text:
Excuse me, Your Holiness...
Let me preface this post by stating that as a faithful Catholic I follow and pray for our Pope as the head of the Catholic Church. However, in all too frequent instances, his quips and off-hand comments unfortunately do not match the official teachings of the Church. And that leads to confusion among Catholics and non-Catholics alike. Pope Francis is our spiritual leader on matters of faith and morals, not on social justice issues.
The Holy Father posted another of his cringe-worthy "tweets" recently.
Do we really want peace? Then let's ban all weapons so we don't have to live in fear of war.
— Pope Francis (@Pontifex) April 29, 2018
It seems Pope Francis overlooked this passage in the Catechism of the Catholic Church...
In his defense, I don't believe most Catholics today ever bother reading the Catechism. If they did, they wouldn't be voting for democrats. Given the combined influence of his Jesuit education and living with Latin American Marxism, the Pontiff's error is not wholly surprising. Since the Pope wasn't speaking Ex Cathedra, Catholics are hardly bound to agree. As a Catholic gun owner, I feel no obligation to make any changes to my stance.
I've seen a lot of pro-gun ownership folks taking exception to the Pope's statement. Interestingly, I haven't noted many responses in support from the left, people who are usually quick to say, "See, the Pope agrees..." Perhaps even they recognize the inanity of his comment.
I wonder how these guys feel about the Pope's statement. They have no shortage of weapons in their own arsenal.
Some previous Musings on Catholics and firearms can be read here.
Mused by David 10 comments:
Links to Related Musings: Catholicism, Faith, Guns, Self Defense
Those Scary Gun Emojis
With so many liberals today exhibiting irrational fears of inanimate objects, it's not surprising that even cartoon drawings of guns would invoke trepidation in these tender snowflakes. Emojipedia has a revealing synopsis of the gun emoji on various platforms.
This graphic is interesting.
The switch to a more realistic depiction by Microsoft in 2016 caught my eye. A cynic might suspect it had something to do with trying to differentiate from Apple's shift in the opposite direction at the same time. However, Microsoft will be following the trend in the future.
Even cartoon drawings can trigger the hoplophobia it seems. For a group of people so immersed in a fantasy world, one would think those ray guns would illicit even more anxiety.
See Google Updates Gun Emoji for more.
Links to Related Musings: Computers, Hoplophobes, Mental Illness
Still a Party Animal
We went out for an evening of food and beer last night. Great German food and liters of German beer were consumed. We were enjoying the nice weather and outdoor seating. Eventually the proprietor approached our table and announced, "Time to go, we closed 30 minutes ago and the staff is waiting to leave."
Naturally, we complied. We all enjoyed a laugh that it's been a long time since we closed a place down. I guess we've still got it.
Granted, it was 8:30 PM. Still, we did party well past closing.
Links to Related Musings: Aging, Beer, Food
Range Trip
I've been fortunate to have gotten in a lot of range practice in the last few months. Always practicing with a plan in mind, the sessions were directed towards a specific goals and skills. I decided this week that I wanted to just shoot. Call it plinking or whatever, but my intent was just to have fun putting rounds down range.
In addition to the SIG P320 I shoot in competition, I grabbed my SIG P239 as well. Looking at my logs, I saw that I had not fired the gun since April 15 of last year, a little over a year ago. The compact SIG was the first gun I ever bought, and I always enjoy shooting it. The trigger time was overdue.
Forgetting to pack targets, I purchased a couple of the "Q" bottle targets to use this time. Hanging the first one at 10 yards, I very quickly went through my first box of ammo. Using just a quick flash sight picture I fired rapid strings of 3, 4, 5 or more shots. There's something immensely satisfying about just pulling the trigger quickly. (And still keeping the hits where they need to be.)
Next I loaded up the P239 mags. Setting a fresh target at 7 yards, my first few shots were essentially touching. Then, speeding things up, I realized just how quickly those 8 round magazines go empty! I quickly went through another box of ammo. By today's standard the P239 is a dinosaur of a "compact" gun, but it's accurate and easy to shoot. It's a shame, though not surprising, that SIG has apparently discontinued it.
Finally, I decided to slow things down just a bit. I found a folded up repair center target in my bag and "refreshed" the Q target. Setting it at 20 yards, I used my last box of ammo shooting a bit slower with the P320.
It turned out to be an extremely short, but most satisfying and cathartic outing.
Links to Related Musings: Guns, Practice, Shooting Sports, Winding Brook Indoor Range
Maybe I Should Apply
LinkedIn sent me an email suggesting "Top job picks" for me. One in particular caught my attention...
I'm not actually looking for a new job, but this could present an interesting opportunity.
Links to Related Musings: Careers, Gun Control, Gun Free Zones, Humor, Work
AAF&G Lt. Col. Matt Mathys Memorial IDPA Match
The Anne Arundel Fish & Game Association held its first sanctioned IDPA match last weekend. The Maryland club hosts three IDPA matches a month but the Lt. Col Matt Mathys Memorial IDPA match was the group's first Tier 2 match. Frequent travel companion Stuart and I made the early morning drive to shoot the match. Squadding with two more friends at the match added to the fun.
The event was superbly organized. Nine stages were fit into 4 shooting bays. (Match book) The shooters were moved from stage to stage efficiently and safely. The 50 or so of us who shot Saturday completed all the courses of fire in about 4 hours. Each squad was divided into two groups of five, and we alternated through the two stages in each bay. The same "warm up" stage was set up in each bay and each shooter shot it to begin the match.
Shot in three strings, the warm up stage mandated freestyle, strong hand only, and weak hand only body and head shots. This was a little more challenging than most of the "get the match jitters out" stages I've encountered, but it got the job done.
In bay one, "Mall Rampage" started out with us dragging an "injured person" being cover and then shooting from low cover at partial targets. The theme of shooting from low cover appeared several times in the match. This provided the opportunity to shoot from positions rarely seen, and never practiced, but was still the source of much moaning throughout the day. In the same bay we found "Trash Raid." Here we started out shooting from retention before moving on to hit a stomp plate which started a swinger appearing behind a non-threat. Additional points of cover provided close, but tightly angled targets.
Moving to the next bay, we encountered "Save Your Neighbors!" Two targets were engaged on the move, before we again took low cover. Shooting from kneeling or prone, three targets were placed at 15 yards, with both hard cover and non-threats adding to the challenge. All targets required three hits each. However, I soon discovered that the left most target had a very nice group of three hits, all in the hard cover! Three misses for me right there.
Shaking that off, I moved on to "Save my kids... No, I mean goats!" After retrieving the loaded gun and spare magazines from a table, we moved to (again) a low barrel laid on its side through which we engaged the targets.
One of the stages I found the most fun was "Convenient My A--." The course of fire started with a close target requiring both a body and head shot. Moving to the end of a wall, there were two long shots to be made on a partial target and another head-body combination hit on a target from the cover of the wall. Advancing down range we stopped at another cover position for two more hits on the lone long target, as well as another target requiring head and body hits. Moving further down range we again engaged the same lone target with 2 more shots, and then leaned around cover to find two more head-body targets.
Me. Photo courtesy C. Claxton
The end result of the stage required a body and a head shot on five targets, and 6 hits anywhere on the target we had engaged from three positions. Given the non-threat covering the target, and the distance involved initially, I took care to avoid the penalty target, even if it meant hitting the target wide. When I reached the final shooting position, I fired the two required shots, as well as 4 fast make up shots, ensuring six -0 hits, before shooting the final two targets.
Another much talked about stage was "Peace and Quiet?" We started out seated on a the "porcelain throne" with the loaded gun at our feet. Retrieving the gun, we dropped to low cover (!), engaging the targets "under the stall wall." The targets presented close shots, and were arranged in three groups of two, with a non-threat in the center of each group. The decision facing the shooter was to slow down and make all heads, or shoot body shots and risk hitting a non-threat. My focus was on making the head shots.
My targets on this stage were all -0. However, I had also shot one of the non-threat targets — with two perfectly placed head shots! I retrospect, I realized my preparation for the stage involved the choice to make all head shots, and how to position myself to quickly and accurately make the shots. I never actually went over the target order in my head. Shooting slightly upwards from the crouch, the "jazz hands" marking the non-threats were obscured by the firearm. On the first array I simply moved across all three heads and shot them. A costly mistake, but a lesson learned.
In "Abducted" we shot five partial targets that were arranged behind a couple of non-threat targets. The targets were close but the -0 zones limited to either head shots or partial body zones. It was a stage that easily tempted you to shoot too fast. "Robbery In Progress" was the final stage I shot. Seated at a table, the shooting kicked off by shoving a briefcase off the table, grabbling the gun from a box, and loading it with a magazine also left on the table. Two partially exposed targets were shot on either side, followed by two more partial targets which were also obscured by a swinging non-threat that had been activated by the falling briefcase. There was a lot going on for such a small stage.
This was the first match I shot since getting a match bump to Expert at the VIR match a couple weeks ago. I was looking forward to the new challenge that created, and also slightly intimidated. Unfortunately too many mistakes prevented a good showing. I finished 6th of the six SSP EX shooters, and 15th of 36 in the SSP division. However, I've learned a few things, and will be all that much better prepared for the next time.
I found this to be a challenging match. There were lots of tight shots, long shots, and awkward shooting positions. Tightly angled shots under low cover are especially challenging. I was generally happy with my shooting on most of the stages. However, when I did poorly, I did very poorly. I would be lying if I said it didn't affect my mood afterwards. But still, it was fun overall. If it wasn't I wouldn't keep doing it. The failures at the match simply mean more reasons to practice.
The match was extremely well run and, to this shooter's point of view, went off without a hitch. No detail was overlooked by the staff. Parking lot attendants, donuts at checkin, water at every stage, attentive SO's who kept us moving and safe, creative stage design; the organization was superb. Adding to the pleasure were sunny skies and moderate temperatures, one could hardly have asked for a more pleasant day.
After the match, I enjoyed a relaxing BBQ lunch and a cold beer with friends before beginning the drive home. There was even time to shop for distilled spirits, as is our tradition when traveling to Maryland. It made for a most enjoyable day. Now, I am looking forward to getting back to the practice range and preparing for next time.
A few more photos from the match are posted here.
Links to Related Musings: AAF&G IDPA, Guns, IDPA, Match Journal, Shooting Sports
An Award and a Match Bump
My award from the Virginia Indoor Regional IDPA match arrived on Saturday. I happened to be shooting another match that day, where I did not do as well as I had hoped. The arrival of the plaque was a nice treat to find when I returned home.
The match win meant I was also bumped up to Expert in the SSP division. Placing high in sanctioned matches will be made a bit tougher going forward. I'm looking forward to the challenge.
Links to Related Musings: IDPA, Match Journal, Shooting Sports, Virginia Indoor Regional
Must Watch: PA Rep. Jeff Pyle
Listen to Representative Jeff Pyle speaking to the Pennsylvania's Judiciary Committee regarding new gun laws under consideration.
"Taking one person's rights, takes all of our rights."
Links to Related Musings: 2nd Amendment, Freedom, Leftists, Politics, The Constitution
Another Quick Range Trip
Depending on traffic, it's a 45 minute or more drive to the indoor range. The more I make the trip, the less onerous it seems. Still, sometimes I have to wonder if the 30 - 40 minutes spent shooting is worth it. Then I get to the range and start shooting, and I think, "Yea, totally worth it."
After work on Thursday, we made our way down I-95 for a bit of fun. My goals for this session were to work mainly on head shots at 10 yards and some 20 yards drills. I can generally keep the hits in the head area of the IDPA target at 10 yards, but they do creep out of the 4" -0 circle at times. Sight alignment is critical.
After a while I pushed the target out to 20 yards and made a few dozen holes. When I ran the target in I noted, although centered, the majority of the hits were low. Even though it seems I am holding the sights over the current place on the target, apparently my aim is low. Conscientiously holding higher, the next batch was much better. The large front sight covers so much of the blurry target at that distance that I really need to be aware of where on the target I am holding. (Before you ask, I've tried narrow front sights, I can't see them.)
I also decided to get in some practice with the S&W Shield, using the small 7-round magazines. Due to warmer weather and social conditions, I've found myself carrying that set up recently. I thought it important to get in some refresher shots. After 50 rounds, fired in fast groups, I felt good (still) about the gun. It was wiped down and put back on my belt.
I was a fun time, but too soon it was time to make the long, but worth it, drive home.
Target Barn Recognizes Match Directors
Without hard working match directors, we would not have all those fun shooting matches we all enjoy. The folks over at TargetBarn.com have come up with a great idea to honor the folks that give so much to the shooting sports.
The Target Barn team knows and appreciates the hard work and time match directors dedicate to their clubs and ranges, and we want to reward those who exemplify what it means to be a part of the shooting community.
We're giving away more than $5,000 in prizes, including a $2,000 check to the winning match director and a Target Barn prize package valued at $1,000 to his or her home shooting range/club. We're taking nominations through April 23rd, then a pool of finalists will be made available for the shooting community to vote on.
If you know a match director that goes above and beyond for your local shooting community, you can nominate them and find more information at www.targetbarn.com/match-directors.
We'll announce the finalists on April 26th and voting will then begin.
Please nominate any match directors you feel deserve the recognition.
There's only a few days to get your nominations in. I'm working on my submissions now.
Links to Related Musings: Contest, Shooting Sports
Take A Gun Owner to the Range
Taking a new shooter to the range is a great way to convert law-abiding citizens into gun owners. Most shooters very much enjoy taking new shooters to the range. I've introduced a number of folks to the fun of shooting, and to the armed lifestyle. In fact, my offer posted here still stands. But I believe there's another segment of the population that we need to (re)introduce to shooting. I'm talking about people who already own guns yet who infrequently, if ever, practice with them.
How many gun owners do you know who support the natural right of self defense and gun ownership, and even own firearms, yet never shoot those guns? Shooting is a perishable skill. Simply buying a gun and shooting a box or two of ammo through it does not prepare you to use it to defend your life or the life of a loved one. You must shoot it, and shoot it properly, on a regular basis. If you aren't shooting your handgun on a monthly basis, you probably aren't truly prepared to shoot that gun if called to do so. You're also, quite frankly, missing out on a lot of fun.
Going to the range regularly helps to develop and maintain shooting skills. Participating in competitions will help even more. You'll shoot under some pressure, you'll be put in uncomfortable or unusual positions, and you'll become a better shooter.
I'm extending that offer I made to new shooters, to include those "inactive" gun owners. If you own a gun, yet have not shot it in months, I will help you rectify that. Maybe you just haven't felt like going to the range alone. I'm always up for it so will join you. If it's been a while and you're nervous about shooting again, I'll help. I'll take you to the range as my guest. I'll even provide the ammo and targets. Want to try an IDPA match? I can help with that too. All you need to do is put forth the effort to do it. Let's have some fun!
Obviously, this is applicable only to readers local to me. However, I do encourage everyone to reach out to the non-shooting gun owners in your area. Let's fill those ranges.
Links to Related Musings: 2nd Amendment, Friends, Guns, Self Defense, Shooting Sports
More Practice at the Range
After the exciting Virginia Indoor Regional last weekend, I was anxious to get back to the range for more practice. Family and work commitments finally allowed that to happen on Thursday. I'd been dedicating a lot of range time the last couple months to shooting with the flashlight in hand. Now that I can relax on that for just a bit, I decided that one-handed and distance shooting would get my attention in the coming weeks.
I started with an easy warm up, shooting the usual Julie Golob 50 round drill at seven yards. I then moved the target back to 15 yards. After emptying a couple magazines, I pushed the target back to 20 yards. It's difficult for me to aim at a specific point on the distant and blurred target. Shooting slowly, I dropped a few shots low, but was pleasantly surprised to see the shots being generally centered, instead of drifting and low left as often happens.
30 holes at 20 yards
I'm rather enjoying shooting at the longer distance. I'm not getting 2 inch groups, but they're "combat effective" and generally -0. There was a time I was happy to even hit the paper at 20 yards. After another 50 rounds I started rushing, which had a detrimental affect on my accuracy. Since I found myself speeding up anyway, I set the target carrier for some timed exposures at 7 yards for a bit. Static weak hand and strong hand only shooting rounded out the session.
As I packed up, I commented to the range officer, "I'm out of bullets." He replied, "We can fix you up at the counter." I am proud of myself for resisting the temptation.
Fastest Growing Virginia Breweries
The Brewers Association has tabulated the 50 fastest growing small and independent craft breweries. Three Virginia breweries made the list.
Vanish Farmwoods Brewery in Leesburg, Virginia, ranks No. 25 on the list of 50 fastest-growing craft brewers in 2017.
Vanish Farmwoods grew to 62 employees in the two years since it opened, and it says it is adding more production capacity and a barrel-aging facility to its farm.
"One of the things that is significant for us is that over 90 percent of our beer sales is consumed on-site in our farm tasting room instead of through distribution," said Vanish Farmwoods owner Jonathan Staples.
Vanish Farmwoods is on a 61-acre farm and has two separate tap rooms, three indoor bars and one outdoor bar. It also has more than 30 taps and live music on weekends.
Big Lick Brewing Co. in Roanoke, Virginia, is No. 45.
Fair Winds Brewing Co. in Lorton, Virginia, is No. 47.
Sadly, I've never visited any of these breweries. Although I have enjoyed some beers from Fair Winds at local pubs. Looks like my "to do" list just got longer.
See "3 Virginia craft brewers among 50 fastest-growing" for more.
Links to Related Musings: Big Lick Brewing, Craft Beer, Fair Winds Brewing, Vanish Farms Brewery, Virginia
Bill Whittle: Guns For Children
Bill Whittle dissects the childish naïveté of the anti-gun "progressives."
Links to Related Musings: 2nd Amendment, Children, Gun Control, Gun Safety, Leftists
2018 VA Indoor Regional IDPA Match
On Saturday, a group of us made the trek down to Chesapeake, VA, for the 2018 Virginia Indoor Regional IDPA match. I shot this match for the first time last year, and have been anxiously awaiting this year's event. It provides a unique opportunity to compete in the dark, with a hand held flashlight. I was concerned earlier in the week that I'd be able to make the trip, due to the possibility of significant snow on Saturday. As it turned out, the weather was mostly just wet and cold, although it was quite cool inside the range when the ventilation fans were running.
I've been preparing for this match for the past couple months. There have been many dry fire sessions devoted to getting my handheld flashlight in position, and doing magazine changes with the light in hand. I've also used it frequently at the range. My recent work shooting at 20 yards also came in handy, even though that was mostly motivated by my experience at the Chesapeake Cup in February. I shot a new personal best at VIR, earning a first place finish in SSP Sharpshooter.
The match consisted of eleven stages. We shot a quick "warm up" stage, then five stages in the dark, follow by five stages shot with the lights on. The five light stages were the same or variations of the dark stages. Our squad was divided in half and each shooter in the group shot one of the five stages, as the other half waited. After scoring those five runs, the rest of the group shot the five stages. We then rotated to the next stage in the queue. The process was repeated until everyone had shot all five dark stages. After a few stage adjustments, the process was repeated for the light stages.
The warm up stage had a close, three yard target which required 5 shots to the body, and one to the head. After we all burned the pre-match jitters on it, we divided into the two groups and began the five dark stages.
Stage 1, "Fighting Retreat" had us starting with the gun loaded with just six rounds. We engaged three targets while retreating to wall with a port. Through the port we found a paper target, a steel popper the started a fast flip over target, and a round steel plate that activated a flip up target. The round plate was placed at the shoulder of a non-threat making careful aiming a requirement. Holding the flashlight, I struggled to hit the popper. When I finally did, I moved to the plate, forgetting the flip over target until too late, earning a couple misses. Interestingly, I hit the round steel plate on the first shot.
The scenario was altered for Stage 6, "Different Fighting Retreat," in the lighted half of the match. The falling popper was replaced with a paper target and the shooting requirements changed. We shot the first three targets weak hand only, and the remaining targets through the port strong hand only. I was relieved to hit the steel plate and avoid the non-threat again, even shooting one handed.
The course of fire set for Stage 2, "Going Back" in the dark, and Stage 7 "Fighting Advance" in the light provide the distance challenge. Two targets had a non-threat placed between them with part of each covered, and barrels were placed at approximately 7, 10, 15, 20 yards. For both stages all magazines were loaded with just six rounds. For the dark run, we started behind the close barrel and moved up range to the shooting positions behind each barrel, engaging the targets with two rounds from each position. In the dark, behind the smoke, hitting those 20 yard targets while holding a flashlight was quite the challenge. I made all the hits, and avoided the non-threat, feeling much relief to be only 4 points down. In the with the lights on, we began at the furthest distance and moved down range. The 10 yard position required strong hand only shooting, and the closest was done weak hand only.
"Family Hostage," Stages 3 and 8, simulated sitting in our car. From a seated position we engaged three "threats" before moving to three more points of cover. There were three paper targets and a falling steel popper to be found. The steel was placed menacingly directly in front of a non-threat target. The light version of the stage contained an additional non-threat target. Again, during the lights out run, I had an issue with the steel, hitting the no-threat before the steel. I shot it clean during the run in the light.
Stage 4, "ISIS Assassination Attempt," was the stage on which I started out. Facing down range, kneeling, with my hands behind my head, the unloaded gun and a magazine was on the ground in front of me. There were four targets to be shot while avoiding two non-threats. The placement of the non-threats made for some tight shots and hard leaning. Picking up the gun and magazine while holding the flashlight was an added challenge. After each target was engaged with two rounds, two more shots on each were made strong hand only. For the lighted half of the match, two additional targets were added. Each threat then required one shot using the weak hand, then one shot each strong hand only, followed by another single shot on each made freestyle.
"Practice Session" was the scenario for Stages 5 and 10, and was unchanged between the dark and light rounds of the match. There were three widely spaced targets, two partially blocked by non-threats, and barrels marking three shooting positions. The gun was loaded with 6 rounds, one of the barrels had another magazine staged with 6 rounds, and a mag loaded to division capacity placed on a third. We started shooting from cover, and engaged all three targets with one body and one head shot. The gun now empty we moved the the center barrel, reloaded and engaged all targets, again with one body and one head shot while in the open. Moving to the third barrel, we reloaded and again shot each target with one body and one head shot, this time from low cover. Tactical priority requirements at each position required a different target order of engagement. A number of shooters earned PE's on these stages for forgetting that.
The match flowed extremely well. The match staff is well-organized and we were moved through each stage efficiently and quickly. The entire match is shot in under four hours. There's very little down time between your stages, however I never felt rushed. After each shooting round of five stages, the targets are scored, and we reloaded magazines while the other half of the squad shot. There was always time to review the written stage briefing before heading to the bench to await your next stage. It's nice to keep shooting, and not sit around waiting for your turn to shoot again. Shooters were also relieved from pasting targets, so we could concentrate on preparing to shoot.
The stages were all a lot of fun and offered a wide variety of shooting. The match also required you to think; one had to be aware of things like target priority, fault lines, switching hands, not to mention finding the targets in the dark. Near or far, there were few completely open targets. The well-thought out stage designs were challenging and tested both skill and awareness. Doing well was not just a matter of shooting accurately, but situational awareness as well.
I was mostly pleased with my shooting. There were a few shots I didn't like, and two hits on non-threats. I earned some PE's from lack of attention to my feet. I don't shoot many indoor matches with tape lines on the floor, relying too much on the tactile feedback of wooden fault lines of outdoor matches. Perhaps the need for more practice indoors will motivate some future attendance at the Monday evening matches at Colonial Shooting Academy.
I was very pleased to finish 26th of 83 overall, and 5th of 16 in the SSP division. Coming in first in SSP Sharpshooter is especially gratifying in such a challenging match. It was my best finish in a sanctioned match since my 4th in SSP SS at the Maryland State match last May. Needless to say, I'm now really anxious to get back to the range for more practice.
It was a long day that was made all the more fun by traveling with friends. We enjoyed a delicious BBQ meal on the way home. During the final hour of my drive, I drove through several squall lines of heavy snow, fortunately it sticking only to grass and trees along the highway.
I am already looking forward to next year's Indoor Regional. Stages shot in the dark offer a unique and seldom seen challenge. I think I'll practice with the flashlight on a regular basis over the next year just to maintain the skill.
Links to Related Musings: Guns, IDPA, Match Journal, Norfolk County Rifle Range, Shooting Sports, Virginia Indoor Regional
If You Need a Laugh on Monday
"Kirkland Light! Available in 48 packs where you buy your pants!"
Randy Colpek loves his Kirkland Light beer from Costco.
Budweiser has its Clydesdales, Corona has its beaches, and Dos Equis has its Most Interesting Man Alive. But Kirkland Light Beer, Costco's very own house brew, has Randy Colpek. And Randy Colpek is a beer-drinking force to be reckoned with.
By his estimate, Randy Colpek drinks 18 cans of Kirkland Light Beer a day, five days a week. Last time he tried to haul his cans of Kirkland Light Beer to the recycling center, he exceeded the 100-pound limit. He is—and I'm not sure this phrase has never been used before—a diehard Kirkland Light Beer fan boy.
Warning: Language.
See "Area Hero Gets Drunk, Makes His Own Genius Commercials for Costco Beer."
Links to Related Musings: Advertising, Beer, Drinking, Factory Beer, Humor
Must Watch: "I'm the majority."
Patriot Mark Robinson addresses the Greensboro, NC City council.
I want to shake this man's hand.
Thursday Range Visit
After work yesterday, Colleen, "Checkered Flag" and I drove down to Winding Brook Indoor Range to get in a little trigger time. Even though we all enjoy shooting together, and we're willing to share a lane, we still prefer to do our own thing in our own lane. The folks at Winding Brook opened up another bay in order for us have adjoining lanes. We had the bay to ourselves most of the time. As I was trying out new ear protection, I was actually a little disappointed in this rare trip without a rifle going off next to me. :-)
I began with the 50 round Julie Golob drill, shooting quickly, but at a close 7 yards. It's been a while since I ran this favorite drill.
Next I grabbed the flashlight and did a little more flashlight work at 7, 10, and 12 yards. I tried to get in some rapid groups too, just to test the stability of my hold. Taking several strings of 10 yard headshots, I ended up putting a few outside of the -1 head circle, but still in the head zone.
Feeling mostly satisfied with the flashlight, I put it down and moved the target out to 20 yards for some slow fire. My confidence up, I didn't recall the target until I'd shot the whole box of 50 rounds. A dozen -1 hits, with the rest in the -0, greeted me when I finally brought the target into viewing range.
Finally, another run of Julie Golob drill finished my session. Usually near the end of a 200 round practice session, my shooting degrades a bit. I didn't experience that this time, probably because I took a few more breaks than usual. Since we were the only people in the bay, there was the opportunity for some friendly conversations with the range officer. I also enjoyed stopping occasionally to move over to watch Colleen and our friend shoot.
The three of us hadn't been able to shoot together since February, and we enjoyed much shooting talk on the drive home. (Which was in contrast to the drive to the range when my passengers took the opportunity to nap.) A quick cleanup at home and we were off for a fine Italian meal, marking an early kickoff to the weekend.
Two Kinds of People
Where do you fall?
If you don't know, it's high time you head to the range and find out.
Links to Related Musings: Humor, Shooting Sports
Must Watch: Gov. Matt Bevin
Kentucky Governor Matt Bevin gives a perfect response to a thinly veiled allegation of hypocrisy from an "independent consultant."
Like Virginia Delegate Nick Freitas, Governor Bevin reminds us there are still a few politicians out there who value freedom and honesty, and who are not afraid to speak out.
Links to Related Musings: 2nd Amendment, Freedom, Leftists, Politics, Precious Snowflakes, The Constitution
Easter Comics
I've had these two cartoons stored on my computer for years. Both of them are scans made from the originals I cut out of newspapers, the originals long lost.
I appreciate the subtlety in each.
Links to Related Musings: Christianity, Easter, Humor
When the sabbath was over,
Mary Magdalene, Mary, the mother of James, and Salome
bought spices so that they might go and anoint him.
Very early when the sun had risen,
on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb.
They were saying to one another,
"Who will roll back the stone for us
from the entrance to the tomb?"
When they looked up,
they saw that the stone had been rolled back;
it was very large.
On entering the tomb they saw a young man
sitting on the right side, clothed in a white robe,
and they were utterly amazed.
He said to them, "Do not be amazed!
You seek Jesus of Nazareth, the crucified.
He has been raised; he is not here.
Behold the place where they laid him.
But go and tell his disciples and Peter,
'He is going before you to Galilee;
there you will see him, as he told you.'"
-- Mark 16:1-7
"He is not here." With those words the reality of the Resurrection was revealed to the world.
Today we rejoice in Our Lord's promise of eternal life. On this most glorious of days, our worries and fears are laid to rest. We are reminded that the war between good and evil has already been fought, and that good has forever triumphed. For three days, Satan believed he had won. The empty tomb was proof he had not.
Easter gives us the strength to persevere against the evil of the world. We are given strength to face our daily trials. The ultimate triumph of good over evil is proof that good will always prevail. The promise of eternal life is reiterated. Today we celebrate in gratitude for His sacrifice some 2,000 years ago.
May the hope and joy of the Resurrection remain in your life all year long.
Mass offered at the Tomb of Jesus,
Church of the Holy Sepulchre, Jerusalem.
Photo by Colleen
Links to Related Musings: Catholicism, Christianity, Easter, Faith, Religion


Introduction- Uttar Pradesh Scholarship Department invites applications for the Scholarship Programme for Class 9th-10th & Class 11th-12th and all Under Graduate, Post Graduate, Diploma, Certificate Courses (All categories) of Session 2018-19. Candidates can apply online for UP Scholarship 2017 on or before 31-08-2018. Detail information regarding UP Scholarship Application 2018 is given above.


Grenof is an Australian-owned solutions based company focused on providing innovative and proven technologies and solutions to the water, wastewater and renewables sectors. We provide a clear planning approach, strong operational delivery and guarantee a customer-centric service that delivers outstanding results.
We offer key expertise to a range of customers including developers, municipal councils and major utilities across Australia. Our sustainable products and professional services include; operations and maintenance, asset management, remote monitoring, information processing, water and wastewater treatment and water quality.
Employing an experienced team of professionals, engineers and technicians, we understand the industries in which we work and implement tailored solutions.
Grenof has long term research and development partnerships with Australian universities, as a result, we provide proven and sustainable innovative technologies that improve efficiency.
Supporting our strong commitment to partners and customers, we are internationally certified to quality, safety and environment.
Grenof is active in shaping the water industry and is currently working with WSAA, AWA and Vic Water in numerous roles including chairing the Environmental Water Management Committee and working with Vic Water to find alternatives for current technologies.


text:
2GUD redefined: Now shop for brand new or refurbished products at the best prices!
2GUD has expanded its virtual shelves to make room for brand-new, affordably priced products in categories like fashion, home, sports, and stationery. By widening its spectrum from only refurbished goods to new offerings too, 2GUD is evolving into a one-stop hypervalue platform for Indian shoppers across the country.
2GUD is now Desh ka Style Bazaar! Your favorite hypervalue platform that focused on affordable, refurbished phones and electronics now brings you brand-new, affordable products across categories. On the all-new 2GUD, you can now explore products ranging from fashion, accessories, footwear, home decor, stationery and electronics, in addition to certified refurbished products.
Over a year since the inception of 2GUD, a lot has changed. But here's what stays the same – Flipkart's 2GUD philosophy: value and convenience coupled with affordability and trust.
Take a look at what's on offer at 2GUD after its recent transformation.
What's new at 2GUD?
Offering refurbished products such as mobile phones, laptops, tablets, speakers, TV sets, streaming devices and more in over 40 product categories in all, 2GUD is India's premier e-commerce marketplace for quality, refurbished products.
Now, 2GUD has expanded to create room for brand-new goods in over 150 categories. This includes women and kids' fashion, accessories, toys, home, sports and stationery. This makes the latest trends and styles available to you at the best value, making 2GUD a true Desh Ka Style Bazaar.
The new offerings on 2GUD also come at the same affordable prices that customers know and love, without any compromise on quality, via 100+ sellers across the country. By making use of a purchase journey that minimizes the seller-buyer interaction, 2GUD is able to add to its roster of sellers rapidly too, making more products available to you.
The convenience of Flipkart is tailored to your preferences
To make using 2GUD as simple as possible, Flipkart allows you to access it as a regular desktop website, an m-site or via a new, independent 2GUD mobile app. All you have to do is use your Flipkart credentials to sign in or create a new Flipkart account on 2GUD.
Then simply browse to see the products you wish to buy. For each product you'll be able to see the highlights, delivery time, warranty and payment options.
#ForIndia, always
Affordability, accessibility and availability of quality products is what has helped 2GUD cater to the needs of close to a million customers from 3,000+ towns. In fact, over 70% of all orders are from Tier II and III cities in West Bengal, UP and Bihar — regions where low e-commerce penetration is known to be a significant roadblock. By offering a range of high-quality new and refurbished products in combination with competitive pricing, 2GUD aims to support Flipkart in its mission to bring the next 100 million customers online.
Moreover, to offer a smooth, seamless user experience, 2GUD features only those sellers who adhere to stringent quality metrics in both refurbishment and operations. Additionally, quality checks are built into the journey at every step to ensure nothing but a satisfying customer experience.
The new and improved 2GUD hypervalue platform is Flipkart's answer to the needs of around 200 million price-conscious customers across the country who prioritize value and affordability. So, whether it's a fashion makeover or a flagship smartphone you're looking for, shop on 2GUD for a pocket-friendly, smooth and hassle-free experience.
2GUD's strategic partnerships play a major role in bringing quality and affordability to customers on the hypervalue platform. Among other brands, 2GUD has recently entered into a partnership with MINISO, a provider of 'intelligent consumer products'. By the end of September 2019, the partnership will give 2GUD the online distribution rights for MINISO's products in India.
Refurbished and more!
Since its inception in August 2018, 2GUD has sought to replace uncertainty and doubt with trust and clarity when it comes to shopping for refurbished goods. After all, refurbished products sold on 2GUD go through 47 quality checks by professionals. So, when you consider buying a smartphone from 2GUD, you can rest assured that the camera, screen, battery performance, and even the fingerprint sensor have been inspected for adherence to the highest standards. Add to that, each and every refurbished product comes with an assured warranty promise of 3-12 months.
For each refurbished product, you can view the grading as well, ranging from Unboxed-Like New to Refurbished Okay.
2GUD's refurbished promise is threefold:
Products are certified and graded by professionals
Products come with a 3- to 12-month warranty
You enjoy a convenient 10-day return policy
Start your 2GUD journey
Whether you're looking for the best value in brand-new items or trust in refurbished products, get started now and enjoy your 2GUD experience! Click here to know more and shop.
Also read: Quality First: How Flipkart's private brands bring trust and affordability to the Indian market
tags: 2GUD app 2gud fashion 2gud Flipkart 2GUD mobile app 2gud mobile phones 2gud sells brand-new products 2GUD shopping app 2GUD website desh ka style bazar electronics flipkart Flipkart Refurbished Goods Flipkart refurbished sellers flipkart second hand good condition second hand mobile mobile offers on 2GUD new products on 2gud refurbished mobiles Refurbished smartphones secondhand mobiles shop preowned mobiles
previous Dressing up India - The story behind Flipkart's India Ka Fashion Capital campaign
next At Flipkart Authorized BuyZones, you can get expert help with your shopping

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


I am a British physician visiting Summit County for the skiing. I read with interest the letter from Dr. Richard Nishman (4 April).
Like Dr. Nishman, I always wear a helmet to ski and, like Dr. Nishman, I find it difficult to understand the circumstances in which Natasha Richardson died. However, unlike Dr. Nishman, I do not jump to conclusions. Very little medical information has been released regarding Ms. Richardson's death and, in my opinion, it is outrageous to conclude with such certainty that Ms. Richardson's death was avoidable or that she was denied a CAT scan and subsequent treatment because of resource constraints in a nationalized health care system. I cannot speak for the Canadian system but in Britain anyone (including a drunk, out-of-work person) with a head injury who was assessed as requiring a head CAT scan would have got it and would have received any subsequent treatment (including long-term rehabilitation) " and there would have been no bill to pay.
There are discussions to be had regarding the financing of health care in all countries, but drawing unwarranted conclusions from individual tragedies is not the way to pursue them.


I was asked by the website Country Attire to name three of my favourite Bond outfits. There are many great outfits to choose from but here is my selection.
James Bond (Daniel Craig) uses an Anderson Wheeler 500 Nitro Express Double Rifle with box lock in SkyFall. The movie's armourer acquired the rifle from London based gun and rifle maker Anderson Wheeler. The request was for a gentleman's big game hunting rifle, also known as a 'double rifle'.


text:
Geelsnavelmeestiran
 Gestreepte meestiran
 Grijsborstmeestiran
 Juan-Fernandezmeestiran
 Langstaartmeestiran
 Pluimmeestiran
 Witbuikmeestiran
 Zwartkuifmeestiran

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
Home/Blockchain/USDC Attestations Run Late, Raising Alarms in the Crypto Community – News Bitcoin News
USDC Attestations Run Late, Raising Alarms in the Crypto Community – News Bitcoin News
USDC, the second most popular stablecoin in the cryptocurrency market, is late in releasing its attestations, which are documents that certify the number of dollars the custodian Centre holds in banks. The last attestation available for the currency dates back to February when the currency had a market cap of nine billion dollars. This fact and the sudden growth the cryptocurrency experienced in the last few months is raising alarms about the delay of these documents.
Centre's USDC Runs Late in Its Attestation Reports
USDC, one of the biggest stablecoins in the crypto market today, is late producing its attestation documents, according to data taken from its own transparency website. The attestations, that are scheduled to be produced monthly have stopped, with the last one dealing with February's funds released last April 27, a considerable delay from its normal issuance date.
There has not been a public disclosure of why the tardiness is happening from any of the people who have knowledge of how USDC operates internally. USDC's attestations are produced by Grant Thornton LLP, one of the leading independent audit, tax, and advisory firms, that has the manpower to manage USDC's complexity as a business.
To make things worse, the crypto asset has experienced explosive growth since February. Its market cap has gone from 9 billion USDC on February 28 to 20 Billion USDC at the time of writing, more than doubling its issuance in just a few months according to numbers taken from Coingecko.
USDC is one of the most trusted stablecoins in the market, being issued by Centre, a joint effort by Coinbase and Circle, two big names of the exchange business in the US. This pedigree has given it the aura of being the safe stablecoin of the market. Circle's chief executive Jeremy Allaire has tweeted about the growth of USDC on various occasions. Circle's blog also discussed the stablecoin's market cap on May 11, when it crossed $15 billion.
But these delays are raising alarms in parts of the cryptocurrency community, that are worried this problem might have to do with the actual solvency of the issuing institution. An article published on Zerohedge and written by Vince Lanci shows how issues can undermine confidence in one of the pillars of cryptocurrency trading: stablecoins.
Stablecoin Woes
Other stablecoins have also fueled these kinds of worries in the market: this is the case of USDT, the largest stablecoin in the market, issued by Tether Limited. USDT, which has the biggest market cap of all, had years without issuing any documents until last February when the firm released an attestation produced by independent firm Moore Cayman, certifying it had 35 billion USD backing its issuance at that time.
Tether also faced the New York Attorney General's Office in a lawsuit, settling its case with a fine of $18.5 million and being barred from conducting business in the city after almost two years of trial.
What do you think of USDC's delays in producing its attestations? Tell us in the comments section below.
Image Credits: Shutterstock, Pixabay, Wiki Commons
Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only. It is not a direct offer or solicitation of an offer to buy or sell, or a recommendation or endorsement of any products, services, or companies. Bitcoin.com does not provide investment, tax, legal, or accounting advice. Neither the company nor the author is responsible, directly or indirectly, for any damage or loss caused or alleged to be caused by or in connection with the use of or reliance on any content, goods or services mentioned in this article.
Ethereum Closes Above 100 SMA, Here's What It Means for ETH
Bank of Korea Seeking Technology to Develop Digital Currency – Economics Bitcoin News


More of Villefranche-sur-Mer's charming old village.
Tomorrow - back to Monaco.
This looks like something that could be used in an art class to teach how to draw or paint with the perspective of depth of field.
A nice place to be....a lovely photo.
A beautiful photo. I like these buildings.
Great perspective... an excellent image.
Monaco Yacht Show - How About Your Own Submarine?


In a technically complex dispute, Kymab Limited and Novo Nordisk A/S have succeeded in the UK with their claim for revocation of two important Patents owned by Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc (see here). These Patents (EP(UK)1360287 and its divisional EP(UK)2264163) relate to Regeneron's Velocimmune® transgenic mice suitable for therapeutic antibody discovery. Regeneron initially brought a claim for infringement of their Patents, and it was decided by the High Court that Kymab's transgenic mice were within the scope of the claims of both Patents. The defendants were however, successful in challenging the validity of the Patents for lack of sufficiency. This case is of significant interest for its consideration of fundamental platform technology in the therapeutic antibody field, in addition to the legal issues discussed concerning construction of product-by-process claims and insufficiency.
Normal murine antibodies are unsuitable for therapeutic use in humans because they elicit an immune response. Technologies have been developed to resolve this issue including chimeric antibodies (having mouse variable regions and human constant regions) and humanised antibodies (where the CDR regions of a murine antibody have been grafted onto a human antibody). Prior to the priority date of Regeneron's Patents, transgenic mice had also been engineered so as to carry the human immunoglobulin loci allowing the mice to generate fully human antibodies; however, it was subsequently found that these mice were unable to mount a strong immune response such that high quality antibodies cannot readily be produced using this platform.
The Patents at issue in this case describe methods for generating transgenic mice capable of producing "reverse chimeric" antibodies having human variable regions and mouse constant regions. The methods involve replacing gene segments of the variable regions (the V,D,J segments) in the murine immunoglobulin loci with the human counterparts, instead of the full-length loci. The transgenic mice having the reverse chimeric loci exhibit improved antibody production as compared with the fully-human transgenic mice, and the hybrid antibodies may be subsequently humanised by the addition of a human constant region for testing as therapeutic candidates.
The claims of the '287 Patent included process claims reciting methods of modifying an endogenous immunoglobulin heavy chain variable region gene locus in an isolated mouse embryonic stem cell. There were also two product-by-process claims covering genetically modified eukaryotic cells, ES cells or mice containing a genetically modified immunoglobulin heavy chain variable region locus obtainable by the process of the preceding claims. In construing the product-by-process claims, it was noted that their scope was considerably wider than the process claims. On the one hand, the modified murine locus was required to have every characteristic which is the inevitable consequence of the process; however, on the other hand, the claims did not impose any limitation as to the amount of endogenous sequence which may have been deleted or the amount of orthologous sequence which may have been inserted. Claim 1 of the '163 Patent was a product claim reciting a transgenic mouse having replacements in both the murine heavy and light chain loci such that hybrid antibodies are produced containing human variable regions and mouse constant regions.
In considering sufficiency, the focus was primarily on process claim 1 of the '287 Patent given that the product-by-process claims were held broader in scope. Taking into account the wealth of technical information and expert evidence presented, it was concluded by the judge that the process defined in the claim was not capable of being performed at the priority date without undue burden and without invention. This conclusion was based primarily on the fact that that there was no means available (either described in the Patent or presented as an alternative by the Patentee) by which the skilled person could have made the insertions and deletions at the murine immunoglobulin loci of the size required by the claimed process. The '163 Patent was invalidated on the same grounds on the basis that the product claims were broader in scope than the process claim of the parent Patent.
Interestingly, the claims of '287 Patent considered by the English High Court in these proceedings were the amended claims approved by the EPO Board of Appeal at the Oral Proceedings held on 27, 28, 29 October and 9 November 2015. The Board of Appeal's conclusions on sufficiency clearly differ from the decision reached in this judgment. However, until the Board's written decision is publicly available, the reasons for this divergence are not yet entirely clear.


text:
Photos: North Carolina - Interstate 795 Northbound
Total Mileage in State: 25 miles
Northern End: At I-95/US 264, in Wilson
Southern End: At US 70, in Goldsboro
Mileage covered in Photos: 25 miles
Counties covered in Photos: Wayne, Wilson
Major Junctions in Photos: US 70, in Goldsboro
US 301/US 264, near Wilson
I-95, in Wilson
Control Cities in Photos: Goldsboro, Wilson
Northbound Southbound
On US 70 Business in Goldsboro at the intersection of West Ash St, Interstate 795 North will begin ahead at the junction of US 70. (Photo taken 5/20/17).
Interstate 795 North at Exit: US 70 - Smithfield / Raleigh (Photo taken 5/20/17).
The speed limit on Interstate 795 North starts out at 70 mph. This is the standard speed limit on a lot of rural Interstate highways in North Carolina. (Photo taken 5/20/17).
View on Interstate 795 North at mile marker 25. (Photo taken 5/20/17).
Interstate 795 North at Exit 22: US 70 Bypass / To US 117 - Raleigh / Kinston (Photo taken 5/20/17).
Interstate 795 North reassurance shield. (Photo taken 5/20/17).
Mile marker 21 on Interstate 795 North in Wayne County. (Photo taken 5/20/17).
Interstate 795 North at mile marker 19. (Photo taken 5/20/17).
Interstate 795 North at Exit 18: Pikeville (Photo taken 5/20/17).
The speed limit remains 70 mph on Interstate 795 North. (Photo taken 5/20/17).
Take Exit 14 to the Governor Charles B. Aycock Birthplace historical site. (Photo taken 5/20/17).
Interstate 795 North at Exit 14: NC 222 - Fremont / Kenly (Photo taken 5/20/17).
View on Interstate 795 North at mile marker 12.5. (Photo taken 5/20/17).
Interstate 795 North as it enters Wilson County. (Photo taken 5/20/17).
Mile marker 11 on Interstate 795 North in Wilson County. (Photo taken 5/20/17).
Interstate 795 North at Exit 9: Alton Rd / Black Creek (Photo taken 5/20/17).
Another Interstate 795 North reassurance shield. (Photo taken 5/20/17).
View on Interstate 795 North at mile marker 8. (Photo taken 5/20/17).
Advance signage for Exit 5, 1 mile ahead on Interstate 795 North. (Photo taken 5/20/17).
Take Exit 5 to Lucama, Smithfield, and Greenville. (Photo taken 5/20/17).
Interstate 795 North at Exit 5: US 301 / To US 264 East - Wilson / Kenly (Photo taken 5/20/17).
As this sign reads, Interstate 795 North will become concurrent with US 264 West 3/4 mile ahead. (Photo taken 5/20/17).
View on Interstate 795 North at mile marker 4.5, as it passes over US 264 and prepares to merge into its westbound lanes ahead. (Photo taken 5/20/17).
The right lane will come to an end 1/2 mile ahead as the northbound lanes of Interstate 795 North prepare to combine with the westbound lanes of US 264. (Photo taken 5/20/17).
As US 264 traffic comes into view ahead on the left, this sign warns that slow moving farm equipment uses US 264 for the next 12 miles, extending beyond the northern terminus of Interstate 795. (Photo taken 5/20/17).
Interstate 795 North as its concurrency with US 264 West begins and the right lane comes to an end. The remaining right lane will become an Exit Only lane for Exit 42 ahead. During this 4-mile concurrency of I-795 and US 264, the mileage and exit numbers are based on the mileage of US 264. (Photo taken 5/20/17).
Interstate 795 North at Exit 42: Downing St / Wilson (Photo taken 5/20/17).
Interstate 795 North reassurance shield alongside a US 264 West reassurance marker. (Photo taken 5/20/17).
Take Exit 40 to Rock Ridge. (Photo taken 5/20/17).
Interstate 795 North at Exit 40: NC 42 - Wilson / Clayton (Photo taken 5/20/17).
Interstate 795 North approaching the junction of Interstate 95 at Exits 38B-A - 1 mile. (Photo taken 5/20/17).
Take Exit 38A (Interstate 95 South) to Smithfield. (Photo taken 5/20/17).
Interstate 795 END shield as it approaches Exit 38B and the junction of Interstate 95, which marks the northern terminus of I-795. (Photo taken 5/20/17).
Interstate 795 North at Exit 38B: Interstate 95 North - Rocky Mount (Photo taken 5/20/17).
Interstate 795 North at Exit 38A: Interstate 95 South - Benson. US 264 West continues beyond the northern terminus of I-795 toward Raleigh. (Photo taken 5/20/17).
North Carolina Photo Guides
North Carolina Video Guides
Interstate 795 Photo Guides
Interstate 795 Video Guides


Relieved to say that I am finally all settled in my new home in Columbia, South Carolina! The past two weeks have been very busy preparing to move, saying goodbye to loved ones in Cleveland, traveling to South Carolina, unpacking, and preparing for international business school.
1. Moving helps us declutter, organize, and prioritize our belongings. We may not be able to bring that favorite stuffed animal or antique vase we have had with us for years. While we may feel sad to leave it behind, we can donate it and provide joy to others.
2. Moving provides us with the opportunity to revisit our travel trinkets and favorite clothes and accessories, reminding us of our favorite memories from our adventures. We can think of packing as a time to reflect on all of our past experiences, providing us with closure as we transition to the next step in our journey.
3. Moving teaches us how to turn any place from "house" to "home." By adding our own personal touches, decorations, and photos, any place can feel like "home." We can seek the familiar to make us comfortable like we are at home. For example, in the United States, I have learned that it is comforting to see similar stores across states. My favorite superstore, Target, and my favorite pharmacy, CVS, are everywhere, which makes moving across the country less intimidating.
4. Moving enables us to refresh who we are and who we want to be. We can adjust our daily routines to improve our health and happiness, seek out new hobbies, and learn new cultures from our local surroundings. We can take a deep breath of new fresh air and start the day remembering "carpe diem." We can make a place what we want it to be.
I hope these insights provide you with an inspirNational mindset to help you as you move now or in the future. I am reminded of one of my previous posts, Bloom Where You Are Planted, which I will remember as I get established in Columbia. With moving season upon us, good luck as many of you make the exciting life transition!


text: Q: Where I can found kibana legacy in latest kibana version's Hi i am trying develop a visualization plugin in kibana it requires one plugin dependency from internal plugin--> [import { KibanaLegacyStart } from '../../../src/plugins/kibana_legacy/public';]it is 8.1.0 after versions it was deprecated now where I can found this kibana legacy in latest version?

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Iloilo and nearby provinces will again join us for another WordCamp in the Philippines' City of Love – Iloilo. This is just our second WordCamp but we are planning to make it Legendary! We'll be doing a two-day WordCamp and hosting the first ever Contributor Day in the Philippines. We'll also have a full day workshop together with the Contributor Day on the 24th and will be bringing in distinguished speakers and mentors to help make this a reality.
There will be 2 tracks, Beginner and Advanced for the whole day workshop and each track will have interesting topics such as web design, web development, security and SEO in the WordPress platform.


text:
Mirror image? Quentin Tarantino eyes Margot Robbie to play slain actress Sharon Tate in upcoming Manson family murders movie
By Simone Amelia For Daily Mail Australia
Published: 01:36 EST, 12 July 2017 | Updated: 07:19 EST, 12 July 2017
It is set to be his first movie based on a real-life event.
And Quentin Tarantino, who is prepping a film based on the Manson family murders, appears to have his eyes set on Margot Robbie to play the late Sharon Tate.
The 54-year-old director recently met with the Australian star - who bears a striking resemblance to the slain actress - to discuss the role, according to Deadline.
Mirror image: Quentin Tarantino recently met with Margot Robbie (right) - who bears a striking resemblance to slain actress Sharon Tate (left) - to discuss the role, according to Deadline
New project: Quentin Tarantino (pictured) is prepping a movie about Charles Manson and the brutal killing in 1969 of pregnant actress Sharon Tate by his 'Family', THR.com reported Tuesday
The Hollywood entertainment website reported a meeting took place between Quentin and Margot, 27, regarding the project, with no confirmation of the outcome.
Quentin Tarantino prepping movie about Charles Manson and... 'I don't play like that': Kim Kardashian PROVES it was a... She's glowing! Snezana Markoski shows off her bump in a... 'Happily Ever After!': Melrose Place alum Josie Bissett, 46,...
New parents George and Amal Clooney dine out in Lake Como as...
Other A-list talent including Brad Pitt, Jennifer Lawrence and Samuel L. Jackson are also said to be potentially attached to the project.
Quentin is reportedly finishing up the script which he plans to direct with his longtime producers, Harvey and Bob Weinstein.
If it pans out, it will be the first time the filmmaker will tackle a story based on true events.
Harrowing: A significant arc in the story is the murder of Sharon Tate (left), who was 26 and eight months pregnant when she was slain in 1969 by followers of cult leader Charles Manson. Robbie pictured on the right
His go to guy: Tarantino is said to have approached Brad Pitt to star in the movie; the two worked together on the filmmaker's 2009 Oscar nominated movie Inglourious Basterds
A significant story arc is the murder of Sharon Tate, who was age 26 and eight months pregnant when she was slain in 1969 by followers of cult leader Charles Manson.
The group attacked the inhabitants of a Los Angeles mansion, believing it was owned by a record producer who had earlier rejected Charles as a music artist.
Using guns and knives, the group brutally killed Sharon and four other occupants, smearing the word 'PIG' across the front of the house in Sharon's blood.
Tragedy: The group attacked the inhabitants of a Los Angeles mansion, believing it was owned by a record producer who had earlier rejected Manson (pictured) as a music artist
Cult leader: Using guns and knives, the group that followed Manson (pictured) brutally killed Sharon and four other occupants, smearing the word 'PIG' across the front of the house in Sharon's blood
Behind bars: Manson (pictured), who is now 82 and serving a life sentence for conspiring to murder seven people, pictured at Corcoran State Prison in California in 2009
Sharon was married to film director Roman Polanski, who was in London at the time of the murders, and was buried with their son Paul Richard Polanski in her arms.
Manson and several of his followers were tried and convicted in 1971 for the murders they committed in 1969.
Manson remains behind bars in state prison in California.
American actress Kate Bosworth will reportedly play Sharon in Sharon Tate And The Manson Murders, based on the book of the same name by author Greg King.
The film, which has no release date, is being written and directed by Kate's filmmaker husband Michael Polish.
Slain: Sharon was married to film director Roman Polanski (couple pictured above), who was in London at the time of the murders, and was buried with their son Paul Richard Polanski in her arms
Quentin Tarantino Met With Margot Robbie For Sharon Tate: Sources | Deadline
Margot Robbie to play Sharon Tate in upcoming Manson movie


text:
Q: Transfer effect not working (and I have a style for ui-effects-transfer!) I can't get the jQuery UI Transfer effect to work. Similar question on StackOverflow were solved by specifying a .ui-effects-transfer style, but I have that. I'm trying to create a transfer effect from #popup to #target. Here's my code. Thanks in advance.

        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8">
        <title>Test</title>

A: I discovered the problem. I also had to link to the jquery.effects.transfer script. Evidently each effect has its own js file.

A: You need to add class ui-effects-transfer to the options and simply give the target css identifier for to: without giving as jquery identifier i.e. to: "#target"
finally your code should look like:
$popup.effect('transfer',to: '#target',className:'ui-effects-transfer' 2000);
see the code source here by selecting effect as "transfer".


text:
The Super Nintendo Entertainment System is a 16-bit home video game console developed by Nintendo that was released in 1990 in Japan and South Korea, 1991 in North America, 1992 in Europe and Australasia , and 1993 in South America. In Japan, the system is called the Super Famicom , or SFC for short. In South Korea, it is known as the Super Comboy and was distributed by Hyundai Electronics. Although each version is essentially the same, several forms of regional lockout prevent the different versions from being compatible with one another. It was released in Brazil on September 2, 1992, by Playtronic. The SNES is Nintendo's second home console, following the Nintendo Entertainment System NES. The console introduced advanced graphics and sound capabilities compared with other systems at the time. The development of a variety of enhancement chips integrated in game cartridges helped to keep it competitive in the marketplace. The SNES was a global success, becoming the best-selling console of the 16-bit era despite its relatively late start and the fierce competition it faced in North America and Europe from Sega's Genesis/Mega Drive console. The SNES remained popular well into the 32-bit era, and continues to be popular among fans, collectors, retro gamers, and emulation enthusiasts, some of whom still make homebrew ROM images.
Sextris
Classic Mario World 2 - The Great Alliance
Mario is Missing 2 : Luigi's New Adventure (Hack)
Super Mario Bros Deluxe (Hack)
Classic Mario World - The Magical Crystals
BS Radical Dreamers
Super Mario World 2 : Yoshi's Island
Super Mario World - The Second Reality Project 2
Super Mario Kart : Alternate Tracks
The Legend of Zelda : A Link to the Past - Master Quest (Hack)
X-Men vs. Street Fighter
Super Mario Bros - The Invaders of Mushroom Kingdom
Flubber
BS F-Zero Grand Prix 2
Super Boss Gaiden
Super Mario All-Stars + Super Mario World (Europe)
The Magical Quest Starring Mickey Mouse
Donkey Kong Country 3 : Dixie Kong's Double Trouble!
Secret of Evermore
Super Mario RPG : Legend of the Seven Stars
U.N. Squadron
Mario is Missing!


text:
California middle schools now teaching 10-year-olds how to put on condoms, engage in sodomy, and use sex toys
(Natural News) Whereas children of this age would have been innocently romping around the playground, jumping rope, playing dodgeball, and climbing across the monkey bars 50 years ago, 10-year-olds today are reportedly now being taught at public school how to engage in sodomy, use condoms, and play with sex toys.
This, according to a former public school teacher-turned-whistleblower who says that the new "education standards" in the Golden State are so beyond the point of depraved that most parents, if they really knew the truth, would be marching on these indoctrination centers with pitchforks in hand.
"It's shocking," says Rebecca Friedrichs, founder of the group For Kids & Country, about the unspeakable evils taking place in California's public middle schools.
"It is medically risky on multiple levels," she says about curriculum that involves having 10-year-old girls put condoms on "prosthetic male erections" while 10-year-old boys watch, or having 10-year-olds of both sexes practice engaging in oral and anal sex.
"And when you read the curriculum," she says further, "it's written almost like a college fraternity wrote this curriculum in a very crass and a juvenile way."
For more news about the perversion that passes for "education" in American public schools in 2019, be sure to check out CampusInsanity.com.
The evil being taught to public school students in California is so depraved that it can't even be talked about on public airways
When giving public interviews, Friedrichs, a conservative activist who's been actively involved in fighting this type of indoctrination and brainwashing of innocent young children for nearly 30 years, says that she often can't even discuss what's going on because it's too extreme for public airways.
"I always tell people that the scary thing is, I'll give radio interviews and I can't even say on the radio things that are being taught in our elementary and middle school classrooms in mixed company," Friedrichs says.
"There's something very wrong there."
In addition to being taught all sorts of perverse sexual acts, these same 10-year-old children are also being given lessons in how to become transgenders and other "colors" on the LGBTQP "rainbow," a form of brainwashing that's actually been shown to increase the risk of exposed children developing mental illness or attempting suicide later on in their lives.
In Oregon, the parents of an eight-year-old boy are suing Nellie Muir Elementary Schoolover a teacher whom they say indoctrinated their son with "one-on-one gender lessons," confusing him into believing that he's a transgender.
Cult of LGBTQP says California parents can't opt their children out of sex indoctrination because doing so would be "bullying"
As for the students in California who are now being systematically subjected to this type of LGBTQP insanity, parents are reportedly prohibited from opting them out of it because doing so, says the Cult of LGBTQP, would constitute "bullying."
"It's this anti-bullying campaign so that LGBT children don't get bullied because they claim there's this big problem with bullying of those children," Friedrichs says, pointing out the irony of the Cult of LGBTQP bullying parents by disallowing them authority over their own children's schooling.
"What the unions do is they push their agenda by saying, 'We have to stop all this bullying, so every single child in America needs to be exposed to this anti-bullying in the form of gender spectrum and gender identity," Friedrichs adds.
"It's caused a lot of confusion for parents here, because parents will say, 'Oh, I don't need to worry, I can opt out.' Well, you can't opt out of all of it."
For more news about the LGBTQP indoctrination of innocent children, be sure to check out Gender.news.
BigLeaguePolitics.com
Previous article The Dems New Election Rigging Scheme Might Just Work
Next article Gas Station Staff Badly Beaten By Muslim Mob Because Waiting in Line Made Them Late for Prayers


text:
5c66a096
Donald Trump maintained a stake in Trump Tower when he became president, and with it, a financial connection to the Chinese government.
Priyam Nayak
Nov 3, 2020 4:45:00 PM
Until 2019, China's biggest state-controlled bank rented three floors in Trump Tower.
A Forbes investigation published on Oct 23, 2020, revealed that Trump maintained a stake in Trump Tower when he became president and thus had a financial connection to the Chinese government.
China's biggest bank, Industrial & Commercial Bank of China Ltd., had signed a lease with the Trump Organization for office space in the Trump Tower in 2008, as per details on the ICBC official website. According to the Peterson Institute of International Economics and the ICBC official website, Central Huijin owns approximately 34% of ICBC shares. Central Huijin Investment Ltd. ("Central Huijin") was established in December 2003 and is a state-owned investment company with its headquarters in Beijing.
In another report published in Sept 2020, Forbes revealed Trump moved from the penthouse to the White House in January 2017, but he did not leave Trump Tower behind entirely. He retained ownership of the property, through his 100% interest in an entity named Trump Tower Commercial LLC. Trump's financial disclosure for 2019 enlists Trump Tower Commercial LLC as one of his assets.
In January 2019, Bloomberg reported that ICBC was planning to reduce its space in Trump Tower after the lease expired in October that year. China's ICBC, a state-controlled enterprise and the world's largest lender by assets, was one of Trump Tower's largest office tenants. As of September 2012, ICBC paid $95.48 per square foot for its Trump Tower space, more than any other major office tenant in the tower, according to mortgage documents. ICBC had about 25,000 square feet at the building, according to loan-servicer data, according to the report. Mortgage documents filed by Wells Fargo & Co. in 2012, reveals that ICBC occupied 11 percent of the office space in Trump Tower.
In 2012, the Bank of China, a commercial bank owned by the Chinese state, provided more than two hundred million dollars in loans to another New York office building - the 43-story 1290 Avenue of the Americas - that Trump co-owns, Politico reported in April 2020. Trump's real estate partner refinanced one of his most prized New York buildings for almost $1 billion. The debt included $211 million from the state-owned Bank of China. The bank issued a statement after the report was published stating that it sold its debt on the building weeks after the 2012 loan on the property and that Vornado Realty Trust owns 70 percent of the building.
Iranian and Chinese hackers have targeted Biden and Trump's presidential campaign.
Facebook supports Trump.
Trump is the 45th president.
President Donald Trump has three children.
Trump's Healthcare is 60% cheaper than Obamacare.
Trump's travel restrictions on China early in 2020 helped save many lives.
The justice department is intervening on Trump's rape accusation case.
Donald Trump and First lady Melania Trump have tested positive for COVID-19.
Trump's tariffs on China have benefitted Americans.
Twitter permanently suspended Donald Trump's account
Donald Trump and Melania Trump received their COVID-19 vaccines in January.
Former Prime Minister Donald Trump's "China-virus" tweets linked to anti-Asian hate.


text:
Birkeniiformes (Birkeniida or Birkeniids) is an extinct order of jawless fish belonging to the class Anaspida.

Subtaxa
A newer taxonomy based on the work of Mikko's Phylogeny Archive, Nelson, Grande and Wilson 2016 and van der Laan 2018.

 Genus †Cowielepis Blom 2008
 Genus †Hoburgilepis Blom, Märss & Miller 2002
 Genus †Kerreralepis Blom 2012
 Genus †Maurylepis Blom, Märss & Miller 2002
 Genus †Rytidolepis Pander 1856
 Genus †Schidiosteus Pander 1856
 Genus †Silmalepis Blom, Märss & Miller 2002
 Genus †Vesikulepis Blom, Märss & Miller 2002
 Family †Pharyngolepididae Kiær 1924 corrig.
 Genus †Pharyngolepis Kiaer 1911
 Family †Pterygolepididae Obručhev 1964 corrig.
 Genus †Pterygolepis Cossmann 1920 [Pterolepis Kiaer 1911 non Rambur 1838 non De Candolle ex Miquel 1840; Pterolepidops Fowler 1947]
 Family †Rhyncholepididae Kiær 1924 corrig.
 Genus †Rhyncholepis Kiær 1911 non Miquel 1843 non Nuttall 1841
 Family †Tahulalepididae Blom, Märss & Miller 2002
 Genus †Tahulalepis Blom, Märss & Miller 2002
 Genus †Trimpleylepis Miller, Märss & Blom 2004
 Family †Lasaniidae Goodrich 1909
 Genus †Lasanius Traquair 1898
 Family †Ramsaasalepididae Blom, Märss & Miller 2003
 Genus †Ramsaasalepis Blom, Märss & Miller 2003
 Family †Birkeniidae Traquair 1899
 Genus ?†Vilkitskilepis Märss 2002
 Genus †Ctenopleuron Matthew 1907
 Genus †Saarolepis Robertson 1945 [Anaspis Robertson 1941 non Geoffroy 1762 non Thomson 1893]
 Genus †Birkenia Traquair 1898
 Family †Septentrioniidae Blom, Märss & Miller 2002
 Genus †Liivilepis Blom, Märss & Miller 2002
 Genus †Manbrookia Blom, Märss & Miller 2002
 Genus †Ruhnulepis Blom, Märss & Miller 2002
 Genus †Spokoinolepis Blom, Märss & Miller 2002
 Genus †Septentrionia Blom, Märss & Miller 2002

References

 System der rezenten und fossilen Fischartigen und Fische. LS Berg, 1958

External links

Prehistoric jawless fish orders