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Hacienda Zuleta, Cloud Forest near Quito
Hacienda Zuleta is the home of the Plaza family, originally built in 1691; it is high (2,900 m asl) and on the western side of the Andean watershed; thus it is still warm (25° C average) but a lot less humid than the equivalent latitude on the eastern side of the Andes, in the Amazon.
The Zuleta homestead with rainbow arch.
There is a broad range of activities including horseback riding, mountain bikes, a network of walking trails and a horse drawn carriage. On-farm activities that you can watch/participate in include milking, cheese making and baking. They also run the "Condor Huasi Project" that works to conserve the majestic Andean Condor.
The meals served are of note: virtually everything gracing the table comes fresh from Zuleta's organic garden: fresh milk and cream, handmade cheeses, rainbow trout are caught moments before melting in your mouth, warm bread baked from wheat harvested on the Hacienda (in season) and organic fruit is picked from the surrounding orchards. The recipes used have been inherited from great-grandmothers and reflect Ecuadorian cuisine at its best.
Hacienda Zuleta – Condor House
Zuleta has been internationally recognized for its work with the Andean condor. The project is 5 Km from the main house in a wooded valley. It is a feeding centre as well as a breeding and release centre with 8 resident condors. With a wingspan of 3.2 m the condor is one of the biggest birds in the world.
The Andean Condor
Horse riding at Hacienda Zuleta
There have been Andalusian horses at Zuleta for over 100 years. Over the years Texas quarter horses and thoroughbreds have been introduced to produce a gentle, well-mannered herd with horses that match all abilities.
The dairy herd heading off to the meadows
Riding programmes at Hacienda Zuleta can be up to 10 days long with numerous opportunities to explore the Andean countryside above 9,000 'winding through 'páramo' (high altitude meadow). Ancient pre-Incan earth mounds, waterfalls and dramatic views above the clouds are all guaranteed. There are 15 different trails. All rides are accompanied by a local guide and an English speaking guide is always available. The tack is western. All-day rides include a fine and luxurious, 3 course picnic. All rides are "en étoile" and return to Hacienda Zuleta for overnight.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Congress Passes Three-Week Spending Bill to End Shutdown
By Kristina Peterson, Janet Hook and Natalie Andrews, The Wall Street Journal
WASHINGTON—Congress approved a measure Monday to fund the government for about three weeks and halt a three-day shutdown, after Senate Democrats accepted GOP leaders' assurance that they would bring an immigration bill to the floor in the coming weeks.
The House, as expected, then followed suit and approved the bill, 266-150. President Donald Trump signed the bill Monday night, effectively ending the shutdown.
The agreement will keep the federal government running through Feb. 8, but did little to resolve the underlying policy fights over immigration and government-spending levels and doesn't preclude a similar shutdown next month.
The deal also opened a rift in the Democratic Party between a left flank that wanted to hold out now for an agreement on the young immigrants known as Dreamers and a more centrist group eager to reopen the government and work out a bipartisan compromise.
The Senate easily mustered the support needed to cross a 60-vote threshold on a parliamentary move to advance the legislation, and then later passed the funding bill itself. Both tallies were 81-18, with two Republicans joining 15 Democrats and one independent in opposing the measures.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R., Ky.) said Monday morning that if a bill addressing the fate of the young immigrants and border security hasn't passed by Feb. 8, he intended to bring an immigration bill to the floor then.
"This immigration debate will have a level playing field at the outset, and an amendment process that is fair to all sides," Mr. McConnell said.
In accepting these terms and agreeing to support the short-term spending bill, Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York, the Democratic leader, said his agreement with Mr. McConnell would provide "a real pathway to get a bill on the floor."
Still, Mr. Schumer said, the agreement wouldn't likely please those Democrats who had sought to secure legal protections for the young immigrants as part of any deal to reopen the government. "While this procedure will not satisfy everyone on both sides, it is a way forward," he said.
Mr. Trump kept a low profile as the shutdown fight intensified over the weekend and drew to an end Monday, after his efforts to reach a deal with Mr. Schumer on Friday collapsed. But the White House defended Mr. Trump against Mr. Schumer's assertions that dealing with Mr. Trump was like "negotiating with Jell-O" and that the "great deal-making president sat on the sidelines" for much of the discussions.
"What the president did clearly worked," White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said.
In a written statement, Mr. Trump said his administration will work toward solving "very unfair illegal immigration" and promised a deal on immigration only if it is good for the country.
In a fundraising email sent under his name with the subject line "Democrats CAVED," the GOP president struck a more confrontational tone. The Democratic lawmakers the email blamed for the shutdown should be fired in the November elections, he wrote.
Lawmakers said Monday that bipartisan negotiations over immigration would soon resume. Several groups of legislators and White House officials have been meeting to hammer out a deal combining protections for the young immigrants with border security and new limits on family-based immigration and the diversity visa lottery that admits immigrants from underrepresented countries.
Still, Democrats faced a swift backlash from their party's most liberal wing that they had capitulated under pressure without extracting any significant policy concessions from the GOP. In the wake of Mr. Trump's 2016 upset win, progressive activists have been pushing the Democratic Party to develop a clearer, more liberal message and to take an uncompromising approach to Mr. Trump and the Republicans.
Criticism was particularly harsh from progressive immigration advocates.
"Last week, I was moved to tears of joy when Democrats stood up and fought for progressive values and for Dreamers,'' said Frank Sharry, executive director of America's Voice, an immigrants-rights group. "Today, I am moved to tears of disappointment and anger that Democrats blinked."
In one measure of the pressure from the party's liberal base, many of the no votes Monday on advancing the legislation to reopen the government came from Democrats thought to harbor 2020 presidential ambitions. They include Sens. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, Kamala Harris of California, Cory Booker of New Jersey and Jeff Merkley of Oregon.
Another no vote came from Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, who ran a strong but unsuccessful bid for the 2016 Democratic presidential nomination.
Democrats had hoped to use their leverage on spending bills, which need 60 votes to pass the Senate, to extract legal protections for immigrants. In September, Mr. Trump had ended a program advanced by his Democratic predecessor that shielded the Dreamers from deportation, but Mr. Trump gave Congress until March 5 to pass a replacement. Republicans hold 51 seats in the Senate.
After Mr. Trump rejected a bipartisan immigration proposal, Democrats dug in Friday to block a short-term spending bill until that and other issues were resolved. Congressional leaders are also working on a two-year budget deal to boost both military and domestic spending. They also hope to fund disaster aid and community-health programs.
The spending bill would reauthorize the Children's Health Insurance Program for six years, a priority for both parties.
Republicans hammered Democrats for yoking the government funding to what they called "illegal immigration," ratcheting up pressure on Democrats to reconsider their position. Meanwhile, the bipartisan group of senators convened repeatedly over the last few days to try to chart a path out of the gridlock. The group leaned on Mr. McConnell to provide a firm commitment to bring up an immigration bill to the Senate floor, regardless of whether it had Mr. Trump's backing, by early February.
By Sunday night, Mr. McConnell outlined his intention to bring forward immigration legislation, though he stopped well short of any ironclad guarantee. After a private meeting Monday morning, Democrats decided they would accept his offer.
"Today, Republican leadership has finally agreed to bring bipartisan legislation to protect Dreamers to the floor in the next three weeks, and both parties—as well as the American public—will hold them to it," said the two Democratic senators from Virginia, Tim Kaine and Mark Warner, in a joint statement.
Both had voted against the spending bill on Friday night, but switched to support it on Monday.
However, many Democrats remained wary of Mr. McConnell's comments, considering pledges he made last year about other legislation to GOP Sens. Susan Collins of Maine and Jeff Flake of Arizona that have yet to materialize.
"I'm very concerned about that," Mr. Merkley said. "When a person repeatedly breaks their promises, then I think anyone who puts too much faith in yet another promise is being foolish."
Even if the Senate can pass a bipartisan bill by next month on immigration, it is likely to face hurdles in the House unless Mr. Trump has endorsed it.
"It's got to be a bill that's very strongly supported by Republicans too or it's just a wasted effort because the House is never going to pass it," said Sen. Bob Corker (R., Tenn.). A sweeping immigration overhaul passed the Senate in 2013, but collapsed in the face of conservative opposition in the House.
Republicans said Democrats had overplayed their hand by shutting the government down, particularly since the GOP already has an incentive to pass legislation protecting the young immigrants, who enjoy broad public sympathy, before the program ends in March.
"I believe that the Democrats overgamed this," Sen. Richard Shelby (R., Ala.) said. "I think they gambled and didn't win."
https://www.wsj.com/articles/senate-expected-to-advance-bill-that-would-end-shutdown-1516641107?mod=searchresults&page=1&pos=4


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A1 Buyers Guide
DANLERS
Emergency Lighting Products (ELP)
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Dec 2021/Jan 2022
A1 Buyers Guide 2021
January 27, 2022 - TRILUX delivers a turnkey lighting solution for Decathlon
January 27, 2022 - Plextek sells Smart Street Lighting Business to Signify
January 25, 2022 - First FORTES in Norway
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January 25, 2022 - CHAUVET Professional helps Patrick Dierson and The Activity create big looks for iHeartRadio ALTer EGO
Holophane Europe celebrates 125 years of trading
Holophane Europe will be celebrating 125 years of trading next month; an amazing achievement and a testament to the Holophane brand, and all the dedicated employees over the decades.
Founded in 1896 in London, headed by Alexander Pelham Trotter, it marked the start of an incredible history that has now seen Holophane become a global business revered throughout the world for its expertise, quality, innovation and excellence in lighting.
Holophane's first product was the patented globe in 'white' or 'rose crystal' that sold for around 2 shilling (10p). Today, Holophane continues this proud tradition with our values deeply rooted in the dedication to creating luminaires, with exceptional lighting performance, innovative patented technologies, and delivering added customer value beyond illumination.
Unfortunately, the Covid pandemic has required Holophane to adapt original celebration plans this year. Instead, Holophane are celebrating virtually with a charity event, raising money for the British Heart Foundation in memory of Mark Field, a valued member of staff who sadly recently passed away from a heart attack.
To raise money, Holophane staff and family members are individually aiming to run, cycle, walk or swim our way to 125 miles of Covid-friendly exercise during the lockdown. Holophane have started a Just Giving page to allow anyone of their friends, staff, and businesses partners or customers to kindly donate.
Holophane would love your help and support, so if you would like to contribute, please click the following link:
https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/tracey-richardson13
Look out for Holophane's charity event video at the end of March on social media channels and the Holophane website, to see team Holophane virtually coming together, at a time where we psychically can't, to raise money for meaningful cause.
All staff at Holophane are proud of the long history and heritage and are thrilled to be celebrating such an amazing achievement.
Holophane would like to extend their thanks to all past and present employees, partners, and customers, who have all been part of this incredible 125-year history.
A1 Lighting Twitter
©Copyright 4 U Media Ltd 2010. All Rights Reserved. Web Design By Chalk Media.


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Russian troopers are crushed and locked in basements for refusing to fight in Ukraine
Vladimir Putin paints them as heroes: Tens of hundreds of Russians prepared and inclined to lay down their lives in his 'special navy operation' versus Ukraine.
But as winter bites and the death toll mounts, much more and additional tales are rising of Russian soldiers refusing to combat and struggling horrifying repercussions.
Adult males – which includes conscripts – are remaining crushed bloody, thrown in basement jails, starved, threatened with prolonged jail terms or designed to put up with by mock executions as a consequence of downing their weapons, their family members have reported.
At the very least nine internet sites likely holding hundreds of troopers have been uncovered so significantly, with people back in Russia indicating their family members have disappeared into them and have not been listened to from given that.
Russian soldiers are remaining thrown into little basement jails, beaten bloody, starved and threatened with execution for refusing to struggle (pictured, a basement jail)
ASTRA, a Telegram channel run by dissident Russian journalists, to start with commenced reporting on the detention camps back in October when it emerged 20 soldiers were being remaining held in appalling disorders in occupied places of Luhansk.
Males complained in a movie smuggled out of detention that they were becoming held in a single basement, forced to defecate in a single communal bucket, and had to sleep on the floor below a ceiling that leaked on them.
The team – who were conscripted into the army underneath Putin's 'partial mobilisation' order – claimed they were despatched there after refusing to go to the frontlines.
They had been sooner or later eliminated from the basement and taken to a command put up in the city of Rubizhne where by they have been held for a different 10 days in advance of prosecutors arrived to threaten them with prolonged jail terms until they agreed to fight.
When they once more refused, they ended up taken to a former prison in close proximity to the city of Alchevs'k which is their past recognised spot.
A further site was then uncovered in Zavitne Bazhannya, Donetsk area, in which another 20 persons are reportedly being held.
'There is no bathroom in the basement, the detainees have not washed for various months, they are fed the moment a day,' ASTRA documented.
Russian information website Insider also reported on the similar basement, and spoke to a woman named Elena Kashina who reported her 33-year-outdated partner – a conscript – is remaining held there soon after he refused orders to combat.
She said he was a miner by trade who was conscripted into the Russian navy – ostensibly as a car mechanic – but was truly presented a single day of shooting practice, a single day of digging trenches, and was then despatched to the front.
Putin suggests there are no deserters within just the Russian military, but as casualties mount tales are ever more emerging of gentlemen refusing to struggle – and suffering extreme outcomes
Soldiers killed and wounded on equally sides of the Ukraine war are assumed to be in excessive of 200,000 – with Russians now refusing to go into fight (file pictures, graves in Mariupol)
Elena claimed her husband was amongst a group of gentlemen who refused to storm a Ukrainian situation, prior to they had been threatened with execution and taken absent.
They were sent to a basement detention centre in mid-October, stored for two days without the need of food stuff, ordered again to the front, and then returned to the basement when they refused.
Elena, who spoke to Insider in early November, claimed at the time of crafting that the males experienced been with out meals for three times but ended up even now refusing orders.
The BBC spoke to a father whose son was an officer in the regular army when the war in Ukraine broke out, and in the beginning agreed to go and combat – believing it was the correct matter to do.
But following viewing Russia's war equipment in motion, the man's son modified his intellect and – together with 'several' many others – he wrote a letter refusing to go into battle.
'[They] had their guns taken off them and were set under armed guard,' he mentioned.
A 'different group' of Russian soldiers arrived and began threatening them to go back to the entrance.
'They conquer him and then they took him outside as if they were being likely to shoot him. They created him lie on the floor and explained to him to rely to ten. He refused.
'So, they beat him around the head a number of ties with a pistol. He instructed me his face was coated in blood.'
A further lady, named only as Oxana, said her son had refused to lead his men on a 'certain death' mission and was locked up in one of the basements as a consequence.
'They have not been witnessed for five months,' she told the BBC.
Her son, alongside with four other guys, are now formally stated as 'missing' by the Russian military which promises the creating wherever they have been getting retained was shelled.
Residential homes are harmed by a Russian military services strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Bakhmut
ASTRA reviews that it has uncovered at minimum nine web sites throughout Luhansk and Donetsk where by Russian troops were staying saved.
Most are modest, housing only a handful of dozen in each and every locale, but at the very least a person is claimed to be substantially more substantial.
That web site, found beneath the House of Lifestyle in the town of Zaitsevo, is stated to household up to 300 soldiers.
Ekaterina Belova, whose brother is remaining held at the web-site, told nearby reporters: 'They are not getting any foods. They are not allowed to depart.
'They are not authorized to wash. They can not cost the cellular phone. These individuals have nothing human left, actually.'
An additional woman, who spoke anonymously but claimed her husband in being held in Zaitsevo, included: 'They are fed the moment a working day: just one dry meals serving for 5 to six people today. They are constantly threatened.'
Russia is now properly into its tenth thirty day period of battling in Ukraine, after what-was intended to be a times-extended invasion to topple the state and enable annexation by August spectacularly backfired.
Putin is believed to have missing perfectly over 100,000 gentlemen dead and wounded throughout that time, with 1000's of tanks, hundreds of plane, and dozens of naval vessels both damaged or wrecked.
His military has acquired some ground in the south and east of the state, but has been fought to a standstill and pushed again in many vital locations.
To plug hole in the frontline lead to by the intense losses, Putin has been compelled to declare a 'partial mobilisation' and contact up 300,000 guys to combat.
That has proved deeply unpopular in Russia by itself, sparking protests and prompting some 700,000 gentlemen to flee the nation somewhat than threat remaining sent to the front.
dailymailnewsVladimir Putin
Experts to analyse genetic content from 1475 letter written by Vlad the Impaler
Putin SCRAPS his annual stay Television set push meeting


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NakoExpo Apparel
Hey Nako.
Catalog.
NakoExpo.
THE N LIST.
Adding product to your cart
Warning: When opening Pandora's Box be very careful.
Kasim Moreland was totally unprepared to deal with Giselle Braxton. Not only was she out of his league but the woman was brilliant. Every time Kasim thought he finally was ahead of her she showed him that he wasn't. Checkmate.
Giselle Braxton isn't looking for love or help, the twenty-five year old multi-millionaire is simply focused on expanding her empire.
In this self-titled novel from national best selling author Nako, experience a woman who has everything but at the same time nothing at all.
All the money in the world couldn't make her happy or change the one flaw that kept her from being open to love, or so she thought.
Kasim wanted to love her flaws and all, her imperfections didn't keep him away. But she couldn't see that.
Giselle is a story that connects with every woman who never felt good enough. Behind closed doors, after the makeup is removed and once the work day ends what is left on your mind? When looking in the mirror at your natural self are you okay? Giselle challenges readers to bring it all to the forefront while opening up hearts and minds in this heartfelt story.
Author's Note: This book is a standalone novel, not a series.
NAKOEXPO...IT'S A LIFESTYLE.
Nakoreya "Nako" Roberson is a native of Atlanta, Georgia.
Her first national release, The Connect's Wife, ranked within the top one hundred (100) releases and was number one (#1) in the following categories: African American Romance, Urban Fiction, and African American Fiction and recently ventured into self-help as the author of Where Is My Peace: A 21-Day Journey to Contentment and Jumpstart: Affirmations for the GirlBoss who wants to reclaim their time.
At twenty-five, Nako has already made her mark on the literary world. Through her publishing company, NakoEXPO, she's dedicated and determined to use her pen to help readers realize their true potential and change the world one novel at a time.
© 2019, NakoExpo Apparel Powered by Shopify


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Posts Tagged ' Philadelphia '
Kensington Strangler Suspect in Custody
PHILADELPHIA – January 17, 2011 — A man recently released from prison and believed to have been wandering the streets and staying in abandoned homes was arrested Monday night after being linked by DNA to the sexual assaults and strangling deaths of three women in a gritty, high-crime section of the city, police said.
The 'Kensington Strangler' case
Antonio Rodriguez, 21, was taken into custody on an unrelated bench warrant after someone phoned in a tip, police said. The arrest came shortly after a news conference at which Capt. James Clark said Rodriguez was being sought as a "strong" person of interest in the murders in the Kensington section, a few miles north of downtown.
The attacks, in what's called the Kensington Strangler case, had left the neighborhood shaken – and police fearing that outraged residents might take matters into their own hands.
Rodriguez, known in the area as Black, had not been charged with any crime in the stranglings case, and police had not even obtained an arrest warrant for him, Clark said. But the link made by state police in their convicted felon database was "a major break," he said.
STORY: $37,000 reward for Kensington Srangler arrest
STORY: Police: DNA links third death to 'Strangler'
STORY: Guardian Angels hit the streets of Kensington
STORY: New video released in 'Kensington Strangler' case
STORY: Mother of Kensington assault victim speaks
STORY: Autopsy underway in 'suspicious' Kensington death
STORY: Vigil held for victims of 'Kensington Strangler'
STORY: Surveillance released in Kensington assault
STORY: Questions remain in Kensington Strangler case
STORY: Profiling the Kensington Strangler
Rodriguez, who was sought on a bench warrant from a missed court appearance in an unrelated case police wouldn't discuss, was in custody Monday night and couldn't be reached for comment.
Rodriguez recently had been released from prison, Clark said, but he declined to say for what he had been incarcerated or to detail his criminal history. He said state police had contacted Philadelphia police about the DNA match earlier in the day.
A state police representative was not immediately available for comment Monday on why Rodriguez was in their database.
Clark said it appeared Rodriguez was wandering around Kensington alone.
"Right now, the information we're getting is he's homeless, he's wandering in the area, he's frequenting abandoned houses, sort of just walking around in the Kensington area, so right now we do not believe anyone is helping him out," Clark said.
Police described Rodriguez as 5-foot-9 and 155 pounds with a large scar running from his left ear to the middle of his throat and two tattoos: "Kiera" on his left arm and "Scorpio" on his right arm.
Police investigating a string of assaults in the area dating to early October said last month that through DNA they had linked the deaths of three women: Elaine Goldberg and Nicole Piacentini, both of Philadelphia, and Casey Mahoney, of East Stroudsburg, about 100 miles north. The women, all in their 20s, had struggled with drug addiction.
The bodies of the three women were found between early November and mid-December in vacant lots within a 10-block radius.
Three other women reported surviving sexual assaults in the area. Two of them said they were choked into unconsciousness. None of the surviving victims had been shown Rodriguez's photo, but Clark said that would be done.
The attacks took place in a stretch of Kensington known for open prostitution and drugs, although an influx of artists and young homebuyers has made parts of the neighborhood a bit trendier in recent years.
Earlier, authorities had only a composite sketch and grainy surveillance photo of a possible suspect in the Kensington Strangler case.
One of the hundreds of posts on a Facebook page titled "Catch the Kensington Strangler, before he catches someone you love" falsely identified a suspect, drawing an angry crowd to his house. He called police, who cleared him and scolded residents.
A year earlier in Kensington, a man suspected of raping an 11-year-old girl was severely beaten by angry neighbors who recognized him from a police photo. He later was charged and pleaded guilty.
In the stranglings case, Mayor Michael Nutter offered a $30,000 reward sponsored by the city and Citizens Crime Commission for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the perpetrator. Separately, the local Fraternal Order of Police and Councilman Frank DiCicco offered $7,000 for help simply leading to an arrest with a DNA match.
(Copyright ©2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
UPDATE, 6:45 p.m.: Police just announced that they have taken into custody Antonio Rodriguez, identified tonight as the Kensington Strangler. Rodriguez was picked up in a home on Mutter Street near Westmoreland in Kensington.
Police said they received a tip about his whereabouts just a few moments after a press conference announcing he was a suspect.
Why am I not surprised that he was just released from prison?
We have to start re-evaluating our criminal sentencing and release programs. Stop letting people out if they are still considered high risk, I don't care if they "did the time".
Casey Mahoney
Elaine Goldberg
Kensington Pennsylvania
Kensington Strangler
Nicole Piacentini
Josefina Rivera to be reunited with her kids, finally.
In 1986 Josefina Rivera was kidnapped by Gary Heidnik in Philadelphia. He held her captive, raped and tortured her in his cellar for over 5 months. There were 5 other women in that basement with her.
Josefina Rivera
Before being kidnapped Josefina was raising 3 children Latoya was 5 years old, Zornae was just 11 months old and the baby, Ricardo who was 6 weeks old. Once she was got away from Heidnik Josefina lost custody of her children.
The courts looked at her life before the kidnapping and at the stress from the kidnapping and they (probably wisely) removed her children from her care.
Latoya Rivera was raised by her father; Ricardo and Zornae were adopted by another family and moved to Florida.
"A lot of the information that allowed us to find her came from our adoptive parents," Ricardo Sepulveda said.
He said he and his sister grew up in a loving home with parents who understood that they would eventually want to know their mother's story. They kept a file with newspaper clippings and records.
On Christmas eve 2010 Josefina will be reunited with her children for the first time since her kidnapping.
Their mother will arrive Christmas Eve.
"We're so nervous, because we're just counting down the hours and every minute and every second," Zornae Sepulveda said.
Her brother said he imagines that it will be be "so overwhelming" to hug her and say "I love you" for the first time.
I wish them a Merry Christmas, although I have a feeling they do not need my wishes for that!
Gary Michael Heidnik (November 22, 1943 – July 6, 1999) was an American murderer who kidnapped, tortured and raped six women and kept them prisoner in his Philadelphia, Pennsylvania basement.
I really do not want to dwell on Heidnik so here is a quick reference for you if you are interested.
Wikipedia Page on him
Gary Heidnik
Latoya Rivera
Ricardo Sepulveda
Philadelphia Strangler may need the police!
Kensington Strangler aka Philadelphia Strangler might want to seek police protection. The people in that area have already beat the hell out of 1 suspected rapist.
Philadelphia / Kensington Strangler
Philadelphia police are urging residents not to take matters into their own hands in the search for a serial killer who authorities say sexually assaulted and strangled three women, and possibly attacked three others.
Authorities said Tuesday that DNA linked the death of 27-year-old Casey Mahoney to the slayings of 35-year-old Nicole Piacentini whose body was found Nov. 13 in the rear of an abandoned building and Elaine Goldberg, 21, who was found beaten and raped in a trash-strewn lot Nov. 3.
Three other women reported surviving sexual assaults in the area, two of whom said they were choked into unconsciousness.
Residents of Kensington, who once severely beat a suspected rapist based on a police sketch, are outraged and have posted hundreds of comments and theories about the ongoing case on a Facebook page titled "Catch the Kensington Strangler, before he catches someone you love."
One post falsely identified a suspect, which led to an infuriated crowd outside the man's home. Police arrived at the man's home moments later and stressed that residents should call authorities instead of becoming vigilantes.
This guy needs to turn himself in or he is going to end up hurt. Not that I am against that really, but that would get someone else in trouble.
A good ass beating before arrest might not be so bad. Richard Ramirez had to be saved from a group that caught him. I still giggle when I see his bandaged head.
So, if the crowd 'detains' the guy until officers get there and he gets a few boo-boo's I will not cry, giggle yes, cry no.
Police have made 120 arrests with people involved in prostitution in Kensington since Nov. 19 and obtained DNA swabs from many of them, Deputy Commissioner William Blackburn said. More than 40 have been cleared, and tests are pending on the rest.
Lots of bases covered so hopefully this perverted killer will soon be in bandages on his way to jail.
Strangler
vigilante action


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[singlepic id=58 w=320 h=460 float=left] One more show is on the schedule, and it's a good one! As my friend Vicky said, hey, it's Sausalito, baby! A great, big, fun show, and annual excuse to make a road trip to my home state. This year I'll be taking oil paintings along with my pastels, so it seemed appropriate to include one of my oils of the hydrangeas near the show in this post. Maybe their owner will come through my booth and recognize them... There's so much to love about Sausalito. Great customers, beautiful setting, easy setup, and a fantastic party on Friday night. This will be my third year at the show. The first year, we stayed at a fun older hotel (La Luna) right across the Golden Gate Bridge on Lombard Street. We did all the touristy things, checking out the wharf, shopping, everything. Last year we went a bit more practical, bidding on a hotel on Priceline, and staying north of the bridge to save money on the hotel and bridge toll. Staying in San Rafael definitely had its benefits beyond the practical---the second night we found an Indian restaurant so amazing, we went back every night afterward. I am already drooling a little bit thinking about the Paneer Tikka Masala I discovered our last night in town. And, we found a fantastic eco-friendly mattress store where we replaced our bedding (an anniversary gift to ourselves).
In fact, it was our first year at Sausalito when Paul and I got married. After the show we drove to Tahoe, met all of our parents and had a little wedding at one of the chapels. Then the six of us ran around town, eating, drinking and playing slots. It was seriously one of the most fun nights I can remember. This year, we'll celebrate our second anniversary at the show. I hope we can think of someplace good to eat dinner afterward.


I found a website called SkillShare, which has very good quality content and is working truly intuitive to find the correct courses (search for instance on productivity).
Determine 3 wins for the week.
What are the priorities for the following week?
I would really advice you to check out skill share yourself to see what he recommends, I'm guaranteeing, they're good!
It is really nice that he takes you along in his own calendar and shows how he sets things up. He's also not shy in admitting what didn't work out for him or he struggles with. All in all good stuff to really incorporate if you want to move forward like I would like to do.


Space transportation provider Rocketplane Kistler Japan has teamed up with wedding planner First Advantage to begin hosting weddings aboard the Rocketplane XP suborbital spaceplane. A cool 240 million yen ($2.2 million) buys you a wedding ceremony aboard a 1-hour space flight that reaches an altitude of more than 100 kilometers (62.1 miles), as well as a photo and video album, original dress, wedding certificate and other ceremonial items. The otherworldly price tag also includes the cost of transportation to and from the launch site, accommodations, a live broadcast of the ceremony to friends and family at a reception hall on the ground, and 4 days of rehearsal. The space wedding services are scheduled to begin in 2011, but the group will start accepting applications early next month.
I am writing a fiction story . Intertwine Lives and am doing a wedding of the spaceman lost in space 1991 to a woman astraunt. During the elispce of Mars hoping to capture words to descrbe the lights.
The spaceman was suspended in space without a country during the changing from Soviet Union to Russia.
It is the most adventorus thing to do among robots,spaceships and believe God would not have given us the knowledge unless he has a purpose. I admire the honor and graditude the space program protrays.
Japanese go for Weddings in Space | Japanite!
If you want to have a wedding that's out of this world… « Horseman, Pass By!


With the release of the iPhone 5, the world is in a frenzy with the latest smartphone technology and how it can make our lives easier to manage. For medical professionals, mobile technology plays an important role for the future of the healthcare industry and utilizing it properly could prove beneficial in the long run.
While medical residents are more likely than veteran doctors to use smartphones for clinical purposes, family physicians are also making great use of medical apps. A survey by Prism Healthcare Intelligence shows that 67% of family physicians are using smartphones compared to 55% last year. Even though they are taking advantage of using mobile devices in the workplace, only a small percentage of family physicians use their smartphones to electronically write prescriptions, order lab tests and monitor patients. As it turns out, family physicians are using their smartphone apps to conduct research, check email, schedule appointments and take notes.
It's evident that some medical professionals are happily embracing the use of mobile apps in the doctor's office, but there are others who are still a little hesitant. The concern comes from whether or not these apps are reliable enough to help provide sound, medical advice and diagnoses. The bigger issue lies in patients self-diagnosing themselves via any one of 40,000 available medical apps. As the market for apps remains unregulated, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is struggling to keep a regulatory eye on app developers. The process alone for having FDA clearance on a mobile app that makes medical claims is six to 20 months, and can cost anywhere between $24M-$75M.
Another app that may be of interest to family physicians is AFP By Topic. Now you can have American Family Physician on your mobile device. Stay up to date on the most current content affecting family medicine.
It's more important now than ever to become digitally savvy with this new wave of technological advancements. So whether you own an iPhone, an Android, Windows Phone or Blackberry, use your best judgment when determining which apps are best to use for your family practice.


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These are miniatures, little paintings of sound evoking evanescent bodies. Spare and quiet; then an enormity of sound explodes or dissolves into more silence. The static offers clarity if you yield to it.
A breathing transit towards a threshold or boundary that separates and unites two sound spaces: an inhalation and an exhalation. When the inhalation ends the exhalation begins but the exhalation is just the reflection of the inhalation starting again from the end. This is a big breath, a transition or union between two spaces that creates a new sound space.
There is no stability. A door can open and a memory comes up; there is a lot of energy there, but also a kind of anti-energy that could cancel everything. This piece takes place during the night in an old church. During that suspended time, waves of sensations and memories come and go away. We cannot know what is going on. We just can be in that present, deeply inside, to have no expectations, and no power.
"I wanted to build a changing, moving space where the body, through listening, cannot find any stability." Explore more of the artist's compositions.
Here are recordings of transitional objects, spaces and elements—a gate, a lift, an escalator and the sea. The voice conveys a poem about a painting depicting a woman holding a flame, a messenger between worlds. Field recordings, composition and vocals by Blanc Sceol (collaboration between Stephen Shiell & Hannah White); words by Lindie White. The image inspiring this haunting poem was painted by Roy White.
Flame is a piece newly created for Earlid.


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Three Dead After Falling Through the Ice At An Arizona Lake
Three people were recovered from a freezing Arizona Lake after they drowned from falling through the ice.
Police and family members say they were snapping pictures when three people fell through the ice.
The Coconino County Sheriff's Office confirmed all three Indian nationals as 49-year-old Narayana Muddana and his wife, Haritha Muddana, and 47-year-old Gokul Mediseti.
Police responded to reports of the three missing people on Monday in Woods Canyon Lake.
Haritha Muddana was the first to be found and pulled from the water by rescuers but was later declared dead. The following day, the two men were found.
According to the sheriff's office spokesperson, Jon Paxton, the three families had traveled up from their homes in the Chandler suburb of Phoenix the day after Christmas to spend time outdoors.
It appeared they "wanted to get some pictures out on the ice," Paxton said.
According to Kishore Pittala, a family friend, the Muddanas' two children are currently under his care.
"It is a tough situation, so first thing is we are in shock, and we are really worried about the kids," Pittala said.
So far, a GoFundMe created to support the three families has already raised more than half a million dollars.
The post Three Dead After Falling Through the Ice At An Arizona Lake appeared first on Baller Alert.
via: https://balleralert.com/profiles/blogs/three-dead-after-falling-through-the-ice/
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Tag: natural capital
Published on December 5th, 2019 by FLOW Editor - Blog Posts, News, Reports & Media Releases
Report author Skip Pruss
By Skip Pruss
This article is excerpted from the final of four policy briefs by former FLOW board chair, and former director of the Michigan Department of Energy, Labor, and Economic Growth, Skip Pruss, that make the economic case for government's role in protecting the environment. The fourth policy brief, "Resetting Expectations: Accounting for Environmental, Health, and Climate Impacts in the Energy Sector" is available here to read or download.
Pruss' first policy brief in the series, "Resetting Expectations: Government's Role in Protecting Human Health and the Environment," is available here in executive summary and in full.
The second policy brief, "Resetting Expectations: The Value of Natural Systems and Government's Role in Protecting Water," is available here to read or download as an executive summary or full report.
The third brief, "Resetting Expectations: The Multifaceted Benefits of Regulation for the Economy and Environment," is available here in executive summary and in full.
FLOW will convene an environmental economics public listening session on Dec. 5 in Grand Rapids. We convened our first listening session on Nov. 13 in Traverse City (click this link to watch a live video feed of the event; blog coverage also available here).
Natural systems provide trillions of dollars of economic value annually but are largely unacknowledged as essential to our economic well-being. Government plays a critical role in protecting natural systems that provide wide-ranging economic benefits to industry, commerce, agriculture, recreation, and tourism, for present and future generations.
At the same time, perverse incentives remain in law and policy that are profoundly disruptive to the environment, the economy, social welfare, and a stable climate. Government subsidies for the development and use of fossil fuels undermine and negate the very protections and safeguards sound environmental regulations aim to preserve. These subsidies, some of which date back a full century, are harmful anachronisms that are contrary to the public interest and sound economic policy.
Environmental standards can also be a strong force for innovation within business and industry by reducing waste and production inefficiencies, inducing technological improvements, lowering costs, and mitigating environmental vulnerabilities. Environmental regulations can level the playing field within business sectors by setting industry-wide standards for protection and safeguards and by fostering competition for improvements among competitors.
This fourth brief—"Resetting Expectations: Toward a Full Accounting of Environmental, Health and Climate Impacts in the Energy Sector"—is the last in a series of policy briefs that examines the economic costs associated with government policies that do the opposite—imposing unnecessary and unaccounted for burdens on the environment, public health and the economy. Obsolete and inefficient government policies and programs impose additional costs on society and taxpayers by directly supporting activities that result in environmental degradation and diminishment of the ecological services provided by healthy and robust natural systems.
Fossil fuel subsidies persist in policy despite being demonstrably inefficient and more costly than clean energy alternatives because they serve powerful, deeply embedded, and influential special interests in global energy markets. The adverse environmental and climate consequences and associated economic costs from the production and use of fossil fuels are "negative externalities" unaccounted for in the price of goods and services. In economic theory, negative externalities are indicators of "market failure."
An optimal regulatory framework would, consistent with established tenets of economics, assess the full range of costs and impacts of competing energy technologies. A rational regulatory framework would quantify and monetize the environmental, public health and economic costs and impacts from the production and combustion of oil, natural gas, and coal, and compare them against clean energy alternatives.
Full accounting of the direct and indirect economic effects of energy subsidies would enable government to make more rational, evidence-based decisions regarding the impacts of energy policy on the environment, the economy, public health, and the climate. It would also align with the fundamental purposes of the Public Trust Doctrine in advancing the most environmentally beneficial, healthful, and economically efficient policies to safeguard present and future generations.
Environmental protections and safeguards, implemented through government regulations, provide overwhelming economic and health-related benefits for society at large. Maintaining the functionality, vitality, and resilience of natural systems provides cascading economic benefits to industry, commerce, agriculture, recreation, and tourism, helping to assure these benefits for future generations. The environmental protections afforded by government regulations are substantial but are marginalized and, at times, negated by competing policies that cause environmental and economic harm.
Incentives are deeply embedded in economic policies in the form of subsidies provided to business and industry that degrade and diminish natural systems, resulting in substantial and permanent economic loss. Long established, yet function- ally obsolete, energy subsidies produce wide-ranging insidious and harmful effects on the environment, public welfare, and the economy. Despite this, demonstrably inefficient and detrimental subsidies for fossil fuels are pervasive both domestically and globally, and supported by long-standing powerful economic interests that are firmly integrated into our politics and our economy.
Tags: natural capital, Skip Pruss
Government Must Protect the Great Lakes, our Greatest Source of Natural Capital
Published on September 4th, 2019 by FLOW Editor - Blog Posts, High water, News
This article is excerpted from the second of four policy briefs by former FLOW board chair, and former director of the Michigan Department of Energy, Labor and Economic Growth, Skip Pruss that make the economic case for government's role in protecting the environment.
The second policy brief, "Resetting Expectations: The Value of Natural Systems and Government's Role in Protecting Water," is available here to read or download as an executive summary or full report. FLOW will unveil the last two briefs in the coming months. (Pruss' first report in the series also is available here in executive summary and in full.)
Michigan lies at the heart of the Great Lakes, the largest fresh surface water system in the world. Harboring 95 percent of all fresh surface water in United States and 84 percent of all fresh surface water in North America, the Lakes are an enormous source of natural capital, providing direct health, economic, environmental, and ecological services to 40 million people. The Great Lakes system is a magnificent natural endowment. Sculpted by ancient retreating glaciers that left the largest interconnected body of fresh surface water in the world, the Great Lakes are truly globally unique.
We in Michigan are water rich. The Great Lakes support a $6 trillion regional economy. Water is our most valuable source of natural capital, bestowing billions of dollars in ecological services by providing fresh, potable water for consumption, recreation, agriculture, and industry. Freshwater aquatic ecosystems — our lakes, streams, rivers, groundwater and wetlands — provide drinking water, produce fish, nourish unique biological niches at the land and water interface, and provide diverse recreational opportunities. Wetlands are prolific biological nurseries harboring birds, insects, waterfowl, and aquatic organisms throughout the food chain, while purifying water, storing stormwater, recharging aquifers, and buffering nutrients — essential services that are largely unknown and unappreciated. Great Lakes fisheries alone provide more than $7 billion in annual economic benefits and support more than 75,000 jobs.
Photo: Great Lakes fisheries alone provide more than $7 billion in annual economic benefits and support more than 75,000 jobs.
With our water wealth comes special obligations of stewardship. The Great Lakes and their tributary rivers and streams belong to the public and are held in a public trust. Government, as trustee, has the responsibility to protect the trust waters from impairment and cannot allow diminishment of water quantity or water quality. Our people, our businesses, and our economy depend on the health and viability of our Great Lakes, and others less gifted by geography will set their sights on the Great Lakes. There will soon come a time when discussions about human rights in water, growing water scarcity, and the need for a more "equitable" distribution of Great Lakes' water wealth will elevate in Congress and state legislatures.
A recent study conducted under the Resources Planning Act, a federal law requiring periodic resource assessments on forest lands and rangelands, indicates that of the 204 water basins in the United States, 145 basins will show decreases in yield over the coming decades and nearly half may experience monthly water shortages. While climate change is projected to increase precipitation in some northern regions of the United States, increased frequency of droughts will result in reduced river flows, less reservoir capacity, and decreases in soil moisture. Globally, the situation is much worse. The United Nations reports that today "over 2 billion people live in countries experiencing high water stress, and about 4 billion people experience severe water scarcity during at least one month of the year."
Our abundant water resources will increasingly weigh to Michigan's competitive advantage, but, more likely than not, Michigan will face future challenges from states that will be stressed by inadequate water supplies and who will look to our region with the belief and expectation that our water resources need to serve a larger geography. Our water wealth will be certain to attract a broad universe of water-dependent agricultural, commercial, and industrial private interests as well. At the same time, the chasm between the water rich and the water poor will grow. Great Lakes freshwater resources and the vital services they provide will only increase in value in a future where national and international water supplies become more stressed and attenuated.
Government, as the fiduciary charged with the protection of public trust resources, must use the tools and resources it has in terms of laws, regulations, and best practices to conserve and protect our water as a public good. Greater public understanding of the vital services water resources provide would empower citizens to participate more effectively in the political process and demand that policymakers and legislators take active measures to protect water. Intelligent, sensible water management and conservation practices and effective application of laws and regulations on the part of government to protect the waters upon which we all depend are imperative. Ultimately, our legal and moral authority to resist appropriation of our water wealth will be a function of how adept and effective we are as Great Lakes stewards in the conservation and protection of our waters.
And we must learn from our mistakes.
Tags: great lakes, natural capital, Public Trust Doctrine
Natural Capital and the Value of Ecological Services
Published on August 26th, 2019 by FLOW Editor - Blog Posts, News
The natural world provides a continuous stream of abundant, valuable goods and services. Air, water, soil, flora, and fauna upon which we all depend are relentlessly harvested, used, and abused without an appreciation of our dependency upon this natural capital and the value we derived from it. Nature-based capital, when unimpaired by outside stressors, is continuous and sustainable, providing a constant, renewed flow of natural resources that undergird the global economy.
Natural capital is the feedstock; nature also provides processes that continuously provide beneficial services. The list of ecological services nature provides is limited only by our evolving understanding of science. Fertile soils assisted by microbial action enabling nutrient absorption produce food and fiber and enable life. The hydrologic cycle purifies and refreshes our waters, absorbing floodwaters and recharging aquifers. Terrestrial and aquatic plants purify the air, sequester carbon dioxide, and produce oxygen. As integrated complex systems that thrive in the absence of human interventions, these ecological processes only scratch the surface of the sustainable services nature provides.
Calculating the services natural systems provide in dollars and cents does not mean that money is the only measure of nature's value to human beings. Humanity depends on nature for inspiration, beauty, and spiritual and physical renewal. Scientific research has shown that living close to nature and spending time outside has significant and wide-ranging health benefits, reducing the risk of stress and disease. An economic measure of ecosystem services is merely one way of expressing their value.
The primary benefits and functions provided by nature-based services are set forth in the National Climate Assessment, a requirement by federal law calling upon the U.S. Global Change Research Program to "conduct a state-of-the-science synthesis of climate impacts and trends across U.S.
regions and sectors every four years." Those benefits and functions of natural capital include:
Providing provisioning materials, such as food and fiber,
Regulating critical parts of the environment, such as water quality and erosion control,
Providing cultural services, such as recreational opportunities and aesthetic value, and
Providing supporting services, such as nutrient cycling.
The work of understanding and quantifying the economic benefits of natural capital and ecological services is very recent. Herman Daly, a Senior Economist in the Environment Department of the World Bank and co-founder and associate editor of the journal, Ecological Economics, is credited with being among the first to document both the value of natural systems and the costs of degrading the services nature provides. Robert Costanza, Paul Hawken, and Amory Lovins were also among the first to write widely on the abundant benefits of nature-based services as well as to probe deeply into the economic consequences of diminishing these services by degrading the environment.
The field of ecological economics is now well established. A recent report from the United Nations International Science & Policy Platform for Biodiversity and Ecological Services (IPBES), Regional Assessment Report on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services for the Americas, quantified the annual value of ecological services provided by natural systems in the Americas. The analysis, involving the collaboration of over 100 scientists who reviewed more than 4,100 scientific publications, found that 40 percent of the planet's capacity to provide nature-based services lies in the Americas, having a total annual value estimated at $23.4 trillion. This figure, incomprehensibly large, is even more remarkable given the fact that only 13 percent of the world's population resides in the Western hemisphere.
We who reside in the United States and Canada enjoy a surfeit of world's capacity to produce natural capital and ecological services. Eighty-seven percent of the world's population lives in areas of the planet that offer only 50 percent more nature-based capital and ecological service value than the Americas have with one-sixth the population. North Americans also have a much larger ecological footprint; our relative wealth in natural resources works to conceal both our disproportionate consumption of global ecological services and the magnitude of the environmental challenges facing the rest of the world.
"The health of ecosystems on which we and all other species depend is deteriorating more rapidly than ever. We are eroding the very foundations of our economies, livelihoods, food security, health and quality of life worldwide."
~IPBES Chair, Sir Robert Watson
The global capacity to produce nature-based capital and ecological services is finite. The "biocapacity" of the earth's natural systems is a measure of the planet's ability to supply and reproduce nature-based goods and services and absorb society's waste products. It is nature's banking system — a natural endowment that provides trillions of dollars of benefits annually to the global population — that is now being overdrawn.
In most of the developed world the consumption of natural resources exceeds the regenerative capacity of the earth's natural systems. Quantifying and monetizing the earth's biocapacity, as well as the ecological footprint of nations, are difficult and complex endeavors, but essential to advancing our understanding of our impacts on the environment and to formulating and implementing strategies that enable better stewardship of the natural systems on which we depend.
Tags: natural capital
Published on August 9th, 2019 by FLOW Editor - Blog Posts, News, Reports & Media Releases
This is the second of four policy briefs by former FLOW board chair, and former director of the Michigan Department of Energy, Labor and Economic Growth, Skip Pruss that make the economic case for government's role in protecting the environment. FLOW will unveil the last two briefs in the coming months.
Click here to read the full 2nd report.
And in case you missed it, click here to read the full 1st report in the series and here to access its executive summary.
The health and well-being of our state, our country, and our planet are dependent on maintaining the productive capacity of nature and the services it provides. Though not widely recognized or acknowledged, "natural capital" and the services provided by healthy ecosystems have always been the foundation upon which societies thrive and prosper.
The relatively new science of ecological economics now provides the means of assessing and quantifying the value of natural capital and related ecological services. The science indicates that natural systems endow trillions of dollars of annual benefits that society overlooks and takes for granted, yet undergird all global economies. Determining the value of natural capital and the associated ecological services provides a means of measuring and understanding the economic value of the natural world. Accurate data and unbiased information about the value of nature and the services natural systems provide are essential to inform public policy and legislative action.
Although there are many human impacts that impair and diminish natural systems, reducing the value and economic efficiency of natural systems, no greater threat exists than the warming of the planet caused by the continued emission of anthropogenic greenhouse gases, primarily from the combustion of fossil fuels. Recent assessments indicate that greenhouse gas emissions will cause future damages of more than $50 trillion by 2050, and the economic burden will disproportionally fall on developing economies. Decarbonization of the global economy by transition to clean energy sources is imperative. The good news is that there is a clear consensus emerging that the energy transition is not only technically and economically feasible, but also that the global economic benefits from decarbonizing the global economy are substantial, including safeguarding the Great Lakes freshwater system from the worst effects of climate change. Government's role in accelerating the energy transition is essential.
Michigan's water resources are a rich source of natural capital and provide significant ecological services that will become more valuable over time. Our abundant water resources will increasingly weigh to Michigan's competitive advantage, but more likely than not, Michigan will face future challenges from states that will be stressed by inadequate water supplies and from water-dependent agricultural, commercial, and industrial interests. Our legal and moral authority to resist appropriation of our water wealth will be a function of how adept and effective we are as Great Lakes stewards in the conservation and protection of our water.
In this, governance in Michigan is failing. The Flint water crisis is a stark lesson in the pitfalls of overriding and ignoring government standards intended to safeguard public health and safety. The PFAS crisis is attributable to the inadequacies of existing environmental laws, exacerbated by failed government leadership that ignored the findings and recommendations of the scientific professionals. Both the Flint crisis and PFAS concerns are incidents of a much larger systemic problem—groundwater contamination that is pervasive, yet is being ignored by policymakers and political leaders.
The water-related exigencies Michigan is experiencing call for broader application of the Public Trust Doctrine to reestablish and reaffirm government's responsibility to protect and safeguard water resources for the benefit of the public. Recognizing the interdependence of natural systems and the importance and value of the ecological services that water resources provide, the Public Trust Doctrine must be applied aggressively and proactively to address conditions that have the potential to harm or impair commonly held water resources.
Report's Key Facts
Science informs us that nature and natural systems endow trillions of dollars of annual benefits that society overlooks and takes for granted, yet undergird all global economies.
Though not widely recognized or acknowledged, "natural capital" and the services provided by healthy ecosystems have always been the foundation upon which societies thrive and prosper.
There is not only an absence of tension between environmental protection and economic performance, but in fact, the health of the environment and long-term economic growth and prosperity are mutually dependent and inextricably interconnected.
Although there are many human impacts that impair and diminish natural systems reducing the value and economic efficiency of natural systems, no greater threat exists than the warming of the planet caused by the continued emission of anthropogenic greenhouse gases, primarily from the combustion of fossil fuels.
Recent assessments indicate that greenhouse gas emissions will cause future damages of more than $50 trillion by 2050 and the economic burden will disproportionally fall on developing economies.
Climate changes predicted for the Great Lakes Region include increased precipitation with a larger percentage of annual rainfall occurring in heavy precipitation events causing flooding, increasing soil erosion and nutrient loadings to tributary streams and rivers. More precipitation will also increase the frequency and amount of sewage overflows and further the propagation of algae, including cyanobacteria resulting in declining water quality and beach health.
Warmer lake water temperatures will affect the distribution of fish by advantaging warm-water species over cold-water species, change aquatic plants and benthic communities, and accelerate eutrophication.
Decarbonization of the global economy by transition to clean energy sources including safeguarding the Great Lakes freshwater system from the worst effects of climate change is imperative. The good news is that there is a clear consensus emerging that the energy transition is not only technically and economically feasible, the economic benefit of the global energy transition would range from $65-160 trillion by 2050.
Safeguarding water resources and the ecological services they provide will become more challenging in a world where rising demand encounters growing water scarcity.
Escalating future demand and competition for water resources, intensified by a warming climate, will enhance the value of Great Lakes water, potentially increasing the chasm between the water rich and water poor.
Policymakers must come to recognize the importance of applying the Public Trust Doctrine to modern societal needs, the imperatives of evolving science, and to ensure water equity.
FLOW advocates for an expanded application of the Public Trust Doctrine to act as a shield for protecting water resources against activities that would reduce the quantity or quality of water or threaten to diminish or reduce the value of the ecological services the waters provide to the public.
Government's Role in Protecting Human Health and the Environment
Since the 1970s, history has shown that government interventions requiring protection for human health and the environment through more stringent environmental laws have not only improved baseline conditions of our environment like air and water quality, but have also improved overall economic conditions. These studies, some of which were described in the first policy brief in this series, demonstrate the economic value of government-mandated protective standards by quantifying the benefits of protections aimed at improving public health and safeguarding the environment, as well as the high cost to the economy and public health of failing to protect the environment through adequate regulation.
Our politics fail to take into account the overwhelming benefits accruing to the public by the protections and safeguards effectuated by environmental standards. Though the political narrative has recently evolved to the point where some political leaders publicly acknowledge that there is "no conflict between economic performance and environmental protection" recognizing that society can have both, the reality, clearly found in the relatively new field of environmental economics, is that economic prosperity, indeed the world's economies, are ultimately dependent on protecting the planet and the valuable resources that well-balanced natural systems provide. In economic terms, there is not only an absence of tension between environmental protection and economic performance, but in fact, the health of the environment and long-term economic sustainability and prosperity are mutually dependent and inextricably interconnected.
It is imperative that political leaders, policymakers, and citizens come to understand this critical association.
Tags: Climate Change, natural capital, PFAS, Public Trust Doctrine, Skip Pruss


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Re: KSR International Co. v. Teleflex, Inc.
KSR is a patent case which, as the United States' brief points out, raises issues which "may directly affect competition and innovation in the marketplace." It poses the question of whether the combination of two existing, known elements can be "obvious" and thus not patentable without proof of some "teaching, suggestion, or motivation" to modify or combine. Car makers began offering adjustable gas pedals in the 1970s. In the 1990s they began producing cars with electronic throttle controls. Teleflex then obtained a patent on a combination of these two elements – an adjustable gas pedal with an electronic pedal position sensor.
Teleflex sued KSR for patent infringement. KSR defended by moving for summary judgment on the ground that the patent was invalid because the combination would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art. The District Court granted summary judgment to KSR on grounds of obviousness. The Federal Circuit reversed, holding that the lower court did not apply the correct "teaching-suggestion-motivation" test and that genuine issues of fact barred summary judgment on grounds of obviousness.
On November 28, 2006, the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral argument in the case. The United States, speaking on behalf of the PTO, the FTC and the Antitrust Division of the DOJ, argued in favor of KSR that the Federal Circuit's teaching-suggestion-motivation test "asks the wrong question and in cases like this one, it produces the wrong answer. It should be rejected and the judgment of the Court of Appeals should be reversed." Tr. 18.
In addition to the extremely strong support of the United States, the questions asked during oral argument suggest that reversal is likely. Several of the Justices pointed out repeatedly that they did not understand the meaning of the Federal Circuit's test. Tr. 10 (Breyer: "what do they mean?"); Scalia: "I don't understand what the motivation . . . element is."); 30 (Breyer: "Where does that get you?").
As the argument proceeded, the Justices' criticism of the test grew even more aggressive. Justice Scalia announced that: "I would say its test is meaningless." Tr. 36. Justice Alito said: "[if] it can be implicit, it can be based on common sense, I don't understand the difference between that and simply asking whether it's obvious." Tr. 39-40.
Several Justices also expressed doubt that the invention was not obvious. Tr. 46 (Kennedy: "Certainly this inventor would not be the only one to think that the two [elements] could and should be combined."); 35 (Breyer: "when I saw this and began to think it looks pretty obvious."); 50 (Scalia: "their basic point, is anybody would have thought to stick it on."). Justice Breyer analogized the claimed invention to his idea – which he apparently thought was obvious – to solve the problem of raccoons eating his garage sensor on the lower hinge by moving the sensor up to the upper hinge. Tr. 34-5.
Chief Justice Roberts, referring to the "teaching-suggestion-motivation" test noted that: "It adds a layer of Federal Circuit jargon that lawyers can then bandy back and forth . . . [but] it seems to me that it's worse than meaningless because it complicates the inquiry rather than focusing on the statute." Tr. 40.
Justice Scalia added that: "I agree with the Chief Justice. It is meaningless to say that the whole world is embraced within these three nouns, teaching, suggestion, or motivation, and then you define teaching, suggestion, or motivation to mean anything that renders it nonobvious. This is gobbledygook. It really is, it's irrational." Tr. 41. "It produces more patents, which is what the patent bar gets paid for, to acquire patents, not to get patent applications denied but to get them granted. And the more you narrow the obviousness standard to these three imponderable nouns, the more likely it is that the patent will be granted." Tr. 42.
Justice Breyer concluded by pointing out that the Court had been looking at a number of patent cases and hearing from a number of parties "who are saying basically that they've [the Federal Circuit] leaned too far in the direction of never seeing a patent they didn't like and that this has unfortunate implications for the economy. So if you're going to these very basic deep issues, is there a reason for me to think, which I do now think, that there is huge argument going on in those who are interested in patent[s] as to whether there is too much protectionism and not enough attention paid to competition . . . but I tend to think maybe it isn't well settled and maybe it is a proper thing for us to be involved in." Tr. 42-3.
Wm. Randolph Smith
Email: wrsmith@crowell.com


text:
« Life During COVID-19 – The Case of the Mysterious Walkers
Lotta Sports from the Women's POV – Recovering Sports in a COVID World »
This column runs in the Summer 2020 issue of Heart Beat of the Texas Hill Country
No one saw it coming. Wednesday, March 11th, 2020. Fans at Chesapeake Arena were excitedly waiting for their Oklahoma City Thunder to tipoff against the Utah Jazz. It was an important game with playoffs just weeks away; especially for the Thunder who were on a three-game winning streak, nipping at the heels of fourth place Utah. Twenty-thousand fans in the stands watched the warmups, then the gathering of the head coaches with the referees as the pump-the-team-up music blared throughout the arena. Thunder fans had a reason to be excited. The Jazz's weapon, center Rudy Gobert was not in the line-up due to illness. Suddenly it became evident that the nationally televised matchup was on delay. Coaches were still conferring with the referees while the players shrugged at each other and TV broadcasters tried figure out what the holdup was. Finally, the head coaches returned to their benches and herded the players off the court and back to the locker room. Fans started to boo as the head referee donned headphones at the scoring table. The announcer leaned over the microphone. "Due to unforeseen circumstances, the game tonight has been postponed" followed by "You are all safe" twice.
Within minutes, breaking news came over TVs across the nation – Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert had tested positive for COVID-19!! The NBA had already decided to start games minus fans the following night because of this strange virus which had recently surfaced in Washington state in a nursing home and was showing up in other states. But now an NBA player had tested positive and it just happened to be Gobert who just two days before had joked around with reporters touching every microphone and recorder in sight! By the end of the next day, every sport began shutting down!
Major League Baseball advised players to leave spring training facilities and return to their homes. The National Hockey League "paused" their season which was just a few weeks from the playoffs. Major League Soccer and the World Cup qualifying cancelled. The Players Championship golf tournament in Florida was stopped at the end of the first round. While college basketball's "March Madness" was days away from their conference tournaments to be followed by the selection process, some conferences considered playing to an empty house; others cancelled theirs. The conference tourneys and selection process never happened. The Summer Olympics was postponed until 2021. Even NASCAR shut down when it was evident that support teams would be too close to each other while servicing the cars. Sports went on hiatus for sixty-six days!! Never had sports experienced such a disruption since World War II.
On Sunday May 17th, NASCAR paved the way for other sports to resume. They ran nine races in sixteen days at just two tracks in two states. Masked support crew numbers were cut in half, drivers wore masks when not in their cars, practices cancelled and the stands were empty of fans. Other sports began processing plans acceptable to states and health experts while fans crossed fingers and toes that all sports would be back soon!
This entry was posted on June 21, 2020, 2:15 pm and is filed under Baseball, Basketball, Golf, Heart Beat of the Texas Hill Country, Hockey, NASCAR, Olympics. You can follow any responses to this entry through RSS 2.0. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.


Gastronomy has never been more exciting! Chefs travel around the world like rock stars and "foodies" are the new groupies. At the same time there is a growing conciousness about what we are eating and our planet. FOOL is an insider's guide to the contemporary gastronomic world.


GAMING IN FEBRUARY 2019 AT EC! | EC!
GAMING IN FEBRUARY 2019 AT EC!
Conquer the realm and bring honor to your clan in Battle for Rokugan! This turn-based strategy game of conquest and mayhem puts players in the role of Rokugan daimyo struggling for control over the rich land of the Emerald Empire. Leaders must balance their resources, plan their attacks, and outwit their enemies to ensure their clan's victory. The land is there for the taking. The most honorable daimyo will win the day!
As you build and explore the iconic city's dark alleys and deadly catacombs, you must work with your fellow adventurers to survive the terrors ahead. That is, until some horrific evil turns one — or possibly more — of you against each other. Was it a mind flayer's psionic blast or the whisperings of a deranged ghost that caused your allies to turn traitor? You have no choice but to keep your enemies close!
Based on the award-winning Betrayal at House on the Hill board game, in Betrayal at Baldur's Gate you'll return to Baldur's Gate again and again thanks to the fifty included scenarios only to discover it's never the same game twice.
Junk Art contains more than ten game modes, along with more than sixty big colorful wooden or plastic components. In one version of the game, players pile all of the wooden or plastic parts in the center of the table, then are dealt a number of cards, with each card depicting one of these parts. On a turn, a player presents their left-hand neighbor with two cards from their hand. This neighbor takes one card in hand, then takes the part shown on the other card and places it on their base or on other parts that they've already placed. If something falls, it stays on the table and the player continues to build on whatever still stands. Once players have finished playing cards, whoever has the tallest work of art wins.
Join us for a special open play for all things Star Wars!
There will be tables set up for Star Wars Legion, Star Wars X-Wing, and Star Wars Destiny.
Promo Cards will be available all games!
The HeroClix Core Game is a tabletop combat game using 3-D collectible miniature figures of your favorite characters. By building a force from your collection of figures, you can take on the roles of your favorite characters and challenge your friends to epic battles!
Our Pokémon Youth League provides a nearby place for you to get together with other fans of both the Pokémon Trading Card Game and the Pokémon video games, and have some fun!
Using your own cards and Pokémon video games, you can play, trade, and even earn cool prizes! The best part is that you can do all this with other Pokémon players who love collecting and playing just as much as you do!
This event will start at 1pm. Please arrive by 12:30 to register and get pairings done.
PLEASE NOTE: DAYLIGHT SAVING TIME BEGINS THIS MORNING — PLEASE ADJUST YOUR CLOCKS ACCORDINGLY!
THIS WILL BE A SINGULARITY FORMAT EVENT!
Rules: You may only have one copy of each character, equipment, and plot twist card in your deck.
This does not apply to Main Characters with more than one copy, like MCU Ultron.
You can still have up to four of each basic and special location.
The regular Illustrated and Photographic Universe rules apply.
$5 entry fee, and all players get a foil card!
Organized Play Kit #2 will be used as prize support. First place gets to choose either the acetate card or the playmat. The other will be raffled to a random other player.
AND … if there are 7 or more players, a $10 EC Gift Certificate will be added to the prizes! Another $10 EC Gift Certificate will be added for every 3 additional players (10, 13, 16, 19, etc). These Gift Certificates will be offered as options for the top players, and/or raffled to a random player if the acetate card and playmat are already taken before the raffle.


text:
Q: Exclude from CamelCase tokenizer in Elasticsearch Struggling to make iPhone match when searching for iphone in Elasticsearch.
Since I have some source code at stake, I surely need CamelCase tokenizer, but it appears to break iPhone into two terms, so iphone can't be found.
Anyone knows of a way to add exceptions to breaking camelCase words into tokens (camel + case)?
UPDATE: to make it clear, I want NullPointerException to be tokenized as [null, pointer, exception], but I don't want iPhone to become [i, phone].
Any other solution?
UPDATE 2: @ChintanShah's answer suggests a different approach that gives us even more - NullPointerException will be tokenized as [null, pointer, exception, nullpointer, pointerexception, nullpointerexception], which is definitely much more useful from the point of view of the one that searches. And indexing is also faster! Price to pay is index size, but it is a superior solution.

A: You can achieve your requirements with word_delimiter token filter.
This is my setup
{
  "settings": {
    "analysis": {
      "analyzer": {
        "camel_analyzer": {
          "tokenizer": "whitespace",
          "filter": [
            "camel_filter",
            "lowercase",
            "asciifolding"
          ]
        }
      },
      "filter": {
        "camel_filter": {
          "type": "word_delimiter",
          "generate_number_parts": false,
          "stem_english_possessive": false,
          "split_on_numerics": false,
          "protected_words": [
            "iPhone",
            "WiFi"
          ]
        }
      }
    }
  },
  "mappings": {
  }
}

This will split the words on case changes so NullPointerException will be tokenized as null, pointer and exception but iPhone and WiFi will remain as it is as they are protected. word_delimiter has lot of options for flexibility. You can also preserve_original which will help you a lot.
GET logs_index/_analyze?text=iPhone&analyzer=camel_analyzer

Result
{
   "tokens": [
      {
         "token": "iphone",
         "start_offset": 0,
         "end_offset": 6,
         "type": "word",
         "position": 1
      }
   ]
}

Now with
GET logs_index/_analyze?text=NullPointerException&analyzer=camel_analyzer

Result
{
   "tokens": [
      {
         "token": "null",
         "start_offset": 0,
         "end_offset": 4,
         "type": "word",
         "position": 1
      },
      {
         "token": "pointer",
         "start_offset": 4,
         "end_offset": 11,
         "type": "word",
         "position": 2
      },
      {
         "token": "exception",
         "start_offset": 11,
         "end_offset": 20,
         "type": "word",
         "position": 3
      }
   ]
}

Another approach is to analyze your field twice with different analyzers but I feel word_delimiter will do the trick.
Does this help?

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Looking for a way to stay stylish and warm?! Yarn hats are the way to do it! With so many fun knit and crochet hat patterns out there, you're sure to find a great beanie to match any wardrobe. Check out these 15 fabulous caps for your noggin!
1. Go With the Flow Crochet Hat: This stylish, slouchy hat is so easy to crochet. Find the tutorial over at My Hobby is Crochet.
2. Easy Ribbed Crochet Beanie: This simple ribbed beanie is sure to keep you warm! Find the tutorial over at One Dog Woof.
3. The Loving Knit Hat: The tiny hearts in this pattern make for such a fun beanie. Find the tutorial over at Garter Stitch Witch.
4. Messy Mom Bun Crochet Beanie: You can have your beanie and your messy bun at the same time! Find the tutorial over at Heart Hook Home.
5. Fisherman Ribbed Hipster Hat: This chunky ribbed hat is such a stylish way to keep warm! Find the tutorial over at Classy Crochet.
6. Plaid Slouchy Crochet Hat: The plaid pattern in this hat pattern is just darling! Find the tutorial over at Whistle and Ivy.
7. Snow Country Ski Crochet Hat: There's so much to love about this warm ski hat! Find the tutorial over at Kirsten's Knits.
8. 30 Minute Easy Chunky Crochet Hat: You'll only need half an hour to make this warm, chunky hat! Find the tutorial over at Persia Lou.
9. Puff Stitch Crochet Beanie: Puff stitch and purple yarn are such a great combo. Find the tutorial over at Hey Carrie.
10. Toffee Apple Pom Pom Beanie: This pom pom crochet beanie has such a lovely texture. Find the tutorial over at Hopeful Honey.
11. Celtic Dream Crochet Beanie: The celtic knot comes to life in this gorgeous green beanie. Find the tutorial over at Charmed By Ewe.
12. Crochet Slouch Beanie: The color combinations in this beanie bring sugar plums to mind! Find the tutorial over at Rescued Paw Designs.
13. Crochet Ribbed Beanie: A ribbed section adds unique interest to this beanie option. Find the tutorial over at Projects Around the House.
14. Simple Slouch Crochet Hat: Need a comfy, casual hat? This pattern is just the thing! Find the tutorial over at The Darice Craft Blog.
15. Jill Beanie Knit Hat: A pop of neon yarn makes for such a fun beanie! Find the tutorial over at Threaded Together.
With so many stylish ways to stay warm, it'll be hard choosing which beanie to make first! Get making your yarn crafty hat today!


Google Glass is one of those technologies liable to instil a sense of fear into the hearts of retailers. It's another potentially game-changing gadget hovering ominously on the horizon, which no one really knows much about just yet – if it catches on, it could wreak yet more havoc on the retail business model.
But retailers shouldn't worry too much. Glass – and other wearable smart technology – is significant because it takes many of the jobs that shoppers already use smartphones for and makes them quicker and easier to complete. So a user can Google a store and get directions, which appear in map form on a screen over their right eye, or they can take photos of two products to ask friends which they prefer. While Glass is revolutionary in many ways, it doesn't take shoppers' use of mobile technology in store in an entirely new direction – instead it makes it easier to do the things shoppers are already doing.
The Glass is voice-activated and turns on when the user says "OK Glass" – but it doesn't always pick up the command and can be confused between instructions and what people nearby are saying. Shoppers are likely to feel a bit stupid bellowing the words "Google cheapest TomTom 500" in the John Lewis electricals department over and over again.
Once switched on, the user is shown a selection of options on the tiny screen above their eye. They can choose to Google something, make a note, share a photo, make a video call – the person called can see exactly what the user sees on their Glass screen – or get directions.
The wearer can choose what they want to do by telling it vocally, by tapping the outside of the glass frame, or by tilting their head – none of which was very easy to master straight away.
No doubt the usability issues will be ironed out as the device is developed, and even with these hiccups it's easy to see how it could transform the shopping experience. Instead of getting your phone out to tweet, take a photo or video, search for the cheapest price or get directions, everything is there – literally in front of your eyes – without the user having to move. That means you can get your cash out, carry your bags or push a trolley without dealing with a phone, and it makes interacting with the web while in a store much more seamless.
For instance, Apple's Passbook, which holds vouchers and coupons on the iPhone, could be used in conjunction with Glass. In addition, the rise of dynamic pricing and better wi-fi will add to what Glass can do – price changes and offers can be communicated to shoppers with a greater degree of immediacy than on a mobile phone, which might languish in someone's pocket while they shop.
Another unique feature Google Glass provides is the ability to turn on whenever it recognises images it thinks will appeal to the wearer. Users must link their Glass device to their Google accounts, so it will have access to their internet search history and the contents of their emails, enabling it to pick things it thinks will appeal. This could be anything from Indian food to films a shopper might enjoy – Somo, for instance, has designed a service that plays movie trailers when Glass recognises film posters or DVD boxes.
This data-driven service has wide-ranging potential. If a shopper often buys from a retailer online, a promotion could be sent to her when she walks past their bricks and mortar store and Glass recognises the fascia.
Location data could also be used to generate offers – a regularly visited cafe could offer a shopper 10% off when Glass detects them walking past.
Every device is pegged to a smartphone, because Glass doesn't access the internet itself but is linked to a networked phone. This means apps could be adjusted to work on Glass, and Crowe says this could end up driving interest and perhaps act as the tipping point users need to prompt them to try Glass.
This is another aspect of the technology that makes it appealing – everything from mobile banking to transport information could be available in this tiny screen just above a user's eye.
Having tried Glass, it's easy to see how it could slot into the shopping journeys users already embark on. It may take a while for mass-market adoption – although previous innovative technologies such as smartphones and tablets have achieved adoption surprisingly quickly – and there are usability issues that will need to be smoothed over.
But Glass and other wearable technologies will narrow the divide between the physical and the digital worlds until it is almost undetectable, making them hugely important for the retail industry.
Car manufacturer Nissan is launching the Nissan 3E this month, which looks similar to Google Glass in that it's a tiny computer worn over one eye. It has also launched a smartwatch designed to connect drivers to their cars and track the car's performance.
Samsung launched the Galaxy Gear smartwatch in September – one of the first big-brand launches of such a device.
The Nike+ Fuelband is a wristband that tracks a user's activity and fitness. It is linked to their Nike+ account, allowing them to track their fitness progress.
Jawbone is another wearable technology company that produces fitness bracelets.
wrist band that provides users with the sort of services they get from smartphones at present. Apple hasn't even hinted it will deliver one, but a step in this direction from the technology giant would accelerate use of wearable technology.
Sony has launched the SmartWatch 2 in the US, designed as an accompanying gadget to a Sony smartphone or tablet.
Californian start-up Telepathy has designed a product that will compete head-to-head with Glass. It wraps around a user's head and has earphones and a screen and will also launch next year.
A YouGov survey of 2,000 UK adults, commissioned by software supplier Venda, found that 28% of consumers would use wearable technology to access in-store promotions.
Over a quarter (27%) of consumers would also like to be kept informed of local offers via the device.
One in five consumers (22%) would like to be able to receive additional offers and promotions via digital screens such as store window displays.
Over a third of consumers would use Google Glass to plan their shopping routes.
Over a quarter (27%) would use the technology to search for available stock and product ideas to purchase while in store – rising to 45% for 18 to 24 year olds.
Almost 80% of consumers, however, would feel embarrassed wearing technology such as Google Glass.
Technology analyst Juniper Research predicts global shipments of wearable smart glasses will reach 10 million a year by 2018, compared with an estimated 87,000 this year.
Juniper Research also forecasts that the app-enabled mobile smart wearable device hardware market will be worth nearly $19bn (£11.78bn) by 2018.


Hello! This is a bit late, but if anyone wants to play, here it is.
Fics are up! We all know that guessing is hard- putting a bunch of fics together like this and wanting people to guess who's who certainly isn't going to be easy, and it might be getting a bit confusing. SO. This post is for dropping hints! How does this work?
1. All comments should be anonymous!! We're talking hints, after all!
2a. Authors - leave little hints as to what you wrote! ETA: sign your anon comments with your author ID, please!!
2b. Guessers - leave little hints to the writers you think you know... OR ask questions about the ones you REALLY can't pin down!
3. Don't just give it away, though!! For instance, something like "[This fic] really sounds similar to a fic in Round 4." Never "I think [blank] wrote [blank]."
4. Inappropriate comments will be deleted. My apologies in advance if that becomes necessary.
Writers: Complaints about lack of progress, procrastinating, requests for ideas, and more are all awesome.
Readers: You guys are more than welcome to participate too! Leave your reassurances, fanfic ideas, and helpful random spam here.
Fics are UP!~ We all know that guessing is hard, even though this is just a mini round. SO. I thought you guys might still want to do a hint post. :D This post is for dropping hints! How does this work?
We want lots of guesses, so let's have some fun teasing each other with hints!
Tags: hints, mini-round 004: summer heat!
Yaaaaaaaaaaaaay BG is back! Okay fine, it's a mini round, but still. Are you guys excited? I'm excited. I'm practically beside myself. :D Anyway, even though it's a short round, I figured we could still use our traditional support/chat thread. For anyone new to our challenge here, this is the place we come to flail, cry, procrastinate, plot, ask and answer questions, and support each other.
Anonymouse is encouraged, especially if there could be clues to your fic, but obviously isn't required. You could even make up your own ID just to use for this, if you wanted, especially since we're not getting ID's until posting. It could add a fun little twist to things, I guess. ^_~ Either way, comments will be screened during the guessing period just in case (er, assuming I remember to do it later XD).
Readers: You guys are more than welcome to participate too! Leave your reassurances, fanfic ideas, distractions, and helpful random spam here.
Any news on when round 14 is starting?
Hey guys! This isn't anything blind_go related, but I wanted to warn everyone about a nasty virus going around on LJ. You may or may not have seen it already. The virus involves hacked accounts posting youtube videos in places. It's presented either as a youtube link or an embed, and the video seems to be in Portuguese. [Edit: Apparently there's an English version too, but it's just as random. You'll know it when you see it.] DO NOT CLICK ON THE LINK OR THE VIDEO. I've removed a couple from kifu_archive already, but if you see any, feel free to poke at me and I'll delete it as soon as I can.
Some more information here and here. I think this thing is attacking comms more than anything else, but be aware in your own journals too- everyone be safe!
Um yeah, pretty much what it says up there in the title.
We all know that guessing is hard- putting a bunch of fics together like this and wanting people to guess who's who certainly isn't going to be easy, and it might be getting a bit confusing. SO. This post is for dropping hints! How does this work?