to explain the available treatments and the patients' rights in some detail.
What is the doctor's duty in these circumstances?
The duty on the doctor is to ensure that patients understand the implications of their proposed course of action.
Information must be provided in objective terms, if necessary recruiting colleagues with special expertise to provide further advice, but scaremongering is out of the question.
Discharging the duty of care following refusal requires the doctor to provide treatment, promoting the patient's best interest but within the limits of the patient's consent.
Consent or refusal must be given voluntarily. Any degree of coercion, fear, force or fraud will cast doubt upon the validity of the patient's decision.
This point was illustrated in the judgment following the case of Miss T,4 a 20 year old who was admitted to hospital at 34 weeks' gestation with pneumonia.3 She was not herself a Jehovah's Witness but had been brought up as one by her mother.
The day following admission, Miss T announced that she did not want a blood transfusion, although at that time no transfusion had been contemplated. However, later in the day, she went into labour and the baby was delivered by caesarean section.
Because of various complications, a blood transfusion was considered necessary, and was administered while Miss T was in a sedated and critical condition.
The court subsequently held that her earlier refusal of a blood transfusion was not valid because when she had made that decision, she had not anticipated the specific complication that she then faced.
In the Court of Appeal the issue was analysed further, where it was held that a refusal may be inoperative where there was such a degree of external influence as to persuade the patient to depart from her own wishes to an extent that the law regards as undue influence.
Patients may also make advance refusals of treatment – more commonly known as living wills or advance directives. These are statements made by patients when competent about how they wish to be treated should they become incompetent at a later stage.
The statement will have legal force provided that the patient made it when competent on the basis of sufficient information and made the choice freely. Only if there is reason to believe that the patient has changed his or her mind since making the advance directive, or the advance directive is not sufficiently specific to be applicable to the treatment in question, is it legitimate to disregard it.
Patients can reject treatments that doctors consider prudent, but can they insist on treatments the doctor considers unwise?
Provided that withholding the treatment is not in itself negligent, doctors are not compelled to provide everything a patient may demand.
Lord Donaldson, when Master of the Rolls, likened a patient's consent to turning the key in a door to unlock it. It is then up to the doctor to decide if the door should be opened by providing treatment, that decision being dependent upon assessing whether doing so would be in the best interests of the patient.
When it comes to conflict between guidelines and consent, consent is king – provided that the patient really is in a position to make an informed choice.
Re C  2 All ER 782.
Seeking Patients' Consent: The Ethical Considerations. London: General Medical Council, November 1998.
Good Medical Practice. 2nd edn. London: General Medical Council, July 1998.
Re T  4 All ER 649.


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Q: Making a pop up modal using dynamically created buttons / divs I'm currently building a sort of image selection and would like to make it so when clicking the magnifying glass icon on the images it pops up a modal showing the whole picture, title and description. I have one problem though, all of my info is being pulled in from Google Sheets using Sheetrock.js and has a template with Handlebars.js.
// Define spreadsheet URL.
var mySpreadsheet = 'https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1it6QkBRPDsIqYOtr_UbFFmHBEADVkKaKjdghLSX5d3E/edit#gid=0';

// Compile Handlebars template for team RBI leaders.
var RBITemplate = Handlebars.compile($('#team-rbi-template').html());

// Load top five team RBI leaders.
$('#image-grid').sheetrock({
  url: mySpreadsheet,
  rowHandler: RBITemplate
});

I've had my concept sort of working, except when I call {{cells.ImageURL}} it likes to only show the first image(cell) in the pop up. Which doesn't make sense since it just shows all the queries on the load up of the page in the #image-grid container. I want the modal to have an x button in the top right, as well as, clicking on the fullscreen modal will close it.
Here is what I have built to make the modal:
HTML

    X

Javascript (jQuery)
$(document).on('click', "a.btn", function() {
  $('.modal').toggleClass('modal--show');
      });

$(document).on('click', '.overlay', function() {
  $('.modal').toggleClass('modal--show');
});

$(document).on('click', '.modal__close', function() {
  $('.modal').toggleClass('modal--show');
});

CSS
.overlay {
    background: rgba(0,0,0,.5);
    position: absolute;
  top: 0;
  left: 0;
  width: 100%;
  height: 100%;
}

.modal {
  visibility: hidden;
}

.modal__contents {
  background: white;
  width: 32rem;
  position: absolute;
  left: 50%;
  margin-left: -16rem;
  top: 6rem;
  min-height: 32rem;
}

.modal__contents h1 {
  margin: 0;
  padding: 0;
  line-height: 32rem;
  text-align: center;
  display: block;
}

.modal__close {
  position: absolute;
  right: 2rem;
  top: 2rem;
  text-decoration: none;
  display: none;
}

.modal--show {
  visibility: visible;
    width: 100%;
    position: absolute !important;
    z-index: 50;
    opacity: 1;
    height: 100%;
}

.modal--transition {
    -webkit-transform: scale(0.7);
    -moz-transform: scale(0.7);
    -ms-transform: scale(0.7);
    transform: scale(0.7);
    opacity: 0;
    -webkit-transition: all 0.3s;
    -moz-transition: all 0.3s;
    transition: all 0.3s;
}

.modal--show .modal--transition {
    -webkit-transform: scale(1);
    -moz-transform: scale(1);
    -ms-transform: scale(1);
    transform: scale(1);
    opacity: 1;
}

I think what is throwing this off is since the button to activate this is generated by the handlebar.js template, it is copied and made dynamically and can't seem to single out the one that is being clicked?
Is there a way I can get this to work so it pulls the {{cells.ImageURL}} of the same cell where it was clicked on?
Here is a JSFiddle to show you what I mean.

A: $(document).on('click', "a.btn", function() {
     $('.modal img').prop('src', $(this).data('img'));
     $('.modal').toggleClass('modal--show');
});

although that means that every button would need a data-img="" attribute with the corresponding image or if the image is within the a element you could use
$(document).on('click', "a.btn", function() {
     $('.modal img').prop('src', $(this).find('img').prop('src'));
     $('.modal').toggleClass('modal--show');
});

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
The 10 most important things in the world right now
Rosie Perper
Jun 26, 2018, 4:40 PM
A man drives away on his Harley-Davidson motorcycle after picking it up from the service garage of the Harley-Davidson of New York City showroom store, June 25, 2018 in the Queens borough of New York City. Photo: Drew Angerer/Getty Images
Hello! Here's what's happening on Tuesday.
1. US border officials stopped prosecuting migrant families. The top border enforcement official said the change occurred after President Donald Trump signed an executive order to end the family separations.
2. Motorcycle company Harley-Davidson will move some of its production outside the US. The move is in response to new tariffs by the EU on US-made motorcycles.
3. Prince William landed in Israel for the first official visit by a member of the royal family. The prince's three-day tour will include visits with Israeli and Palestinian leaders after tensions recently flared.
4. UK MPs voted to expand Heathrow Airport. Plans to build a third runway were approved after debate raged for over two decades.
5. Syrian state media claimed Israeli missiles struck near Damascus airport. Monitoring groups said the missile reportedly hit a Hezbollah "arms depot" early Tuesday morning.
6. Alibaba CEO Jack Ma repeated his warning against bitcoin. Ma said blockchain technology could "change our world more than people imagine," but warned that bitcoin could be a bubble.
7. Thousands of Iranian protesters shut down Tehran's Grand Bazaar. The protest is the city's largest since 2012 and targets rising prices and the country's sinking currency.
8.A Florida man who pretended to be an Australian jihadist was jailed for 10 years. The 23-year-old had various online personas and encouraged terror attacks in the US and Australia.
9. Apple CEO Tim Cook said he spoke out against Trump's immigration policies because he wanted to stand up for his immigrant workers. Last week, Cook called Trump's "zero-tolerance" policy "inhumane."
10. Chinese bike sharing firm Ofo is letting the Chinese Communist Party have a say in 'major decisions.' The company changed its corporate charter to highlight the role of the Party.
America's closest allies are furious about Trump's tariffs, and now an unorthodox idea to go after him is gaining steam.
10 most important things in the world


This product is a delicious fruit jelly snack. It contains, real fruit juice combined with real fruit chunks. It's easy to eat and has a safe new design for kids. The easy twist open top allows the product to turn into jelly and be enjoyed by the consumer.


After getting knowledge about Freestyle Scootering and the surfaces on which it is played, now it is time to know about the equipment, the scooter without which this Adventure Sport is of no use.
There are many parts in a small looking scooter and we will discuss the main and most used parts in the scooter only.
Decks: Decks are the part on which the performer rests his or her foot. Despite having a history of just around 20 odd years the decks of the scooter has kept on changing. The very first decks were used to be called the 'Razor A Style' decks. Nowadays the decks of the freestyle scooters are not having a folding mechanism which the early scooters used to have. Most of the decks in a current lot of scooters are actually three different parts which are made out of metal and are welded and/or bolted to remain to gather.
Bars: Bars or hand bars are actually made out of chrome or aluminum. Even here the technology has made loads of changes and the first used bars have now been things of passé and new bars are welded and stronger ones. There are many variations in bars and OG or T-bars are more popular. The width of these scooter bars are 14" to 30" wide and they are between 18" to 30" taller.
Forks: The scooter forks are necessary so that it can take the burden of bent and stresses the scooter takes while the rider is riding on it and performing. There are companies in the USA who are masters of making fresstyle scooter forks only. The forks work with a compression system and it has replaced the thread system which was existed earlier and has made life easier for the riders.
Wheels: Of course the wheels are an integral part of a scooter and it is made of plastic core and urethane outside. But then the problems of cracked and broken wheels arise and new metal core wheels are developed which are used even today.
Breaks: Plenty of choices for the breaks are available for the riders but the flex fenders are the most used breaks in the freestyle scootering. The old style breaks used to led the situation of cracking and the new style of having flat and curves piece of metal as a break is working just fine for these scooters.
Pegs: The pegs which you often find in the BMX bikes are often seen in these scooters as well. The scooter pegs are used for cutting out on ledges and other obstacles.


The 2015 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is yet another fantastic wine from Cathy Corison. It opens to striking aromatics of blackberries and currants woven together with spices, graphite and fresh spring florals. On the palate it displays remarkable overall balance and structure with beautifully polished tannins. Pure and precise, with wonderful complexities, this thoroughly impresses from start to finish. While this is already drinking beautifully, it will without question have a sensational future ahead.


Info Edge's real estate portal 99Acres, which depends on online advertising for half its revenues, reported its revenues 39% year on year to Rs 19 crores for the quarter ending December 31st 2013, and reported a small profit of Rs 44 lakh. Financial year 2014-14 was expected to be bad but in early 2014, competitors started milking a virtual cow which depended solely on advertising. More than 50% of the revenue earned by 99Acres,the groups real estate business, comes from marketing. But since advertising in 2014 was decreased portals were counting on broking business and lead generation. Email broadcasting of projects instead of banner ad revenues were main revenue earner.
Portals were funded for capitalisation but major players like 99acres leads in unique visitors game. Funding was nothing but value proposition and on paper rather than actual revenue source. Although market is limited and content do not vary as far as project listings are concerned, property portals and listing sites deteriorated as far as listing revenue is concern. Hence neither advertising nor listing were working for them. The only revenue source was to convert operations into broking business. ICICI Direct, a share trading portal also jumped in to the foray and started generating leads for its advertisers.
Housing.com raised $2.5 million 7 months ago, it first came into prominence for their usage of maps for real estate listings, and subsequently followed it up with verified listings. They have recently launched an agent Map for agent search as well. Commonfloor has also raised $10 million from its investors. It has an android app with a augmented reality listings. Indiaproperty.com has also raised $12 million from Bertelsmann and others. Times Internet backed MagicBricks, once the market-leader, has introduced a series of products like deals, apart from locality specific pages, and a luxury segment.
But unfortunately, so called research data was out come of copying content from each other and from secondary market. Brokers having listing of even projects, builders listing for projects hence over laping and duplicate entries and unit wise sale of same projects made them claim huge data of one million odd listing. Can a person physically vouch each and every listing? none of the listing portal validated the data for ultimate customer uses.
One thing is certain, after government passes Housing Regulatory Bill and make all projects details mandatory to be listed on govt's website, these portals will have no relevance as far as authenticity of data is concern. They will be equal on listing and manipulative listing of brokers. The only business revenue model for them is to lure traffic on their site.


Broadcasts, especially live events such as the News, can run overtime by a few minutes. Broadcasters can update the schedule to correctly reflect the actual start or end time of any live programming; however this may not always be feasible given the dynamic nature of live broadcasts.
To compensate for this inevitability, by default Freeview Recorders would add a buffer (typically about 5 minutes) at the start and end of a programme where possible. However if multiple recordings are scheduled back to back across multiple channels, the recorder may not always be able to apply the buffer and even though the recorder is starting and ending the recording correctly according to the broadcast schedule, the recordings may appear to be missing the start or end of the programme due to last-minute schedule creeps.
If you'd like to provide feedback about inaccurate start or end times of programmes, please contact the broadcaster directly with the time and date of the programme as well as programme title.


This outstanding +- 3,400 square foot residence has been tastefully updated throughout. Great scale with high ceilings, large, open spaces and timeless finishes define the 5 bedroom, 3 bath home. Designed in an "L" shape on one level, all of the home's main rooms open directly to the level yard and mature gardens. The outdoor living spaces are exquisite and resort like in every way. Perfectly site placed on a sprawling +-6/10ths of a level acre, the outdoor living areas include sweeping level front and rear lawns, a large, in ground pool, spa, & outdoor shower. The mature trees and gardens are bathed in all day sun. Located in the coveted "flats" of one of San Rafael's most desirable neighborhoods, the residence offers convenient access to the neighboring gourmet food stores, restaurants and highway 101.
Stunning master suite has French doors opening to the rear yard and gardens. The master suite includes a large, walk in closet with custom built ins. The en suite master bathroom offers a soaking tub, "Nu Heat" floors, walk in shower, and a large double vanity.


text:
Wynn Resorts Shares Slide
Shares fall on an analyst downgrade and news the company will dilute its common stock.
Ross Snel
Nov 9, 2004 12:35 PM EST
(WYNN) - Get Report
shares fell more than 6% on Tuesday following an analyst's downgrade and news the casino company will dilute its common stock.
Banc of America Securities analyst Jeremy Cogan downgraded Wynn from buy to neutral Tuesday, saying positive news is already baked into the stock's price. (Banc of America Securities has done and expects to do investment banking business with Wynn Resorts.)
"We remain fans of the Wynn story," Cogan wrote in a note accompanying his downgrade. "We continue to believe Wynn is in the crosshairs of three of the strongest themes in gaming (i.e., significant growth opportunities in Macau, strong Las Vegas fundamentals, and the recent speculation on land values on 'The Strip'
in Las Vegas). Even so, at current levels we think most of the good news is discounted."
Cogan has just visited Macau and wrote that capacity growth in the southern Chinese city appears stronger than expected. "While we knew that new capacity was coming, our tour of Macau this week has clearly demonstrated that supply could exceed current Wall Street expectations despite the limited number of participants, i.e., we see the market gearing for a three- to four-time increase in table capacity by 2010 versus a healthy three-time increase in revenue," he wrote.
The analyst noted that Wynn's stock has risen more than 80% since mid-August. On Tuesday, shares fell $4.18, or 6.51%, to $60.01.
Also Tuesday, Wynn said it will sell an additional 7.5 million shares of its common stock through Deutsche Bank Securities. Expected to close next Monday, the offering will generate about $453 million. Wynn has about 90.5 million shares outstanding, so the offering would dilute the company's common stock by 8%.
Wynn plans to use the proceeds from the sale to help reduce its debt, but also to help fund an expansion -- announced late Monday -- to its 3,500-room Wynn Las Vegas casino, which is scheduled to open next April. The expansion, tentatively dubbed "Encore at Wynn Las Vegas," will be on 20 acres of land next to the existing site and is expected to open in 2007 with an estimated price tag of $900 million. It likely will include 1,500 hotel suites, additional casino space and restaurants, and convention and retail space.
MarketsOpinionFeatures and Commentary


Kolot Media & Entertainment - welcome to the temporary website ofKolot Media & Entertainment Pvt. Ltd. Kolot is a new age media and entertainment company focussed on creating and delivering exceptional experiences across the world by bringing together the skills of Creative Strategists, Event Managers, Film Makers, Creative Technologists, Digital and Social Media Experts and Talent Managers.
Kolot Media & Entertainment Pvt. Ltd.
Kolot is a new age media and entertainment company focussed on creating and delivering exceptional experiences across the world by bringing together the skills of Creative Strategists, Event Managers, Film Makers, Creative Technologists, Digital and Social Media Experts and Talent Managers.
© Copyright 2013 Kolot Media & Entertainment Pvt. Ltd. All rights reserved.


Question: how do you decide what stocks or funds to buy?
For me, financial health is key. It's an important marker, but do we care so much about a company's social mission, really? What's under the hood? How do they care about their employees? Are they really making an impact in the world? Are they values-driven?
Dave Fanger is dedicated to making what he calls "values-driven" investing more accessible. He's the founder and CEO of Swell Investing. It is an innovative impact investing platform that aims to deliver profit, as well as purpose with six socially responsible investment portfolios. It's a platform he started while working for his employer who actually helped Dave incubate the idea. This is a great story within a story, right?
We dive into the meaning of values-driven investing and how Swell Investing selects investments, but also how to convince our boss to let you incubate your big idea while working at the company. We always say, "Don't quit your day job." This is literally working your day job and coming up with your idea and incubating your idea at the day job. Pretty genius.
If you'd like to learn more about Dave Fanger and Swell visit www.swellinvesting.com or follow them on Twitter @davefanger.


text:
var test = require('tap').test,
    createDragForce = require('../lib/dragForce'),
    physics = require('ngraph.physics.primitives');

test('reduces force value', function (t) {
  var body = new physics.Body();
  body.force.x = 1; body.force.y = 1;
  body.velocity.x = 1; body.velocity.y = 1;

  var dragForce = createDragForce({ dragCoeff: 0.1 });
  dragForce.update(body);

  t.ok(body.force.x < 1 && body.force.y < 1, 'Force value is reduced');
  t.end();
});

test('Initialized with default value', function (t) {
  var dragForce = createDragForce();
  var dragCoeff = dragForce.dragCoeff();
  t.ok(typeof dragCoeff === 'number', 'Default value is present');

  t.end();
});

test('Can update default value', function (t) {
  var dragForce = createDragForce();
  var returnedForce = dragForce.dragCoeff(0.0);

  t.ok(dragForce === returnedForce, 'Allows chaining');

  var dragCoeff = dragForce.dragCoeff();
  t.ok(dragCoeff === 0.0, 'Default value is updated');
  t.end();
});


Social Media Management + Social Media Marketing Experts. Is your social not packing enough punch? When done right, social media can be the most effective marketing tool for business growth, engagement and exposure. Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook may seem straight forward to the average person who uses those platforms to connect with friends and family. But using social media as a tool to advertise your company's products and services, while strategically tracking and measuring results? That, my friend, is an entirely different beast. WIDSIX is the solution to sharing your business the right way.
Our social media team has magic in their fingertips, and every account we manage experiences stable, genuine growth. We like that.
Social Media Management takes much more than sourcing a few aesthetic photos and slapping them on a feed in the hopes they will produce engagement and profit. If it was that easy, anyone who owns a smartphone would be doing it, don't you think? As one of the top social media focused advertising and marketing agencies in Phoenix, AZ, our focus lies in strategizing each and every aspect of social media management: from consistency in content, to audience engagement, to hashtag use. All of this and more is determined through extensive market research, which guarantees that each of our clients is advertising their service to the appropriate target audience, with the appropriate content.
At the end of the day, the objective with social media marketing is the same across the board: promote your product to the right community and hope they bite. The difference with us is we make sure to actually put you in front of those right people, with the right bait. There is a method behind the madness, and the WIDSIX way works.


text:
Wintun is a very simple and minimal TUN driver for the Windows kernel, which provides userspace programs with a simple network adapter for reading and writing packets. It is akin to Linux's /dev/net/tun and BSD's /dev/tun. Originally designed for use in WireGuard, Wintun is meant to be generally useful for a wide variety of layer 3 networking protocols and experiments. The driver is open source, so anybody can inspect and build it. Due to Microsoft's driver signing requirements, we provide precompiled and signed versions that may be distributed with your software. The goal of the project is to be as simple as possible, opting to do things in the most pure and straight-forward way provided by NDIS.
Usage & Installation
The documentation has extensive information on installing and integrating Wintun into your application, alongside the API reference. Integration is meant to be easy and intuitive, simply requiring the inclusion of a single wintun.dll file.
The source code is provided under the GPL 2.0 and is available via git:
$ git clone https://git.zx2c4.com/wintun
Wintun is distributed as a simple ZIP archive containing signed DLLs for AMD64, X86, ARM64, and ARM32, along with the wintun.h header file for applications. Note that the below signed DLLs are the only supported way of distributing Wintun. The prebuilt signed DLLs are released under a more permissive license than GPL 2.0, included in the ZIP archive.
Download Wintun 0.10
SHA2-256: 45bbe63a7cc60e5b6123b8d06747ba703ab3fd636298a50953db10da1d70f5b6
Contribution & Contact
You may email the WireGuard mailing list with patches sent via git-send-email and formatted with git-format-patch. To report security vulnerabilities, please email security at wireguard dot com.
Copyright © 2018-2020. All Rights Reserved. Wintun™ is a trademark of Jason A. Donenfeld.


Snake Creek Bridge, Okmulgee Co.
Built in 1929, this riveted Warren pony span stands northeast of Okmulgee on NS3980 Road.
Above, damage done to the endpost. Below, a deck view of the truss. Overall, the span is in good, unaltered condition.


text:
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5 Strategies For Increasing Employee Engagement In A Competitive Industry
Keeping good employees is harder than ever before. If you hire and fire for your business, you're well aware of this—the workforce is much more fluid than it was in the past.
In few industries are these changes more evident than with EMTs and paramedics. The work these professionals do is hard, unglamorous and liable to be at odd hours. It's a profession that boasts somewhere between a 20% and 30% turnover rate. But there are ways to combat that.
I recently had the opportunity to speak with Steve Grau, founder of Royal Ambulance and Glassdoor's #25 SMB CEO of 2019, about what his company is doing to reduce turnover and improve retention in their industry.
The strategies Grau shared for increasing employee engagement aren't just applicable to his field, either. They'll work for companies in any competitive industry. If you're dealing with turnover problems—or want to avoid them before they start—try applying these five principles to keep your employees happy in the workplace.
1. Encourage Career Growth
One of the biggest things that sets Grau's Royal Ambulance apart in its industry, is their focus on career growth. Whether employees stay with the company or move on to other opportunities, Royal's invested in their success.
"We've spent a lot of time trying to figure out what our team members are looking for, and a lot of it comes down to just listening to their career aspirations," explains Grau. "We find out what inspires them and why, then use the resources at our disposal to help. Frequently, people don't come to Royal with a very large network, and we work to leverage our alumni network to change that. When challenges come up in discussions, we'll try to tap into people that can help—both in person and through technology."
There are a myriad of ways to encourage career growth, but one of the best is helping people build out their personal network. Put people in contact with others who can help their careers. Don't be afraid to tap your personal connections, too. LinkedIn is great for this, as the professional's social network of choice.
2. Look Outside Your Field For Inspiration
Are you bound by the constraints your industry places on you?
One of the biggest things that can attract and retain employees is an innovative, forward-thinking organization. To be constantly pushing forward, you can't just rely on gathering ideas from within your field—you have to think outside of the box.
One seminal Harvard Business Review article noted that people in distant but analogous fields were likely to come up with better solutions for industry problems than people who actually worked in the industry. "These are people who, although they know little about your field, may be more likely to come up with breakthrough thinking," says the co-authors of the piece. "Indeed, they may be carrying around, in their heads, the gem of the solution you've been searching for all along."
That's one of the things that sets Royal Ambulance apart from its competitors. They're constantly searching for opportunities to pull ideas from elsewhere and apply locally in new ways.
"If you're looking to build innovative processes that improve recruitment, retention or general business practices, you can't be myopic and limit your research to your own bubble," shares co-founder Eve Grau in a recent EMS1 interview. "If you want to build new products or services that differentiate you from your competition, see what Silicon Valley's most innovative tech companies are doing and figure out how you can apply that to your own business."
3. Give Public Praise
One of the things that Royal Ambulance has concentrated on, is using technology to help build up the human side of their business. "Facebook Workplace has been huge for us," notes Grau.
He continues, "We rely on it to keep people in touch with each other—but it's also one of our biggest outlets for public praise of our employees. EMTs give their workmates shoutouts on our Facebook Workplace all the time, which fosters relationships within the team and helps everyone feel more connected."
Facebook Workplace also allows Grau and the rest of the team to communicate praise in other ways. Exit interviews always have a question along the lines of, "Who would you like to give props to?" The answer is always documented and made public. Scholarships and awards ceremonies also go out over the platform and are recognized publicly by the company.
It may sound small, but these things make a meaningful difference.
4. Build Alumni Groups
"I can't imagine getting to where I am today without the help of a lot of other people," shares Grau. "Building a network of people I could call on and that I could help too, has been a huge part of my success. At Royal, we're trying to do that for everyone on our staff. LinkedIn has helped a ton."
Royal Ambulance maintains a robust alumni group on LinkedIn. One of the unique benefits of working for the company is how connected everyone stays even after they've left, which gives a leg up to current employees who want shadowing opportunities or career advice. It even allows them to make connections with alumni who've moved to other industries.
It's a quid pro quo relationship, too—former Royal employees reach out all the time for help or introductions via the company as well. This strong, technology-supported alumni network is a huge help for retention.
5. Stay On Top Of Technology Trends
The EMT and paramedic field may seem like a static one, but staying ahead of technology trends has been a big area Royal attributes its success to.
"We're constantly trying to find new ways to improve our business, and technology is one of the biggest—especially with social media platforms. They allow us to build relationships, show accomplishments and create a community. At the end of the day, we're not just an ambulance company. We want to help our employees succeed wherever they go. If they stay here, so much the better."
That mindset makes the difference, and it's been recognized. In 2018, Royal was ranked #38 as one of the Best Places to Work in the nation by Modern Healthcare.
These strategies that Grau and his team have used to shape their company culture, become a higher-performing organization and improve employee engagement can help you too—regardless of the industry you're operating in.
Approach your team members with an open mind, the willingness to experiment and you'll be well on your way to creating a better future for your company.
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/ryanrobinson/2019/07/24/increase-employee-engagement/#468c33f475f6
Author adminPosted on August 1, 2019 August 1, 2019 Categories Daily Digest
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text:
Single Integrated Metadata Structure (SIMS) (January 2001 - December 2015)
Greek merchant fleet of 100 GRT and over / March 2007
Publication Documents
01. Greek merchant ships of 100 GRT and over,by categories (January 1996 - December 2007)
Greek merchant ships of 100 GRT and over, by categories (January 2006 - December 2017)
Greek merchant ships of 100 GRT and over, by categories (January 2000 - August 2009)


The Senate on Thursday delivered an extraordinary rebuke to President Trump, voting 59-41 to terminate his declaration of a national emergency at the southern border. The vote sets up a likely veto by the president, his first since taking office.
Twelve Republican senators joined with Democrats in supporting a resolution of disapproval to block the president's executive action, concerned that Trump's move represented a threat to the Constitution's separation of powers and a dangerous precedent that could be used by future Democratic presidents.
The Republicans breaking ranks with Trump were: Lamar Alexander (TN), Roy Blunt (MO), Susan Collins (ME), Mike Lee (UT), Jerry Moran (KS), Lisa Murkowski (AK), Rand Paul (KY), Rob Portman (OH), Mitt Romney (R-UT), Marco Rubio (FL), Pat Toomey (PA) and Roger Wicker (MS).
"Never before has a president asked for a certain amount of money, the Congress refused to provide that amount, and then the president spent the amount he asked for anyway," Alexander said.
Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina, who wrote an op-ed weeks ago announcing that he would vote for the resolution, changed his mind and backed Trump. Tillis faces a tough re-election campaign in 2020 and had reportedly been warned by conservatives in his state that he could get challenged in the primaries if he supported the resolution.
Trump last month invoked the National Emergencies Act in order to redirect $3.6 billion appropriated by Congress for military projects toward the building of border barriers.
Why it matters: This is the first time Congress has voted to block a presidential emergency declaration, and it comes on the border wall, a key campaign promise by Trump. While some analysts and pundits applauded Congress for asserting its constitutional authority, others questioned why more Republicans didn't buck the president.
The bottom line: The vote may be embarrassing for Trump, but it may have little immediate practical effect, as Trump has said he'll veto the resolution and Congress won't have the two-thirds majority required to override him. Still, the border wall funding fight will likely be decided by the courts and Congress' vote could bolster lawsuits challenging Trump.


this is now a more rare occurance than in earlier years.
then check the options below to see what help I can provide.
The CDs I publish are done on CD-R discs (recordable CDs). CD players made since about the late 1990s are designed to cope fully with CD-Rs. If you use an older CD player, there is the risk of playback being temperamental depending on the quality of the player, and the compatibility of player and disc. The most common problem is when trying to skip to a particular track, although the player will almost certainly play the disc through from track 1. If you have a pre-2000 CD player and experience problems, please try the CD in a newer player before reporting a disc fault.
If you notice a problem with clicks/crackles on the loudest sounds, before returning the CD as faulty, make sure that it is not caused by your hi-fi set-up. This is not a hi-fi fault issue, but a curious side-effect of connecting certain digital devices to analogue amplifiers. When digital audio devices are switched completely off, they can cause other devices in use to experience this problem. So, try switching on the power of any other digital equipment that is linked to your amplifier.
A CD (not defective) can be returned within 7 days for a refund, but only if the packaging has not been unsealed.
If returning a faulty CD, please only send the disc without the case.
unless this damage occurred in the post.
This is unlikely, as all CDs get a quick test. If it is faulty on arrival, then return the disc only (not the case) for a replacement, as soon as possible (and definitely within 28 days of purchase). If you bought it from a retailer, you can still return the disc to me for a replacement within the same time-scale, but enclose the receipt if possible (or else state when and where it was purchased).
Please return the disc for a free replacement.
I can supply a replacement disc at a cost of £3 (incl. UK postage), provided that the old defective/damaged disc is returned.
Return the case in the original postal packaging for a free replacement.
Please e-mail Ian if you need to obtain contact details for returning your disc or require any further information.


text:
The Championship- The Recipe For Success
Splash £15m on players, declare yourself promotion candidates, get a former England manager running your side and re-brand the stadium and...
By gareth83
Keep Barnet FC at Underhill-Sign this petition now!
104 years. That is the amount of years Barnet has been at Underhill Stadium but this WILL end next year as...
Aidy Boothroyd: Good or bad for Nothampton Town?
After a run of 2 wins and 3 draws in the last 3 matches of last season, many Northampton fans can...
Carling Cup Quarter Finals – New Importance?
With the world of football still reeling from the weekend's events, the attention of fans around the country shifts momentarily, if...
By josephtaylor
Premier League Contenders To Pay For City's Thrashing of Manchester United
Manchester was and still is blue after Manchester City battered Manchester United on Sunday to see the blue moon overshadow the...
By chicharootov
Promoted teams prosper in ever competitive Championship
As Norwich City were looking forward to their upcoming Premier League season, Championship sides Brighton & Hove Albion, Southampton and Peterborough...
Game of the Week Preview: Brighton & Hove Albion vs Crystal Palace
CHAMPIONSHIP GAME OF THE WEEK Brighton & Hove Albion vs Crystal Palace – Tuesday 27th September 2011 – 7.45 pm kick-off...
Homegrown talent means success for Middlesbrough
When the Premier League started 19 years ago, there were only 11 players born outside of England and the rest of...
The Championship Round-up: August
It was, as per usual in the Championship, a month crammed full of unpredictable results, spectacular goals and controversial refereeing decisions....
Rivals Nottingham Forest & Leeds United Struggling to set the Championship Alight
Nottingham Forest & Leeds United came into this season with their fans thinking that the play offs, if not automatic promotion...


text:
By Zhang Xi (China Daily)
Twitter Facebook Myspace Yahoo! Linkedin Mixx
Tea-making treasures catch the fancy of connoisseurs as record prices brew up interest
This zisha tea set is from veteran designer, 79-year-old Zhang Shouzhi. He says practicality is the key to making a good teapot. [Provided to China Daily]
Most teapots used in the West are big and bright and have been styled to cater for European tea-drinkers for hundreds of years. But in China, tea experts say the best brews are made in smaller pots made from special clay. And for about 500 years handmade zisha teapots have been considered the best of the best. They have been indispensable to true tea connoisseurs who seek the subtle nuances of flavor and aroma tenderly expressed by each leaf.
These brown-colored teapots can also be extremely valuable. Last year a zisha pot made by master Gu Jingzhou sold for 12.32 million yuan (1.3 million euros) at the China Guardian Spring Auction. In May the same auction company sold a number of teapots valued at 140 million yuan. Unique production materials, the fame of its maker and the rich cultural tradition associated with zisha are the reasons behind the record prices, says Zhou Guizhen, master of Ceramic Art of China. Zhou says the production material zisha, purple clay, can only be found in Yixing, East China's Jiangsu province, and its porous nature allows the teapot to absorb the essence.
As the teapot becomes seasoned over time, the tea essence captured by the pot will accentuate the character of subsequent brews to such an extent that even plain water can have the taste of tea.
Teapot designer Zhang Shouzhi, 79, says a zisha teapot is fired at 1150 C to bring the fine particles to the surface and push coarse particles beneath. In this case, the teapot keeps high porosity without the possibility of water seepage, he says.
In the 17th century tea, together with porcelain cups and zisha teapots, were shipped to Europe as part of the export of exotic spices and luxury goods. But after a century, as tea became a much more common and cheaper beverage in Europe, demand for the expensive and dark zisha pots fell away.
"Westerners like white and bright stuff to decorate their homes. In the 18th century Frenchmen added other materials on the surface of zisha teapots to make them shiny," says Zhou.
"Today Western tourists still like to buy bright porcelain teapots as gifts. Unlike their Japan and South Korean counterparts, they do not know much about zisha."
Tea has always been important in China and since the Tang Dynasty (AD 618-907), it was considered an elite practice connected with morality, education, principles and status.
However, up until the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), water was added to grounded tea leaves and salt and the mixture was boiled.
For centuriies, tea was mostly considered medicinal but at the beginning of the Ming Dynasty the taste for tea spread and it became a social lubricant.
At this time the Chinese began using pots and poured hot water directly onto tea leaves discovering that this method maintained a better taste.
As this practice spread, higher quality teapots were considered essential and the zisha teapot came onto the scene. "Unlike porcelain or glass, purple clay is neither acidic nor alkalic. The neutral zisha teapots do not affect the initial tastes of teas," says Zhang, who has been in this field for more than 50 years. "Zisha teapots can be used to brew any kind of tea. But real tea lovers only use one teapot for one kind of tea; otherwise, the tastes of different teas will be mixed together in one teapot."
Zhang says the raw clay has excellent balance between flexibility and firmness and has minimal shrinkage after drying, which allows it to be easily crafted into attractive shapes and designs.
"That is why purple clay is perfect material for making teapots," he says.
Changes in tea drinking customs have spurred demand for and protection of zisha teapots.
"The production capacity of these handmade teapots can only meet the need of Asian countries," he says.
"And our country did not organize big exhibitions overseas to promote zisha teapots although some zisha artists have demonstrated their production skills in the United States as part of cultural exchanges in recent years."
There may be another reason why the zisha teapot is not that known among Westerners.
"In Western countries, the standard size of a teapot is 1,200 cubic centimeters but a zisha teapot is most frequently smaller to ensure the flavours can be better concentrated, controlled and then repeated," Zhang says.
"The size of a teapot is determined by the custom of people in different places. Even in ancient China, small zisha teapots were not popular in dry northern parts because tea was not produced there.
"People did not care much about the quality of teas. Instead, they preferred big teapots to drink more water at once to ease their thirst.
"But in the humid southern part of China, the homeland of tea, people knew more about teas and were keen to enjoy the flavor of teas with zisha teapots."
This view is echoed by Gao Zhenyu, deputy-director of the Ceramic Art Research Center of the Chinese National Academy of Arts.
He says that improved transport throughout the country also played a role. "Chinese people in different regions started to enjoy teas grown in other places and therefore more and more people realized the importance of having a good teapot," he says.
"And one made with purple clay is the first choice."
What attracts many people to zisha teapots, apart from the distinctive material from which they are made, is their attractive design.
The traditional teapots have generally featured calligraphy and Chinese art, but these days just about anything goes. For instance, a few years ago designer Zhang drew on the image of spaceships to design a zisha teapot series called UFO.
But zisha pot dealers realize that a cool or elegant design is not the only hook on which prospective customers will hang their buying decision.
The essential ingredient is practicality, Zhang says. Price, of course, is another consideration.
Zhang Shukai, who sells zisha teapots in Gaobeidian, an area in Beijing reputed for its shops that sell antique furniture, says that in Yixing you can expect to pay 500 yuan for an authentic zisha teapot made of purple clay.
"But if it is made by a famous artist the price will be higher, and there is no ceiling," he says.
"Foreign customers are mostly from Japan and South Korea. They prefer pots that cost more than 100 yuan."
Biden Visits China
US Vice-President Joe Biden visits China August 17-22.
Star journalist leaves legacy
Li Xing, China Daily's assistant editor-in-chief and veteran columnist, died of a cerebral hemorrhage on Aug 7 in Washington DC, US.
Robots seen as employer-friendly
Robots are not new to industrial manufacturing. They have been in use since the 1960s.
Hear we go
Right to rewrite?


Avoid probate and other legal issues with a living trust, will, power of attorney, and other estate planning documents.
Protect your assets, provide for your family.
No matter the stage of life, everyone want to know that their assets and loved ones will be taken care of. For over 36 years, the attorneys at Postic & Bates have helped clients protect what matters most—ensuring your family's financial future and achieving peace of mind.
Although there are many different kinds of estate planning documents, we have outlined some of the most common estate planning documents below. You can learn more about each by clicking on the links below or clicking the menu on the lefthand side of the page.
Last Wills and Testaments – Wills are the most common type of estate planning document. They state what happens to your "stuff" after you die. However, wills are still subject to the court process known as probate.
Trusts – Like wills, trusts say what happens to your "stuff" after you die. But unlike a will, a trust can avoid the probate process entirely.
Durable Powers of Attorney – A power of attorney appoints someone (your "attorney-in-fact") who can act for you in certain circumstances, e.g., medical and/or financial. A "durable" power of attorney simply means that it does not expire in the event your become incapacitated or incompetent.
What other estate planning options are there?
Many people have turned to "Do It Yourself" estate planning programs only to later realize that those documents did not actually achieve their goals. Estate planning is not a "one size fits all" proposition. For that reason, we always recommend you consult with an attorney.
No matter the stage of life, everyone want to know that their assets and loved ones will be taken care of. At Postic & Bates, we help protect what matters most to you, ensuring your family's future and achieving some much-needed peace of mind.


 How Do You Like The Air Jordan 3 Triple White?
How Do You Like The Air Jordan 3 Triple White?
All white sneakers are a must have for summer, and this Air Jordan 3 Triple White is one of the perfect choices for the warm months. Similar to the 2007 Air Jordan 3 Pure Money, this clean iteration is detailed with silver accents and tonal cement overlays across its toe cap and heel area. Finally, a white midsole, and icy translucent rubber outsole completes the design altogether.
Retailing for $190, look for this Air Jordan 3 at select Jordan Brand stores and online on July 21st. Click and bookmark our official Air Jordan 3 Triple White hub page now for all imagery, full release details and how to buy online. Always keep it locked to KicksOnFire for the latest in sneaker news, release dates and where to purchase your favorite kicks.