Everyone's going back to school(students & teachers), or you are sending your kids off to school now. It's so hard switching from summer mode and it might take you a month to get back on track.
Typing away new assignments, making lunches and flipping through books can get hard on your hands. Here are some tips to keep your hands soft and your skin and nails strong.
Tip #1: I always suggest keeping a small bottle of hand mositurizer in your bag and apply at lunch, or 3-4 times a day if your hands get super dry from touching paper all day.
Tip #2: Make sure that you always have a small nail file in your bag as well, typing with long nails is tricky. I know once my nails get to the length where they will either hit 2 keys at once or get stuck underneath the keys on the keyboard and then they break or bend(I think the bending is worse and way more painful). This will help you figure out what length you should keep them at, this is your call of what you can handle.
Tip #3: If you find that your nails are getting weak from typing or just from more general ware that they are used to in comparison to the summer vacation, 2x a week get some vitamin D gel capsules from the pharmacy and cut 1 open and rub the gel over your nails. Lots of hand moisturizers and cuticle creams have vitamin D in it(and more), but the gel capsules are more concentrated and work faster I find.


This is the first of my "Plus" posts I'll be sharing over the next few months. Each weekly post will feature a brief excerpt from each chapter of my just-published natural history-memoir, A Sideways Look at Clouds...PLUS...illustrations and links to resources to enhance your reading.
Why am I doing this? Because my book is not a field guide nor does it have a set glossy photographs of the clouds and places I discuss in my book. And because I have so very many photographs of the the clouds to show you to make you love the clouds even more.
Here is the first Plus post. Hope you enjoy this as an accompaniment (and not a Spark-Notes-like substitute for my book).
"I did not expect to be swept off my feet by clouds, although I should have seen it coming a few years earlier, on the day I began house hunting in the Pacific Northwest. My family and I had been living in sunny, often scorching Southern California for five years...One glorious September afternoon I flew into Seattle, rented a car, and headed south on Interstate 5 toward Olympia. Rounding a curve, I noticed a massive pile-up of white clouds billowing up from the horizon. I squeezed the steering wheel, leaned into the windshield for a bigger view, and said out loud and loudly, "I've missed you guys!"
from Page 11: "How could I turn my back on these clouds and the invitation to look up?" This is the poster that inspired me to write my book. Want your own Guide to the Sky? Click here to order this brand new edition of the poster from the photographer/author Art Rangno.


For Thai take out the other night, I walked up to Pom's Thai Taste. I, of course, could not pass up the opportunity to order Panang curry (with chicken, $10.95).
And it was delish. Lots of fresh veggies (not just peppers and onions, like so many places do).
For M., I ordered Yum Nuer ($9.95), and he was equally pleased with this salad. Thinly sliced charcoal beef comes over a bed of veggies and lettuce, tossed in a spicy and sour lime dressing.
While we opted for take out, Pom's Thai Taste also looks a great place to eat in. The décor in their Congress St. location is not what you'd expect- very modern and minimalist, with a Thai flair, of course. Coupled with their $1 sushi night specials (on Monday and Tuesday nights), I am looking forward to visiting Pom's again.


text:
Longer season is scrutinized
Neighbors » Forums » Sports News » Denver Broncos Football
Article Discussion: Longer season is scrutinized
by admin on March 24th, 2011, 12:41 am #1881573
Doug Flutie remembers feeling how his arm was ready to fall off during his one year in the USFL. Nate Newton recalls how he did absolutely nothing but rest for an entire month after playing his two USFL 18-game regular seasons.
And former CFL quarterback Danny McManus can still see the telltale signs of blurry-eyed fatigue that set in on rookies when Week 13 rolled around in Canada with...
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by WyoSAC on March 24th, 2011, 12:49 am #1881576
It's funny that the players are saying an 18 game schedule is too much for them and they don't want the extra contact of two games. But, I've never heard a player complain about the extra games when they are in the playoffs. I've NEVER heard any player that played in a Super Bowl (being their 19th or 20th games of the year) that it was too much of a grind.
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by broncodj on March 24th, 2011, 1:47 am #1881585
Big Broncos fan from Australia.
Our national Rugby League teams play a very high impact, fast game with no stoppages for 80 minutes, without padding and huge hits.
The season is 26 weeks plus playoffs plus respresentative matches (State and International games). The maximum htese guys will play is somewhere in the range of 35 weeks.
Their pay is at best $500,000pa
Check it out http://www.nrl.com.au and see for your self
Makes these highly paid pu**ies about their sore arms pretty obsolete
Draft well and play hard Broncos - we need a good season after the Mcstake years!
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by schmendrick on March 24th, 2011, 5:09 am #1881640
It's funny how couch potatoes can criticize hard-working professional athletes, even call them lazy. Your arm must be tired from all that lifting of the remote control - eat some more pizza.
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by wowlfie on March 24th, 2011, 5:23 am #1881649
Why can't the league compromise and the players and agree to a 17 game season with 3 pre-season games? Why do games have to be even numbered??
And why do teams which make it far in the playoffs still play with zest? Seems to me much is made about nothing playing for 16 games or 20 games because playoff teams do all the time and no one complains then!
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Re: Article Discussion: Longer season is scrutinized
by kiwi_nz on March 24th, 2011, 5:55 am #1881672
broncodj wrote: Big Broncos fan from Australia.
I totally agree with you, and being from a more Rugby culture I cannot understand how it can be a problem. The super 15's is for 18 weeks plus the playoffs. Most of the players then play in 13 games for the national competition when the 15's have finished. Then the elite play in the international games that includes 5 games for the Tri Nations and at least 5 more against other international teams. So is 2 more games for players that only play on one side of the ball and for many are not on the field for all of their sides snaps and are happy to play in the playoffs and SB if it comes around, is it really a big deal?
kiwi_nz
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by Prism77 on March 24th, 2011, 6:04 am #1881685
How much money are they making???...Sorry then don't play the game if you can't handle it or the money.
Gee come on...Last time I check it was the fans that were paying. Get out and go cry somewhere else about how hard you work.
Prism77
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by BroncfanOR on March 24th, 2011, 7:05 am #1881781
Who cares anymore? Right now there isn't a season, no free agency, no trades, nothing but speculation and the draft in a month.
In the meantime the fans are slowly losing patience, losing interest and in some cases losing money by still paying for season tickets in a non-season.
Both sides are still posturing and neither wants to budge.
I never thought I would lose passion for the NFL but the longer this takes the less I care.
BroncfanOR
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by orange_c on March 24th, 2011, 7:19 am #1881793
schmendrick wrote: It's funny how couch potatoes can criticize hard-working professional athletes, even call them lazy. Your arm must be tired from all that lifting of the remote control - eat some more pizza.
Are you kidding me? Pay me 2 million dollars and you'll see just about anyone jump off that couch and not whine. Most of us get paid under $100,000 a year with average medical benefits (at best)... believe me, we will criticize these overpaid babies. They get paid a lot of money to get hit and play hard. If they don't want to, get a real job in the real world and accept lower pay!
orange_c
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by WyoSAC on March 24th, 2011, 7:32 am #1881813
I think the reason people criticize these folks is pretty obvious. Their season is from July to January, with five months of an off season. You tell me how many folks have that kind of schedule AND get paid a ton of money for it. Most folks work everyday, all year for 30 years, yet still have to scrape money if they want to go watch these millionaire spoiled men play a game. And don't give us the "Oh, it's a physical job, you wouldn't understand". Tell that to the guy workin' in a coal mine or oil field or ship dock 12 hours a day, or an LAPD or NYPD officer getting shot at for a mere $40k a year. It makes me sick then to hear a player refer to playing in the NFL as modern day slavery. Sorry, but these players deserve NO sympathy from anyone.
by Brian M on March 24th, 2011, 8:14 am #1881916
So far I haven't read/heard any player even recongnize the FAN. It is the same amount of games total 18 regular + 2 full price sub par pre season games, more value for the FAN. Why do they expect the FAN to pay full price for some games that don't even have the stars playing? If your a loser (Flutie) than even 16 games seem long, if your winning you want to play even more.
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by ALLEN E on March 24th, 2011, 8:31 am #1881959
Preseason games have changed so much in the last ten years. I remember when the first team played the last game of preseason to get ready for the season. Now, the entire first string sits out the last preseason game.
Reduce preseason to two games, and increase the season to 17 games for the next two years with the understanding the season can go to 18 games in the third year.
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by CensoredByDP on March 24th, 2011, 9:53 am #1882125
Okay, the league started with 12 games, then 14, now 16 and proposed is 18. At what point in the future will we have 52 weeks of football? By that time, there should be well over 100 teams, so with the Sun, Mon, and Th games we already have (not to mention the Sat playoffs), the owners should be able to fill out the remaining 3 days a week. Football 365 days a year, oh boy! Play em til they drop, have the dozers come in and plow the bodies off the field, then throw in the replacements. Modern day gladiators with player farms to produce the fodder for the field of ranting fans!
Sure I'm overstating, but I am curious, at what point do the fans draw the line? 18 games? 20, 24, 36 or even 52, when will it be enough? You all think the owners won't go that far? Sure, from 12 games to 18, from 11 teams to 32, from $2 tickets to $200, from 25 cent hotdogs to $10 and on and on. America is the modern day Rome, with the rich getting richer and the dwindling middle class and growing poor class being pacified with the spectacle of the games.
So really, what is enough? Let's hear it.
So I see I already have a thumbs down to my question without that person having the gumption to write a response. Figures, the stupidity on this site is rampant. So hit me up with a few more TDs, I love it and it saves me from responding to some idiotic rhetoric about the poor billionaire owners.
Last edited by CensoredByDP on March 24th, 2011, 11:06 am, edited 1 time in total.
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by Veritas2010 on March 24th, 2011, 10:03 am #1882138
There were very few things that went right during the McD regime.
But not drafting Dez Bryant was one of them.
Read this ESPN piece titled: Dez Bryant is looking like a fool.
http://sports.espn.go.com/dallas/nfl/co ... id=6252412
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by j10e on March 24th, 2011, 10:29 am #1882184
I believe the safest solution to the 18 game schedule is to increase the roster size limits. An increased number of players on every team would help make up for the increased injury level that will come wtih 2 more full tilt games.
But who pays for this? The players or the owners or the FANS? Owners say they already give too much to the players and players want a bigger share. More players means larger payroll. With what seems to be more and more and more injuries to players in the NFL can it happen any other way, and still have a top quality product on the field?
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Ponder this.
The Broncos are just about to make their second pick in the 2nd round after having drafted defensively with the first 2 picks. QB's Christian Ponder and Andy Dalton are still there. Do you pick one of them? My gut says keep picking defense? Thoughts?
Another scenario. What if Jake Locker slips into the second round (it is possible) and is there when the Broncos pick at #36? Do you take him?
by BroncfanOR on March 24th, 2011, 11:11 am #1882237
No Samuel you don't pick a QB.
By switching back to a 4-3 Denver now needs DT's at least one more DE and 2 LB's, no room for a QB.
by spicolli303 on March 24th, 2011, 1:07 pm #1882407
Veritas2010 wrote: Ponder this.
I say NO. The second round is too early to take a QB in the Broncos current situation. I know Elway and Fox don't seem high on Tebow, but they will definitely give him a chance to compete against Orton. Although, if they traded Tebow, I'd be all for drafting a QB in the first or second.
I propose a different solution: If the Broncs want to draft a QB, draft a QB from a pro-style offense in the late 4th or 5th round. That way if the guy is better than Tebow, you got a steal. If the guy isn't as good as Tebow, you didn't lose much in the experiment.
"The best minds are not in government. If any were, business would steal them away." - Ronald Reagan
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by kiwi_nz on March 24th, 2011, 1:53 pm #1882467
@BrianM - You are totally right and have a valid point. Really it should be up to the fans that pay for the season and the pre-season tickets as they are the ones that are out of pocket. Should fans pay full price for tickets to watch a game where the teams are basically evaluating players or putting together plays to use when the games count.
Really this should come down to the fans paying for the tickets giving these 2 options
1. If you are going to charge me full price for games that have no meaning then let there be real 18 games so I get value for money.
2. Charge me 1/4 the price for the preseason game tickets this way the owners are getting less money, the players do not play that much so they can be paid less for these games.
With these options it brings the value for money more to the one it counts with, the paying fan.
by ORANGECRUSH#5 on March 24th, 2011, 2:41 pm #1882524
BroncfanOR wrote: No Samuel you don't pick a QB.
True, but I think they can get a few of those players in free agency too. I think they should look for a legit TE sometime in this draft, along with a safety as well. The crop of UFA for D tackle and D end are full of guys who would be substantial upgrades on this team. The linebacker free agents don't look as good. Not sure how free agency is going to work out but IMO its going to end up being a fire sale with so many players who are going to be desperate to get a deal done.
I agree with the list of needs you address I just don't think you need to draft all of those needs... TE is a huge hole, rb, safety are as well. My thoughts are that the middle of the teams defense needs to get fixed. Draft d tackle, mlb and a young safety and get a young base for the new scheme. Then they can sign two guys in free agency to shore up the d line and they will be much improved. I find it hard to imagine that we won't be able to find better players than Williams and Bannan.
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The prime minister's Brexit deal has sparked further clashes in the House of Lords, with former UUP leader Lord Trimble warning it has "perverse" implications for Northern Ireland.
As peers resumed their marathon three-day debate on the Withdrawal Agreement, the Tory peer said the Irish protocol undermined the Belfast Agreement and must be dropped.
He added: "It's not the desire to leave the EU that's causing the damage, it's what the EU is doing by way of reprisal.
Tory former Cabinet minister Lord Hunt of Wirral backed the agreement and warned those who rejected it were "playing with fire".
"If this agreement fails, there can be no guarantees of another one in its place," he told peers.
But Labour former Northern Ireland secretary Lord Murphy of Torfaen said Lord Hunt should direct his criticism at his own party, which was riven by "civil war" on the issue of Europe, and insisted the deal was doomed.
Lord Murphy said the principles of the Belfast Agreement had been ignored, undermining three decades of work.
Labour former Cabinet minister Lord Hain accused Mrs May of offering Parliament a "false choice": vote for her "flawed" deal, which would deliver more uncertainty, or face a "truly catastrophic no-deal".
"The deal doesn't solve anything," Lord Hain told the House.


By logging in to your profile page, through the menu-item log in, you can see your orders.
Anybody who would like to stay for a longer time at Les Gipieres or Hameau des Sources, please reserve directly by contacting the accommodation. This is only for the dates that are outside our already booked nights of 29th August till 2nd September 2017. For more information about this you can contact Maria Koolen.
There is a 3 and a 5-person apartment available to book (1 bedroom and 3 bedrooms, the 3rd or 5th person sleeps on a double comfortable couch.
We will do our utmost to accommodate the preferences of our participants. Bed linen and towels are present. Tip: Take some extra towels with you!
We offer the option to make use of the bus transport from the Netherlands to Montburn, France. The pick-up places are in Meppel, Arnhem, Eindhoven and Maastricht. The bus leaves at Monday evening 27th August at 22:00 (10:00 PM) from Meppel (time may change) and leaves Saturday morning 1st September at 6:00 (6:00 AM) in the morning (time may change) from Montbrun.
Your bike will be transported by bus from the Netherlands (Meppel) to France (Montbrun) and back. You will need to drop off and collect your bike again at Parts Express in Meppel.
Choose the right option to drop off and collect your bike at Arnhem, Eindhoven or Maastricht for the costs 50 euro per bike (places may change).
There is an option for the use of transport from Montburn to the start at Sault. This option is available for hikers, runners, volunteers and supporters. Please choose this option during your registration, so we can reserve the right amount of local buses needed for transport.
The bus trip Montbrun-Sault takes about 30 minutes. If you don't choose this package, we will expect you to make your own way to the start.
For the cyclists: we will cycle from Montbrun to the start in Sault and you will cycle back by yourself after the climb.


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Indy 500 qualifying washed out, will resume Saturday
14yJohn Schwarb
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Indianapolis weather washes out qualifying
John Schwarb
INDIANAPOLIS -- Danica Patrick found the silver lining in the rain clouds that hovered around the Indianapolis Motor Speedway again Sunday, canceling Indianapolis 500 qualifying for a second consecutive day and forcing it into next Saturday.
"I want to qualify next weekend. We'll get more track time, and for us we need it," the second-year Rahal Letterman driver said.
Poor weather Sunday knocked out the second of four scheduled qualifying days, with the only activity a half-hour practice session in the early afternoon between showers.
It was the first time since Thursday that teams turned laps on the 2.5-mile oval, though not enough time for drivers like Patrick to put up speeds rivaling Team Penske and Ganassi Racing, which continue to own the top four spots on the speed charts.
But now everyone will get another week of practice to continue the search before making a qualifying attempt.
"It's definitely going to help some teams that aren't up to speed yet," Team Penske's Helio Castroneves said. "But it's the same for everyone."
In other words, the top teams will reap the benefits of practice time by starting to turn their attention to race-day setups. Defending champion Dan Wheldon turned the month's fastest lap Sunday at 228.663 mph in his Ganassi Racing Dallara-Honda, and he's not the type to worry too much about qualifying. He won last year from the 16th spot.
"The thing you've got to remember is that people remember the race winner for life here. They remember the pole winner for as long as the guy's on pole, until the race starts," Wheldon said. "With qualifying being pushed back a whole week, you've got to focus on the race car.
"That's all that counts."
But for the fans that turned out at the Speedway and tuned in on television over the weekend, the rainouts meant a missed opportunity to see the new Indianapolis 500 qualifying format. The plan, hatched last year but also thrown off schedule by rain, was to qualify for 11 spots at a time over three days, with bumping available on each of those days and on a fourth day, the traditional "Bump Day." Instead the format will now be full-field qualifying on Saturday and bumping on Sunday.
"Our original plan under the new format called for 33 cars to be in the field by the conclusion of the third day, so we are going to stick to that plan," Indy Racing League President and COO Brian Barnhart said. "The potential of this format is really exciting, two years in a row we haven't been able to experience that. But that's fine, that's one of those things you can't be too unhappy about. You can't control it."
During Sunday's abbreviated practice session, the majority of the field turned in their best laps of the week. Team Penske's Sam Hornish Jr. and Helio Castroneves trimmed out to 228.220 mph and 227.888 mph respectively to claim the second and third spots on the speed chart. Wheldon's Ganassi teammate Scott Dixon is fourth after turning 227.274 mph Sunday, and Dario Franchitti leads the Andretti Green team with a fifth-place 226.960 mph speed.
It was the kind of day that would have been ideal for qualifying, but the dry weather didn't last.
"It's a bummer, I actually would have loved to have done it today," said Michael Andretti, who topped 224 mph for the first time Sunday. "The conditions were so perfect. It would have been one of those days where you didn't have to guess about gears because of the wind and all that. I think we could have put it in the top 10, and I would have been happy with that."
Then again, for some there was happiness in not qualifying.
"We're just going to work through a bunch of different stuff," said Patrick, whose top speed for the month ranks just 18th out of 33 drivers. "It's like a little jigsaw puzzle, there are so many things you can change. I know it takes away from our race testing, but if we can get a fast qualifying car, all we do is bolt on some downforce and go racing. So our goal is to get a fast car."
They'll be trying again starting Wednesday, weather permitting.
John Schwarb is a freelance journalist covering motorsports and a contributor to espn.com.


I want to do a folder comparison, and get all of the diffs for all files in the two folders.
I've edited a grammar to define some new variables I want to IGNORE when doing a file comparison.
When I do this using the GUI, all works well -- the three strings are ignored in the comparisons.
When running via command line, they are NOT ignored.
I opened the table compare, set the importance to ignore these strings, and said "update for all files in the parent session".
I opened the folder comparison session, and saved that.
bcomp.com @"....myscript.txt" "mySessionName" "....Folder1" "...Folder2"
log verbose append:"...\My Log %date%.txt"
Script runs the commands sequentially, so loading your session will then override the previously set criteria and filter lines. My suggestion would be to load the session in the graphical interface and use the Session Settings to manually set the comparison to Rules-based and filter to *.xml, so these settings can be loaded in the same line as loading the session and won't need to be defined in script. Otherwise, you can define them after loading the session name, and before loading the folders into the session.
The other thing to double check is if the session or default settings apply the unimportance by default. To check this, load the interface, load your saved "mySessionName" and double click a file. Is the text blue or black (Ignore Unimportant enabled) without altering any settings? If not, go to the child text compare's Session Settings, Importance tab, uncheck the grammar name, and before clicking ok update the bottom dropdown from "Use only for this view" to either "Use for all files in parent session" or "Also update session defaults". Once updated, does this help get your script working as expected?
Also, it looks like the report is intended to only show mismatches, but previously selects all files for generation. If the rules-based criteria is applied, you could update the script to select only the files that contain differences ("select all.newer.files all.older.files all.different.files all.orphan.files"); something you could consider once the report is correctly reporting the differences you expect.
So I loaded the session, then clicked on a file to do the comparison, and it correctly ignored the vars I had set(this was from a fresh restart of the GUI). SEEMS like this has the grammar/importance set correctly.
I think the change to the script seems to have done the work!!! Now getting those ignored instead of showing up.
I do only want to see the differences for all files in the given folders --- thanks for the tip.


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In the book entitled `The annals of Dunfermline` there is mention of an organ being present in the Abbey as early as 1247 but little is known of this instrument apart from its existence.
The above engraving represents the appearance and the working of an organ of 1240. It is taken from the "Psalter of Edwin" in the Cambridge Library.
There is no further record until the Scottish Reformation in 1560, when the use of organs was forbidden.
Built by Forster & Andrews 1882 : enlarged by Scovell & Co. 1911
Rebuilt by J. W. Walker Sons 1966 : enlarged by David Loosley 1987
However, as the musical demands of the monastic liturgy were considerable, it is reasonable to assume that organs must have been in use in the Abbey during these intervening three hundred years. In 1866 the General Assembly of the Established Church of Scotland permitted the re- introduction of organs.
The first instrument to be installed in the new church was a Two Manual and Pedal organ built by Messrs. Forster & Andrews of Hull in 1882.
By comparison to the size of the church it was a relatively small instrument. However, it served the congregation for twenty eight years.
In 1911 Messrs. Scovell & Co. of Edinburgh were commissioned to build a four manual and pedal instrument.
This was to incorporate some of the flue work and the case from the former organ. It is known from reports that the tone of this new organ was distinctly warm and cohesive.
The 1911 organ served the congregation well until 1965 when the mechanisms and general condition of the instrument demanded fairly substantial restoration.
The opportunity was taken to rebuild the organ and bring the tonal specification up to date with current ideas. It incorporated most of the 1911 pipework, revoiced and rescaled to bring it into line with modern practice. New stops were provided, together with electro-pneumatic action and a new draw-stop console which was sited at the near the east wall of the chancel.
From 1984 to 1987 the Abbey underwent considerable internal restoration and the opportunity was taken to remove the organ from its north chamber for essential cleaning and also to provide additional stops.
The console was also moved from its position near the east wall of the chancel and re-sited closer to the central space. The work was entrusted to David Loosley of Stirling.
1882 Built by Messrs. Forster & Andrews , Hull
1911 Enlarged by Messrs. Scovell & Co. Edinburgh
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1987 Enlarged by David Loosley , Stirling
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Saintly Discipleship by Rev MaryAnn R. Rennie on November 3, 2019.
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Our Visitor Season has ended for this year. This year has included some significant changes in the church and the shop with the arrival of the Tiffany Window and the preparations for ramped access on the North Side of the building. Thank you to our custodians and the volunteers who have welcomed the over 35,000 visitors.
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Peppermint oil has always been extremely helpful to me for any kind of stomach upset. Whether I experience bloating, stomach pain, cramps, gas pain, or digestive issues, I drink a few drops of Peppermint oil in a small glass of water for relief. It is very strong, but always works, and usually in just a few minutes.
Now I drink Peppermint oil in my water every day as preventative maintenance, although usually only 1 drop in a large glass of water. It tastes great, is very refreshing, helps with overall digestion, and I have very fresh breath!
This is also a fantastic drink in the summer when it is hot out, as it is very cooling.


Trying to grow your social media presence can prove to be a very difficult task. For some, it's a simple case of growing your audience to a large scale that embodies success; to others, it may be post engagement or reach that needs improving in order for them to feel like things are on track. But what do you do if it just doesn't work out?
Over the last few years, we've seen hundreds of instances where companies have been buying followers and likes for their social media in order for their pages to imply page growth and popularity, but does this just create a false sense of security?
The reality is that buying an audience is nowhere near the same as creating and building up a worthwhile base of potential customers. A study by Sprout Social in Q3, 2016 actually showed that most people have to see a product or service 2-4 times on social before they purchase it and nearly 20% of people need to see a social post or advertisement 5-8 times.
Ultimately, the only people that will actually see these posts and actively assess them are a real, legitimate audience that is brought in through engaging, shareable content as well as exciting or persuasive incentives for a product or service. Buying likes and followers is likely to bring an incredibly small amount if any ROI and conversion rates will prove to be disappointingly low.
Furthermore, the social networks are increasingly purging accounts of their dormant followers who have shown no interaction with a page or handle, and this means that over time, they'll simply disappear anyway.
Growing your business authentically and using organic content will always be the best way to entice consumers. There is a whole range of content ideas you could be using right now to drive all the traffic you need to succeed. Incentives such as competitions, discounts and offers always get a great reception on social media as it is often some of the most shareable content, whether that is through literal online shares or word of mouth. Informative but relatable posts on your brand and other topics associated with it will prove to be useful for those who have a genuine interest in your company.
Over the last year, live content has proven to be very popular, especially on Facebook through the Facebook Live facility. It can be very worthwhile to experiment with how your brand can incorporate this into your social strategy.
If you're looking for some great ways to improve your social strategy, ambitiously and authentically, contact TAMBA on 01543 495 888.


text:
Electronic Devices: How Mp3 Files Work
Explains MP3 compression, and why it is used for audio files.
MP3s, for good or for ill, have become a pervasive aspect of the computer and internet culture across the world. What is so special about this file format that allowed it to have such a profound impact on our culture and the way people listen to music all over the globe, and how does it work?
The key to the success of MP3 files can be summed up in a word: compression. They became so widespread and prevalent because they are so much smaller in file size than any other computer audio format at the time they were introduced.
Music CDs store audio information in a high-quality, uncompressed format. Every second of each song on the CD is sampled over 40,000 times for each speaker, with each sample being 2 bytes long. Essentially what this means is that each second of a song on a CD is a bit less than 180 kilobytes long, and so a song that is 4 minutes long would be nearly 43 megabytes in size. When all that was available was dialup internet, swapping songs of this size was incredibly inconvenient. Therefore, dedicated fans of music created a compression algorithm, similar in concept to what is used to compress images into JPEG format.
This compression technique uses knowledge of what the human ear can and cannot hear to remove excess data in the file. The compression program only removes those sounds which are not needed to maintain sound quality. For example, if a particularly loud sound is being played in one channel, it will drown out all the other sounds that may be going on at the same time, those weaker sounds are therefore not stored in the compressed MP3 file. Furthermore, some sounds that cannot be heard by the human ear at all are completely removed. The end result is not a song of perfect CD quality, of course, but in recent years the creation of MP3 files has advanced to where they can be compressed to a point so near to CD sound quality that it is nearly impossible to tell the difference. Granted, these higher-quality files are larger in file size, though that is less a detriment as it once was. To compare, a common compression rate for MP3s is 128kbs - that is to say, each second of the song contains 128 kilobits of data. Uncompressed, each second consists of 1.4 million bits of song information.
Once the process of compressing audio into MP3 files was developed, MP3 software followed swiftly behind it. Without the software, the MP3 files would be useless, so it is good to know what they do. These players open an audio file and read it in real time, sending out audio through the computer's sound card, based on the instructions that are stored in the MP3 file. The software reads MP3s in much the same way CD players read the audio data on CDs and play it back, allowing the user to skip forward to a particular second in a song at any time with great ease.
Electronic Devices: How Remote Entry Works
Electronic Devices: How Stun Guns Work
Electronic Devices: How Black Lights Work
Electronic Devices: How Photocopiers Work
Electronic Devices: How Car Alarms Work
Communication: How Satellites Work
Communication: How Cordless Telephones Work
Electronic Devices: How Pdas Work
Electronic Devices: How Electronic Ink Will Work
How Electronic Depth Sounders Work
Electronic Devices: How Autofocus Cameras Work
Electronic Devices: How Plasma Displays Work
Electronic Devices: How Flexplay Dvds Work


text:
module CommonCartridge
  module Elements
    module Resources
      class Format
        include SAXMachine

        attribute :type
      end

      class SubmissionFormats
        include SAXMachine

        elements :format, class: Format, as: :formats
      end

      class Text
        include SAXMachine

        attribute :href
        attribute :texttype, as: :text_type
        value :value
      end

      class InstructorText
        include SAXMachine

        attribute :href
        attribute :texttype, as: :text_type
        value :value
      end

      class Assignment
        attr_accessor :identifier, :points_possible

        include SAXMachine

        element :title
        element :text, class: Text
        element :instructor_text, class: InstructorText
        element :gradable

        element :submission_formats, class: SubmissionFormats
        element :attachments, class: CommonCartridge::Elements::Resources::Attachments::RootAttachment, as: :attachment_root

        def attachments
          attachment_root.attachments
        end

        def self.type
          :assignment
        end

        def self.pattern
          /assignment|associatedcontent\/imscc_xmlv1p1\/learning\-application\-resource/
        end
      end
    end
  end
end

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Holding a funeral for your fat takes more than just wearing black to the service. Follow these tips from Team MuscleTech and burn fat fast!
It all starts with cleaning out your kitchen. Make no mistake: If food you shouldn't be eating lurks in your fridge, cupboards, or freezers, you will give in at some point or another.
You may think you have willpower of steel, but wait until your leptin levels start dropping and hunger clouds your every waking thought, and a few of your dreams. Few people will leave their house to satisfy their taste buds; they're much more likely to hit the fridge.
Your cardio, like your weight training, should always be progressively more challenging. "This is the single most important factor in any training program: You will not be successful if today's training does not exceed yesterday's in some manner," says MuscleTech's Matt "Kroc" Kroczaleski, a world-champion and world-record-holding powerlifter and national-caliber bodybuilder.
Just like the jury is out on the single best form of cardio training to do, you'll get mixed opinions on whether fat loss is best achieved through full-body or body-part split training.
If you prefer a full-body, push, pull, lower-body setup for a four-day cycle, that's fine too. This allows you to still do a bit more volume per muscle group in each week yet have that maximum metabolic enhancing full-body session in place.
Whatever you do, you must lift weights to burn major fat. "Lifting weights is most effective for body-fat reduction when it is done correctly," says MuscleTech's Marc Megna, an ex NFL athlete, performance coach, and motivational speaker on fitness.
Furthermore, the slight intake of caffeine you'll get will also boost energy and promote more fat burning, providing even greater benefits. The hot liquid may also help soothe the hunger pangs roiling your stomach.
Here's what happens: Leptin levels plummet harder and faster for low-carb dieters than people who take in more carbs. This ends up increasing hunger, slowing down the metabolism, and basically making your life miserable in the process.
Plus, you'll feel happier! Remember, carbohydrates induce the brain to release serotonin, a feel-good hormone that keeps you sane. Your family and coworkers will thank you.
I'd recommend limiting your cheat meals to those high-carb days. Phil Heath, three-time Mr. Olympia titleholder, has a cheat meal every three days or so, usually before a hard workout. So you know those extra carbs are being put right to work.
Sleep is another underrated part of a proper fat-loss program. If you aren't sleeping enough, your insulin sensitivity will decrease, which means that hormone will be less effective at shuttling glucose from your blood into cells, where it belongs. So what does your body do? It pumps out more insulin, still hoping to finish the job. The problem is that insulin is also a fat-storage hormone.
Since your cells will be starved for glucose also means you'll encounter carbohydrate cravings and lousy workouts.
Combating stress is another must-do for success, and there's no better way to do so than by taking yoga classes once per week. Not only will you crush stress, but you put yourself more in touch with your body and healthy living, which can help you make wiser choices when it comes to your diet plan.
It's refreshing and can help combat food cravings, making it easier to choose healthier foods for your meal.
*Add a slice of lemon to your water glass and you'll often find that the taste you had for whichever food you desired has passed.
If you use this guiding rule, you'll immediately cut out all the processed, unhealthy foods that can quickly put a stop to weight loss and have you feeling unwell.
So there you have it—the top 10 pro fat-burning tips to use if you want to strive to see optimal and rapid success. Don't rely on quick-fix approaches. Rely on sound and proven strategies that will get you results and keep the weight off for good.


I am indebted to the Australian Booksellers and Publishers Blog Fancy Goods for the announcement of the winners of the Australian Book Design Awards. Ransom won Best Designed Book and Valley of Grace won Best Designed Literary Fiction book. You can see the rest of them here.
Click the links to see my review of Ransom, and Valley of Grace.
Woo hoo … both are lovely, but the Halligan is one of the most gorgeous books I have bought in some time. I love to hold it, handle it, f****e (you can't be too careful what words will attract people) it. Good for Allen and Unwin and their designer/s.
ROTFL, laughing out loud at your discretion, Sue!
I love all the winners, particularly the 'Ransom' cover with its 'squaring' of the title and author and the donkey in precisely the spot it is in. I adore both the simplicity and the incongruity of it.
Also interesting to see the fine work being done by Adam Laszczuk.
I do hope that the tradition of beautiful book covers doesn't get lost with the evolution of eBooks. That would be a real shame.
Mmm, interesting thought. I have never had a good look at an eBook. I suppose there might be scope to have 'cover art' and then a motif or logo at the top of each page?
I know I must embrace the new technology but, oh, I so love the feel of books, the smell of them. I can't imagine I will ever get the same joy by reading text on a screen.
If you have a look at my Kindle in Australia posts, (see the tag cloud) you can see the evolution of my use of a Kindle eBook. I wouldn't ever want to part with real books, and I buy more of them than I should – and hoard them – because I fear that in my lifetime there won't be enough of us who want the real thing for publishers to bother with us. Nevertheless there is a place for eBooks: they make books that are in the public domain free or nearly free for people all over the world, and they're great for travel. They're handbag friendly too. I'm happy to have both; but will be very unhappy indeed if eBooks replace the real thing.
Please excuse my ignorance Lisa. I'm a little green. What is 'the tag cloud'?
My tag cloud is also on the RHS menu column, scroll down under Recent Comments until you see a whole lot of topics, mostly names of authors. The bigger they are the more often I have posted about them on this blog, and if you click on them they take you to a page that lists the posts about whatever the tag is. So if you scroll down and click on Kindle in Australia it takes you to a page that lists all the posts I've made about Kindles, and you can then click on the link to read them.


text:
Select PageHomeNews and EventsActivitiesStudy OpportunitiesAbout us
Centre for Critical & Creative Cultures News and Events
Article on the 'Lost Scottish Father of American Science Fiction'	Work-in-Progress Seminars 2021
Professor Samuel Weber (Northwestern University) on Singularities
December 23, 2020 By mrobson With no comments yet
We are delighted to announce that the Centre will be hosting an event on 24 March 2021 with Samuel Weber, to celebrate the forthcoming publication of his new book, Singularities: Poetics and Politics (University of Minnesota Press, 2021). Some chapters of the book will be the focus of a reading group in the new semester.
New novel by PhD student, Nick Mulgrew! August 11, 2021
Article on the 'Lost Scottish Father of American Science Fiction' January 21, 2021
Professor Samuel Weber (Northwestern University) on Singularities December 23, 2020
Work-in-Progress Seminars 2021 December 23, 2020
Aesthetics Reading Group to launch in January 2021 December 23, 2020
Dundee Rep
Dundee Contemporary Arts
English at Dundee
Creative Writing at Dundee
Comics at Dundee
Centre for Critical & Creative Cultures
Dundee DD1 4HN
m.robson@dundee.ac.uk
© Copyright 2020 University of Dundee - The University of Dundee is a Scottish Registered Charity, No. SC015096


Sri Lanka's 'Ministry of Crab' restaurant was ranked 35th in Asia's 50 Best Restaurants 2019 at the awards ceremony held in Macau a 26th March 2019.
The 'Ministry of Crab', a fine dining seafood restaurant specializing in crab dishes, is a collaboration between the former Cricketers Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardena and the renowned Chef Dharshan Munidasa. Located in the Old Dutch Hospital, Colombo, the 'Ministry of Crab' has its branches in Shanghai (China), Manila (Philippines) and Mumbai (India).
This is the second time the restaurant has been appreciated among this renowned list. The 'Ministry of Crab' ranked 29th in the list of Asia's 50 Best Restaurants in the year 2017.
The 'Ministry of Crab', along with Chef Munidasa's other restaurant 'Nihonbashi', are the only two Sri Lankan restaurants that have been ranked in this list.


text:
Abu l-Qāsim Abbās ibn Firnās(lenguas bereberes:ⵄⴱⴱⴰⵙ ⵓ ⴼⵔⵏⴰⵙ;)(árabe: أبو القاسم عباس بن فرناس; Ronda, Málaga, 810 – Córdoba, 887), precursor de la aeronáutica, fue un proto-humanista, científico y químico andalusí nacido en una familia de origen bereber cuyos ancestros participaron probablemente en la conquista de la península ibérica. Vivió en la época del Emirato Omeya en al-Ándalus-España. Pionero de la aviación, Ibn Firnas construyó el primer planeador de transporte humano y tuvo un vuelo exitoso con él, por lo tanto, tiene fama de haber intentado el primer vuelo.

Su nombre sería latinizado posteriormente como Armen Firman. Un cráter de la Luna, un aeropuerto en Irak y un puente en Córdoba (España) llevan su nombre.

Biografía
Los biógrafos lo presentan como un brillante filósofo; debió recibir una formación sólida, lo que significa que realizó estudios científicos. Estudió química, física y astronomía, principalmente. Sus aptitudes en el campo de la poesía y su habilidad en astrología le permitieron introducirse en la corte de Abderramán II (822-852), donde enseñó poesía.Gracias a sus numerosos inventos, algunos de ellos mencionados por los historiadores, pudo seguir frecuentando la corte durante el reinado del sucesor Mohamed I (852-886).

Ibn Firnas diseñó un reloj de agua, la clepsidra, llamado Al-Maqata-Maqata. También fue el primero en desarrollar la técnica de talla del cristal de roca; hasta entonces, solo los egipcios sabían facetar el cristal. Creó una esfera armilar para representar el movimiento de los astros y un planetario que construyó en su casa, siendo el primero en utilizar en toda la península ibérica las tablas astronómicas de Sinhind, originarias de la India, básicas para el desarrollo de la ciencia europea posterior.

En 852 decidió volar lanzándose desde una torre de Córdoba con una enorme lona para amortiguar la caída. Se lanzó y sufrió heridas leves. Por eso se considera generalmente como creador del primer paracaídas.

En 875, a los 65 años, Ibn Firnás se hizo confeccionar unas alas de madera recubiertas de tela de seda que había adornado con plumas de rapaces. Se lanzó desde una torre desplomándose sobre un valle, y aunque el aterrizaje fue malo (se fracturó las dos piernas), el vuelo fue globalmente un éxito: permaneció en el aire una decena de segundos. Fue ampliamente observado por una gran multitud que él mismo había invitado de antemano.
Comprendió después su error: tendría que haber añadido una cola a su artefacto. Murió doce años después, en 887. Sus intentos de vuelo por sus propios medios marcaron los espíritus de la época e incluso a los de siglos posteriores.

Así como en Occidente se habla de los hermanos Montgolfier, en los países musulmanes explican que el primer hombre que intentó volar es Ibn Firnas, 900 años antes que los Montgolfier.

Los libios han emitido un sello con su efigie, y los iraquíes han construido una estatua suya en la carretera del aeropuerto internacional de Bagdad, y han dado el nombre de Ibn Firnás a otro aeropuerto en el norte de Bagdad.

El cráter Ibn Firnás de la cara oculta de la Luna lleva su nombre.

Además, en Córdoba, la ciudad que lo vio volar, el día 14 de enero de 2011 se inauguró un puente sobre el río Guadalquivir con su nombre, en cuyo centro se encuentra la figura del pensador andalusí, desde la que se erigen dos alas, llegando hasta ambos extremos del puente. El ingeniero de la obra es José Luis Manzanares Japón.

En Ronda, su ciudad natal, se ha inaugurado un centro astronómico que lleva su nombre.

Armen Firman

Armen Firman es la versión latina del nombre de Abbás ibn Firnás. Algunos afirman que Armen Firman y Abbás ibn Firnás fueron dos personas distintas y que Ibn Firnas estuvo presente cuando Firman se lanzó con una manta desde la torre de la Mezquita de Córdoba en el año 852. Esta creencia se basa en un artículo de John H. Lienhard donde se comenta que el 'joven' Ibn Firnas vio como Firman saltaba de la torre. Sin embargo Ibn Firnas contaba 42 años de edad el día del salto, lo cual en aquella época era considerado 'viejo', no 'joven'.

Referencias

Véase también
 Historia de la aviación
 Cronología de la aviación
 Eilmer de Malmesbury
 Roger Bacon
 Diego Marín Aguilera

Enlaces externos

 Asociación Ibn Firnás

Científicos de al-Ándalus
Escritores de al-Ándalus
Filósofos de al-Ándalus
Inventores en la aviación
Escritores de España del siglo IX
Pioneros de la aviación
Pioneros de la aviación de España
Inventores de España
Musulmanes del siglo IX
Andalusíes del siglo IX
Nacidos en Ronda
Fallecidos en Córdoba (España)

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
Sustainable Stories
Covington, Oxford Commit to Solar
By Maurice Carter, Sustainable Newton President
In regularly scheduled meetings Monday night, the city councils of Covington and Oxford each voted to approve solar power purchase contracts (SPPCs) with the Municipal Electric Association of Georgia (MEAG). Covington will purchase up to 15 megawatts (MW) of solar capacity through MEAG's 80 MW solar initiative scheduled to come online in 2023. Oxford will commit to 4 MW.
This initiative marks the first time MEAG has included a utility-scale solar offering in its power portfolio. The association -- which serves 49 municipal electric companies in Georgia -- will contract with a third party vendor to construct and operate an 80 MW solar farm in south Georgia. MEAG will resell the solar-sourced electricity (and associated renewable energy credits) to cities participating in the project.
The actual capacity Covington and Oxford receive will depend on the total purchase commitments received from all eligible municipal electric companies. If requests exceed the 80 MW capacity of the project, then each interested city will receive a reduced allocation based on their percentage of the total requested.
In presenting the MEAG proposal to City Council Monday night, Covington Electric Director Joel Smith positioned the solar opportunity as an important step for achieving the city's goal of 90% emissions-free electricity by 2045. According to Smith, Covington plans sell the new solar capacity exclusively to large industrial customers via a Renewable Energy Customer Agreement (RECA), giving those large customers the opportunity to meet sustainability objectives and comply with corporate mandates. One existing Covington customer has already expressed interest in purchasing 50% of Covington's solar capacity under the agreement.
Oxford plans to add the additional electricity to their grid, serving all customers.
Sustainable Newton supporters may recall our MEAG cities (Covington, Oxford, and Mansfield) posed special challenges during our 2019-20 Solarize Newton-Morgan campaign -- due to the standby capacity fee MEAG encouraged those cities to adopt as a hedge against revenue loss from rooftop solar. The Oxford City Council ultimately voted to rescind their standby fee, and Covington voted to reduce (but not eliminate) theirs.
In 2019, MEAG had no publicly announced plans for a solar, and you could not even find the word "solar" anywhere on their website. These solar power purchase contracts with MEAG are a very big step forward in just two short years.
Sustainable Newton remains committed to working with local officials in each of our cities to remove barriers to rooftop solar and to even provide incentives (such as net metering, time of use rate plans, etc.). But, rooftop solar alone will not reduce greenhouse gas emission sufficiently to address the climate crisis. We've aligned our climate action plans with Drawdown Georgia, and utility-scale solar is a big part of that plan.
For the Electricity solution sector, Drawdown Georgia has set the following statewide targets for 2030:
For Rooftop Solar: 295,000 new 5 kW solar roofs.
For Large-Scale Solar: 10 additional 100 MW utility-scale solar installations and 36 additional 5 MW community solar installations.
Putting last night's votes into perspective, the MEAG solar offering is 80% of one of those utility-scale installations. And the combined 19 MW purchase by Covington and Oxford represents 2% of the additional utility-scale capacity assumed by Drawdown Georgia in their solution scenarios.
During our solarize campaign, consultants estimated the 85 kW of rooftop solar installed through the campaign would mean 159,460 pounds less carbon being emitted into the atmosphere each year. Extrapolating that formula, 19 MW of utility-scale solar will result in roughly 35.6 million pounds (or 16,202 metric tons) less carbon emissions annually from electricity generation for our two cities. This stuff adds up!
We are grateful to MEAG for taking this important initiative and proud of our elected officials and city staffs in Covington and Oxford for stepping up in a big way! May this only be the beginning of even bigger things to come!!
Jennifer Tucker
Thank you for sharing, this is a huge step forward! I look forward to more State incentives and approvals for residential rooftop solar solutions. Many products have come out that look like traditional shingles, tested in CA and FL with great results.
Maurice Carter link
Thanks for reading and commenting, Jennifer. Yes, this is a huge step! And we do need more state incentives for solar and for electric vehicles, but it is great to see the marketplace moving forward regardless. (And the 26% federal income tax credit is still a big help.)
I understand seven residential solar installations were approved at the last Newton County Planning Commission meeting (and five at the meeting before that), so we are seeing progress in our area.
This is wonderful! Keep moving forward with this and more solar and/or wind!
Maurice Carter
Thanks for reading, Susan. And thanks for the support!
Nadia Sawicki
This is extremely impressive! I would be interested in more detail about how this was achieved. Could you make almost a blueprint for other city councils particularly those who are also working with MEAG? What were the major steps and biggest roadblocks? Any insight on how such pressure could be applied to Georgia Power, whose solar offerings appear pretty pitiful? I'm very curious to know more so that I can advocate for this more effectively in the Atlanta area. Thanks for sharing this and for all the work you have done.
The most essential element is definitely perseverance. If at first you don't succeed...
But, also, establishing an ongoing dialog around sustainability with officials in both cities was crucial. By setting broader goals in multiple areas (land use, solid waste, water, transportation, electricity, etc.), renewable energy becomes just another opportunity vs. a contentious challenge. Oxford has a Sustainable Oxford citizens' committee chartered by the city council. In Covington Sustainable Newton is part of a sustainability working group with department heads of the city.
And, lastly, being realistic about and sensitive to the challenges from the city/utility's perspective. Because MEAG city's typically use electric sales revenue to cover general government expenses, rooftop solar can be a hard sell. It's definitely an unwelcome challenge when viewed solely from an economic standpoint. But, build support for sustainability goals makes it something they have to discuss/consider.
The utility-scale offering from MEAG was inevitable, given pressure from large industries for renewable energy to meet customer's corporate sustainability goals. It provides a way to meet that need without taking those customers out of the revenue stream.
We ultimately believe both rooftop solar and utility-scale solar are critical elements of a sufficient climate action plan for Georgia. But, this situation with MEAG offered both cities a reasonable, viable, non-disruptive path forward. And, by reducing the risk of a financial hit from a large industrial customer going solar on their own, it increases the reasons for MEAG cities to be flexible in the future about easing restrictions on rooftop solar. (As does the likely demand increase for EV charging, which will also drive demand for more capacity that can be met with solar.)
Photo used under Creative Commons from Chemist 4 U


Nov 28, 2018 - Brandon Goodwin Quartet: Brandon Goodwin - drums, Joe Feracutti - keyboard, Masashi Usui - tenor saxophone, Srikanth Narayanan - bass. Private Function - Lion d'Or.
April 27, 2018 - Kate Ditschun Trio: with Kate Ditschun - voice, Naveen Uttamchandani - piano, Srikanth Narayan - double bass. private function downtown Montreal.
April 14th, 2018 - Ballroom Blitz Combo - private function in St. Sauveur.
April 24 till May 5, 2017 - rehearsals in Tampa Florida at Norwegian Creative Studios.
August 27 till November 6, 2016 - show band musician on board the Norwegian Cruise Line Gem. The production shows are "Swing!" (cut down version of the original Broadway show), "Pure Variety" and "Get Down Tonight".
Feb 5, 2016 - Montreal Jazz and Blues, 3383 Cavendish blvd. (Corner Sherbrooke), 10:30PM start with Roger Walls and Mars.
Dec 18, 2015 - Montreal Jazz and Blues, 3383 Cavendish blvd. (Corner Sherbrooke), 10:50PM start with Roger Walls and Tim Jackson.
Dec 11, 2015 - Montreal Jazz and Blues, 3383 Cavendish blvd. (Corner Sherbrooke), 10:30PM start with Roger Walls and Tim Jackson.
Nov 20, 2015 - Montreal Jazz and Blues, 3383 Cavendish blvd. (Corner Sherbrooke), with Roger Walls and Tim Jackson.
June 27, 2015 till November 14, 2015 - Royal Caribbean International Oasis of the Seas, with the Perry Phillips Quartet. Perry Phillips- voice and drums, David Durrah- piano, Chad Gales- saxophone, Srikanth Narayanan- bass. Our 2nd album will be coming out soon.
June 5, 2015 - House of Jazz Laval, with Melina Soochan Trio.
June 6, 2015 - House of Jazz Laval, with Melina Soochan Trio.
Dec 7, 2014 till May 1, 2015 - Royal Caribbean International Allure of the Seas. with the Perry Phillips Quartet. Perry Phillips- voice and drums, David Durrah- piano, Chad Gales- saxophone, Srikanth Narayanan- bass.
Oct 12 till Dec 6, 2014 - Royal Caribbean International Oasis of the Seas with RKO jazz quartet: Ron Mills - piano, Kate Rafferty - vocals, Krzysztof Kuzniak - drums, Srikanth Narayanan - bass.
Aug 2 till Sept 30, 2014 - Royal Caribbean International Oasis of the Seas with the Perry Phillips Quartet: Perry Phillips - vocals and drums, Chad Gales - tenor saxophone, David Durrah - piano.
July 12, 2014 - Cafe Lezzard, Phil-So-Good Trio.
July 3, 2014 - Montreal International Jazz Festival, with the Sub-Beer Big band, Rio Tinto Alcan stage.
July 1, 2014 - Kelly's Pub, Pointe-Claire, with the Jazz Knights.
June 24, 2014 - L'Escalier - Phil So Good Trio, with Philippe Belanger and Thierry Cotton.
June 6, 2014 - Cafe L'Artere blues night with Myriam Phiro, David Ryshpan and Danick Tardif.
May 26. 2014 - Private event, L'Auberge St. Gabriel, with Melina Soochan Quintet. Melina Soochan, Etienne Mason, Michael Johancsik, Sule Heitner.
Jan 26 till May 18 2014 - Royal Caribbean International Allure of the Seas. Jazz band with the Perry Phillips Quartet. Perry Phillips- voice and drums, David Durrah- piano, Chad Gales- saxophone, Srikanth Narayanan- bass.
Fri. Jan 24, 2014 - Montreal Jazz and Blues, 3383 Cavendish blvd. (Corner Sherbrooke), with Roger Walls and Tim Jackson. Free entry.
Jan 17, 2014 - House of Jazz, Myriam Phyro Quartet, with Myriam Phyro, Danick Tardiff, and Chad Linsley.
Dec 6, 2013 - Private Event, Ballroom Blitz Big Band.
Dec. 2, 2013 - Lundi Live Blues. 8:30pm free dance lesson, Srikanth and Danick presenting Melina Soochan.
Nov 30, 2013 - Cafe Bistro Monk, 6396 Blvd Monk, Ville Emard. Supper+show with the Roger Walls Trio.
Nov. 26, 2013 - private event, Melina Soochan Trio.
Nov 22, 2013 - Montreal Jazz and Blues, 3383 Cavendish blvd. (Corner Sherbrooke), with Roger Walls and Tim Jackson.
Nov 16, 2013 "Swing Sherbrooke" with Miche-Love and the Dynamite Blues Band (Miche-Love, Louis Janelle, Danick Tardiff). "Shake Sherby & Roll" event.
Oct 26, 2013 - Private event, Ballroom Blitz Combo.
Oct 25, 26, 27 - The Nightmare Before Christmas / L'Étrange Noël de Monsieur Jack. Mainline Theatre. English showing: Friday evening 7Pm, Saturday afternoon 2PM. French showing, Sunday evening 7PM.
Oct 24, 2013 - Le Piano Rouge, Melina Soochan Quartet, with Jon Rosner, Etienne Mason.
Oct 19, 2013 - Private event, La Toundra - Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, with Naveen Uttamchandani and Joey Bolusi.
Oct 15, 2013 - Private event, Dawson CEGEP, with Maurice Charland, Robin Grieg.
Oct 11, 2013 - Montreal Jazz and Blues, 3383 Cavendish blvd. (Corner Sherbrooke), with Roger Walls and Tim Jackson, free entry.
Oct 8, 2013 - L'Escalier, with Philippe Belanger.
Oct 6, 2013 - Astral Vision Diversité , Vitrine 2013, with Komty Ondou and Yasseu Band.
Oct 3, 2013, Loyola Jesuit Hall and Conference Centre (Formerly, Concordia University, Loyola Campus, RF building.) Cafe Creme (Geoff Dignam, Myrtle Thomas, Elijah Baker), private party.
Sept 22, 2013 - Smoke Meat Pete, with Sylvia Harris, Danick Tardiff and David Ryshpan.
Sept 18, 2013 - Upstairs Jazz Bar, Fua-tet, with Fuat Tuac, Jay Lee, Mathew Higden. $9.
Sept 11, 2013 - Bell Canada offices, Melina Soochan Trio with Etienne Mason.
Sept 9, 2013 - Lundi Live Blues, with Danick Tardiff, Celia Laroque, and Naman Cale, $10. intro blues dance lesson at 8:30PM.
Sept 8, 2013 - Le National, Landmark Showcase Competition, with Angela Nashed group.
Sept 2, 2013 - Pub Ile Noir, with Derek Falls and Danick Tardiff.
Aug 28, 2013 - Pub McIntosh, Bromont, Karmajazz with Valerie Bisson, Simon Galipeau, and Julien Guitarez.
Aug 24, 2013 - Swing Danse Montreal, 1410 Pierce, Swing Srt-Tet, with Ron Ledoux and Bob Burman guitars.
July 12, 2013 - Cafe L'Artere blues night with Celia Laroque, Naman Cale, and Danick Tardiff.
June 28, 2013 - Cafe l'Artere, blues night with Danick Tardiff, David Ryshpan, Sabenita, Dominic.
June 14, 2013 - Cafe l'Artere, blues night with Sylvia Harris , Tim Alleyne and Danick Tardiff.
June 11, 2013 - House of Jazz, 2060 Alymer, Melina Soochan Trio, with Etienne Mason.
May 24, 2013 - Le Piano Rouge, Melina Soochan Quartet, with Jon Rosner, Derek Wiltshire.
May 6, 2013 - Le Petit Medley Blues Dance Night with Le Sri-tet featuring Melina Soochan and Etienne Mason.
May 3, 2013 - Cafe Bedondaine (4234 St Catherine St. East. One block east of Pie IX Blvd. BLUZZ concert featuring Stephane Cote, Bob Burman, Nick Thompson, Martin Gagné and Srikanth Narayanan. Original compositions with arrangements of select standards.
April 16, 2013 - House of Jazz, Melina Soochan trio, with Derek Wiltshire.
April 12, 2013 - Oscar Peterson Concert Hall, Concordia Jazz Improvisation concert, 8PM till 10PM..
April 11, 2013 - Maison du Blues l'Unik, blues jam. 805 Decarie Blvd. 9PM with the house band: Miche-Love, Louis Janelle, Eloi Bertholet. Blues jam afterwards.
April 10, 2013 - house band jazz jam at Cafe Bedondaine, 4234 St Catherine St. East. One block east of Pie IX Blvd.
April 3, 2013 - house band jazz jam at Cafe Bedondaine, led by Bob Burman.
April 1, 2013 - Le Petit Medley Blues Dance night with Danick Tardiff , Sylvia Harris and Tim Alleyne.
March 27, 2013 - Upstairs Jazz Club - 5-7PM with Davida Syne, Fuat Tuac, Jay Lee.
Mar 20, 2013 - house band jazz jam at Cafe Bedondaine, led by Stephane Cote.
Mar 16, 2013, private fundraising event at The Lighthouse, 2154 St. Catherine St W, Montreal.
Mar 6, 2013 - house band jazz jam at Cafe Bedondaine, led by Stephane Cote.
Feb 27, 2013 - house band jazz jam at Cafe Bedondaine, led by Stephane Cote.
Feb 20, 2013 - house band jazz jam at Cafe Bedondaine, led by Stephane Cote.
Feb 16, 2013 - private event with Ballroom Blitz Big Band in Stewart Hall, Pointe-Claire.
Feb 13, 2013 - house band jazz jam at Cafe Bedondaine, led by Stephane Cote.
Feb 6, 2013 - house band jazz jam at Cafe Bedondaine, led by Stephane Cote.
Jan 28, 2013 - Blues Dance night at Le Petit Medley, with Danick Tardiff , Sylvia Harris and Tim Alleyne.
Jan 23, 2013 - house band jazz jam at Cafe Bedondaine, led by Stephane Cote.
Jan 9, 2013 - house band jazz jam at Cafe Bedondaine, led by Stephane Cote.
Dec 19, 2012 - house band jazz jam at Cafe Bedondaine, led by Stephane Cote.
Dec 12, 2012 - house band jazz jam at Cafe Bedondaine, led by Stephane Cote.
Dec 10, 2012 - Gainzbar Blues Dance, with Le Sritet.
Dec 5, 2012 - house band jazz jam at Cafe Bedondaine, led by Stephane Cote.
Nov 28, 2012 - house band jazz jam at Cafe Bedondaine, led by Stephane Cote.


Need to export a file from Unix/Linux via email? Got uuencode? Do you even remember uuencode? It's how we used to encode files for file sharing, back before you were born.
Here's a handy one-liner that will wrap your file up as a UUEncoded attachment and mail it to the address you specify. The email should come through with a properly formatted attachment that you can then download.
I know there's probably some better way to do this, but this simple example has saved me endless amounts of time lately. Hope you find it useful, too.


Thomas Rhett announced he will heat things up in 2019 with his Very Hot Summer Tour.
Kicking off on May 17 in Spokane, Wash., the 39-date tour will make stops in Dallas, Atlanta, Chicago, New York, Nashville and more. Dustin Lynch, Russell Dickerson and TR's father, Rhett Akins, will serve as support.
Tickets go on sale on Nov. 30 at 10 a.m. local time. Citi's Private Pass program is providing pre-sale opportunities.


Confucius was called Chung Mi in his boyhood and is also known as Kuang Fu Tsu. A famous Chinese philosopher, and frustrated administrator and advisor to various feudal lords within the Federation of the Chow (that followed Sung) dynasty. His Chinese name Kong-zi (or, Kong fu zi) has been Romanticized into western name of Confucius (551-473 B.C.). Some authorities say he was a contemporary of Lao-Tsu. Although he never wrote down his teachings, his disciples (who followed his travels throughout the Federation), upon his death gathered his sayings and beliefs they had memorized into a book known as the Analects of Confucius. The book served as the basis of his philosophy which had a profound and pervasive effect on people in later generations when every school pupil was required to memorize his teachings and educated adults were expected to be well versed in his philosophy. Based on a belief in the inherent goodness of man, Confucius philosophy taught (obligation) devotion to family, loyalty to the constituted authority (personal loyalty to immediate superiors and to those above) as well as ethical behavior, a ridged code of honor and courtesy - conduct based on good example and higher principles - which he believed were the most effective means of control over personal action. Confucius believed that law failed on two fronts: It could be circumvented and it could not evoke a sense of shame (a powerful self regulator) over those who it sought to control. He was a teacher of ethics and morals as well as an proponent of ancient rites, ceremonies and songs. His own life served as an example to those who followed. He lived in a time of political and military anarchy during which central authority had been eroded by political efforts to usurp power and control within the Federation (which now comprises the provinces of Shantung, Honen and Shensei in modern day China). The distress of the Federation was not seen as a result of the political structure or doctrines, but the faulty functioning of people - the loss of principles, ethics and standards of behavior. Thus his teachings stressed the inculcation of gentlemanly conduct, morals, sets of obligations and ethics within the population to set a standard for conduct. His general rule of conduct was, "Do not unto others what you would not have others do unto you." His teachings were propagated by his grandson, who wrote The Doctrine of The Mean.


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From Lupita's Dress to 'Adele Dazeem,' Musings on Hollywood's Big Night
For some of us — I'll admit, a very small segment of the population — the Oscars are like the Super Bowl. We spend months speculating about the nominations, making sure we've seen the films, taking our best shot at who will go home with the gold on the big night. And now that Sunday's ceremony is over, the trophies handed out, the designer gowns worn, the after-party champagne sipped, there is still a lot to talk about. Here are some thoughts.
1. After establishing herself as a fashion icon throughout the awards season with her simple but bold choices, best supporting actress nominee Lupita Nyong'o unveiled her pièce de résistance at the Academy Awards, creating a sensation in her floaty, pale blue Prada gown. This stunning dress is destined to go down in red carpet history and stood in tasteful and fanciful contrast to some of the night's more bizarre sartorial moments — Anne Hathaway wearing a chandelier, Liza Minnelli in silk pajamas and Whoopi Goldberg as flapper/geisha/Seinfeld's puffy shirt/Wicked Witch of the West.
Nyong'o's gown couldn't have been more appropriate for her fairy tale moment when she took the podium to claim the prize for her harrowing work in "12 Years a Slave." Her acceptance speech was one of the highlights of the evening, heartfelt, brimming with joy and elation.
"It doesn't escape me for one moment that so much joy in my life is thanks to so much pain in someone else's," she said. "And so I want to salute the spirit of Patsey for her guidance. And for Solomon, thank you for telling her story and your own. … When I look down at this golden statue, may it remind me and every little child that no matter where you're from, your dreams are valid."
Moments like these are the reason we watch the Oscars.
2. Was it just me or were there an inordinate amount of awkward Teleprompter related gaffes during this year's ceremony?
When it came to reading their lines, so many presenters stumbled — metaphorically, except in the case of Jennifer Lawrence, who continued her tradition of taking a fall while wearing sky-high heels.
Silver screen legends Kim Novak and Sidney Poitier really needed their glasses. Zac Efron botched his scripted patter. Even host Ellen DeGeneres flubbed, calling actor Christoph Waltz "Christopher." There were so many awkward moments, but none of them quite as hilarious as when John Travolta introduced "Frozen" star Idina Menzel as "Adele Dazeem."
His error has turned into something of a social media sensation. Slate even concocted this hilarious name generator based on the goof.
http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/low_concept/2014/03/john_travolta_called_idina_menzel_adele_dazeem_what_s_your_travolta_name.html
All of this makes me wonder. Did anyone actually rehearse before the ceremony?
3. Matthew McConaughey's win for a role that demanded a transformation of career and body in "Dallas Buyers Club" wasn't exactly a surprise, but his resulting comments are now the talk of Tinseltown. Many people were delighted by his mention of God, gratitude and family. Others, like me, were baffled by his improvisational style.
In regard to a higher power, McConaughey said, "When you've got God, you got a friend. And that friend is you."
In reference to his dearly departed dad: "To my father who, I know he's up there right now with a big pot of gumbo. He's got a lemon meringue pie over there. He's probably in his underwear. And he's got a cold can of Miller Lite and he's dancing right now."
And then he pretty much shattered his previous humility by declaring himself his own hero. Well, sort of.
"I'm never gonna be my hero. I'm not gonna attain that. I know I'm not, and that's just fine with me because that keeps me with somebody to keep on chasing."
It was all only slightly less surreal than his Screen Actors Guild Awards speech, in which he made wacky reference to the planet Neptune, or his remarks at the Golden Globes, which revealed that apparently his wife calls him her "king."
Whatever your reaction, you have to admit there's never a dull moment when this guy takes the stage.
4. A spirited Cate Blanchett accepted her trophy for "Blue Jasmine" with the immortal words, "Julia, hashtag suck it!," referring somewhat cryptically to Julia Roberts.
More memorably, she called out a male dominated Hollywood on the woeful lack of satisfying roles for women, slamming those "who are still foolishly clinging to the idea that female films with women at the center are niche experiences. They are not. Audiences want to see them, and in fact, they earn money. The world is round, people!"
It needed to be said.
5. After last year's poorly received performance by host Seth MacFarlane, whose caustic and sometimes offensive schtick rubbed Hollywood the wrong way, the Oscar producers' pendulum predictably swung to another extreme in the form of the ever likable, always pleasant DeGeneres.
Don't get me wrong. Hosting for a second time, Ellen was great, cultivating a playful atmosphere with gentle jabs at celebs during her opening monologue. She treated the bejeweled audience to pizza, stole Nyong'o's lip balm and coaxed Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt, Bradley Cooper, Meryl Streep and other luminaries into posing for that now famous selfie.
Despite her best efforts, however, this year's ceremony often felt tedious and tame. There were few surprises when it came to the winners — "Gravity" dominated with seven trophies; "12 Years a Slave" took the best picture prize — and only a handful of moments that resonated with the genuine emotion that keep Oscar viewers coming back for more.
This year's theme was dedicated to movie heroes, but the ensuing montages were so generic they barely registered. Bette Midler sang "Wind Beneath My Wings" after the traditional In Memoriam segment and received one of several overeager standing ovations, but considering the song is more than 30 years old, it was a strangely stale choice.
Ultimately, the 86th Academy Awards were done in by a stultifyingly conservative aura. Nobody ever got the gold by playing it safe.
This entry was posted in Uncategorized and tagged 12 Years a Slave, Adele Dazeem, Cate Blanchett, Ellen DeGeneres, Gravity, Jennifer Lawrence, John Travolta, Lupita Nyong'o, Matthew McConaughey, Oscars on March 4, 2014 by Lavender Vroman.
← Stop Grousing and Go See 'Gravity' Academy Chose the Wrong Oscar Doc →


An Israeli magician who bought himself a reputation as a spoon bender is now determined to bend British politics or at least the water pipes in parliament. Uri Geller, who vowed last month to stop Brexit by telepathic means, admitted on Thursday that he 'telepathically' burst pipes in the House of Commons.
Tweeting to the House of Commons on Thursday, Geller said he would not apologise.
"Yes I did it @HouseofCommons! I bent the pipes, and I won't apologise, you all deserve it! #brexit #startfromscratch," Geller wrote.
It is understood that water began pouring into the press gallery in what some have described as an "apocalyptic metaphor for Brexit".
I do not think that anyone in Britain takes Geller seriously, however, since in current-day Britain people are charged and even imprisoned for expressing thoughts, I wonder how the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) is going to deal with an Israeli man who openly and unapologetically claims responsibility for vandalizing British public property?
Meanwhile, Brits can feel safe in their dwellings as the Commons' spokesman was quick to confirm that the water dripping last Thursday was actually caused by a leaky roof.
It may as well be possible that Geller is getting old and is seeing his supernatural abilities deflate. He probably aimed to bend some pipes but ended up breaking some roof tiles instead.


The most important reasons for visiting Verlorenvlei is to experience nature, water, birds, tranquility, peace, quietness … Here are no luxury holiday resorts or any form of organized tourism activities. The neighboring coastal town of Elandsbay offers some of the best surfing opportunities on the West Coast, but not even that attract traffic-jam crowds to this remote beach area.
Verlorenvlei is one of the largest, natural, fresh-water wetlands along the West Coast of South Africa. It is fed by rivers from upstream, but mainly by its own groundwater. The average rainfall that occurs during winter, is less than 300mm per year. The estuary at Elandsbay is closed off for most of the time. During winter, with a bigger inflow of water from the east, the sand bank will be forced open and the water will flow into the sea.
The Ramsar boundary roughly follows the water in the wetland. It is approximately 1,500 hectares and was declared a wetland of International Importance on 28 June 1991. No motorized water activities are allowed on Verlorenvlei. The shallow water and many reeds also limit the size of sailing and rowing boats that can be used on the vlei.
The main attraction of Verlorenvlei is the rich bird life. Up to 190 different species have been recorded here. This includes 75 water bird species. There are more than 5,000 birds on a regular basis in the wetland area, and at times more than 20,000! Verlorenvlei is a special feeding source for the Great White Pelican. At times, approximately 200 of these endangered birds descend upon the wetland. Other rare species that can be seen here are African Fish Eagle, Greater Flamingo, Lesser Flamingo, Caspian Tern, Little Bittern, Great Crested Grebe, African Spoonbills, Glossy Ibis. A bird hide allows birders to watch these birds from close by.
Surrounding the wetland is a private nature reserve, Vleikraal. The sandy surface of the area (it is known as the Sandveld), makes hiking and biking difficult. But a 4x4 route through this small reserve will allow you to see Verlorenvlei from an elevated viewpoint.
Verlorenvlei is 250 kilometers north of Cape Town. The only tar road is from the south via Velddrif. There are not many accommodation options. Apart from the hotel and camping ground in Elandsbay, the camping and self-catering chalets at Vensterklip are the only nearby accommodation.


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Royal Exchange Square
Renfield Street
Miller Street/Argyle Street
Graham Square - Gallowgate
Prince's Dock
Cumberland Place
Deanston Drive
Kilbirnie Street
Maryhill Road
Cheapside Street
Glasgow's Historic Fire Stations
The Firefighters' Heritage Trail has been created to honour firefighters who lost their lives protecting life and property in Glasgow.
Some of those fires claimed the lives of firefighters who fought gallantly to contain the destruction. To honour Glasgow's fallen firefighters, the Firefighters' Heritage Trail has been created to tell the stories of some of the people and places that have played an important part in the history of firefighting in Glasgow.
Twelve memorial plaques have been set into the pavement to mark the sites where firefighters lost their lives. In addition, we have identified several further sites of special interest relating to the history of the fire service in Glasgow.
In 2010, serving and retired firefighters commemorated the 50th Anniversary of the Cheapside Street Fire Disaster which took place on the 28th March 1960, and at which 14 firefighters and five salvage corps officers died as a result of a massive explosion at a distillery and whisky storage facility.
In preparation for the 50th Anniversary, the decision was taken to commemorate the disaster in a significant way, including the refurbishment of the monument in the City Necropolis and by the placing of a marker on the site of the disaster.
Furthermore, it was decided that as a tribute to the many lives of Glasgow firefighters sacrificed in the service of the City at other fires, that suitable markers should also be placed on the street sites of these occurrences.
This is The Firefighters' Heritage Trail. Creation of the trail has been made possible thanks to the award of £54,000 from the Heritage Lottery Fund.
Scotland has a distinguished and dramatic firefighting history and we are committed to preserving our heritage. Read more
Heritage Trail Map
View online or download your copy of the Firefighter Heritage Trail Map. Read more
Heritage Trail Guide
Read online or download your own copy of the Firefighters' Heritage Trail guide here. Read more


Galway City's surrounding area is a visually stunning locale that has many attractions and things to do while visiting Galway City. These day trips include visiting historical sites, walking trails, and the stunning Aran Islands.
Connemara, the outlying countryside of Galway, is of particular interest to tourists as it is one of the few remaining strongholds of the Irish language, whether you're in the pub or a shop you're sure to hear the native tongue being used amongst local villagers. The landscape in Connemara provides some of the best views in the entire country, this unsullied lands is famous for its sprawling plains, plentiful lakes, and towering rocky mountains. Any trips to this part of Ireland are highly recommended as between the unspoilt land and indigenous locals it gives visitors a real sense of rural Ireland and times gone by.
The Aran Islands are a must see for visitors looking for breath taking scenery. This set of three islands, situated off Galway Bay, are home to some incredible historical and religious sites. Inishmore, the largest of the three, is home to an incredible defensive fortification dating back over 3,000 years. The structure sits atop a Cliffside which towers 200 metres above sea level which provides incredible views of the Atlantic Ocean, Galway's coastline, and on a clear day the Cliffs of Moher.
The Burren, located south of Galway under an hour's drive away, is a must see for nature lovers. The karst landscape is home to three quarters of Ireland's flora and various fauna. The Burren National Park provides examples of various habitats that are sure to interest all that pay a visit.


National Insurance contributions in the UK are paid by employees and employers on earnings and count towards the cost of certain state benefits. The self-employed contribute by a fixed weekly amount and a percentage of net profits above a certain threshold. Individuals may also make voluntary contributions in order to fill a gap in their contributions record and thus protect their entitlement to certain benefits.
How does the UK state pension work for migrants? – we look at the effect of paying social security contributions in more than one country on your UK state pension.
Where do I find more information on National Insurance in general?


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Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da - The Beatles piano sheet music
Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da - The Beatles Free Piano Sheet Music
Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da description
"Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da" is a song credited to Lennon–McCartney, but written by Paul McCartney and released by The Beatles on their 1968 album The Beatles (also referred to as The White Album). It was released as a single that same year in many countries, but not in the United Kingdom, nor in the United States until 1976. Paul McCartney wrote the song around the time that highlife and reggae were beginning to become popular in Britain. The starting lyric: - "Desmond has a barrow in the market-place" was a reference to the first internationally renown Jamaican ska and reggae performer Desmond Dekker who had just had a successful tour of the UK. Show Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da piano sheet
The Beatles description
The Beatles were an English rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. They became the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed act in the history of popular music. The group's best-known lineup consisted of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr. Rooted in skiffle and 1950s rock and roll, the Beatles later utilised several genres, ranging from pop ballads to psychedelic rock, often incorporating classical and other elements in innovative ways. In the early 1960s, their enormous popularity first emerged as "Beatlemania", but as their songwriting grew in sophistication, they came to be perceived by many fans and cultural observers as an embodiment of the ideals shared by the era's sociocultural revolutions. The band built their reputation playing clubs in Liverpool and Hamburg over a three-year period from ... More piano sheets by The Beatles
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Learn To Play Piano with Free Sheet Music
One of the most popular and perfect instrument for beginners is the piano. Using the piano makes it easier to understand the music concepts. Thanks of how the musical octave is positioned you will find it easy to identify the low notes and the high notes on the piano keyboard. From left to right the notes on the piano are arranged from the lowest key no...Continue reading Learn To Play Piano with Free Sheet Music


The Indian surveillance regime has been the subject of discussion for quite some time now. Its nature and scope is controversial. The Central Monitoring System, through which the government can obtain direct access to call records, appears to have the potential to be used for bulk surveillance, although official claims emphasise that it will only be implemented in a targeted manner. The Netra system, on the other hand, is certainly about dragnet collection, since it detects the communication, via electronic media, of certain "keywords" (such as "attack", "bomb", "blast" and "kill"), no matter what context they are used in, and no matter who is using them.
Surveillance is quintessentially thought to raise concerns about privacy. Over a series of decisions, the Indian Supreme Court has read in the right to privacy into Article 21's guarantee of the right to life and personal liberty. Under the Supreme Court's (somewhat cloudy) precedents, privacy may only be infringed if there is a compelling State interest, and if the restrictive law is narrowly tailored – that is, it does not infringe upon rights to an extent greater than it needs to, in order to fulfill its goal. It is questionable whether bulk surveillance meets these standards.
Surveillance, however, does not only involve privacy rights. It also implicated Article 19 – in particular, the Article 19(1)(a) guarantee of the freedom of expression, and the 19(1)(c) guarantee of the freedom of association.
Previously on this blog, we have discussed the "chilling effect" in relation to free speech. The chilling effect evolved in the context of defamation cases, where a combination of exacting standards of proof, and prohibitive damages, contributed to create a culture of self-censorship, where people would refrain from voicing even legitimate criticism for fear of ruinous defamation lawsuits. The chilling effect, however, is not restricted merely to defamation, but arises in free speech cases more generally, where vague and over-broad statutes often leave the border of the permitted and the prohibited unclear.
In other words, if persons are not assured of privacy in their association with each other, they will tend to self-censor both who they associate with, and what they say to each other, especially when unpopular groups, who have been historically subject to governmental or social persecution, are involved. Indeed, this was precisely the argument that the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) made in its constitutional challenge to PRISM, the American bulk surveillance program. In addition to advancing a Fourth Amendment argument from privacy, the ACLU also made a First Amendment freedom of speech and association claim, arguing that the knowledge of bulk surveillance had made – or at least, was likely to have made – politically unpopular groups wary of contacting it for professional purposes (the difficulty, of course, is that any chilling effect argument effectively requires proving a negative).
If this argument holds, then it is clear that Articles 19(1)(a) and 19(1)(c) are prima facie infringed in cases of bulk – or even other forms of – surveillance. Two conclusions follow: first, that any surveillance regime needs statutory backing. Under Article 19(2), reasonable restrictions upon fundamental rights can only be imposed by law, and not be executive fiat (the same argument applies to Article 21 as well).
Assuming that a statutory framework is brought into force, the crucial issue then becomes whether the restriction is a reasonable one, in service of one of the stated 19(2) interests. The relevant part of Article 19(2) permits reasonable restrictions upon the freedom of speech and expression "in the interests of… the security of the State [and] public order." The Constitution does not, however, provide a test for determining when a restriction can be legitimately justified as being "in the interests of" the security of the State, and of public order. There is not much relevant precedent with respect to the first sub-clause, but there happens to be an extensive – although conflicted – jurisprudence dealing with the public order exception.
One line of cases – characterised by Ramji Lal Modi v. State of UP and Virendra v. State of Punjab – has held that the phrase "for the interests of" is of very wide ambit, and that the government has virtually limitless scope to make laws ostensibly for securing public order (this extends to prior restraint as well, something that Blackstone, writing in the 18th century, found to be illegal!). The other line of cases, such as Superintendent v. Ram Manohar Lohia and S. Rangarajan v. P. Jagjivan Ram, have required the government to satisfy a stringent burden of proof. In Lohia, for instance, Ram Manohar Lohia's conviction for encouraging people to break a tax law was reversed, the Court holding that the relationship between restricting free speech and a public order justification must be "proximate". In Rangarajan, the Court used the euphemistic image of a "spark in a powder keg", to characterise the degree of proximity required. It is evident that under the broad test of Ramji Lal Modi, a bulk surveillance system is likely to be upheld, whereas under the narrow test of Lohia, it is almost certain not to be.
Thus, if the constitutionality of surveillance comes to Court, three issues will need to be decided: first, whether Articles 19(1)(a) and 19(1)(c) have been violated. Secondly – and if so – whether the "security of the State" exception is subject to the same standards as the "public order" exception (there is no reason why it should not be). And thirdly, which of the two lines of precedent represent the correct understanding of Article 19(2)?
Gautam Bhatia — @gautambhatia88 on Twitter — is a graduate of the National Law School of India University (2011), and has just received an LLM from the Yale Law School. He blogs about the Indian Constitution at http://indconlawphil.wordpress.com. Here at CIS, he blogs on issues of online freedom of speech and expression.


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Disinformation: The Golden Age of Scammers, Cybercriminals & Con Artists
The upsurge in emotional fake news has increased the risk of creating an environment of uncertainty and fear that can discourage a calm and logical assessment in favor of an immediate reaction prone to scam.
The explosion of misinformation has served as a bait store for phishers, scammers, and con artists. Cybercriminals have hosted debates and conspiracy theories of multiple issues that they can use to make their scams more tempting. The 5G and Corona pandemic has sparked so much misinformation.
The accidental spread of false content, usually via social media, is so common that the World Health Organization (WHO) had to create a Mythbusters webpage to expose some of the baseless rumors about potential treatments for Covid-19, including using bleach or antibiotics, and supposed causes, like 5G mobile networks.
Scammers have posed as charities pretending to help coronavirus victims in the past and Ukraine today. They have posed as government and university departments operating track-and-trace programs, and even as the WHO asking for payment. False and unproven treatments can be used to gather data by exploiting people worried about the risk of falling ill.
Widespread anxiety can distract people and leave them prone to scam attacks!
It's not just the pandemic that criminals can exploit. The increasingly polarized world of political debate online and the latest events and crises can also be used to persuade people to click links and open attachments. Scammers can insert themselves into arguments, tricking people into clicking on something they think might confirm their own beliefs or, conversely, something designed to enrage. Both the carrot and the stick can be used to knock people off balance and cause them to act without thinking.
Perhaps the greatest strength of scammers is adaptability. Expose one scam, and two more take its place. Criminals can always find a way and a subject to trick people.
At its root, every scam is about persuading you to either click on a link, volunteer information, buy a product out of fear or donate to a charity.
For a scam to work, a few elements are required:
Criminals pose as a trusted source, usually a familiar organization or even a colleague.
Clever scams always have a sense of urgency about them because the scammer does not want you to stop and consider what you're doing.
Successful scams often push emotional buttons to bypass logical thinking.
Find 5 tips for avoiding charity frauds & scams here
Read Forbes article on how to avoid online phishing here
Covid-19 Vaccination Does NOT Make You Sterile
THIS IS SHOWN BY SEVERAL STUDIES – AND NUMEROUS PANDEMIC BABIES For some time, misinformation has been circulating on the Internet, saying that vaccination against Covid-19 with mRNA or vector…
Covid-19 Vaccine Hesitancy Is Worse In E.U. Than U.S.
With the ongoing vaccination campaigns all around the world, groups of people are still fighting against vaccination. In such times, it is worth wondering where the most vaccine-hesitant people are…