Let me state this first. I believe in high-stakes testing and I have no problem using these tests for promotion or identifying student weaknesses. However, No Child Left Behind (NCLB) is nothing but a farce because of policies employed by the New York City Department of Education that adversely affects my school. Let me explain.
My school is a large, overcrowded high school with the average class size of 32 students per classroom (The union contract allows for 34 students per classroom). Over the last five years my school both academically and safety-wise had improved, thanks to a zero-tolerance discipline program that suspends students rather than allow them to walk the halls, disrupt the classroom. or bully other students. Then NLCB came along and we had to improve on our baseline standards. No problem, our school was improving academically, safety was not an issue, and gangs in the school were deep underground, so what was the problem? The New York City Department of Education's flawed policy of closing poor performing large schools and make small schools out of them, that's the problem.
In the last three years three large high schools have been converted to small schools with the approximately three thousand excessed students sent to other schools in the borough of Queens. One of the recipients of these students was my school. The students came from underperforming middle schools and were not selected to go to the newly created small schools. Many of these students came with poor work habits, disrespected their teachers and peers, and were at the bottom of the heap in their middle school mandated tests. With the influx of the students overcrowding became worse, fights are on the rise, and academically, the school is floundering.
Why would NYC Department of Education want to push a large, respected high school into the dangerous waters of the NCLB penalties? I can only guess that it is a combination of incompetence, political policy, and apathy.
Incompetence - Many of the the middle-level administrators at the NYC Department of Education have little understanding of how a school operates. They think of the students as cogs in an assembly line. To them, all the cogs are the same aren't they? The teachers are widgets and the principal as the operator. Their only concern is that the school run smoothly. Incompetence is based upon their lack of understanding of what it takes to run a successful school. That is why they cannot understand that students need to be screened to ensure they are ready for high school and that illiterate students entering high school will not graduate, no matter how much they try without intensive one-to-one tutoring in an alternative setting.
aren't educators and the few that are have been away from the classroom for decades. Their priorities are small schools and charter schools, where work rules can be relaxed (abused) by the administrators. Further, micromanagement is all the rage at Tweed. Tweed's policy is that the "one-size-fits-all" approach should be imposed on all classes. These non-educators believe that the more innovative a classroom teacher is, the more dangerous that teacher becomes. We all know that teachers are the best evaulators of their students. However, according to Tweed, all students learn the same using the same curriculum and a teacher might find him/her in the "rubber room" if they stray from Tweed's directives.
Apathy - The Tweed policy is that "you can fool some of the people all the time and all the people some of the time" and by the time the general population realizes they have been fooled, it's usually too late to do anything about it. Many parents are fooled by the statistics showing that their children are passing increasingly dumbed down state & city tests. Even some of the city politicians believe that Tweed is succeeding in improving the education of the city students.
Further, Tweed's disrespect for teachers and school administrators is obvious for all to see. Just ask any teacher what they think is wrong with the New York City schools and they will all say Tweed. Finally, our union (UFT) rather then push their "Let Teachers Teach Program" and fight the push to small schools, have remained silent about how to combat Tweed. Apathy breeds disrespect and with apathetic parents, politicians, and the UFT, Tweeds rides roughshot over the system.
It is time that educators stand up and fight for the system and in my case I will start at my school. Fight for what's right.
Why Can"t The Students Learn?
My Assistant Principal came to me and asked me how can we improve test scores in the science department. My simple answer; Get me better students and I will give you better test scores. We both laughed because the answer, while simple, cannot be implemented.
My school is an overcrowded large high school, with large class sizes, many recent immigrants with varying levels of education, and a Regional Office that has no problem dumping excess students from other large schools who became small schools into my school. Further, it seems the Principal refuses to defend the school by allowing the Regional Office to do as they please, even allowing students who were jailed for violent crimes to return to the very school they terrorized in the first place!
In some cases the student enters our school in their freshmen year as functional illiterates. How any school system allows this is beyond belief. These children should be flagged well before they enter high school and they should be put into an alternate setting with intensive reading and writing programs in a small class environment until they are certified as ready for high school. Recent immigrants with high school age children present a special problem, especially, if their native language is not english. Too many of these children find their way into my science class with no skills and are very frustrated at their inability to move ahead.
Many teens who are not academically prepared for high school may take out their frustrations by bullying other student, join gangs, and find themselves dropping out of school and/or going to jail. The result is an unsafe school that starts to spiral downward and will not stop until, under NCLB the good students will leave the school. Finally, the school closes down, or is broken into smaller schools and what was once a good school is no more.
It is easy for me to blame the parent, the middle school, the Department of Education, or the child advocates who protect the rights of the child at the expense of the student body. However, the real blame lies with the politicans who approve rules that makes it next to impossible for schools to throw out discipline problems, turn a blind eye to social promotion, and restricts teachers in how they handle their classroom (micromanagment).
How do we ensure the student has a chance to graduate? By intervening at the first indication that the child is falling behind. First, small classes so all the children have a maximum opportunity to learn the basics. Second, one-to-one tutoring with teachers specially trained to work with these children. Third, zero tolerance of destructive behavior, suspending and removing the child to an alternative setting. This lets the other students know that the school is a building of learning. Finally, letting teachers teach in a way that works for both the teacher and the student. The "one-size-fits-all" top-down approach does not and will never work when a teacher cannot teach what's best for the class.
Why can't students learn? Because the teacher does not have or is allowed to use the tools that are needed for the child to graduate and be a productive member of society.
Public vs. Charter Schools, is 20-20 Right? Wrong!
I watched Friday's 20/20 propoganda program how the public schools cheat our children and can only laugh how one-sided John Stossel's piece was. If you didn't know better, you would believe that our public schools are not educating our children and why would anybody want to go to a public school? However, there are some facts that were omitted by Stossel.
First, charter schools have not demostrated that they improve student achievement over the neighbourhood public school in the long term.
Second, charter schools usually emphizise academics at the expense of a well-rounded education such as physical education, arts, and music. Many charter schools have no gyms and studies have found that physical education is important for a child's development.
Third, charter schools have a longer day, and even saturday school. Teacher burnout is the dirty little secret in charter schools as the charter schools use young, enthusiastic, and usually uncertified teachers for a couple of years until they either leave the profession or go to the public school once they become certified.
Fourth, charter schools will throw out students who violate their discipline code. These students are usually associated with low test scores and failing grades.
Finally, many charter schools limit the size of their classes. One charter middle school looked like they had 12 students to a class in the 20/20 program.
I also found it interesting that many charter schools, to cut costs, have their students picking up garbage, serving meals, and during other clerical/janitorial jobs.
I do agree that the Kipps charter schools appear to have made significant gains over the public school. However, that is primarily due to their acceptance program that ensures that the parent contribute to their child's education by fundraising and volunteering their time at the school. Parent involvement is the key to a child's academic success.
If public schools can kick out discipline problems, have smaller class sizes, and select students, based upon parent involvement, the charter school has would disappear since they could not compete on a level playing field.
Where's Our Dues Going To?
As teachers we pay quite hefty dues to our teaching organizations with the expectation that the money will go to education related causes. However, Fox News (Fair & Balanced?) stated that the NEA gave 65 million dollars to non-educational organizations. While I don't always believe the media, the NEA admitted that they did donate the money. Who are some of these worthy organizations?
Regardless of how you feel about these and other organizations, teacher money should only be given to organizations that are educationally related and help support teacher working conditions. I personally resent that my dues go to any organization that does not advance an education agenda.


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Explore Event Captures Attention, Imaginations
on 22 March 2017 .
The night was about variety in people, vendors, career fields, and experiences.
ROSEBURG, Oregon – The 10th Annual Explore Engineering, Surveying, Forestry, Computing and Computer Science Night at Umpqua Community College (UCC) certainly captured imaginations. While the majority of the people who attended the event on March 15 were high school and college age, the gamut ran from 60 year-olds curious about a second career to area students as young as 10 thinking about a high-tech future. Age range aside, everyone who attended the event had a love of, or at least a curiosity for, some type of technology.
"I came to this event in high school and for sure it cemented my interest in civil engineering," UCC alum Cody Stone said. "I graduated from UCC last year, and now I'm at Oregon State getting ready to go out on my first civil engineering internship with ODOT in Salem."
The night was about variety in people, vendors, career fields, and experiences. Dads were caught up in surveying and drafting new roads using computers, while their sons wore a shy smile at the thought of charting new growth on timber land. If forestry, drafting, or engineering didn't create a spark, writing computer code at Oregon Institute of Technology or designing rotor blades for a mini wind turbine with a little help from UCC's Engineering Club did.
For many, the evening made the impossible seem possible. While visiting with a 16-year-old girl, Ellen Momsen, the Director of Women and Minorities in Engineering at Oregon State University, explained the commitment higher education has made to increase the number of women and minorities in engineering through summer camps and other opportunities.
"This isn't something we just all talk about," Momsen said. "It's something we actively champion."
Wonder, excitement, and curiosity flowed through and around UCC's gym. No one stood still for long. There was so much to see, touch, and experience. Tech, science, math, physics, computer science, and engineering can be applied to almost anything and everything.
"The best way for students to get excited about these types of careers, and the educational pathways that lead to them, is to talk to the people who are living the careers each and every day," Clay Baumgartner, the event organizer and UCC Department Chair, said.
By the end of the night, the passion and drive of over 150 exhibitors impacted attendees. One thing is certain—the future will be driven by science and math. Different vehicles will be on the "tech highway," but they'll all be using the same roadmap.
Tags: Students Fun Programs Careers Engineering

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Florida mixed media artist, Akiko Sugiyama makes a deliberate effort to form multitudes of hand-colored and hand-cut paper pieces into subtle designs that are meant to convey the more enduring human aspects of life. Japanese children's stories and folk tales, heard in her early years, diffuse in larger works that reflect personal experiences and views of our contemporary society.
"A plain flat sheet of paper is the starting point for expressing my mood or satisfying a sculptural urge," notes Akiko Sugiyama. It is easy to see the creative energy of her mind and richness of her talent when looking at her exquisite paper collages.
Sugiyama's work is a blend of Eastern and Western esthetics. She graduated from the Women's College of Fine Arts in Tokyo with a BA in Oil Painting, where she concentrated on European art and techniques. However, her Asian heritage remained a major creative factor in her work.
The materials and detail in her work are a study in perfection, both delicate and spiritual. Yet the expressiveness of the work can be Western. "The Japanese influence on my work is unavoidable since I was born and raised in that culture. Today I allow my works to be honest to myself, including my early influences, particularly Japanese children's tales that I heard in my early years of life. These former fantasies and feelings thus impart a flavor to many present day experiences in the United States," notes Sugiyama.
Working with rice or parchment paper, she paints it and then rolls, folds, cones, curls, crushes, pierces, cuts or rends it into compositions that reveal the artistic aspects of paper. She explores both the cultural and artistic aesthetics in her collages, giving us a rich body of work.
Sugiyama has exhibited at Philadelphia Museum of Art (PA), The Morikami Museum (FL), Atlanta International Museum of Art and Design (GA), Georgia Museum of Art, Orlando Museum of Art (FL) Deland Museum of Art (FL) and the Tampa Museum of Art (FL).


text:
Ти́рза (, ; около истока также — Ва́скупите; ) — река в Латвии, течёт по территории Гулбенского, Цесисского и Мадонского краёв. Правый приток верхнего течения Гауи.

Длина — 80 км. Вытекает из озера Эзерниеку на высоте 240,6 м над уровнем моря (согласно другим данным, начинается в лесистой местности юго-восточнее озера Эзерниеку) в центральной части Пиебалгского всхолмления Видземской возвышенности. Устье Тирзы находится на высоте 84 м над уровнем моря, в 314 км по правому берегу Гауи, около Леясциемса. Уклон — 2 м/км, падение — 157 м. Площадь водосборного бассейна — 754 км² (по другим данным — 803 км²). Объём годового стока — 0,18 км³.

Основные притоки:
 правые: Айша, Виране, Алкшньупите, Вията, Лачупите, Судалиня;
 левые: Вилауне, Азанда, Госупе.

Примечания

Притоки Гауи
Реки Гулбенского края
Реки Цесисского края
Реки Мадонского края
Леясциемская волость
Яунпиебалгская волость
Друвиенская волость
Галгауская волость
Тирзская волость
Цесвайнская волость
Лиезерская волость

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Includes the names: Ray Robert J.
Robert J. Ray's book Murdock Tackles Taos was available from LibraryThing Early Reviewers.
Robert J. Ray is currently considered a "single author." If one or more works are by a distinct, homonymous authors, go ahead and split the author.
Robert J. Ray is composed of 3 names. You can examine and separate out names.


Post title indirectly thanks to Dr. Wayne Dyer's Wishes Fulfilled, which I'm currently listening to in audiobook format.
I was triggered to re-launch my blog today (and re-title it — it was called "Anticonformist Everything — Dyniss the musician who complains a lot") as per an automated email from Success.com, where it showed Darren Hardy's own blog entry about some other successful blogs. What the heck. My story will be interesting to me at least.
I could re-cap the last few months where I focused on my Christmas website, but now I need to kick my entrepreneurship into high gear. Today, as part of The Lean Startup method, I hosted my first interview as part of doing some qualitative research to identify my customer and my customer's problems. The interviews will be a challenging process without obvious short-term rewards, but it should have medium- and long-term benefits by not wasting time creating something nobody wants. The rest of the day was spent trying to find contact info and reaching out to a few other professionals to ask for interviews. No luck yet. Tomorrow: Ambush one manager at his work.
In Canada a few months ago we learned that the famous long-running CBC "Hockey Night In Canada" theme song would not be renewed or heard on the network again. There was much passionate public debate over this development. So CBC created a music challenge to find Canada's next hockey anthem. Yours truly wrote and recorded an original anthem and submitted it. Semi-finalists will be decided upon in coming weeks. It was mega-fun to make a quick instrumental new song while keeping the quality high.
The older buses sometimes leak fumes from the diesel they use into the rear half of the bus, which is where I'm often seated. The natural rejection from my lungs and a mild sense of panic means I don't need a scientific PPM measurement to prove that the fumes aren't healthy.
Recently on my usual route I said to myself, "I can't take this any more, I'm going to complain to the driver." As I exited the bus, I kindly reported the problem to him. The look in the driver's eyes and the sound in his voice said, "I will do nothing about this." I walked away in disappointment.
Later that week, I reported it a second time, on the same bus and route, to the same driver. But he got defensive and again left me with an impression of inaction.
So a few days ago, on another bus route, I was breathing the fumes again. They were so strong that I nearly gagged. But I had already been walking around downtown, irked by fumes and garbage smells on the street. Exhausted from my work day, knocked-down by the environment, I decided to remain where I was.
I breathed deeply, and embraced the fumes as they entered me. I was the city's victim, relieved in some sad way to give in.
Fought for 2 days trying to upgrade this blog from WordPress 1.5.2 to 2.1.2. It was an extremely exciting process.
I started getting reams of junk comments/e-mails here a few days ago, and solving the issue isn't my priority with the dwindling traffic. This blog is just going DOWNHILL, man! I've disabled comments until I care to figure it out.
Hmm, while I'm here, what's new? I upgraded my aging G4 Mac with a new processor, that was fun. I was actually responsible and backed up a whopping 160 GB of data before I swapped processors in case something went wrong. WHY did I get a new processor when everything technically runs fine on Mac OS 10.3.9 (which I must continue using because of my old soundcard)? I'm winding up to do a new record and need to get compatibile with some new plug-ins.
Good golly, I cannot believe that I haven't written here since February this year, and this only became apparent when a co-worker quoted me the date. Interesting that February of this year is when I received a promotion at work. I have indeed complained about not having as much time for my music since being promoted, and the interval is the proof!
I've spent most of my last months writing new stuff, and putting video-songs together for some of my tunes. I spent *some* of that time on the computer assembling the new songs, but it's not going toward a new album or anything official yet. The way I look at it, I should just be playing more shows, with focus on new material and the video-songs. But in the last couple of weeks a new excitement rose in me, probably brought on by the orders that have been rolling in for my Christmas song. Speaking of which, just what am I supposed to do with the 1,200 blank CD-Rs I still have left for that darn project? At this point selling them in bulk (with custom screenprint on them further de-valuing them) would be a financial faux-pas, so I suppose at this rate I'll have only 6 years to get through all the discs at current sell-through.
Up until today, not playing shows has made me feel somewhat restricted from being an activist. This is because many of my songs have activist angles to them, and I believe people can potentially begin thinking about new things when they see/hear the songs.
But recently, I've had some micro-results in the mega-corporation office I work in — which has given me some solace. A guy I work with today told me he purchased his first organic produce — oranges. "It was tastier!" he exclaimed. I know his purchase took place in part thanks to my blabbering about the benefits of eating organic food. We discussed the topic a little more after he told me.
I replied with sympathy, since I used to receive the same responses as well (and still might), but I've been learning how to "work somebody up" to my heaviest thoughts over a period of time.
At work, I have had some other micro-successes, including having our shoes people consider buying non-leather shoes for our stores (we are a retail department store chain) after my mention of it.
Here's how I suggest trying to micro-influence others positively in the workplace.
1. Don't mention heavy-heavy things in a topic the first time a topic comes up. In my white-collar environment where people usually only talk about the weather, offering a strong set of beliefs to anybody usually gets received poorly.
2. Make stereotyping your advantage. I am quickly stereotyped when I give somebody even relatively harmless info on a touchy subject like meat eating. I don't begin with, "Meat is bad!" or, "You know animals suffer needlessly everywhere, right?" Such strong statements upset people and shut them down. Instead, I approach people with something like, "I enjoy being vegetarian." Such discourse is very non-chalant, very downplayed. I might even try to steer the conversation AWAY from the topic thereafter and return to the exciting topic of weather.
3. Give your co-worker heavier info (but friendly) at the next comfortable encounter. People will often without my encouragement ask me more about the topic I had opened. This is thanks to the "friendly" stereotype of me they created. And by empathizing with the person, I can determine just how little I should say, and ALWAYS favour saying less over more.
4. Give your deepest thoughts on a topic by the 3rd or 4th encounter. Only do this if it feels right. There may of course never be such an opportunity, and some people will reject your information no matter what. But more often, people by now have an open mind and do not reject the information. Things that are unusual can be intriguing to others, and your activist perspective is unusual, right? Put yourself in a curious person's mind and approach them with this awareness in your own mind.
Convincing somebody to buy organic oranges for the first time may not be a big deal to some people, but I'm trying to feel good about succeeding small where I think it will help the planet.
I recently accepted a 2nd promotion at work, which means I must be doing something right there. But my artistic activities continue to dwindle as my focus shifts further toward my job. There has been increasingly less time for songwriting, recording, show bookings, or website maintenance.
When I first started at Corporation X, I had trouble adjusting to the culture. Take the average worker's attitude toward green thinking. I could not believe how my white-collar co-workers disposed of so many coffee cups every day. 1 or 2 per worker? And not even recycle them? So I strode around with my travel mug, quipping about its benefits, and dutifully/proudly bringing it to the coffee shop myself each morning, hoping everybody would notice and catch on.
I've always said to people, "Environment supports itself" — meaning that if you're surrounded by people who like to walk around picking their noses, they will likely continue to pick their noses. If somebody says to a room full of nose-pickers, "Hey, you know that's unhygienic," they will tend to ignore the upstart because majority rules.
Here is the sad part of my story: I have joined the corporate majority in various ways, and I justify it regularly. Thanks to two years of influence, I now buy my tea from the coffee shop in disposable cups. I do recycle the carboard body of the cup, but the plastic top — which I at first out of guilt carried regularly to the plastic recycler — now gets thrown in the garbage.
How can this change of attitute be?
4. Loss of personal time as a result.
I believe that it is the shortage of time that has ultimately sucked me into the herd mentality.
There is an expression that says, "time is money", which I am living now, as do most people I work with. You can never do "enough" work in the sort of job I'm now in. Anything that distracts you from your work is a bad thing.
In the good old days after university when I had erratic/fewer hours producing audio, I had the time to be the Green Guy I wanted to be. Hey, I could wash that travel mug! I could make that extra walk to the recycler! I could ride my bicycle instead of getting on a motorized vehicle, or I could participate in more pro-environment activities like clean-ups or marches, and I could have more personal time to do creative things.
My focus on money has sucked me into the part of society I always wanted to avoid. I even catch myself looking at people like the "old" me with a bit of, "Oh, grow up". Unbelievable! I don't believe I have only grown up.
So — I still want to follow point (1.), even after my personal debts have been eliminated. But I'm not willing to work for peanuts just to do something eco-friendly, and I'm not willing to work so hard that I can't have the extra time to be the responsible creature I want to be.
Oh Green Guy, how will I revive you?
I was surprised and pleased that the Rhino Bar & Grill donated a large upstairs space to the Green Party cause, specifically for Canadian Federal Green Party hopeful Mark O'Brien. In addition to being a good speaker, he danced, he sang, and he played live Andean folk music as well! His band of 7 was decent and musically honest. The massive pan pipes blew me away — no pun intended.
As for my own performance, I performed a new grand total of 6 slide-show songs. They went on basically without a hitch. I noticed several people puzzled with my unorthodox presentation, including Provincial Green Frank de Jong, who was a very pleasant fellow and conveyed the usual good qualities of a leader.
I chatted with various other people there, including Alex, Andrew, Sam, Gary, and others. There were quite a few South Americans at this show, definitely due to Mark O'Brien's ties to the band and his family. Those of us Canadian-born would not have hit the dancefloor were it not for their easy dancing, especially this wee little fellow (Mark's son I think) whose bundled energy kept him running and dancing around all night. Pretty cute.
Anyway — good show, good times — good luck to the Greens on Canada's Jan 23 election.


Royal Dutch Shell said on Monday that it had applied to the UK Listing Authority and the London Stock Exchange for the listing of 47,791,678 A ordinary shares that will be issued as a scrip dividend alternative to paying a cash dividend for the Q4 2016 interim dividend.
Shell is seeking admission of the shares to the Official List of the United Kingdom Listing Authority and to be traded on the main market of the London Stock Exchange. The Anglo-Dutch oil major has also applied to Euronext Amsterdam for the shares to be admitted to trading on Euronext Amsterdam.
Trading of those shares, which will rank pari passu with the existing issued A ordinary shares, is expected to begin next Monday, March 27, Shell said in its filing to the London Stock Exchange.
Shell started offering a scrip dividend program with its first-quarter interim dividend for 2015. Scrip dividend programs give shareholders the option of being paid dividends in the form of shares rather than in cash. While scrip dividend programs offer certain tax advantages—in Shell's case, dividends paid in shares are not subject to Dutch dividend withholding tax, currently at 15 percent—offering shares instead of cash is easing some of the cash strain that all the oil majors have been facing since the oil price crash.
Related: Can Iran Continue Playing Nicely With OPEC?
BP, for example, has been offering scrip dividends since 2010.
For the fourth quarter of 2016, almost all supermajors, including BP and Shell, reported disappointing figures. Shell booked a $1 billion profit in the fourth quarter, but full-year earnings of $3.5 billion were the worst in a decade. BP, for its part, reported $72 million in earnings in the fourth quarter, and a full-year 2016 loss of $1 billion. Shell, however, reported a positive cash flow for the second consecutive quarter. That allowed the Anglo-Dutch major to slightly reduce its massive pile of debt that it had accumulated with the purchase of BG Group the previous year.


I know I promised you that I would post all about our trip to Dubai, so I decided that it was best to break it down for any of you who are going or even thinking of visiting as Dubai is a place that is just so unique and has so many breath taking views.
The seventh most visited city in the world, with its glittering skyline, man-made islands, massive shopping malls, and luxury hotels. While there are many reasons why you should choose Dubai for your next vacation (like ascending the Burj Khalifa, sky diving over the Palm Jumeriah, and indulging in Friday brunch, just to name a few) I thought it best to tell you all about what we got up to and what I would recommend doing whilst you are here. There really is so much to do in Dubai it's hard to know where to start.
In my opinion there's no best place to stay, Dubai is so spread out that no one area is in walking distance of other. Its a place where you need a taxi to get around so before you book accommodation you need to figure out do you want to be city based or close to a beach? Do you want a modern area or traditional and is a pool important etc. This time around we stayed in the TRYP By Wyndham in the Barsha Heights which was pretty much central in terms of the beach, marina and malls. This little gem is a brand new hotel, with beautiful rooms and very polite and friendly staff. It is a five minute walk from the Dubai Internet City metro station and there is also a super shuttle bus service that will bring guests to the Mall, Beach or other points in downtown Dubai. The chill bar was great, a really nice to relax whilst listening to music, with two big swings just in the door way for the 'big kids' great fun. It was a great place to stay and one I would definitely recommend to someone visiting Dubai.
OK, let's get the obvious out of the way early, there are a lot of skyscrapers in Dubai. Whether you're Downtown around the Burj Khalifa (the tallest man made structure on earth), or down at the Marina, home to 4 of the 5 tallest residential buildings in the world (pictured), you're never too far away from a pretty amazing view.
With such a diverse population, there is a spectacular range of food styles available in the city. With hundreds of Arab-Persian-Indian-Pakistani-Filipino-French-Japanese-Chinese-British, and American restaurants, both humble and high-end, there's something for everyone. Throw in the array of food festivals that happen throughout the year and the stream of pop-up eateries and it's no wonder people talk about newbies putting on the 'Dubai stone'.
Sun, Sea and Sand – This is another pretty obvious one, but definitely one of the main draws for visitors. With more than 300 days of sunshine per year and over 1,000km of coastline, you're never too far away from getting your tan on. I personally love the JBR Beach, it has everything that a tourist would need, a beautiful beach, spectacular views, an amazing choice of food and some quirky stores for all your shopping needs.
It's a Shopper's Paradise – Home to the biggest mall in the world (the imaginatively titled Dubai Mall) and with high-end retail locations seemingly on every corner, it's no surprise that visitors come to Dubai from far and wide for a bit of retail therapy. While many countries have January Sales after Christmas, Dubai has a month-long shopping festival with concerts and giveaways where shoppers can win cars and gold.
Friday 'Brunches' – Not a brunch in the traditional sense – brunches in Dubai are more of an over-indulgent all-you-can-eat, all-you-can-drink mega feast. We choose to go to Zero Gravity as this was my moms first time to experience a Dubai brunch and had one of the best days out of the whole trip.
So there you have it, Dubai is full of so much to see and do that even in a week, there is not nearly enough time to see everything that it has in store. So for anyone of you who are visiting any time soon, you're in for a real treat!


The sound of music changes how you perceive the garden. And there are some intriguing reasons why. Hear the Jazz trio led by Marco de Carvalho on July 12 perform at Garden Party: Festival in the Evening Sun and discover how when accompanied by beautiful sound, you magically see the garden with painting-like detail.
Hostas are hardy and reliable perennial plants native to Japan. Wild species and garden cultivars provide lush foliage – and an amazing variety of leaf shapes, sizes, textures & colors.
As the sun begins to set, yuu-suzumi—the pleasurable art of gathering together to savor summer outdoors—begins. Discover how this tradition is celebrated in Japan, and how you can experience the fun of yuu-suzumi (complete with festival food and sake!) in our very own garden this July.


text:
Visually
World AIDS Day: Over 24 lakh people in India are still HIV positive
November 30, 2022 - Updated 09:54 pm IST
In light of the 35th World AIDS Day, we take a look at the facts and figures to understand the spike and control of transmission in recent years
By Parvathi Benu
Since 1988, December 1 is observed as World AIDS Day, to raise awareness about the epidemic, and its transmission in remembrance of people who have died of the infection.
Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) is a life-threatening condition caused by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). While the first case of AIDS was reported in 1981 in Africa, it soon spread across the world, infecting millions, mainly through blood transfusion, unprotected sex and infected needles.
In light of the 35 th World AIDS Day, we take a look at the facts and figures to understand the spike and control of transmission in recent years, especially in India.
Data indicates that while the disease is pretty much under control, owing to subsidised Anti Retroviral Therapy and various interventions, as many as 2.4 million people in India still live with the disease.
Its spread is yet to be controlled in some states like Andhra Pradesh, where all districts have more than 5,000 people living with HIV AIDS. RTI documents reveal that even in FY21, unprotected sex continues to be the leading cause of infection among most people.
Farmers prefer local agri markets to APMCs
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text:
<?php

namespace TelegramBot\Api\Test;

use TelegramBot\Api\Types\Chat;
use TelegramBot\Api\Types\ChatPhoto;

class ChatTest extends \PHPUnit_Framework_TestCase
{
    public function testFromResponseGroupChat()
    {
        $item = Chat::fromResponse(array(
            'id' => 1,
            'type' => 'group',
            'title' => 'test chat'
        ));

        $this->assertInstanceOf('\TelegramBot\Api\Types\Chat', $item);
        $this->assertEquals(1, $item->getId());
        $this->assertEquals('test chat', $item->getTitle());

    }

    public function testSetId()
    {
        $chat = new Chat();
        $chat->setId(1);
        $this->assertAttributeEquals(1, 'id', $chat);
    }

    public function testSet64bitId()
    {
        $chat = new Chat();
        $chat->setId(2147483648);
        $this->assertAttributeEquals(2147483648, 'id', $chat);
    }

    public function testGetId()
    {
        $chat = new Chat();
        $chat->setId(1);
        $this->assertEquals(1, $chat->getId());
    }

    public function testSetType()
    {
        $chat = new Chat();
        $chat->setType('private');
        $this->assertAttributeEquals('private', 'type', $chat);
    }

    public function testGetType()
    {
        $chat = new Chat();
        $chat->setType('private');
        $this->assertEquals('private', $chat->getType());
    }

    public function testSetTitle()
    {
        $chat = new Chat();
        $chat->setTitle('test chat');
        $this->assertAttributeEquals('test chat', 'title', $chat);
    }

    public function testGetTitle()
    {
        $chat = new Chat();
        $chat->setTitle('test chat');
        $this->assertEquals('test chat', $chat->getTitle());
    }

    public function testSetUsername()
    {
        $chat = new Chat();
        $chat->setUsername('iGusev');
        $this->assertAttributeEquals('iGusev', 'username', $chat);
    }

    public function testGetUsername()
    {
        $chat = new Chat();
        $chat->setUsername('iGusev');
        $this->assertEquals('iGusev', $chat->getUsername());
    }

    public function testSetFirstName()
    {
        $chat = new Chat();
        $chat->setFirstName('Ilya');
        $this->assertAttributeEquals('Ilya', 'firstName', $chat);
    }

    public function testGetFirstName()
    {
        $chat = new Chat();
        $chat->setFirstName('Ilya');
        $this->assertEquals('Ilya', $chat->getFirstName());
    }

    public function testSetLastName()
    {
        $chat = new Chat();
        $chat->setLastName('Gusev');
        $this->assertAttributeEquals('Gusev', 'lastName', $chat);
    }

    public function testGetLastName()
    {
        $chat = new Chat();
        $chat->setLastName('Gusev');
        $this->assertEquals('Gusev', $chat->getLastName());
    }

    public function testSetPhoto()
    {
        $chat = new Chat();
        $photo = ChatPhoto::fromResponse([
            'small_file_id' => 'small_file_id',
            'big_file_id' => 'big_file_id'
        ]);
        $chat->setPhoto($photo);
        $this->assertAttributeEquals($photo, 'photo', $chat);
    }

    public function testGetPhoto()
    {
        $chat = new Chat();
        $photo = ChatPhoto::fromResponse([
            'small_file_id' => 'small_file_id',
            'big_file_id' => 'big_file_id'
        ]);
        $chat->setPhoto($photo);
        $this->assertEquals($photo, $chat->getPhoto());
    }

    public function testSetBio()
    {
        $chat = new Chat();
        $chat->setBio('PHP Telegram Bot API');
        $this->assertAttributeEquals('PHP Telegram Bot API', 'bio', $chat);
    }

    public function testGetBio()
    {
        $chat = new Chat();
        $chat->setBio('PHP Telegram Bot API');
        $this->assertEquals('PHP Telegram Bot API', $chat->getBio());
    }

    public function testSetDescriptions()
    {
        $chat = new Chat();
        $chat->setDescription('description');
        $this->assertAttributeEquals('description', 'description', $chat);
    }

    public function testGetDescription()
    {
        $chat = new Chat();
        $chat->setDescription('description');
        $this->assertEquals('description', $chat->getDescription());
    }

    public function testFromResponseUser()
    {
        $item = Chat::fromResponse(array(
            'first_name' => 'Ilya',
            'last_name' => 'Gusev',
            'id' => 123456,
            'username' => 'iGusev',
            'type' => 'private',
            'bio' => 'PHP Telegram Bot API'
        ));

        $this->assertInstanceOf('\TelegramBot\Api\Types\Chat', $item);
        $this->assertEquals(123456, $item->getId());
        $this->assertEquals('Ilya', $item->getFirstName());
        $this->assertEquals('Gusev', $item->getLastName());
        $this->assertEquals('iGusev', $item->getUsername());
        $this->assertEquals('PHP Telegram Bot API', $item->getBio());
    }

    /**
     * @expectedException \TelegramBot\Api\InvalidArgumentException
     */
    public function testSetIdException1()
    {
        $chat = new Chat();
        $chat->setId([]);
    }

    /**
     * @expectedException \TelegramBot\Api\InvalidArgumentException
     */
    public function testSetIdException2()
    {
        $chat = new Chat();
        $chat->setId(null);
    }

    /**
     * @expectedException \TelegramBot\Api\InvalidArgumentException
     */
    public function testFromResponseException2()
    {
        $chat = Chat::fromResponse(array(
            'id' => 1
        ));
    }

    /**
     * @expectedException \TelegramBot\Api\InvalidArgumentException
     */
    public function testFromResponseException3()
    {
        $chat = Chat::fromResponse(array(
            'type' => 'private'
        ));
    }
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Instroduce: UniPick II is a new kind of outpatient pharmacy automation system made by Swisslog which has combined with the characteristics of the Chinese hospital and special custom. It will be used for outpatient prescription drug delivery. It will be the perfect solution in the modern hospital logistics because it has 40 years of experiences in Europe automated pharmacy and 10 years of experiences in Chinese pharmacy management. It is very fast、save、compatible and reliable and its software, equipment and technology belong to the high-end world level.
1 、Storage: Mass storage, various packaging compatibility. Nitpick II is the only one on the market currently which can realize any packaging of the medicine including boxes and bottles, and it can realize more the 90% of the drug.
2 、Dispensing: Deliver medicines quickly and accurately. Speed: 2400 boxes per hour (bottle), 480 prescription per hour. As many as 10 medicine outlet and various modes of dispensing.
3 、Filling: Auto-Rapid. 6 channels and one are the large packing medicines. Speed: 2400 boxes per hour (bottle).
5、 Software: Developed according to the European industry standards.


Dmitry Masleev, a winner of the International Pyotr Tchaikovsky Competition(2015). The following concert seasons confirmed his status as a "great pianist" operating with virtuoso splendour.
Born in Ulan-Ude, Siberia, Dmitry Masleev is a graduate of the Moscow Conservatory in the piano class of Mikhail Petukhov and the prestigious Lake Como International Piano Academy. In 2015 he won the International Pyotr Tchaikovsky Competition and received the Gold Medal and a number of special prizes. The pianist will reach for a truly virtuosic program, mostly consisting of compositions from the Romantic period.
The recital will be opened, however, with a classical piece, Piano Sonata No. 12 in A flat major Op. 26 by Ludwig van Beethoven. The work written at the turn of the 18th and 19th centuries breaks the traditional pattern - in the second movement, there is a scherzo, while the third one is kept at a slow pace.
Other compositions of the evening come from such romantic composers as Pyotr Tchaikovsky, Frédéric Chopin, Carl Filtsch and Franz Liszt.
Carl Filtsch - a Romanian pianist, composer - a wonder child - who died of tuberculosis at the age of just 15 years, remains the most mysterious figure in this group. At the age of 11, the artist first went to Vienna, then to Paris, where he studied under Chopin, who greatly appreciated the interpretations of the young pianist. The compositions of the two piano masters: Chopin and Liszt are a real test of piano skills. Especially in the case of the Polish artist's nocturnes, the musicality and sensitivity of the interpreter are also put to the test.
References to Chopin's music can also be heard in Tchaikovsky's 18 Morceaux Op.72. A series of miniatures - the last piano piece by Pyotr Tchaikovsky was finished six months before his death. Each of the compositions is dedicated to a different person, and among the titles, one can find: Mazurque pour danser, Polacca de concert, Un poco di Chopin, Un poco di Schumann.


text:
Hampson shines darkly in Met's haunting "Macbeth"
By Caitlin McKechney
Nadja Michael as Lady Macbeth and Thomas Hampson in the title role of Verdi's "Macbeth." Photo: Marty Sohl/Metropolitan Opera
The coupling of Shakespearean drama and Verdian musical prowess is one that opera fans only wish had happened more often.
With Otello and Falstaff, Verdi fleshed out Shakespeare's poetry with a seasoned compositional voice representing Verdi's artistic culmination. Macbeth is the only one of Verdi's three Shakespeare settings to come from his early period, where his compositional voice still harkens back to his bel canto predecessors.
When composing the piece Verdi was ensured by the Florentine theater for which Macbeth was commissioned, that famed baritone Felice Varesi would be available to sing the title role. Thus, Macbeth was composed for a singer with brilliant acting ability, musicianship and quality of voice.
Thomas Hampson performs the role admirably and with his customary intelligence. His Macbeth is characterized by rugged good-looks, somehow remaining likable for all the carnage wrought by him. His voice is most beautiful in the softer, more legato passages that showcase his excellent musicianship, reminiscent of his early career as a Mozart and lieder singer. One can't help but wonder if his is the size of voice Verdi had envisioned, as the roundness of tone seemed to flatten in an effort to produce more sound and drama during the climactic passages, particularly in his Act III response to the ghosts of future kings. However, the glorious Act IV aria Pietà, rispetto, amore was particularly well delivered.
Less successful was Nadja Michael as Lady Macbeth. Known for being a devilishly challenging role, Michael was unable to disguise the manifest difficulties. Though very much looking the part of a WW II femme fatale with her toned physique and long blonde hair, her performance was frenetic and affected. Her voice is quite powerful and the tone is lovely, but her top register sounded effortful, which was indicated by odd head-whipping that didn't not seem in line with the character.
The sleepwalking scene proved to be the most dramatically focused moment for Michael—aided by magnificent staging with some moving chairs and witchy chorus members—but the insanity she portrayed in that moment was rendered less significant by her lack of contrast with the rest of her portrayal. The moment audiences familiar with Verdi's score wait for is the pianissimo D flat at the end of this scene, which is meant to be sung with, as Verdi described, "fil de voce" (or "thread of voice"). Michael's attempt was muscled, strident and fleeting.
A vocal highlight of the evening was Dimitri Pittas's aria as the hero Macduff, which was elegantly and passionately sung, if somewhat reserved. The tenor duet with Richard Cox singing the role of Malcolm, who also sang well, was an interesting and exciting pairing.
Guenter Groissbock's Banquo was masculine (pulling off a Rambo look in Act I) as well as haunting at the appropriate times, his deep bass full of edge and excitement appropriate to the character. Claudia Waite, Tyler Simpon, Donovan Singletary, Brandon Mayberry were all convincing and musically satisfactory supporting characters.
The chorus of Witches, under the guidance of Donald Palumbo, was ominously and excitingly sung and provided a bit of comic relief with their clever, if sometimes a little off, choreography by Sue Lefton. The male chorus in Act II was particularly notable, precise and together as an ensemble even in its staccatos and pianissimos.
One of the stars of the evening was not on the stage, but rather in the orchestra pit. Gianandrea Noseda conducted flawlessly, with excitement, precision and sensitivity. Early Verdi can fall into the "boom-chuck" category of opera if not handled well, but Noseda certainly found inspiration and nuance in every scene beginning with the riveting overture and throughout the evening.
Adrian Nobel's production, set in post-WWII Scotland, is haunting and effective. The set and costume design by Mark Thompson enhance the performance without being distracting, with the gorgeous moon before the curtain rises setting the mood of wonder and magic before the first note is played.
Macbeth runs through April 9th. metoperafamily.org.


Ithaca is one of the smallest and most picturesque islands in the Ionian Sea, with many pebbled beaches, crystal clear waters, greenery that reaches down to the sea and traditional architecture that enhances its unique character.
It is the ideal choice for a traveler seeking a beautiful destination that will deliver quality, alternative holidays close to nature. Unique and majestic landscapes await at every sight, hilltop or small untouched bay. Apart from the major, accessible from the road, beaches, the island's coastline is thick with small pebbled beaches, where one can enjoy peace and isolation. These beaches can be approached only by sea, by owned or rented boat from the port of Vathy or Frikes. Ithaca also offers the choice of organized diving and canoeing excursions.
The innumerable mapped paths of Ithaca offer visitors another unique experience. The island is covered with lush vegetation and, as there is no large touristic infrastructure, there are many options for walks through nature, routes short and long, easy and more demanding for the experienced hiker.
Although Ithaca's archaeological infrastructure has yet to express its great history, recent excavations have brought to light important findings that are worth a visit. The archaeological site of the area 'Agios Athanasios-School of Homer' is open for guided tours, upon request, while of the findings of the excavations can be seen at the Archaeological Collection Northern Ithaca, in Stavros.
– By car or bus to the port of Patras and from there by ferry to Ithaca.
– By car or bus to the port of Killini and from there by ferry to Ithaca.
– By car or bus to the port of Astakos of Aitoloakarnania and from there by ferry to Ithaca.
– By car and ferry through the island of Lefkada.
– By plane to Argostoli of Kefalonia, from there by car or bus to the port of Sami of Kefalonia and then by ferry to Ithaca.


As of today, I am halfway through my Clay to Z project! I can already feel the wind in my hair as I begin descending the slope of this 26 part mountain! That, or this room is really drafty.
I began this project for several reasons. First of all, I wanted to fill my Etsy shop. I only had a few items ready for purchase when I launched earlier this year, so alphabetic animals originated as a way to build stock. I'm also participating in the Wilmore Arts and Crafts Festival in a few weeks, so I need sculptures to sell there, as well.
Secondly, Clay to Z was meant as a skills exercise. I am notoriously slow and needed a way to increase speed. This project is helping to alleviate some of my hesitancy. It's teaching me to plan ahead, rely more on reference, and solve design problems in the moment. In addition to quickening my pace, I'm also practicing building more anatomically believable armatures.
Another reason I am continuing this project is that I've finally had enough of undone things in my life. I've been using Jake Parker's mantra of "finished, not perfect" as a defense against perfectionism, procrastination, fear of failure, and my history of beginnings without endings. Making it to M gives me hope that painting the final stripe on the (spoiler alert) zebra will signify a new era of finishing what I start.
Now I Know My Clay to Zs!


Japanese immigrants to the United States were deeply familiar with baseball: Japan had embraced it in the late 1800s. During the Meiji Restoration leaders promoted baseball as a way to transform the image of Japan while facilitating international connections.
Shed light on the interconnections among world cultures.
Study historic and contemporary cultural and artistic heritage, with emphasis on the heritage, arts, indigenous knowledge and expressive systems, and contemporary art and design.
Deepen our understanding of significant global political and historic patterns and events and their impact on humanity and the planet.
Conduct research on historical migrations and diasporas to and within America and on the contemporary movements of people, art, artifacts, and cultural expressions that connect various world cultures to the American experience.


2014 Apple Keynote brought a lot more than just the two iPhone 6 variants and the first ever Watch from the company. It introduced the very latest Apple Pay system that is here to transform the mobile payment system, and perhaps replace the current card-based transaction system – if we are allowed to be too enthusiastic about it. If you buy Apple's latest iPhone 6 or iPhone 6 Plus, or even if you own an iPhone 5s or 5c and pair them with the latest Watch, you can use this mobile payment system by Apple.
Apple Pay stores all of your credit cards in the Passbook app, Apple's mobile wallet. By using the near-field communication (NFC) technology, it securely transfers data between customers and merchants. Apple was rumored to bring the NFC in the iPhone back in 2010, however, it took the company quite a few years to polish it up and make it useful and secure for everyday transactions. Apple Pay is the wave-and-pay service which makes the transactions swift, easier, and secure as it only requires the customer to simply beam the payment via NFC to the merchant's POS terminal. The NFC based transactions are further protected by Touch ID fingerprint sensor making the authorization instant.
Tim Cook was quite eager to point out that Apple Pay is eventually meant to replace the current credit card payment system. Considering that the magnetic strip based credit and debit cards being used around the world for past 5 decades, perhaps it is time for a better, easier, and more secure solution. But then how can Apple make sure that its new payment system is more secure than the current one, and not even more vulnerable. Following the leak of a ton of private celebrity photos, Apple had to concentrate on the security aspect of Apple Pay.
Considering the mega presence of the company and its multi-billion dollars cash support, Apple Pay has no worries of failing, or at least it doesn't show any. Various banks and retailers are already on board. Apple shared that some 220,000 stores are already accepting Apple Pay including the giants like Target, Macy's, and McDonalds. With hundreds of banks and thousands of retailers promoting the new payment system, it is then no wonder why NFC-based payment system has got everyone on heels.
Focusing on the privacy concern about such a service, Apple and all its partners are repeatedly commenting that user's account number is not stored on the phone and only a one time transaction code is created.
"We don't store the credit card number, and we don't give it to the merchant. … Each time you pay, we use a one-time payment number along with a dynamic security code. … Security is at the core of Pay, but so is privacy. We're not in the business of collecting your data." – Eddy Cue, Vice President of Software at Apple.
Apple Pay will allow you to use the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus to pay for purchases in stores and online at participating merchants with the touch of your finger. And as you'd expect from Apple, it'll be incredibly easy to use.
Featuring the latest technology, Apple Pay is secure. Your account number is not stored on your phone, and only your fingerprint can authorize a payment.
The mammoths of payment processing companies like Visa and MasterCard are all aboard the Apple Pay making it quite easier for any customer to store any of their cards in the Passbook app for transactions. While Apple and its banking and retailing partners keep repeating their focus on privacy and no intention of collecting user data, it would be interesting to see once Apple Pay is released in October and used by the customers. Of course, credit card system itself is not secure and has been suffering through hacking attempts. If Apple can make Pay less vulnerable than the conventional payment services while making it even easier than beaming at POS, it would be likely that we might see a change in the industry.
Again, there would always be privacy concerns around Apple as the tech leaders like Apple and Google have traditionally been accused and found of being fond of collecting user data. What might start as a privacy-centric payment system, can certainly turn into another data collection machine. In anyway, we definitely are hopeful about the future and looking forward to seeing how Apple Pay performs in real world, regardless of having seen similar attempts failing from Google, Square, ISIS, and more.


This very well presented 3 Bedroom Detached House is the perfect location being just a short drive to A12 with modern Bathroom/Kitchen and floorings. Highly Recommended, available 3rd December 2018.
This very well presented 3 Bedroom Detached House is the perfect location being just a short drive to A12 and Chelmsford City Park and Ride. Also Located Close to some good quality eateries, local small businesses and Danbury Common/Lakes. It benefits from Parking for two Cars, Double Glazed, Gas Central Heating together with modern Bathroom/Kitchen and floorings. Highly Recommended.
Detached House located close to Road links and Park and Ride to Chelmsford City.
Gas central Heating & Double Glazed.


text:
Exploring New Zealand's adrenaline capital
Off-piste in snowy Queenstown.
Lake Wakatipu.
Surrounded by steep snow in winter, it's no wonder Queenstown is often hailed as New Zealand's skiing and snowboarding capital. But to have an unforgettable time in this gobsmackingly beautiful town, you don't even have to go anywhere near the slopes.
Our adventure began as the plane loomed over the mysterious inkiness of Lake Wakatipu and descended between sheer powdery mountains to Queenstown's Lego-sized airport. Waiting to fetch us with his all-black Land Rover was the suave Kieran Gardiner — head concierge for The Spire Hotel, the most coveted address in town, and our home for two nights.
The weather was closing in — but that was fine: I could happily have hibernated for the entire stay in the bedroom. A stylish blend of mid-century and contemporary elements, the space — although expansive — was warm and cosy, with thick carpets and a vast, meltingly comfortable bed. As a gas fire flickered in the grate, sliding doors framed views of the cloud-shrouded mountains and a slither of lake.
Once checked in, Gardiner assured us he was only a call away should we need anything– if we changed our minds and decided to go skiing he could get our equipment sorted,for example, or could arrange a tasting tour of nearby Central Otago — the world's southernmost wine region and a hotbed of cool Pinot Noirs.
Fortified by peppermint tea, we decided to brave the elements for a spot of exploring. We were within spitting distance (almost!) of the lakeshore, right in the heart of the town. A myriad of restaurants, bars and shops are in the vicinity — frequented by a curious range of humanity — from pink-cheeked backpackers to posh middle-aged skiers. A ten-minute stroll away is the base station for the Skyline gondola, which whirrs you up the mountain. If you fancy getting the heart-rate up, you can speed down the mountain down the twisty luge track.
Over the next couple of days, we would explore Queenstown on foot — snacking on hot cookies from Cookie Muncher and slurping feisty chilli speciality hot chocolate at The Exchange café. The only thing that could beat the dulche de leche ice cream from Patagonia Chocolates were the sweeping lake views from the upstairs seating area of its flagship café.
One night we joined the queues stretching out the door of Fergburger — a gourmet hamburger takeaway outlet that's also Queenstown's most famous eatery. And for good reason. Slick, friendly service ensured our wait passed surprisingly quickly. I chose the Mr Big Guy: perfectly seared meatiness, topped with a generous helping of crispy American bacon and subtle cheddar. I wolfed it down in a frenzy — it was so good. Later we headed to Smithoverlooking bustling Shotover Street — a laidback bar with a wide range of great craft brews.
Queenstown is a marvellous launch pad for nearby activities: lazy lake cruises, kayaking, hiking — and, for the super-flush, helicopter flips. Early one morning we headed to Onsen, perched high above the Shotover valley. For one hour, we wallowedin our own, exclusive hot pool. The water steamed and bubbled as we admired the gathering light splaying across the mountains surrounding us. When it got a bit too toasty, a jet of water from the roof spattered over us, cooling us down. We headed back to town blissed out — relaxed and invigorated, the stress and strains of travel having melted away.
Soaking away the stress at Onsen.
A day later, we would revisit the valley for a ride on the iconic Shotover Jet boat, which has been enthralling visitors since 1965. Over the course of 25 exhilarating minutes we surged at up to 85km an hour over glacier-green water — sometimes only 10cm high — twisting through the canyon, within heart-stopping proximity to the rock sides, and swirling and skimming in dramatic 360 degree turns.
A more sedate but equally dramatic experience was a day trip to the Milford Sound in the heart of the Fiordland National Park. The glass-covered bus ride getting there was worth the trip alone: taking us through thick forest before climbing steadily up and through the Southern Alps, before twisting down towards the sea. A boat took us along the fiord, which was sided with steep cliffs cloaked in dense rainforest, all overlooked by snow-capped peaks. Turning back when we reached the Tasman Sea, we nudged up against a waterfall as we made our way back.
The staggeringly beautiful Milford Sound.
On our last night at The Spire we headed to its bar-restaurant, №5 Church Lane, where hotel guests are invited to have a complimentary pre-dinner drink every evening. From mixologist Jake Page's extensive cocktail list (which includes a range of absinthe-inspired tipples), we enjoyed a sublime whisky-driven Vieux Carré as sultry as New Orleans itself; and an excellent local Pinot Gris.
Executive chef Will Eaglesfield's menu embraces his passion for showcasing local produce. Happily for those as indecisive as me he offers a "trust the chef" mezze selection, shared by the table, and served up in three courses.
Highlights included local Pinot Noir-infused wild Fiordland venison liver pâté with, rhubarb relish, walnuts, spiced wine jelly and sourdough. The local chargrilled merino harissa-marinated lamb ribs were also dizzyingly good — accompanied by stand-out sides such as crispy hand-cut chips with red pepper aioli and long-stemmed broccoli.
The next day, we breakfasted in the hotel's gorgeously snug bar-restaurant, warmed by the fire. Daylight over seeped in from the french windows through which we could admire the tranquil lake. I drank the perfect flat white, feasted on delicious wild boar with spicy tomato relish poached egg on fresh, fluffy sourdough. It was the perfect way to say goodbye to Queenstown.
I was a guest of The Spire Hotel.
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The Big Ohio Vote
RUSH: I told you about this couple weeks ago. I've been keeping this on the outer edges. Big election tomorrow on Issue 2 and Issue 3 in Ohio. We got a health care ballot initiative, I think it's Issue 3. That's a biggie, by the way. Issue 3, the people of Ohio are gonna vote tomorrow on exempting themselves from the mandate to buy health insurance, and if they don't exempt themselves, that ain't gonna help at the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court, these judges, they follow the elections and they follow public opinion polls. They'd never admit it, but they do. And if the swing state people of Ohio say, "Hey, bring the mandate on. We'll be glad to be forced to buy insurance by the Feds," then the Supreme Court could say, "Hey, you know what, the path of least resistance here is just to say Obamacare is cool as is."
But if the people of Ohio say, "To hell with that mandate, we don't want any part of it. We don't want to be forced to buy health insurance, vote it down," that's preferable, but there's another issue, Issue 2. And listen to how the LA Times reports this. "An aggressive Republican drive to weaken the labor rights of government workers appears to have crested, at least in Ohio, where voters are expected to throw out a far-reaching anti-union law this week. The referendum over collective bargaining for public employees, potentially the most important contest in off-year elections around the nation, is being closely watched for clues about shifting voter trends in a state expected to play its usual outsized role in next year's presidential contest.
"Barely seven months ago, newly elected Gov. John Kasich joined other Republican governors, including Wisconsin's Scott Walker, in defying angry street demonstrations to push through a measure designed to curb the power of public-employee unions….the focus of both sides in the referendum fight, touts his blue-collar roots as the son of a postman. But he warns that a victory by organized labor would undercut his efforts to hold the line on government spending and rebuild the state's economy." This is Wisconsin redone, and what it boils down to, folks, is people in Ohio are gonna be voting whether or not to give away the store to public employees. It's a vote to keep public sector workers better paid than the taxpayers who pay them. Just like it was in Wisconsin.
It's a giant money laundering scheme. The more public sector workers there are, the more public sector dues there are. Those dues are what fund Democrat Party campaigns. And the more those state workers earn, the higher the dues, i.e., the greater the amount that ends up back at the Democrat Party. Now, in Wisconsin it was voted down. You remember, members of the state legislature fled the state trying to avoid voting on it. Governor Walker prevailed there, Kasich trying to duplicate. There's a polling outfit called Public Policy Polling, and they say that it's over, that big union and its money is gonna win handily, that there's no way, and I don't believe that for a second, because I know that polling is used to shape public opinion, not reflect it.
"The arguments by Kasich, whose popularity has fallen sharply since his election a year ago, appear to have swayed few voters. Public and private polling indicates that Ohioans, by a substantial margin, want to overturn the new law." Which means, if this is true, that people in Ohio want to rape themselves. People in Ohio want to pay higher taxes to pay higher salaries to state workers, state workers who will earn twice what their private sector counterparts do — this is what the polling is telling us. Pensions, too, oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, you private sector workers in Ohio, the polling data says that you want to pay state workers twice what you earn and pay their lifetime pensions. That's what the polling is telling us, that Big Labor has won the day. This is hardly even a contest, Kasich, everybody hates him, this issue is going down the tubes, there's no prayer. That's what we're being led to believe.
Those of us that don't live in Ohio are being told that you who do — let me put it another way. You live in Ohio and you make $45,000 a year, you are in favor of paying taxes sufficiently high enough to pay a public sector worker $90,000 a year plus a lifetime pension. That's what the polling says you want to do. Does that sound right? No, no. Does it sound like it makes sense? I mean if you put the proposition to the residents of Ohio that way: Dear Mr. Ohioan, you earn $50,000 a year, you're gonna vote tomorrow to pay the union workers in your state a hundred thousand dollars a year, and you're going to pay a lifetime pension, which means you are signing on to your own taxes being raised however much is necessary to make all that happen. That's what you want. And not only are you voting for your taxes to go up, you're voting for your kids who may not even be beyond sperm stage yet the same thing.
That's what the Public Policy Polling is telling us, that you in Ohio want yourself or your unborn kids to face never-ending tax increases to pay state public employees twice what you earn plus pensions after they retire, and they can retire after 20 years. I'm not sure exactly how quickly they can retire, but that's what was on the ballot in Wisconsin. It went down the tubes, and that's what Public Policy Polling is telling us is going on in Ohio. Now, the Los Angeles Times article doesn't cite any specific poll. They just say polling. There is another story out there that cites Public Policy Polling. They're in there.
And from Gallup, the headline here says it all. "Democrats More Liberal, Less White Than in 2008." The party generally looks demographically similar to 2008. Well, how can it look similar if it's more liberal and less white? "In many respects, the demographic profile of Democrats nationwide is similar to what it was in 2008, although Democrats have become somewhat less white –" How did that happen? (interruption) Well, no, but I mean if you become less white, does somebody paint you? What happens? Not spending as much time outside in the sun? Democrats have become somewhat less white. How does that happen? I know Michael Jackson became less black. He did it with bleach, right? All right, so you must be spending more time in the sun to become less white. All right. So must be a zero-sum game.
But anyway, "Democrats have become somewhat less white and more liberal than the party that nominated Barack Obama as its presidential candidate that year. As a group, Democrats are more likely than average to be women and nonwhite, less likely to be religious or married, much less likely to be conservative, and much more likely to be liberal than the U.S. population as a whole." In other words, they're totally outside the norm. The nation's Democrats are totally outside the norm. But you see I'm sort of saddened by this. I thought Obama was gonna make all this race stuff go away. It's not happened, has it?
BREAK TRANSCRIPT
RUSH: So Ohio is gonna vote tomorrow on whether or not they want to become Greece.
RUSH: Sam in Columbus, Ohio, welcome to the program, sir.
CALLER: Hey, Rush, it is an absolute honor to speak with you. Thank you so much for taking my call.
RUSH: It's a pleasure, sir. Thank you very much.
CALLER: My comments are regarding Issue 2 in Ohio.
RUSH: Yeah.
CALLER: Well, they have bombarded us for three weeks or longer with basically threats with police and fire department response time. If we have an emergency, somebody breaks into our house, you know, we're not gonna get the help.
CALLER: We have been hearing this constantly.
RUSH: Yep. That's how they do it. If you don't pass this thing, then the cops are not gonna be on the beat, the firemen aren't gonna put out your fires, and your rates will go up, all kinds of horrible, rotten things are gonna happen to you.
CALLER: That's exactly right. And it's just the last three days we've finally seen some "yes" signs and some ads that are, you know, voting yes, and they're all positive. It's amazing how that works.
RUSH: Well, the opponents of this thing, they can't afford for the truth of what's on the ballot to be discussed. This thing will go down in flames. That's why they portray this as, "If you support Issue 2 you're saying good-bye to cops. If you support Issue 2 you're saying good by to firemen." It's not the case at all. Ohio, I'm just gonna tell you, I don't live there but I've loved it there when I've been. I'm just gonna tell you straight out what Issue 2 is, as simply as I can. Whatever you earn, let's use the average, let's say you earn $50,000 a year. What you are voting on tomorrow is paying public sector workers twice what you make. And your kids and you will be facing higher state taxes in order to pay the public union state employees twice what you earn, plus you're going to have to pay for their pensions in their retirement. That's what's on the ballot.
What is not on the ballot is cops not responding, firemen not responding. What's not on the ballot is cops getting fired or policemen being fired or first responders being let go. That's not on the ballot. The collective bargaining issue is also on the ballot. And don't forget, even noted leftists of the past, FDR said that collective bargaining for public employees is unacceptable because you're bargaining against your own people. You know, the evil enemy in the state of Ohio is not fat cat CEOs. That's not who the unions are negotiating against. The unions in Ohio are negotiating against the taxpayers. Issue 2 is about survival. If it goes down, Ohio goes down. It's unsustainable. You simply cannot have the private sector population paying union state workers twice what they earn.
How many cops have been fired in Wisconsin? How many first responders have been fired in Wisconsin? How many firefighters have been let go in Wisconsin? FDR was against collective bargaining for public sector workers because they're bargaining against your fellow citizen. You're bargaining against your neighbor. Big Labor in Ohio is totally misrepresenting this. Of course they would love to earn twice what the private sector makes. They don't care who's paying it. It's no more complicated than that. We're not just talking cops and firefighters. We're talking teachers and bureaucrats at the DMV, all of these union workers, they're gonna make up to twice what you make and your taxes are going to pay that, plus their retirement. That's what's on the ballot and it's unsustainable. Issue 2 is about sustainability, survivability. Sam, are you still on the phone?
CALLER: Yes, I am.
RUSH: Have there been any ads about rapes going up in Ohio if Issue 2 goes down?
CALLER: You know, I don't want to say a hundred percent for sure, but definitely like break-ins and there probably were a couple early on that were talked about —
RUSH: Well, I wouldn't doubt it because the vice president, Joe Bite Me is out there, rapes are gonna go up if we don't support the president's jobs bill. So if they're trying to tell you that the cops are not gonna be answering complaints, that means rapes might be going up in Ohio. That's how the left sells this stuff. Sam, I appreciate call.
LA Times: Ohio Voters Look Set to Dump Republicans' Anti-Union Law
TPM: Ohio Set to Vote Against Kasich's Anti-Union Law
Public Policy Polling: SB 5 Headed for Big Defeat
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Q: Setting tabindex programmatically I'm using jQuery and a smooth scrolling code snippet from css-tricks, but for some reason setting tabindex for accessibility isn't working. I've copied the snippet directly, so I'm not sure if there's something else in the implementation that's gone awry or if it's the browser (latest version of Chrome). An extra set of eyes on this would be very appreciated!
Original snippet
Codepen demonstrating the issue
Expected behaviour:
When you click on the 'Skip to content' link, it should smooth scroll down to the content div. When tabbing with the keyboard afterwards, it should start focusing the links directly after the content div (Test links 4+)
What's happening:
The codepen scrolls down to the content div, but when tabbing with the keyboard, it jumps back up to Test Link 1.
If I add tabindex to the div directly, the expected functionality works:

This works

But if I add tabindex programmatically using the smooth scroll snippet, it doesn't. I've also tried using .setAttribute() and .prop() instead of .attr(), without luck.

A: This appears to be to do with the version of jQuery in use.
I was playing about on CodePen, including on the pen by Chris Coyier linked to in the CSS tricks article you got the code from, where everything seems to work as intended. I decided to edit your post to include a code snippet with the code copied from your Codepen, to avoid the need to go offsite to look into it - but abandoned when I realised that, contrary to the Codepen, it appared to work fine.
But Stack Overflow only lets you add jQuery versions up to 3.3.1, whereas you were using 3.6.0 (the latest) in your codepen. And I discovered that changing the version of jQuery in use there altered whether it worked or not - specifically, any version before 3.6.0 (although I only tested 3.x versions), seemed to work fine.
So TLDR: this seems to be a bug in the latest jQuery. For your purposes you can presumably just use a slightly older version like 3.5.0. I don't know if this has been reported as an issue, nor do I fully know what's happened - but reading the release notes I see they have fixed a bug around focus, it is possible that in so doing they caused this new issue.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


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Date/Time: 10-4:30 pm. Feb. 1st – 2014.
Cost: $150 includes nice local lunch – $50 deposit non-refundable deposit required by Jan 29.
Email me to reserve a spot! we only have 1-2 left!


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text:
Driver charged in March 2017 fatal crash
Posted: Aug 22, 2017 12:14 PM EST
MISHAWAKA, Ind. -- The driver of a vehicle that crashed into a cemetery in March 2017 has been charged by the St. Joseph County Prosecutor's Office.
Christopher David King, 38, has been charged with causing death when operating a motor vehicle with an ACE of .15 or more.
Mishawaka Police were called to Cedar Road and Riverview Drive just before 2:30 a.m. on March 20 for a single vehicle crash.
When police arrived, they found a vehicle on its side in-between several trees. The crash damaged several headstones at the Byrkit Cemetery.
King was pinned his seat and his passenger, Heather Zurbuch, was lying on top of him, police said.
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text:
Q: Dragging feature- linked annotation results in strange snapping and rotation behavior I created feature linked annotation for a line feature class. Both the feature and the annotation are feature classes stored within the same feature dataset on an SQL Server Geodatabase.
The initial labeling made use of a simple SQL query which may or may not be relevant. The annotation was created successfully but I'm having a hard time maintaining it due to the following:

*

*When dragging these annotation boxes to fine tune my print product, I use the Edit annotation tool. I've attempted this in both data and layout view (with a focused data frame). When stretching this bubble style annotation it is automatically rotated in a variety of directions and appears to snap to some unknown grid even though all snapping is turned off.  It makes placing annotation impossible.

I posted Feature linked annotation not added when new features are drawn which is a related but different question here today. These are not duplicates.

A: If you have other layers turned on, the annotations will try to snap to layers even if you don't have them selectable. Make sure all your layers are turned off except for the one you want to edit when trying to move or edit annotations.


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Trump ends Obama's 12-year run as most admired man: Gallup
ByMHB Admin
Dec 30, 2020 2020 US Presidential Election, Barack Obama, Donald Trump, Gallup, public opinion
Zack Budryk
President Trump has ended former President Obama's 12-year run as the most admired man in America, edging out his predecessor in the annual Gallup survey released Tuesday.
Eighteen percent of the survey's respondents named Trump as their most admired man, compared to 15 percent who named Obama and 6 percent who named President-elect Joe Biden. Three percent named National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director Anthony Fauci, while 2 percent chose Pope Francis.
Rounding out the top 10 were Tesla CEO Elon Musk, Sen. Bernie Sanders(I-Vt.), Microsoft founder Bill Gates, Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James and the Dalai Lama, all of whom received 1 percent.
The sitting U.S. president has been named the pollster's most-admired man in 60 out of 74 years, including all eight years of Obama's presidency and every year of George W. Bush's presidency except for 2008. Trump had finished second to Obama in 2017 and 2018.
Despite hi-tech advances, many Europeans wary of taking COVID shot
New Factories Discovered Inside China's Mass INternment Camps
By MHB Admin
Rep Louie Gohmert on Cop 'Suicides', Jan 6, Political Prisoners and More (Video)
Aug 5, 2021 MHB Admin
Flip-Flop Fauci: 'A Variant Worse Than Delta'
McAfee Widow: I Do Not Accept 'Suicide' Story