Late update: A real picture from the ISS of our dragon 2 crew demo 1 capsule.
Doesn't it seem like this should be out of a sci-fi movie, and not real life?
So this weekend has been one of the highlights of my career, in a lot of ways. I hadn't contributed to SpaceX for the Falcon Heavy last year, but now I've been here just over 12 months, and while each flight has been exciting and was a learning experience, this one really brought together everything I've worked on in very tight focus, where I could see the impacts of software my teams have worked on in specific ways.
I've worked on two major projects here — our ERP and our Telemetry system. SpaceX's ERP system is custom built, which is a bit of a badge of honor, and a challenging delight to work with compared to years watching companies and government entities mismanagement of billion dollar ERP rollouts. Our telemetry system is similarly in-house, and has been growing over the years in a similar fashion. I've worked with NASA and the Air Force and never seen anything remotely like our telemetry system, from the rocket's sensor design to our ground software, to the openness that allows basically every simulation and test to leverage the same technology stack to make sure test are in as close to "real" as imaginable. Common goal in the industry, but it's nice to see up close.
So that's what I've worked ON. That and the two dozen side projects that pop up all the time… SpaceX's software teams are extremely lean, so we host lots of other responsibilities. I've worked on a supplier portal, customer facing sites, I got to push the first code that introduced the telemetry system for "Starships" which was just cool; I've done dashboarding and metrics, data science APIs, a dozen different infrastructure, languages, and DevOPS projects. The PACE of SpaceX is so furious that I've certainly done more in a year here than I have anywhere else. Heck I pushed production code in my first DAY.
But last night — even from when the rocket went vertical on the stand — through the near-midnight ignition, and for the few hours that followed it as we watched the last minute checks and tests, watched the launch, watched the little plush doll — er… Zero-G Indicator — start to float… last night I felt the most connected to the entire launch, because I got to see the software work end to end and see how I've impacted it. Hugely humbling, and immensely cool.
The technicians working on the rocket up to the last minute were following instructions from the ERP system. We could follow along as they performed tasks using the UI the team coded, watch the database we modeled get updated directly, and actually watch video as people used the software we'd been pushing code changes to for much of the past year. If someone turned a wrench, pressed a button, or pulled a part from the rockets in the hangar – waiting for our next mission – we knew what was going on. Our role was monitoring at this point; from our end the work was done and if we had messed something up it was too late to make changes. Well… we may have had plans in place, but they weren't anywhere near plan b (or even c, d, and e). But we had processes running and things in place; the systems were doing their job tracking every little thing.
And when the holy mouse click happened, this time for the crew demo 1 mission, all the hardware was now under control of the ground and flight software. The feeling of being fully interconnected really hit me as most of the company watched telemetry streaming on a dozen screens in mission control, and our group of 20 or so flight software engineers huddled around a TV and a dozen laptops and workstations.
The flight went off as planned, but it was still more exciting to watch. For the first time we had cameras on our final payload. Stage 1 is amazing to watch, but stage 2 has always had the best views of the earth and the sky but you really have to be a satellite to see everything. Starman got some of the best views last time 'round, but this time we got to watch a camera from the nose cone of the dragon capsule go from pitch black to showing the sunrise over the earth. It took a second at first to figure out what was happening, but a long thin arc took over the screen and eventually became a sunrise (which I can't show you because it's not public, but here, enjoy Starman again).
The rocket is basically fully automated, but we see a ton of data. As we watched the temperatures for the liquid oxygen and rocket propellant tanks, I said we should throw up the temperature in the cabin… it was, after all, a human factors test. We clicked through telemetry, found someone who knew the name of the temperature channel, and threw them on the screen. I knew how all of that worked behind the scenes, because we had made changes to the source code for the last few months. When someone got excited that their piece of flight software worked… that the pressure sensor, venting mechanism, temperature or attitude control system they worked on was working, it's because they saw it in the telemetry system we were managing.
I've never seen that level of excitement from people directly using software I've helped write; not like this. It's intoxicating. Smiles and cheers were infectious despite the late night hours. As the night wore on we'd think about leaving, but it was always just a few more minutes until the next event. The capsule turned to point a certain way in 10 minutes, or was going to fire in 45 minutes to set the course for the next 20 hours.
Heading back in again today to watch the actual docking with the ISS. It's been 24 hours since launch; and the excitement is still very high. Definitely glad I came out here.
UPDATE: Yeah, we finally got some amazing pictures. These aren't renders — this is real! And we're watching live!
Like a genius, I'm standing 20 feet behind the photographer, and through the glass. I probably should have slipped in the room and in the picture, but technically we weren't required in mission control today (though we're badged for it if bad happens). FWIW, note the software on the machines in the foreground. Such pretty pretty software.
UPDATE /morez: The exhilaration just continues. It's currently 5:27 AM in Hawthorne, CA where I just recently left SpaceX to come home. We successfully docked with the space station and the hatch was recently opened and astronauts IN SPACE went inside. This probably happened on our cargo trips, but this is the first time it's happened on a privately built capsule designed for people.
Watched the launch for a few hours inside the avionics lab this time, with some of our compatriot Flight Software coders and QA team. Got to say hi to Doug Hurley briefly, and had Elon and Bob Behnken floating around nearby. Again, same experience as last night but moreso… getting to see telemetry and people using our software, but being even closer to the mission control aspect with teams that were more responsible for coding the individual steps the capsule took as it approached the ISS; doing test approaches and retreats until every test passed and we successfully docked. This was an amazingly smooth launch from T-0 on, and it's just been a delight to work with everyone on it. This team rocks.
Live Launch Off the Bucket List!
I don't know if you all know I keep my bucket list online. I haven't updated it in ages, but at one point it was a publicly editable wiki (I know Ferf knew… nothing like putting things on someone else's bucket list, is there?). Now I lock it down a bit just to avoid putting temptation out to the rest of the world.
On Dec. 5th, 2006 (12 years ago!), I added "Watch a shuttle launch" to the list, where it lingered until Feb. 2012, when, due to the retirement of the Space Shuttle, I marked the Bucket List item forever "Failed".
This past weekend Mary Ann and I got to watch the SpaceX launch of the SAOCOM 1A satellite, near Vandenberg Air Force Base. and I have now crossed watching a launch off of the bucket list! (Also, I belatedly crossed off writing a novel, which I did for NaNoWriMo a while back).
Awesome atmospheric effect of the M-Vac firing into the atmosphere.
I don't remember when I first heard about why this was, but George Lucas apparently coined the term "Used Universe" when describing the decision. Many movies set in space have pristine looking spaceships that are brand-new looking even after zooming from planet to planet all the time. The Star Wars Prequels did this to a crazy degree.
This ship actually gets dirty. Weird how travel and space battles will do that to something.
Who am I to turn down a trip to Seattle for a Microsoft Conference on my birthday weekend when someone gives us a free pass? No one, that's right, which is why we went!
Seattle is gorgeous — Paradise on Mt. Rainier, and Coldwater Lake near Mt. St. Helens are two of my new favorite places in the world. The ridiculous amount of photos we took are more easily consumed on Google here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/h2AFtkSkwcWGZyxg9 (Most everything) and here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/yFKmc23SGv56m5yD6 (the Chihuly glass museum, which got it's own folder just because).


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text:
COMMAND DIARY
Web site by Craig Slaughter © 2009
This is not an official USMC site.
OperationStarlite.com
(Transcribed from AP article, Sept. 1965 by Kilo Co. 3/3 L/Cpl Ed Nicholls)
Leathernecks in Vietnam Earn Right to
World War II Nickname
Editor's Note -- Paul Dean of the Arizona Republic and the Indianapolis Star was the only reporter to accompany U.S. Marines to the front lines during the battle on Van Tuong Peninsula last week. This is his account.
by Paul Dean, The Arizona Republic (Written for The Associated Press) Chu Lai, South Viet Nam (AP) --
The downey-chinned Leathernecks of the 2nd Battalion of the 4th Marine Regiment, earned the right to print a World War II Marine nickname in bold type.
"And you can quote me," said their commander, Lt. Col. Joseph (Bull) FISHER of Arlington, VA. "these men are truly magnificent."
For the 72 hour battle of the Van Tuong Peninsula -- Operation STARLITE -- 800 of FISHER's men, 80% of them just breaking out of their teens, had chewed and fought through rice paddies and dunes against the Viet Cong's 2,000 1st Regiment.
I watched as the young Leathernecks were smeared on the first day, rallied on the second and on the third routed their little adversaries in black pajamas.
We were lifted at dawn Wednesday in five waves of 20 HU34 helicopters to landing zones 12 miles south of Chu Lai. Carbine fire whanged through trees and bushes and men began to fall. To our right, Hotel Company was pinned down by machinegun fire and Marines were throwing themselves into ditches and hedgerows, their positions for the next 28 hours.
And in the middle of it all, FISHER stood up on a dike. "Come on you Marines this isn't Hotel Street and those ain't pin-ball machines shooting at you."
With air support and our own 81mm mortars hitting at VC bunkers to our front, two companies started their advance.
I climbed with Echo Company against a nameless pimple of a hill. The VC waited till almost two platoons had reached the naked crest, then zeroed in with 60mm mortars.
For 45 minutes we groveled in the dirt on that hilltop with only a spunky medical corpsman standing erect to attend the wounded. A while later he was killed by a bullet through the head. Of the 30 men who climbed the hill, only 18 walked out uninjured.
But the worst was still to come.
Echo Company advanced through a VC village with barbed wire entanglements, a honeycomb of foxholes, knapsacks and blue linen rolls of rice dumped on the ground. Echo Company was hit again. Small arms fire raked one platoon.
In a ditch where the medics piled the wounded, a fullback sized Marine sergeant screamed from a bullet wound in the ankle. At his side, an 18 year-old Marine with half his face blown away chewed at what was left of his lip and remained silent. But he uttered "Thank you" when a corpsman propped his head up against a bloody knapsack.
That evening we dug in. At battalion headquarters 15 miles away, Sgt Chuck CLAPPER, Seattle, WA, was standing nine hours on the telephone as he tallied KIA's --killed in action -- and WIA's wounded in action.
His reports included some senior NCO's, included one sergeant, a veteran of World War II and Korea, who had predicted "I figure I won't see this one out". The battalion didn't sleep that night.
A one man VC suicide squad was cut down as he tried to infiltrate our lines. He carried no rifle, but had a belt of U.S. made hand grenades.
Then FISHER spotted what he thought was a company of VC moving on a hill, a mile in front of our position. He called in heavy mortars.
At first light Thursday, the 2nd Battalion moved out. We swept through a deserted VC command post, capturing more grenades, land mines, old U.S. Army radios and a document later determined to be a VC communications plan.
In a dozen fire fights, 15 hard core VC troops fell. Thirty-one Communists were captured and that evening were airlifted back to Vietnamese authorities for interrogation.
"Look at those miserable little runts," growled an MP guard. "They don't look like they have the strength to lift a rifle, let alone stand up against a battalion of U.S. Marines."
It was another sleepless night at the command post. Only two companies remained to finish our part of Operation Starlite. But during the night the battalion faced a new threat.
Twice we nearly came under fire from our own guns -- once where aircraft strafed only 300 yards in front of our positions and when naval artillery began lobbing shells over our heads. Only "flash" emergency radio messages from Col FISHER saved Marine lives.
Friday morning was clammy and the men had c-ration breakfasts of ham and lima beans and coffee heated over burning plastic explosives.
Then Sgt. Edward GARR, 33, Oaklawaha, FL., yelled a radio message to Col. FISHER. "Message from starboard...'helos (helicopters) on way -- commence retraction'."
By helicopter and jeep I hitched a ride back to Chu Lai to await a C130 transport aircraft bound for Da Nang.
There were other Marines waiting for that flight. But these men were zippered in olive green rubber sacks.
They had been killed in action.
SEMPER-FI!
Ed W. NICHOLLS
Starlite Survivor's
(RVN) Association, Inc
Republic of South Vietnam - August 1965

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Can a commander reduce a Soldier in rank without an Article 15?
AR 600-8-19 allows a commander to conduct an administrative reduction in some unique cases.
What can I do to a Soldier that secretly...What can I do to a Soldier that secretly recorded our counseling session?
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Thanks! It is a really hardy plant from EP. Keeps some lid hairs from Ephippiata but has more size and a peristome that turns golden over time like Veitchii.
Loving all the pictures and the beautiful Neps!
Watching all your guys' replies on this thread has been intimidating! Casually throwing out specific knowledge and even RECOGNITION of some of those hybrid Neps and their parentage is truly inspiring! I need to go to Nepenthes school and learn all the varieties and parent plants so I can join in on the fun in a thread like this someday!
15 years later and still a newb to several parts of the Carnivorous Plant world!
Some updates on plants that have been on this thread before.
Last edited by zcons; 01-24-2019 at 02:54 PM.
Recently finished a major project in moving all 100+ neps to a grow-tent setup. Some casualties, but I am hopeful that most of the plants will start to flourish in the new stable conditions.
And finally a picture of part of the new setup. Not pictured is another another table for the larger plants and a rack for the baby plants.
Last edited by zcons; 02-22-2019 at 11:18 AM.
the N. Undulatifolia x Hamata is beautiful!!!
I couldn't have picked a colder weekend to transport everything, but at least the plants got to experience their first snow!


text:
It's that time of year again. The rains have just started, relieving a harsh summer's drought, and with them comes the arrival of an abundance of birdlife. This series of blogs pays homage to some of our weird and wonderful fluffy friends out there. Some of them you might recognise, others you might not.
Birds have been an obsession of mine ever since I read 'The Rise and Fall of Dinosaurs', which irrefutably argues that birds are indeed dinosaurs. It remains a mystery what triggered the evolutionary transition of fast-running, ground-dwelling, two-legged squirrel-looking-things into small, winged, flying birds. What is not a mystery, however, is that our lives and our planet are significantly richer for their existence.
We may no longer have baby T. rexes peppered with fluffy feathers (yes, that's a real thing), but in their 160-million year history, birds have evolved into something else quite extraordinary. They provide unfathomable ecological services (thank you vultures), endless entertainment (night-time, day-time, anyone?), and undeniable attraction (carmine bee-eaters and lilac breasted rollers, that crown is yours). Some fly (hi peregrines), some don't (hey ostriches), but all are equally epic and all need our support.
We begin this blog series with the most underrated and underappreciated of the birds of the bush - the scavengers. Botswana's five species of vultures share the same laser vision, curved beaks, sharp talons, and predilection for carrion. For centuries, these unsavoury eating habits have left them riddled with superstitions of death and deceit. With their bald, withered heads and feathered ruffs, their association with the grim-reaper might be somewhat understandable. But underneath this arguably unattractive exterior, these unique birds are highly social animals, proud parents, remarkably hygienic, and, as the eco-janitors of the bush, absolutely essential to our well-being. Inside their stomachs, acid and bacteria are working overtime to kill any diseases that might be lurking in a putrid carcass. From anthrax to botulism, rabies to cholera, these unsung heroes stop the spread of these lethal ailments in their tracks.
Vultures use thermals to soar high into the sky. It's a big risk to land - if it's not hot enough they struggle to take off again and can be stranded for hours hopping hopelessly around a carcass. NHFU/Hannah Gormley.
Soaring on thermals hundreds of metres above, vultures search for their prey using their impeccable eye-sight to spot carcasses or other scavengers. On arrival, a 'wake' of vultures can strip a carcass clean within minutes. Their beaks tear through flesh and grizzle like butter, their bald heads can reach deep inside cavities without trapping bacteria under any feathers, and an internal storage 'crop' can house up to 1.4kg of undigested food. Not only do vultures feed socially, but they nest socially too. Right now, huge colonial nests of the White-backed vultures should be lining the Delta's iconic Mokolwane palms. In them should lie one egg that should be incubated for over two months by two doting parents and cared for until independence. However, across Africa, where 70% of carrion is cleared by vultures, their populations are plummeting. In order to imagine a world without them, we need only to look to India. Between 1992-2007, South Asia's vulture populations crashed by 97% thanks to accidental poisoning from livestock medicine. Rotting corpses contaminated water sources and a surge in rabies cost the economy approximately $34 billion. So, while they may not have the good-looks of a panda, their disappearance is just as devastating.
A 'wake' of vultures can strip a carcass clean within minutes, but they're not brave to fight off bigger scavengers. They use nearby trees to perch and wait patiently for their turn. NHFU/Hannah Gormley.
The biggest threat to vultures is, ironically, elephant poaching and 'lion killing' pesticides and, thanks to their eating habits, a single contaminated carcass can kill the lot. Poachers will often intentionally lace their victims with poison to prevent these eager-eyed detectives from spotting it too quickly after the crime and giving away their location to rangers and lions are killed in response to, or anticipation of, stealing livestock. It's a tragic consequence for a bird that's only doing what it evolved to do. The suspicions surrounding vultures also make them a prime target for the traditional medicine market. Their talons supposedly treat fever, their eyes 'see' into the future, and their brains are ground into snuff for magical powers. When you add electric cables, wind turbines, and urbanisation to the mix, things start looking pretty bleak for our vultures. In total, most of their populations have crashed by 80% over the last 30-years, But there is still hope.
The impact of one poisoned carcass. FACEBOOK/BWGovernment.
In Asia, campaign groups successfully got the poison responsible for the population crash banned. In Europe, reintroductions, new regulations, and work with farmers to leave out safe livestock-carcasses means 3 out of 4 species are actually increasing. In Africa, all states where vultures occur have agreed to a 'Multi-Species Action Plan' over the next-12 years and huge swathes of lands are being designated 'vulture safe zones', where anti-poisoning measures, education, and habitat restoration is in place. Organisations like the Peregrine Fund are working around the clock to train thousands of individuals in poisoning intervention, decontamination, sample collections, and building predator-proof corrals to keep wild animals away from livestock. Their work in the Masai Mara has already reduced poisoning by 50%. The VulPro Rehabilitation Centre is nursing sick vultures back to health and major tourist landmarks, like the Victoria Falls Hotel, are launching educative initiatives and providing vultures with safe meals to raise their profile. Even communities are getting involved in citizen science programmes, like the Africa Raptor Databank which tracks vulture flight paths to prevent new wind farms from being built along their favourite routes.
A welcome sight. NHFU/Hannah Gormley.
At the very least, I hope this blog has opened your eyes to how important (and awesome) vultures are and that, in turn, you'll join their army of defenders, since the first step towards saving the vulture is simply to make people like them. At most, I hope it might encourage you to get involved in citizen science projects, call in a tagged vulture if you see one, or support the conservation agencies working around the clock to save them on your behalf. If I still haven't persuaded you on vultures, then do it for the other silent scavenger victims. The magnificent, if somewhat stumpy, Bataleur Eagles, so named after the French for 'tight-rope walker' whose face and feet change colour much like a mood ring, or the endlessly entertainming Marabou Storks (that are even more startling than vultures in the looks department), or the Okavango's iconic fish eagle. The fate of all the birds of the bush lies in our hands.
Blog written by Hannah Gormley


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text:
Oxford Hills graduation speakers urge gratitude, love
By Liz Marquis, Staff Writer
Alexis Laverdiere pauses with her diploma to have her photo taken by her mother Debbie. (Brewster Burns photo)
Oxford Hills Comprehensive High School graduate Cody Phillips reacts after receiving his diploma Saturday. (Brewster Burns photo)
Luke Allen sings the "i Carly" theme song along with Valedictorian Haid Tanous during Tanous' speech at the Oxford Hills Comprehensive High School graduation Saturday. (Brewster Burns photo)
Dr. Molly Ware delivers the commencement address. (Brewster Burns photo)
PARIS — The sound of bagpipes and a warm, sinking sun set the scene for 207 young men and women to graduate from Oxford Hills Comprehensive High School on Saturday evening.
Both the graduates and those in attendance were treated to some insightful advice from speakers.
"The sheer act of gratitude causes happiness and social bonding," said Salutatorian Sydney Rowell, who added that a senior picture should not be a portrait but a "collage of people who shaped who (you) are."
She reminisced about the class's final English assignment, which was to write letters to two staff members, thanking them for their support.
"I couldn't believe how happy it made me to tell them how thankful I am," she said, and cited the lesson in the book, "The Alchemist"— "the journey is the greatest treasure."
"I thought the treasure of high school is today — graduation — but it's not. It's the journey," Rowell said. "It's all the moments over the years."
Class Valedictorian Haid Tanous received a standing ovation for his speech, which caused both laughter and tears.
"I need you all to peer inside yourselves and search through all the confusing, intrusive teenager thoughts," Tanous said. "Behind all the bad decisions, the mistakes and sins, lies a pure and innocent child. Each one of you is still this kid, deep inside years of change. Some people might call this your heart. It's from this energy that we dream, imagine and love others."
In between hinting at inside jokes in which the whole class shared a laugh, and belting out the "i-Carly" theme song, Tanous begged his peers not to lose their innocence, because "splendor lies in each of us."
"Triumph is what happens when we don't silence our inner child," Tanous said.
Dr. Molly Ware, a 1991 graduate, instilled in the green-gowned young adults the importance of listening, especially to those they may not agree with, or who are different from them.
"We want to be noticed," Ware said. "But what's more important and useful is learning to listen."
As a doctor, Ware told the graduates, she begins every patient interaction with, "Tell me your story."
Class of 2018, graduation


Time of lowering into the water with weight: approx. 23 sec.
Time of lifting with weight: approx. 17 sec.
A mobile pool lift that improves accessibility to the swimming pool for people with certain physical disabilities.
1. Key starter and Safety red mushroom.
2. Handbrake. If the handbrake is engaged, the lift-down arm can work.
3. The arm lifts down and two stainless-steel endings with rubber cover lean on the ground to ensure stability.
4. The lift is equipped with an emergency manual pump. Use it in case of Electrical power failure.
5. Rubber stoppers between front and rear wheels to prevent the lift to go in the water.


Sports Card Collector will help you catalog all of your sports cards with 18 different customizable fields including Card Name, Category, Theme, Brand, Card Number, Series, Position, Team, Condition, Location, Card Date, Buy Price, Buy Date, Value, Custom1, Custom2, and a graphic field. Each of the field names can be customized to fit your organizing needs. Sports Card Collector has a simple, easy-to-use interface that not only makes it easy to enter information, but also makes it easy to browse, sort, and print reports on the information you have entered. Large text fields are available for recording the history and stats per sports card. Also, the graphic field is now shown in thumbnail size on the main screen. This makes it easy browse your collection and view your sports cards quickly. Other features include custom reports, labels, database searching, file export/import, more.


Josh Flickinger/Beloit Daily News Hononegah volleyball players, including Bennett Fago (18) celebrate after a winning point Thursday.
ROCKTON - The Hononegah boys volleyball team may lack experience. But they do their best to make up for it with enthusiasm.
The high-energy Indians defeated NIC-10 rival Belvidere 25-21, 29-31, 25-2 in a wild match that lasted nearly 90 minutes.
It was a big win for Hononegah, who is trying to finish in the top three in conference play for the second straight season despite losing 10 seniors from last year's team.
Indians coach Andrea Nelson, in her second year guiding the squad, said the team has come together nicely.
"Our goal this year is to be a 'we' team instead of a 'me' team," Nelson said. "That's what I keep stressing to the guys. We've really switched our attitudes about playing together, understanding matchups and being more volleyball savvy."
The Indians, now in the fifth year of the program, face an immediate challenge in comparison to their NIC-10 brethren. Unlike schools in the Rockford Public School District, feeder schools into Hononegah do not offer a boys volleyball program.
Though Nelson would like that to change as soon as possible, it doesn't appear as though any momentum is building towards adding the program at the middle school level.
"There are a lot of ways that make it difficult for us," Nelson said. "Our freshman teams come in and really struggle and they get frustrated. I tell them that the team they are facing have been playing together for two or three years. They are still learning the game and trying to rely on their athleticism to carry them through."
The Indians followed a similar, and dangerous formula for all three games Thursday: They fell behind early, mounted a comeback in the middle of the set, and tried to grind it out at the end.
Game two featured several set points for both teams before the Bucs finally closed it out, giving them momentum heading into the final game.
They took a five-point lead before the Indians came back behind the solid play of Aaron Ackmann, Dylan Hamil and Kyle Eggers at the net.
"It's a huge win for us," Ackmann said. "It feels amazing. I feel like we can compete with anyone at the top of the conference, like Jefferson and Boylan are right now. It's a great confidence-booster heading into our next match against Boylan. We have 10 new guys on the team, but we played with a ton of energy and just kept it rolling."
Hamil said the team's ability to battle through adversity has been beneficial throughout the season.
"I think we talked and played with great teamwork tonight," Hamil said. "Teamwork is everything out there. If it's just all about yourself, your teammates aren't going to be happy for you when you do something well. Good team chemistry is really important, and I feel like we've had that since day one. When we get down, we come together and talk things out. This is just a great bunch of guys who are going out there and trying to win some games."
Eggers finished the evening with 14 kills, while Hamil added nine. Jake Depauw had 23 assists, while Owen Anderson finished with a team-high eight digs.


text:
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Jacksonville, Florida – United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announces that a federal jury yesterday found Erick Estrada-Lopez (41, Jacksonville) and Michael Rounsville (48, Callahan) guilty of crimes arising out of a money laundering scheme. Estrada-Lopez was convicted of conspiracy to commit money laundering and faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison. Rounsville, an officer with the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office, was convicted of accessing a law enforcement database without authorization for financial gain and in furtherance of the money laundering scheme. He faces a maximum penalty of 5 years' imprisonment. The sentencing hearings have been scheduled for February 27, 2017.
According to evidence presented at trial, Estrada accepted $42,000 in cash from co-defendant Manuel Rodriguez (33, Middleburg), which was part of $200,000 that Rodriguez had agreed to launder for an undercover agent who was posing as a drug dealer. Estrada deposited the cash in his business bank account and obtained a $42,000 cashier's check that Rodriguez deposited into his bank account the same day. The next day, Rodriguez wired the $42,000, along with an additional $25,000, into the undercover agent's covert bank account to complete the laundering of the cash.
At the request of his co-conspirators, Rounsville ran the covert name of the undercover agent through the FBI's National Crime Information Center ("NCIC") database and the Florida's Driver and Vehicle Information Database ("DAVID"), both of which are accessible to law enforcement only. Rounsville then reported the results of those searches to the conspirators. Rodriguez testified at trial that, at the request of another co-defendant, he had delivered an envelope containing an unknown amount of cash to Rounsville while he was engaged in off-duty work at a road construction site in Jacksonville.
"This is an important victory for the American public," said Kim Lappin, IRS Criminal Investigation, Special Agent in Charge of the Tampa Field Office. "Rooting out public corruption remains one of IRS-CI's highest priorities and this verdict underscores our commitment to work in a collaborative effort to promote honest and ethical government at all levels and to prosecute those who have violated the public's trust. IRS Criminal Investigation is proud to provide its financial expertise as we work alongside our law enforcement partners to disrupt and dismantle criminal organizations and bring criminals to justice."
Hedar Khlaf (34, Jacksonville), Mollie Bass (32, Jacksonville), Diane Harrison (58, Jacksonville), Christian Magliano (27, Miami), Bruce Childs (47, Jacksonville), and Rodriguez previously pleaded guilty for their roles in the money laundering scheme. Their sentencing hearings have not yet been scheduled.
This case was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation, the U.S. Secret Service, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office, and the Nevada Highway Patrol. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Arnold B. Corsmeier.


text:
Q: How to select last 5 rows order by id ascending - CakePHP I want to get last 5 record order by ascending.
I have a table name chat_public_msgs there are i have inserted 6 Sample data. I need last 5 record order by id asc. Please check below.
Table chat_public_msgs -
id  username  message  created
1    smith   hi        2014-12-14 10:14:15
2    piter   hello     2014-12-14 10:14:20
3    john    hi smith  2014-12-14 10:14:28
4    raj     aaa       2014-12-14 10:15:22
5   chinu    test      2014-12-14 10:15:25
6   piter    bbbbb     2014-12-14 10:15:40

Query -
$fields = array('ChatPublicMsg.message','ChatPublicMsg.created','ChatPublicMsg.username');
$results = $this->ChatPublicMsg->find('all',array(
           'fields'=>$fields,
           'limit'=>5,
           'order'=>array('ChatPublicMsg.id ASC')));

Output-
id  username  message  created
1    smith   hi        2014-12-14 10:14:15
2    piter   hello     2014-12-14 10:14:20
3    john    hi smith  2014-12-14 10:14:28
4    raj     aaa       2014-12-14 10:15:22
5   chinu    test      2014-12-14 10:15:25

But I want this-
id  username  message  created
2    piter   hello     2014-12-14 10:14:20
3    john    hi smith  2014-12-14 10:14:28
4    raj     aaa       2014-12-14 10:15:22
5   chinu    test      2014-12-14 10:15:25
6   piter    bbbbb     2014-12-14 10:15:40

Edit -
i got this query from Select last 20 order by ascending - PHP/MySQL
select * from (
    select * from chat_public_msgs order by id desc limit 5
) tmp order by tmp.id asc

How can i write above query in CakePhp format?

A: You can do this by sorting the result by 'id' DESC and limiting the number of records to 5. Then use array_reverse() to reverse the sorting.
$fields = array('ChatPublicMsg.message','ChatPublicMsg.created','ChatPublicMsg.username');
$results = $this->ChatPublicMsg->find('all',array(
       'fields'=>$fields,
       'limit'=>5,
       'order'=>array('ChatPublicMsg.id DESC')));
$reverse = array_reverse($results['ChatPublicMsg']);
$results['ChatPublicMsg'] = $reverse;

This assumes that 'id' is incremented with each record. Otherwise you need to add a timestamp field to the table and use this field for sorting.


text:
S Rajaratnam Endowment launched
$100 million endowment to honour Rajaratnam
It will seek to deepen regional ties to keep alive the beliefs of founding leader
By Walter Sim, The Straits Times, 22 Oct 2014
A $100 MILLION endowment has been set up by Temasek Holdings to honour the late Mr S. Rajaratnam, a founding father of Singapore who played a pioneering role in the country's foreign policy.
In striving to keep alive his beliefs, the S Rajaratnam Endowment will seek to deepen regional ties, a crucial backdrop to achieving economic cooperation and development in the region.
Such strong links will bring peace and stability to the region, said Mr Wong Kan Seng, chairman of the endowment, at its launch yesterday.
This is especially pertinent amid "a tumultuous era in world history with profound and momentous shifts of power and ideas under way", added the former deputy prime minister.
The United States, China, Japan and India are seeking a "new equilibrium" with one another, he said, while South Korea, Australia and Russia also have interests in the region.
"The next phase of Asia's growth will see more complex and greater challenges in geopolitics, changing demographics, income disparities and the competitive use of resources.
"It is thus important for all stakeholders to reinforce the foundations for sustainable growth in the region," he told an audience that included former president S R Nathan and former senior minister S. Jayakumar.
Mr Wong is special adviser for economic cooperation to Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and chairman of Temasek unit Singbridge Holdings, which develops and invests in large-scale integrated townships in China.
To help foster growth and cooperation in the region, the endowment will partner civil society groups, think-tanks and the private sector to implement domestic and regional programmes.
Its flagship programme will be the annual Singapore Forum, which will be launched next April with the theme: Asia And The World - New Growth, New Strategies.
Dr Teh Kok Peng, a founding director of the endowment board and chairman of business park developer Ascendas, said: "We hope to take a forward-looking and problem-solving approach in which (international) policymakers and business leaders can discuss the opportunities, issues and challenges facing the region and the policy responses required."
The endowment will also partner Singapore Polytechnic for the Youth Model ASEAN Conference to be held in December this year.
About 200 youth leaders from ASEAN countries will gather for four days to discuss matters including economic, security, social and cultural issues.
The endowment will also support programmes that recognise the work and contributions of Mr Rajaratnam, in areas such as social development, culture, literary arts and journalism.
Said Mr Wong: "Our basic approach is to be as broadly inclusive as possible, while holding firmly to our core values."
Man who 'dared to dream'
THE late Mr S. Rajaratnam dared to dream during a tumultuous time when Singapore was unexpectedly thrust into independence, said former deputy prime minister Wong Kan Seng yesterday.
He was also committed to his vision of "one united people" despite the racially charged atmosphere then, said Mr Wong, who chairs the newly launched $100 million S Rajaratnam Endowment.
Deeply committed to freedom and equality, Mr Rajaratnam rallied against colonial rule and communism, "fearlessly deploying his biting wit and fluent pen" in championing freedom and equality, added Mr Wong.
Mr Rajaratnam was a journalist who began his career at the Malayan Tribune, before joining The Straits Times. He left journalism in 1959 to enter politics.
Professor Chan Heng Chee, chairman of the Lee Kuan Yew Centre for Innovative Cities, said in a brief tribute yesterday: "Mr Rajaratnam was a man of ideas, a prophet before his time."
As Singapore's first foreign minister, he played a pivotal role in the country's admission to the United Nations on Sept 21, 1965 - one month after independence.
There, he spoke of the "interdependence of nations", an idea that was ahead of its time, said Ministry of Foreign Affairs policy adviser Bilahari Kausikan yesterday.
He was also one of ASEAN's founding fathers in 1967, and guided its philosophy of regional unity and non-interference.
He was a firm believer of the importance of unity in a multiracial society. He penned the Singapore Pledge in 1966, emphasising "regardless of race, language or religion" against the backdrop of racial riots just two years earlier.
He was senior minister in the Prime Minister's Office when he retired in 1988. He died of heart failure in 2006, three days shy of his 91st birthday.
Keeping Raja's zeal for regional links alive
Editorial, The Straits Times, 30 Oct 2014
IT IS both fitting and timely that Temasek Holdings has launched the $100 million S. Rajaratnam Endowment to deepen regional ties with the aspiration of bringing about peace and stability in the region.
It is an appropriate tribute to one of Singapore's founding fathers who, as the Republic's first foreign minister, was a key architect of its foreign policy. Mr Rajaratnam was also one of the founding ministers of Asean in 1967 who helped to shape its philosophy of regional unity and non-interference.
These foundational values cannot be taken for granted and have to be constantly reaffirmed, as historical events have demonstrated. Diplomatic squalls might arise out of the blue like the visit of then Israeli President Chaim Herzog to Singapore in 1986 and Indonesia's decision earlier this year to name a new warship after two Indonesian marines responsible for a 1965 bombing in Singapore. To withstand such turbulence, a deep reservoir of goodwill has to be jointly built and assiduously maintained, going beyond humanitarian responses to disasters that afflict member states from time to time.
The endowment recognises the state of flux that the world is in now and the geostrategic shifts in motion in the region. For example, a resurgent and assertive China is up against the United States' pivot to the region, leading to uncertainty and unease among regional states. Against this backdrop, preserving Asean solidarity assumes greater urgency - not just for the sake of upholding its well-established corporate identity but also for greater collaboration in tackling issues that affect all member states.
Investing in promoting regional cooperation and development is the natural impulse of a small state with an open economy which needs to stay engaged with its neighbours and others farther afield. Pioneer leaders like Mr Rajaratnam nurtured this instinct and laboured to institutionalise linkages. It was no accident that the first Commonwealth heads of state meeting outside Britain took place in Singapore in 1971.
The endowment serves to demonstrate that Singapore remains invested in the region's future and in sparking a collaborative spirit among Asean's young. The upcoming Youth Model Asean Conference supported by the fund, for example, will gather 400 Asean youth leaders to discuss wide-ranging topics relevant to the region. Other programmes similarly promoted relate to international relations, social development, culture, literary arts and journalism, all areas close to Mr Rajaratnam's heart. The hope is that his passion to keep neighbourly links strong will live on via the efforts of the endowment.
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I'm 20-years-old and a student at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, Florida. For the past seven years I have produced my own music TV show called The Rock Star Stories (www.sweptawaytv.com) and have interviewed everyone from John Mayer to Slayer and everyone in between. The most insane thing that has ever happened to me while doing interviews is when the members of Alien Ant Farm climbed on top of me and tried to kiss me. My hobbies are digital photography, skateboarding, wakeboarding and hanging out with my friends. I have just started working for the Program Board at FAU planning the concerts for students this year.


The Calleen Art Award is an acquisitive art prize that encourages originality and artistic merit established in 1977 by Mrs Patricia Fagan OAM.
The winner of the Calleen Art Award will receive $20,000 in prize money made possible by the generosity of the Calleen Trust. A painting is selected as a finalist by a selection panel of art professionals and the winning painting will become part of the Calleen Collection at the Cowra Regional Art Gallery.


text:
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
There is another Lourdes with a different pronunciation, see Lourdes, Brazil.
Région Midi-Pyrénées
Département Hautes-Pyrénées
Arrondissement Argelès-Gazost
Canton Chief town of 2 cantons
INSEE Code 65286
Term of office Jean-Pierre Artiganave
Intercommunality Communauté
du Pays de Lourdes
Longitude 0' 05° W
Latitude 43° 1' N
Altitude average:
minimum: 343 m
maximum: 960 m
Area 37 km²
Population without
double-counting 15,203 (1999)
Population density 411 pers/km²
Statue of the Blessed Virgin of Lourdes
Our Lady of Lourdes Basilica
Lourdes (Lorda in Occitan) is a town in the Hautes-Pyrénées département in France. It is the largest Catholic religion pilgrimage location in France. It is situated in the south of the country in the foothills of the Pyrenees mountains, and has about 17,000 inhabitants.
2 Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes
4 External link
It is said that in February 1858 the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to a 14-year-old girl called Bernadette Soubirous (now St. Bernadette) in the remote Grotto of Massabielle. A statue of the Madonna of Lourdes was erected at the site in 1864. Soon the previous chapel structure was replaced with a pilgrimage basilica. Bernadette Soubirous entered the Monastery of Nevers in 1866 and was canonized a Saint in 1933.
Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes
Yearly from March to October the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes is the place of mass pilgrimages from Europe and other parts of the world. The spring water from the grotto is believed by some to possess healing properties, and the Catholic Church has officially recognized 66 miraculous healings. Especially impressive are candlelight and sacrament processions.
The Virgin Mary shrines
Marian apparitions
Our Lady of Lourdes is a church and school outside of Stayton, Oregon named in honor of the Lourdes apparition.
The Official Website of the Lourdes Sanctuaries
This Midi-Pyrénées geographical article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.
Ha ha Ha! LMFAO!!!!!! Moo
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lourdes"
Categories: Midi-Pyrénées geography stubs | Catholic pilgrimage sites | Roman Catholic Church in France | Marian Shrines | Communes of Hautes-Pyrénées
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December 25, 2008 - TAKE Phoenix Suns - 2 1/2 point spread. Merry Xmas and wishing you cappers some profit on Xmas day. Phoenix has had four days rest which is an eternity in the NBA. The thirty something cast of the Suns will use that home cooking an rest to come firing against the Spurs who are playing their 3rd game in 4 nights with some turkey in between. More importantly, all home teams on Xmas have won and covered the last two years. Shaq is young and slim Shaq with some rest. Overnight betting action at US sports betting sites have seen money on the dog Spurs and heavy paper on the Under Total moving it from 203 to 199.
Betting Odds Source: BetUS promotions - For a NBA betting lines tutorial click here Point Spreads Explained. For current and full NBA odds and to bet on NBA Lines visit BetUS. For assistance with depositing at Online Sportsbooks check our tips at Credit Card Sportsbooks. Remember for your NBA Daily Free Picks check back often at Sunshine Sportsbook Reviews. For the 2008-9 Bowl Schedule which includes links to betting previews, dates, TV times and have a look at our BCS betting preview betting line on florida vs oklahoma. More Bowl Odds: bet odds Rose Bowl, Orange Bowl bet odds, Cotton Bowl bet odds, Liberty Bowl bet odds and our UFC 92 betting preview UFC 92 bet odds.


Suctioning is a procedure that is done to help keep a patient's airway open and free of mucous. Mucous is also called "secretions". When a patient has a breathing tube in place, he or she will require intermittent suctioning. The frequency will depend on the quantity and thickness of the secretions.
During suctioning, a small catheter or tube is inserted into the breathing tube. The suction (or vacuum) is applied to the catheter as the tube is removed. The catheter is connected to the breathing tube and contained within a sterile plastic bag. This allows us to quickly suction a patient, without interrupting the breathing machine. Often, the patient will cough during the procedure. This actually helps to bring more of the secretions forward.
Suctioning is uncomfortable but it only lasts a few seconds. The patient may feel like his or her breath is being taken away. The ventilator will often alarm during suctioning. The procedure may make the patient cough and turn red in the face. After the tube has been cleaned out, the patient will usually find it easier to breathe. It may take the patient a few minutes to settle after suctioning. We may need to give the patient a medication to relax their breathing.
Suctioning is sometimes done when the patient does not have a breathing tube. If a patient has a lot of secretions and cannot cough them forward, we may need to suction the secretions by inserting a suction catheter into the nose or mouth. A small rubber tube called a "nasal trumpet" may be left inside one side of the nose to make it easier to slide the suction catheter into the airway and to reduce the irritation caused by inserting the catheter.


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Check out ALUS in action on farms and ranches across the country, and learn a bit more about the ecosystem services being produced by ALUS on the ground.
ALUS works by putting projects on the ground. ALUS Canada channels the funding provided by individuals, governments, foundations and corporations where it can have the greatest real-world impact for the environment: by investing it in farmers and ranchers who are the stewards of Canada's working landscape.
With more than 700 participants nationwide, the ALUS program is currently funding more than 15,500 projects. That's more than 18,000 ALUS acres producing ecosystem services, like clean air, clean water and biodiversity, with valuable benefits for everyone.
There's no better way to understand what ALUS is all about than to visit an ALUS farm or ranch and enjoy a guided tour of an ALUS project by an ALUS participant. We're providing the next best thing in this section of our website. We invite you to check out ALUS in action, on farms and ranches across the country, and to learn a bit more about the ecosystem services being produced by ALUS on the ground.
ALUS Canada supports tens of thousands of acres of wildlife habitat, pollinator meadows, carbon capture, clean air, clean water, and other ecosystem services. View our slideshow to learn more about the valuable ecosystem services being produced by ALUS participants, for the benefit of all Canadians.
Through projects funded by ALUS Canada, ALUS farmers and ranchers actively produce ecosystem services on the working landscape. Click the links below to see stories, photos and videos about specific ALUS projects on the ground across Canada.


text:
Піво́стрів Мангишла́к () — півострів на східному узбережжі Каспійського моря в Казахстані. Таку ж назву має примикаюче до півострова плато, що далі на схід переходить у плато Устюрт. У східній частині Мангишлаку виділяється півострів Бузачи, що омивається водами Мангишлацької затоки, а також заток Мертвий Култук і Кайдак. На заході в Каспійське море врізається півострів Тюб-Караган; південніше Мангишлаку знаходиться Казахська затока. На території півострова розташована Мангистауська область Казахстану.

У дореволюційній Росії і в СРСР даний регіон мав назву Мангишлак. У сучасному Казахстані з початку 1990-х використовується назва Мангистау.

Походження назви
Існує декілька версій походження назви півострова:

 В словнику Російської імперії пояснюється так: «Мангишлак — зимова кочівля менків або ногаїв». (Тюркське «менк» — назва одного з ногайських племен.)
 Туркменський вчений К. Аннаниязов вважає, що «Мангишлак» означає велике селище, оскільки «ман» перекладається як великий, «гишлак» — селище.

Історія
Мангишлак має насичену історію. Археологами були знайдені численні пам'ятки верхнього палеоліту. На Мангишлаку некрополі святих належать, в основному, роду адай і туркменським племенам. Під час середньовіччя Мангишлак і Устюрт були воротами торгово-економічного зв'язку між Сходом та Заходом. У давні часи  частина печенізьких племен покинули північні території поміж Аральським та Каспійськими морями і перекочували на Мангишлак. Пізніше печенігів на Мангишлаку замістили огузи. У деяких документах їх називають туркменами. Здавна живуть в цих місцях адаївці.

Згідно з легендою, адаївці ведуть свій рід від Адая, сина Лакбибая. При розділі спадку Адая обділили. Йому дістались кінь та шабля. Тоді джигіт зібрав щасливців, що цінували свободу і правду та повів їх на край степу, на Мангишлак. І утворилось там нове плем'я гордих адаївців — войовничих і згуртованих. Всі знедолені находили тут захист та прихисток. Коли адаївці посварились між собою (багаті з бідними), вони попали в залежність від хівінського хана.

Мангишлацький повіт раніше входив до складу Закаспійської області, потім почергово був під орудою Астрахані, Ашхабаду, Оренбургу, входив до складу Західноказахстанської, Гур'євської областей. Пізніше була утворена Мангишлацька область.

Впродовж 1850—1857 років на півострові в Новопетрівському укріпленні відбував своє заслання Тарас Шевченко.

Природа
Клімат різко континентальний, доволі сухий. Річок із постійним водотоком немає.

Мангишлак — унікальний природний заповідник. Тут, «як в заповідній шкатулці, зібраний весь арсенал різносторонніх проявів природи пустель» — пише професор Борис Федорович.

Мангишлак — перспективний нафтовий район: розробляються нафтові родовища в Узєнеі, в Жетибаю, на Каламкасі. На півострові також знайшли мідь, марганець, фосфорити, гірський кришталь, рідкісні руди. Саме тут було запущено перший у світ промисловий реактор на швидких нейтронах. На сьогодні реактор відпрацював свій термін, але результати дослідів, що проводяться, важливі й досі.

Див. також
 Каспійське море
 Карагіе

Примітки

Джерела
 В. М. Яцюк. Мангишлак  // ЕСУ

Посилання

 Природа Мангишлаку
 История Мангистау
 Растительный и животный мир Мангышлака
 Карта Мангистауской области

Півострови Казахстану
Географія Мангистауської області

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Coffey Insurance: What's a Deductible?
When you look at your policy, you'll notice that next to the coverage limit, there is a "deductible". You may be unaware of what a deductible is, so Winnie and Phinn are here to explain what exactly this word means, and how it works with your policy!
In addition to your monthly premium, which pays for the insurance contract between the insurance carrier and you, you also have a "deductible" that you pay when you have a loss. When a claim is placed, the insurance company will pay to repair or replace the damaged property, but they're not going to pay the full amount. The deductible is the amount that you pay out of pocket to eat some of the cost of the claim. For example, if you a fire that causes $100,000 worth of damage in your home, and your policy deductible is $500, the company would pay for $99,500 to repair your home. ($100,000 - $500 deductible).
Deductibles are also found in your auto policy as well for the comprehensive and collision sections. Typically the comprehensive deductible is slightly lower than the collision deductible. The higher you make your deductible, the lower your annual premium payment will be, since you are essentially paying for more of the claim.


At least 35 were injured and two killed when an Amtrak passenger train collided with a backhoe in Chester, Pennsylvania. Gavino Garay reports.
An Amtrak train derailed in Chester, Pennsylvania when it struck a backhoe, killing two people -- leaving residents living across from the tracks in shock. (SOUNDBITE) (English) LOCAL RESIDENT TRENA BYRD SAYING: "It's just overwhelming to know that lives were lost as a result." At least 35 others were injured when the train running from New York to Savannah, Georgia with some 350 aboard went off the tracks. (SOUNDBITE) (English) STEPHEN GARDNER EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT, AMTRAK: "Service on Amtrak's Northeast corridor is currently suspended between Philadelphia and Wilmington. We'll be working to restore service as soon as possible." The derailment comes just weeks after some three dozen people were injured when an Amtrak passenger train derailed in Kansas in March.


text:
Killers in Shanghai (eBook)
Killers in Shanghai
Killers in Shanghai eBook Cover,
written by J.R. Thorn
J.R. Thorn
Amazon Digital Services
B0783M9GM3
Oh My Muse
Muse in Miami
Killers in Shanghai is an eBook written by J.R. Thorn. It is the third work in the Blood Stone series by this author. In this work the character Sonya is a Succubus and the character Derek is an Incubus.
2 Other Works in this Series on SuccuWiki
Title: Killers in Shanghai
Author: J.R. Thorn
Published By: Amazon Digital Services
ASIN: B0783M9GM3
Publishing Date: February 2, 2018
Other Works in this Series on SuccuWiki
Succubus in Seattle
Demons in New York
Vampires in Venice
Lycans in London Never Released
When Derek, the Incubus King, uses Sonya to forge an alliance with an ancient race of dragons, she's determined to make sure things don't go as planned. Derek has built an alliance with a hoard of Chen Lung Dragons that nest in Shanghai. To humans, they see a tattooed band of muscled killers. To Sonya, she glimpses what they truly are by the shadows of scales and hint of slitted eyes. Derek's alliance is built on the faith that Sonya will be awarded as consort to their leader. When she meets his younger brother, Jet, she takes the opportunity to shake a delicate alliance and tear the dragons apart from the inside. Jet is no regular Chen Lung Dragon. He holds a dark secret, and when Sonya seduces him to her side, she'll learn that she's playing with fire, and she's going to get burned.
This work in Kindle Format at Amazon.com - No Longer Available
Retrieved from "http://succubus.net/wiki/index.php?title=Killers_in_Shanghai_(eBook)&oldid=48065"


text:
Former Cincinnati high school teacher blames testosterone for sex crime
Michael Johnson sentenced to 36 months in prison
Todd Dykes
A former Cincinnati school teacher was sentenced Friday on sexual battery charges.Michael Johnson, 46, was indicted in July on two charges of sexual battery for allegedly having sex with a high school student.Watch this storyInvestigators said the crime happened on May 22. They would not say where the alleged sex happened.WLWT News 5 investigative reporter Todd Dykes was in the courtroom for Johnson's sentencing hearing.Johnson blamed high levels of testosterone for his illegal behavior.In November, Johnson pleaded guilty to two felony counts of gross sexual imposition, admitting that he engaged in sex acts with a female student at Dater High School in May."I don't know what happened. I know I never did anything inappropriate until May," Johnson said during sentencing.Johnson said that when he committed the crimes, he was taking high levels of prescription testosterone to deal with issues linked to a previous battle with cancer in his left kidney.A psychologist testified on Johnson's behalf and said that when the former special education teacher encountered students who flattered him in the past, he handled those situations appropriately. But during the month of May, Dr. Karla Kahn said the testosterone Johnson was on changed his behavior."This time he was flattered," Kahn said. "He described feelings of being like in puberty, and he responded like a typical adolescent male."Johnson's wife echoed that sentiment when she begged for mercy from Hamilton County Judge Jody Luebbers."It was supposed to help him or to save his life," Joan Johnson said. "And instead it's ruined his life."For his part, Johnson expressed similar concerns for the victim, a young woman he's known for several years."I brought harm to another human being, a wonderful human being, with a great future," Michael Johnson said. "She deserves so much better."In the end, Johnson's medical condition did not sway Judge Luebbers, who noted that during his teaching tenure Johnson served as a critical authority figure for his students."I believe you preyed upon this child. I think you groomed her," Judge Luebbers said. "You simply blame the drugs, and I just don't buy it. That a young girl came up to you and started rubbing your legs and then you proceed to have sexual relations with her in several different ways, in a school closet? I just don't blame the drugs."Johnson was sentenced to 36 months, 18 months for each count, with sentences to run consecutively. He must also register as a sex offender.Johnson's attorney, James Grey Wolf, asked the judge to hold off on sending his client to prison until after Christmas, but Luebbers ordered him to start serving his sentence immediately.After the hearing concluded, the victim's grandmother expressed the relief her family feels."Yes, it is a complicated situation, but Judge Luebbers was very gracious, and she saw through the whole thing and made the right decision," Nancy Willis said.She also cited the difficult days ahead for Michael Johnson's family."I'm regretfully sorry for his family because I know what we've been through, and it must be horrific for what they're going through. It'll never be the same for them and it will never be the same for us."
CINCINNATI —
A former Cincinnati school teacher was sentenced Friday on sexual battery charges.
Michael Johnson, 46, was indicted in July on two charges of sexual battery for allegedly having sex with a high school student.
Teacher charged with having sex with student
Teacher charged with sexual battery
Watch this story
Investigators said the crime happened on May 22. They would not say where the alleged sex happened.
WLWT News 5 investigative reporter Todd Dykes was in the courtroom for Johnson's sentencing hearing.
Johnson blamed high levels of testosterone for his illegal behavior.
In November, Johnson pleaded guilty to two felony counts of gross sexual imposition, admitting that he engaged in sex acts with a female student at Dater High School in May.
"I don't know what happened. I know I never did anything inappropriate until May," Johnson said during sentencing.
Johnson said that when he committed the crimes, he was taking high levels of prescription testosterone to deal with issues linked to a previous battle with cancer in his left kidney.
A psychologist testified on Johnson's behalf and said that when the former special education teacher encountered students who flattered him in the past, he handled those situations appropriately. But during the month of May, Dr. Karla Kahn said the testosterone Johnson was on changed his behavior.
"This time he was flattered," Kahn said. "He described feelings of being like in puberty, and he responded like a typical adolescent male."
Johnson's wife echoed that sentiment when she begged for mercy from Hamilton County Judge Jody Luebbers.
"It was supposed to help him or to save his life," Joan Johnson said. "And instead it's ruined his life."
For his part, Johnson expressed similar concerns for the victim, a young woman he's known for several years.
"I brought harm to another human being, a wonderful human being, with a great future," Michael Johnson said. "She deserves so much better."
In the end, Johnson's medical condition did not sway Judge Luebbers, who noted that during his teaching tenure Johnson served as a critical authority figure for his students.
"I believe you preyed upon this child. I think you groomed her," Judge Luebbers said. "You simply blame the drugs, and I just don't buy it. That a young girl came up to you and started rubbing your legs and then you proceed to have sexual relations with her in several different ways, in a school closet? I just don't blame the drugs."
Johnson was sentenced to 36 months, 18 months for each count, with sentences to run consecutively. He must also register as a sex offender.
Johnson's attorney, James Grey Wolf, asked the judge to hold off on sending his client to prison until after Christmas, but Luebbers ordered him to start serving his sentence immediately.
After the hearing concluded, the victim's grandmother expressed the relief her family feels.
"Yes, it is a complicated situation, but Judge Luebbers was very gracious, and she saw through the whole thing and made the right decision," Nancy Willis said.
She also cited the difficult days ahead for Michael Johnson's family.
"I'm regretfully sorry for his family because I know what we've been through, and it must be horrific for what they're going through. It'll never be the same for them and it will never be the same for us."


text:
Q: Show that $x_k = (\sin( k\pi h), \sin(2 k\pi h), \sin(3 k\pi h), ... )$ is an eigenvector of a tridiagonal A. I'm looking at problem 3 from Gilbert Strang's Linear Algebra and Its Applications, 4e, section 7.4:

Multiplying $Ax_k$ as written gives me:
$$ Ax_k = \begin{bmatrix}2\sin(k\pi h) &- \sin(2 k\pi h) \\ - \sin( k\pi h) &+ 2\sin(2k\pi h) &- \sin(3 k\pi h) \\ & - \sin(2 k\pi h) & + 2\sin(3k\pi h) & - \sin(4 k\pi h) \\ &&...\end{bmatrix} $$
(Note that this is a column vector, but I spaced it out to indicate the pattern.)
I'm struggling to see this as a multiple of $(\sin( k\pi h), \sin(2 k\pi h), \sin(3 k\pi h), ... ) $. I thought that maybe I am supposed to assume that $k$ and $h$ are integers so that I can use the periodicity of sine to simplify $Ax_k$. But that just makes $x_k$ = 0.
So I looked at the solution, which says that the corresponding eigenvalue is $2 - 2\cos(k\pi h)$, and tried to work backwards. But computing $2 - 2\cos(k\pi h) x_k$ also doesn't seem to get me anywhere close to $Ax_k$. Even the first entry is clearly different:
$$\begin{align}[2 - 2\cos(k\pi h) x_k]_1 & = 2\sin(k\pi h) - 2\cos(k\pi h)\sin(2k \pi h)\\ &\ne 2\sin(k\pi h) - \sin(2 k\pi h) \end{align}$$
(unless $k$ and $h$ are both integers, as above)
I would appreciate a hint.

A: We can write
$$Ax_k = 2 \begin{bmatrix} \sin(k\pi h) \\ \sin(2k\pi h) \\ \vdots \\ \sin(nk \pi h) \end{bmatrix}  -\begin{bmatrix} \sin(2k \pi h) \\ \sin(k\pi h) + \sin(3k \pi h) \\ \vdots \\ \sin((n-1) k \pi h) \end{bmatrix}$$
A helpful identity is that
$$\sin(x) + \sin(y) = 2 \sin \left(\frac{x+y}{2}\right) \cos\left(\frac{x-y}{2}\right)$$
From this we get that
$$\sin((\ell-1) k\pi h) + \sin((\ell+1)k\pi h) = 2 \sin(\ell k \pi h)\cos( k\pi h)$$
Using this, we have
$$Ax_k = 2 \begin{bmatrix} \sin(k\pi h) \\ \sin(2k\pi h) \\ \vdots \\ \sin(nk \pi h) \end{bmatrix}  - \begin{bmatrix} \sin(2k \pi h) \\ 2\sin(2k\pi h)\cos(k\pi h) \\ \vdots \\ 2\sin((\ell+1) k\pi h) \cos(k\pi h) \\ \vdots \\ \sin((n-1)k \pi h) \end{bmatrix}$$
Note that
$$\sin(2k\pi h) = 2 \sin(k\pi h) \cos(k \pi h)$$
also, $\sin((n+1) k \pi h) = 0$ so
$$\sin((n-1) k \pi h)  = \sin((n-1) k \pi h) + \sin((n+1) k \pi h) = 2\sin(n k \pi h) \cos(k \pi h)$$
so
$$Ax_k = 2 \begin{bmatrix} \sin(k\pi h) \\ \sin(2k\pi h) \\ \vdots \\ \sin(nk \pi h) \end{bmatrix}  - \begin{bmatrix} 2\sin(k\pi h)\cos(k \pi h) \\ 2\sin(2k\pi h)\cos(k \pi h) \\ \vdots \\ 2\sin(nk \pi h)\cos(k \pi h) \end{bmatrix} = (2 - 2\cos(k \pi h))\begin{bmatrix} \sin(k\pi h) \\ \sin(2k\pi h) \\ \vdots \\ \sin(nk \pi h) \end{bmatrix}$$
Hope this helps.


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Delgado Community College is offering minimesters in the fall 2018 semester. The minimester courses are full credit courses taught over 8 weeks instead of 16. This means they are compressed and move at a quicker pace, similar to a summer term, and allow students access to enroll in courses throughout the semester.
Successful students are prepared to start working on the first day of class. Please make sure you have a valid email address on file. Textbooks for minimester courses must be paid for out of pocket.
Note: Minimester Term B was formerly known as "Second Start"
Nov. 13 by 4:30 p.m.
Last updated on October 8, 2018.


text:
PIA to partially resume flights to UK from 14th Aug
File Photo Pakistan International Airlines
The Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) will partially resume its flights to the United Kingdom from Aug 14 with a hired plane.
PIA spokesman Abdullah Hafeez said on Wednesday that an agreement had been signed between Portugal's airline and the national carrier.
He said the PIA would operate flights with an Airbus A330, having a seating capacity of more than 300 passengers.
"The PIA has hired a plane and crew from a European company to operate flights using PIA call sign and slots," he said, adding: "Due to public demand, the national flag carrier is resuming its flights."
Mr Hafeez said that passengers would be able to travel to London, Manchester and Birmingham from Pakistan under the new arrangement.
He said that social distancing would be strictly observed in all the flights.
The spokesman said a PIA flight, PK-9702, would depart for Islamabad from Manchester with 250 passengers on Aug 14.
On August 15, PIA flight PK-9785 will depart from Islamabad for London.
He said that booking of seats had been started and all seats had been booked for the first flight.
The spokesman said that the airline would facilitate passengers with 45kg of baggage per passenger on the flights.
He said that after the suspension of PIA flights to the UK, other airlines had increased fares and it was expected that after the resumption of PIA flights, fares of other airlines would also come down.


Our Adaptable organisations need to be creative & agile. Our people need to feel empowered to take responsibility for working together across the structure to develop ideas, test and implement them. Without the provision of physical space, or permissions, for people to come together and think differently, this type of collaborative innovation can be difficult.
Creating the space to innovate requires a conducive physical space. Formal meeting rooms to some extent condition us to expect a certain type of discussion and formal outcomes. If we are to change thinking within organisations, perhaps we need to change the environment in which people aim to collaborate.
Naomi Stanford talks about the characteristics of a co-working environment that combines aspects of social, community and work. Our proposal is that organisations need to give some specific thought to workplace design to make collaborative thinking possible. What we envisage is a creative space where people can meet, collaborate, sketch out their thoughts, expand on their thinking. An ideas lab, if you like. It will be a semi-structured space that people can use flexibly, drink coffee, draw pictures, contemplate challenges and really get to grips with the ideas, services & products that can take the organisation forward. It will be a space where conversations with a purpose can happen.
But the provision of physical space in itself is not sufficient. The culture of the organisation needs to be supportive towards the idea of informal, organic collaborative thinking. The culture has to allow anyone to innovate without having to seek permission. This requires a degree of freedom around how employees manage their own time, and a high-level of trust by line managers in staff who choose to come together for the purposes of developing ideas or thinking differently. In the early stages of this process, visible supportive recognition of the value of collaborative working and an acknowledgement of the innovative ideas that emerge will be essential to reinforce that it's actually okay to work informally.
Getting this idea off the ground would not be a difficult task. In terms of workspace utilisation, it could start off with the designation of a creative space. A suitable room could be equipped with whiteboards, creative technologies, informal furniture and a supply of water/coffee/fruit.
The facility could be promoted initially to existing project teams, who could pilot the space and give feedback on its look & feel. OD would have an important role in show-casing and signposting the space, offering a facilitation service to early users of the space. Word of mouth would then encourage individuals and teams to come and try the facility. An open booking system would enable anyone within the organisation to come and use the space.
Early examples of using the creative space would need to be communicated. Use of the facility would demonstrate clearly that the organisation values collaborative working and innovation. Ideas for process improvements or new products would start to emerge; through their implementation, staff would see that the organisation was not just managing the present but also preparing itself for the future. The principles behind this initiative fit with the concept of an agile workforce.
The initial will to make this happen needs to come from the leadership team. This would enable any traditional concerns about space utilisation, often a political issue between departments, to be overcome.
Perhaps a greater challenge would be around ensuring that workplace culture accepted the concept of informal, collaborative working. Some thought should be given to conversations with leaders at all levels of the organisation around the concept of the workplace as a 'community', to ensure that they were comfortable supporting staff coming together informally to develop new thinking. Leaders would also need to be positioned to support some of the new thinking emerging and have a simple process to decide which ideas should be implemented. Again, OD has a role to play in supporting this process.
A review of space planning within the organisations estate would be the first step towards the allocation of a suitable creative space. Initial investment in room redecoration and infrastructure would be accompanied by a communication plan to launch the facility.
It is suggested that an initial pilot of 12-18 months would be planned to assess demand, allow staff to get to know the facility and for leaders within the organisation to start to share stories about the value & outcomes from informal collaborative working. Success through a pilot facility would allow the organisation to consider replicating the creative space across different buildings to enable access across a multi-site scenario. The physical space could also be complemented by the use of virtual creative space tools such as www.stormboard.com to reinforce the message about the value of informal collaborative work within the organisation.
Interesting that there is a blog on HBR about the demise of Google's famous 20% time yet the rise of something more akin to "earned right" to spend time on pure innovation. Whatever the outcome of the ban on telecommuting at Yahoo over the loss of "serendipitous innovation" what is evident is that employee-led innovation is a must for organisations and can no longer be the sole domain of R&D.
Customers - what do they know? Well a lot. If we really want our customers to become an information source for innovation it will be only when our people are given time, space and the support to take it seriously, construct great ideas and find a place where the idea becomes a practically applied innovation.
I see a lot of Brian Solis's work on the future of business and the constructs of peer recommendations and the moments of truth in purchasing need staff-led innovation to capture and create true customer-centric innovation.
Having a space - physical and virtual - where ideas are posted, incubated, developed, discussed and built, is essential. I also feel that HR - be it OD or L&D - has a real chance to be the people-based innovation champions and become a hub of learning whilst innovating.
Let's hope we see more of the "let's open up innovation and here's some space to do it" rather than "innovation is a process - we have it under control".


You will receive a free roof estimate from an experienced and knowledgeable roofing contractor when you contact Sherriff-Goslin in Kalamazoo about a roof repair or roof replacement. Your free roof estimate can help you determine whether or not you would like to consult with us regarding our roof financing options.
To get started, simply fill out the form and one of our experienced roofing contractors will contact you to set up your free roof estimate.


It seems that most consumers are in the dark regarding the implementation of the revised Payments Services Directive (PSD2), yet it will bring large scale transformation to everyday banking. Millions of customers in the UK make payments through digital payment services and the PSD2 is about to create significant changes to the current laws and practices of financial institutions and businesses.
PSD2 is due to be implemented into EU Member States, which currently also applies to the UK, effective from 13th January 2018. This revision stems from the Payment Services Directive (PSD) created in 2007. This law created a single market for payments including credit transfers and direct debit cards within the European Union, providing the legal foundation for the Single Euro Payments Area (SEPA). The PSD was the first European law to affect sterling payments.
Why revise the Payments Services Directive?
As the growth of digitalisation progressed rapidly, the European economy has also digitalised steadily, creating the need for new regulations not covered by the PSD. New services with new entrants to the field have been quickly appearing online and this created the need to implement a revision.
The intention of the PSD2 is to make payments safer, further protect consumers, allow for competition and innovation to continue while levelling the playing field for new competitors and services. When implemented, these new services will be regulated and the Single Market will see increased integration.
These new TPP services will be registered, licensed and regulated by the EU which opens up competition. While this sounds bad for banks, it is excellent news for consumers as this should translate to lower costs for purchases and savings in removed card surcharges.
The way in which these new payment services would work is by allowing access to a consumer's account, with their consent, to make payments on their behalf. This allows merchants to change the way in which payment is charged.
When goods are bought online, instead of supplying card details to the merchant directly, you could consent for the payment to be redirected to your internet banking. So instead of the merchant requesting funds from your account, you simply send the payment directly to them through PISPs. This method can be seen in companies such as iDEAL and Sofort.
XS2A creates a more open playing field for these TPPs as it challenges banks to be more transparent. A consumer's bank can give access to TPPs via Application Programming Interface (API), whereby they can complete the purchase for the consumer without having access to all the consumer's details. There are further opportunities raised by PSD2 for TPPs, as the possibilities to build and enhance products and services could directly translate as savings as well as increased security for consumers.
The scope for AISPs is especially exciting as they would have the power to access information from bank accounts which will allow them to develop new products for consumers. This could be comparison apps which use your information to find better banking deals or perhaps advise consumers on investments, without having to input the sensitive information each time.
As the digitalisation of Europe rapidly changed the way in which consumers purchased items online, there has been an increased risk of fraud and theft of sensitive data. Many have fallen victim to online scams or have had details stolen. Banks and companies have been advising customers of increased security while purchasing online, but few have done more than ask for a second password.
PSD2 aims at helping to reduce fraud by enhancing security that would protect consumer data. The revision demands strong customer authentication (SCA) for all electronic payments or transactions. In the past, a second tier authentication may have been issued by the banks through a separate keypad, or the input of a secondary code.
This extra layer of security ensures consumer details are much more secure and the risk of fraudulent behaviour is significantly lowered.
The PSD2 aims to broaden the reach seen in PSD to include all non-digital currencies and transactions where one payment service provider is a non-EU member, referred to as "one-leg-out" transactions.
In practice, this means that consumers should be told upfront information about any fees or conditions attached to international payments from the European side of the transaction. Therefore any PSPs operating in Europe will have to present all information and be completely transparent regarding charges and conditions relating to both national and international payments for the part of the transaction they are responsible for and can be held liable if any issues were to arise.
The PSD2 also clarifies the position of unconditional right of refund for SEPA Direct Debits (SDD), which confirms that consumers now have an unconditional right of refund for up to eight weeks after payment. The UK already has this unlimited guarantee due to the UK Direct Debit scheme.
If the final amount of a transaction is not known in advance, for example if a customer is renting a car or booking a hotel, the payee will only be able to restrict funds on the payer's account where the cardholder has pre-approved the precise amount that can be restricted. The payer's PSP is then required to release those funds without undue hesitancy once the information about the final amount is received and, at the latest, after having received a payment order.
The PSD2 states that Payment Service Providers (PSPs) must have dispute resolution procedures in place and will be required to reply to payment complaints no later than 15 business days after receipt. In some exceptional circumstances a holding reply could be provided, if an explanation is given for the delay, with final response being received no later than 35 business days.
PSPs in Member States are required to appoint competent authorities such as the FCA or the Financial Ombudsman Service to ensure compliance with PSD2 and handle any disputes that may arise between PSPs and customers.
There will also be a ban for surcharges and hidden fees implemented to attempt to standardise the practice throughout EU on card transactions, saving consumers an estimated €730 million per year. However, this part of PSD2 has not been implemented by the UK government. They have chosen to ignore measures to show "real costs and charges" of transactions in foreign currency.
At present, UK banks and brokers will still have the choice to hide charges in exchange rates once implemented. The UK government is currently consulting with consumers and will likely make a decision Q4 of 2017, before the revision's implementation in January 2018.
Who benefits the most from the PSD2?
The biggest winners of PSD2 is undoubtedly the consumers and users of the various banking APIs that will be created. Increased security in all transfers and spending less on transactions are of course only the tip of the iceberg. The scope of the APIs could give consumers added market intelligence on their savings, their investments and a wider scope in applications for credit, all without ever having to re-enter sensitive information to many companies to get better deals.
The PSD2 could also help stimulate new markets that could potentially offer services to advise and assist those who are currently financially excluded. Popular theories on APIs that could be created are those linked to social network services, whereby payments could theoretically be sent and received instantaneously through Facebook or WhatsApp messenger services, which has already become quite popular in the USA through Venmo.
Other big winners will include the growing financial technology companies who can finally compete fairly with the banking giants, creating more competition and unmasking a whole new area of innovation for consumers. Overall PISPs will gain the most, especially if the banks do nothing or decide to wait and see how PSD2 is implemented.
Does PSD2 still apply to the UK after Brexit?
Now that the UK has voted to leave the UK and Article 50 has been triggered, many will wonder if PSD2 is actually still applicable. The short answer is yes, PSD2 will come into effect before Brexit is finalised. However, once the UK has officially left the EU it will be left up to Parliament to decide whether or not to implement it into British law.
Opening up access to accounts – How to ensure consumer devices, such as mobile phones or tablets, allow access to the payment accounts.
PSD2 will be required for any payment service provider who wishes to keep exchanging and providing payments inside the EU. Execution is up to the PSP, but all companies should be considering how to serve their customers above all else.
At this phase of the discussion procedure, PSPs will in all probability have a lot of work to do. Amended procedures, new innovations and methodology will all need an upgrade and audit to support the PSD2.
Businesses that take card payments or set up direct debit collections online will also have to make changes to comply with the demand for strong authentication.
Once the PSD2 is in place, the most noticeable impact to the consumer will be the implementation of a stronger authentication method. This may mean companies will have to educate their customers on the new updated ways of accessing their data, through biometric technologies, better understanding of how to use their smart devices, such as mobiles and password or pin authentication. There are already positive signs that the UK is more mindful and prepared for biometrics to become more common place in their banking lives and are open to heightened online security, such as the proposed two-step authentication outlined in the PSD2.
The PSD2 will be a revolutionary change not just for consumers but for the financial industry as a whole. The next 18 months will undoubtedly bring about unavoidable change, but PSPs and banks must now guarantee vigorous, consistent practices that bring about change in a developing business sector to deliver the most amount of value to the consumer.