As an Invisalign Premier Provider, Dr. Rosen specializes in straightening teeth with Invisalign. These clear aligners could give you the smile you've always dreamed of – no matter your age! It's never too late to get the smile you've always wanted, and Invisalign provides a way to discreetly, yet effectively, straighten your teeth.
Clear aligners that don't bring unnecessary attention to your teeth.
Aligners made of a special durable, yet flexible, patented plastic that is much more comfortable than traditional wires and brackets.
Removable aligners that allow you to eat, floss and brush without getting in the way.
Sets of aligners custom-made for your smile to allow you to see quick results.
With Invisalign, Dr. Rosen will take 3D images of your teeth and use specialized technology to create custom aligners that will work to gradually straighten your teeth. Several sets of aligners will be made as you will switch to new aligners about every two weeks. Visiting our office every 4-6 weeks will help ensure that your teeth are aligning well. Invisalign is to be worn at least 20 hours a day, allowing you to remove the aligners for eating as well as cleaning your teeth.
Most patients finish Invisalign treatment in about a year. Your treatment may be shorter or longer depending on the alignment of your teeth.
We offer a free Invisalign consultation to help you determine the cost of Invisalign for your smile, as well as determining if you are a candidate for Invisalign. Dr. Rosen will evaluate your teeth and go over your payment options. Invisalign can be made affordable by being split into smaller payments.
Small down payment or no down payment at all.
A free Invisalign consultation to help you determine costs.
Discount of 5% on full upfront payment.
Extended monthly payments that are finance free.
Several payment arrangements available to help with your FlexPlan.
The cost of Invisalign is different for every person depending on the length of treatment needed and the amount of straightening involved. We understand that the cost is most likely a factor in helping you decide if Invisalign is right for you. That is why we offer a free consultation and many payment options to help you afford an amazing smile!
If you are looking for Invisalign in Valencia, CA, call us today to set up a free Invisalign consultation. Dr. Rosen can evaluate your teeth, go over costs and help you set up an affordable payment plan!


So today is my 47th birthday and for fun I'm going to share 47 things I've learned since arriving to this lovely planet.
1. You can make your life a joy or you can make it misery. The choice is always yours.
2. If you don't like your results, change the variables in the equation.
3. Nobody owes you anything. You are responsible for creating the life you want.
4. The world is not against you. The world merely responds to your choices.
5. There is no destiny or fate. Free will is your birthright. Use it well.
6. You can choose your emotions at all times. You can choose your reaction to events.
7. The people who are the meanest are the ones that need love and forgiveness the most.
8. People who can make you laugh are priceless.
9. 100 people can see the same situation 100 different ways, and no one is right or wrong.
11. Everyone is a piece to the puzzle. Put us all together and you can see the big picture. No piece is worth more or less than another.
12. Even when you feel alone, you are never alone. Your helpers on the other side are holding you and walking by your side.
13. Don't let other people pick your path in life. They aren't the ones who have to walk it.
14. You get what you attract.
15. Your life is a gift and it's priceless.
16. We are all One. What you do to others you are doing to yourself.
17. Worrying is a waste of energy, but sometimes you can't help it. That's okay.
18. Don't move to a desert if you don't like heat.
19. Love is a gamble. Love anyway.
20. God does not judge anyone for anything.
21. The world is not broken and it doesn't need to be saved. The world is a reflection of our collective vibration.
22. Forgiveness is a gift you give yourself, not something you bestow upon another. Forgive often.
23. When you can find the opportunity in personal tragedy, your life will be much easier.
24. Life is not punishing you, it's teaching you via cause and effect.
25. Gratitude and love are two of the highest vibrations you can feel. Feel them often.
26. Life is too short to allow others to make you feel bad. Release those who are cruel to you.
27. Sometimes you don't know you can fly until someone pushes you off the cliff.
28. No one can reject you without your permission.
29. Do not seek perfection, there is no such thing.
30. You probably don't remember how truly awesome you are. Try to remember.
31. You can row against the current if you choose to, just don't complain that the current appears to be against you.
32. You are intuitive. Trust it. Act on it.
33. Random fun fact: The number 33 is my favorite number.
34. Being silly is like the flashlight of life. It can get you through the darkness.
36. If it's not within your control, let it go. Work with what you have control over.
37. If you don't plant it, you can't harvest it.
38. Design your life so that you love living each day.
39. If you want it badly enough you will find a way to get it. It's okay to admit you don't want it as badly as you thought you did.
40. You don't need to become enlightened. You are already enlightened. You just don't remember.
41. Be kind to everyone you meet. It costs you nothing and can mean the world to someone else.
42. Be yourself. If you don't, you rob the world of the richness that is you.
43. Do not feel sad for those who have passed away. They are on the other side cheering you on and hoping you will live life to the fullest.
44. Be proud of yourself.
45. Fill your tank when it is empty. Pushing yourself when you're tired does no one any good.
46. Let people help you.
PrevPreviousCan a Psychic See Your Deep, Dark Secrets?


text:
Memorial and Remembrance Library at Veterans Home
Sat, 04/06/2019 - 5:00am admin1
Tara Wallace
"What makes today special for me, is to be in a building with a lot of heroes. Guys like Bill and the rest of you here. I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for you. If it had gone on one more day, Stan and I, might not be here…We owe everything to you".
"I knew this was going to be a great day," said Gene Greenburg, "I got my phone out to get the GPS to find the Veterans Home here and I noticed the address…I'm from Las Vegas when you see 1111 you know it's going to be a good day." For many Monday, March 18 was a great day. For WWII Veteran Bill Pollard, his son Larry Pollard, and life-long friends Stan and Gene Greenburg it was a day when a dream and a promise became a reality. That dream is the Memorial and Remembrance Library at the Cameron Veteran Home. The promise was to continue to share the story of Abe, Helen, Samuel, and Simon Greenburg and the Holocaust.
The Memorial and Remembrance Library at the Cameron Veterans Home is the first military library to be housed in a Veterans Home in the United States. It was Bill Pollard's vision and passion that started the library. The library consists of books and films relating to each branch of the U.S. Armed Services and each period of U.S. military history. Over 200 books were gifted to the library, including several high-quality books on WWII donated by the Cameron Public Library. The Memorial and Remembrance Library currently consists of four wooden bookcases, model replicas of U.S. war planes from each era gifted by a private donor, a couple computers provided by the Cameron Veterans Assistance League, and framed photographs depicting scenes of WWII. The crown jewel of the library, according to Bill, is a book that was donated about the Lodz Ghetto. The very same Jewish ghetto in Nazi-occupied Poland where the Greenberg family originated.
Bill served in the Army during WWII as a combat medic. When the Nazi's surrendered, he was sent to Dachau to liberate and medically treat Jewish prisoners. He is an eye-witness to the horrors and atrocities inflicted there. Bill only really began sharing his military story over the past decade. As Jerry Steele said during the ceremony, "Every war has its own message and every soldier his or her own story". Bill came to realize that too many young people did not know or understand the lessons of the Holocaust and WWII. Bill has a passion for history and having been an eye witness to the atrocities of that time, Bill has a problem with Holocaust deniers. He made it his mission to make the library a resource for youth and the community.
Larry Pollard, Bill's son, did not grow up hearing his father's story. The war was something Bill did not talk about. Larry became aware of the Holocaust the summer after his third-grade year. His family had moved into a new neighborhood in Kansas City and he became friends with a neighbor boy about his own age named Gene Greenburg. One summer day Larry asked his friend why his parents had numbers tattooed on their arms. According to Larry, "I became Gene's first student on the subject of the Holocaust. He told me about his parents, about his older brothers and what happened to them, I had thought his only brother was Stan". When Larry heard that his father wanted to create a Memorial and Remembrance Library at the Veterans Home, he immediately thought of his friends the Greenburg's and reached out to his childhood friend.
What Larry didn't know was that Gene Greenburg had dedicated more than 40 years of his adult life to educating people about the Holocaust; fulfilling a promise he made to his father to tell their story. Both of Gene's parents were survivors of the Nazi concentration camps. Two of his older brothers, Samuel and Simon, died in those camps. "I've been teaching for a long time. I always let the students know that survivors are heroes because of what they went through," Gene told the audience, "What makes today special for me, is to be in a building with a lot of heroes. Guys like Bill and the rest of you here. I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for you. If it had gone on one more day, Stan and I, might not be here…We owe everything to you".
Gene's older brother Stan shared their family's story. How his parents were married and had two children in Poland before the war. Like so many they were taken, the first stop was Auschwitz. Their father was taken to work in a coal mine and their mother worked in a munition's factory. They both survived. After the war their father made it back to Lodz to see who he could find. A neighbor recognized him and had seen his wife in a displaced persons camp in Germany. Their father somehow made it back to Germany to the camp where his wife was. She was away when he arrived but would be back in a couple hours. He said he would return in a couple hours. When his wife got back to camp, she wanted to go find her husband, but the other women literally sat on her. They had been denied so much; they would not be denied seeing one of their own reunited. The reunion was a blessing to the Greenburg's and to those that witnessed them rediscover one another.
According to Stan, people like Bill Pollard who were eye witness to the Holocaust are vitally important, "They are witness to the fact that this is not a made-up story. There weren't hundreds of people killed. This were 6 million Jews as well as 2 or 3 million other people – gypsies, people who were mentally defective, or whatever the "master race" thought was unacceptable. They did a horrible thing. We just cannot forget what happened, never forget what happened, because it is entirely possible that it could happen again somewhere."
Elie Wiesel, a Holocaust survivor and world-renowned author, once said, "For the dead and living we must bear witness". And bear witness is precisely what Bill Pollard did and what the Memorial and Remembrance Library at the Cameron Veterans Home is designed to do.
My Cameron News
BB Highway
Email: editor@mycameronnews.com

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


It was last year that we had a spate of contentious negotiations between orchestras and their musicians. Some orchestras experienced lockouts. Some came very close, but reached agreements before their seasons began.
One of the orchestras that made news last year was the Atlanta Symphony, and it seems that once again things are heating up there as the contract deadline approaches.
One thing I noticed about Atlanta was the large number of people working in the central office--as I recall, there were more people working in administration than there were in the orchestra. I understand the need for a strong corporate office, but I have a hard time wrapping my hear around the notion that orchestras need that many people in administrative roles.
At any rate, Robert Spano and Donald Runnicles have gone public with their thoughts on the matter. You can read a letter from them here.


text:
Indian sketches
Travel blog in India
Tourist Assistance
Which Indian city is called Venice of the East?
What is called the Venice of the East?
Why is Alappuzha called Venice of the East?
Which Chinese city is called the Venice of the East?
Which city is called Venice of the North?
Which place is also called Venice of East and why?
Is Alleppey and Alappuzha same?
What is the Venice of Asia?
Who described Alappuzha as the Venice of the East?
Which city is known as Venice of Japan?
Which is known as Black City?
Where is the other Venice?
What is the meaning of Venice?
Alleppey, the Venice of the East." So proclaimed George Nathaniel Curzon, the viceroy and governor-general of British India in the early 1900s. At the heart of Kerala's economically vibrant and fertile rice bowl, Alappuzha, also known as Alleppey, is like no other place in India.
Alappuzha, also called Alleppey, is Kerala's largest hub of backwaters. With over a thousand houseboats, alluring beaches and a network of canals, Aleppey has rightly earned another name — Venice of the East.
A town with canals, backwaters, beaches, and lagoons, Alappuzha was described by George Curzon, Viceroy of India at the start of the 20th century, as the "Venice of the East." Hence, it is known as the "Venetian Capital" of Kerala. … This is the most popular and competitive boat races in India.
When Marco Polo visited Suzhou in the 13th century, he called it the beautiful city of 6,000 bridges. It has often been called the Venice of the east because of the canal system and bridges still evident in the old city.
THIS IS INTERESTING: Is Aanya a Hindu name?
As the "Venice of the North" Bruges, Belgium, Has Become One of Europe's Prime Attractions. I cover the world's best hotels, restaurants and wine. The medieval city of Bruges is criss-crossed with canals and stone bridges.
Udaipur, the City of Lakes, also popularly known as the Venice of the East, has been ranked as the most beautiful city in the world. It's the only heritage city in India that has been simultaneously ranked under the top 10 beautiful cities in the world by Travel & Leisure magazine.
The district of Alappuzha [26], also known as Alleppey, is in Kerala. This district headquarters is also known as Alappuzha and is located 70 kilometres south of Cochin. It is often called the Venice of the East due to the canals that connect it to Kerala's famous snaking backwaters.
Suzhou is one of the prettiest cities in China. You can see why they call it the "Venice of Asia"!
Perhaps once you're done with Alleppey, you will come to appreciate why Lord Curzon labelled these backwaters, "Venice of the East."
The Bikan district, nestled in the city of Kurashiki, not far from Okayama, traversed by the Takahashi River and its canals, is considered the 'Venice of Japan'.
Black City (Azerbaijani: Qara Şəhər) is the general name for the southeastern neighbourhoods of Baku, which once formed its suburbs. In the late 19th and early 20th century it became the main location for Azerbaijan's oil industry, and the area's name derives from the smoke and soot of the factories and refineries.
THIS IS INTERESTING: How can you call Delhi a mini India?
A miniature version of Venice, Chioggia (pronounced 'Keyojia') is a fishing port at the southern end of the Lagoon 16 miles south of Venice.
noun. Italian Venezia. a seaport in NE Italy, built on numerous small islands in the Lagoon of Venice. Gulf of, the N arm of the Adriatic Sea.
India is perhaps the most exotic of all Asian countries. The population is divided into numerous castes, and each has its own customs. In this blog I tried to collect interesting facts and unusual traditions of this amazing country.
© 2021 Indian sketches


text:
Q: Optimizing conversion algorithm I have recently been working on a exercise in a book I have been reading. The task was to create a program that prints all the numbers between 1-256 in their binary, octal and hexadecimal equivalents. We were only supposed to use methods we had learned so far in the book, which meant only using for, while and do..while loops, if and else if statements, converting integers to ASCII equivalents and some more basic stuff (e.g. cmath and iomanip).
So after some work, here is my result. However, it is messy and un-elegant and obfuscated. Does anyone have any suggestions to increase code efficiency (or elegance... :P) and performance?
#include <iostream>
#include <iomanip>
#include <cmath>
using namespace std;

int main()
{
int decimalValue, binaryValue, octalValue, hexadecimalValue, numberOfDigits;
cout << "Decimal\t\tBinary\t\tOctal\t\tHexadecimal\n\n";
for (int i = 1; i <= 256; i++)
{
    binaryValue = 0;
    octalValue = 0;
    hexadecimalValue = 0;
    if (i != 0)
    {
    int x, j, e, c, r = i, tempBinary, powOfTwo, tempOctal, tempDecimal;
    for (j = 0; j <=8; j++) //Starts to convert to binary equivalent
    {
        x = pow(2.0, j);
        if (x == i)
        {
              powOfTwo = 1;
              binaryValue = pow(10.0, j);
              break;
        }
        else if (x > i)
        {
              powOfTwo = 0;
              x /= 2;
              break;
        }
    }
    if (powOfTwo == 0)
    {
    for (int k = j-1; k >= 0; k--)
    {
        if ((r-x)>=0)
        {
           r -= x;
           tempBinary = pow(10.0, k);
           x /= 2;
        }
        else if ((r-x)<0)
        {
           tempBinary = 0;
           x /= 2;
        }
        binaryValue += tempBinary;
    }
    } //Finished converting
    int counter = ceil(log10(binaryValue+1)); //Starts on octal equivalent
    int iter;
    if (counter%3 == 0)
    {
       iter = counter/3;
    }
    else if (counter%3 != 0)
    {
       iter = (counter/3)+1;
    }
    c = binaryValue;
    for (int h = 0; h < iter; h++)
    {
        tempOctal = c%1000;
        int count = ceil(log10(tempOctal+1));
        tempDecimal = 0;
        for (int counterr = 0; counterr < count; counterr++)
        {
            if (tempOctal%10 != 0)
            {
                 e = pow(2.0, counterr);
                 tempDecimal += e;
            }
            tempOctal /= 10;
        }
        octalValue += (tempDecimal * pow(10.0, h));
        c /= 1000;
    }//Finished Octal conversion
    cout << i << "\t\t" << binaryValue << setw(21-counter) << octalValue << "\t\t";
    int c1, tempHex, tempDecimal1, e1, powOf;
    char letter;
    if (counter%4 == 0)//Hexadecimal equivalent
    {
       iter = counter/4;
    }
    else if (counter%4 != 0)
    {
       iter = (counter/4)+1;
    }
    c1 = binaryValue;
    for (int h = 0, g = iter-1; h < iter; h++, g--)
    {
        powOf = g*4;
        if (h == 0)
        {
              tempHex = c1 / pow(10.0, powOf);
        }
        else if (h > 0)
        {
             tempHex = c1 / pow(10.0, powOf);
             tempHex %= 10000;
        }
        int count = ceil(log10(tempHex+1));
        tempDecimal1 = 0;
        for (int counterr = 0; counterr < count; counterr++)
        {
            if (tempHex%10 != 0)
            {
                 e1 = pow(2.0, counterr);
                 tempDecimal1 += e1;
            }
            tempHex /= 10;
        }
        if (tempDecimal1 <= 9)
        {
        cout << tempDecimal1;
        }
        else if (tempDecimal1 > 9)
        {
        cout << char(tempDecimal1+55); //ASCII's numerical value for A is 65. Since 10-15 are supposed to be letters you just add 55
        }
    }
    cout << endl;
    }
}
system("pause");
return 0;
}

Any recommendations for improvement will be appreciated.

A: You have already covered 'iomanip', which infers you've already covered 'iostream'.
If that's the case, have a look at the following:
#include <iostream>
#include <iomanip>
using namespace std;

int x = 250;
cout << dec << x << " "
     << oct << x << " "
     << hex << x << "\n"
     << x << "\n";       // This will still be in HEX

A: Break out the functions for each output type, then loop through the integer list and output each in turn by calling the function for each different format.
for (int i = 1; i <= 256; ++i)
{
  printBin(i);
  printHex(i);
  printOct(i);
}

Fundamental problem is that a function this long needs refactoring to be more modular.  Imagine you are writing the code for someone else to use.  How can they call your main?  How do they understand what each section of code is doing?  They can't.  If you make each section of code that has a particular job to do callable as a function then it's easier to understand its intent, and to reuse later.

A: Have you considered writing a general function that works with any base?
Converting a non-negative number to a generic base is simple... you just need to compute number % base and you get the least significant digit, then divide number by base and repeat to get other digits...
std::string converted_number;
do {
    int digit = number % base;
    converted_number = digits[digit] + converted_number;
    number = number / base;
} while (number != 0);

Once you have a generic conversion function then solving your problem is easy... just call it with base=2, 8 and 16 to get the results you need as strings.

A: My answer may be a bit tongue in cheek, but
 printf ("%u %o %x \n", value, value, value);

will do the trick for the octal and hexadecimal versions ;)
For the binary version, i'd use a flag initialized to 256, and compare it to your number with the AND operator. If true, print a 1, if not, print a 0. Then divide the flag by two. Repeat until the flag is 1.
Pseudocode for the conversion from integer to binary
int flag = 256
do
{
if (flag && value)
print "1"
else
print "0"
flag = flag >> 1 // aka divide by two, if my memory serves well
} while flag > 1

For the octal and hex values, i'm a bit rusty but looking around should guide you to samples you may adapt

A: Why make it any harder than it really is.
for (int i = 1; i <= 256; ++i)
{
    std::cout << std::dec << i << "\t" << std::oct << i << "\t" << std::hex << i << std::endl;
}

A: Try this
using namespace std;

template <typename T>
inline void ShiftMask(T& mask) {
    mask = (mask >> 1) & ~mask;
}

template < typename T >
std::ostream& bin(T& value, std::ostream &o)
{
    T mask = 1 << (sizeof(T) * 8 - 1);

    while (!(value & mask) && (mask != 0)) ShiftMask(mask);

    while (mask) {
        o << (value & mask ? '1' : '0');
        ShiftMask(mask);
    }

    return o;
}

int main(void) {
  for (int i=0; i<256;i++) {
    bin(a, std::cout);
    cout << " " << oct << i;
    cout << " " << dec << i;
    cout << " " << hex << i;
    cout << ""
  }
}

A: Maybe something like this?
#include "stdio.h"
int main(){
    char Chars[16]= {48,49,50,51,52,53,54,55,56,57,65,66,67,68,69,70};
    for(int n = 1;n != 256; n++)
    {
        {//decimal
            printf("%i\t", n);
        }
        {//Hexadecimal
            char L, R;
            R = (n & 0x0F) >> 0;
            L = (n & 0xF0) >> 4;
            printf("%c%c\t", Chars[L], Chars[R]);
        }
        {//Octal
            char L, M, R;
            R = (n & 0x07) >> 0;
            M = (n & 0x38) >> 3;
            L = (n & 0xC0) >> 6;
            printf("%c%c%c\t", Chars[L], Chars[M], Chars[R]);
        }
        {//Binary
            char B0, B1, B2, B3, B4, B5, B6, B7;
            B0 = (n & 0x01) >> 0;
            B1 = (n & 0x02) >> 1;
            B2 = (n & 0x04) >> 2;
            B3 = (n & 0x08) >> 3;
            B4 = (n & 0x10) >> 4;
            B5 = (n & 0x20) >> 5;
            B6 = (n & 0x40) >> 6;
            B7 = (n & 0x80) >> 7;
            printf("%c%c%c%c%c%c%c%c\n", Chars[B0], Chars[B1], Chars[B2], Chars[B3], Chars[B4], Chars[B5], Chars[B6], Chars[B7]);
        }
        printf("256\t100\t400\t100000000\n");
    }
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


The episode in Aurora, CO, is flooding the new channels and I'm pissed off. Therefore, with concurrence from Stable Hand, here's some thoughts from Mr. E. Blogger.
I believe in the power of prayer. I don't think I know anybody in Aurora, CO, but my prayers are for the families.
I have a theory. Just looking at the douchebag, or should I refer to him as the 'alleged' douchebag, this guy is narcissistic. He grew up playing baseball on teams and leagues that didn't keep score and at season's end everyone got a trophy.
Mr. James Holmes never experienced failure.
So, when he experienced life as an adult, he resorted to behavior motivated by his poorly-taught brain which was nourished in thoughts that he could never fail.
Mommy always comes kisses and ice cream.
Last I heard, 12 dead and 58 wounded.
I was watching live and the bas**rd made some strange facial expressions.
UPDATE by Rusty: I've added video of the hearing below.


text:
using PlainElastic.Net.Utils;

namespace PlainElastic.Net.Queries
{
    /// <summary>
    /// Filters documents matching the provided document / mapping type.
    /// Note, this filter can work even when the _type field is not indexed (using the _uid field)
    /// see http://www.elasticsearch.org/guide/reference/query-dsl/type-filter.html
    /// </summary>
    public class TypeFilter<T> : QueryBase<TypeFilter<T>>
    {

        /// <summary>
        /// Limits the number of documents (per shard) to execute on.
        /// </summary>
        public TypeFilter<T> Value(string type)
        {
            if (!type.IsNullOrEmpty())
            {
                RegisterJsonPart("'value': {0}", type.Quotate());
            }
            return this;
        }

        protected override bool HasRequiredParts()
        {
            return true;
        }

        protected override string ApplyJsonTemplate(string body)
        {
            return "{{ 'type': {{ {0} }} }}".AltQuoteF(body);
        }
    }
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Summit Announces Multi-Million Dollar Spring Expansion to Farmingdale
This project will bring natural gas access to Farmingdale and create jobs at a time of economic downturn
FARMINGDALE, ME – Summit Natural Gas of Maine (Summit) is breaking ground on a $3 million expansion project to Farmingdale this spring. The project will bring reliable and clean-burning natural gas to residential and commercial customers in the community, allowing many of them to convert from oil to cleaner burning natural gas.
"When it comes to energy, the peace of mind of a reliable fuel source is important, which is why we are excited to be bringing natural gas to Farmingdale. With natural gas, you pay only for what you use and, unlike other fuel sources, it's delivered directly to your home or business so it's there when you need it," said Summit's Lead Commercial Sales Representative Skye Austin. "I continually hear from businesses that access to natural gas is one of their key considerations when choosing where to locate. We look forward to partnering with the town of Farmingdale to help strengthen its local economy and put Mainers to work, while reducing emissions by providing businesses and residents a lower emission fuel alternative."
To help lower the cost of converting to natural gas, Summit and the Efficiency Maine Trust presently offer rebates and incentives of up to $3400 for residential customers and up to $6650 for commercial customers. Because of the disruption caused by COVID-19, Summit has extended their deadline for rebates until June 30 and has implemented new protocols to protect the health and safety of the community, customers and team members.
"At Summit, safety is first and foremost in our minds, whether we are responding to a customer call, interacting with team members in our offices, volunteering in our communities or installing new systems," said Austin. "In recent months, we've implemented new safety procedures for our team members in the field to guard against COVID-19, including enhancing personal protective equipment when required and instituting social distancing."
Portions of this project will be done at night to limit impact to traffic flow, enhance safety and limit interaction with community members. Summit is partnering with a construction company, Ferreira, on the expansion. Ferreira has committed to hiring field personnel local to the area to complete the project.
This is one of many expansion projects Summit has planned this summer. In total, Summit plans to invest up to $10 million in expansion projects in 2020. In addition to expanding to Falmouth, the company plans to expand access to natural gas in its Cumberland, Falmouth and Yarmouth service territories.
Since coming to Maine eight years ago, Summit has invested more than $360 million to build more than 280 miles of distribution pipe throughout the state. Summit provides natural gas to thousands of residents and most of the schools, colleges, hospitals and municipal buildings in its service areas.
If you are interested in converting to natural gas, please call Summit at 1-800-909-7642 Ext. 6.
Lizzy Reinholt
lreinholt@summitnaturalgas.com


A Chandigarh consumer forum said that it was the store's duty to provide a free paper bag to the customer who had bought their product.
Chandigarh resident Dinesh Prasad Raturi, in his complaint to the consumer forum, said that he had bought a pair of shoes from a Bata store in Sector 22D on February 5. The store charged him Rs 402 inclusive of the paper bag charges but he sought a refund of Rs 3 (paper bag charge) refusing to pay it and also demanded a compensation for deficiency in services.
However, the company has rebutted the allegations of deficiency in its services but the forum refused to give it any breather and said that forcing a consumer to pay for a paper bag was undoubtedly a glitch in Bata's services.
The regulator also said that it was the store's duty to provide a free paper bag to the customer who had bought their product, according to the report. The forum ordered Bata India to refund the cost of the bag (Rs 3) and pay for the litigation charges of Rs 1,000.
The regulator further directed Bata to pay the compensation of Rs 3,000 to the customer for the mental agony caused by the deficiency in services and ordered the company to pay Rs 5,000 in the legal aid account of the State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission.
The forum further ordered Bata India to provide free paper bags to its customers and also distinguished that if the companies were that worried about the environment, they must provide free environment-friendly bags to their customers.


Strycova B. - Riske A.
Vatutin A. - Maden Y.
Rosol L. - Novak. D.
K. Almaty - Shakhtar K.
Mmoh M. - Opelka R.
Tsitsipas T. - Rublev A.
Gibbs N. - Lao D.
Radnički Nis today plays without five standard players, should take advantage of this opportunity.
In the last three games PSG has literally lived on Monaco. They defeated them for 4-0, 7-1, 3-0. So, it's a big and painful defeat. I expect that sequence to continue.
Obviously, Thierry Henry will not help the Monaco team much. I expect the PSG to demonstrate all its strength in this game, and especially because they have failed to win Napoli in the CL game.


Christopher Henry knows as his popular name Chris Gayle. He is Jamaican Cricketer who plays international player for the West Indians and make records in all three formats. As you known Chris Gayle is RCB players and he plays superb, now second IPL match goes between Kings XI Punjab and Royal Challengers Bangalore Madras on Monday. Virat is not fit for this match and Ab De Villiers is relief from Bangalore fitness, all eyes will be on Royal Challengers Banglore Chris gayle would be unquestionably hopeful to go for the kill. He required 25 more runs to be the first batsman to score 10,000 T20 runs. Check out below, we are sharing the latest Collection of Chris Gayle IPL HD Photos, Pics, Images & Wallpaper | Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB).
So, guys, we are sharing the latest and marvelous collection of Indian Premier League(IPL), Chris Gayle IPL HD Photos, Pics, Images & Wallpaper | Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB). Then share with friends and family on social media. You can also download any IPL team wallpapers in HD right here, right now.


Shop Online for Carlton Showband - Rocklands Entertainment Inc.
For over thirty years the Carlton Showband entertained Canadians from coast to coast with their unique blend and wide variety of music and laughter. "The Carlton Showband" became a household name in Canada not long after they were selected to be the main focus of the CTV Television Show "The Pig 'N Whistle". Although now officially retired from live performances the last 6 members of the band periodically come together in reunion format to play, perform and laugh once again. Their music is timeless, and Rocklands Promotions is pleased to offer these titles for your enjoyment!


Can controlling your blood sugar levels and preventing Diabetes complications can be as simple as eating the right foods? The answer is yes. Certain foods are overflowing with nutritional substances that stabilize the blood sugar levels, protect out heart, and even save our vision from the harmful effects of Diabetes.
At a long-term research in Finland, researchers found that men who ate the largest amount of apples had 20% less diabetes or heart associated death. Their research indicated that the active ingredient responsible for this was quercetin.
If you can't find apples or don't like them (rare but happens), other lesser but still good sources of quercetin are onions, tomatoes, green vegetables and forest berries. So yes kids, your mother is right, eat more greens!
A research in Maryland, at the Human Nutrition Institute, found that if you add just half a spoon of Cinnamon a day to your diet, your cells will gradually become more sensitive to insulin. This means that they will metabolise sugar into energy in a more efficient process, and so will control the blood sugar levels better.
Diabetes patients who received an extract of cinnamon every day for 40 days straight experienced a noticeable reduction of sugar levels in the blood after eating, as well as marked improvements to the health of their hearts.
Don't forget – You can add cinnamon to almost anything. So keep it handy when cooking and add just a bit every day, it may prolong your life!
As you may already know, people who suffer from diabetes often have a shortage in vitamin C. So citrus fruits, chalk full of vitamin C as well as loads of antioxidants – are a great choice.
As if getting Diabetes isn't hell enough, those that suffer this disease have doubled their chance to suffer from heart disease. That is why a diet rich in the Omega-3 amino acid, also known as 'the good fat' in cold water fish, can help reduce the levels of 'bad' cholesterol while raising the levels of 'good' cholesterol.
Not only does it help reduce those frequent trips to the bathroom, but a research at the unviersity of Texas found that people who have raised their daily fiber intake from 24 grams to 50, have experienced dramatic improvements to their blood sugar levels. In fact, the fiber rich diet is no less effective than certain diabetes medicines.
Researchers at Tufts university found that dark chocolate can improve the cells sensitivity to insulin (much like cinammon as we've mentioned) and may reduce the risk of diabetes.
Dark chocolates, especially those that haven't gone through much processing, tend to contain more of substances called flavonoids, as well as less saturated fat than does milk chocolate. However, Cocoa powder and baking chocolate may offer a higher concentration of flavonoids than dark chocolate does. To those who like White chocolate, we have bad news – they typically contain none.
Research shows that chronic inflammation caused by fat-rich foods, little to no excersize and a diet lacking in the proper amounts of fruits, vegetables and 'good' fat – can increase your chances of getting hit with a cardiovascular disease and sabotage the body's attempts to absorb the sugar in your blood.
Simple solution: Drink green tea and orange juice. They are filled to the brim with substances that prevent and fight inflammation.
The green tea is also a wonderful source of antioxidants.
Two teaspoons of vinegar taken before a meal can help reduce our blood sugar levels, according to a research held at the university of Arizona, testing three groups of people: Healthy, Showing early diabetes signs, and full on diabetes.
The results: An hour after taking the vinegar, the diabetes patients had a 25% reduction in their blood sugar levels. To the healthy and those with early signs of diabetes the news was even better – A 50% reduction in their blood sugar levels.


The Xiaomi Redmi 5A has two variants, and even after Redmi 6A launch Xiaomi is still selling it in good numbers.
Xiaomi's best selling smartphone has reached a new milestone with 10 million devices sold. The budget-smartphone achieved this landmark within just nine months since it launched according to IDC's monthly smartphone tracker for August 2018. The company also claims that the Redmi 5A is the only smartphone in India to have retained the number one position and has continued its dominance in the budget segment.
Xiaomi is still selling the smartphone in India despite having launched the successor Redmi 6A last month. Both smartphones share a price point of Rs 5,999 for the 2GB RAM variant. The Xiaomi Redmi 5A has two variants, one that comes with 2GB RAM and 16GB internal storage priced at Rs 5,999, and the other one with 3GB RAM and 32GB internal storage priced at Rs 6,999.
In the photography department, the device is equipped with a 13-megapixel rear camera with f/2.2 aperture, LED flash, and PDAF support. Upfront, it features a 5-megapixel camera with f/2.0 aperture for taking selfies.


Management Consulting Startups Map has 8 startups.
Use the search bar to find Management Consulting startups to partner with in your city/country.
Browse the top ranking Management Consulting startups in your city and country, and see how you measure up to the competition.


This is a beautiful beaded jewelry bracelet has pink crystals beads that adorns a natural crystal center. Lovely and cute, this is a must have. The beautiful simplicity of this beaded jewelry bracelet is quite unique. This beaded jewelry works well on light and pastel colored apparel. Made with materials such as natural stone and pink crystals, this is jewelry is something to behold.
This beaded jewelry is an inspired creation that you should not find anywhere else.


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Summary and book reviews of A Good Hard Look by Ann Napolitano
Summary | Excerpt | Reading Guide | Reviews | Beyond the book | Readalikes | Genres & Themes | Author Bio
A Good Hard Look
by Ann Napolitano
Critics' Opinion:
Readers' Opinion:
Jul 2011, 336 pages
Jun 2012, 352 pages
Book Reviewed by:
BookBrowse First Impression Reviewers Buy This Book
Heartbreakingly beautiful and inescapably human, ordinary and extraordinary people chart their own courses in life. In the aftermath of one tragic afternoon, they are all forced to look at themselves and face up to the observation that the truth does not change according to our ability to stomach it.
Crippled by lupus at twenty-five, celebrated author Flannery O'Connor was forced to leave New York City and return home to Andalusia, her family farm in Milledgeville, Georgia. Years later, as Flannery is finishing a novel and tending to her menagerie of peacocks, her mother drags her to the wedding of a family friend.
Cookie Himmel embodies every facet of Southern womanhood that Flannery lacks: she is revered for her beauty and grace; she is at the helm of every ladies' organization in town; and she has returned from her time in Manhattan with a rich fiancé, Melvin Whiteson. Melvin has come to Milledgeville to begin a new chapter in his life, but it is not until he meets Flannery that he starts to take a good hard look at the choices he has made. Despite the limitations of her disease, Flannery seems to be more alive than other people, and Melvin is drawn to her like a moth to a candle flame.
Melvin is not the only person in Milledgeville who starts to feel that life is passing him by. Lona Waters, the dutiful wife of a local policeman, is hired by Cookie to help create a perfect home. As Lona spends her days sewing curtains, she is given an opportunity to remember what it feels like to be truly alive, and she seizes it with both hands.
Heartbreakingly beautiful and inescapably human, these ordinary and extraordinary people chart their own courses through life. In the aftermath of one tragic afternoon, they are all forced to look at themselves and face up to Flannery's observation that "the truth does not change according to our ability to stomach it."
The peacocks tilted their heads back and bellowed and hollered their desires into the night. They snapped their shimmering tails open and shut like fans. Behind each male's pointy head, a green-bronze arch unfurled, covered with a halo of gazing suns. The females brayed and shook their less-attractive tails in return.
The birds didn't care that it was the middle of the night, and they didn't care who they were disturbing. They didn't care that there was a wedding tomorrow, or that the groom, who had just arrived from New York City, was lying beneath a lace canopy at his in-laws' house, paralyzed with fear. They didn't care that his fiancé startled awake in the next room and toppled out of her high bed, and they certainly didn't care that her face hit a stool on the way down. They didn't care that the rest of the small Georgia town was also awake, twitching in their beds like beached fish.
The peacocks were not out to make friends. They were out to do ...
Read Full Excerpt
Please be aware that this discussion guide may contain spoilers!
Why does Napolitano open the novel with the screaming of the peacocks and with Cookie's fall? Why does she end the novel with a peacock's tail pushing through the net of its captor?
What kind of woman is Flannery O'Connor as she is portrayed in A Good Hard Look? How is she perceived by the people of Milledgeville? What crucial moments in the novel reveal her full depth and complexity?
Flannery has a "clear preference for fiction over reality, but reality wouldn't leave her alone" [p. 168]. How does reality intrude upon Flannery's desire to escape into her fiction? How does she respond to such intrusions?
Napolitano's writing is filled with vivid, arresting metaphors. The heat in the kitchen ...
BookBrowse Review
I first read this novel over a month ago and have just re-read it - and I am very glad I did. Some books are simply born to be re-read, and then probably read again! Very much in the way Melvin thought of Flannery O'Connor, this novel strategically rubbed the facade of the many social pretenses right off everyday small town social interactions. It was intriguing with moments of brilliance, and led the reader to look very closely at the things that really matter between the people in our lives! Highly recommended - for both personal reading and for book group discussions - Kathrin C (Reviewed by BookBrowse First Impression Reviewers).
Full Review (461 words).
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Ann Napolitano's novel, A Good Hard Look, with O'Connor occupying a central role, does the Georgia author proud. Be prepared to like this book. It's complicated and peacock-haunted and strange... At the heart of Napolitano's brave book lies that question: the mysteries of freedom, its price, and the unmarked paths we take to get there.
A fictional version of the life of the acclaimed Southern writer that is as vibrantly colorful as the peacocks raised on the O'Connor family farm in Milledgeville, Georgia… Napolitano makes no attempt to mimic O'Connor's singular style, but she does succeed in creating a wholly believable world shaped by duty, small pleasures, and fateful choices.
[S]harp and thoughtfully written; great for book clubs, so be glad that there's a guide.
[E]ven if the second can't quite live up to the first half, the whole is above average: muggy, sleepily enthralling, and worth a read.
Though Napolitano steeps her tale in the Southern gothic made famous by her famous character, she could have used O'Connor's help with her prose.
Paula McLain, author of The Paris Wife
In A Good Hard Look, Ann Napolitano seems to be channeling as well as portraying the fascinating Flannery O'Connor. With uncanny insight and perception, Napolitano pierces the surface of her characters' lives, laying bare their deepest desires. Small-town life rarely gets this riveting and real. What a superb book.
Hannah Tinti, author of The Good Thief
Ann Napolitano is an expert at carving out the interior lives of her characters, at revealing both the mystery and the manners of heartbreak. A Good Hard Look is not just a novel about an extraordinary American literary figure. It is an examination of how we can live our lives to the fullest.
Stacey Bosworth
An Authentic Life -- A Beautiful Book!
I just finished reading Ann Napolitano's latest book and I was immediately drawn into a world so rich with characters struggling to find themselves that the entire experience of reading the book took me on a personal journey as well. Napolitano's... Read More
Kathrin C. (Corona, CA)
195 p. GOOD; 99 p. HARD and 35 p. LOOK!
I first read this novel over a month ago, and then also read another half dozen books and so unfortunately lost track of the finer points. So I've just re-read it - and I am very glad I did. Some books are simply born to be re-read, and then probably... Read More
Terye B. (Scotts Valley, CA)
Absorbing book
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I was transfixed from the beginning. I began the story wanting to learn about Flannery O'Conner and found so much more. The tone was exceptional to me, it drew me in with it's Southern charm. Highly recommend this ... Read More
Barbara W. (Watertown, NY)
Thought Provoking With Engaging Characters
Absorbing read that engages you right from the start. You don't have to be familiar with O'Connor's work to enjoy the story about the author and her effect on the characters around her but you might be inspired to read some of the short stories ... Read More
...17 More Reader Reviews
A number of reviewers describe A Good Hard Look as "Southern Gothic". Gothic fiction generally combines elements of horror and romance, and might include, among many other features, psychological or physical terror, mystery, the supernatural, gothic architecture, darkness, death and madness. One of, if not the earliest example of a gothic novel is Horace Walpole's The Castle of Otranto (1764), and more recent examples include The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon, Shutter Island by Dennis Lehane and The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield.
Gothic writers tend to use the genre, in part, as a vehicle to criticize the morality of their era, but whereas traditional gothic novels tend to include ...
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1. Baroness Orczy, The Scarlet Pimpernel — It may not be the greatest novel from a literary standpoint, but it will always hold a special place in my heart! A French Revolution setting, spies disguised as dandies, swashbuckling heroes who rescue those in peril, and a wonderfully swoony romance all combine to make this one of my favorite books.
2. Sharon Kay Penman, Here Be Dragons — Sharon Kay Penman is one of my absolute favorite authors: She makes the Middle Ages come to life. I've read and enjoyed most of her books, but my favorite is the Welsh trilogy, which starts with Here Be Dragons. It's a fascinating blend of fact and fiction about a Welsh prince who strives to unite his people against the encroaching English barons. I'm making it sound dry, but it's actually full of romance, action, and political machinations!
3. Georgette Heyer, The Grand Sophy — To be honest, I could populate this entire list with Georgette Heyer novels. She truly is the queen of Regency romance! The Grand Sophy is probably my favorite of her novels (although Cotillion and Sylvester are right up there as well!). It features a delightful cast of characters, a strong-willed heroine, and a tightly wound hero with a surprisingly kind heart. An utter delight from start to finish!
4. Kate Ross, Cut to the Quick — I don't know why the Julian Kestrel mysteries aren't more popular, but everyone who has read them will tell you they're absolutely fantastic! The protagonist is a Regency dandy who solves crimes. If that doesn't intrigue and excite you, I don't know what will!
5. Elizabeth Wein, Code Name Verity — This is one of the more recent additions to my all-time favorites list. It's an intense, compelling story of the friendship between two girls who are both "doing their bit" in World War II, one as a pilot and the other as a spy. Although I sobbed through the last 60 pages or so, I absolutely loved this book!
6. Robin McKinley, The Outlaws of Sherwood — I encountered Robin McKinley at an impressionable age, and I think I basically imprinted onto her books like a baby duckling. Her books are generally shelved as fantasy, but I think The Outlaws of Sherwood is more like historical fiction. There's no magic or anything; the only fantasy element is that the main characters are Robin Hood and his merry men (and women!). For me, this book will always be the true Robin Hood story.
7. Patricia C. Wrede and Caroline Stevermer, Sorcery and Cecelia — Regency England + romance + magic = my personal recipe for a fantastic book! This novel has it all, AND it's epistolary!
8. Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society — I loved this epistolary novel set just after World War II, when a journalist strikes up a correspondence with several people who live on the island of Guernsey and learns about their wartime experiences. The voices of the various characters are wonderful, and I enjoyed their kindness toward one another, as well as their shared love of literature.
9. Mary Doria Russell, Doc — I haven't read many Westerns and am not particularly interested in the genre. But when I read Doc, I immediately thought, "This is why I love historical fiction." The novel completely immersed me in the dusty, lawless setting of the American West, and I found protagonist Doc Holliday as compelling as he was complex. I forced my mom (another reader who's indifferent to Westerns) to read it also, and she was equally blown away!
10. Ellis Peters, One Corpse Too Many — I've often sung the praises of the Brother Cadfael novels, which feature a crime-solving Benedictine monk in 12th-century Shrewsbury. This novel (book #2 in the series) remains my favorite, probably because it introduces one of my literary crushes, Hugh Beringar!
*Note: My definition of historical fiction is novels that are set in an earlier time period than the one in which they were written. This means that Dickens's A Tale of Two Cities would be historical fiction (written in 1859, set during the French Revolution), but Bleak House would not (written and set in the mid-19th century). It also means that, much as I adore Jane Austen's novels, none of them appear on this list!
Thanks! I love Cadfael so much…and I still have a few left to read because I've been savoring them!
I had one of Robin McKinley's books on my list – Beauty – a retelling of beauty & the Beast. I haven't read a Brother Cadfael book for a while. Code Name Verity is a book I've heard a few things about recently. Must try & get a hold of a copy. Great list!
I love Beauty! Really I just love all Robin McKinley, but it's definitely been a while since I read that one! And Code Name Verity is SO GOOD — the beginning is a bit slow, but it definitely draws you in!
Great list! I always think I am a primarily mystery reader, but historical fiction comes very close.Pimpernel, Verity, Cadfael, and Potato Pie are all ones I've read, and all so good!
Of the other ones, Doc interests me the most. Even if it isn't a genre I usually like (western) a well written book overrides the genre.
I do love mysteries too…I considered picking that as my genre, but I couldn't narrow it down to 10 favorites. As you can see, a few of them made it onto my list anyway! 🙂 And I hope you do decide to read Doc — it blew me away!
Oh, goodness. I couldn't agree more about The Outlaws of Sherwood.
Hooray, someone else who loves this book!!! It is one of my forever favorites.
Wow that's high praise for the Outlaws of Sherwood! I've always enjoyed Robin Hood as well and would love to read more interpretations. I think I've seen that book before… may have to find it. And Here Be dragons sounds great! I think I'd like it.


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Rez Abbasi Acoustic Quartet – 'Intents and Purposes'
Music is wide and music is expansive. It has pockets and nooks and crannies where some of us may never trod. We face it with open ears but there's just no way for us to appreciate all of it for it comes from so many homes, so many reaches, so many sources of inspiration. They've been there all along, just waiting for us to uncover them. These are those moments when some of us discover Led Zeppelin, or Marley, or even Miles for that first time. Or Kraftwerk later. Or Willie Nelson. Every fan of music has those moments of discovery of the little nooks and crannies in the music, if we're hungry enough having them.
While this group always sounds great no matter the compositions, there's just something about how this quartet explores these songs that are fairly well known in the jazz canon. They've always been compositions that welcome taking a stroll with the melody hand in hand, even outside of the pocket of the compositions' original electronic 70s sound. The fact that Abbasi could grab hold onto that idea so cleanly and really explore with these tunes so satisfyingly makes this an album worthy of special praise.
Bill Ware has made for some of the cleanest vibes playing one may hear all year, or at the very least will make other vibes players sweat under the collar a bit. His accenting playing is maybe even stronger than his soloing, providing just the right tone and shading to these songs.
What more praise can be heaped on Stephan Crump that hasn't been said before? He plays, as always, like he's having a total blast. These songs seem just made for his joyous sustaining beat on the bass, but he seems a little more subdued playing on this album than in other recent releases with his own Rosetta Trio or alongside Vijay Iyer. Crump serves the songs like no other and Intents and Purposes rises above in part because of this.
However, it's the click-clack brilliance and variation that Eric McPherson displays on the drums on this album that gives Intents and Purposes its snap. McPherson's choices on the kit lets these songs breathe and grow into new beasts while still maintaining the energy they always had. He's busy without being overwhelming, and he should be that busy. He's doing a lot so well and so subtly, one would hardly notice how great these songs are while McPherson is working so hard.
In essence, this quartet sounds great, as one would expect they would. They've made yet another album together that you should hear, as you should expect. But the decision to play these songs that so many know so well and make them even more satisfying in 2015 in an entirely different accomplishment that rises above already high expectations. Rez Abbasi Acoustic Quartet's Intents and Purposes is an album of songs you've heard already and you'll still want to hear these guys tackle them over and over again simply because they play them just that well.
Intents and Purposes, the latest album from the Rez Abbasi Acoustic Quartet, is out now on ENJA Records.
Categories Blog, Reviews Tags Stephan Crump


The HS50 Stereo is Corsair's new mainstream 3.5mm headset, which will sit alongside the Void Pro flagship range. We assume that more advanced SKUs of the HS50 will launch, but nothing has been confirmed. For this model, using an analogue connection means that Corsair cannot offer any lighting or fancy audio effects like virtual surround sound, but this could be a blessing in disguise if comfort and sound quality remain strong. At this price, the HS50 Stereo faces stiff competition from the ever-present HyperX Cloud, but Corsair actually undercuts that slightly, and the designs looks strikingly similar, so let's see if it can compete elsewhere.
We were a little alarmed at how lightweight the HS50 initially felt, but thankfully this belies its build quality, which is actually great. The HS50 feels durable thanks to its metal headband and aluminium yokes that attach the earcups; the latter are plastic but still rigid. There is no exposed wiring, keeping the look clean, and being lightweight is a benefit for comfort too.
The non-detachable, rubberised, 1.8m cable terminates in a mobile-style (four-pole) 3.5mm jack, making it compatible with consoles (Xbox One needs an adaptor, sold separately), and mobile devices, but a splitter cable is included for those with dual three-pole jacks such as those found on PC front panels.
The all-black carbon SKU is the least expensive of the range, as Corsair also has Xbox One and PS4-oriented gamers for £60, the former coming with green stitching on the headband and green highlights on the earcup, and the latter replacing the green with blue. Note that the Xbox One one still does not include the necessary adaptor.
The left earcup has onboard controls: a wheel for volume control and a button for microphone muting. The microphone itself is detachable and plugs into a standard jack covered by a removable rubber tab. This makes a bit more fussy than integrated solutions, but it's also cleaner and looks better if you're on the go – I certainly wouldn't feel silly wearing these out and about, which is more than can be said for many headphones.
The HS50 is a rather large headset. I usually have to increase the extension on the headbands to get a comfortable fit, but here I found that none was necessary, even though they can extend a fair amount. Rotation on the earcups is a bit limited, but they still fit well. There is a generous application of padding on the headband and the oval-shaped earcups (memory foam). I found the HS50 was a bit firmer against my skull than the HyperX Cloud and that the clamping force was a tad more noticeable under my ears than I'd prefer. Nevertheless, the Cloud has always excelled in comfort, and Corsair comes very close here; I'd happily wear these for hours at a time without fuss.
Corsair is using 50mm neodymium drivers here, and initial impressions from my usual test tracks were very positive. The bass has suitable punch for a gaming headset without getting flabby at the lowest frequencies and without detracting from songs. Vocals sound natural, the mid-range is rarely too crowded, and highs are crisp and sharp – though still not quite to the degree that they are on the Cloud. High-octane games like shooters and racers sound great as well. In short, it's a very good audio solution for the price.
The flexible unidirectional microphone is easily positioned to wherever suits you, and Corsair claims that it has noise-cancelling properties. We found this to be accurate if the sound was coming from behind the mic, such as from your keyboard or speakers, with our voice even when whispered being clearer than those loud sounds when deliberately made loud. However, noise from the headset itself can carry quite easily into the mic, so if you play at loud volume you risk annoying teammates. Actual voice clarity is fairly good; there seems to be a focus on recording higher frequencies, so you shouldn't sound too booming and will be easier to pick out in explosive battlefields.
One final thing of note is that the headset is Discord-certified. The popular chat software offers this certification process for free to manufacturers, and you can find more information here as well as a list of headsets that passed certification. Corsair's HS50 is by no means the only headset to feature this, but if you're a big fan of Discord this may add weight to your buying decision.
For £55, this is an impressive headset. There are certainly similarities to the HyperX Cloud, but given the success and popularity of said headset, you can hardly blame Corsair, and we've confirmed that it is actually the company's own product rather than the HyperX one, which is licensed from Qpad. It doesn't quite dethrone the Cloud in sound quality or comfort, but it gives it a very good run for its money and is a decent and actually a slightly cheaper alternative. Well played, Corsair.


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Politismos eMagazine | The Parthenon of Saint Nektarios
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POLITISMOS MUSEUM OF GREEK HISTORY
The "Parthenon" of Saint Nektarios
Saint Nektarios settled in Aegina in 1908, after several years of looking for a place to house a monastery – an "Ecclesiastical Parthenon", as he called it – where he wished to spend his later years. He found the old abandoned monastery of the Zoodochos Pigi, near the village of Kondos in Aegina…
It was here where Saint Nektarios decided to accommodate four women who were under his spiritual guidance at the time, along with three more local nuns. Apart from renovating the existing establishment he also built the convent of the Holy Trinity. The monastery began to operate under his guidance, in 1904, while he was still the director of the Rizarios School in Athens. In 1908 he resigned from Rizarios and dedicated his life to the convent. His reputation was constantly growing and many donations were directed to the newly founded church. Within four years he had raised enough funds to accommodate more nuns as well as contribute to the welfare of the many islanders and families in need.
Despite his poor health, Saint Nektarios never stopped labouring hard to grow the monastery. He personally worked on building a new guest-dormitory compound, landscaping and planting the gardens, and opening roads to and from the settlement.
Today, the monastery is considered an exquisite example of traditional Greek Orthodox art and architecture. It stretches on the hillside of Palaiochora (where medieval Aegina used to lie), just 3.7 miles from Aegina's port. Its latest addition, the massive Cathedral dedicated to Saint Nektarios, is said to be one of the biggest temples in the Balkans. It features two impressive bell towers with exceptional acoustics, four sets of windows crowned by arches, splendid marble floors, elaborate mosaics, striking wood-curved panels, and imposing iconographies.
The complex also includes a smaller chapel dedicated to the much revered Saint, and his former personal residence, which houses a major collection of his belongings, photographs, documents, and a remarkable library. The writings of Saint Nektarios are currently acknowledged for both their scientific validity and great spiritual value.
Serene gardens, courts, stairways accentuate the exterior of the monastery and verandas of white marble that sparkle under the warm Aegina sun. At the forecourt, sheltered under a quaint little chapel, lies Saint Nektarios' grave, near the billowing tree where he often used to rest.
Today, the monastery is under the jurisdiction of the Holy Metropolis of Hydra, Spetses, Aegina, Hermionida & Troezen. Saint Nektarios is celebrated each year, on September 3 (Translation of the Relics) and November 9 (Assumption), when hundreds of faithful from around the world flock to the island to pay their respects to the blessed saint.
To learn more, visit:
www.aeginagreece.com
15 Oct 2017, by Athina Pantazatou in Historyx
TAGS: Convent of the Holy Trinity, Ecclesiastical Parthenon, Holy Metropolis of Hydra, Palaiochora, Rizarios, Saint Nektarios, Zoodochos Pigi
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text:
Q: TypeError: "'caller', 'callee', and 'arguments' properties may not be accessed on strict mode functions or the arguments objects for calls to them" I am getting this error " TypeError: "'caller', 'callee', and 'arguments' properties may not be accessed on strict mode functions or the arguments objects for calls to them "  Whenever I try to call a function from my resolution in my promise. This was working perfectly fine for multiple days and now all of a sudden it doesnt work. I also tried passing the same values through the resolution in the promise. The function that is causing this error is: this.authenticateUser(registerForm.value);
I have tried adding different values to the function parameter field doesn't work. The
import { NgForm } from '@angular/forms';
import { Router } from '@angular/router';
import { HttpClient, HttpHeaders } from '@angular/common/http';

import { NotificationService } from '../notification/notification.service';
import { UserInterface } from 'src/app/models';

@Injectable({
  providedIn: 'root'
})
export class UserService {

  constructor(
    private httpClient: HttpClient,
    private router: Router,
    private notificationService: NotificationService,
  ) { }

  registerUser(registerForm: NgForm){
    console.log(registerForm.value)
      if( registerForm.value.email && registerForm.value.userName
          && registerForm.value.firstName && registerForm.value.lastName
          && registerForm.value.password && registerForm.value.confirmPassword
           ){

            if( registerForm.value.password === registerForm.value.confirmPassword ){

                this.httpClient.post(window.location.protocol + '//' + window.location.hostname + ':3000/register', registerForm.value)
                .toPromise()
                .then(
                  (res) => {
                    this.authenticateUser(registerForm.value);
                  }
                ) .catch((err) => { console.log(err); this.notificationService.addNotification(err); })

            } else { this.notificationService.addNotification('Password\'s Do Not Match'); }

      } else { this.notificationService.addNotification('Fill In All Fields'); }
  }

  loginUser(loginForm: NgForm) {
    if( loginForm.value.email && loginForm.value.password) {
      this.authenticateUser(loginForm.value);
    } else {
      this.notificationService.addNotification("Fill In All Field\'s");
    }
  }

  authenticateUser(loginData) {
    console.log.arguments(loginData);
    this.httpClient.post(window.location.protocol + "//" + window.location.hostname + ":3000/login", loginData)
      .toPromise()
      .then(
        (res: UserInterface) => {
          localStorage.setItem('token', res.token);
          this.notificationService.addNotification('Login Successful');
          this.router.navigate((['/dashboard']));
        }
      )
      .catch((err) => { this.notificationService.addNotification(err); console.log(err);})
  }

  isLoggedIn() {

  }

} ```

Just trying to run this function in the resolution of this promise.

A: There is an error or mistype console.log.arguments(loginData) which should be console.log(loginData)
The error is saying arguments property is forbidden in strict mode. And Typescript always compiles to strict mode Javascript.


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text:
We tried to feed family of four for less than a tenner at Marks & Spencer
It wasn't as hard as you might think
You might think it's a little ambitious to expect to feed a family of four with just £10 in Marks & Spencer.
Well, actually it's not as hard as you might think.
The challenge was to get a three course meal for a family of four for £10.
I took a look around the Marks & Spencer food hall in Broad Street, Reading , Berkshire to see whether it could be done.
It turns out you can have a delicious Italian-inspired meal at Marks & Spencer for just £8.15.
The cheapest beef mince we could find was £1.80 for a 600g pack of beef mince.
Sauces cost much the same everywhere, and while you won't find 'the nations favourite' Dolmio here, M&S' own Italian Tomato Pasta Sauce for £1.80.
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And the pasta was amazing value: the Italian Spaghetti and Penne both cost 55p.
It meant I could get all the ingredients for spaghetti Bolognese for less than £10.
A short walk to the cooked meat aisle, we found a range of tasty continental meats which could serve as a starter.
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The Spanish Chorizo Selection was the cheapest we could find to satisfy four hungry stomachs, at £2 for a 130g pack.
Now, to the dessert. Four packs of desserts were pretty cheap - four eclairs cost £2, or you could get four egg custard tarts for even less at £1.65.
So with the eclairs, that weighs in at £8.15, which leaves £1.85 for slightly more expensive Pasta, one garlic baguette stick, or some less fatty beef mince.
Marks & Spencer in Reading (Image: Google Maps)
Or, you could quench your first with a 1.25 litre coke bottle for £1.
Two garlic baguettes tipped the scales a bit too much - they cost £1.90, so 5p over my £10 budget.
After, that, the £10 becomes a bridge too far for the M&S range.
I managed to find two 300g chicken breast fillets reduced from £2.50 to £1.74 - the basis for an Indian curry.
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Prices for a range of curry sauces all came in at £1.80.
Rice came in at 80p for the cheapest pack of USA long grain rice.
Perhaps the most costly thing on was the desserts.
Most desserts cost £1.70 for two, inflating the overall meal cost by £3.40 for a family of four.
Examples included custard doughnuts, cream doughnuts, jam and cream horns and more treats.
The Marks & Spencer Foodhall in Broad Street, Reading. Can you feed a family of four a three course meal for £10? (Image: James Aldridge - Get Reading)
Getting starters was tricky as well.
But I did manage to find 300g of houmous for £1.60, an a continental Sandwich Selection £2.
Both could be coupled with a full baguette for 85p, or a loaf of white or wholemeal bread for 55p.
We tried to feed family for less than a tenner at M&S - this is what happened
Ultimately, the combination of two packs of chicken and the new dessert and starter options pushed me over the £10 mark.
Getting rid of the dessert made it better, leaving me at £8.53.
Granted, I did my foraging at 10am, perhaps the worst time to get a bargain. But what M&S does offer is great meals for couples.
A couple could get two pizzas and three other items (examples included salad, frites and garlic mushrooms) for £10.
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Alternatively, two mains and two sides from its Chinese and Indian takeaway ranges cost £10 on offer as weel.
So, I come back from my M&S shopping trip with mixed results.
Yes, you can feed a family of four a three course meal - but you'd be hard pressed to do so without items in the reduced section.
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text:
WALSH OBSESSED WITH DETHRONING DAVIS
Liam Walsh is so intent on taking the IBF world super-featherweight title from Gervonta Davis he left his wife in labour for a training camp.
Son Ryan was born last month, hours after leaving the family home in Cromer for a sparring trip to Wales. That meant it was several days before Walsh saw his latest arrival for the first time.
He hopes that sort of dedication will help defeat fast rising American star Davis at London's Copper Box Arena on Saturday night.
Walsh unbeaten in 21 fights said: "I left my missus in labour a couple of weeks ago on a Thursday because I had to go to Wales for training.
"She gave birth the next day and I didn't get to see Ryan until five days later. That is part of the sacrifices I have had to make for this fight.
"He is named after my twin brother and my other son after our eldest brother Michael.
"People think I'm mad, but my brothers mean everything to me. It's the way we are. None of us actually own anything. Anything we have is ours. When I win this fight it will be for the family."
There is a stack of hype surrounding Davis who is tipped to become the world's pound-for-pound King by his promoter, Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Davis landed in Britain earlier this week and ring great Mayweather Jr will be here for the fight, but Walsh is ready for any mind games they might play on him before fight night.
Walsh, who celebrates his 31st birthday on Thursday added: "I am prepared for anything he wants to do, but come weigh-in time I strictly advise him to stay at arms length.
"Were fighters first and foremost, but although I'm prepared for anything I am professional and will conduct myself in the right way.
"But you can only push me so far before you overstep the boundary."
All floor seating at the Copper Box Arena has SOLD OUT.
Remaining tickets priced £40 and £50 are available from www.seetickets.com and www.ticketmaster.co.uk


text:
G-20 & The Financial War
by Tyler Durden | Dec 1, 2018 | Uncategorized |
Authored by Alasdair Macleod via GoldMoney.com,
This weekend, the G20 nations meet at Buenos Aires. The most important issue will be America's use of trade policy, ostensibly to bring an end to China's unfair trade practices. Rather, it could mark a significant milestone in the cold war against China and drive the global economy into a slump.
President Trump initiated the trade war with China. There is a widespread assumption he is pursuing his "art of the deal", coming into negotiations aggressively to get a satisfactory compromise. Therefore, the script goes, China will be forced to climb down on its restrictive practices, technology and patent theft, and modify its Made in China 2025 (MiC2025) initiative to open it to American corporations. Trade negotiators from both sides have been working in the background to achieve some sort of progress before Presidents Trump and Xi meet at the G20 this weekend, which buoys up hopes of a positive outcome.
If so, it will be the start of a more public process, perhaps with threatened trade tariffs deferred. Meanwhile, the rhetoric on tariffs has escalated in recent weeks, as is often the case in negotiations when President Trump is involved, and particularly when deadlines loom. But there are concerns the situation is more serious than this optimistic version of events would have us believe.
This article briefs readers about the bigger picture behind this trade spat, which is just one battle in an ongoing financial conflict between China and America. Worryingly, it takes place against a deteriorating economic outlook for the world's largest trading bloc, the EU.
The trade tariff position
American sources have been upping the rhetoric against China's trade ahead of the G20 both generally and specifically. For example, the US has accused China's Huawei of planting spyware in electronic equipment. Huawei is a major global telecoms manufacturer and a leader in the development of 5G mobile technology, set to become more important to data transfer technology than broadband, and the Americans obviously want to shut them out of this market.
It was widely believed the Trump administration pursued a tough stance against China's unfair trade practices to maximise the Republican's success in the mid-term elections. If so, it was a policy that failed, with the Democrats gaining 38 seats in Congress. In any event, the mid-terms are no longer relevant to American trade policy, if they ever were.
The wider trade concerns expressed by America are over access to China's markets for American corporations, the protection of intellectual property, and exclusion from MiC2025. But with MiC2025, it is a case of the American pot calling the Chinese kettle black, because America is also increasingly protectionist. However, there are small adjustments China can make to seek a trade resolution, for example modifying or dropping clauses limiting foreign involvement in key industries. Furthermore, there are pressures on the American side to seek an accommodation with China from both American-based multinationals with cost-effective supply chains in China, and from financial markets which have nose-dived in recent weeks. Add to that the soya farmers in the US, and resolving trade disputes should be a no-brainer.
Assuming a positive outcome, we can then expect that China's economy, which has become a material driver for global economic growth, will have significant negative pressures lifted from it. The yuan will then rally, and with it a decent recovery in US stockmarkets will surely follow. US stockmarkets are important to Trump, having hitched his wagon to them. Surely, he would like to see higher stock prices. China would also welcome a trade deal. In China, the uncertainty is affecting the availability of bank finance for private sector manufacturers and undermining consumer sentiment.
With MiC2025, China wants to catch up with the West when it comes to manufacturing technologically-advanced products. Its objective is reasonable. MiC2025 has singled out ten sectors for government support, from robotics to transport, to new-generation IT, to bio-pharma. By encouraging development in industrial sectors, China is doing what all other governments do, including the US, and the US surely knows it.
Therefore, if trade is the genuine concern, all reason suggests a positive outcome from this weekend's G20 will occur, the yuan will rally as will Wall Street. And President Trump will be praised by American industry and financial markets for his successful negotiating strategy.
But…but…
There is a deep problem with this analysis, which was exposed at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Port Moresby, capital of Papua New Guinea two weeks ago. For the first time ever, APEC broke up without a joint communiqué. It was also reported that the police were called after Chinese diplomats tried to force their way into PNG's foreign ministry. Geopolitics overshadowed trade issues with tensions boiling to the surface. US Vice-President Mike Pence accused China of debt diplomacy, whereby China was creating debt slaves of the smaller nations.
It was in short, a diplomatic disaster. It was also a timely reminder that there is a bigger picture, with America determined to limit Chinese expansion. The politics included criticism of China's annexation of reefs in the South China Sea as well as the "debt slave" issue. The US, in conjunction with Australia, promised to develop a naval base at Lombrum on Manus Island, about 350 km north of PNG. Furthermore, the US has agreed with Australia and Japan to spend some $2bn improving PNG's infrastructure, including electricity.
Doubtless, the US feels it has now bought PNG's cooperation in its cold war against China and prevented China's exploitation of PNG's resource potential. It hopes to have called a halt to China's economic expansion into the South Pacific. Australia will also have greater security from her largest customer, if it is needed in future.
Another delicate issue is Taiwan, with America sending two warships through the Taiwan Strait in a move seemingly designed to provoke China. So those hoping for a positive outcome from the G20 might like to note that it is at odds with the way America is moving on the Pacific chessboard.
The world is changing
In any attempt to divine the economic future, it is a mistake to think only in terms of China and America. The largest economic bloc by GDP is the EU, and it has also been cast into a trade and political never-never land by President Trump. The EU is losing its security blanket, which has always been provided by the US through NATO. It is now planning its own army, which will almost certainly take over from NATO in the longer term. Trade differences with the US have been put on ice but are still there.
The EU's approach to trade is deeply protectionist, having imposed over 12,500 tariffs on imports into the EU. Additionally, Brussels regulates to the micro level what products can be sold within the EU. So, in the case of Huawei's 5G technology referred to above, the battle in Europe is less about security issues (though they are always there) but more about influencing or responding to the regulatory regime, which is effectively controlled by its European competitors based in the EU.
In this context, Britain losing all her power to restrain protectionist instincts in the EU is crucial. The UK has been the driving force in supporting liberal trade policies against protectionist France and Germany, and following Brexit that is now no longer the case. The EU is bound to become increasingly inward-looking as a consequence of Brexit, increasing both tariffs and regulations. Add to this a developing euro crisis, with interest rates stuck below the zero bound, and it is hard to see how the EU will not resort to increasing state control of both money and trade.
From China's point of view, the time when her export business drove her economy must be in its sunset phase. Even if a trade agreement with the US is achieved in the coming months, there's no guarantee Trump will not renege on a deal. China's leadership had planned for this some time ago, with a state-induced shift of economic emphasis away from export dependency. Instead, there is a strategic move towards a more service-oriented economy, with better infrastructure and improved living standards for a rapidly growing middle class. But the pace of this strategic change is being swiftly overtaken by events. Therefore, China's leadership needs to accelerate its plans in the light of both President Trump's trade and security policies, and the knock-on effects of Brexit on EU trade policy.
The implications for global growth are undoubtedly negative, even dire. If China accelerates her plans towards a service and technologically driven economy, it is bound to lead to a temporary rise in unemployment from its redundant export industries before labour is transitioned to the new. The social consequences could become destabilising.
In the US, the problem is a potentially stagnating economy coupled with rising prices, fuelled in part by tariffs on imported goods. Only this week, Trump made it clear not only is he prepared to increase tariffs from 10% to 25% on $200bn of Chinese imports from 1 January but is prepared to extend tariffs to all Chinese imports. The walking shadows of Smoot and Hawley once more strut and fret upon the global stage.
It may be the art of the deal, and President Trump displays the bravado of someone who has his opponent on the run. If so, he risks the enjoyment of the chase while ignoring the collateral damage. But the threat of tariff-inflated prices cannot be ignored by the Fed. If President Trump refuses to find a means whereby China can save face, which is rapidly becoming the single most important issue this coming weekend, the prospects for not only China's economy, but that of the US and the EU as well, will rapidly deteriorate.
UN court rejects Pakistan's argument in Indian spy case


text:
HOME / WORLD / A Middle East in Motion
A Middle East in Motion
Alastair Crooke
Monday 19 Apr 21
U.S. sanctions are easily done, but not easily undone – even temporarily. Lifting them completely is institutionally almost impossible.
If we view the Middle East as a complex network system, it is possible to discern a number of dynamics that now are touching on their potential to shift the regional matrix entirely – to put it on a fresh path.
Some of these 'seeds' were sown, a while past: President Putin, in 2007 at Munich, told the largely western audience that the West had taken an adversarial stance toward Russia, challenging it. 'Ok', said Putin: We accept the challenge, and we shall prevail. His statement was met with open derision from the Munich audience.
Now, many years later, following the contentious exchanges at Anchorage, Putin's riposte has emerged fully-fledged: China told Washington flatly, that it refused the imposition of western values and hegemony. China thus accepted, with Russia, the 'western challenge': It had its own values and vision that it intended to pursue, and noted that the U.S. was in no position of strength to demand otherwise. China (or Russia) does not seek war with the U.S. – nor want Cold War, either – but both stand steadfast by their 'red lines'. They should be taken literally (i.e. they were no 'posture'), China indicated.
Two days later, the Chinese FM and Lavrov advised other states not even to contemplate siding with the U.S. against the Russia-China concerted 'team'; it would be pointless. A few days later Wang Li was in the Middle East – Saudi Arabia, UAE and then Tehran. The message was uniform: throw off the yoke of hegemony; resist 'pressures' on human rights issues; and embrace your own sovereignty. A Rubicon crossed.
In Iran, FM Wang Li signed-up, in principle, to $400bn in transport and energy infrastructure projects. From the perspective of China, a Eurasian spider's web of inter-connecting rail tracks and pipelines potentially slashes the costs of transportation; creates new markets – whilst investment in Iranian energy gives China energy security.
The Chinese-Iranian roadmap however, also envisages security co-operation (with China endorsing Iranian full membership of the SCO), joint naval exercises, intelligence sharing, and more. Even more significant perhaps will be Iran's incorporation into the Eurasian Digital Silk Road, incorporating telecommunications, fibre optic cabling from China to France, 5G, 'Smart City' AI systems, digital payment platforms (U.S. hedge fund manager Kyle Bass argues that China's digital payment systems will reach an estimated 62% of the world's population), cloud storage analytics, and 'sovereign' internet structures.
Iran, although not yet a part of the Digital Road, effectively is already (loosely) digitally 'Chinese', as is much of West Asia. Some estimates suggest that one-third of the countries participating in BRI—138 at this point—are cooperating on DSR projects.
Western narratives generally overestimate the extent to which DSR-related projects are part of a coordinated Chinese strategy. Projects lumped under DSR however, are largely private sector-driven, and allow Chinese companies to take advantage of policy support provided under the DSR brand (a type of franchise), while responding to growing demand in BRI countries for digital infrastructure. Until recently, BRI was understood largely in the more traditional mode (i.e. railways and pipes), than as a digital 'road'; but it is the latter that ultimately will separate a 'Chinese standards Eurasia' from the West.
Just to be clear, whichever way you slice the RBI snakes and ladders matrix of interconnectivity – either, east-west, or north-south – Iran lies plumb-centre on the map. The point here is that much of the northern tier of the Middle East – from Pakistan to the Caspian, to the Black Sea to the Mediterranean and Europe – is on Moscow and Beijing's drawing board.
As the physical and digital network emerges from its chrysalis, no Gulf State will be able wholly to disregard this unfolding geo-political entity stretching from Vladivostok to Xingjian. In fact, they are not; they are cautiously (mindful of Washington's ire), extending tentacles out to Moscow and Beijing (Saudi and UAE are already on the DSR) – but they seem unlikely to go the whole hog of the full engagement, as Iran has done with China. How long it is viable to juggle both Chinese protocols and standards with those of the West, is an open question – eventually duplication of standards becomes clumsy, and expensive.
It is against this 'right-side-of-history' context that the JCPOA negotiations with Iran should be seen. The State Department indicates that Biden circles insist the U.S. will come into compliance; yet officials also say contrarily that some sanctions will remain (unspecified as to number, or typology). This is hardly surprising. There are some 1,600 sanctions that have been added post-JCPOA, together with those already in force under the Iran Sanctions Act of 1996, the Comprehensive Iran Sanctions, Accountability, and Divestment Act of 2010, Section 1245 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012, the Iran Threat Reduction and Syria Human Rights Act of 2012, the Iran Freedom and Counter-Proliferation Act of 2012, the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, and the CAATSA Act of 2017!
The Obama administration implemented most of the U.S. sanctions relief provided under the JCPOA by executing a series of national security waivers. The latter also left a number of sanctions in place, including the embargo on most U.S. trade with Iran, sanctions on Iran's Revolutionary Guards Corps, and other sanctions on Iran's alleged support for terrorism, and linked to Iran's ballistic missile programme. These national security waivers, however, are time-limited in duration, generally for either 120 or 180 days, depending on the specific sanction, and some require the Administration to justify any waiver and advance an argument in support of such, for prior Congressional review.
In short, U.S. sanctions are easily done, but not easily undone – even temporarily. Very deliberately, lifting them completely is institutionally almost impossible. It is not at all clear that the U.S. administration can come into full compliance – even if it so wished (and even the extent of Biden's motivation to lift them is opaque). There have been recently two bi-partisan Congressional letters addressed to Blinken expressing opposition to any reactivation of the 'deal' (one containing 140 Congressional signatures). We must wait to see.
Yet, Iran notionally in the Accord – but with the U.S. 'out' – nonetheless will be a regional game-changer, especially should a conservative be elected Iranian President, in June. The consequences will be felt across the region. The pressures to oust U.S. forces from the northern tier states will augment significantly.
A third dynamic (from Obama times), is that U.S., grudgingly, is dis-engaging from the region. This, of course, has given impetus to normalisation by some states with Israel – to shelter under its security umbrella.
Another is that the end to the era of Netanyahu (with his fixation on confronting Iran) may be approaching. Israel now is wholly fragmented at the decision-making level: the security cabinet does not meet; there is no oversight to the PM's go-it-alone, decision-making; and security institutions are pushing into the void vying to have one-over on their rivals.
Netanyahu possibly is attempting to signal to Washington that he has a veto over any Iran 'deal', and is suspected by Israeli commentators also to be inducing a crisis atmosphere in Israel order to bludgeon small parties into joining a government led by him. He has less than three weeks to find 61 Knesset seats – or face the possibility of imprisonment for bribery and corruption. (The trial already has started). The reality is that cohesion will not readily return to Israeli politics, whether or not Netanyahu survives. Israel is bitterly divided on too many fronts.
Many Israeli officials, in short, are fearful that its various agencies, vying to prove their mettle, and absent any real oversight or policy co-ordination, may over-reach – and enter the state into a risky escalatory military cycle with Iran.
Washington is in a hole: Netanyahu and Mossad have sold to team Biden the meme that secretly the Iranians now are begging for the U.S. return to the JCPOA. It is not true. Netanyahu insists on this line to validate his long-held hypothesis that maximum pressure would bring Iran to its knees. He want to prove his point through max-pressures continuing (maybe 'forever').
Netanyahu's premise always has been that Iran, on its knees, would beg to be allowed to return to the JPOA. He was wrong – and many Israelis now accept this. But perhaps it was this politically gerrymandered Israeli analysis that caused team Biden to imagine that Iran would accept to go to full JCPOA compliance, whilst the U.S. didn't. And further, that Iran would acquiesce to "certain" sanctions staying.
Tags: ChinaIranIsraelJCPOAMiddle EastsanctionUSA
Alastair Crooke is the founder and director of the Conflicts Forum, which works for engagement between political Islam and the West.
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The Stand Up For Pits Foundation is nonprofit dedicated to educating, advocating and saving the lives of pit bull "type" dogs and has been producing live comedy events nationwide for nine years! These incredible events have saved countless lives, help rescues and shelters nationwide, and have helped place dogs in loving forever homes.
In addition to raising funds and awareness, these events include a velvet hippo (dog) adoption, silent auction, merchandise for sale, and an amazing comedy show with some of the nations best comedians!
The Stand Up For Pits Foundation is thrilled to be coming to Greenwood Village, CO for the first time. We look forward to standing up for our inherently good dogs with all of you!
The SUFP Donation Drive will also be happening curbside from 4:00pm-7:00pm!! PLEASE BRING SOME SHELTER SUPPLIES! These simple supplies are always desperately needed and make all the difference in the world to shelter animals. Thank you and we will see all you amazing humans soon!!!
Lucy Restaurant [located above the club] would like to invite you to dine before the show and 20% of your total food bill will be donated. Please call 720-274-6868 to make your reservations today! Also receive preferred seating in the showroom when you dine at Lucy.