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It was an honest enough question from my young friend, who'd seen some early postings on Facebook regarding my trip to Mexico City at the tail-end of August.
"Why did you go?"
I'd made it known (and most who know me would have suspected it anyway) that of the main reasons I'd decided to accept the invitation by CatholicMom.com, Grace Hill Media and Warner Bros. Pictures to be among a group of journalists previewing the horror movie, "The Nun" — fourth up in The Conjuring series — a love for horror films was not among them.
So why did I, a Catholic who tries to live her faith in the light, end up at an old, supposedly-haunted convent in Mexico viewing the kind of movie that, in the minds of some, serves only to highlight evil? To appease those wondering, I've pulled together the Top 10 reasons, from my perspective.
1. THE LAND OF OUR LADY OF GUADALUPE? YES PLEASE! Ever since a fellow Catholic mother in my home of Fargo, N.D., showed a group of friends a slideshow of her pilgrimage to Mexico City to visit Our Lady of Guadalupe Basilica and view the tilma — the image impressed upon a garment worn by Juan Diego in the early 1500s after Mary appeared to him — I've had this place on my bucket list. Though it wasn't the primary order of business, and I wasn't sure time would even allow for a visit to the shrine (the most frequently visited apparition site in the world), it did come to be, thanks be to God, and I can't wait to share more soon.
A statue depicting Juan Diego displaying the tilma, near the base of the site where the apparitions occurred in Mexico City in the early 1500s.
The Tilma — the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe, an impression left in the cloak of Juan Diego during the apparition of Our Blessed Mother in Mexico City in the 1500s; an event that led to the conversion of millions to the Catholic/Christian faith, currently kept behind the altar in the newer basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe.
2. FACING MY FEARS: Earlier this summer, I had the most terrifying airplane experience of my life, and was left wondering whether I'd ever get up the nerve again to travel by plane. This new anxiety bothered me. I wondered about the opportunities I might miss, gripped by fear. Saying "yes" to this junket would be a chance to face my fears in so many ways — my new and growing fear of flying, not to mention watching a horror film, which is not my cup of tea, and in a foreign land no less! It was a chance to go bold and not let my fears keep me from living. I'm grateful to say everything went off without a hitch! Yes, even being "dropped" into another country for a few days, one in which I knew only small bits of the language, reminded me I am not alone, that God always goes with me. I faced and conquered my fears and grew in trust. On the way there, I sensed Our Lady of Guadalupe opening her arms and ushering me to her side. It was a lovely visual that kept me peaceful and hopeful.
3. I LOVE NUNS! Those closest to me know I've had a long and beautiful relationship with a group of Carmelite nuns here in North Dakota. They have offered me harbor on many occasions, and given me such an appreciation for the cloistered life and its fruits. I'll admit, the very fact that this movie was centered around a cloistered monastery intrigued me, not to mention that it would be focused on the nuns themselves. I was curious how the nuns in this movie would be portrayed — not just the evil nun whose character forms the base for the story, but the good nuns also. Especially the good nuns! Having the chance to talk with the main actress, Taissa Farmiga, who did an excellent job in her role as a grace-filled, frightened-but-courageous young novice — along with another main character and the director — was indeed thrilling.
Meeting the actors and director, Aug. 23, 2018, at the convent the day after the viewing of "The Nun"
A brief brush with Taissa Farminga, lead actress and novice in "The Nun" film
4. THE SCANDALS ARE SCARIER: This opportunity came just as the Church scandals were beginning to break wide open. And while I don't believe glorifying evil a worthy pursuit, these other evils in our Catholic family right now seemed so much scarier, and more horrifying, than any horror film could be. I knew "The Nun" is a fully fictional account, whereas these other situations are real; the true horror at the moment. I also figured that analyzing the film with fellow journalists and seeing behind-the-scenes glimpses could help break down the fear factor, as information and details often do — and that proved true.
5. A CHANCE TO IMPRESS MY FAMILY: While I'm not a lover of horror films, several family members — including my husband and older kids — are. I'll admit that may have come into play in my agreeing to go. Knowing my leaving could be an inconvenience, I left the final decision up to my husband, who urged me onward. "Are you kidding? You have to!" We're called to be in the world, but not of it. In the end, knowing some of these dear ones would likely see this film with or without my review, I decided I'd rather they hear about it from me first than leave them to tackle this culture wholly on their own. (My youngest two, 13 and 15, will not be viewing it anytime soon).
6. TURNING 50: I was a week from my 50th birthday the day I flew to Mexico City. Surely, a self-challenge figured into my decision. When you realize your life is likely more than half over, you tend to want to jump at unique opportunities while you can, and this was certainly one.
7. I LOVE CONVENTS! Knowing we'd be viewing the film at Ex Convento del Desierto de Los Leones, a former Carmelite convent in rural Mexico, provided an additional layer of intrigue. The trip to the site our two evenings there, involving traveling in a shuttle up hills on treacherous roads in the rain, proved to be every bit as scary as the film itself. The convent grounds, however, were absolutely stunning, and our trip through the catacombs, memorable. I wouldn't have wanted to miss this rare chance to glimpse this gem. Though it's hard to find information about the convent in English, I enjoyed this blogger's rendition of her visit.
8. FELLOWSHIP: I absolutely loved the chance to view this film with fellow media folks. As part of the faith-based bunch, I felt very "safe" knowing I would not be alone, and there would be plenty of discussion and analysis afterward with others who see things from a faith perspective. I am especially grateful that God saw fit to pair me with the only religious sister on the adventure, Sister Rose Pacatte, a more seasoned film critic, who brought along holy water that she sprinkled in the viewing room the evening we watched "The Nun" together.
Sr. Rose sprinkles holy water on the journalists before the viewing of "The Nun" in Mexico, Aug. 23, 2018
9. FOOD: I will never turn down an offer to experience new foods, and Mexico City definitely served up some scrumptious treats.
A glimpse of the meal we were served after watching "The Nun." We certainly worked up an appetite after shrieking our way through the film.
10. AN INVITATION: At the first mention of an the invitation to a film junket, I checked the dates, even before knowing which film would be highlighted. Surprisingly, my schedule was clear those days only. When the film's name was revealed, I felt initial conflict, knowing embarking on this adventure might confuse some because of my faith. But also because of that faith, and the light that burns in my heart, I sensed there would be blessings I'd be denied by saying no. I've learned to be discerning, but also to err on the side of adventure and an openness to new experiences. This one did not disappoint!
Our first peek at the convent in Mexico where we viewed the film "The Nun." Enter if you dare! Aug. 23, 2018
So, there you have it — why I went. As far as my take on the "The Nun" film, which opens in theaters this week, for now, let me say it takes place in a Catholic setting, which might be of interest to some of my fellow Catholic friends. If you are inclined toward the horror genre — some are as a way to gain a sense of control over the evil in our world — go see for yourself. It is terrifying and revolting in moments, so be prepared to close your eyes if you're sensitive to strong visuals. In fact, if you normally wouldn't seek out such a film, I don't suggest you do. But know that if you go, you'll find a satisfying, quite triumphant ending — a real good-over-evil moment. Either way, I hope you will enjoy hearing about my experiences from a Catholic perspective. Stay tuned for more in the coming weeks.
A nook in the corner of Ex Convento del Desierto de Los Leones, set up for the promotion of "The Nun" film
Q4U: What are your thoughts on horror films and why some are drawn to them? Where do you draw the line in the movies you choose to view? Do you plan on seeing "The Nun?"
Filed Under: Catholicism, Events, Faith, Faith & Family Fridays, Outings Tagged With: horror, Mexico City, The Conjuring, The Nun 1 Comment
I've always loved trees. Growing up on the Plains of northeastern Montana, I experienced plentiful patches of them along the Missouri River, which wound southward of town. Cottonwoods closer by snowed "cotton" in the spring, spilling into puddles in the streets and turning them fluffy white.
But for vast stretches of the land around us, in a town named for a tree — Poplar — these beauties of nature were in relatively short supply. It was upon looking down on the flourishing trees in Minnesota during a plane ride that I determined I'd live near lots of trees someday, and chose Minnesota for college.
Treetops at Itasca State Park, from 100 feet and 134 stairs up, Aiton Heights Fire Tower observation deck, August 2018
Eventually, though, I ended up in North Dakota, on the edge of the Red River, settling again on a mostly-treeless landscape, but which boasts the most glorious sunsets.
Thankfully, Minnesota is nearby, and the trees and lakes it harbors, a short drive away. We have become especially smitten by a particular proliferation of them at Itasca State Park, a place that where the headwaters of the Mighty Mississippi rest, and host of many summer family retreats.
After a few years off, this summer we found ourselves back in this bounteous place, surrounded once again by a colorful palette of wildflowers, birds which happily flitted about and filled the woods with song; along with chirping squirrels and myriad other critters; glistening lakes that wooed and refreshed; and, of course, the towering, telling trees.
Tall trees of Itasca State Park, August 2018
This year, the trees spoke more profoundly to me than ever as I wandered through cemented paths and narrower dirt trails, allowing the restorative green to envelop and fill me.
Walking trail in the woods, Itasca State Park, Minnesota, August 2018
Our trip happened around the time we were learning about a rather ugly scandal in the Church. Some of it had been hinted at earlier, but to confront the reality left part of me broken. I know I'm not alone in this feeling. Given this, the woods seemed especially, in an rather urgent way, necessary. I needed their calm. I needed what they had to tell me.
Trees don't speak words, but wisdom. The forest holds many visual stories. Some of the trees were bent over, or showed erosion. One could imagine the many winters, the violent storms, that left them twisted or mangled.
Tree roots entangles, Itasca State Park, August 2018
A fallen cedar, Itasca State Park, August 2018
Some just spoke of beauty. In trunks, I saw the touch of the divine. It caught me, and I found myself breathing and walking more slowly.
Mossy tree trunk, at the entrance to Minnesota's largest white pine attraction, August 2018
We stayed one night more than usual, and this extra evening gave us time to sink just a little deeper into the peace of this place. I wanted to hold it here, for myself, and perhaps, hopefully, for you, too. We all need these reminders of God's bounty.
I took much of this in during the quiet, but in moments, the sounds of children entered the atmosphere. I welcomed them. There was the boy on a bike with his mother, chatting excitedly as they went along a path together. And at night, as the sun dipped, the sounds of children playing games, giggling before bedtime.
Our priest recently visited the Giant Sequoias in the Sierra Nevada, and wrote about his experience of them, calling them "cathedral-like." "Everyone recognizes this — that they are in the presence of something special," he observed. "People almost universally become quiet — voices are stilled as they look and wonder, and hushed when they speak."
Though I've never been there, I could imagine it, based on our time at Itasca and the exhale it brought. He, however, mentioned how the presence of children could possibly make it harder for parents to appreciate the silence of the trees. My response differed; those small voices struck me as blessings. Maybe it's because our children are no longer little, and I could see it from another vantage point.
Trees and setting sun from near the top of Aiton Heights Fire Tower, Itasca State Park, Aug. 7, 2018
No, rather than a distraction, the voices of the children echoing through the forest made me happy. I realized that children these days have so few chances to be in nature and just breathe. Parents these days, too, are running around trying to keep up with life in our modern age. It's not easy, for either.
I realized that God wants to give us this gift. Our souls need the green, need the tall trees to whisper perspective and beauty into our hearts. We need, too, the calming effect of these trees next to a lavish lake near sunset.
Lake Itasca near dusk, August 2018
As much as I realize we are invading the home of millions of critters, it didn't escape me this visit that this was meant for us humans, too, and maybe most of all. I found myself feeling deeply grateful for those who, in their wisdom, make sure there are places like this for us to dwell, even for short bursts.
The trees whispered to me, over and over. They whispered simplicity. They chanted of the wide perspective we long to remember. They recalled other moments, in childhood, searching for insects, and watching my dad watch the birds. They told me to rest a while, and my body and soul responded in thanksgiving.
I came away convinced we all need a little time in the woods. We all need a chance to enfold ourselves in the trees, and let them speak to us. They want to heal us. It is God's wish that we are healed. And if we listen, it's quite possible the trees will draw us closer into the bosom of God.
Lake Itasca at sunset, Aug. 5, 2018
Q4U: What is your relationship with trees? Your favorite memory of reveling in them?
Filed Under: Faith, Faith & Family Fridays, Grief, Outings, Seasons Tagged With: Aiton Heights Fire Tower, beauty, Itasca State Park, nature, trees 1 Comment
Recently, I embarked on a solo journey from the Plains of North Dakota through the sparkling lakes country of Minnesota and lush, forest lands of Wisconsin, bound for Green Bay, for the Catholic Media Conference hosted by the Catholic Press Association.
As with all journeys, a pilgrim, even alone, is never truly by herself. I had my books-on-tape to offer mental stimulation, friends to meet along the way for companionship and reprieve, and many comrades, new and old, with whom to mingle at our common destination.
I came away from the week overwhelmed with information and inspiration, but one particular evening, our second there, stands out as a worthy takeaway.
It would be hard for me to imagine a trip these days without some kind of spiritual dimension. The evening we hopped on buses bound for The National Shrine of Our Lady of Good Help in Champion, Wis., provided just the nourishment our tired souls needed, for that night and the rest of the week.
After perusing the grounds, and hearing an introduction to the story of Adele Brise, to whom the Queen of Heaven, Our Lady of Good Help, appeared in 1859, along with Mass and a reception, we were invited to partake in a Rosary Walk.
After so much driving in the days prior, I found this peaceful trek around the grounds, and the recitation of the Joyful Mysteries, particularly edifying. Our group seemed especially contemplative as we followed the lead of the priest carrying the heavy, golden crucifix on our stroll past hay bales and religious markers.
It was a beautiful night, that magical time in the evening when the sun begins its descent, providing a nice glow and casting myriad shadows upon the landscape. At one point, I looked to the left of us, and noticed our own dark, elongated likenesses moving mindfully across the grass. The solemn, serene advance of our group felt blissful to me, as if we were marching towards Heaven.
But it was the message just before our walk that made my own contemplation so meaningful. Impressed by a presentation given by a young religious who'd addressed us after the earlier Mass, I was glad to have a few moments with Fr. Broussard of the Fathers of Mercy community, to hear his personal thoughts about what he does there, and the shrine's significance.
He shared how powerful it can be "to walk with people on their pilgrimages and witness their conversions and healing — sometimes physical and oftentimes spiritual; it's a beautiful thing."
Perhaps because I was so far from my family, I had my children especially on my mind, and asked him what advice he would have for parents in particular — especially those who carry the weight of worry for their children.
"The only perfect mom was the Blessed Mother," he said. "I can't tell you how many parents and grandparents come here praying for their children; children who have fallen away from the faith, or have other issues, whether physical, spiritual, and then that sense of direction and peace they get" when they visit.
The culture, he said, can "very powerfully affect our children in ways we can't fully appreciate or expect." But we are not left without help. He reminded that just as we have sacraments as outward signs instituted by Christ to give grace, we also have sacramentals, outward signs instituted by the Church to give grace. "Taking advantage of these treasures of the Church is very important…there are great graces associated with coming to a place like this and praying the Rosary."
As for whether our prayers will be efficacious, Father said, "You get what you pray for." "People who come here and pray for those graces, especially for their children, those prayers are heard. They might not always be answered in the ways expected, but they're always heard and they're always answered."
Being reminded of this refreshed my will to continue praying without ceasing for my deepest concerns, and of God's great mercy and love for us and our families.
I left Green Bay and Champion with many treasures to hold in my heart, but this reminder I needed most, and most want to share. It was worth all the miles I covered along the way just to come back to the truth that God wants for us life in abundance; all we need to do is ask.
Learn more about The National Shrine of Our Lady of Good Help here.
Q4U: Have you been to the National Shrine of Our Lady of Good Help, the only apparition site approved in the United States by the Catholic Church (in 2010)? I'd love to hear your takeaways.
Filed Under: Faith, Faith & Family Fridays, Outings, Sacraments, Uncategorized Tagged With: Adele Brise, appparition, Catholic Media Conference 2018, Catholic Press Association, Champion, Green Bay, National Shrine of Our Lady of Good Help, Our Blessed Mother Leave a Comment
Saint Gianna's great gift to the world is coming to America!
When Monsignor James Shea announced the special guest in our midst that beautiful April evening, just last month, here in Fargo, N.D., chills spread like a holy electric spark through my body.
"It's my great pleasure now to introduce the daughter of a saint…a saint who has inspired me and countless others for many years; a saint who gave her life for her unborn child so that her daughter might live," he began. "Our honored guest tonight is this daughter, and she has been most worthy of, as she calls them, her 'saint mom and her holy dad.'"
Several years earlier, my middle son had had the privilege of meeting St. Gianna's son, Pierluigi, and dining with him for breakfast, as I shared here. That seemed a once-in-a-lifetime honor for our whole family. I never could have imagined I'd be offered a similar opportunity someday to meet and dine with one of her children — the very one, in fact, for whom she died to save.
A few hours earlier, our group had gathered at my parish of Saints Anne & Joachim Church for Mass with Cardinal Raymond Burke presiding, and a choir from the University of North Dakota providing angelic music from the loft.
And now, the reason the cardinal had descended on our humble city was being announced at the Italian "LaBella Serata" gala that followed, hosted by St. Gianna's Maternity Home in Warsaw, N.D.
I watched with gratitude as Dr. Gianna Emanuela Molla, St. Gianna Beretta Molla's youngest daughter — whom she held for only days before the Lord called her to "Paradise," as her daughter noted — took a spot cheerfully at a podium just feet from me. As she spoke in English flavored with strong hints of Italian, I felt as though I were glimpsing heaven itself.
"I would not be here with you this evening if I had not been loved so much," Molla began. "Life is…the most important, the most precious, the most sacred gift we have…"
Just minutes before, some very exciting news had come to us all. In her quest to honor her mother and father, and promote her mother's legacy, Molla had decided to direct all her aspirations toward establishing a center for pilgrims to pay homage to her parents' lives of sacrifice and love. Until recently, it was planned in Italy as a restoration of a current site, but a new development had changed its course, and we were among the first public audience to hear of it.
"With many prayers and much deliberation, the children of Gianna, along with Cardinal Burke and others involved, have considered several options," Shea reported. "I am humbled and thrilled to announce to you that the St. Gianna and Pietro Molla International Center for Family and Life will be established here in the United States of America."
I have yet to hear where the center will be located, but here's a link to initial plans, along with information on where to donate for those who might want to be part of this exciting project — something that, to me, seems a gift from St. Gianna herself.
Beyond this, let me share some insight I gleaned that beautiful evening. St. Gianna has been connected to the causes of mothers, infants and unborn children, but throughout the course of the evening, as Molla spoke of her parents, even reading part of the love letters they'd exchanged during their marriage, I couldn't help but feel — and quite strongly — that St. Gianna is meant to be, also, a patron saint for marriage, along with her "holy husband" Pietro.
Molla read a few of them to us, including one her father had written after her mother's death: "When you were alive I could see you where you were. Now that you are in heaven I can see you wherever I am." He begged of God, and his wife, "to help me to carry my cross day after day…and grant that every day we may be nearer to you… (and that God would) find us worthy to come near you forever."
Likewise, she read some of her mother's words to her father: "Dearest Pietro, I am sure you will always make me as happy as I am now, and that the Lord will listen to your prayers coming from a heart that has always loved him and served him in a saintly way. Pietro, how much I have to learn from you. You are such a fine example for me and I thank you for it."
In addition, her mother had once called Pietro "the most dearest and most affectionate little husband…the most precious one there is on earth."
And yet, in all, their earthly marriage was very short; St. Gianna died just six years after their wedding, her daughter shared, and only a few days after her April 21st birthday on Holy Saturday, in 1962.
"Dad lived 48 years of his long life without Mom's peaceful presence," Molla shared, noting that her sister Maria died tragically shortly after her mother's death at only 6 years old from a bacterial infection.
"I can testify, since I've lived almost 50 years of my life with my Dad, that my saint-mom listened to my dad's prayers, and helped him to carry his cross day after day and realize God's will," Molla shared, noting that they wanted to be "one heart and one soul," and were united spiritually in Communion, through death. "Love lasts not a day but forever."
She continued, saying that during his long life — Pietro died at age 97 — her father told her many times, "Eternity would not be enough time to thank the Lord for all the graces he has granted me." Molla added that her Mom testified to the sacrament of life, along with her Dad, "till their last breath."
I'm not sure what is a more beautiful testament to marriage than these words, from a daughter of a saint, and from her "holy dad" who, you never know, could become a saint as well. And what better time in our world to have them as examples of what is possible through love, even in suffering.
A couple weeks after Gianna Emanuela's visit, I looked back through the purse I'd brought that night, and found what I thought was a mere prayer card, but was, I was elated to discover, a card with an embedded relic (second class) of St. Gianna (pronounced, by the way, "Johnna")! I've been praying to her with my hands pressed again the clothing she once wore ever since.
St. Gianna, pray for us!
Q4U: What of St. Gianna's story brings you hope?
Filed Under: Catholicism, Celebrations, Events, Faith, Faith & Family Fridays, Family, Marriage, Pro-life Tagged With: Dr. Gianna Emanuela Molla, Monsignor James Shea, St. Gianna Beretta Molla Leave a Comment
What's it all about, Alfie?
It's an oldie, but somehow, as I sift through the long-ago memories of my past, it is accessible — the song composed for the 1966 film "Alfie," by the same name, by songwriters Burt Bacharach and Hal David.
Never, though, have the words risen to the top of my consciousness with such purpose, for I can't help but see how very fitting they are as we confront, this week especially, a modern-day controversy over the life of one little boy named Alfie.
Those who know his story, which has gone viral in recent weeks, will recognize the parallels:
Is it just for the moment we live?
What's it all about when you sort it out, Alfie?
Are we meant to take more than we give
Or are we meant to be kind?
And if only fools are kind, Alfie
Then I guess it is wise to be cruel
And if life belongs only to the strong, Alfie
What will you lend on an old golden rule?
As sure as I believe there's a heaven above, Alfie
I know there's something much more,
Something even non-believers can believe in
I believe in love, Alfie
Without true love we just exist, Alfie
Until you find the love you've missed you're nothing, Alfie
When you walk let your heart lead the way
And you'll find love any day, Alfie
Plenty of pieces have been written about this sweet little man, so I'm not going to recount the many details and passionate arguments already recorded and bantered over. What I want to share are my thoughts on why we do — and should — care so much.
Even Pope Francis has chimed in with his support for Alfie, and the possibility of transferring him away from the hospital in the UK where he's been, in the minds of some, hostage, to another in Italy where, it is hoped, he would receive more compassionate attention.
I've had one friend defend the hospital. She works in the healthcare field, and I can only imagine how this case must challenge her. I do want to be sensitive about the fact that despite the scary ant-life sentiments that have been raised here, there are likely just as many compassionate and truly loving people in this field, and even within this hospital, who would lay down their lives to help Alfie live.
But the Culture of Death, like its master, works quietly, stealthily. And so it is present.
As a mother, I see this case primarily in the light of the deep, undaunted parent-child bond. If I were Alfie's parents, I, too, would be doing everything to make life as gentle as possible for my child, for as long as possible. Though it's likely the hospital never meant for this all to happen this way, many troubling realities have been revealed through Alfie's case; dark things meant to be hidden.
But now, an innocent boy has brought light into that darkness. He has, through his sweet face, the passionate love of his parents, and his will to live in response to the love that surrounds him, shown the world that love is still the best thing around, and still worth fighting for.
It's been reported that the medical staff was shocked that Alfie, when removed from machines helping him breathe, continued to breathe on his own. In my own life, I have witnessed both the sweet sacrifices and the painful pride of the medical community.
In Alfie's case, I see pride through medical decision-makers wanting to take control of a child's life, not trusting enough in the power of the love of his parents. And I see how people around the world have been touched — and mobilized — by this one precious child.
Alfie is the sacrificial lamb, reminding us of Christ and what he came to show us. And what is that revelation but love, borne from the hearts of a father and a mother for their flesh and blood; a child who is a body and soul manifestation of their love for one another.
It's a reminder of the eternal truths of love, that it cannot be suppressed, unconvinced, or killed, no matter how much the darkness of this world might wish it.
To me, THAT'S the answer to the question of, What's it all about, Alfie?
Alfie's family was allowed this cross of being invaded, misunderstood, undermined, and left flinging and fighting for their little boy to the point of exasperation.
And these sacrifices became a gift to us all, reminding this weary world, once again, of this unshakable, unparalleled force of light called love; pure love.
Q4U: When did the power of love show you its gentle might?
Filed Under: Faith, Faith & Family Fridays, Family, Marriage, Pro-life Tagged With: Alfie Evans, Love Leave a Comment


To apply for a new streetlight, residents must submit a petition to the Municipality with signatures from 75% of the ratepayers within the area that the streetlight will serve. Along with the petition, residents should submit a map of which poles they would like streetlights installed. This same process is to be followed if you would like a streetlight removed.
Those signing the petition should decide if they would like the charge to be one uniform, equal amount per lot, or to have an area rate per $100.00 of your property assessment. In either case, the charge will be part of the taxes on your final tax bill in October. Council will decide the rate annually. The Municipality forwards all monies to Nova Scotia Power, so there is no profit to the Municipality, and no administration fee is charged for streetlight service.
Intersection streetlights, which benefit the entire community as a whole, are charged from the general tax rate. Applications to add or remove an intersection streetlight must include at least one cross road that is publicly-owned and maintained.
There are some circumstances where you do not need a petition to install or remove a streetlight. If your request for the addition or removal of a streetlight means that the number will not be more than 10% of the pre-existing number of lights in the local street light area, you do not need a petition. In this case, the request can go to your local Councillor, who will bring the matter to the Municipality.
For more information about streetlights in the Municipality, contact the office at 543-8181.


Architectural details frame the bold, round 18k gold-plated case of the Sidney watch. This chronograph timepiece features a mother-of-pearl dial with sunray sub-eyes, date window and 17 hand-set diamonds on the hour markings. The Blush Alligator strap is interchangeable with any 18mm MICHELE watch.


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Trump administration forbids CDC officials from using 7 words and phrases
A sign marks the entrance to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta. Agency analysts have been told by the White House to avoid seven banned words and phrases in budget documents.
(David Goldman / AP)
Lena H. Sun and Juliet EilperinWashington Post
Trump administration officials are forbidding officials at the nation's top public health agency from using a list of seven words or phrases – including "fetus" and "transgender" – in any official documents being prepared for next year's budget.
Policy analysts at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta were told of the list of forbidden words at a meeting Thursday with senior CDC officials who oversee the budget, according to an analyst who took part in the 90-minute briefing. The forbidden words are: "vulnerable," "entitlement," "diversity," "transgender," "fetus," "evidence-based" and "science-based."
In some instances, the analysts were given alternative phrases. Instead of "science-based" or "evidence-based," the suggested phrase is "CDC bases its recommendations on science in consideration with community standards and wishes," the person said. In other cases, no replacement words were immediately offered.
The question of how to address such issues as sexual orientation, gender identity and abortion rights – all of which received significant visibility under the Obama administration – has surfaced repeatedly in federal agencies since President Donald Trump took office. Several key departments – including Health and Human Services, which oversees CDC, as well as Justice, Education and Housing and Urban Development – have changed some federal policies and how they collect government information about lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Americans.
In March, for example, HHS dropped questions about sexual orientation and gender identity in two surveys of elderly people.
HHS has also removed information about LGBT Americans from its website. The department's Administration for Children and Families, for example, archived a page that outlined federal services that are available for LGBT people and their families, including how they can adopt and receive help if they are the victims of sex trafficking.
At the CDC, the meeting about the banned words was led by Alison Kelly, a senior leader in CDC's Office of Financial Services, according to the CDC analyst who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the person was not authorized to speak publicly. Kelly did not say why the words are being banned, according to the analyst, and told the group that she was merely relaying the information.
Other CDC officials confirmed the existence of a list of forbidden words. It's likely that other parts of HHS are operating under the same guidelines regarding the use of these words, the analyst said.
At the CDC, several offices have responsibilities for work that uses some of these words. The National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention is working on ways to prevent HIV among transgender people and reduce health disparities. The CDC's work on birth defects caused by the Zika virus, for example, includes research on the developing fetus.
The ban is related to the budget and supporting materials that are to be given to CDC's partners and to Congress, the analyst said. The president's budget for 2019 is expected to be released in early February. The budget blueprint is generally shaped to reflect an administration's priorities.
Federal agencies are sending in their budget proposals to the Office of Management and Budget, which has authority about what is included.
Neither an OMB spokesman nor a CDC spokeswoman responded to requests for comment Friday.
The longtime CDC analyst, whose job includes writing descriptions of the CDC's work for the administration's annual spending blueprint, could not recall a previous time when words were banned from budget documents because they were considered controversial.
The reaction of people in the meeting was "incredulous," the analyst said. "It was very much, 'Are you serious? Are you kidding?' "
"In my experience, we've never had any pushback from an ideological standpoint," the analyst said.
News of the ban on certain words hasn't yet spread to the broader group of scientists at the CDC, but it's likely to provoke a backlash, the analyst said. "Our subject matter experts will not lay down quietly – this hasn't trickled down to them yet."
The CDC has a budget of about $7 billion and more than 12,000 employees working across the nation and around the globe on everything from food and water safety to heart disease and cancer to infectious disease outbreak prevention. Much of the CDC's work has strong bipartisan support.
Kelly told the analysts that "certain words" in the CDC's budget drafts were being sent back to the agency for corrections. Three words that had been flagged in these drafts were "vulnerable," "entitlement" and "diversity." Kelly told the group she had been authorized to give verbal instructions about the remaining banned words.
Reference;http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/politics/ct-cdc-forbidden-words-20171215-story.html
Is Fibromyalgia a Form of Neuropathic Pain or not?
Your Wife Has Fibromyalgia? Here are 25 Ways to Support Her

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Unlike other containers, this one is based on Alpine Linux, meaning that its size is very small (at least 50% smaller). It also has a very nice, mobile-friendly web UI to access JDownloader 2's graphical interface and is actively supported!
Make sure to look at the complete documentation, available on Github !
Post any questions or issues relating to this docker in this thread.
As of now this docker works flawless. It feels way more stable than the other jdownloader 2 dockers if used.
Unlike other containers, this one is [...] actively supported!
But really even with your docker the vnc webui sometimes just hangs at least with my setup. And tbh i really cant stand that guacamole implementation any more. It feels like i only have issues with these ones. I havent had that issue with Djoss's Docker as of yet. The only thing missing right now is the extraction fix which he is working on, then its perfect at least for me.
I must admit, I am the one who asked for this, referencing the last push of your container.
Thanks for your work, both aptalca and Djoss!
JDownloader seems to require glibc to extract archives.
I do not get it working. I get ERR_CONNECTION_REFUSED as Error. I used the commands in the wiki and installed it with default values. Any hint for me?
Commands in the wiki? Did you installed the container via the Community Applications plugin?
Ok so remove it again and make sure to install it via the CA plugin. Then, only set the output directory, nothing else needs to be changed.
After that, how do you connect to the container?
I reinstalled and only set the output. I connect via Dashboard pressing on the icon and clicking on webui. Still the same error.
To which port it tries to connect to? What do you have in the container's log?
Shouldn't I only be able to reach the container when typing port 7808 there?
Yes, this should be the case.
So you can reach the container's web interface via port 5800 but not 7808? Did you change the network type? It should be set to bridge, not host.
Sorry I think I expressed myself not correct.
Still when opening the WebUI via my server's dashboard it opens correctly with port 7807.
Why is this working when the docker settings are not correct?
When using the bridge network mode, the container's network is isolated from the host's one.
Thus, network ports need to be mapped between the host and the container. Ports used by the container are usually stable and always the same. It's the port on the host side that is configured.
In your case, 5800 is the port inside the container. 7807 is the port on the host. The Docker's network driver takes care of doing the proper translation. It's like having NAT between the container and the host.
So the setting http://[iP]:[PORT:5800] is correct. PORT is a placeholder for the configured host network port mapped to container port 5800 (web ui).
I just tried to run this docker on unRaid 6.4 with a fixed IP adress, but JDownloader seems to fail to start?
When I start the docker with bridged networking everything works as it should. Other Dockers like Plex etc. run fine with those settings.
Edit: I don't seem to get Click'n Load to work? I forwarded the port 9666 to the server, but it seems JDownloader is not running.
but I can't connect. (I'm currently running the container in bridged mode).
Is there anything special in the container's log?
Also great to see this in active development.
But I wanted to ask if it would be possible for you to add some kind of "nice" shutdown script or something to the container when stopping it from unRAID webUI without first Exiting it from inside the container first?
See below when starting container up after shutdown.


Some payouts of accrued sick time and vacation time to retiring state employees have reached six figures. A Senate subcommittee will take a closer look.
To some, the practice of letting retiring state employees cash out their unused sick time and vacation days is "antiquated." To others it's part of a competitive compensation package.
Most of that cash would go into developing a new nickname and logo, according to a letter from university president Robert Kelley to the state's budget auditor. Removing the old logos would also cost tens of thousands of dollars.
The Minnesota Supreme Court ruled in favor of the city of Duluth in a case over retirement benefit cuts. The ruling gives the city the ability to cut retiree health insurance when it's doing the same for current employees.
Tom Gillaspy will retire on Tuesday. For the past three decades he's monitored population data, work force issues and demographics. Susan Brower will take his place.


text:
package cn.limw.summer.shiro.web.filter.servletcontext;

import javax.servlet.ServletContext;
import javax.servlet.http.HttpServletRequest;
import javax.servlet.http.HttpServletRequestWrapper;

/**
 * @author li
 * @version 1 (2015年5月18日 上午9:48:44)
 * @since Java7
 */
public class ServletContextInSessionHttpServletRequest extends HttpServletRequestWrapper {
    public ServletContextInSessionHttpServletRequest(HttpServletRequest request) {
        super(request);
    }

    public ServletContext getServletContext() {
        return new ServletContextInSession(super.getServletContext());
    }
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Plan to get a free spy app for monitoring on Nokia 8 or Nokia 9 PureView? From big business we have There's no such thing as a free lunch, meaning nothing is free. So, in order to get a powerful and secure spyware, you have to pay some fees – $15.00/month. Many claims for free software are designed to get your information for later advertising.
Nokia has already launched a handful of phones this year, but the Nokia 8 is its premium flagship handset. Equipped with a 5.3in, 2,560 x 1,440 display, 4GB of RAM and the latest Snapdragon 835 processor, this is a top-tier handset, with a suitably high price point. Nokia has finally entered the highly competitive Android market. Whether Nokia can get his place? We wait and see.
The tracking app market being chaotic, buyers are very cautious. Today I will share a best Android spy app with any smartphone user, let you spy on Nokia mobile without any problem.
Tip: When a man cheats it's not because he was innocently seduced by another woman's wicked charms. If your man is cheating, he's not thinking about you one way or another. You need to collect evidence as far as possible.
What the Nokia 8/9 Pure View Spy App can do for you?
Nokia Monitoring Software empowers you to get the answers you truly want and deserve. Including a host of advanced surveillance features for parents and employers, our spy app tracks all cell phone activities and sends the information back to your spyware user account. You can download, install and start using our top Nokia monitoring app in just minutes.
If you are an employer worried about misuse of company owned devices Or a concerned parent worried about cell phone activities of your children then Nokia monitoring software is ideal for you.
Get Nokia 8/Nokia 9 PureView Spy Software here.
What is the Nokia spy app capable of?
Supported Devices: All Android smartphones, inclucing Nokia 8, Nokia 9 PureView, Nokia 8.1, Nokia 7.1, Nokia 6.1, Nokia 5.1, Nokia 3.1 Plus, iPhone 8, Samsung Galaxy Note 9/8, Galaxy S10, Galaxy S10+, Galaxy S9, Galaxy S8, Galaxy S7, Galaxy S6, LG G6, LG V30, LG G7 ThinQ, LG G8 ThinQ, LG V50 ThinQ, Xperia L1, Xperia XZ2, HTC U12 Plus, Xperia XZ3, HTC Bolt, Huawei P10/P20, Google Pixel, Moto G6, Moto G7, Moto G7 Play, Moto G7 Power, OnePlus 7, Vivo Nex, Oppo Finad X, OnePlus 6, iPhone XR, etc.


The Perceptual Motor Program is conducted every year to consolidate the gross and fine motor skills of the preps. The program aids in the establishment of co-ordination and reading and writing skills.
Parent assistance is vital for the running of this program: consider helping out!
A downloadable booklet is available below.


text:
You are viewing: Climax News Room > BLOG > Local News > Nostalgic News: Britney Spears' B in the Mix: The Remixes was released 15 years ago (22/11)
Nostalgic News: Britney Spears' B in the Mix: The Remixes was released 15 years ago (22/11)
Tagged: Britney, Nostalgic
Take all of Britney Spears' best hits before 2005, like 'Toxic', 'Me Against The Music' and 'I'm A Slave For You' and give it a cheesy noughties club flare and that's what B in the Mix: The Remixes is all about.
As a Britney ultimate fan, I found some of the remixes questionable and uncomfortable but listening to the remixes only makes you love the originals even more. I will say though it was really impressive that a DJ can make Britney's saddest ballad 'Everytime' into a club hit, it was a mixture of Lizzie McGuire's 'This Is What Dreams Are Made Of' with electronic euro-dance.
The best remix from this record is the Davidson Ospina remix of '…Baby One More Time', it gave the classic and popular Britney hit an 80s club groove, though nothing could ever top the original and it wasn't as devasting as a remix compared to a few that featured on the album.
If you want to cringe and enjoy Britney on a new divine level listen to the remixes, you will have a new appreciation for the amazing music that is Britney Jean Spears.
Listen to the Davidson Ospina remix of '…Baby One More Time' below:
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Send your news and stories to us news@climaxradio.co.uk or newstories@climaxnewsroom.com and WhatsApp: +447747873668.
Democratic norms are being stress-tested all over the world, and the past few years have thrown up all kinds of questions we didn't know needed clarifying – how long is too long for a parliamentary prorogation? How far should politicians be allowed to intervene in court cases? To monitor these issues as closely as we have in the past we need your support, so please consider donating to The Climax News Room.
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text:
@interface QNConnectChecker()

@end
@implementation QNConnectChecker

+ (QNSingleFlight *)singleFlight {
    static QNSingleFlight *singleFlight = nil;
    static dispatch_once_t onceToken;
    dispatch_once(&onceToken, ^{
        singleFlight = [[QNSingleFlight alloc] init];
    });
    return singleFlight;
}

+ (dispatch_queue_t)checkQueue {
    static dispatch_queue_t queue;
    static dispatch_once_t onceToken;
    dispatch_once(&onceToken, ^{
        queue = dispatch_queue_create("com.qiniu.NetworkCheckQueue", DISPATCH_QUEUE_CONCURRENT);
    });
    return queue;
}

+ (BOOL)isConnected:(QNUploadSingleRequestMetrics *)metrics {
    return metrics && ((NSHTTPURLResponse *)metrics.response).statusCode > 99;
}

+ (QNUploadSingleRequestMetrics *)check {
    __block QNUploadSingleRequestMetrics *metrics = nil;
    dispatch_semaphore_t semaphore = dispatch_semaphore_create(0);
    [self check:^(QNUploadSingleRequestMetrics *metricsP) {
        metrics = metricsP;
        dispatch_semaphore_signal(semaphore);
    }];
    dispatch_semaphore_wait(semaphore, DISPATCH_TIME_FOREVER);
    return metrics;
}

+ (void)check:(void (^)(QNUploadSingleRequestMetrics *))complete {
    QNSingleFlight *singleFlight = [self singleFlight];

    kQNWeakSelf;
    [singleFlight perform:@"connect_check" action:^(QNSingleFlightComplete  _Nonnull singleFlightComplete) {
        kQNStrongSelf;

        [self checkAllHosts:^(QNUploadSingleRequestMetrics *metrics) {
            singleFlightComplete(metrics, nil);
        }];

    } complete:^(id  _Nullable value, NSError * _Nullable error) {
        if (complete) {
            complete(value);
        }
    }];
}

+ (void)checkAllHosts:(void (^)(QNUploadSingleRequestMetrics *metrics))complete {

    __block int completeCount = 0;
    __block BOOL isCompleted = false;
    kQNWeakSelf;
    NSArray *allHosts = [kQNGlobalConfiguration.connectCheckURLStrings copy];
    for (NSString *host in allHosts) {
        [self checkHost:host complete:^(QNUploadSingleRequestMetrics *metrics) {
            kQNStrongSelf;

            BOOL isHostConnected = [self isConnected:metrics];
            @synchronized (self) {
                completeCount += 1;
            }
            if (isHostConnected || completeCount == allHosts.count) {
                @synchronized (self) {
                    if (isCompleted) {
                        QNLogInfo(@"== check all hosts has completed totalCount:%d completeCount:%d", allHosts.count, completeCount);
                        return;
                    } else {
                        QNLogInfo(@"== check all hosts completed totalCount:%d completeCount:%d", allHosts.count, completeCount);
                        isCompleted = true;
                    }
                }
                complete(metrics);
            } else {
                QNLogInfo(@"== check all hosts not completed totalCount:%d completeCount:%d", allHosts.count, completeCount);
            }
        }];
    }
}

+ (void)checkHost:(NSString *)host complete:(void (^)(QNUploadSingleRequestMetrics *metrics))complete {

    NSMutableURLRequest *request = [[NSMutableURLRequest alloc] init];
    request.URL = [NSURL URLWithString:host];
    request.HTTPMethod = @"HEAD";
    request.timeoutInterval = kQNGlobalConfiguration.connectCheckTimeout;

    __block BOOL hasCallback = false;

    QNUploadSingleRequestMetrics *timeoutMetric = [QNUploadSingleRequestMetrics emptyMetrics];
    [timeoutMetric start];

    QNUploadSystemClient *client = [[QNUploadSystemClient alloc] init];
    [client request:request server:nil connectionProxy:nil progress:nil complete:^(NSURLResponse *response, QNUploadSingleRequestMetrics * metrics, NSData * _Nullable data, NSError * error) {
        @synchronized (self) {
            if (hasCallback) {
                return;
            }
            hasCallback = true;
        }
        QNLogInfo(@"== checkHost:%@ responseInfo:%@", host, response);
        complete(metrics);
    }];

    dispatch_after(dispatch_time(DISPATCH_TIME_NOW, NSEC_PER_SEC * kQNGlobalConfiguration.connectCheckTimeout), [self checkQueue], ^{
        @synchronized (self) {
            if (hasCallback) {
                return;
            }
            hasCallback = true;
        }
        [client cancel];
        [timeoutMetric end];
        timeoutMetric.error = [NSError errorWithDomain:@"com.qiniu.NetworkCheck" code:NSURLErrorTimedOut userInfo:nil];
        complete(timeoutMetric);
    });
}

@end


text:
Saudi 24 News
Home Saudi News 7 tournaments support Saudi Arabia to host the nations of Asia 2027
7 tournaments support Saudi Arabia to host the nations of Asia 2027
The sports eye
Sunday 5/10/2020 05:15 PM Abu Dhabi time
The Saudi Football Association is counting on 7 previous tournaments in order to host a tournament Asian Nations Cup The year 2027.
The Saudi Football Association announced last February that it had applied to host the Asian Nations Cup in 2027, after the Asian Football Confederation announced that it would start receiving the files of the national associations wishing to organize the tournament.
7 previous championships
The Saudi newspaper, Al-Riyadiah, revealed some details that the Saudi Football Association will rely on in the file that will be presented to the AFC.
The newspaper pointed out that the officials of the Saudi Football Association are awaiting the hosting conditions that will be announced by the Continental Federation next July, in the light of which the actual work in preparing the file will start.
Officials of the Saudi Federation will attach to the hosting request file the files of Saudi Arabia's success in hosting 7 previous championships.
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia hosted the Confederations Cup in 3 previous editions, the World Youth Cup in 1989, the Asian Youth Cup in 1986 and 2008, and the Asian Junior Cup in 1992.
Emirati and Chinese experience
On the other hand, the Saudi Football Association will study the UAE and Chinese files that have succeeded in obtaining the right to host the 2019 Asian Nations Cup and 2023.
The UAE hosted the 2019 Asian Nations Championship, while China hosted the 2023 Asian Nations Championship after it nominated separately after South Korea withdrew.
According to the newspaper, the Saudi Federation will discuss the files of the two countries to know their advantages and strengths in them and the latest findings.
The file will also contain many other points, including the Saudi Federation's vision of how to contribute to the development of the game.
The file will also include the benefits that will accrue to the Continental Union from this hosting, with a clarification of the infrastructure of stadiums, hotels, airports and all means of transportation.
The Asian Federation decided to extend the receipt of applications for nomination until June 30, after the previous date was on March 31, due to the spread of Corona virus.
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Saudi 24 News is your news, entertainment, music fashion website. We provide you with the latest breaking news and videos straight from the entertainment industry.
© saudi24news.com


I say yes when I should say no. I think it's most often to please or to avoid immediate discomfort, sometimes to avoid taking the time to make a truly thoughtful decision or sometimes for fear of lack. Firm, thoughtful, timely NO and carefully considered YES are things I need to work on.
What I do with my time is defined by what I say yes to – say yes to too much of the wrong stuff and the right stuff – the things I really love doing get squeezed out. Halfway through MY Big Creative Year there is still so much, so many ideas and things I want to experiment with waiting on the back burner for me to be less busy with my busyness.
It was a good thing to say yes to. Collage is something I love playing with but hardly ever make time for. Time experimenting with mood and pallet, accepting and rejecting ideas, trying things on, it lends itself to "what if" thinking and can draw me out of my worn in grooves. My reason for starting was because I needed an illustration for this post and I intended to be efficient about it. As soon as I began it became clear that somebody just really wanted to make a collage. I got lost in it, spent too much time and thoroughly enjoyed myself.
week 38 in my "this is where i am from" year long project: When I am frustrated, or stuck or unhappy with my brain I always benefit from constraints and happenstance. That is where I was this week so today I chose a subject: the swamp (the swamp I loved) behind the house I grew up in in Massachusetts and worked with what was on hand: The Sunday Times. As an exercise I recommend it – it worked well for me today – I feel the gears turning again.


Baby praying mantis begins to eat immediately after emerging from eggs. They will feed on tiny insects initially but as they grow older they must rely on more than one type of food. Baby praying mantis likely survives on small insects because these insects are abundant in summer. Perhaps that is why the eggs are hatched in warmer weather so young mantis could survive. It's time to discuss what do baby praying mantis eat in the wild.
What Do Baby Praying Mantis Eat?
Baby praying likely consume small insects much less aphids. Once they grow old, they will rely on larger prey such as beetles or even grasshoppers. However, baby mantis do not need a lot to make up their appetite they may eat only once or twice a day.
The diet of a grownup mantis includes tiny crickets, small bugs, gnats, fruit flies, and aphids. All these foods will probably be good once the mantis grows into adulthood. The best food to feed a baby mantis is a fly. The newborn mantis loves to consume flies.


text:
Q: What version of PowerShell on target machine does InstallShield use? I have an installer (suite + MSI package) for a 32-bit application that is created using InstallShield 2015.
One of the custom actions that is executed (during the OnBegin event in the Suite) is a PowerShell script.
In the PS script, I'm attempting to load/interact with a C++ DLL (32-bit) by using Add-Type and DllImport (using this idea) (the $fullPathEscaped variable is resolved to a full path where the DLL is located during the installation, i.e., C:\Temp\{Blah}\Reg.DLL):
35   try
36   {
37    $MethodDefinition = @"
38    [DllImport("$($fullPathEscaped)", CharSet = CharSet.None)]
39    public static extern int Validate(string regPath);
40    "@
41    $Reg = Add-Type -MemberDefinition $MethodDefinition -Name 'ValidateInstall' -Namespace 'Reg' -PassThru
42    $result = $Reg::Validate($unlockCode)
43   }
44   catch
45   {
46    [System.Windows.Forms.MessageBox]::Show($_.Exception.Message , "Error")
47    exit(-1)
48   }

When I was attempting to execute this script directly using PowerShell ISE on my 64-bit Windows 10 machine, the engine would throw the following error when trying to call into the DLL / definition (on line 42):
Exception calling "Validate" with "1" argument(s): "An attempt was made to load a program with an incorrect format. (Exception from HRESULT 0x8007000B)"

Googling that error led me to trying to execute the script in 32-bit (x86) PowerShell.
Voila, it worked fine.
When the same script gets executed during the InstallShield Installer (on the same 64-bit machine), the script executes without any issues.
This leads me to believe that InstallShield is using the 32-bit version of PowerShell (for this particular install suite? Always?).
However, I cannot find in InstallShield documentation or doing other searches on the web if that is a safe assumption or if it's something that happens to work "now" but is not a guarantee (i.e., if the it's something related to the current system or environment used to create and/or build the Installer).
What determines the version of PowerShell that will be used by InstallShield on a target machine?
Is it the architecture of the program being installed?
Or does InstallShield default to using 32-bit PowerShell?
I did verify that both PowerShell ISE and PowerShell (64-bit) encounter the error, just to eliminate some anomaly with using one or the other (since InstallShield would not use the ISE).
And I couldn't gather much from the DebugLog created when running the setup.exe file on my machine (excerpt from the log that I think is pertinent):
1-30-2018[02:48:53 PM]: Running event 'UnlockInstaller'
1-30-2018[02:48:53 PM]: Engine: request for proxy handler, 0, 0
1-30-2018[02:48:55 PM]: (PowerShell Action): Attempting to load through CLR 4 APIs...
1-30-2018[02:48:55 PM]: (PowerShell Action): Getting meta host...
1-30-2018[02:48:55 PM]: (PowerShell Action): Enumerating available runtimes...
1-30-2018[02:48:55 PM]: (PowerShell Action): Highest available runtime: v4.0.30319
1-30-2018[02:48:55 PM]: (PowerShell Action): Trying to use highest runtime...
1-30-2018[02:48:55 PM]: (PowerShell Action): Using highest version runtime...

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Bruno Mars ft Cardi B 's 'Finesse' crashes into the Top 3, Camila Cabello is no. 1 with 'Havana; as Ed Sheeran's Perfect sits pretty at no. 2 | Watch the Top 10 USA chart highlights this week!
Catch a new episode of the chart every Sunday at 6PM (WAT) on DStv channel 324 and streaming on the Soundcity App.


text:
Q: Association among three model I have these models with association as follows
class User
  has_many :comments
  belongs_to :country
end

class Country
  has_many :users
  has_many :comments
end

class Comment
  belong_to :user
  belong_to :country
end

Comment has user_id and country_id as column name.
User has country_id as column name.
Now if i write this code is console
User.first.comments.create :content=>"some content"

This would create a comment but country_id column of Comment would be null. I want country_id to be filled based on user_id
How can i do this

A: You can set country based on user with before_save or before_create callbacks. This could help you:
class User
  has_many :comments
  belongs_to :country
end

class Country
  has_many :users
  has_many :comments
end

class Comment
  belong_to :user
  belong_to :country

  before_create :set_country

  def set_country
    self.country_id = user.country_id if user
  end
end

A: Will the comment always have the same country as the user? If so do you really need that relation at all? You could just infer the country of the comment from the country of the user that made it.
Class Comment
  delegate :country, to: :user
end

comment.country will then automatically return comment.user.country

A: you have to explicitely pass the country_id:
@user = User.first
@user.comments.create(:content=>"some content", country_id: @user.country)

A: Try the below:
u = User.first
u.comments.create(content: "Some comment", country_id: u.country.id)


Brighten up a bleak occasion with the beauty of flowers. Caskets, whether they are used open or closed can be adorned with a lovely casket spray of flowers as a tribute to the deceased. Let E & E HOUSE OF FLOWERS & BOUTIQUE in Montgomery help you choose the right flowers for your loved one's funeral.


text:
import setuptools

setuptools.setup(
    name='python-nullnude',
    version='1.0.0',
    author='dNeural',
    author_email='support@dneural.com',
    url='https://www.nullnude.com/',
    description='NullNude API Client Library',
    keywords = "nullnude api sdk",
    license='MIT',
    packages=['nullnude'],
    test_suite='nullnude.tests',
    install_requires=[
        # 'python-swiftclient>=2.3.1',
        'requests>=2.5.1'
    ]
)


text:
La gare de Northampton est une gare ferroviaire desservant la ville de Northampton au Royaume-Uni.

Situation ferroviaire

Histoire

Service des voyageurs

Accueil

Desserte

Intermodalité

Notes et références

Voir aussi

Articles connexes
 Liste de gares au Royaume-Uni
 Transport ferroviaire au Royaume-Uni

Lien externe

Gare dans le Northamptonshire
Gare mise en service en 1859

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
Prophet Joseph Smith
Ask a Mormon
History of Joseph Smith
Joseph Smith Teachings
Chapter 1 – 10
chapter 11 – 20
6. Temple Independence Missouri
On August 3, 1831 Joseph Smith dedicated the site for the temple in Independence, Missouri. This was done in accordance with revelation Joseph had received,
"And thus saith the Lord your God, if you will receive wisdom here is wisdom. Behold, the place which is now called Independence is the center place; and a spot for the temple is lying westward, upon a lot which is not far from the courthouse.1
Sidney Rigdon, Edward Partridge, W.W. Phelps, Oliver Cowdery, Martin Harris and Joseph Coe were all at the dedication. Joseph Smith gave the dedicatory prayer.
Psalm 87 from the Bible was read:
"His foundation is in the holy mountains.
The Lord loveth the gates of Zion more than all the dwellings of Jacob.
Glorious things are spoken of thee, O city of God. Selah.
I will make mention of Rahab and Babylon to them that know me: behold Philistia, and Tyre, with Ethiopia; this man was born there.
And of Zion it shall be said, This and that man was born in her; and the Highest Himself shall establish her.
The Lord shall count, when he writeth up the people, that this man was born there. Selah.
As well the singers as the players on instruments shall be there: all my springs are in thee."2
The lot was 3 acres, although later in December of 1831, Edward Partridge purchased 63 acres for the temple for $130. Today the Mormon Church owns only a part of this land. On it is a visitors' center and a stake center. Various other churches own the rest of the temple lot.
See the next article in the timeline series.
The Testimony of Joseph Smith
Mormon Temples
Fulfilled Prophecies of Joseph Smith
1 Section 57:3 Doctrine and Covenants.
2 Psalms 87:1-7. The King James Version of The Bible.
Joseph Smith – The Prophet
Mormon Doctrinal Principles
Quotes on Faith
Witnesses of Joseph Smith
Copyright © 2016 Joseph Smith, Prophet. All Rights Reserved.
This website is not owned by or affiliated with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (sometimes called the Mormon or LDS Church). The views expressed herein do not necessarily represent the position of the Church. The views expressed by individual users are the responsibility of those users and do not necessarily represent the position of the Church. For the official Church websites, please visit LDS.org or Mormon.org.


Atelier is a working collective art studio, located in the historic Lipsitz building in the heart of downtown Beaufort, South Carolina. Built in 1883, this gorgeous building, with the original hardwood floors and high ceilings, houses 14 individual art studios of local Lowcountry artists. On any given day, you can climb the beautiful original staircase to Atelier and witness the magic being made right before your eyes. With the historic charm, slightly slanted floors, natural light and gorgeous artwork covering the walls, Atelier is truely a one-of-a-kind experience. Meet the artists and learn more about our beautiful seaside town through every brushstroke. Our downtown area has much to offer, and we're proud to be a part of the spirit of historic Beaufort.
Do you want to know what it's like to take a stroll through our 1880s building and peer inside each little art studio? This is a great example all rolled into one photo. Antique original floors, paint strewn about because our artists actually create here, drawings, paintbrushes, old furniture dotted in beautiful colors of accidental mishaps that make each studio even more lovely and characterized.
While to some, it may seem chaotic to think of 13 artists all working alongside each other, but fear not- there is no disorder here. Lulling music leads you through the winding hallways, laughter from joyfulness bounces from the slightly slanted walls, colorful original artwork paints the rooms with delight, creative energy fills you with a breath of fresh air. THIS is Atelier, and we'd love for you to stop by and experience the magic for yourself.


text:
David Roach
David Roach, husband of the late Earnestine Dawson Roach, son of the late Irvin Sr. and Elizabeth Logan Roach, gained his heavenly wings on May 20, 2021 at his home. He attended the public schools of Sumter County and graduated from Ebenezer High School, Class of 1967. He later was drafted in the United States Army during the Vietnam Era. He was employed at AAFES Exchange, formerly known as the PX, for several years until his retirement. He was a faithful and outstanding member of High Hills A. M. E. Church, where he served on the Steward Board and Trustee Board. Everyone knew that he was a great tenor singer. He sang on several choirs, Gospel Choir, Men Chorus and the World Wonder Singers. He leaves to cherish his memories: his son, Brian (Shaneequah) Morant; three granddaughters, Sheronicka Morant, Saleemah Morant (Dimarcus) and Soncerae Morant; four great grandchildren, Don'Ivyia Morant, Maliyia Morant, DiMarcus Bell, Jr. and Kaliyiah Morant; three sisters, Annie Bell and Shirley Roach of Sumter, Christine (Homer) Bridges of Columbia; three brothers, William and John Henry Roach of Sumter, Irvin Roach, Jr. of Columbia; one aunt, Wilhelmina Keith of Steelton, PA; one uncle, Joseph Logan of Harrisburg, PA; four sister-in-law; one brother-in-law; a host of nieces, nephews, godchildren, family and friends. In accordance with the COV19 guidelines, the family is requesting that face masks and social distancing be observed by relatives and friends during visitations at the home, 2875 Clarkson Road, Dalzell. Funeral services will be held Thursday, May 27, 2021 – 11:00 a. m. in the Kings Highway Community Park, 2035 North Kings Highway 261 North, Dalzell, with the Rev. Keith R. Mayes, Sr., officiating. The procession will leave from the home at 10:30 a. m. Burial will be in the High Hills A. M. E. Church Cemetery, 6780 Meeting House Road, Dalzell.


Thanks to things like smartphones and automotive infotainment systems, both pedestrians and drivers are probably now less aware of one another than ever before. An experimental new crosswalk could help keep accidents from happening, however, through lights, electronic signs, and an app.
In order to offer developing nations some form of earthquake protection, a consortium of US research institutes has devised the ShakeAlert Earthquake Early Warning System. It uses regular peoples' smartphones to detect earthquakes and send warnings.
Many cars don't have rear seatbelt warning systems, so parents may not realize that their children have released their belt while en route. buckle me up wirelessly adds a rear seatbelt warning system to such vehicles.
Just last month, Volvo announced a new system that warns drivers of approaching cyclists via a symbol on their car's head-up display. Not to be outdone, Jaguar Land Rover has just announced its own system, which takes a more tactile approach – among other things, it taps them on the shoulder.
Almost a year ago, Volvo announced that it was working with Swedish helmet manufacturer POC to develop a car-to-cyclist safety system. At the time, little information was available regarding how the system would actually work. Now, however, the automaker has provided some details.
The B612 Foundation has released a video depicting the distribution of 26 asteroid impacts known to have struck the Earth since the year 2000. Many of the impacts detected exploded with a force greater than the city-leveling bomb dropped on Hiroshima, which had an explosive yield of 15 kilotons.
SMARTwheel is a steering wheel add-on which detects when drivers are engaging in unsafe activities like texting while driving, and provides sonic and visual alerts to refocus their attention.
Scientists may have hit upon a new means of predicting solar flares more than a day in advance, which hinges on the hypothesis that solar activity affects the rate of decay of radioactive materials on Earth.


The eagerly awaited film, "Ice Age 4: Continental drift ", has finally reached the cinema screens. The film was produced by the global giant, Twentieth Century Fox, with whom Maggiore has formed an important commercial partnership, further enriched by the co-partnership of the leader in tourist navigation, MSC Cruises.
In fact, until 20 October, Maggiore customers who rent a car or an AmicoBlu van, for any duration and at published rates, can participate in the big "Rent Maggiore and win Scrat's treasure" competition. Simply type your surname and the number of your rental agreement into the special form, through the web area at maggiore.it, reserved for the competition itself, and check straight away to see if you have won an "instant win" super prize: there are six fantastic MSC mini cruises for the whole family, 2 adults and 2 children. At the end of the competition, there is a final super prize draw: This is a fantastic oneweek cruise in the Mediterranean, in search of another treasure, this time offered by the beauty and charm of some of the loveliest resorts of the "Mare Nostrum", between France, Spain and Tunisia. Eight days and 7 nights on board one of the three flagships of MSC Cruises, the MSC Splendida, which will host the lucky winners in luxurious surroundings, especially created to enchant them. Departure will be from Civitavecchia, on 29 November, sailing to Genoa, Marseilles (France), Barcelona (Spain), Tunis and Palermo. Return will also be to the Lazio port, just a stone's throw from Rome, the "Eternal City".


WeWork leased more than 25,000 square feet at 111 W. Illinois.
A company that provides shared office space leased more than 25,000 square feet in a River North building, taking over the property's last available space as its owner seeks a sale.
New York-based WeWork Cos. signed a 15-year deal for a full floor in the 10-story tower at 111 W. Illinois St., landlord Alter Group Ltd. confirmed. The deal comes a little over a month after Skokie-based Alter put the building's 141,957 square feet of office space up for sale, hoping for bids of almost $71 million.
WeWork plans to open a location early next year in the Fulton Market district of the West Loop. Finding office space in River North wasn't easy.
River North overall vacancy was 9.6 percent during the third quarter, far below 14.8 percent vacancy for all of downtown, according to Los Angeles-based CBRE Inc.
WeWork hopes to open the River North location by mid-2015, after it moves into about 64,000 square feet in the former Amity Packing Co. plant at 210 N. Green St., Mr. Lapidus said. WeWork will have a small ownership stake in that building, which is being redeveloped by Chicago-based Shapack Development and AJ Capital Partners LLC and San Francisco-based Shorenstein Properties LLC.
After the two offices open next year, WeWork may seek additional spaces in Chicago, Mr. Lapidus said. One large block set to become available is in Alter's nearby 20 W. Kinzie St. tower, where Google Inc. is set to vacate about 150,000 square feet in early 2016 in a move to Fulton Market.
"That's definitely interesting," Mr. Lapidus said.
WeWork sells memberships that can be used to access any of its offices. The company has more than 13,000 members, with spaces open or under construction in or near New York, London, San Francisco, Washington, Los Angeles, Amsterdam, Seattle, Tel Aviv and Boston, according to WeWork.
Alter was represented in the lease by Matthew Ward, senior managing director at New York-based Newmark Grubb Knight Frank.
Alter is gathering offers for 111 W. Illinois, a listing that does not include three floors of office space owned by non-profit graduate school Erikson Institute or 10,000 square feet of retail space. San Francisco-based Salesforce.com has about nine years left on a lease for all but one floor of the office space Alter is selling.
"This (WeWork) lease combined with Salesforce has really made the rent roll appealing to buyers," said Richard Gatto, an executive vice president at Alter.


Despite growing concern about medical ghostwriting, pharmaceutical companies, universities, medical journals, and communication companies employing ghostwriters have thus far failed to adequately stem the problem. As a result, some commentators have proposed that legal remedies could be sought by patients harmed by drugs publicized in ghostwritten papers.
In this Essay, we build on a recent analysis by Stern and Lemmens in PLoS Medicine to outline specific areas of legal liability.
For example, when an injured patient's physician directly or indirectly relies upon a journal article containing false or manipulated safety and efficacy data, the authors, including guest authors, can be held legally liable for patient injuries.
In addition, guest authors of ghostwritten articles published by Medicare- and Medicaid-recognized peer-reviewed medical journals used as clinical evidence for indications for off-label uses may be liable under the federal False Claims Act for inducing the United States government to reimburse prescriptions under false pretenses.
Paying guest authors of ghostwritten papers may influence clinical judgment, increase product sales and government health care costs, and put patients at risk by misrepresenting risk-benefit. Therefore, both physicians and sponsor companies may be liable under the federal Anti-Kickback Statute.
Although guest authors and pharmaceutical defendants may argue a First Amendment right to participate in ghostwriting, the US Supreme Court has firmly held that the First Amendment does not shield fraud.
Complaints about the ethics of medical ghostwriting have increased in the last decade, but little has changed –. Corruption of the scientific literature through ghostwriting persists in medicine due to the enormous profits for all stakeholders , including the pharmaceutical industry that creates the publication strategy, academic researchers acting as key opinion leaders (KOLs) for industry, universities employing KOLs, medical journals and their proprietors, including medical societies and publishers, and medical communication companies employing ghostwriters.
Ghostwriting openly infringes academic standards and, in many cases, as recently argued by Stern and Lemmens in PLoS Medicine, contributes to fraud . Typically, the practice involves industry-financed writers generating articles that either promote the sponsor company's products or discredit competing ones, with eventual authorship credited to academic researchers who provide little or no input, thereby concealing industry involvement and contributing to distorted drug profiles. In the United States, cases relating to gabapentin , rofecoxib , paroxetine , sertraline , fenfluramine/phentermine (fen-phen) , and Prempro  are well documented, while many others, relating to rosiglitazone, olanzapine, quetiapine, valdecoxib, and celecoxib, remain under seal by the courts. These cases demonstrate the dangers inherent in permitting pharmaceutical companies to maintain the status quo.
Some editors, fully aware that ghostwritten manuscripts are submitted to their journals, refuse to police their content . Although other journals, most notably PLoS Medicine, as well as several editors' associations have produced policies against the practice, in some cases adopting clear and visible positions, little has changed ,,,–. In addition, despite efforts to reinforce authorship and publication requirements, journals' responses to ghostwriting remain unsatisfactory, as shown by a recent study of 630 articles from six high impact medical journals . In 2008, the overall prevalence of articles with honorary authorship, ghost authorship, or both, was 21.0%, which represented a decline from 29.1% in 1996. Although the prevalence of ghost authorship showed a significant decline, there was no change in the prevalence of honorary authors relative to 1996 . This study concluded that inappropriate authorship remains a significant problem in high impact biomedical publications.
Indeed, even the policies adopted by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors have failed to clarify how the corruption of medical literature could be curtailed . Substantial contribution to manuscript design or drafting is of little significance when marketing messages are planted in the ghostwriter's first draft well before a nominal author is selected. Authors may give approval when the paper is submitted for publication, but this only occurs after the sponsor company has ensured the manuscript meets its marketing goals and the legal department has transferred ownership to the submitting author. The manuscript and message are therefore controlled by the company rather than the nominal authors ,.
Since self-regulation has not produced results and the government has failed to have any significant impact, we argue that the only remaining option is the legal system. Building upon the recent Stern and Lemmens article that proposed viewing ghostwriting as fraud , this Essay expands on the possible legal remedies for medical ghostwriting that can help outlaw a practice that has long tainted journal content and jeopardized patient safety.
Stern and Lemmens recently advanced various legal theories under which "guest authors" can be held accountable, including filing an action under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) . They opined that monetary damages could include a reduction in the subscription value of the journal publishing ghostwritten articles. They concede individual damages would be nominal but suggest that potential liability and reputational harm may curb ghostwriting. We endorse this novel theory and the other theories (i.e., fraud on the court) Stern and Lemmens advance. We question, however, whether a law firm would undertake the Herculean task of filing RICO actions against guest authors when the potential of recovery (even if aggregated and trebled) would be, in litigation values, fairly modest and nominal. In reality, the transactional costs of such an endeavor, the novelty of the theories, and the nominal damages at issue would likely discourage law firms from prosecuting such cases.
We fully agree with Stern and Lemmens that the legal system could be effective in curbing ghostwriting, and suggest the following models of liability.
Guest authors lending their names to ghostwritten articles touting the safety and efficacy of a drug have an independent duty to exercise ordinary care and prevent injury to others as a result of their conduct . As the influential Justice Benjamin Cardozo noted long ago: "It is ancient learning that one who assumes to act, even though gratuitously, may thereby become subject to the duty of acting carefully, if he acts at all."  When US courts have considered misrepresentations that implicate a risk of physical harm to others, they have often looked to the rules set forth in the Restatement Second of Torts, sections 310 and 311 .
Sections 310 and 311 of the Restatement allow injured third parties to recover from a person who has made an intentional and negligent misrepresentation inducing action that involves a risk of physical harm . The Restatement emphasizes that liability "extends to any person who, in the course of an activity which is in furtherance of his own interests, undertakes to give information to another, and knows or should realize that the safety of the person or others may depend on the accuracy of the information" .
The following hypothetical case, which is applicable to many real world events, illustrates how liability can be established: A drug manufacturer conducts a study whose primary endpoints show the study drug poses serious risks and is not effective. The drug manufacturer manipulates the data and creates post hoc secondary and tertiary endpoints to create favorable outcomes. Once a favorable outcome is created, the manufacturer hires a ghostwriting firm to draft an article falsely touting the purported benefits of the drug and failing to disclose the side effects. The manufacturer then retains various KOLs and reputable university professors to lend their names and credentials to the drafted article. The article is published in a widely read medical journal and physicians begin to prescribe the drug in reliance on the article's claims and the "authors'" reputations. Placebo responses help mask efficacy issues, but some patients begin to suffer from the undisclosed side effects—which in many cases cause serious and fatal injuries. Under these circumstances, the injured patients and their families sue the manufacturer for injuries and death caused by the drug's side effects. The guest authors, however, are never named as defendants. We argue that when an injured patient's physician directly or indirectly relied upon a journal article containing false/manipulated safety and efficacy data, then pursuant to the legal authority outlined above, the authors of that article, including guest authors, are legally liable for patient injuries and could be named as defendants.
Accordingly, guest authors should know that the information to which they have affixed their name (and purportedly "authored") will be relied on by other medical professionals to make treatment decisions and that, should the information be false, the patients receiving the drug are placed in peril. Guest authors cannot claim immunity from the law by stating that they relied on data summaries presented by the pharmaceutical company. Such facts would fall squarely within the elements of liability outlined in Sections 310 and 311 of the Restatements discussed above. Even if the prescribing physician never actually read the ghostwritten article but its messages were relayed to him or her by colleagues, under established case law, the prescriber can be deemed to have relied on the ghostwritten article . We therefore recommend that in cases where patients are harmed as a result of a pharmaceutical manufacturer's fraudulent representations involving ghostwritten articles, serious consideration should be given to naming as defendants the guest authors who lent their names to the misrepresentations.
In a few current pending pharmaceutical mass-tort litigations, plaintiffs' lawyers have begun naming ghostwriting firms such as Excerpta Medica, Inc. and Elsevier, Inc. as defendants , although we are aware of no published decisions or cases in which guest authors have been named as defendants. The transactional costs involved in naming guest authors as defendants are minimal given that a suit will already be pending against the manufacturer. The potential damages at issue can be significant and will depend on the plaintiff's injury and the egregious nature of defendants' conduct. Such potential liability serves four purposes. First, guest authors will be held accountable for their fraud and negligent conduct. Second, they will be confronted with the consequences of their actions and will have to answer at pre-trial depositions and at trial. Third, this will, we hope, force guest authors to review the data and independently confirm the conclusions prior to lending their names to articles drafted for them by manufacturers. Finally, once guest authors realize they could be personally liable for the bodily injuries resulting from their misrepresentations, they and other potential guest authors will be deterred from engaging in such unethical and illegal behavior.
In addition to the claims for personal injuries caused by the guest authors' fraud, should the article constitute illegal off-label promotion by the pharmaceutical company, then the guest author may be held liable potentially as a conspirator under the federal False Claims Act (FCA) . The FCA has effectively been used by private persons and the federal government to prohibit off-label promotion when company representations encouraged health care professionals to submit false payment claims to government health care programs. As recently reported by Kesselheim et al. , private individual actions under the FCA (also known as qui tam actions) allow company insiders and others with special knowledge of potential violations to initiate legal actions, which the government may join or take over. In particular, the FCA qui tam provision permits a private person, known as a relator, to file a lawsuit on behalf of the US government, on grounds that he or she has information that the named defendant has intentionally submitted, or instigated the submission of, false or fraudulent claims to the United States . The relator, who need not have been personally affected by the defendant's demeanor, stands to receive a portion (usually about 15%–25%) of any recovered damages. A qui tam suit initially remains under seal for at least 60 days, during which the Department of Justice can investigate and decide whether to join the action.
This bounty system has acted as a powerful enticement in a variety of health settings, leading to a wellspring of FCA litigation , and such claims have become a usual feature of trials for off-label promotion ,.
The Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FDCA) governs drug safety; under it, manufacturers are forbidden from directly marketing a drug for a use other than the FDA-approved indication . Under the FCA, lawsuits have been brought for FDCA violations against drug companies, based in part upon the company's utilization of ghostwritten articles to support illegal off-label use that induces physicians to prescribe medication for unapproved uses. In 2004, Pfizer pleaded guilty to charges that its Warner-Lambert unit flouted federal laws (FDCA and FCA) by promoting non-approved uses for a drug, alleging it used an illegal marketing strategy to drive up sales. Pfizer paid US$430 million in settlement, including US$24.6 million to the whistleblower who first reported the marketing manipulations. The lawsuit alleged that the Neurontin (gabapentin) marketing campaign included compensating doctors for putting their names on ghostwritten articles, paying them hefty speakers' fees, and covering the costs of "educational" trips at lavish resorts ,.
Obtaining formulary coverage for off-label drug uses in the US can be especially hard, but approval can be advanced by articles supporting off-label use. If ghostwritten articles published by Medicare- and Medicaid-recognized peer-reviewed medical journals are used as clinical evidence to establish medically accepted indications for off-label drugs, they are arguably inducing prescriptions to be written and paid for by the US government under false pretenses. The ghostwritten articles may then form the basis for FCA claims ,.
FCA inflicts civil liability against persons or entities presenting false payment claims or using false records or statements to get claims paid or approved or causing third parties to do so. Statutory damages include up to US$11,000 per false claim submitted (i.e., per each reimbursement submitted for an off-label indication), plus 3-fold damages for the government . If the ghostwritten article causes physicians to prescribe a drug for off-label use to patients on government assistance, the prices paid by the government for these off-label prescriptions can be obtained as damages (and trebled) in a successful FCA prosecution. The potential that participating in a ghost authored article can result in liability for conspiracy under the FCA may be another deterrent to the unethical practice of guest authorship.
If it is established that, in consideration of prescribing the manufacturer's drug, the manufacturer agreed to the naming of the physician as a guest author, such arrangements would violate the federal Anti-Kickback Statute , the primary federal law governing physician-manufacturer consulting provisions. Enacted to protect Medicare and Medicaid programs against inappropriate use of services and unnecessary expenditures, it criminalizes suppliers inducing the use of products or services by providing remuneration to ordering physicians who knowingly offer, pay, solicit, or receive remuneration (in cash or kind, directly or indirectly, overtly or covertly) to induce (or in exchange for) the prescribing, purchasing, or recommending of goods or services reimbursable by any federal health care program .
Since paying physicians to become honorary or guest authors of a ghostwritten paper may influence their clinical judgment, subsequently increasing product sales (and government health care costs), and putting patients at risk by misrepresenting risk-benefit, both physicians and sponsor companies may be legally liable. The FCA, in conjunction with the Anti-Kickback Statute, can also be utilized to curb unethical ghostwriting. Via the FCA, a claim can be filed on behalf of the government by anyone possessing information regarding the anti-kickback violation and, if successful, the claimant or "relator" can share in any damages collected on behalf of the government. In addition, once the government is apprised of a kickback violation, the Department of Justice may bring criminal actions against violators of the Anti-Kickback Statute. Classified as a felony, the maximum individual punishments are fines of up to US$25,000 and imprisonment for up to five years . Furthermore, individuals guilty of violating the statute can be excluded from participation in government programs such as Medicare and Medicaid . The threat of civil and potential criminal prosecution is another potential manner of curbing guest authorship, especially when it is the result of reciprocal agreements between physicians/guest-authors to prescribe the drug and manufacturers promising to use the physician as a guest author.
In their defense, guest authors and pharmaceutical defendants may try to argue they have a First Amendment right to participate in ghostwriting. The US has a rich history of protecting anonymous speech, especially in the area of political speech . However, the same level of protection does not apply to commercial speech, i.e., speech promoting the safety/sale of a drug. Moreover, the US Supreme Court has firmly held that "the First Amendment does not shield fraud"  and courts have consistently rejected such First Amendment arguments in cases in which drug companies have been sued for fraudulent or off-label promotion . Accordingly, the First Amendment should not provide any sanctuary to guest authors and pharmaceutical companies engaged in fraudulent commercial speech.
In addition to openly infringing academic standards and contributing to fraud, the crisis of credibility resulting from medical ghostwriting persists in published reports on the efficacy and safety of proposed treatments. The situation is so dire that the public is forced to seek judicial intervention to curb dangerous, unethical medical ghostwriting. Stakeholders, including universities, journals, pharmaceutical companies, and academic KOLs, have largely failed to heed public calls for honesty in reporting clinical research. Since these complaints have fallen on deaf ears, we believe the courts now have the task of restoring the integrity of the medical literature.


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Q: How to extrude a planar mesh to a volume slice? Is there an easy way to extrude a planar 2D-mesh to a volume slice?
ring = RegionDifference[Disk[{0, 0}, 1], Disk[{0, 0}, 1/2]];
DiscretizeRegion[ring]

The thickness of the slice is assumed to be small and should have only some element layers.
Thanks!

A: If you want some control over the extruded mesh, under Applications in RegionProduct, there is a nice example.
ring = RegionDifference[Disk[{0, 0}, 1], Disk[{0, 0}, 1/2]];
dr = DiscretizeRegion[ring];
pointsToMesh[data_] :=
  MeshRegion[Transpose[{data}],
   Line@Table[{i, i + 1}, {i, Length[data] - 1}]];
data = Table[Exp[x], {x, 0., 0.5, 0.1}];
r1 = pointsToMesh[data];
rp = RegionProduct[dr, r1];
MeshRegion[rp, PlotTheme -> "Lines"]

You can use Subdivide in place of data if you just want a uniform mesh like so
rUniform = pointsToMesh[Subdivide[0, 0.1, 5]]
rpUniform = RegionProduct[dr, rUniform];
MeshRegion[rpUniform, PlotTheme -> "Lines"]

A: I am developing MeshTools package, which contains a convenient function ExtrudeMesh just for this purpose.
First we create a quadrilateral mesh on annulus region. It can be structured or unstructured.
Needs["MeshTools`"]

mesh2D = AnnulusMesh[{0, 0}, {1/2, 1}, {64, 4}]
mesh2D["Wireframe"]

Then we extrude 2D mesh to 3D with ExtrudeMesh. Position and orientation of resulting mesh can be further adjusted with TransformMesh.
mesh = ExtrudeMesh[mesh2D, 1, 4]
mesh["Wireframe"["MeshElementStyle" -> FaceForm@LightBlue]]

Structured (!) hexahedral meshes can be also transformed to tetrahedral meshes with HexToTetrahedronMesh.
HexToTetrahedronMesh[mesh]["Wireframe"["MeshElementStyle" ->FaceForm@LightBlue]]


Welcome to the beautiful island of Saint Lucia.
There are several spectacular diving sites just off Saint Lucia, ranging from easy to challenging. Keyhole Pinnacles consists of 4 seamounts rising from incredible depths to within a few feet of the surface. Superman's Flight, a drift dive on a gentle wall which drops to 1,600 feet. At the base of Gros Piton the Coral Gardens rise from a depth of 15 to 50 feet and Anse La Raye, midway up the west coast is a superb wall and drift dive, where huge boulders cover a shallower slope creating fascinating formations to explore. On the point of Anse Chastenet, a plateau slopes gently from 40 - 60 feet. The reefs fall away to a depth of 140 feet in a unique coral chain, meandering out from the Bay. A number of shipwrecks provide adventure and exploration for divers. For the experienced only, off the southern part of the island, the Waiwinette freighter lies 90 feet below. The currents here make this dive extremely challenging.