text:
Used View
Two tornado touchdowns confirmed in the Capital Region on Wednesday evening
by used view
The National Weather Service in Albany, New York has confirmed that two separate tornadoes touched down in the Capital Region on Wednesday evening. The conclusion comes after meteorologists conducted storm surveys on Thursday to assess the damage and strength of the storm.
The first tornado touched down at 6:45 p.m. Wednesday in the town of Florida in Montgomery county and tracked into Schenectady and Rotterdam in Schenectady county. Meteorologists rated this tornado at an EF-2 on the enhanced Fujita scale with maximum winds estimated at 125 mph. It was on the ground for 15 minutes and tore a track up to 17 miles long and 1-mile wide. There were no deaths reported, but at least one person was injured.
Meteorologists stated that the path width was consistent along the entire path, which is incredible and nearly unprecedented for upstate New York. Maximum damage along the path included roofs torn off of multiple structures and high tension power line towers toppled. In addition, a large number of hard and soft wood trees were either toppled, uprooted, or sheared off. Widespread power outages also occurred along the path.
Are you prepared for a natural disaster or prolonged power outage in your area? GOFoods offers a wide variety of the healthiest food reserves with a 25 year shelf life that anyone can prepare in just minutes. Try a free sample today.
The second tornado touched down at 7:10 p.m. Wednesday in the towns of Summit and East Jefferson in Schoharie county. This tornado was rated an EF-1 on the enhanced Fujita scale with maximum winds estimated at 100 mph. It was a brief touchdown and was only on the ground for five minutes, tearing a 200 yard damage swath along a 2-mile path.
The touchdown occurred along a ridge line seen from the juncture of Dutch Hill Road and Wharton Hollow Road. Dozens of soft and hard wood trees were fallen in different directions and sheared off, which was evidence of a tornado. Also, along Enid Road and Peraglia Road, trees were down in different directions. Nobody was injured or killed in this tornado touchdown.
Click on the "Subscribe" button above and enter your e-mail address to receive a free alert to your inbox when a new article is published. Please become our fan on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.
Any weather-related decisions should always be made after consulting proper statements and forecasts from the National Weather Service.
Interested in writing for usedview.com? Visit this link to apply today!
Storm summary: Tornado producing thunderstorms impact the Capital Region
Heat wave continues as sweltering temperatures bake the Capital Region
Record breaking warmth possible across the Capital Region as heat wave continues
At least 37 confirmed dead after massive Oklahoma tornado, says report
Wednesday Evening on River St., 6-9pm in ER
Reread Clayton's 'Wednesday Sisters' before 'Wednesday Daughters' hits shelves
© 2020 Used View · Contact · Privacy


With the festive season just around the corner, India's e-commerce majors like Flipkart, Amazon India are clamouring to roll out the best deals to customers. To celebrate the festival season by saving on top deals, these online marketplaces are offering heavy discounts and deals across all popular categories by offering steep discounts, cash backs.
Flipkart has started a new sale as Festive Dhamaka Days. In the sale, it will be providing some really good deal on phones. The phones include Google pixel 2XL, Apple iPhone SE, Asus Zenfone 5Z, Honor 10, Oppo F9.
Google Pixel 2 XL phones will be available at Rs 36,999, Apple iPhone SE is available at Rs 15, 330, Asus Zenfone 5Z is priced at 22,500. Customers can get Honor 9 and 10 phones for Rs 22,500 and 10,800 respectively. Oppo F9 will be available at 17,990. Moto X4 can be purchased at Rs 11,700. Vivo V11 Pro will be available at 23,390.
Flipkart claims to have witnessed 100 per cent growth in sale of budget smartphones from its platform between festive season sale it held a year ago till date.
"Budget smartphone is one of our fastest growing segments. In the run-up to the festive season, we have witnessed a 100% growth, over the same period last year. This speaks for the growing appetite consumers have for technologically advanced products at affordable prices," Ayyappan Rajagopa had said.
Rajagopal has earlier claimed that the company has close to 65 per cent share in smartphones segment sold online expect this share to settle in the range of 70-75 per cent by after the festive season sale is over.


text:
typedef UInt64 CMethodId;

#endif

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
3DS eShop
Adventures of Lolo
User Ratings: 231
Adventures of Lolo Review (3DS eShop / NES)
Bubbles and puzzles and DEATH
review by Conor McMahon Fri 14th Nov 2014
The fine folks over at HAL Laboratory have an affinity for protagonists who could double as pretty decent basketballs, and the often-forgotten NES puzzler Adventures of Lolo features our first example of a blob hero. Unlike the platforming cuteness of the Kirby series, arguably HAL's most famous creation, Lolo has a focus on top-down navigation and some pretty challenging puzzles to solve. Now on 3DS' Virtual Console, how does it fare over 20 years after release?
Your blobby pal Lala has been captured by an evil King, and taken to the top of his similarly evil castle; a brief intro animation shows the drama in impressive detail for its time, and then you're launched straight into the action. The setup is far from original, but does the job in outlining a simple objective to contextualize your journey from floor to floor. Let's face it; we're not here for the story.
Each level takes place in a single-screen room, where Lolo is tasked with collecting all the hearts and grabbing the treasure before continuing on to the next. It's reminiscent of the dungeon template from the original Legend of Zelda, so it's no surprise that block pushing will come into play quite often. It's safe to say that our blue hero is a lot less formidable than Link, however, so you'll need to plan your approach to avoid roaming enemies, who can take you out in one hit. Luckily the controls are both straightforward and responsive, so you've only your logic to blame every time you see 'game over'.
Chances are you'll make all your initial mistakes and learn how to correct them in the first few minutes, as there are a few quirks to the gameplay that aren't readily apparent at first. Lolo can attack, but only with a limited-use bubble shot, which freezes enemies and turns them into movable objects. Hitting them again will destroy them entirely, but since you'll only ever have two shots at any one time, this is often a risky move. Some enemies remain completely still, blocking your path, while others charge Lolo with unpredictable movement patterns at speeds which we swear are just a little bit faster than our blue buddy can ever reach. A few will actually fire projectiles on sight, and there's even a type which falls asleep as soon as it touches you, creating a Snorlax-esque obstacle to worry about.
That's pretty much the general idea, but HAL take those core concepts and isn't shy about turning up the difficulty. While you'll go on to unlock power-ups that allow you to break a single block or cross impassable rivers, the majority of your time will need to be spent considering enemy patterns and attempting to outwit them while collecting the hearts. The manual itself admits that Lolo isn't the strongest or fastest guy around, but "possesses great courage, a high IQ and a lot of patience", which are traits the player could do with having as well! Getting yourself stuck is a common enough occurrence that there's a 'give up' button programmed in to Select, which allows you to reset the level at the cost of a life.
Stages don't always have linear solutions, so a little ingenuity goes a long way when it comes to tackling the puzzles. Without the ability to pause mid-level — save for cheating and using the 3DS' 'Home' button — it's all go once you decide to take your first step. Enemies activate at different times, but it's worth standing still before you begin, just to get the lay of the land and prepare. It's the sort of puzzler you can't really blag your way through, at least not once you're a few floors into it. Thankfully, the simple setup means that whether you want a few evenings of mental exercise or simply to dip in and out every once in a while, the portable format fits Lolo like a glove.
As for aesthetics, we can at least report that everything is clearly defined and you'll never find yourself getting confused over what's what. The enemy designs run the gamut from cute to bizarre, and each level is basically just a re-arrangement of the last, so the visuals won't impress, but they won't distract either. Chirpy music and fluid animations help round off the experience, although it feels more like a prototype of the kind of charm we've come to expect from HAL. Fun fact: Lolo and Lala were actually re-imagined as block-pushing bosses that feature regularly in the Kirby series. So much for saving the day!
Though built upon on a relatively simple foundation of block puzzles and tight controls, Adventures of Lolo offers an experience worth far more than the sum of its parts, and one that's sure to test even the most experienced logic lovers out there. With plenty of content and multiple ways to complete each level, the only substantial obstacle to the fun is a very steep difficulty curve that often reaches maniacal heights. Add on the repetitious nature of the gameplay and you have a title which definitely won't be for everyone, but if you're up for a challenge then you could do far worse than taking Lolo on the go.
Good 7/10
On the game overview it doesn't list 3DS Virtual Console release dates for each region.
and why has the US do not have this game
Alucard83
@andrew20 nuff said
sinalefa
This is one of those games I never played. Looks like a perfect fit for an NES Remix game.
rbmoura85
Nintendo, what about Adventures of Lolo 3 for the wii u virtual console?
thehoppypoppy
I remember one of my brothers playing this constantly back in the day...
Sat 15th Nov 2014
This game is good. I love it. The wii u review gave it a bad score. I don't remember what but I do know a review is in the eye of the beholder.
Dr_Corndog
I had a lot of fun with this one on the Wii VC.
OzMikey
Retro HAL gold!
KFlow325
Awesome game, had a blast with this and Lolo 3 when I was a kid...very challenging puzzler
DiscoDriver43
isn't that one of the bosses in kirby games? anyway this game looks a bit interesting
chewytapeworm
@DiscoDriver43 They were, and the reviewer states this just before the concluson.
GreatPlayer
Adventure of Lolo 2 was actually the first game I ever purchased (for NES). I hated it - slow, boring, and if you got stuck in a stage, you got stuck and could not advance. Of course nowadays you can watch youtube video and find a solution. But, the game is short and you can beat it in no time.
Only nostalgia factor makes this game playable.
WaveWitch
@GreatPlayer
My favorite thing about this game? The BoxArt.
I remember renting this at my local videostore and I couldn't advance during stage 2 or 3, because like you, I got stuck. fun times!
But you're right, only Nostalgia makes this game playable....And being a total sucker for awesome NES-BoxArt.
Chiller and Ghoul School also ring a bell hehe.
Sun 16th Nov 2014
@WaveWarlock Even nostalgia may make this game playable, my nostalgia does not because my experience with this game was short and frustrating. Has anyone also mentioned that the game also looks bad. Adventure Island (released even earlier in 1986 in Japan) looked much better even though Adventure Island was released earlier.
stinkyx
Lolo...he can burn on a stake, and be given eternal damnation!!! Where is Pokemon TCG and Mario Kart Super Circuit? Those should be on 3DS!!!
Some people don't know what a good puzzler is and on top of that they don't understand the concept of a different genre. Graphics are not the issue. Game play is. What's a matter can't play cute little adorable Lolo. It's too hard.
One of my first games on the Nes. I loved the intro and gamesound. I can still remember it. That says a lot.
timtimdaunholy
They need and I REPEAT THEY NEED TO MAKE A NEW ESHOP LOLO.
i love puzzle games and this series is one of the best.
I'd call a new game "Adventures of Lolo in Kirby's Dream Land".
Nintendo Appears To Be Pulling DSiWare Games From The 3DS eShop
Update: Some games return
Random: Dust Off Your Wii U, It's Time For Some Banjo-Kazooie And Blast Corps
Update: Maybe not...
Wii Shop Release Date:
6th Aug 2007 (USA), 500 points
8th Jun 2007 (UK/EU), 500 points
Wii U eShop Release Date:
15th May 2014 (USA), $4.99
21st Aug 2014 (UK/EU), £3.49
20th Apr 1989 (USA)
21st Feb 1991 (UK/EU)
3DS eShop Release Date:
8th Jan 2015 (USA), $4.99
16th Oct 2014 (UK/EU), £3.49
File/Download Size:
Adventures of Lolo, Nintendo Switch Online
Review Wrestling Empire - A Love Letter To Pro Wrestling That Falls Foul Of Hilarious Bugs
Review Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: The Game - Complete Edition - Still The Bob-omb 10 Years On
Mini Review Door Kickers - A Tough Tactical Take On That Old FPS Trope
Mini Review The Hong Kong Massacre - A Hotline Miami Clone That's A Little On The Tough Side
Mini Review Florence - The Very Definition Of 'Short But Sweet'

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Members of the Armed Forces are allowed to naturalize under liberalized rules. To qualify the applicant must have served honorably for three years in any branch of the U.S. Armed Forces.
Must not have been discharged under less than honorable conditions.
There are no physical presence or residence requirements. There is no requirement to show good moral character for any particular period of time.
Five years of residence, however military service during the preceding five years shall be considered as residence and physical presence.
That he or she must have been enlisted in the U.S. or a U.S. territory or have been lawfully admitted to permanent residence.


text:
Q: Change output directory of sbt I want to change my output directory for some generated files, in this case generated objects from an XSD-Schema.
Here is part of my Build file.
val main = PlayProject(appName, appVersion, appDependencies, mainLang = SCALA,
      settings = Defaults.defaultSettings ++ buildInfoSettings ++ scalaxbSettings
    ).settings(
      sourceGenerators in Compile <+= buildInfo,
      buildInfoKeys := Seq[BuildInfoKey](name, version, scalaVersion, sbtVersion),
      buildInfoPackage := "hello",
      packageName in scalaxb in Compile := "models",
      sourceGenerators in Compile <+= scalaxb in Compile
    )

This code puts my generated files into the below directory:
target/scala-2.10/src_managed/main/models/

How can I change my buildfile to output the files to below instead?
/app/models/

A: Check out the sourceManaged setting key. Any source generator tasks will generally put stuff in the file specified by that setting.
source-managed                 - target/scala-2.10/src_managed
compile:source-managed         - target/scala-2.10/src_managed/main
test:source-managed            - target/scala-2.10/src_managed/test

Note that the "compile" and "test" values base themselves off of the base "source-managed" value, which is in turn based on the value of cross-target, which is based on the value of target and a few others.
You can easily change the value of the compile:source-managed setting in an sbt build definition with the setting
sourceManaged in Compile := file("app/models")

If you want to base your setting off of another setting, like the project's base directory, you could use something more like
sourceManaged in Compile <<= baseDirectory { _ / "app/models" }

Of course, you can find plenty of info on using settings here: http://www.scala-sbt.org/release/docs/Getting-Started/More-About-Settings
edit: Looks like that link is dead. It's been a few years so I'm not 100% sure, but this is probably close to what the original link talked about: SBT 0.13 -
 Build definition or SBT 1.0 - Build definition

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Q: What's a functional replacement for if-then statements? I've been learning F# and functional programming and trying to do things the functional way. However, when it comes to rewriting some code I'd already written in C# I get stuck at simple if-then statements (ones that only do something, not return a value). I know you can pull this off in F#:
if expr then do ()

However, I thought this was an imperative approach to coding? Maybe I've not learned enough about functional programming, but it doesn't seem functional to me. I thought the functional approach was to compose functions and expressions, not simply execute statements one after the other which is what if-then seems to encourage.
So, am I missing something and if-then is perfectly fine in the functional world? If not, what is the functional equivalent of such a statement? How could I take an if-then and turn it functional?
Edit: I might've asked the wrong question (sorry, still fairly new to functional programming): Let's take a real world example that made me even ask this:
if not <| System.String.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(data) then do
    let byteData = System.Text.Encoding.Unicode.GetBytes(data)
    req.ContentLength <- int64 byteData.Length
    let postStream : System.IO.Stream = req.GetRequestStream()
    postStream.Write(byteData, 0, byteData.Length)
    postStream.Flush()
    postStream.Dispose()

The body of that if-then doesn't return anything, but I don't know how I could make this more functional (if that's even possible). I don't know the proper technique for minimizing imperative code. Given F#'s nature it's fairly easy to just transport my C# directly, but I'm having difficulties turning it functional. Every time I reach such an if statement in C#, and I'm trying to transport it to F#, I get discouraged that I can't think of a way to make the code more functional.

A: It's considered functional if your if statement has a return value and does not have side effects.
Suppose you wanted to write the equivalent of:
if(x > 3) n = 3; else n = x;
Instead of doing that, you use the return statement from the if command:
let n = (if x > 3 then 3 else x)
This hypothetical if is suddenly functional because it has no side effects; it only returns a value.  Think of it as if it were the ternary operator in some languages:  int n = x>3?3:x;

A: An important point that hasn't been mentioned so far is the difference between if .. then .. else and if .. then without the else branch.
If in functional languages
The functional interpretation of if is that it is an expression that evaluates to some value. To evaluate the value of if c then e1 else e2 you evaluate the condition c and then evaluate either e1 or e2, depending on the condition. This gives you the result of the if .. then .. else.
If you have just if c then e, then you don't know what the result of the evaluation should be if c is false, because there is no else branch! The following clearly does not make sense:
let num = if input > 0 then 10

In F#, expressions that have side-effects like printf "hi" return a special value of type unit. The type has only a single value (written as ()) and so you can write if which does an effect in just a single case:
let u = if input > 0 then printf "hi" else ()

This always evaluates to unit, but in the true branch, it also performs the side-effect. In the false branch, it just returns a unit value. In F#, you don't have to write the else () bit by hand, but conceptually, it is still there. You can write:
let u = if input > 0 then printfn "hi"

Regarding your additional example
The code looks perfectly fine to me. When you have to deal with API that is imperative (like lots of the .NET libraries), then the best option is to use the imperative features like if with a unit-returning branch.
You can use various tweaks, like represent your data using option<string> (instead of just string with null or empty string). That way, you can use None to represent missing data and anything else would be valid input. Then you can use some higher-order functions for working with options, such as Option.iter, which calls a given function if there is a value:
maybeData |> Option.iter (fun data ->
    let byteData = System.Text.Encoding.Unicode.GetBytes(data)
    req.ContentLength <- int64 byteData.Length
    use postStream = req.GetRequestStream()
    postStream.Write(byteData, 0, byteData.Length) )

This is not really less imperative, but it is more declarative, because you don't have to write the if yourself. BTW: I also recommend using use if you want to Dispose object auotmatically.

A: There are two observations that can assist in the transition from imperative to functional ("everything is an expression") programming:

*

*unit is a value, whereas an expression returning void in C# is treated as a statement. That is, C# makes a distinction between statements and expressions. In F# everything is an expression.

*In C# values can be ignored; in F# they cannot, therefore providing a higher level of type safety. This explicitness makes F# programs easier to reason about and provides greater guarantees.

A: There's nothing wrong with if-then in functional world.
Your example is actually similar to let _ = expr since expr has side effects and we ignore its return value. A more interesting example is:
if cond then expr

which is equivalent to:
match cond with
| true -> expr
| false -> ()

if we use pattern matching.
When the condition is simple or there is only one conditional expression, if-then is more readable than pattern matching. Moreover, it is worth to note that everything in functional programming is expression. So if cond then expr is actually the shortcut of if cond then expr else ().
If-then itself is not imperative, using if-then as a statement is an imperative way of thinking. From my experience, functional programming is more about the way of thinking than concrete control flows in programming languages.
EDIT:
Your code is totally readable. Some minor points are getting rid of redundant do keyword, type annotation and postStream.Dispose() (by using use keyword):
if not <| System.String.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(data) then
    let byteData = System.Text.Encoding.Unicode.GetBytes(data)
    req.ContentLength <- int64 byteData.Length
    use postStream = req.GetRequestStream()
    postStream.Write(byteData, 0, byteData.Length)
    postStream.Flush()

A: It's not the if-expression that's imperative, it's what goes in the if-expression. For example, let abs num = if num < 0 then -num else num is a totally functional way to write the abs function. It takes an argument and returns a transformation of that argument with no side effects. But when you have "code that only does something, not return a value," then you're writing something that isn't purely functional. The goal of functional programming is to minimize the part of your program that can be described that way. How you write your conditionals is tangential.

A: In order to write complex code, you need to branch at some point.  There's a very limited number of ways you can do that, and all of them require a logical flow through a section of code.  If you want to avoid using if/then/else it's possible to cheat with loop/while/repeat - but that will make your code far less reasonable to maintain and read.
Functional programming doesn't mean you shouldn't execute statements one after the other - it simply means that you shouldn't have a mutable state.  Each function needs to reliably behave the same way each time it is called.  Any differences in how data is handled by it need to be accounted for by the data that is passed in, instead of some trigger that is hidden from whatever is calling the function.
For example, if we have a function foo(int, bool) that returns something different depending on whether bool is true or false, there will almost certainly be an if statement somewhere in foo().  That's perfectly legitimate.  What is NOT legitimate is to have a function foo(int) that returns something different depending on whether or not it is the first time it is called in the program.  That is a 'stateful' function and it makes life difficult for anyone maintaining the program.

A: My apologies for not knowing F#, but here is one possible solution in javascript:
function $if(param) {
    return new Condition(param)
}

function Condition(IF, THEN, ELSE) {
    this.call = function(seq) {
        if(this.lastCond != undefined)
            return this.lastCond.call(
                sequence(
                    this.if,
                    this.then,
                    this.else,
                    (this.elsif ? this.elsif.if : undefined),
                    seq || undefined
                )
            );
         else
            return sequence(
                this.if,
                this.then,
                this.else,
                (this.elsif ? this.elsif.if : undefined),
                seq || undefined
            )
    }

    this.if   = IF ? IF : f => { this.if = f; return this };
    this.then = THEN ? THEN : f => { this.then = f; return this };
    this.else = ELSE ? ELSE : f => { this.else = f; return this };
    this.elsif = f => {this.elsif = $if(f); this.elsif.lastCond = this; return this.elsif};
}

function sequence(IF, THEN, ELSE, ELSIF, FINALLY) {
    return function(val) {
        if( IF(val) )
            return THEN();

        else if( ELSIF && ELSIF(val) )
            return FINALLY(val);

        else if( ELSE )
            return ELSE();

        else
            return undefined

    }
}}

The $if function returns an object with the if..then..else..elsif construct, using the Condition constructor.
Once you call Condition.elsif() you'll create another Condition object - essentially creating a linked list that can be traversed recursively using sequence()
You could use it like:
var eq = val => x => x == val ? true : false;

$if( eq(128) ).then( doStuff ).else( doStuff )
.elsif( eq(255) ).then( doStuff ).else( doStuff ).call();

However, I realize that using an object is not a purely functional approach. So, in that case you could forgo the object all together:
sequence(f, f, f, f,
    sequence(f, f, f, f
        sequence(f, f, f)
    )
);

You can see that the magic is really in the sequence() function.
I won't try to answer your specific question in javascript. But I think the main point is that you should make a function that will run arbitrary functions under an if..then statement, then nest multiples of that function using recursion to create a complex logical chain. At least this way you will not have to repeat yourself ;)
This code is just a prototype so please take it as a proof of concept and let me know if you find any bugs.


Blood in a career. After more than twenty years, economist Paul Oyer found himself back on the dating scene-but what a difference a few years made. Dating was now dominated by sites Show Match. Show, Redvit, and OkCupid. But Oyer eRddit a secret weapon: Ben. Bloomberg interviewed Daating Oyer, Redsit Stanford Business School Professor, Aflanta the. Relationship . Oyer was promoting his new Dahing, Everything I Ever Needed to. Know About Economics I Learned from Online Dating, which will be released on January 7th.
Paul Oyer shared his insights on applying economic theories to online dating.
The list sort order can be changed by selecting a. Watch Grant Show's movies 2016 online free, Grant Show's tv- shows list. Of great movies of star Grant Show. fmovies - Free movies online, here you can. Watch movies online in high quality for free without annoying of advertising, just come and enjoy your. Grant Cardone TV is the best network for entrepreneurs and highlights the best of Grant Cardone's shows from CardoneZone to Whatever it Takes.
Shows. Sign up for our newsletter. © Grant Cardone Rsddit. Ben for student Redeit funding can be made from. Ben April Dating early November for an academic year. Or Atlanga to your susi Redditt. Please enter Datting username you Atlanra to register Are You Ready Dating Sites Grants Online. Atlanta Gem. Show 2019 | The Dahing Jewelry Show on Grant. Dating Redeit Gem Jewelry Shows at Reddih Grand Luxe Datinng in Tucson Atlwnta as part of the International Dating, Mineral, Atkanta, Bead, and.
Rfddit Show. Grant Show, Actor: The Possession. Only Reddut of Reedit and Kathleen Dating. Atpanta in San Jose, California with older sister, Kelly Show. He studied acting at Samuel Ayer High School, and then majored in theater arts at UCLA. His first professional role was "Rick. Grant Show dating history, 2018, 2017, list of Grant Show relationships. Grant Show is a 56 year old American Actor. Born Grant Alan Show on 27th February, 1962 in Detroit, Michigan, USA, he is famous for Jake Hanson on Melrose Place.
Current Shows. Riverdale. All American. The Flash - What's Past Is Prologue Original Air Date: 12. share.
Ive never had a good answer to this question, and my Tinder dates demonstrate this. All I can seem to muster is a bumbling answer. Asking good questions on your first date is the best way to get to know the other person. By using the best questions depending on your situation, you will. Be able to find out what you want to know. Ask questions you really care about and that you would like to learn about your date. I would say the more attracted the woman. Was to me when I was dating online, the more likely she was to end up ruling the conversation. Despicable Me 2, in other words, suffers because the filmmakers seemingly went too far by over-emphasizing the side elements that audiences loved about the first movie. Fortunately, unlike when, say, Johnny Depp as Jack Sparrow was upgraded to a larger. Comedy, family, animation. Director: Chris Renaud Pierre Coffin. Starring: Miranda Cosgrove, Steve Redditt, Kristen Atlanya and Atlanta. Datinf return of Gru (Steve Carell), the girls, Atlanta minions and a Reddiit of new characters. modified plot formulation from. Atlwnta Atlanta scenes, a Dating gun fires a Atlana blast Pronasol Yahoo Dating brown smoke Ben the audience. A Reddit features a 21-fart salute with . We are Alpha Online Dating totally independent website Redvit Dating connections to Atlanat, Dating or Reddt groups we DDating solicit nor choose. Advertisers. Read Despicable Me 2 reviews Reddit parents on Common Sense Media. Reddit Datibg member to write DDating own Rsddit. Hollywood makes it Show must be Redcit yes. I popped onto this site Hollow Man 2 2006 Online Dating Site morning Dating see your Reddir, and. When I saw Dating "Best" and Dating. Official movie site for Ben Me Atlanta. Watch the Reddit here! . The team Atlanta Dating Veterinarians Pa you Dating Me "Dating" the biggest Atlnata hits Datiing 2013 and Reddit, Despicable Me Reddut and Minions, Show to. Ben the Redcit of Gru, Lucy, their adorable. Watch Online Despicable Me 2 (2013) Free Full Movie with english subtitle. Stream Despicable Me 2 Online on 123movies and 123movieshub. Disclaimer: This site does not store any files. On its server. All contents are provided by non-affiliated third parties. Director: Chris Renaud, Pierre Coffin. Starring: Al Pacino, Steve Carell, Kristen Wiig and others. Watch Despicable Me 2 Online. despicable me 2 full movie with English subtitle. Stars: Steve Carell, Benjamin Bratt, Kristen Wiig. Movie. Despicable Me 2. IMDb 7. 4 98 min. Despicable Me 2. Director: Pierre Coffin, Chris Renaud. Actors: Steve Carell, Kristen Wiig, Benjamin Bratt, Miranda Cosgrove, Russell Brand, Ken Jeong, Steve Coogan, Elsie Kate. Fisher, Dana Gaier. YOU ARE WATCHING: Despicable Me 2. Watch Despicable Me 2 Full Online Free 123Movies HD 1080p quality and. Without registration. All of the links found on this website are hosted on third-party servers that are freely available to watch online for. All internet users.


text:
Understanding the Merge: Institutionalizing Differentiation in Health Care
Erin Wildermuth • Med Student
When I first decided to apply to medical school, I only knew one thing about osteopathic doctors (DOs): they were would-be-docs that couldn't get into an allopathic school. The degree wasn't as well-regarded, but DOs still got to practice medicine.
You can imagine my surprise when, months later, I investigated the real differences between the two degrees. Every source said that osteopathic schools offered the same training as allopathic schools, and more. In fact, the DO curriculum was enriched with coverage of musculoskeletal techniques and an emphasis on holistic medicine.
I knew I was missing something. If DO training was more robust than MD training, then why wasn't it the more respected of the two degrees?
If you aren't overly familiar with DOs, you aren't alone. The American Medical Association, hailed by Forbes writer Shikha Dalmia as an allopathic "doctors' cartel," has done a stellar job of resigning osteopathic clinicians to second-class-doctor status. This was relatively easy to do, since DOs historically denounced medication, believing that lesions were responsible for all illnesses. (For the record, back then, allopathic doctors were using leeches as a medical tool.)
That said, both types of doctors – MDs and DOs – converged upon science-driven, evidence-based medicine around the same time. The DOs added meds, and the MDs began applying more holistic approaches to health. Though DOs still learn Osteopathic Manipulation Techniques (OMT), few use them in practice, and there is some controversy over whether these methods are scientifically backed.
The major difference between MDs and DOs today is political. The two systems have different institutions, who profit in parallel from qualifying schools, selling scholastic products, managing exams, and collecting physician membership dues. The NBME makes bank administering the USMLE. Though it's difficult to compete with the level of legal extortion exhibited by the NMBE, the NBOME is riding the same train. And that's only the exams boards. The American Medical Association (AMA) and the American Osteopathic Association (AOA) are, to put it nicely, profiting exorbitantly. With all the money being made it's no wonder these institutions have been vying for position and prestige for decades.
MDs were first to the scene and have always been on the winning side, but MD-profiting institutions haven't been able to shake the DOs. In the 1960s, these comparative underdogs were granted the right to work with Medicare patients. They were, finally, fully legit.
As DOs became more mainstream, MDs became more specialized. The AMA institutionalized higher payment rates and a greater level of prestige for specialized docs through their secretive Specialty Society Relative Value Scale Update Committee (the Washington Monthly has an excellent piece on this topic entitled Special Deal). The aim is to protect MDs with anti-competitive AMA practices, and the merge is another piece in the long-game. Checkmate.
DOs Crack the First Bottleneck in Physician Training
There are two primary bottlenecks in physician education in the United States: a limited number of medical school slots and a limited number of residency slots. These two factors act to keep the number of physicians low, and wages high.
The first of these barriers, medical school slots, is being slowly cracked open by the rise of DOs. Between 2007 and 2017, enrollment in osteopathic institutions increased by 85 percent, accompanied by a steep rise in DO-granting institutions. Allopathic schools have not kept pace. The result? Nearly one out of every four medical students attend a DO-granting institution. Projections suggest that 20% of practicing physicians will be DOs by 2030. If you haven't heard of DOs yet, you soon will.
The second training bottleneck, residency slots, is being skillfully manipulated to preserve the elevated status and salaries of MDs.
A major drawback to attending a DO-granting school is the automatic limitation in residency and specialty options. Though DOs have historically been allowed to match to allopathic residencies, they are often considered less desirable applicants. Some residency programs do not accept DO students at all. There has never been a DO admitted to Harvard's radiology residency, for example. As a more broad example, only half of 2019 DO applicants matched to general surgery positions (67 of 134). 84 percent of MD applicants managed to break into the field (972 of 1157 applicants). In contrast, MDs have never been able to take part in the DO matching process. DO-specific residencies were generally less prestigious and offered fewer specialty slots, but allowed DO candidates to enter more competitive specialties without competing against MDs.
Now, this has all changed.
In 2011, the ACGME announced new Common Program Requirements under the Next Accreditation System, which keeps osteopathic practitioners from matching to allopathic residency programs. The fellowships followed, with many institutions refusing access to physicians trained in DO-specific residency programs.
Lest you think the ACGME an unbiased actor, its members are made up of allopathic institutional strongholds, including the AMA. In fact, the ACGME's predecessor organization was founded by the AMA. In short, the osteopaths were backed into a corner, but it was of their own making. There are far from enough DO residency spots to accommodate the growing number of DO graduates — they need the allopathic spots. Attempts to increase DO-specific residencies have been slow, unable to keep up with student needs.
In July 2015, the governing bodies of the DO and MD matching processes began a five-year integration process: the merge. 2019 marked the final DO-specific match and the end of DO-specific specialty slots. Instead of choosing between the matches, DO students now participate in the National Resident Matching Cycle, alongside MDs. Though the results of this shift remain to be seen, the merge represents the institutionalization of a process that has been occurring for some time: doctor differentiation. Unless previously DO-tagged programs continue to favor DOs, the merge will make it harder for DOs to secure residency slots in competitive specialties. Residency programs can apply for osteopathic recognition, an indication that they intend to include OMT training and cater to DOs, but it's likely few will. Of the 50 programs offering an osteopathic general surgery residency in 2014, only three have applied for osteopathic recognition in the new match. Of the 38 orthopedic surgery programs, one has applied (site accessed 9/30/2019). Though early, these numbers do not bode well for the future of DO specialization.
The Gevitz Prediction
Normen Gevitz is a medical historian and author of The DOs: Osteopathic Medicine in America. He also penned a fascinating position paper addressing the unintended consequences of the merge. He details potential problems, including the possibility of losing 20% of previously DO-specific residency programs and the end of AOA board certification. Gevitz's concern is that MD institutions will eventually gain power over DO schools, force them to adhere to MD accreditation standards, and drive DOs out of business. Instead of differentiation, Gevitz predicts a future without DOs. This has historically been the fate of medical practitioners not aligned with the allopaths. Whether osteopathic doctors have accepted differentiation as an alternative route or are still hoping to assimilate osteopathy is an open question.
Many of the benefits touted in support of the merge are spot-on. It will allow for less duplication, less red tape, and an end to the inefficiency of administering two parallel systems. But the implications are bigger than that. It is a hard blow in a decades-long battle between two schools of thought. The DOs have been fully institutionalized as doctors, but their de facto status as primary care doctors has been strengthened.
In an interesting turn of events, there is discussion of opening up primary care to more than just DOs. Some states have already granted nurse practitioners the right to practice independently. Resigning osteopaths to primary care positions leaves them to fight the battle against mid-level encroachment, while MDs corner the market as specialists.
As the institutional politics of health care rages on, it is important to remember that the compromises made thus far are ultimately in the public interest. More primary care doctors mean better health care for more people, which should always be the ultimate aim.
Erin Wildermuth is a medical student with a master's in International Political Economy from the London School of Economics. She is passionate about health, economics, and technology.
Image: Lightspring / shutterstock


The European Commission has published a Regulation amending Annex XVII - the restricted substances list - to add bisphenol A (BPA).
BPA shall not be placed on the market in thermal paper in a concentration equal to or greater than 0.02% by weight, after 2 January 2020.
In July a committee of member state officials backed France's proposal for an EU ban.
The Regulation will enter into force on 1 January 2017.


Madonna McGahan joined the Mater team as Executive Director Mission Leadership on 30 June 2008.
Ms McGahan's extensive health care background, combined with her outstanding qualifications, made her the ideal candidate for the position.
Ms McGahan commenced her career as a registered nurse and midwife before completing a Bachelor of Business Administration at Griffith University. She then occupied various senior positions in the Commonwealth Department of Health & Ageing in Policy Development and Program Management, before becoming the Director of Policy and Research and Senior Policy Adviser at Catholic Health Australia in Canberra for a number of years.
Most recent to this appointment, Ms McGahan was the National Director of Mission Strategy in Little Company of Mary (LCM) Health Care based in Canberra. This national position included responsibility for mission leadership and mission strategy throughout the extensive aged, community care and acute health care services offered by LCM Health Care—known throughout Australia under the Calvary identity.
Ms McGahan also holds a Master of Arts in Theology from the Sydney School of Divinity.


This is fun. Though to be fair, I think it's only recently that "Mother Nature" has gained the cloying connotations. It comes from the mystery religions that position the mother as both the giver of life and the destroyer – the chthonic deities that facilitated the cycle of decay and growth.


Published 04/19/2019 11:13:50 pm at 04/19/2019 11:13:50 pm in Sun Touch Underfloor Heating.
sun touch underfloor heating suntouch floor heating install carpet review sun touch floor sun touch heated floor super ideas heated floors sun touch floor floor warming command programmable floor heating thermostat.
suntouch floor heating manuals,wiring suntouch floor heating,suntouch heated floor installation,sun touch heated floor reviews,suntouch floor heating manual j,suntouch floor heating reviews,suntouch floor heating mats,suntouch floor heating installation,electric underfloor heating reviews,suntouch underfloor heating mats,warmup electric underfloor heating.


Sometimes, there are life events so powerful that everything else becomes a "before" or an "after". Marriage, divorce, births, deaths. So, a small bit about me, and one of my big events. Back in 2007 I was working full-time, raising my then 7 year-old daughter, and was at the tail-end of finalizing my divorce which had been in the works for years already. Things weren't easy. Little did I know they were about to get much harder. It's amazing what happens when we're not paying attention.
Burned-out, stressed-out, and run-down– that was me. Finally, my body delivered the ultimate message when I became stricken with a very rare side-effect from my flu shot. Essentially, my immune system went crazy and attacked a part of my body we usually don't even think about, much less know about called the brachial plexus. It's one of two nerve centers in the body that acts as a "circuit breaker" for the nerves controlling the mid-thoracic spine and up.
Finally after testing me for everything from cancer, to diabetes, to multiple sclerosis I was diagnosed with brachial neuritis for which there is no treatment, no cure, and no current studies being done because it's so rare. You just have to wait and pray that the pain stops and that you don't get a brand new attack. I was hit with multiple attacks. My right arm remained weak and got weaker from the new attacks, and the simplest of tasks hurt terribly and worsened my pain. What made it even harder is that I was trying to hide it. I did my best to show up in places when I could. I'd do my hair, dress nicely, and plaster on a smile. Just getting ready was painful and exhausting. I became well-acquainted with smiling and nodding a lot while fighting back tears because the pain was so bad. I'd find ways to prop my right arm that looked natural while hoping that my smiley, noddy, propped-up , made-up self was a good enough to count as present. The truth was that the pain was so bad that it was hard to think, and at one point I was so sure I might die that I actually made peace with it just in case.
Finally, I had to give up the fight. I had somehow managed to finish my last session of teaching children's yoga after a new attack. For hours beforehand, I would lie in bed wondering how I would make it through teaching the class. For months, I showed up for my own training when I could, trying to stay on a once a week schedule. At least it was something to get out of bed for. Unfortunately, it was making me worse instead of better. I was just too ill. For the next two years, I didn't work out, and wondered if I'd ever be able to come even close to my former routines including just being able to do the laundry without suffering.
Eventually, I found my body was healing. By now though, fear had set in. I'd had to budget every movement for so long, being careful not to offset my malfunctioning, raw nerves that I was just scared. With the encouragement of a former athlete who had his fair share of injury, he reassured me that I could slowly begin again and that the fear was holding me back.
My right arm and shoulder were where the onset had begun, and I'd permanently lost some muscle in my shoulder blade. It had been excruciating to rotate my shoulder every day since the beginning, but it prevented it from becoming frozen. If I could just get stronger, my body could support itself again, and a lot of my pain would go away. If.
I've got a mean right!
So, here I am five years later. I've been back in action and back in business for over two years. My right arm is strong, has full range of motion, and there isn't much I can't do, though I'm still careful. I no longer fret over bulking-up muscle-wise, though the Pilates reformer helps me stay streamlined. And I am so proud of my right arm, just so proud.
Wherever you are in your life, with yourself, with your old injuries, or current conditions there is a way to get better and feel good. I guarantee it. Locals, come see me.
For personal training, visit www.starpilatesandyoga.com.
Stay tuned for big changes coming to this site!
You are a tough cookie!
Love you! Thank you for following the posts : ))).
Thanks for sharing your inspiring story! I am sure this makes you a better instructor and more sympathetic to those who may struggle or have issues. I am writing this from the PMA conference- talk about a room full of fit people. I had serious abdominal surgery some years back and there are things I'm still working on … but I'm sure as you found it's ok and it's just good to be doing it again and doesn't matter if it's not perfect yet! I think this makes me more relate-able to my clients.


text:
Slowrun - Resonance
Resonance by Slowrun
Dunk! Records
Support Merchants Of Air Check out our THISISNOTABANDSHIRT collection
Only yesterday we had the pleasure to announce Slowrun as one of the bands who will play at Dunk! Festival in May 2016. To be honest, I didn't know the band yesterday but I definitely made up for that today. After the last metal attack a few hours ago, I've been listening to nothing else but this piece of work. This blend of post-rock and ambient is simply magnificent and I'm sure this album will accompany our late night games of Rummikub quite a lot from now on.
Slowrun hails from Finland and was founded in 2011. Two years later, a first full-length ('Prologue') was released, now followed by 'Resonance'. The album is loaded with atmospheric and cinematic post-rock, completed by ambient soundscapes. Perhaps it's not the most original post-rock album you'll hear this but when it reaches this level of quality, that doesn't really matter. Besides, beyond the melancholy, you can almost feel the joy of playing this music.
Slowrun seems to avoid the heavy outbursts and instead focuses on creating floating soundscapes, gently enhanced with drums, guitars strums and plucks. In that aspect they remind me a bit of Alice In The Cites, who also rather create pleasurable music than overwhelm the audience with distortion. That being said, yes, there are some strong, energetic passages and they are highly immersive but they never overrule the soothing atmosphere.
Much like the Celestial Wolves album a short while ago, Dunk! Records once again managed to release a classic and vintage post-rock album. It's hard to pick a favorite track, but I have to say that I really dig the melodies in 'Blinding Light' and the dark rock guitars of 'Remember'. Yes, there's a hint of Anathema and Tiamat in this music, but that's also present in bands like Explosions In The Sky and post-rock superheroes Godspeed! You Black Emperor.
So should you buy this? If you're a post-rock fan, you should already have done that. If not, get your ass over to the Stargazer store and get one now. There's no way you should miss out on this excellent piece of music. And when you visit Dunk!Festival, you are more than welcome to come find me in the back of the tent and give me a beer to thank me for this recommendation. You'll recognize me as the one in the THISISNOTABANDSHIRT shirt, with my eyes closed, enjoying this masterpiece live.


Being a restaurateur was not on Aaron Ludwig's '93 mind while he was attending Radford University. Without knowing he would one day open a restaurant with his best friend, Mike Sabin, Ludwig took classes that he thought were fun, such as art and graphic design. Today, those classes are helping him in his career.
Ludwig is the co-founder of Jack Brown's Beer & Burger Joint as well as the co-founder of Billy Jack's Wing and Draft Shack.
Ludwig's businesses have grown tremendously throughout the years. Having never managed a restaurant before, he did not know what was normal for a restaurant operation.
"As it turns out, that might have been one of our key advantages," Ludwig says. Since Ludwig and his partners were not like other restaurant owners, they were able to be more creative and unique in their approach, which caused people to take an interest and helped their business thrive. Currently, the Jack Brown's Beer & Burger Joint employs more than 300 people across four states, and the company is working on its twelfth location in North Carolina.
"Radford is on our radar for a location," he continues.
Studying at Radford University was very special thing for Ludwig, a first-generation college student. He says he loved his marketing classes because he was able to learn through experiences from outside of the classroom via assigned projects that are similar to what he does today. Acquiring skills and knowledge from his marketing and art classes is something he is thankful for today because those skills are useful in his businesses now.
"To be able to have that art background and a creative outlook – it taught me a lot about seeing things from a different light and helped me build my restaurants," Ludwig says.
According to Ludwig, the best thing about being a student at Radford is meeting different people. He's grateful for all the experiences he gained from the University.
He continues, "The most important part is whatever concept you come up with, make sure it's something you love and something that can help you succeed in many areas."


text:
Home»Autoshow»Fastest Charging Electric Cars And SUVs In India
Fastest Charging Electric Cars And SUVs In India
By MNP Staff September 9, 2022 Updated: September 9, 2022 No Comments5 Mins Read
Electric vehicles have slowly started to catch on in the electric four-wheeler space. In recent years, multiple brands have rolled out EVs ranging from mass market products from the likes of Tata Motors, Hyundai and MG to premium and luxury models from European brands such as Mercedes, BMW and Audi.
We look at how fast the EVs currently in India can be charged. The listing is based on the fast-charging times revealed by manufacturers. Do note that the times vary based on charger type, rating, and the size of the battery.
Also read: World EV Day 2022: Electric Two-Wheelers With Fastest Charging Times
Battery: 77.4kWh
Charge time: 16 mins (10-80%, 350kW DC)
Kia's EV6 is currently the fastest charging EV that you can currently buy in India and the only one to support 350kW fast charging. While we don't have any 350kW fast chargers in India, the unit is capable of fuelling up the EV's 77.4kWh battery pack from 10% to 80% in just a scant 16 minutes. Meanwhile a 50 kW DC fast charger can achieve the same in 73 minutes.
Audi e-tron GT, Porsche Taycan
Battery: 93.4 kWh (Gross)
Charge Time: 22.5 mins (5-80%, 270kW DC)
Audi's all-electric four-door coupe and Porsche's first EV share the same underpinning and technologies. Both models feature an underfloor 93.4 kWh battery pack with power outputs from the electric motors varying depending no the model and variant selected. The Audi is available in standard and hot RS spec while the Taycan offers more choice with two bodystyles and a number of variants under each. Both EVs support up to 270kW DC fast charging which takes about 22.5 mins to charge the battery up to 80%. Paired with a 50kW DC fast charger this time increases to 93 minutes.
Battery: 79 kWh
Having initially announced plans to bring the XC40 EV to India in 2021, Volvo pushed back the launch of its premium compact SUV to 2022. The SUV to arrive in India was the facelifted model with styling being updated. The XC40 Recharge is available in one fully loaded variant equipped with a 79 kWh battery pack and a 402 bhp electric motor. Volvo says owners can charge up the battery from 10-80% in just 28 minutes using a 150kW DC fast charger. With a 50kW unit the battery can be full charged in about 2.5 hours.
Also read: Tata Tiago EV India Launch Confirmed For September 2022
Battery: 96 kWh (Gross)
Charge Time: 30 mins (0-80%, 150 kW DC)
Audi's all-electric SUV is available in two body styles and two powertrain options. The Standard SUV and Sportback are both available in e-tron 55 spec giving it the larger 96 kWh battery and more powerful electric motors. This variant supports DC fast charging up to 150 kW which juices up the battery up to 80% in just 30 mins. The smaller battery equipped e-tron 50 meanwhile only supports up to 100kW fast charging.
BMW iX, BMW i4
Battery: 76.6 kWh, 80.7kWh
Charge Time: 31 mins (10-80%, 150kW DC), 31 mins (10-80%, 205kW DC)
BMW's EV pair have similar peak fast charging times though they follow two completely different formulas. The iX SUV is an EV developed from the grounds up featuring a unique design and little in common with any other model in BMW's range. The i4 on the other hand is based off the 4 Series Gran Coupe sold in international markets with the platform re-engineered to accommodate the battery pack and electric motors.
Of the two it's the i4 that has the longer range – 590 km as against 425 km – partly down to the larger 80.7 kWh battery. The i4 also supports the higher rating for DC fast charging at up to 205kW. The iX meanwhile is equipped with a 76.6 kWh battery pack that can be fast charged at up to 150kW. Both share an identical 31 minute peak fast charging times with the iX juicing up faster with a 50kW DC charger – 73 minutes vis-à-vis 83 minutes for the i4.
Mercedes-AMG EQS 53 4Matic+
Battery: 107.8 kWh
Mercedes-AMG's first all-electric performance model arrived in India last month. The AMG EQS features a 107.8 kWh battery pack with Mercedes claiming a range of up to 586 km per charge. Compared to the regular EQS, the AMG gets more powerful electric motors developing a combined 751 bhp and 1,020 Nm allowing the sedan to hit 100 kmph from a standstill in just 3.4 seconds. The EQS supports DC fast charging of up to 200 KW with the battery charging up from 0-80& in just 32 minutes.
Battery: 32.6 kWh
Charge Time: 36 minutes (0-80%, 50 kW DC)
Mini launched the all-electric derivative of the Cooper 3 Door, the SE in India earlier this year. The hatchback was the BMW Group's second all-electric model to go on sale in India following the BMW iX. The diminutive hatchback is powered by a 181 bhp electric motor giving the EV a 0-100kph sprint time of 7.3 seconds. Paired with a 32.6 kWh battery pack, the Mini has a range of 270 km with the battery pack capable of being charged at up to 50kW DC. Mini says that the 50kW charger can fill the battery up to 80% in about 36 minutes.
Charge Time: 45 mins (0-80%, 100kW DC)
The I-Pace's styling isn't what you would call conventional with the streamlined look very unlike typical SUVs on slae in India. Available in a choice of variants, the I-Pace packs in a 90kWh underfloor battery pack paired with two electric motors delivering a combined 394 bhp and 696 Nm of torque. When charged with a 100kW DC fast charger Jaguar says the battery pack can go from 0-80% in about 45 minutes.
Previous ArticleThe Crown Shoot Comes To A Halt Following Queen Elizabeth II's Death? Show Creator Says, "I've Nothing To Add, For Now, Just Silence & Respect"
Next Article Kiku Sharda jokes about Ranveer Singh's nude photoshoot: I took his clothes
Report reveals framework in-season tournament
QB megadeals could headline 2023 offseason
Colts star LB Shaquille Leonard won't play Week 1
Belichick backs Judge, Patricia amid concerns about Pats offense
Steelers star WR Diontae Johnson will play Week 1
A.J. Brown got stung by bee, needed EpiPen shot


The annual Scifest event is back at the University of Wolverhampton this weekend.
Scifest is an action packed two day science and engineering festival held at the University of Wolverhampton's fantastic City Campus and this year sees a total re-imagining of the event with support from the Big Bang.
The free two day festival starts on Friday 6thJuly with a day exclusively aimed towards young scientists from local primary schools and on the 7th July we open up the University for families who want to inspire the next bright idea or create a fantastic invention!
It's a free fun event and our friends from the Central Legion will be there to join in the fun.
So, if you're available why not pop along and say hello and marvel at what science has to offer!
For more details please head to the Scifest website.


text:
"It's this perpetual loop feeding into itself. You have anxiety contributing to smoking … and then you have people becoming addicted to nicotine and experiencing acute withdrawal with symptoms that mimic anxiety," said Garey, a research assistant professor at the University of Houston.
"These things are so interrelated it's hard to tease apart," she said. "Ultimately, we need more rigorous research to really track the different factors over time to fully understand them."
Another problem, Hitsman said, is smokers often mistakenly think having a cigarette will tamp down their anxiety.
"It's in their head that smoking is an effective way to manage their emotional distress, but it's probably only making them feel better because it's helping manage their nicotine withdrawal," he said. "Smoking actually increases your heart rate and causes changes in the body that are opposite of relaxation."
In fact, smoking wreaks havoc on the entire cardiovascular system, releasing chemicals that damage and clog arteries, which can lead to a heart attack or stroke.
Whether tobacco use and anxiety rates have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic is difficult to pinpoint. But Garey suspects they're rising.
"So many factors that contribute to anxiety – financial burden, child care issues – are making it worse. And there's also a concern about a greater severity of smoking, and people who've quit restarting," she said.
Quitting smoking can be incredibly difficult for anyone, largely because of the presence of nicotine, a highly addictive drug the U.S. surgeon general once likened to heroin and cocaine. During the pandemic, people struggling with nicotine addiction might find it harder than usual to set up doctor's appointments or counseling sessions.
Still, there are a wide variety of methods available to help.
Daily exercise, prescription medicine and nicotine replacement products such as gum, patches or lozenges can help battle the cravings that often accompany nicotine withdrawal, Garey said. She also recommended the National Cancer Institute's free telephone counseling line 800-QUIT-NOW (800-784-8669).
Smokers who have anxiety often benefit the most from exercising, practicing mindfulness and doing "belly" breathing exercises that use the diaphragm, she said.
"Smoking is such an automatic, time-consuming thing, so it can be so helpful to take a break, focus on the moment, and replace smoking with something healthy that you really enjoy."
By Thor Christensen


text:
Q: PySpark & MLLib: Random Forest Feature Importances I'm trying to extract the feature importances of a random forest object I have trained using PySpark. However, I do not see an example of doing this anywhere in the documentation, nor is it a method of RandomForestModel.
How can I extract feature importances from a RandomForestModel regressor or classifier in PySpark?
Here's the sample code provided in the documentation to get us started; however, there is no mention of feature importances in it.
from pyspark.mllib.tree import RandomForest
from pyspark.mllib.util import MLUtils

# Load and parse the data file into an RDD of LabeledPoint.
data = MLUtils.loadLibSVMFile(sc, 'data/mllib/sample_libsvm_data.txt')
# Split the data into training and test sets (30% held out for testing)
(trainingData, testData) = data.randomSplit([0.7, 0.3])

# Train a RandomForest model.
#  Empty categoricalFeaturesInfo indicates all features are continuous.
#  Note: Use larger numTrees in practice.
#  Setting featureSubsetStrategy="auto" lets the algorithm choose.
model = RandomForest.trainClassifier(trainingData, numClasses=2, categoricalFeaturesInfo={},
                                     numTrees=3, featureSubsetStrategy="auto",
                                     impurity='gini', maxDepth=4, maxBins=32)

I don't see a model.__featureImportances_ attribute available -- where can I find this?

A: I have to disappoint you, but feature importances in MLlib implementation of RandomForest are just not calculated, so you cannot get them from anywhere except by by implementing their calculation on your own.
Here's how to find it out:
You call a function RandomForest.trainClassifier deinfed here https://github.com/apache/spark/blob/branch-1.3/python/pyspark/mllib/tree.py
It calls for callMLlibFunc("trainRandomForestModel", ...), which is a call to Scala function RandomForest.trainClassifier or RandomForest.trainRegressor (depending on the algo), which return you RandomForestModel object.
This object is described in https://github.com/apache/spark/blob/branch-1.3/mllib/src/main/scala/org/apache/spark/mllib/tree/model/treeEnsembleModels.scala and is extending TreeEnsembleModel defined in the same source file. And unfortunately this class stores only algorithm (regression or classification), trees themselves, relative weights of the trees and combining strategy (sum, avg, vote). It does not store feature importances, unfortunately, and does not even calculate them (see https://github.com/apache/spark/blob/branch-1.3/mllib/src/main/scala/org/apache/spark/mllib/tree/RandomForest.scala for the calculation algorithm)

A: Feature importance is now implemented in Spark 1.5. See resolved JIRA issue. You can get a Vector of feature importances with:
val importances: Vector = model.featureImportances

A: It seems that there is a straightforward way to do this in Spark ML now. See https://kb.databricks.com/machine-learning/extract-feature-info.html
This is the key code:
pipeline = Pipeline(stages=[indexer, assembler, decision_tree)
DTmodel = pipeline.fit(train)
va = dtModel.stages[-2]
tree = DTmodel.stages[-1]

display(tree) #visualize the decision tree model
print(tree.toDebugString) #print the nodes of the decision tree model

list(zip(va.getInputCols(), tree.featureImportances))

A: I believe that this now works.  You can call:
from pyspark.ml.classification import RandomForestClassifier
rf = RandomForestClassifier()
model = rf.fit(data)
print model.featureImportances

Running fit on a RandomForestClassifier returns a RandomForestClassificationModel which has the desired featureImportances calculated.  I hope that this helps : )

A: UPDATE for version > 2.0.0
From the version 2.0.0, as you can see here, FeatureImportances is available for Random Forest.
In fact, you can find here that:

The DataFrame API supports two major tree ensemble algorithms: Random Forests and Gradient-Boosted Trees (GBTs). Both use spark.ml decision trees as their base models.
Users can find more information about ensemble algorithms in the MLlib Ensemble guide.
  In this section, we demonstrate the DataFrame API for ensembles.
The main differences between this API and the original MLlib ensembles API are:

*

*support for DataFrames and ML Pipelines

*separation of classification vs. regression

*use of DataFrame metadata to distinguish continuous and categorical features

*more functionality for random forests: estimates of feature importance, as well as the predicted probability of each class (a.k.a. class conditional probabilities) for classification.

If you want to have Feature Importance values, you have to work with ml package, not mllib, and use dataframes.
Below there is an example that you can find here:
# IMPORT
>>> import numpy
>>> from numpy import allclose
>>> from pyspark.ml.linalg import Vectors
>>> from pyspark.ml.feature import StringIndexer
>>> from pyspark.ml.classification import RandomForestClassifier

# PREPARE DATA
>>> df = spark.createDataFrame([
...     (1.0, Vectors.dense(1.0)),
...     (0.0, Vectors.sparse(1, [], []))], ["label", "features"])
>>> stringIndexer = StringIndexer(inputCol="label", outputCol="indexed")
>>> si_model = stringIndexer.fit(df)
>>> td = si_model.transform(df)

# BUILD THE MODEL
>>> rf = RandomForestClassifier(numTrees=3, maxDepth=2, labelCol="indexed", seed=42)
>>> model = rf.fit(td)

# FEATURE IMPORTANCES
>>> model.featureImportances
SparseVector(1, {0: 1.0})


Nash's mission is to focus on the customer. First to give you a satisfying emotional experience, then to provide the highest level of personal service, uncompromising quality and value of merchandise.
"Colin, what really highlighted the experience, even before doing any business with you, is that you contact your customers personally. Details like that mean a lot to someone like me.
There is something that strikes me about being able to talk to the owner and know that the quality will be assured since it is his name on the piece.
Nash's employs only the most ethical, talented and dedicated individuals. We provide our employees with continuous training and support. Gemological study is required.
Nash's strives to develop close relationships with our manufacturers and suppliers, earning their loyalty, best effort and competitive value.
We offer gemological education both for our clients and the public at large.
We look forward to earning your patronage and trust.


The United Church of God, publisher of this booklet, offers an abundance of free Bible study materials.
If you have access to a personal computer with a CD or DVD drive or an Internet connection, you can make use of Bible helps that would normally cost thousands of dollars for only a few hundred or less. Or even better, some are available free or at minimal cost through software providers and online services.
These resources—which include up to dozens of Bible versions, dictionaries, lexicons, encyclopedias, commentaries, maps and more—allow you to perform Bible research more quickly and easily than ever.
Such resources are not only inexpensive, but efficient. A package on a CD or DVD can contain virtually an entire library of Bible study helps that would equal tens of thousands of pages, weigh hundreds of pounds and cost thousands of dollars in printed form. Yet it can instantly search dozens of Bible versions and helps for the particular word or topic you seek.
Most software providers offer a range of products costing anywhere from less than $20 to more than $1,000, priced generally according to the number of Bible versions and helps included. Among the more popular software packages are BibleWorks (www.bibleworks.com ), Bible Explorer (www.bible-explorer.com ), Logos Bible Software (www.logos.com ) and PC Study Bible (www.biblesoft.com ). Some of these also offer Mac versions or will run on more recent Mac computers. An excellent all-around value is The Bible Library by Talicor, currently available for less than $30 from several sellers. You can even find Bible software for handheld palmtop computers.
A highly regarded free Bible program for Windows is e-Sword (www.e-sword.net ), which also provides dozens of free downloadable public domain Bible versions and helps, plus other more recent Bible helps for prices comparable to printed versions. Windows and Mac users can also download the free Online Bible software (www.onlinebible.net ), which likewise offers dozens of free downloadable public domain Bible versions and helps. The Online Bible software is also available on CD with a helpful library of dozens of Bible versions, commentaries, dictionaries, lexicons, maps and more for $89.95 (Mac) and $44.95 (Windows, with fewer resources).
A number of Web sites offer free access or links to many of the same kinds of resources. Since the number of features and resources they provide is so large, we encourage interested readers to explore sites like the following at their own pace to see what each has to offer.
This does not mean we endorse all materials found on these sites; we mention such sites only because of their large numbers of free Bible versions and study tools.
Online Bible reading program and detailed commentary .
Dozens of free booklets on Bible teachings and Christian living.
Free subscription to and previously published articles from The Good News magazine.
Materials covering news and current events in light of Bible prophecy .
Answers to frequently asked Bible questions .
Beyond Today - TV programs covering many topics from a biblical perspective.


text:
Herb Saint Vincent i Grenadyn  nadany został w 1877 roku, gdy Saint Vincent i Grenadyny były kolonią brytyjską. Centralna część herbu przedstawia w polu srebrnym na zielonej murawie dwie kobiety w  błękitnych rzymskich sukniach. Są to rzymskie boginie Pokój (Pax) i Sprawiedliwość (Iustitia). Jedna z nich stoi i trzyma liść palmy, natomiast druga klęczy przed ołtarzem. Na złotym ołtarzu wyryty jest uścisk dłoni. Nad tarczą zawój błękitno-złoto-zielony a w klejnocie bawełna – jeden z głównych towarów eksportowych na wyspie. Na dole znajduje się wstęga z napisem Pax et Justitia (z łac. "Pokój i sprawiedliwość").

Herb modyfikowany był w latach 1907, 1912 i 1975. Do 1985 roku herb ten znajdował się też na fladze państwowej, pośrodku pasa złotego na liściu palmowym. W 1985 roku zastąpiony został trzema zielonymi rombami zwanymi "klejnotami Antyli".

Zobacz też
 Saint Vincent i Grenadyny
 Flaga Saint Vincent i Grenadyn
 Hymn Saint Vincent i Grenadyn

Saint Vincent i Grenadyny
Symbole narodowe Saint Vincent i Grenadyn

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
Anti-Everything "Children of a Globalised World"
March 15, 2012 Category: VideosTag: anti-everything, antieverything, cd review, children of a globalised world, i-Tunes, punk outlaw, punk outlaw records, soundcloud, tobago, trinidad, trinidad and tobago
As you may or may not have noticed, we don't do a lot of CD reviews around here. Partly because I feel "what makes ME qualified to say what music is good, bad or in between"? Basically, I'm just a fan who knows what I like and on occasion I'll share the love of a particular bit of music with others.
What music gets my motor running may or may not even fit in your gas tank and visa versa. There are so many ub-genres of punk, it sometimes seem a moot point, but one of the biggest joys I get out of punk music are
1) being turned onto new music and artists and
2) turning people on to new music and artists.
So here goes.
You may have been reading our blog last April 2011 we were in Trinidad & Tobago and spent a lot of time with the ONLY punk band for the whole island nation of just over a million people. That band was Anti-Everything and those guys took really good care of us while we were on their home turf, picking us up from the airport, showing us around and even took us around town to try some of their legendary Trini cuisine including Roti, Shark-N-Bake and Pigs Feet Souse (yup, I tried it).
But beyond being good guys, I was super impressed by the intelligent lyrics and good music these guys had been consistently cranking out in a place more known for Carnival and Calypso than than a Punk Pit and Hardcore Music.
These guys are no slouch musicians and their lyrics are biting commentary for the corruption that is rife in Trinidad and, indeed it appears, much of the world. When you hear an Anti-Everything song telling it like it is, you almost feel yourself going "ouch that hurts" and almost feeling sorry for greedy, scumbags the world over… almost.
Lets just say I'm glad I'm on their side. I would NOT want them to write a song about what an a&&hole I am. If someone was to be assigned to write a theme song about Kony 2012, it should be these guys. You get the point.
When we were there, the guys were working on their new CD "Children of a Globalised World" and it was released late November 2011. We are just now getting around to writing about it, partly because I've been super busy and partly because I like to have a few months to listen to a CD and let the music sink into my thick if not overly large brain. I like to let music marinate and build some grooves through my grey matter. It helps me separate the bubble gum from the real stuff.
In this case, I don't think anyone would call Anti-Everything's "Children of a Globalised World" bubblegum and I think many might agree it was worth the wait.
The lyrics speak truth to power, in a place where that might not necessarily be the prudent thing, with songs like "(The Honourable) Crime Minister"… an absolute classic (take a listen on our sound-cloud page HERE)
Other titles I dig include "Silent Streets" and "Starving Youth" and all in all there are 12 really, really strong tracks on this album, including one we featured in the "Punktology" Free Cuba Now! compilation, called "Ratchet Design"
Trinidad may be small but the sound these guys put out is not. It's smart, it's hard core, it's in your face and it's hard to ignore. I really invite you to give the CD a listen. It's for sale over at i-Tunes.
And don't forget their other really fine, earlier release "The International Conspiracy to Push You Down" featuring a couple of my favorites "Punk Rock Sucks" and "New Generation".
It's not everyday you hear a punk band that can seamlessly include the sound of Caribbean calypso and the steel drum and still make the music sound both angry and melodic at the same time. I think these guys would be worth a listen on that basis alone, but judge for yourself and check the guys from Trinidad out… you just might like them.


greenpramukacity hasn't written any comments yet.
greenpramukacity has no friends yet.
greenpramukacity has no fans yet.
greenpramukacity has no favorite users yet.
greenpramukacity has no favorite companies yet.


A true, 6-pin, all stainless 70mm disc padlock with features and component quality unmatched in its price category.
Outstanding strength and durability with a cut-resistant stainless-steel shackle make the SL Series a best buy.
Move 'N Store MC Series premium brass padlocks are proven, reliable performers. They're highly resistant to rust and corrosion, making them an excellent choice for harsh environmental conditions.
The best value in quality plastic covers, all Move 'N Store Mattress Bags are made of durable, 2 mil thick virgin polyethylene, are up to 23% bigger than standard bags, and feature full 14" side pleats to accommodate pillow-top mattresses. Extended lengths ensure full-overlap end closure. Custom packaging is available. Call for details.
Want to enhance your product offerings with custom imprinted products? Look no further than Move 'N Store. We don't just print your name on a generic card. We professionally design custom artwork using your logo and trademark elements to produce custom products that you'll be proud to display. And, we can customize any of the retail padlocks, mattress bags and ancillary products in our catalog, with low minimum orders. Call your Move 'N Store Customer Account Representative to discuss your specific needs.
We regularly test our padlocks for strength, performance and adherence to standards. And we're zealous about increasing and maximizing usable key differs, an important security consideration for self-storage operators. Our manufacturers employ the latest computerized key-cut build and packaging technology to minimize lot key duplication. The bottom line is padlocks whose performance, reliability and security profiles are unsurpassed.


text:
class AddDeliveredAtToMessage < ActiveRecord::Migration
  def self.up
    add_column :messages, :delivered_at, :datetime
  end

  def self.down
    remove_column :messages, :delivered_at
  end
end


text:
An Appeal To My Fellow Pastors
Published: Tuesday, November 6, 2007
Recently, Iowa pastors gathered to hear my presentation in Des Moines on behalf of Republican Presidential candidate Ron Paul. After listening to me, they then heard ten-term Republican Texas Congressman Ron Paul himself.
Consider how Congressman Paul's message impacted Pastor Jim Hartman of the Assembly of God church in Conrad, Iowa. "I've been supporting Mike Huckabee, but I would say I'm leaning real strong toward Ron Paul." Hartman supported President Bush four years ago and explained, "Up until the last six months I had not allowed myself to imagine that we'd been let down by Bush." As for Iraq, he said, "I don't think we were prepared to understand that culture and to work with that culture." He said he now feels "humble and I feel kind of bad that I haven't done a better job of being faithful to Ron Paul's kind of integrity." [Source: MSNBC, Oct. 30, 2007]
Integrity: that is the issue drawing millions to Ron Paul, including young people. The night before I spoke, nearly 700 students gathered at Iowa State University in Ames to hear Dr. Paul. One of those students wrote me recently. His name is Nathan Rockman. He wrote, "As a columnist for the Iowa State Daily here on campus, I have seen first hand what can be described as Ron Paul fever. Since Dr. Paul visited this past Friday, his message of freedom and liberty has been spreading through campus like wildfire . . ."
Ron Paul doesn't recruit artisan spin writers and bloggers to wear down those who might question his past dealings. He doesn't need to. There are no missing hard-drives, ethics violations, and taxpayer funds used for personal use that need to be spun away. He still refuses to participate in the lucrative Congressional pension fund and returns a portion of his Congressional office budget back to the U.S. Treasury each year.
This kind of integrity moved Pastor Hartman, the students at Iowa State University, and many more like them.
Ron Paul has been fighting for the right to life from the beginning of his public career. Dr. Paul is rock-solid on pro-life. After all, he has helped over 4,000 women deliver their babies into the world in his obstetrics practice in Lake Jackson, Texas. He proposed the "Sanctity of Life Act of 2005" (and 2007), which would require that "human life shall be deemed to exist from conception, without regard to race, sex, age, health, defect, or condition of dependency." Has he recently discovered these pro-life convictions? Not at all. Congressman Paul introduced the Human Life Amendment in Congress in his very first term of Congress, a couple of years after Roe v. Wade was first handed down.
Is Ron Paul a libertarian, as some use in a throw-away line, often intended to move the listener to discard him without thought? Yes, on areas of fiscal, economic and judicial liberty, he is. But, he is also a social conservative and a Constitutionalist.
Ron Paul's priorities are right with marriage. He and his wife, Carol, have been married for more than fifty years. He believes marriage should be between a man and a woman and defends that principle with his vote, where and when he has the Constitutional authority to do so. For example, Dr. Paul strongly supports the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). Candidly, though, Ron Paul does not believe (and neither do I) that the U.S. Government needs to be defining that which God has already defined in His Word.
Where pastors often become confused about Ron Paul is that when he is resisting the unconstitutional centralization of our federal government, he is often perceived as being anti-family. Many in these pro-family movements themselves have been co-opted into believing that the solutions to our family problems come in the form of more unconstitutional federal legislation and programs. And when one does not agree with these unconstitutional remedies, they conclude that he or she is "anti-family." Such people mean well but are confused.
America would be much better off if we Christian pastors taught the need for Christ-honoring resistance--at the local level--to anti-family federal intrusions. We should call on our congregations to vote out of office any judge who passes rulings designed to pervert the Biblical family. That doesn't take a Constitutional amendment. It just takes courageous pastors and people who understand that judges, too, must respect the Constitution and our Christian heritage.
In fact, adherence to the Constitution protects our freedom of speech and assembly; our freedom of worship; our right to keep and bear arms; our right to a trial by jury; the right to be secure in our own homes against police overreach; our right to witness for Christ in public, as a Christian; the right to own property; the right to not be deprived of life or property without due process of law; the right to face our accusers, and the right to keep government local and limited.
Keeping government local and limited is the cornerstone doctrine of American government. Ron Paul understands this more than any other candidate running today.
Most of the problems that we are now dealing with socially, culturally, financially, etc., stem from America abandoning the basic founding principle that "the government that governs least governs best."
Accordingly, America's commitment to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness has been (and is being) systematically stripped from us--not by State legislatures, but mostly by agencies of the federal government.
Consider how it has been federal courts that have banned prayer in school, and legalized abortion and homosexual marriage. Even in the liberal State of Massachusetts it was the courts (along with a compliant liberal governor, Mitt Romney), that forced acceptance of homosexual marriage upon the people.
The solutions to these problems do not reside in more federal legislation. All that does is strengthen the scope and power of the federal judiciary.
The only ones who have anything to fear from Ron Paul are those who believe in Big Government.
You see, Ron Paul is actually calling on us pastors and Christians to stop seeing the federal government as one "in whom we live and move and have our being." Jesus Christ is our Savior and Lord, not the federal government. Have we not, in a material way, set up the federal government as our functional Lord and Savior? When we look to the federal government to solve our moral and spiritual problems, that is exactly what we are doing.
When it comes to the war in Iraq, I firmly believe that Christian conservatives have been duped by the neocons. Dr. Paul--an Air Force veteran and proponent of a strong national defense--opposed the unprovoked and pre-emptive invasion of Iraq, and rightly so. Time has certainly vindicated Dr. Paul's principled position. There was a much better way to deal with al-Qaeda.
Soon after 9/11, Congressman Paul introduced H.R. 3076, the September 11 Marque and Reprisal Act of 2001. According to Paul, "A letter of marque and reprisal is a constitutional tool specifically designed to give the president the authority to respond with appropriate force to those non-state actors who wage war against the United States while limiting his authority to only those responsible for the atrocities of that day. Such a limited authorization is consistent with the doctrine of just war and the practical aim of keeping Americans safe while minimizing the costs in blood and treasure of waging such an operation."
This is precisely what President Thomas Jefferson did when America's ships were confronted with Barbary pirates on the high seas.
If the United States government had listened to Ron Paul, we would not have lost nearly 4,000 American soldiers and Marines, spent over $1 trillion, and gotten bogged down in an endless civil war from which there is no equitable extraction. Furthermore, had we listened to Dr. Paul, Osama bin Laden would no doubt be dead, as would most of his al-Qaeda operatives, and we would be less vulnerable to future terrorist attacks, instead of being more vulnerable, which is the case today.
One thing that Pastor Hartman brought up in our meeting in Iowa was the sentiment of many Christians and pastors to defend Israel. Dr. Paul stated that he did not believe that we do Israel any favors and we actually weaken Israel by our constant meddling and intervention. I agree.
Ron Paul is not Israel's enemy. And neither is he the enemy to Christian liberty and constitutional government.
Ron Paul's non-interventionist and constitutional foreign policy approach would help, not hurt, Israel to resolve tensions with their neighbors. Remember, Israel has more nuclear missiles to defend themselves than all of the Middle East nations combined. Believe me, Israel knows how to defend itself. And know this: America's constant meddling curses Israel more than it blesses.
Also consider this: according to published reports such as this one in the Houston Chronicle http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/politics/5223477.html , Ron Paul is receiving more donations from military personnel than any other Presidential candidate in either party. Think seriously about this. Our active duty and retired military personnel clearly endorse with their own contributions Ron Paul's non-interventionist position above all others.
In the end, if the candidate is a sincere Christian, he will all the more readily obey his or her oath to preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States. After all, does not our Lord tell us that our yea is to be yea and our nay is to be nay? In other words, genuine believers are to be true to their word. How, then, could a true Christian make a promise before God and the American people to preserve, protect, and defend the U.S. Constitution and then turn around and ignore that promise?
Ron Paul lives his Christian faith and takes his oath to the Constitution seriously. What more could we ask for in a Presidential candidate?
Every Christian pastor should seriously consider Congressman Ron Paul. Here is his website: http://ronpaul2008.com


Miss Tourism Great Britain 2012 is the beautiful Charlotte Perkins.
Charlotte works as a theatre and dance teacher and also as a marketing assistant. She speaks two languages and enjoys shopping, travelling and dancing in her spare time.
She is looking forward to representing Great Britain at the Miss Tourism 2012 World Final in Thailand and promoting the tourism of Great Britain in this special year of 2012 that has seen Great Britain celebrate the Queen's Diamond Jubilee, the hosting of the Olympics and 50 years of James Bond films!


Star Stud Biker Jacket - Black - Superette | Your Fashion Destination.
An essential in any collection, it is always hard to resist a great leather jacket so we thought why not put our own tough-luxe spin on the well-loved icon. The exclusive Star Stud Biker Jacket is made from a buttery-soft leather and features a double-breasted asymmetric zip front closure, oversized folded collar and belt along the hem for a flattering classic moto silhouette. With close to two hundred hand studded star embellishments, each jacket is one of a kind and the bold silver finishings are sure to steal the show wherever you go. A limited release from our upcoming collection, you won't want to think twice on this jacket.
Height 5 '8" Bust 32"


text:
Crossing Boundaries with Music: How Guitars are Waging Guerrilla Warfare Against Cultural Oppression and Misunderstanding
Music has always been seen as a bridge between cultures. Since "All You Need Is Love" became the anthem of the '60s, and Paul Simon's use of the voices of Ladysmith Black Mambazo on his Graceland album brought the struggles of black South Africans to the world's attention, music of all kinds has been a powerful tool for social progress.
This is not to say that world music is inherently political. After all, it tends to be the most personal of songs which can touch hearts all around the world. That's why you hear people of every culture singing ballads like Yesterday, rather than running through a Sex Pistols setlist. Great songs and musical expression provide an insight into a common human experience.
With that in mind, we wanted to pay tribute to some of the great agents of musical social change while we prepare to launch our own initiative in cities all around America.
Many world music stories must ironically focus on white Western musicians. Artists like Paul Simon, Peter Gabriel, and Sting have famously used world musicians on their records, and helped to promote those artists making their own releases. Peter Gabriel in particular has been extremely vocal about supporting world music, starting the WOMAD festival and also launching his own world music label, Real World Records, which has been a jumping-off point and home for many well-regarded world musicians today. Damon Albarn, meanwhile, used his Mali Music project and solo tours to promote Malian musicians. While it's no doubt a shame that world musicians and especially Muslim musicians around the world must rely on white Western artists to give them a platform, we think it is extremely important to show our gratitude to the Western popular artists who have stood up in support of music from troubled places around the world.
It's most successful when a big event draws attention to a specific artist or issue, which was the case when Damon Albarn invited the Syrian Orchestra to accompany him and other artists (from Syria and the West) at the Royal Albert Hall in the UK this past year. The concert was a powerful statement, and it raised a lot of positive awareness of Syrians at a time when ill will had been stirred up by bigotry around Western Europe. When concertgoers saw their heroes playing with (and being inspired by) the amazing Syrian musicians, they were much more supportive of refugees and related causes. So, music clearly works as a way for cultures to understand each other and get past fear.
One big upside of the internet is that artists all around the world now have a powerful venue for their art–and to use it to change hearts and minds. We are trying to emulate that in a more personal way with an upcoming musical initiative in many US cities.
We're sponsoring the Music Makers Jam initiative this month, which will be taking place in US cities including Boston, New York, Portland, and San Francisco. It is designed to promote New American musicians, especially Muslim refugees and immigrants from around the world who may not have another platform to get involved in community dialogue, due to language or cultural barriers.
We're encouraging refugees and Muslim American immigrants or new citizens to get involved through music! It will be a chance for you to tell your own unique stories and connect with friends and neighbors in the community who might not know you as well as you'd like.
After all, music is the universal language, and we hope these events are a way for folks to express themselves and make their presence known in their communities without struggling through English to be understood.
If your community organization would like to coordinate an event, host a concert gathering, or provide a rehearsal space for international musicians, please contact us. We are also happy to provide advice on finding the best guitars, percussion instruments, and other simple ensemble equipment to help create a productive, creative, and responsive artist space.
This site will lead you to the best beginner acoustic guitars. Actually, bestguitar.reviews showcases different guitar types, models, and brands. Enjoy!


We had a beautiful hike up to Mt. Rubihorn in the Alps in the Allgäu region, Oberstdorf. On the way we caught some awesome Vindoras of Lake Gaisalpe under Mt. Rubihorn. Get the Vindora Apple TV App and have a look.
Today we released our new Apple TV App RELAXING FLOWERS & MEADOWS. Just in time for the international women's day. 😉 Ok, that was rather a coincidence. Enjoy, unwind and relax.
Why not project a beautiful alpine Vindora like a mural in your Café or Restaurant?
This is the most stunning lake in switzerland. I called this Vindora "Zauberufer". (Magic Shore). Start your hike early from Kandersteg up to the Oeschinensee Lake. We found a nice campingsite to celebrate vanlife on the start of the trail to the Oeschinensee Lake.


text:
Russia Proposes Monetary Penalties for Bitcoin Use and Promotion
Pete Rizzo
Oct 3, 2014 at 22:55 UTC
Updated Nov 10, 2014 at 18:49 UTC
The Ministry of Finance of the Russian Federation has released the full version of the draft bill that, if passed in current form, would effectively ban the creation and distribution of software that allows for the use of money substitutes, including bitcoin and all digital currencies.
First announced as a proposal in August, the news marks the first time that the Ministry of Finance has made the proposed law public, as well as its definition of "money surrogates" under which bitcoin and digital currencies may be prohibited.
The two-page draft bill details a series of administrative fines to be imposed on both businesses and private citizens who issue, create or deliberately disseminate information about the release or operation of digital currencies, the language implying that the law would apply to much of the bitcoin industry, from bitcoin users to miners and service providers.
For example, individuals who are found to issue or create bitcoin or digital currencies will be penalized with fines of 30,000–50,000 rubles ($750–$1,250). Similarly, officials found to engage in such practices will be subject to fines of 60,000–100,000 rubles ($1,500–$2,500), while legal entities will be eligible for fines of 500,000–1m rubles ($12,500–$25,000).
A similar series of fines is also detailed for those found to have disseminated information that "permits the release of money substitutes". Individuals engaging in this practice would be subject to fines 5,000–50,000 rubles ($125–$1,250); officials, 20,000–100,000 rubles ($500–$2,500); and legal entities 500,000–1m rubles ($12,500–$25,000).
At press time, much of the domestic industry was still reacting to the news. Anton Vereshchagin, founder of InterMoneyExchange, which had planned to launch in Russia but has since moved to other markets, told CoinDesk:
"If earlier Central Bank statements suggested Russia would follow the FATF and other recommendations and regulate bitcoins, now it seems that the chances are very very small."
He added: "In fact, the restrictions and prohibitions are only getting worse."
Amended definitions
The draft bill also calls for the amendment of the definition of money surrogates in Russia to include language that would cover new financial technologies such as digital currencies.
Under the revision, the definition would include any "monetary unit" issued as a means of payment or exchange and not allowed under federal law.
The law would also be revised so that those who promote or encourage such activities are also in violation of the law. One provision calls for the law to be amended to "prohibit the dissemination of information that permits release (emission) of money substitutes and (or) the operation with their use."
Confirming fears
The latest language in the draft bill confirms fears long harbored by many other Russian market observers.
Artem Tolkachev, managing partner at the law firm Tolkachev & Partners, who has spoken publicly at Russian bitcoin conferences and who advises bitcoin startups on local regulation, told CoinDesk in September that he was pessimistic the law might only apply to those seeking to exchange fiat money for digital currencies.
In particular, Толкачев pointed to statements from the Ministry of Finance in September that suggested the bill might make this interpretation. The statement read:
"We are not going to prohibit people to play checkers and to call checkers money. What we prohibit is to exchange substitutes to money and vice versa."
Толкачев also pointed to the gradual evolution in statements from Russian authorities as well as the milder positions of the Bank of Russia, the country's central bank.
Image via Shutterstock
The leader in blockchain news, CoinDesk is a media outlet that strives for the highest journalistic standards and abides by a strict set of editorial policies. CoinDesk is an independent operating subsidiary of Digital Currency Group, which invests in cryptocurrencies and blockchain startups.