text:
Q: SSIS and Normalizing Data in TXT file I'm learning SSIS and I have a question about how to normalize existing data in a text file.
In my directory I have a text file for each state in the United States so AK.txt and AL.txt has the following structure:
AK,F,1910,Mary,14
AL,F,1910,Mary,875
This stands for state,sex,year,name,frequency
If I have the following tables:

*

*State(id,state)

*Sex(id,sex)

*Year(id,year)

*Name(id,name,frequency)

What transformation in SSIS would I use to put each data element in it's respective table?

A: A. To firstly capture the multiple files, here are two options:

*

*Use a For Each File iterator to loop through each file and load into something (a rowset object , a raw file or a staging table), then use that as a source for part B

*Alternatively create an flat file source for each file and join them up with a union operator (not recommended)
B. To get that single data flow into multiple tables
Use a multicast to cast the data out to 5 streams. Then order and distinct them to get distinct records then load them into the tables.
My personal preference is to load into a staging table and do everything via SQL after that.

A: If your file is comma delimited "state,sex,year.." easiest way is to use the flat file source. You can set it up to use a comma as a column delimiter and a newline as a row delimiter. Make sure to set the right datatypes under advanced as well. The output is then a column for each delimited field. Then use one of the destinations(OLE DB..) and put the stuff in yout tables.

Let me know if you have any questions

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"Win7 has been out of mainstream support for sometime (2 1/2 years).
No new features, no additional service packs, only security fixes.
This is a new feature."
So you think it will be coming to Windows 8.1 then? Still a year and a half of mainstream support on that!


Every year the Hammersmith & Fulham ArtsFest gets bigger and better.
With nine days of stimulating events, variety is the key. Family fun, dynamic music, youth culture, thought-provoking workshops, orchestral performances, drama, studio art, guided walks, comedy… the range is wider than ever in the five years the festival has been running.
The climax to the annual platform for the borough's artistic flair is Unity Day in Ravenscourt Park on the afternoon of Sunday 10 June, where H&F's rainbow of diversity is celebrated.
"It will showcase the amazing talent among our diverse community," promised ArtsFest chair Petrea Owens.
One innovation this year is a focus on local disabled artists, Joy 2018, focusing particularly on people who have not previously been involved in the arts.
The celebration of H&F diversity features a unity tree, for displaying stories in words and pictures, music, dance, a circus and workshops.


A couple weeks ago we took my nephew Alex to the park to see the salmon spawning at Goldstream. We live in such a beautiful part of the world, with so many opportunities for exploration in nature, and Goldstream Provincial Park is no exception. We got to the park at 10:30am which was actually later than we intended. It gets really busy on weekends, so the trick to finding parking and avoiding visitor traffic jams is to get there early. By the time we left, there was a line up of visitors waiting to nab spots from those departing.
We walked from the main entrance to the nature centre and then through the tunnel to the waterfall on the way back. Alex had a blast and got to learn a bit in the process. Any learning opportunity that is also fun is a win in my book!


text:
Emergencies Act Inquiry
About True North
On Op-eds
Bank of Canada hikes rate to highest levels since 2008
Harrison Faulkner
The Bank of Canada announced another interest rate hike Wednesday, raising the rate by 50 basis points to 4.25%, the highest since 2008.
This is the seventh rate hike of the year by the central bank in an effort to slow down inflation, which is at 40-year high levels.
In a statement the Bank said that the governing council would review its decision to continue raising rates next year.
"Looking ahead, Governing Council will be considering whether the policy interest rate needs to rise further to bring supply and demand back into balance and return inflation to target."
The Bank justified its decision by noting high inflation numbers and the rising cost-of-living for Canadians.
"Inflation remained at 6.9% in October, with many of the goods and services Canadians regularly buy showing large price increases."
On Monday, Canada's Food Price Report produced by Dalhousie University revealed that on average the price of food spiked by 7% in all categories.
The average family of four spent around $15,200 on groceries this year with costs expected to rise in 2023 as inflation continues to put pressure on Canadians.
Throughout the first years of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Bank maintained its policy of quantitative easing by continuing to print money in an effort to stimulate economic growth.
In October of 2021, the Bank announced an end to the policy and in April of this year fully reversed course and began the current policy of quantitative tightening in an effort to slow the supply of money entering the economy.
In the Wednesday statement the Bank reaffirmed its commitment to quantitative tightening and has committed to bringing inflation down to its 2% target.
"Quantitative tightening is complementing increases in the policy rate. We are resolute in our commitment to achieving the 2% inflation target and restoring price stability for Canadians.
This move from the central bank mirrors the previous rate hike in October when interest rates were also increased by 50 basis points.
Harrison Faulkner is the host of Ratio'd and co-host of Fake News Friday. He is also a journalist and producer for True North based in Toronto. Twitter: @Harry__Faulkner
Smith asks Trudeau to agree on "Sustainable Jobs" alternative to "Just Transition"
"Significantly higher" migration factors into high rental demand, says CMHC
Bank of Canada hikes rate for eighth time
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Whoever is organizing the session should briefly summarize the topic and goal of the brainstorm and then get it to the team members far enough in advance for them to think about it before the meeting.
The meeting should be held in a neutral location that is away from distractions. For example, the boss's office would generally not be a good brainstorming location.
Once everyone is in attendance, start the meeting with some general chit-chat to loosen everyone up.
Once the session is under way, follow these rules.
Focus on quantity of ideas: Let go of going for the silver bullet. Just pile on as many ideas as you can. Lots of ideas will reveal surprising results.
Everybody gets a turn: Let everyone speak. Resist the urge to interrupt. When the presenter is done, then let the group discussion carry it forward.
Withhold criticism: This is the most important rule of all. No negative feed-back whatsoever. No matter how silly the idea may seem, negative comments, frowns, or groans will kill the entire session.
Record all ideas presented: You can write them down or voice-record them. But, save them for analysis and discussion later.
That's it. These four simple rules will vastly improve your chances of pulling a great idea out of your brainstorming session.
If you have an interesting brainstorming story, please share it with us here. Or, if you have further insights into the brainstorming process, please share that as well.


text:
What's on Exhibitions Codebreakers and Groundbreakers
Codebreakers and Groundbreakers
Fitzwilliam Museum
24 October 2017 – 4 February 2018
This exhibition has now closed, find out what else is going on at Fitzwilliam Museum
UK Typex machine, Crown Copyright
A pioneering exhibition exploring the links between breaking the Enigma codes and deciphering one of the oldest written languages in Europe.
While Alan Turing, Bill Tutte and others were breaking the codes of German communications and thereby changing the course of the Second World War, Michael Ventris and John Chadwick were solving a mystery that stretched back to 1500 BC: Linear B, the ancient written language of Mycenaean Greece.
In this exhibition, the work of both teams is studied side by side, throwing light on the interdisciplinary nature of cryptography, and exploring both its history and its future. Personal letters and possessions of the Cambridge codebreakers are on public display, some for the first time. Also rarely seen are coding devices used by both the German Navy and the British government to disseminate secret messages.
Highlights from the Linear B display include two intact clay tablets from the palace at Knossos, one of which records the transfer of coriander, an ingredient in perfume, and the other the allocation of rations to women involved in the textile industry.
While Linear B is a staggering linguistic achievement that unlocked 600 years of ancient history, the codebreakers paved the way for computer science and Artificial Intelligence. The exhibition goes on to ask who and what will herald the next evolution of cryptography.
Trumpington Street, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, CB2 1RB
Tue – Sat, 10am – 5pm
Sun & Bank Holidays, 12noon – 5pm
Closed Mon, 24 – 26, 31 Dec and 1 Jan
Exhibitions at Fitzwilliam Museum
Beggarstaffs: William Nicholson & James Pryde
Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge
Until 4 August 2019
The Silence of Time: The Spaces In-Between
Museum of Classical Archaeology, Cambridge
Artist: Unknown, Art and Artefacts from the University of Cambridge Museums and Collections
Kettle's Yard, Cambridge
30 Assassins: Riders of the Palio by Marco Delgou
National Heritage Centre for Horseracing & Sporting Art, Palace Street
Until 3 November 2019
An Introduction to Stubbs


text:
Top 5 Threats
Cannabis Removal on Public Lands (CROP)
Northwest California
Sierra Forests
Public Lands Defense
Interactive Wilderness Map
Desert Plan
Donate- Become A Member
Annual Business Members
California Wilderness Coalition
Equity and Inclusion Statement
The most fundamental principle of CalWild's work is that public lands belong to all people. Therefore, it is CalWild's duty to ensure everyone is encouraged and empowered to be involved in the protection, management, use and enjoyment of public lands regardless of age, socio-economic status, race, ethnicity, culture, or spiritual background.
To be effective towards this end, CalWild is committed to integrating and executing values of justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion into our hiring practices and internal support systems for staff. We will prioritize a rich mix of experiences, perspectives, backgrounds, and beliefs. We are committed to furthering that ethos by proactively listening to the different perspectives and points of view of our staff, and creating a welcoming environment where they feel empowered to bring their complete selves to the work they do. We believe our future organizational effectiveness rests squarely on our ability to embody these ideas.
CalWild has always worked to empower local voices and groups in their efforts to protect the public lands they love. We are committed to respectful, authentic, equitable, and proactive engagement and empowerment of all groups and individuals, specifically those that have been historically marginalized in the public lands decision-making, management, and use process. Only by ensuring that all groups and individuals have an equitable voice and power will California be able to protect its rich ecological diversity for generations to come.
CalWild also acknowledges that everyone connects and engages with nature in a way that reflects their culture, experiences, and abilities. We are committed to listening and helping to advocate for appropriate access and inclusive policies for all groups.
© 2020 California Wilderness Coalition
520 Third Street, Suite 208
(510) 451-1450 | Contact Us


BUILD YOUR DREAM HOME ON THIS (80 x 135) DOUBLE LOT OR SPLIT INTO TWO DIFFERENT LOTS AND BUILD TWO HOMES. IT IS A RANCH WITH TWO BEDROOMS, ONE BATH, TWO CAR DETACHED GARAGE. IT IS CURRENTLY RENTED FOR $800/MONTH. SHOWING ARE AVAILABLE THRU APPOINTMENTS ONLY.THE HOUSE IS BEING SOLD "AS IS" AND BUYERS TO ASSUME ANY REPAIRS. ALL AGENTS MUST PHYSICALLY ACCOMPANY THEIR BUYERS INTO THE HOME. CALL LISTING AGENT TO SCHEDULE A SHOWING APPT WITH TENANT.BATVAI.


text:
No fear for cool Laxton in bronze tour battle
PORTSMOUTH potter Samuel Laxton won his first regional snooker tournament at only his third attempt.
Thursday, 2nd November 2017, 2:21 pm
Updated Tuesday, 12th December 2017, 12:40 am
Samuel Laxton showed no nerves
The 12-year-old battled past the top two ranked players on the Cuestars south of England under-21 bronze tour in the third leg at Jesters Snooker Club, Swindon.
Following two successive semi-final defeats to Riccardo Drayton, Laxton again faced the 12-year-old from Chandler's Ford in the last-four.
But this time he wrapped up a 2-1 victory over the leg-two winner with a 25 break.
Vinnie Rix. Picture: Tim Dunkley
And he then beat leg-one winner Ronnie Sullivan (London) 2-1 from 1-0 down and 24 points adrift with 25 on in the second frame.
'I'm proud to have won,' said the delighted youngster, who is in third place in the rankings.
'The competition is very strong and I'm happy to be part of it.
'Beating Riccardo gave me confidence. I wasn't nervous in the final.'
Laxton was unbeaten in the group stages and overcame his club-mate Zak Truscott (Waterlooville) 2-1 in the last-eight.
Meanwhile in the Waterlooville Sports Bar Junior League, Vinnie Rix, 10, knocked in his highest break of 20 against Antony Terroni on Wednesday and said that his target was now a 30.
Less than half-an-hour later, he achieved that against Billy Reid.
Dean Russell increased his personal best by one to 24 against league-leader Samuel Laxton.
And he won the top group to trail Laxton by one point.
In the Monday league, Harry Wilson, 11, won the six-man round-robin group and posted the week-six high break of 28 against Jake Martin.
– Tim Dunkley


text:
New York's artists, writers and performers have always been at the forefront of American culture. The Empire State is the birthplace of trailblazers like Lucille Ball, national icons like Walt Whitman and artistic pioneers like Thomas Cole. Others, like Louis Armstrong and Mark Twain, moved to New York in order to explore their craft and share their talents with the world. A dazzling array of attractions across New York State tells the history of these artists and their contributions to our nation's cultural heritage.
Canals & Transportation
Innovation & Commerce
Themes Arts & Culture Canals & Transportation Civil Rights Colonial History Immigration Innovation & Commerce Native Americans Natural History Revolutionary War Sports History US Presidents War of 1812 Womens Rights
Attractions Castles Cemeteries Covered Bridges Famous People Halls of Fame Haunted History Historic Sites Historical Villages History & Culture Inventions Lighthouses Military History Path Through History Presidential Sites Religious Sites Transportation Women's Suffrage
Region 1000 Islands-Seaway Adirondacks Capital-Saratoga Catskills Central New York Chautauqua-Allegheny Finger Lakes Greater Niagara Hudson Valley Long Island New York City
Choosing more than one amenity will greatly limit your search results.
Brochures Maps
Descriptive Signage
Garibaldi Meucci Museum
This museum is the historic home of the true inventor of the telephone, Antonio Meucci, and later the Italian revolutionary and political leader Giuseppe Garibaldi. The simple country residence was... more
1 View On Map Add to Itinerary More Details
Gates House Museum
Collections include displays showcasing aspects of Warsaw life from the 1830's to the present. Rare artifacts also complement displays of Warsaw's business, manufacturing and agricultural history.... more
General Philip Schuyler House
The restored country house of American General Philip Schuyler, one of three sites making up Saratoga National Historical Park, is located approximately 7 miles north of the Battlefield. Alexander... more
Genesee Country Village & Museum
Genesee Country Village and Museum is one of the largest living history museums in the United States. With more than 70 faithfully restored and furnished buildings, and costumed interpreters,... more
George Eastman Museum
The George Eastman House International Museum of Photography and Film is a National Historic Landmark telling the story of photography, motion pictures and Eastman inventor, entrepreneur and founder... more
Glenn H. Curtiss Museum
The Glenn H. Curtiss Museum celebrates the life of the town`s famous son known as the "Father of Naval Aviation," on the site of his early aviation experiments with Alexander Graham Bell. The museum... more
Gomez Mill House
In 1714, Early American Jewish leader, Luis Moses Gomez, built a fieldstone blockhouse to conduct trade and maintain provisions on his 6500 acre property in the Mid-Hudson region as an extension of... more
Grand Concourse Historic District
The Grand Boulevard and Concourse has a history as one of New York's most stylish thoroughfares. Opened to traffic in 1909, the Grand Concourse was at the center of the economic and population boom... more
Granger Homestead and Carriage Museum
Guests can travel back in time as one of the knowledgeable docents leads visitors through the Granger Homestead and carriage museum, home to Gideon Granger, Postmaster General of the United States... more
Great Camp Sagamore
Dating from 1897, Great Camp Sagamore, a National Historic Landmark in Raquette Lake, is a 27-building complex that has been restored to a condition much like it was more than a century ago. Visitors... more
10 View On Map Add to Itinerary More Details
Greater Oneonta Historical Society
Founded in 1939, the Greater Oneonta Historical Society (GOHS), formerly the Upper Susquehanna Historical Society, and its Oneonta History Center in the Oneonta Downtown Historic District, strives to... more
Griffis Sculpture Park
The largest sculpture park in North America with 250 sculptures on 450 acres, the Griffis Sculpture Park in East Otto features a variety of natural habitats including forests, ponds, wetlands and... more


text:
released September 10th, on
The coming of Emma Paunil's debut vocal release, Soul Flame, marks the start of a worldwide movement. Releasing on World Suicide Prevention Day 2021, the song and music video's message reminds us that even in our darkest hour, there exists hope and purpose to re-ignite our "Soul Flame."
In addition to sharing empowering energy through her musical work, Emma has made it a mission to demystify and de-stigmatize the plethora of available therapy techniques available for all those who need help, alongside the creation and release of Soul Flame.
ENDORSEMENTS, QUOTES, & REVIEWS
"With Soul Flame, singer/songwriter Emma Paunil has created a song from the heart like it came from the depths of her soul. The song has a classical, new age sound while its darker sound and melody is balanced out by sweet soft tones from Emma's vocals. Soul Flame showcases a song that's raw, honest, powerful and reflective." – Kristina Mondo, RadioAirplay
"The music video is wonderfully evocative! Layered alongside the powerful lyrics, it causes listeners and viewers to want to experience the lesson more than once."
– Jackie Nelson, MFA Fine Arts Analytic
Read about the movement behind Soul Flame
AN INSPIRING MESSAGE
Soul Flame, the single, is more than just a vocal release – it is a movement.
The unreleased music video features a story-teller (the artist), painting the experience of a young girl who experienced loss, bullying, and other emotional trauma. In the end, after we witness the harmful emotional effects of burying emotions as the young girl becomes a teen, we learn that even in our darkest hour, there exists hope and purpose to re-ignite our "Soul Flame."
In addition to the moving message of the music video that carries the listeners through the emotional process of healing, all cast and crew involved in the project were given a chance to speak out about their personal experiences with suicide. These interviews are to be run alongside the project, prior to the actual release of the song.
THE STIGMA AND UNKNOWN BEHIND THERAPY
While it is important for all of us to find this igniting purpose, sometimes reaching out for help is a critical step for our well-being. It can me daunting for some to think of seeking therapy for a few pertinent reasons:
1) Fear of judgement by our family and friends due to societal pressures and associated stigma.
2) Fear of the unknown, and not fully understanding the plethora of therapy options available.
3) Fear of financial burden, and not feeling that paying for therapy can be balanced with other vital expenses.
Emma plans to address and tend to all three of these concerns in order to encourage more people to seek help. In the process of creating this release, she has been researching therapy techniques, interviewing therapists, and even has been seeking therapy herself. She plans to share this information to her audience so that the thought of seeking therapy becomes de-stigmatized and demystified.
Emma additionally plans to start a funding campaign to help alleviate the fear of financial burden for those wishing to seek therapy, but feeling they cannot due to financial concerns.
Emma Paunil is a pianist and musician of over 20 years. Her passion is emotional intelligence and healing, and integrates her various art forms – including her self-help and children's book authorship, her acting, directing, and other creative outlets – in order to inspire this emotional understanding.
CONTACT & RELEVANT LINKS
Please contact emmapaunilmusic@gmail.com for interviews, and further info.


I am now a Certified Medicare Agent!
Grateful to announce that I just added one more area of service to my practice. Today I finally earned my certification to enroll Medicare eligible candidates. I figured I would love to serve our aging population as well, going now from end to end of the life cycle. My clients have ranged from newborns to the young and aging working class, but now even the retirees. What a privilege to be a part of this. Don't keep me a secret.


text:
Book Review: The Business Blockchain
Posted on May 11, 2016 by Tim Swanson
[Disclaimer: The views expressed below are solely my own and do not necessarily represent the views of my employer or any organization I advise.]
William Mougayar is an angel investor who has been investigating the cryptocurrency and broader distributed ledger ecosystem over the past several years.
He recently published a book entitled The Business Blockchain that attempts to look at how enterprises and organizations should view distributed ledgers and specifically, blockchains.
While it is slightly better than "Blockchain Revolution" from the Tapscott's, it still has multiple errors and unproven conjectures that prevent me from recommending it. For instance, it does not really distinguish one blockchain from another, or the key differences between a distributed ledger and a blockchain.
Note: all transcription errors below are my own. See my other book reviews.
On p. xxii he writes:
"These are necessary but not sufficient conditions or properties; blockchains are also greater than the sum of their parts."
I agree with this and wrote something very similar two years ago in Chapter 2:
While the underlying mathematics and cryptographic concepts took decades to develop and mature, the technical parts and mechanisms of the ledger (or blockchain) are greater than the sum of the ledger's parts.
On p. xxiv he writes:
"Just like we cannot double spend digital money anymore (thanks to Satoshi Nakamoto's invention), we will not be able to double copy or forge official certificates once they are certified on a blockchain."
There are two problems with this:
Double-spending can and does still occur, each month someone posts on social media how they managed to beat a retailer/merchant that accepted zero-confirmation transactions
Double-spending can and is prevented in centralized architectures today, you don't need a blockchain to prevent double-spending if you are willing to trust a party
[Note: recommend that future editions should include labeled diagrams/tables/figures]
On p. 11 he writes:
"Solving that problem consists in mitigating any attempts by a small number of unethical Generals who would otherwise become traitors, and lie about coordinating their attack to guarantee victory."
It could probably be written slightly different: how do you coordinate geographically dispersed actors to solve a problem in which one or more actor could be malicious and attempt to change the plan? See also Lamport et al. explanation.
On p.13 he writes compares a database with a blockchain which he calls a "ledger."
I don't think this is an accurate comparison.
For instance, a ledger, as Robert Sams has noted, assumes ties to legal infrastructure. Some blockchains, such as Bitcoin, were intentionally designed not to interface with legal infrastructure, thus they may not necessarily be an actual ledger.
To quote Sams:
I think the confusion comes from thinking of cryptocurrency chains as ledgers at all. A cryptocurrency blockchain is (an attempt at) a decentralised solution to the double spending problem for a digital, extra-legal bearer asset. That's not a ledger, that's a log.
That was the point I was trying to make all along when I introduced the permissioned/permissionless terminology! Notice, I never used the phrase "permissionless ledger" — Permissionless'ness is a property of the consensus mechanism.
With a bearer asset, possession of some instrument (a private key in the cryptocurrency world) means ownership of the asset. With a registered asset, ownership is determined by valid entry in a registry mapping an off-chain identity to the asset. The bitcoin blockchain is a public log of proofs of instrument possession by anonymous parties. Calling this a ledger is the same as calling it "bearer asset ledger", which is an oxymoron, like calling someone a "married bachelor", because bearer assets by definition do not record their owners in a registry!
This taxonomy that includes the cryptocurrency stuff in our space ("a public blockchain is a permissionless distributed ledger of cryptocurrency") causes so much pointless discussion.
I should also mention that the DLT space should really should be using the phrase "registry" instead of "ledger". The latter is about accounts, and it is one ambition too far at the moment to speak of unifying everyone's accounts on a distributed ledger.
Is this pedantic? Maybe not, as the authors of The Law of Bitcoin also wrestle with the buckets an anarchic cryptocurrency fall under.
On p. 14 he writes about bank accounts:
"In reality, they provided you the illusion of access and activity visibility on it. Every time you want to move money, pay someone or deposit money, the bank is giving you explicit access because you gave them implicit trust over your affairs. But that "access" is also another illusion. It is really an access to a database record that says you have such amount of money. Again, they fooled you by giving you the illusion that you "own" that money."
This is needless inflammatory. Commercial law and bankruptcy proceedings will determine who owns what and what tranche/seniority your claims fall under. It is unclear what the illusion is.
"A user can send money to another, via a special wallet, and the blockchain network does the authentication, validation and transfer, typically within 10 minutes, with or without a cryptocurrency exchange in the middle."
Which blockchain is he talking about? If it is not digital fiat, how does the cash-in/cash-out work? To my knowledge, no bank has implemented an end-to-end production system with other banks as described above. Perhaps that will change in the future.
"Sometimes it is represented by a token, which is another form of related representation of an underlying cryptocurrency."
This isn't very well-defined. The reason I went to great lengths in November to explain what a "token" is and isn't is because of the confusion caused by the initial usage of a cryptographic token, a hardware device from companies like RSA. This is not what a "token" in cryptocurrency usage means. (Note: later on p. 91 he adds a very brief explanation)
On p. 18 he cites Robert Sams who is quoting Nick Szabo, but didn't provide a source. It is found in Seigniorage Shares.
On p. 18 he also writes:
"As cryptocurrency gains more acceptance and understanding, its future will be less uncertain, resulting in a more stable and gradual adoption curve."
This is empirically not true and actually misses the crux of Sams' argument related to expectations.
"As of 2016, the Bitcoin blockchain was far from these numbers, hovering at 5-7 TPS, but with prospects of largely exceeding it due to advances in sidechain technology and expected increases in the Bitcoin block size."
This isn't quite correct. On a given day over the past year, the average TPS is around 2 TPS and Tradeblock estimates by the end of 2016 that with the current block size it will hover around just over 3 TPS.
What is a sidechain? It is left undefined in that immediate section. One potential definition is that it is a sofa.
"Private blockchains are even faster because they have less security requirements, and we are seeing 1,000-10,000 TPS in 2016, going up to 2,000-15,000 TPS in 2017, and potentially an unlimited ceiling beyond 2019."
This is untrue. "Private blockchains" do not have "less" security requirements, they have different security requirements since they involve known, trusted participants. I am also unaware of any production distributed ledger system that hits 10,000 TPS. Lastly, it is unclear where the "unlimited ceiling" prediction comes from.
"In 2014, I made the strong assertion that the blockchain is the new database, and warned developers to get ready to rewrite everything."
Where did you warn people? Link?
"For developers, a blockchain is first and foremost a set of software technologies."
I would argue that it is first and foremost a network.
"The fact that blockchain software is open source is a powerful feature. The more open the core of a blockchain is, the stronger the ecosystem around it will become."
Some, but not all companies building blockchain-related technology, open source the libraries and tools. Also, this conflates the difference between code and who can validate transactions on the network. A "private blockchain" can be open sourced and secure, but only permit certain entities to validate transactions.
"State machines are a good fit for implementing distributed systems that have to be fault-tolerant."
"Bitcoin initiated the Proof-of-Work (POW) consensus method, and it can be regarded as the granddaddy of these algorithms. POW rests on the popular Practical Byzantine Fault Tolerant algorithm that allows transactions to be safely committed according to a given state."
There are at least two problems with this statement:
The proof-of-work mechanism used in Bitcoin is apocryphally linked to Hashcash from Adam Back; however this does not quite jive with Mougayar's statement above. Historically, this type of proof-of-work predates Back's contribution, all the way to 1992. See Pricing via Processing or Combatting Junk Mail by Dwork and Naor
Practical Byzantine Fault Tolerance is the name of a specific algorithm published in 1999 by Castro and Liskov; it is unrelated to Bitcoin.
"One of the drawbacks of the Proof-of-Work algorithm is that it is not environmentally friendly, because it requires large amounts of processing power from specialized machines that generate excessive energy."
This is a design feature: to make it economically costly to change history. It wasn't that Satoshi conjured up a consensus method to be environmentally friendly, rather it is the hashrate war and attempt to seek rents on seigniorage that incentivizes the expenditure of capital, in this case energy. If the market price of a cryptocurrency such as bitcoin declined, so too would the amount of energy used to secure it.
"Reaching consensus is at the heart of a blockchain's operations. But the blockchain does it in a decentralized way that breaks the old paradigm of centralized consensus, when one central database used to rule transaction validity."
Which blockchain is he talking about? They are not a commodity, there are several different unique types. Furthermore, distributed consensus is an academic research field that has existed for more than two decades.
"A decentralized scheme (which the blockchain is based on) transfers authority and trust to a decentralized network and enables its nodes to continuously and sequentially record their transactions on a public "block," creating a unique" chain" – the blockchain."
Mougayar describes the etymology of the word "blockchain" specific to Bitcoin itself.
Note: a block actually is more akin to a "batch" or "bucket" in the sense that transactions are bundled together into a bucket and then propagated. His definition of what a blockchain is is not inclusive enough in this chapter though because it is unclear what decentralization can mean (1 node, 100 nodes, 10,000 nodes?). Also, it is important to note that not all distributed ledgers are blockchains.
"Credit card companies charge us 23% in interest, even when the prime rate is only at 1%"
Which credit card companies are charging 23%? Who is being charged this? Also, even if this were the case, how does a blockchain of some kind change that?
"Blockchains offer truth and transparency as a base layer. But most trusted institutions do not offer transparency or truth. It will be an interesting encounter."
This is just a broad sweeping generalization. What does truth and transparency mean here? Which blockchains? Which institutions? Cannot existing institutions build or use some kind of distributed ledger to provide the "truth" and "transparency" that he advocates?
"The blockchain challenges the roles of some existing trust players and reassigns some of their responsibilities, sometimes weakening their authority."
Typo: should be "trusted" not "trust."
"There is a lesson from Airbnb, which has mastered the art of allowing strangers to sleep in your house without fear."
This is not true, there are many examples of Airbnb houses that have been trashed and vandalized.
On p. 34, just as the Tapscott's did in their book, Mougayar talks about how Airbnb could use a blockchain for identity and reputation. Sure, but what are the advantages of doing that versus a database or other existing technology?
"Enterprises are the ones asking, because the benefits are not necessarily obvious to them. For large companies, the blockchain presented itself as a headache initially. It was something they had not planned for."
First off, which blockchain? And which enterprises had a headache from it?
On p. 39 he writes: "Prior to the Bitcoin invention…"
He should probably flip that to read "the invention of Bitcoin"
"… it did not make sense to have money as a digital asset, because the double-spend (or double-send) problem was not solved yet, which meant that fraud could have dominated."
This is empirically untrue. Centralized systems prevent double-spending each and every day. There is a double-spending problem when you are using a pseudonymous, decentralized network and it is partially resolved (but not permanently solved) in Bitcoin by making it expensive, but not impossible, to double-spend.
"They will be no less revolutionary than the invention of the HTML markup language that allowed information o be openly published and linked on the Web."
This is a little redundant and should probably be rewritten as "the invention of the hypertext markup language (HTML)."
"Smart contracts are ideal for interacting with real-world assets, smart property, Internet of Things (IoT) and financial services instruments."
Why are smart contracts ideal for that?
On p. 46 he writes: "Time-stamping" and in other areas he writes it without a dash.
"And blockchains are typically censorship resistant, due to the decentralized nature of data storage, encryption, and peer controls at the edge of the network."
Which blockchains? Not all blockchains in the market are censorship resistant. Why and why not?
On p. 48 he mentions "BitIID" – this is a typo for "BitID"
"Enter the blockchain and decentralized applications based on it. Their advent brings potential solutions to data security because cryptographically-secured encryption becomes a standard part of blockchain applications, especially pertaining to the data parts. By default, everything is encrypted."
This is untrue. Bitcoin does not encrypt anything nor does Ethereum. A user could encrypt data first, take a hash of it and then send that hash to a mining pool to be added to a block, but the network itself provides no encryption ability.
"Consensus in public blockchains is done publicly, and is theoretically subject to the proverbial Sybil attacks (although it has not happened yet)."
Actually, it has on altcoins. One notable occurrence impacted Feathercoin during June 2013.
"The blockchain can help, because too many Web companies centralized and hijacked what could have been a more decentralized set of services."
This is the same meme in the Tapscott book. There are many reasons for why specific companies and organizations have large users bases but it is hard to see how they hijacked anyone; but that is a different conversation altogether.
"We can also think of blockchains as shared infrastructure that is like a utility. If you think about how the current Internet infrastructure is being paid for, we subsidize it by paying monthly fees to Internet service providers. As public blockchains proliferate and we start running millions of smart contacts and verification services on them, we might be also subsidizing their operation, by paying via micro transactions, in the form of transaction fees, smart contract tolls, donation buttons, or pay-per-use schemes."
This is a very liberal use of the word subsidize. What Mougayar is describing above is actually more of a tax than a charitable donation.
The design behind Bitcoin was intended to make it such that there was a Nash equilibrium model between various actors. That miners would not need to rely on charity to continue to secure the network because as block rewards decline, the fees themselves would in the long run provide enough compensation to pay for their security services.
It could be argued that this will not happen, that fees will not increase to offset the decline in block rewards but that is for a different article.
As an aside, Mougayar's statement above then intersects with public policy: which blockchains should receive that subsidy or donation? All altcoins too? And who should pay this?
Continuing:
"Blockchains are like a virtual computer somewhere in a distributed cloud that is virtual and does not require server setups. Whoever opens a blockchain node runs the server, but not users or developers."
This is untrue. The ~6,400 nodes on the Bitcoin network are all servers that require setup and maintenance to run. The same for Ethereum and any other blockchain.
"It is almost unimaginable to think that when Satoshi Nakamoto released the code for the first Bitcoin blockchain in 2009, it consisted of just two computers and a token."
A couple issues:
There is a typo – "first" should be removed (unless there was another Bitcoin network before Bitcoin?)
Timo Hanke and Sergio Lerner have hypothesized that Satoshi probably used multiple computers, perhaps more than a dozen.
"One of the primary differences between a public and private blockchain is that public blockchains typically have a generic purpose and are generally cheaper to use, whereas private blockchains have a more specific usage, and they are more expensive to set up because the cost is born by fewer owners."
This is not true. From a capital and operation expenditure perspective, public blockchains are several orders of magnitude more expensive to own and maintain than a private blockchain. Why? Because there is no proof-of-work involved and therefore private blockchain operators do not need to spend $400 million a year, which is roughly the cost of maintaining the Bitcoin network today.
In contrast, depending on how a private blockchain (or distributed ledger) is set up, it could simply be run by a handful of nodes on several different cloud providers – a marginal cost.
"Taken as an extreme case, just about any software application could be rewritten with some blockchain and decentralization flavor into it, but that does not mean it's a good idea to do so."
Yes, fully agreed!
"By mid-2016, there were approximately 5,000 developers dedicated to writing software for cryptocurrency, Bitcoin or blockchains in general. Perhaps another 20,000 had dabbled with some of that technology, or written front-end applications that connect to a blockchain, one way or the other."
Mougayar cites his survey of the landscape for this.
I would dispute this though, it's probably an order of magnitude less.
The only way this number is 5,000 is if you liberally count attendees at meetups or all the various altcoins people have touched over the year, and so forth. Even the headcount of all the VC funded "bitcoin and blockchain" companies is probably not even 5,000 as of May 2016.
"Scaling blockchains will not be different than the way we have continued to scale the Internet, conceptually speaking. There are plenty of smart engineers, scientists, researchers, and designers who are up to the challenge and will tackle it."
This is a little too hand-wavy. One of the top topics that invariably any conversation dovetails into at technical working groups continues to be "how to scale" while keeping privacy requirements and non-functional requirements intact. Perhaps this will be resolved, but it cannot be assumed that it will be.
"Large organizations, especially banks, have not been particularly interested in adopting public blockchains for their internal needs, citing potential security issues. The technical argument against the full security of public blockchains can easily be made the minute you introduce a shadow of a doubt on a potential scenario that might wreak havoc with the finality of a transaction. That alone is enough fear to form a deterring factor for staying away from public blockchain, although the argument could be made in favor of their security."
This is a confusing passage. The bottom line is that public blockchains were not designed with the specific requirements that regulated financial institutions have. If they did, perhaps they would be used. But in order to modify a public blockchain to provide those features and characteristics, it would be akin to turning an aircraft carrier into a submarine. Sure it might be possible, but it would just be easier and safer to build a submarine instead.
Also, why would an organization use a public blockchain for their internal needs? What does that mean?
"Targeting Bitcoin primarily, several governments did not feel comfortable with a currency that was not backed by a sovereign country's institutions."
Actually, what made law enforcement and regulators uncomfortable was a lack of compliance for existing AML/KYC regulations. The headlines and hearings in 2011-2013 revolved around illicit activities that could be accomplished as there were no tools or ability to link on-chain activity with real world identities.
"The reality is that customers are not going to the branch as often (or at all), and they are not licking as many stamps to pay their bills. Meanwhile, FinTech growth is happening: it was a total response to banks' lack of radical innovation."
There are a couple issues going on here.
Banks have had to cut back on all spending due to cost cutting efforts as a whole and because their spending has had to go towards building reporting and compliance systems, neither of which has been categorized as "radical innovation."
Also, to be balanced, manyh of the promises around "fintech" innovation still has yet to germinate due to the fact that many of the startups involved eventually need to incorporate and create the same cost structures that banks previously had to have. See for instance, financial controls in marketplace lending – specifically Lending Club.
"If you talk to any banker in the world, they will admit that ApplePay and PayPal are vexing examples of competition that simply eats into their margins, and they could not prevent their onslaught."
Any banker will say that? While a couple of business lines may change, which banks are being displaced by either of those two services right now?
"Blockchains will not signal the end of banks, but innovation must permeate faster than the Internet did in 1995-2000."
Why? Why must it permeate faster? What does that even mean?
"This is a tricky question, because Bitcoin's philosophy is about decentralization, whereas a bank is everything about centrally managed relationships."
What does this mean? If anything, the Bitcoin economy is even more concentrated than the global banking world, with only about a dozen exchanges globally that handle virtually all of the trading volume of all cryptocurrencies.
"A local cryptocurrency wallet skirts some of the legalities that existing banks and bank look-alikes (cryptocurrency exchanges) need to adhere to, but without breaking any laws. You take "your bank" with you wherever you travel, and as long as that wallet has local onramps and bridges into the non-cryptocurrency terrestrial world, then you have a version of a global bank in your pocket."
This is untrue. There are many local and international laws that have been and continue to be broken involving money transmission, AML/KYC compliance and taxes. Ignoring those though, fundamentally there are probably more claims on bitcoins – due to encumbrances – than bitcoins themselves. This is a big problem that still hasn't been dealt with as of May 2016.
"The decentralization of banking is here. It just has not been evenly distributed yet."
This is probably inspired by William Gibson who said: 'The future is already here — it's just not very evenly distributed.'
"The default state and starting position for innovation is to be permissionless. Consequently, permissioned and private blockchain implementations will have a muted innovation potential. At least in the true sense of the word, not for technical reasons, but for regulatory ones, because these two aspect are tie together."
This is not a priori true, how can he claim this? Empirically we know that permissioned blockchains are designed for different environments than something like Bitcoin. How can he measure the amount of potential "innovation" either one has?
"We are seeing the first such case unfold within the financial services sector, that seems to be embracing the blockchain fully; but they are embracing it according to their own interpretation of it, which is to make it live within the regulatory constraints they have to live with. What they are really talking about is "applying innovation," and not creating it. So, the end-result will be a dialed down version of innovation."
This is effectively an ad hominem attack on those working with regulated institutions who do not have the luxury of being able to ignore laws and regulations in multiple jurisdictions. There are large fines and even jail time for ignoring or failing to comply with certain regulations.
"That is a fact, and I am calling this situation the "Being Regulated Dilemma," a pun on the innovator's dilemma. Like the innovator's dilemma, regulated companies have a tough time extricating themselves from the current regulations they have to operate within. So, when they see technology, all they can do is to implement it within the satisfaction zones of regulators. Despite the blockchain's revolutionary prognosis, the banks cannot outdo themselves, so they risk only guiding the blockchain to live within their constrained, regulated world."
"It is a lot easier to start innovating outside the regulatory boxes, both figuratively and explicitly. Few banks will do this because it is more difficult."
"Simon Taylor, head of the blockchain innovation group at Barclays, sums it up: "I do not disagree the best use cases will be outside regulated financial services. Much like the best users of cloud and big data are not the incumbent blue chip organizations. Still their curioisity is valuable for funding and driving forward the entire space." I strongly agree; there is hope some banks will contribute to the innovation potential of the blockchain in significant ways as they mature their understanding and experiences with this next technology.
An ending note to banks is that radical innovation can be a competitive advantage, but only if it is seen that way. Otherwise innovation will be dialed down to fit their own reality, which is typically painted in restrictive colors.
It would be useful to see banks succeed with the blockchain, but they need to push themselves further in terms of understanding what the blockchain can do. They need to figure out how they will serve their customers better, and not just how they will serve themselves better. Banks should innovate more by dreaming up use cases that we have not though about yet, preferably in the non-obvious category.
The fundamental problem with his statement is this: banks are heavily regulated, they cannot simply ignore the regulations because someone says they should. If they fail to maintain compliance, they can be fined.
But that doesn't mean they cannot still be innovative, or that the technology they are investigating now isn't useful or helpful to their business lines.
In effect, this statement is divorced from the reality that regulated financial institutions operate in. [Note: some of his content such as the diagram originated from his blog post]
On p. 102 he writes:
"Banks will be required to apply rigorous thinking to flush out their plans and positions vis-à-vis each one of these major blockchain parameters. They cannot ignore what happens when their core is being threatened."
While this could be true, it is an over generalization: what type of business lines at banks are being threatened? What part of "their" core is under attack?
"More than 200 regulatory bodies exist in 150 countries, and many of them have been eyeing the blockchain and pondering regulatory updates pertaining to it."
Surely that is a typo, there are probably 200 regulatory bodies alone in the US itself.
"Banks will need to decide if they see the blockchain as a series of Band-Aids, or if they are willing to find the new patches of opportunity. That is why I have been advocating that they should embrace (or buy) the new cryptocurrency exchanges, not because these enable Bitcoin trades, but because they are a new generation of financial networks that has figured out how to transfer assets, financial instruments, or digital assets swiftly and reliably, in essence circumventing the network towers and expense bridges that the current financial services industry relies upon."
This is a confusing passage.
Nearly all of the popular cryptocurrency exchanges in developed countries require KYC/AML compliance in order for users to cash-in and out of their fiat holdings. How do cryptocurrency exchanges provide any utility to banks who are already used to transferring and trading foreign exchange?
In terms of percentages, cryptocurrency exchanges are still very easy to compromise versus banks; what utility do banks obtain by acquiring exchanges with poor financial controls?
And, in order to fund their internal operations, cryptocurrency exchanges invariably end up with the same type of cost structures regulated financial institutions have; the advantage that they once had effectively involved non-compliance – that is where some of the cost savings was. And banks cannot simply ignore regulations because people on social media want them to; these cryptocurrency sites require money to operate, hence the reason why many of them charge transaction fees on all withdrawals and some trades.
On p. 115 he mentions La'Zooz and Maidsafe, neither of which – after several years of development, actually work. Perhaps that changes in the future.
On p.118 he writes:
"There is another potential application of DIY Government 2.0. Suppose a country's real government is failing, concerned citizens could create a shadow blockchain governance that is more fair, decentralized and accountable. There are at least 50 failed, fragile, or corrupt states that could benefit from an improve blockchain governance."
Perhaps this is true, that there could be utility gain from some kind of blockchain. But this misses a larger challenge: many of these same countries lack private property rights, the rule of law and speedy courts.
On p. 119 he writes about healthcare use cases:
"Carrying a secure wallet with our full electronic medical record in it, or our stored DNA, and allowing its access, in case of emergency."
What advantage do customers gain from carrying this around in a secure wallet? Perhaps they do, but it isn't clear in this chapter.
On p. 126-127 he makes the case for organizations to have a "blockchain czar" but an alternative way to pitch this without all the pomp is simply to have someone be tasked with becoming a subject-matter expert on the topic.
"Transactions are actually recorded in sequential data blocks (hence the word blockchain), so there is a historical, append-only log of these transaction that is continuously maintained and updated. A fallacy is that the blockchain is a distributed ledger."
It is not a fallacy.
On p. 149 he writes: "What happened to the Web being a public good?"
Costs. Websites have real costs. Content on those websites have real costs. And so forth. Public goods are hard to sustain because no one wants to pay for them but everyone wants to use them. Eventually commercial entities found a way to build and maintain websites that did not involve external subsidization.
"Indeed, not only was the Web hijacked with too many central choke points, regulators supposedly continue to centralize controls in order to lower risk, whereas the opposite should be done."
This conflicts with the "Internet is decentralized" meme that was discussed throughout the book. So if aspects of the Internet are regulated, and Mougayar disagrees with those regulations, doesn't this come down to disagreements over public policy?
"Money is a form of value. But not all value is money. We could argue that value has higher hierarchy than money. In the digital realm, a cryptocurrency is the perfect digital money. The blockchain is a perfect exchange platform for digital value, and it rides on the Internet, the largest connected network on the planet."
Why are cryptocurrencies perfect? Perhaps they are, but it is not discussed here.
On p. 153 he also talks about the "programmability" of cryptocurrencies but doesn't mention that if fiat currencies were digitally issued by central banks, they too could have the same programmable abilities.
On p. 160 he predicts:
"There will be dozens of commonly used, global virtual currencies that will be considered mainstream, and their total market value will exceed $5 trillion, and represent 5% of the world's $100 trillion economy in 2025."
Perhaps that occurs, but why? And are virtual currencies now different than digital currencies? Or are they the same? None of these questions are really addressed.
This book is quick read but unfortunately is weighed down by many opinions that are not supported by evidence and consequently, very few practical applications for enterprises are explained in detail.
For regulated businesses such as financial institutions, there are several questions that need to be answered such as: what are the specific cost savings for using or integrating with some kind of blockchain? What are the specific new business lines that could be created? And unfortunately the first edition of this book did not answer these types of questions. Let us look again at a future version.
See my other book reviews.
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Great Christian Thinkers
Westminster Abbey Scenes of London Print
Black Pearl Bracelet with Hanging Cross
High Altar Mosaic Silk Scarf
Westminster Abbey London Map A5 Canvas Notebook
Big Ben Green Tea Selection Box
Royal Collection Harry & Meghan Wedding Plate
Westminster Abbey London Icons Baby Bib
The Queen's Speech
On 21 April 2016, Queen Elizabeth II, the longest-serving monarch in British history, celebrated her 90th birthday. During her 64 years on the throne, few have got to know her well, but there is one body of work that sheds new light on her thoughts, personality and the issues that really concern her: the Queen's own speeches. For many years, the Queen's Christmas address was the most-watched programme on television on Christmas Day, and millions still tune in to hear what she has to say. Now, in this wonderful, intimate portrait of Her Majesty, Ingrid Seward uses the Queen's speeches as a starting point to provide a revealing insight into the character of the woman who has reigned over us since the days when Churchill was prime minister. Starting with her first ever broadcast, in December 1940, when the teenaged Princess Elizabeth addressed a wartorn nation, right through the annus horribilis, and on into the 21st century, the book highlights the most important moments in her life and how she has responded to them.
The Queen's English: And How to Use It
Queen Elizabeth II & Her Church by The Very Reverend Dr John Hall


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I hate to harsh anyone's squee, but…
June 27, 2010 June 28, 2010 By: TempestGeekitude, Rants
The Doctor Who season finale was just as mediocre and disappointing as the rest of the season. I don't know what the hell everyone else is so happy about, except perhaps Steven Moffet's lackluster turn as head writer has somehow lowered everyone's bar and they were happy to see anything resembling a moving bit of drama. Cut for spoilers, unfortunately too late for many… sorry. :(
Yes, that last scene at the wedding was the kind of moment that's supposed to make your heart swell along with the music, but at that point I was just so done with everything about that episode that I found myself kind of bored. I feel like Moffet wanted to capture the essence of the Doctor's previous sacrifices for the common good, like when he ended the time war by essentially destroying almost everything he loved along with almost everything he hated. But there comes a point where that meme gets old. And since we know there will be no real and lasting consequences, it ends up not mattering in the least.
And to top it off, we don't even get to know who was pulling the strings. I mean, we have an idea, but I like it better when I know.
Also: leave the fucking Daleks alone, Moffet. Jesus.
Tagged: more-1134
And she says this without any sense of irony, too…
My Readercon 21 Schedule
17 thoughts on "I hate to harsh anyone's squee, but…"
Ian Mond says:
I don't mean to pedantic, but it's Moffat, with an "a".
I disagree with your assessment. I think the sacrifice he makes isn't tinged with the same sort of angst and emo that his previous New Who sacrifices have been. Matt Smith (and Moffat) play it low key, with the Doctor understanding that he's the only person who can pilot the Pandorica into the heart of the sun.
As for no lasting consequences, the Doctor's removal from time (and his appearance at the wedding) I thought was cleverly seeded throughout the season.
I acknowledge that episode is all about the reset switch – bringing Amy, Rory and the Universe back to the way they were – but it's done, IMHO, with lots of cleverness.
We'll find out whose pulling the strings next season. It's the first New Who multi-season arc.
Caoimhe Ora Snow says:
Oh, don't be silly, you LOVE to harsh everyone's squee!
justbeast says:
Completely agree with you. The episode was not as bad as some others in this season, but still irritating.
Dhobi ki Kutti says:
Hey Tempest, this post has spoilers for a show that not everyone watches immediately, and its not cut here, nor on your syndicated feed over on Dreamwidth. Could you… not, next time?
oops! yes, I will not next time. My bad.
Rhi says:
I personally haven't seen it yet (was spoiled before, anyway), but…I am so tired of the Moff As The Second Coming concept, and I am so glad not to be alone.
DW's good, not great, and if I have to see any more bleeding posts or tweets about how The Big Bang was the MOST BEAUTIFUL THING EVAR, I am not liable for my actions.
confluence says:
I've been pretty disappointed by this season. I feel like I'm watching a remake of the first four New Who series (which actually seems to be the BBC's intention). It's particularly annoying when Moffat redoes *his own New Who episodes*, badly.
Smith doesn't chew the scenery, and I quite like him as the Doctor, but there is no originality or emotional subtlety in the dialogue or the plotting. Everything is spelled out; dead horses are flogged repeatedly; the characters and situations are boring and cliched.
There hasn't been as much throw-in-the-kitchen-sink incoherence as during the RTD era, but that's about the nicest thing I have to say.
The episodes I liked the most were the first half of the Siluran two-parter and The Pandorica Opens, because in both cases it looked like something interesting was actually going to happen. But then it didn't. :(
I'm the complete opposite. I think Vincent and the Doctor was one of the best episodes of the series since it returned in 2005.
I think that the Lodger is the best thing Gareth Roberts has written for New Who (and is very different to his previous two stories).
Amy's Choice is wonderful (and very different, again, to what we've seen before).
Vampires of Venice is the standard run around, but has the best opening scene EVAH and a really good villian.
And I thought that most of Moffat's output was good to fantastic. Eleventh Hour and Beast Below is him experimenting with a different type of writing (the light and frothy season opener and the bizarro high SF concept of the second episode).
I thought the Angels two-parter was genuinely gripping TV and I did love the timey wimey complexity of the final two episodes.
For me the let downs were Victory of the Daleks and the Silurian two-parter. The Silurian two-parter was definitely a retread and felt like we'd seen it all before. Victory of the Daleks tries desperately to do something different but falls on its face.
Still, aside from budget cuts, I really thought thi season benefited from tighter plotting (though there were still plot holes, just not as gaping as we often saw in the RTD era), an arc that was more than just a few key words scattered across the season and the end of the emo and angsty Doctor.
Mondy
I disagree, Ian. Amy's Choice was really annoying to me because it all hinged on Amy having to choose between two men, and I've seen that story before. In the New Who, no less. Plus the "which of these realities is a dream/real" has been done to death across several different SF/Fantasy shows.
the opening scene of Vampires in Venice wasn't very enjoyable for me because I am really tired of the "Girl has boyfriend, girl travels with Doctor, girl gets bored of boyfriend, boyfriend gets jealous of Doctor, Doctor tries to fix it but is too clueless to truly do so" story because: 1 – we did this with Rose and Mickey; 2 – it reduces Amy by making her relationship all about sex and attraction. Why can't women just want to travel witht he Doctor because it's OMG!Awesome? Why must there be romance? Ugh.
The Angel's two-parter started off okay but ended weak and the middle was just a bunch of waiting around until we got to the end. Boring.
The Beast Below is retread of ideas we've already explored in New Who, Eleventh Hour was a bunch of cheap emotional manipulation that only sorta paid off at the end of the series, and Moffat didn't wow me even once this season.
Jennifer Pelland says:
Honestly, part 1 was better than part 2, because it set up so much delicious emotional baggage for all the characters to play with, which was all flushed down the toilet when the Magical Red Reset Button was pushed in part 2. *sigh* Rory should have stayed plastic, Amy should have stayed dead, River should have had to start from scratch with the Doctor.
I knew the reset wasn't going to stick, except in that all the good things you'd want for the characters would still stay. It's pretty much the same note from the end of season 3. The whole year of evil didn't happen, except Martha and her family remember it all. At least with that ending the emotional consequences weren't wiped away, which I was afraid of, and Martha got to keep the shreds of heroism she gained there (even though the way in which she gets to be the heroine is silly bullshit).
Here nothing is real or lasting except the good parts.
everything about this season was a sad retread of what came before but less emotionally fulfilling.
Yeah, I knew the moment I saw Amy alive inside the Pandorica that everything was going to be magically reset to the happy place. But it didn't keep me from wishing that it wouldn't turn out that way. And what's with the neglected promise that Rory would go batty over the 2,000-year wait? *sigh* Moffat used to be so much better at meaningful angst. I'm this close to letting myself be driven back into the world of fanfic writing.
Janet Chui says:
I think "part 1 was better than part 2" applied to all the two-parters this season.
Saira Aly says:
I don't disagree that this season wasn't great, but it's so so so much better than the utter crap that was S4. The fact that they went a whole season without humiliating or violating the companion is a big win right there, and greatly increased my enjoyment of the show.
they went a whole season without humiliating or violating the companion
That's really a matter of perspective–see, for example, the end of 'Flesh and Stone'.
I waited till I had finished watching this season to read your post, but now I can't say I would have been spoiled anyway.
There was a lot of "Rah! Rah! Moffat will save DW!" cheering that was going on throughout the season. Trouble is, I thought quite a few eps of Moffat's season reminded me of RTD's DW, and of old school DW–in the end, the new stuff was just in little bits and pieces, mostly the repartee with River Song and er… I can't think what else. The arc plotting was great though, if illogical in places; The biggest problem for me is that the characters left me cold. A lot of people hated RTD/Tennant's emo!doc, but damn if Tennant (and let's admit it, RTD) couldn't make you cry–and the Moff kinda lost me at the beginning of the season when it was clear Eleven's memories and emotions both were completely cut off from Nine and Ten's… and he had become a children's show character. But that's what Moffat keeps reminding us, hey.
Momsomniac says:
Haven't seen the Season Finale yet (dang it – and I read all the comments too).
While I am enjoying the show – in general – I don't think it holds a candle to any of the episodes with David Tennant – but then, what could? I sure wouldn't want to follow that act.
I also find the character of Amy Pond to be – wearrisome (is that a word?). I liked that Martha Jones was badass and in the ned said "screw this; I am not spending anymore time pining for you". Donna Noble was AWESOME, in many ways, due to the LACK of Doctor lust. And Amy Pond? Well, she shouts a lot.


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Supriya Ghosh (Editor)
A teacher by profession and engineer by trade
Julie 2
Directed by Deepak Shivdasani
Starring Raai Laxmi
Cinematography Sameer Reddy
Initial release August 2016
Produced by Deepak Shivdasani
Music director Viju Shah
Story by Deepak Shivdasani
Music by Viju Shah
Edited by Asif Ali Sheikh
Director Deepak Shivdasani
Screenplay Deepak Shivdasani
Cast Raai Laxmi
Similar Julie, Sowkarpettai, Adhinayakudu, Ishq Junoon, Karka Kasadara
Julie 2 official trailer raai laxmi ravi kishan deepak shivdasani fanmade
Julie 2 is an upcoming Hindi thriller film written, directed by Deepak Shivdasani and produced by Vijay Nair. It features Raai Laxmi in the lead role which marks her debut in Hindi cinema. This is the sequel to Shivdasani's earlier film Julie (2004).
Viju Shah composes the film's score and soundtrack while Sameer Reddy handles the cinematography. Principle photography commenced in September 2015. Filming locations include Mumbai, Hyderabad and Dubai. The film's first look poster was released on 14 February 2016 coinciding with Valentine's Day.
The film is scheduled for a worldwide release in 2017.
In July 2015, popular South Indian actress Raai Laxmi was signed by Deepak Shivdasani for the sequel to his film Julie (2004).
This film marks Raai Laxmi's 50th film as well as her first full length Bollywood film.
"In fact, I will be seen in 96 different outfits. Also, I was asked to lose and then put on weight for this film. For the first look of the film, I had to lose 10-11 kilos and soon after, I had to gain more than what I had to lose,"— Raai Laxmi about her costumes and weight losing and gaining process for the film.
The first look was released on 14 February 2016. In mid October 2016 Raai Laxmi in an interview said that the film will be released in Telugu, Tamil and Kannada languages in 2017.
Julie 2 Wikipedia
Similar TopicsAdhinayakudu
Ishq Junoon
Sowkarpettai
Adhinayakudu


The popular semi-wild beach of Percheles, at the south-western end of the coastline of Mazarrón, has been the focus of a great deal of attention in the regional press over the last couple of days after the owner of the land on which beachgoers have become accustomed to parking over the years closed the area off with chains on Saturday.
David López García thus made good a threat which he has voiced on more than one occasion, forcing visitors to park further away from the sand on the track which leads down to the beach and walk to the shore.
Sr López García was quoted in La Verdad as explaining that "this land is mine and people park and camp on it without my permission", adding that he has approached the Town Hall with a view to making the area an official car park on various occasions but without any agreement being reached. He also complains that the Town Hall has put up signs on the land as if it were public property, and that last year the local fiestas of Cañada de Gallego were held there, while on the other hand the 6-metre-wide track is not adequately maintained by the council to allow emergency vehicles to access the area quickly.
In response, Mazarrón Mayoress Alicia Jiménez stated, again according to La Verdad, that "years ago" the owner requested a licence to open a campsite at Percheles, but although the licence was granted he did not do so before it expired. He then requested another licence including more land, but at present, she asserts, he is not within his rights to close the area off: he may have received favourable responses from the regional government, the Mayoress adds, but it is the Town Hall's responsibility to give the final seal of approval.
These statements were made before Sra Jiménez and Sr López García met on Tuesday to discuss the situation, without any constructive conclusion being reached. As a result, the owner reports that he now plans to fill the area which has been used for parking with rocks and piles of sand in order to prevent vehicles from being left there, at the same time alleging that the Mayoress rejected his proposal to create a fully legal car park to be jointly run by the council and himself, with a fee of 2 euros.
On the other hand, Sra Jiménez, while confirming that "at the moment there will not be a car park at Percheles", claims that the officials at the Town Hall do not have sufficient information either to allow Sr López García to fence his land off or to clarify whether the access track is on his land or on publicly owned land.
All of which amounts to a complex and potentially long-lasting deadlock. But in the meantime, the many residents and visitors to the Region of Murcia who have grown to love the wide swathe of sand in Percheles will be suffering an inconvenience which they are not used to, and an unfortunate air of controversy will hang over one of the most attractive beaches in the Costa Cálida.


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SOUTH CENTRAL RAILWAY
PUBLIC RELATIONS OFFICE, SECUNDERABAD - 500 071
No.565/2020-21 28-01-2021
For the first time Bananas Loaded in freezer containers transported from Tadipatri for Export to Middle East - The Bananas will be exported from the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust, Mumbai
For the first time, Bananas loading has commenced from Tadipatri station of Guntakal Division in Reefer Container rake. A total of 43 reefer containers were loaded from the nearby cold storage units and warehouses for transporting by rail from Tadipatri to Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT), Mumbai.
Anantapur and Kadapa districts are well known for horticultural farming. Especially areas in and around Pulivendula, Tadipatri and surrounding areas are famous for cultivation of good quality Bananas, and are internationally renowned and are exported to Middle East countries. Normally, transportation of Bananas by road takes longer duration and en-route loss will be on the higher side. To mitigate this problem and to assist the farmers for hassle free transport facility South Central Railway in coordination and Container Corporation of India (CONCOR) have come with the solution of reefer containers transportation.
Transportation of the bananas through refrigerator containers provides a hassle-free, safer and faster transportation facility for the freight customers. Further, it drastically reduces Enroute damage and the quality of the product will be maintained till it reaches its destination. In addition, the same containers can be shipped further for exporting to other countries.
For handling this traffic at Tadipatri, CONCOR have set up full-fledged facilities like Reach Stacker for container handling, reefer plug points, Genset mounted trailers, Diesel Generator sets etc. Further, each train carries 2 power packs for providing uninterrupted power supply to the reefer containers while in transit.
Accordingly, first reefer container rake consisting of 43 refrigerator containers were loaded with around 977 Tonnes of bananas and despatched from Tadipatri on 22nd January, 2021 to JNPT, Mumbai for exporting to Middle East countries. Enthused by the facilities provided by the Railways, the freight customers have evinced further interest to add-on to the new initiative. The CONCOR and the Business Development Unit (BDU) set up at Guntakal Division have played a vital role and conducted extensive meetings with the local merchants, traders and cargo operators for capturing this traffic.
Shri Gajanan Mallya, General Manager, South Central Railway appreciated the efforts of the CONCOR and the Guntakal Division's BDU team in capturing new stream of traffic. He also appealed to all the traders, merchants and rail users to utilize reefer container facility for transporting their perishable consignments by Rail. on this occasion, General Manager instructed Railway officials and BDU teams to extend all the possible help to the customers offering loading by Rail


Jakob Schubert has made the second ascent of Chris Sharma's El Bon Combat in Cova de l'ocell.
Sharma graded the steep line 5.15b/c, but Schubert suggests it might only be 5.15a.
Schubert, 27, is one of the world's top comp climbers and this year he was the combined and lead world champ and has sent 10 5.15s and V16 boulders.
El Bon Combat is a 25-metre line bolted by Martí Iglesias Galobart and has both sand stone and conglomerate.
Sharma replied to Schubert's send with a congratulations and noted that Schubert is one of the strongest climbers in the world right now and might not know his own strength.
"An interesting point is Jakob's feeling about the grade," wrote Sharma on Instagram. "It very well could be 'only' 9a+, however it very well could also be that Jakob is in insanely good shape right now and doesn't know his own strength, considering he absolutely smashed the world circuit and pretty much everything in his path.


Avengers Tea Party Cake: Is There an Avengers Babies Series in Our Future?
The Avengers have assembled once more. This time as an awesome and complicated tea cake courtesy of Nerdache Cakes in New Jersey. This edible Marvel masterpiece is adorable and extremely elaborate. It was made for the owner's niece! Lucky girl!
The idea came about because the 3-year-old niece Jayla, brings her Avengers toys to her various tea parties. The 19-year-old aunt got the idea and made her this awesome and amazing cake. If it looks familiar that's because it was inspired by the "Avengers Babies" art of Gurihiru!
You can't help but be impressed by the amount of detail in this cake. I really can't believe they ate it. I would just leave it so I could stare at it forever. Then it would just get dirty and moldy of course, so yeah, might as well eat it up.


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Court Vision TB
First Prize Doc
Inseperable
Mr Piloto
The Louisiana Cartel
Our vets know horses. In addition to their specialized training in equine health and surgery, the doctors at Acadiana Equine Clinic have years of experience working within the horse racing and breeding industries and are actively involved in state and national veterinary organizations
Dr. Eddie Cramer
A 2002 graduate of LSU School of Veterinary Medicine, Dr. Cramer has lived his entire life in Southern Louisiana, growing up in Crowley. "I have been in an exclusive equine veterinary practice since the time of my graduation with a particular focus on equine reproduction," Dr. Cramer said. "I began maintaining a herd of recipient mares for the purpose of embryo transfer five years ago."
"While my focus over the past few years has been on the mare side of the equation, we have expanded to provide additional stallion services," Dr. Cramer said. "We are looking to growing our stallion roster and services."
Dr. Travis Miller
Dr. Miller grew up in the Mallet/Lawtell communities just outside of Opelousas, LA. He received his bachelor's degree in animal science from Southern University in Baton Rouge. He then went on to attend veterinary school at Tuskegee University, graduating with honors in May 2018. Upon graduation, he completed a 1 year hospital internship at Peterson and Smith Equine Hospital in Ocala, FL. His interested include lameness, neonatology, chiropractic, and the racetrack. In his free time, he enjoys hunting, horseback riding, cooking and raising cattle.
Acadiana Equine Hospital at Copper Crowne
2015-2023 ~ Website by Baker Equine Promotions


The first meeting of the Desborough and Rothwell Photographic Society this month was an interesting talk on "The Three Faces Of Italy" by Mandy Sherrington and Colin Machin of Sileby Photographic Society. I entered the Nottingham "Robin Hood" exhibition for the first time. I needn't have bothered - nothing accepted! A local charity football match included a presentation to someone with 50 years of service to local grassroots football. As one of the few people there with a camera (my trusty Olympus TG4) I was asked to take some snaps to send to the FA. A midweek break near Lowestoft gave us the opportunity to revisit some favourite haunts such as Southwold and Aldburgh. Back in time for Projected Image Heat 3 - scraped a couple of "commendeds". Another couple of interesting talks at the camera club - Nat Coalson with "Lightroom For All" and Malcolm Ranieri's "Meanders". I judged a print competition at Olney Camera Club. Not many in the "audience" but a good selection of prints. My second hand Nikon D750 was returned from Nikon with a new shutter, full service and cleaned - all FOC, so hopefully an even better bargain than I thought. Another visit to Studio 58 in Northampton with model Rachel Rose and my "new" D750. An interesting session, with some "different" results. Posted my CD to the Guernsey Salon 2018 - fingers crossed... The month ended with some success - Print Heat 4. I came 1st in the Advanced Monochrome section and my wife Dorothy came 1st in the Advanced Colour section.


To do this, Alt-Tab out of the game, go into the Task Manager (Ctrl-Shift-Esc), select the Processes (Details - Windows 10 users) tab, right-click the game's process, click "Set Affinity..." and make sure that only "CPU 0" is selected, then click OK and go back to the game.
And press Ok. This will open Control Panel, and from here navigate to Power Options and change Power Saving Mode (it may be called Minimal Power Management) to something more power-intensive, like for example: High Performance.
Please right-click the game's shortcut, go into Properties, click the Compatibility tab and try different compatibility modes.


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Lawyer for man accused of 4 Nevada murders seeks dismissals
By Scott SonnerThe Associated Press
Mon., April 29, 2019timer2 min. read
RENO, Nev. - A lawyer for a Salvadoran immigrant charged with four Nevada murders says Washoe County prosecutors have no authority to try him in Reno for two killings that occurred outside the county and that his confession should be thrown out of court.
Public Defender John Arrascada told a judge Monday he has filed motions to dismiss four of the charges filed against 20-year-old Wilber Ernesto Martinez-Guzman in a 10-count indictment last month.
They include two first-degree murder charges tied to killings in Douglas County south of Carson City.
Washoe County District Attorney Chris Hicks and Douglas County District Attorney Mark Jackson said earlier they believe they have the authority to try Martinez-Guzman on all charges in Reno because the related crimes occurred during the same 10-day rampage in January. They're seeking the death penalty.
Judge Connie Steinheimer set a May 20 hearing on the motions to dismiss and prohibit use of the confession as evidence to prove at least some of the crimes. Hicks said he intends to respond to the motions by Thursday.
A Washoe County detective testified before a grand jury in March that Martinez-Guzman told her he robbed and killed his elderly victims because he needed money to buy methamphetamine. She said he broke into tears and repeatedly called himself an "idiot" before confessing to the murders during an interrogation hours after his arrest in Carson City on Jan. 19.
Federal officials have said Martinez-Guzman is in the U.S. illegally but they don't know how or when he crossed the border.
The case has drawn the attention of President Donald Trump, who says it shows the need for a border wall.
Arrascada said the alleged confession wasn't allowed to be presented to the grand jury unless it was accompanied by separate evidence supporting the charges.
State law requires "evidence independent of the confessions or admissions of the defendant" so as to protect against "an accused's conviction being based solely upon an uncorroborated confession," Arrascada wrote. He said the evidence presented was insufficient.
The grand jury indicted Martinez-Guzman in March on four counts of murder with the use of a deadly weapon, three counts of burglary while in possession of a firearm and one count each of burglary, burglary while gaining possession of a firearm and possession of a stolen firearm.
A not guilty plea has been entered on his behalf. His trial isn't scheduled to begin until April 2020.
The four slaying victims include Gerald David, 81, and his 80-year-old wife, Sharon David, a prominent Reno Rodeo Association couple who had employed Martinez-Guzman as a landscaper last summer at their house where they were found dead Jan. 16.
Police say they were shot with a .22-calibre handgun that Martinez-Guzman stole from them earlier.
Court documents allege that Martinez-Guzman's DNA was found on the same gun that was also used to kill Connie Koontz and Sophia Renken in their homes in Gardnerville south of Carson City.
Among other things, Arrascada said prosecutors didn't present any legal evidence that a burglary occurred at the Davids' residence prior to the homicides or that during one of those burglaries he gained possession of a firearm.


text:
J.D. Cunegan
In need of scissors since 2000.
JILL ANDERSEN SERIES
NOTNA
Bounty (Jill Andersen #1)
Jill Anders en is one of Baltimore's best and brightest detectives, but she harbors a dark secret — a secret that threatens to come out when the body of Dr. Trent Roberts is pulled out of the Chesapeake Bay. Dr. Roberts' connection to Jill reveals a past that involves a tour in Iraq, a secretive cybernetic experiment, and a conspiracy that involves a native son.
Can Jill solve the case while still keeping her secret? Will her partners at the Seventh Precinct find out what she's so desperate to hide? What was Dr. Roberts looking into that led to his murder? And perhaps the biggest question of all…
Who is Bounty?
Bounty was nominated for a TopShelf magazine Indie Book Award!
BUY NOW — NOW JUST 99 CENTS!
Blood Ties (Jill Andersen #2)
For as lon g as Jill Andersen could remember, her father was a hero.
But heroes don't commit murder, do they? The state of Maryland said Paul Andersen did just that, three times over, and was set to execute him for it. But Jill and the rest of her colleagues at the Baltimore Police Department come across the murder of a law student that leaves her hopeful that she can clear her father's name.
While Jill and her colleagues work against the clock to clear her father's name, new players emerge, hinting to a deeper, darker conspiracy than what was previously known. An enigmatic faction known as The Order reveals itself, and the mystery surrounding Paul's alleged duplicity leaves more questions than answers.
Along the way, Jill must not only face the possibility that her father was not who she thought he was, but she must also face the prospect of her secret being revealed. The stakes are higher than ever in Blood Ties, the intense follow-up to J.D. Cunegan's debut mystery Bounty.
Can Jill save her father before it's too late? Will she even want to?
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Behind the Badge (Jill Andersen #3)
For Jill And ersen, being part of the Baltimore Police Department has always been both a tremendous honor and a serious responsibility. Her father, before his fall from grace, had instilled in her a great respect for police and the work they do day-to-day. But when a teenage boy winds up dead on the outskirts of downtown Baltimore, Jill finds herself once again faced with those who would abuse their badges to fulfill personal agendas and uphold biases.
Jill still has a job to do, but she soon finds that not everyone is in her corner. For the first time in almost four years working Homicide, Jill finds herself at odds with people who claim to be on her side. From other cops to suits downtown all the way to the Mayor's office, it becomes increasingly clear that Jill will need to rely on more than just her badge if she's to solve this case.
But even if she finds justice, what's the price?
Behind the Badge, the gripping, hard-hitting third novel in the Jill Andersen series (Bounty, Blood Ties), gives readers another taste of author J.D. Cunegan's comic book-inspired brand of fast-paced prose, with chapters that fly by and plot twists that will leave readers constantly guessing and waiting for more.
Behind the Mask (Jill Andersen #4)
It's hard to be a hero when everyone's out to get you.
Once upon a time, Jill Andersen considered herself a hero. Not just because of the badge handed to her by the city of Baltimore and the pledge she once made to protect and serve. Her secret life, as the vigilante Bounty, had allowed Jill to protect her native Baltimore in ways her day job never could.
But all that has gone to hell now. One case pushed Jill past her limits, to the point where she made choices she can't take back. As a result, the entire city is on the lookout for her. Allies can no longer be counted on. People who were once in her corner might very well be trying to bring her down… to say nothing of those she has crossed along the way.
But that is the least of Jill's problems. A shadowy figure emerges among the chaos, and his link to Jill's past has the potential to be her ultimate undoing. Jill thought every link to Project Fusion has been settled once she solved Dr. Trent Roberts' murder almost one year ago, but if she's not careful, her past might just kill her.
Behind the Mask, the gripping, hard-hitting fourth novel in the Jill Andersen mystery series (Bounty, Blood Ties, Behind the Badge), gives readers yet another taste of author J.D. Cunegan's comic book-inspired brand of fast-paced prose, with chapters that fly by and plot twists that will leave readers guessing and waiting for more.
Betrayal (Jill Andersen #5)
Someone is killing Baltimore's heroes.
The ones with badges. The ones who put out fires. The ones who debate laws designed to make the citizens' lives better. None of them are safe, and their deaths amount to little more than public spectacle. A mysterious band of militants called The Collective takes credit for the killings, but the origins and identities of its members are unknown.
Jill Andersen now has an FBI badge on her hip. She is tasked with bringing down the cult, and she must make sure she doesn't wind up in their crosshairs in the process. All of her theories and leads come up empty – none of the usual suspects are behind these ghastly murders. They might just be in the line of fire themselves.
With those closest to her now targets, Jill must race against the clock to determine who's killing the best Baltimore has to offer. But along the way, she'll discover a jarring secret – one that threatens to make her question everything that has happened in her life to this point.
Assuming it doesn't kill her first.
Betrayal, the gripping, hard-hitting fifth novel in the Jill Andersen mystery series (Bounty, Blood Ties, Behind the Badge, Behind the Mask), gives readers yet another taste of author J.D. Cunegan's comic book-inspired brand of fast-paced prose, with chapters that fly by and plot twists that will leave readers guessing and waiting for more.
Click here or here to catch a sneak peek.
CLICK HERE for details on how to purchase signed copies.
REVIEWERS: If you're interested in reviewing the Jill Andersen series on your blog or another platform, such as Amazon, Goodreads, or BookBub, please click here to request your copy of Bounty (other books in the series will be available on request after you've finished Bounty).
JUST ANNOUNCED! BOUNTY: ORIGINS!
Upcoming Jill Andersen Books
(book titles and release dates tentative)
–Bitter End (early 2021)
–Big Apple (mid-2021)
–Bit By Bit (late 2021)
–Brotherly Love (early 2022)
–Beholden (mid-2022)
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