Some Type Of social media after is essential for the majority of companies. But, getting things moving beyond the starting blocks (and beyond a handful of followers who are mainly family and friends), may feel like an uphill struggle.
CrowdFire came to my attention Once I looked For a means to build up my Twitter account. I've been using it myself now for months, and I am quite happy with the outcomes. I'm therefore happy to eventually get around to sharing them. Let's begin.
CrowdFire Is a online utility which"plumbs from" to your social media accounts. It also has functionality for LinkedIn, Pinterest, Instagram and Facebook. CrowdFire makes it possible to automate the repetitive tasks involved with gradually growing a following on social media.
By Way of Example, when I first set up the Twitter Account for this website, I would spend some time daily identifying individuals in the house working and freelancing markets, and follow them in the expectation they'd follow me back and interact later on. CrowdFire helps you makes it very quick to add them and locate these people. Even more usefully, it makes it possible to keep tabs on those who don't follow you back or those who are inactive and not worth following, so that you may keep the record.
It does Plenty more besides; It locates relevant content you are able to share to help you keep your accounts busy and alive, suggests tweaks to your accounts to help them function better, and does it with an extremely modern"bot" style interface which only takes a couple of minutes every day to handle.
After Granting CrowdFire permission to handle your desired social media accounts (I mostly use it for Twitter), all you really need to do is get into the support once per day and follow the directions it provides you.
For Example it will give me a selection of content to pick from to share in my deadline. It will suggest some reports for me to unfollow in following me because they have not reciprocated. Next, I'll find a listing of new accounts that are suggested to follow because they're fans of similar folks in my markets, or because they've been tweeting about keywords and phrases that are relevant.
On some Days, I will acquire additional tasks, such as feeding in more relevant keyword phrases, checking my automated message to individuals who follow me, or checking that the information in my own"About" section remains applicable. Is that when the system finds I maintain ignoring a job, it is going to provide the option of suspending it doesn't bother me for a while with it to me.
What CrowdFire basically does for me is almost Fully automate a task which has been previously taking 20 minutes a day (and frequently not getting done due to other pressures). But I can catch two minutes each day to perform it.
Most Importantly, my follower rely on Twitter continues to grow at a rate, and climbs with applicable followers, as a result of the fact they're people I know are interested in freelancing and homeworking.
It's also very important to reemphasize that my Followers are. They are followers that socialize with my articles, such as them, retweet themand click through to the site. This is important, if not one of those folks ever take a look at your content, since there's no point having a follower number for dressing.
The numbers above prove that I can continue doing What I am doing and steadily increase my Twitter following (at least until I'm after 5000 people( if things get a little more difficult). I have recently tipped on the 2000 mark as you can see below!
All these Numbers make CrowdFire worth every cent. And it's likely to do all this using the version that is free too — albeit in a slower paceunfollow constraints.
Users who gave Crowdfire a Positive review said that the program is a great tool for scheduling posts. They also shared that it allows them include the followers of the opponents and to easily track their neighborhood.
One change that's bugged me is that you used To be able to bang down repeatedly on the mouse button to follow or unfollow individuals. CrowdFire lately changed so that you now have to scroll down and click on each green"and" icon in turn (as shown in the screenshot below).
This is Really a good thing, since it ensures you glance at who you're following. It stops you treating the whole thing as an exercise and being idle. However, it's made everything take a bit longer.
Review of Crowdfire on Crowd said that the app is for managing his brand's Twitter followers, his favorite tool. He shared that his favorite feature is that the one which allows him to add their competitors' followers for their own list. In addition, he added that Crowdfire includes a iPhone program that was great.
The Way to Create a Facebook Business Page in 6 Steps — A Facebook business page is a free profile you are able to create for product, manufacturer, or your regional organization. Check out this article.
The Best 26 Instagram Marketing Tips from the Experts — Firms have to maximize the potential to engage customers and attract new ones of Instagram. In this guide, find out what the experts think are the best ways.
There was no mention of a Free trial on Crowdfire's website. But users that are interested may subscribe to their program and begin utilizing their services.
Yes. You can cancel your paid Subscription and anytime continue using your plan that is continuing until the end of the billing period. Following that, your accounts will be converted to the program.
You will have to wait till The end of your current billing period before you may upgrade or downgrade your subscription. But you might speak to the Crowdfire service team from within the program if you want the account modification.
It's Potential to try out what CrowdFire offers without spending any money at all, but as you can see in the above, you're limited to a single account per network. You are also limited in much indicated content you are given to share, and in terms of how a lot of people / unfollow daily can be followed by you.
Utilizing CrowdFire is a little bit of a"no brainer" if you are keen to build up your social media profile. It makes it possible to do the kind of things a social media service would bill you for, however at a low price, all at a few minutes every day or for free.
It pays dividends Who you're after, and it crucial if you're going to keep them interested that you provide valuable content to your followers. Employing CrowdFire doesn't do everything for you!


text:
A queen in a clutch is like the bonfire in a camp: the centre, the focal point, the source of light and heat around which all the other gather. Yet for all her centrality to the life of the class, she will never truly be part of its fellowship. A queen has no peers but other queens, and queens seldom enjoy one another's company. For this reason, a queen rider must be prepared to be far more self-sufficient than any other dragonrider in the Weyr.
– Weyrlingmaster T'geon, Management Of The Queen Weyrling
100.04.12 (100TH TURN, SEVENTH INTERVAL)
MADELLON WEYR
The dining hall door opened, and Carleah looked hopefully up, as she had every morning for the last sevenday. But it was just A'len, and she sighed, and looked back down at her plate, and at the breakfast she'd been picking at without enthusiasm or appetite.
"I miss him too," Tarshe said softly, from where she sat on Carleah's left.
Carleah picked up a crust of toast and bit it determinedly in half. "I don't care what Low-Brow says. I'm going to sneak in and see him today. You'll cover for me, won't you?"
"Always," said Tarshe.
They gripped wrists for a moment, fiercely.
Across the table, Kessirke flicked her head, as if dismissing something beneath her attention, and turned to talk to Adzai, but when Carleah risked a glance she saw the angry injury in the other green rider's eyes.
Well, it wasn't her fault that Kessirke was taking Carleah's new friendship with Tarshe so personally. It wasn't even as if they'd been best friends before. And Kess had been so condescending about Carleah's condition. "It must be so difficult for you," she'd said, wide-eyed, stroking Irdanth's neck, "I don't know how you can bear not to hear her."
Chenda had been even worse. "It must be like you don't even have a dragon any more."
"I have a dragon," Carleah had snapped back. "And what we have is far too strong to be affected by a little setback like this!"
But no one had dared even hint at the question that she'd been asking herself ever since Long Bay. What if they don't find the antidote? What if you can never hear Jagunth ever again?
No one except Tarshe, anyway.
"We'll manage." Tarshe said it matter-of-factly. "One way or another, we will. Not going to let a little thing like this stop us being the best sharding dragonriders we can be."
Tarshe's resolve gave Carleah heart. And after the first few days, when they'd both been in and out of the infirmary so often they might as well have been living there, it had seemed perfectly natural that they'd begun to spend more and more time in each other's company. None of the other weyrlings had gone through what they'd gone through together. None of them could understand what it was really like to be dragon-deaf.
It was curious, though, Carleah thought, as she tackled her toast with grim resolve, how many of the Wildfires had realigned themselves into new patterns since the arrival – and subsequent departure – of the Southerners, and the events of Long Bay. M'touf had become isolated by the very fact of Atath's ability to go between, and yet he seemed happier in himself than he'd ever been as the awkward third wheel of K'ralthe and K'dam's clique. R'von and H'nar seemed both closer and more competitive than ever, while M'rany had begun to spend more time with P'lian. And S'terlion and T'gala were inseparable, although now that the truth about T'gala's gender was out, S'terlion had been strictly banned from visiting her weyr alone.
But the change Carleah liked the least was the appointment of A'len as Assistant Weyrlingmaster.
C'mine was gone, and L'stev didn't want her seeing him. "He got himself in a state at Long Bay when you were taken," the Weyrlingmaster had told her severely, when she'd asked to see him.
"But that wasn't my fault!"
"It's not about fault. He needs to get his head back on straight. Too many people have been cutting him too much slack for too long." L'stev looked disgusted with himself. "I'm one of them."
"Well, when will he be back as your assistant?" Carleah pressed.
"He won't."
Carleah was honest enough with herself to know that she was being unfair to A'len. She had nothing against him personally. He was a respected Wingsecond, and he'd always been a friend of her da's. But he wasn't C'mine, and for that failing alone she resented him.
"All right, weyrlings," A'len said, writing on the chalkboard in his narrow, slanted print. "New assignments. These are going to be your starting formations from this morning."
Carleah exchanged a look with Tarshe.
Jagunth had been in a trio with Warjenth and Nerbeth – the two greens closest to her size – since they'd begun training. Now, Warjenth had been placed with Irdanth and Lirpath, and Nerbeth moved into Bristath and Kitlith's trio. The three bronzes were all together, and Heppeth's name was listed with the two remaining Wildfire browns. Jagunth wasn't there at all. Neither was Berzunth.
"I don't have an assignment," M'touf complained.
"Nor do –" Carleah began.
"M'touf," A'len said, over their heads, "you're going to be getting some one-to-one between training –"
"Yeah?" M'touf asked, brightening.
"– with me," A'len finished.
M'touf's face fell.
"Tarshe," A'len went on, ignoring M'touf's dismay, "and Carleah. You're to report to the Weyrwoman."
"Both of us?" asked Carleah.
"Both of you."
Automatically, Carleah began to reach out to Jagunth to relay this new development. She stopped herself just before the thought ran into the barrier between them.
"Best we go tell our girls, then," Tarshe said.
Carleah met her look, noticing, as she always did now, how the bright blue of Tarshe's irises was almost completely obscured by the blackness of her dilated pupils. "Good idea."
Jagunth and Berzunth were sitting side by side on the lake shore, slightly removed from the other dragonets. As Carleah and Tarshe emerged from the barracks, Berzunth nudged Jagunth, and the pair of them watched their riders approach with identically blue eyes.
Carleah had caught L'stev looking at their two dragonets with the most screwed-up expression on his face. "What is it?" she'd asked him, and he'd just shaken his head, and walked off muttering something about oil and water. Perhaps it wasn't normal for a queen and a green to get on so well. But, like their riders, Berzunth and Jagunth had more in common than most dragons.
"What do you think they talk about?" Carleah asked Tarshe. "Between themselves, I mean."
Tarshe stroked the end of Berzunth's nose, frowning. "Sometimes I'm not sure they really do," she said at last. "Not like we'll talk about this and that. Not even like they talk to us. They…" She paused. "When they talk to us, they form thoughts, like we form sentences. As if they're having to translate what they want to say into something we can understand. But when they're talking to each other, it's…different. They don't think specific things at each other unless they're relaying messages. It's like they think in a cloud, and when they want to share something with other dragons they just let the clouds kind of…intersect."
Carleah had never heard it described that way before. She shaded her eyes with one hand. "So what one dragon knows, they all know?"
"I don't think so. Though some dragons are better at keeping private things private than others." Tarshe shrugged. "I've never tried to explain it before. And since I can't hear any of it right now…" She laughed. "It's almost peaceful. Ever since I came to Madellon it's been like having background noise constantly in my head, even with Berzunth helping to filter it out. Two hundred dragons all chattering away."
"But," Carleah said, uncertainly, "you don't want to stay deaf to Berzunth forever…"
Tarshe's hand went still on her queen's muzzle. "No. Right now, I'd do just about anything to be annoyed by the background noise again."
They crossed the Bowl together in silence. As they approached the Weyrwoman's weyr, where Shimpath lay in solitary golden splendour, Tarshe stopped. "It's a relief," she said. "Being able to talk to you about this."
Carleah wasn't oblivious to the quiet, firm implication in Tarshe's voice. "I understand," she said, and hoped she sounded grave. "You can always trust me, Tarshe."
"Aye," said Tarshe. "I know."
They greeted Shimpath politely, and Valonna's queen responded with a little muttering rumble. A moment later, Valonna called out from within. "Please come on in!"
The Weyrwoman was sitting behind her desk, looking weary. H'ned, the Deputy Weyrleader, was leaning over her, stabbing his finger down on a slate. "…just don't think this one is a good fit," he was saying, as Tarshe and Carleah came in. "I'd sooner the Istan man, P'larcus."
Valonna threw Tarshe an acknowledging glance before returning her gaze to H'ned. "From a breeding perspective, H'ned, it's too close to home. Madellon's bloodlines are already half Istan."
"Igen, then," said H'ned. "Or even the Fortian rider, if you're insistent that D'pantha goes somewhere cold."
"Not Fort," Valonna said. She spoke with finality. "I'm less concerned with punishing D'pantha than I am with bringing strong stock into Madellon. Half the bronzes of Fort have flown one of their junior queens, but Derinth isn't one of them."
H'ned raised his eyebrows at that. "If that's your criteria…"
"It's part of it," said Valonna. Then she inclined her head towards Tarshe. "And I thought I'd talk through the candidates with Tarshe, since she has a stake in the outcome."
"Well, we need to decide soon," said H'ned. "The faster we see the back of Cyniath, the happier I'll be. Weyrwoman. Tarshe."
Carleah waited for an acknowledgement, but H'ned strode past her as if she weren't even there.
"My apologies, Tarshe, Carleah," said Valonna, when he had gone. She passed her hand briefly over her eyes. "Please, sit down."
"It's early to be wrangling," said Tarshe.
"Early is all there is, when you're dealing with the other Weyrs," said Valonna. She smiled wanly. "A disadvantage to being the most westerly Weyr. But H'ned is right. We need to make a decision quickly on this bronze rider trade."
"Weyrwoman," Carleah said, not certain if she should speak, but too curious to hold her tongue. "Shouldn't Southern be responsible for trading D'pantha?"
"Ordinarily, yes," said Valonna. "But there aren't many riders who'd want to transfer into Southern in its current state. And I see this as an opportunity to bring some new blood to Madellon. If we're to learn anything from Southern, it's that no good can come of too narrow a breeding pool."
"That's why you want my opinion," said Tarshe. "You're setting up suitors for Berzunth."
Valonna looked pained for a moment, but then her brow smoothed out. "Yes," she admitted quietly. "I wish it weren't so bald a thing as it is, but Madellon's bronzes…"
"It's not the bronzes," said Tarshe. "It's the bronze riders."
They both smiled at the same moment, a rueful little expression. "There are a few of the younger ones," said Valonna. "But I'd like you to have the option of more than a few." Then she said, quickly, "Unless there's already someone…"
"No," said Tarshe. "They're all silly little boys."
Valonna actually laughed at that.
"What about an open flight?" Carleah asked, and when both queen riders looked at her enquiringly, she continued, "My da said that all junior queen flights used to be open to all bronzes from whatever Weyr, back before the southern continent was settled. That's why the northern bloodlines are more diverse."
The Weyrwoman looked at her, and for a moment Carleah feared that she'd spoken out of turn. Then Valonna smiled. "He taught you so much about the world," she said. "C'los. He'd be so proud of you."
The compliment made emotion flood Carleah's chest with an abruptness she wasn't expecting. "I…thank you, Weyrwoman," she whispered.
"That's why I asked you to come here today," said Valonna. "L'stev is concerned that formation practice won't be safe for you and Jagunth, while you still can't hear each other. He wasn't sure what to do with you." She transferred her gaze to Tarshe. "It's time you began to learn about a weyrwoman's duties. And you have more to learn than most, given the isolation of your upbringing." She looked back at Carleah. "I thought you might help Tarshe learn. And learn alongside her."
"But I'm just a green rider," Carleah said, unthinkingly.
"So was your father," said Valonna. "And I know there were a hundred times when T'kamen wished he could still turn to him for counsel. There is no such thing as just a green rider, Carleah. We can't allow our thinking to be so rigid. P'raima…" Her mouth made a twist of distaste, as if even saying the name was unpalatable to her. "P'raima was deranged, but in some ways he was right. If dragons can no longer go between, then Pern will be a very different place come the Pass. We can't afford to be constrained by traditions that have no value in that future."
"Then you don't think our dragons will ever be able to go between?" Tarshe asked.
"We have to be prepared for the possibility," said Valonna. "In a couple of sevendays, when Telgar's weyrlings are old enough…then we'll know."
"But why?" Carleah burst out. "Why can't they go between? What happened?"
"I wish I had an answer for you," said Valonna. "I don't. I'm sorry. And you two have an even greater burden to bear."
She didn't have to say what she meant. In the glowlight of Valonna's office, the dilation of her pupils wasn't quite so noticeable as in bright sunlight, but Carleah was aware of it nonetheless.
"Are the Healers getting anywhere?" asked Tarshe.
"Master Shauncey tells me that they have identified several of the ingredients of the antidote," said Valonna. "And the Masterhealer himself promised me that Shauncey is the Hall's very best mind when it comes to herbs and drugs. We just have to be patient a little while longer."
Tarshe made a dismissive sound. "I'll bet my cousin isn't feeling very patient about it."
"Not especially," said Valonna, with a sigh. "Oh." She moved several documents on her desk, eventually uncovering one with the seal of the Peninsula Weyr affixed to the bottom. "R'maro's Justice is set for the end of the sevenday. You'll both be called as witnesses, unless you don't feel you can face him again."
"I don't have a problem with it," Tarshe said, "although I never saw him or Maibauth. Only those two goons."
The mention of the Southern bronze's name gave Carleah a shiver. She could still see him rearing above her in the jungle clearing, still feel the swipe of his forepaw bare inches over her head. "I don't have a problem, either," she said stubbornly.
"Will he be exiled?" Tarshe asked.
There was a curious note to her voice. Valonna must have noticed it, too. "He killed P'raima in front of half a dozen witnesses," she said. "That alone would be enough to have him sent to Westisle for the rest of his life."
"Some might say he did Pern a favour, killing P'raima," said Tarshe. "With all he did. And all he would have done."
"Pern, perhaps," said Valonna. "But P'raima wasn't R'maro's to execute. There's still no actual proof that P'raima killed Margone, and even if there were, revenge isn't justification enough to take a life in cold blood."
Tarshe's nostrils flared slightly at that. Carleah wondered how much the Weyrwoman knew of the truth about her family's exile. "How many other riders are there on Westisle?"
"Four," said Valonna. "Two Benden riders who've been there nearly thirty Turns. One from Telgar. And one from the Peninsula."
"What did they do to be sent there?"
Valonna took a short breath. Then she said quietly, "The Benden riders were involved in a plot to poison their Wingleader."
"Faranth," said Tarshe.
"Did they actually do it?" Carleah asked. She knew it was ghoulish, but she couldn't help herself. "I mean, did they kill him?"
"They were only conspirators," said Valonna. "A third rider was found guilty of the murder. He was sentenced to Separation."
"Separation," said Tarshe. She shook her head. "I don't know what that is."
Carleah did. The word alone made revulsion squirm queasily in her stomach; so much so that she didn't even want to show off her knowledge.
"It's the worst punishment there is for a dragonpair," said Valonna. She was still speaking very softly. "Separation from each other. Physical, and…" She stopped. "And mental."
"But that's punishing the dragon as well as the rider," said Tarshe. "Surely the dragon wasn't in on it too."
"His dragon could have stopped him. He didn't."
"But what if his dragon didn't know?" Carleah asked. "Or didn't understand? I mean, some dragons aren't…altogether…bright."
Valonna was already nodding. "Separation can only be imposed on dragonpairs brown and above. Blues and greens aren't thought to be…"
Carleah was offended by the idea that Jagunth wasn't intelligent enough to understand right from wrong just because she was a green. "Clever enough?"
Tarshe snorted. "There's browns and bronzes in the Wildfires not half as smart as their riders think they are."
"A queen has to do it," Valonna went on. "To force the dragon to obey the terms of the sentence. To keep him from going to his rider, or speaking to his rider. Or hearing his rider."
"A queen can do that?" asked Tarshe. She sounded sick.
"The compulsion has to be renewed," said Valonna. "Regularly."
Tarshe actually recoiled at the notion. "Queens have been keeping that Benden dragon apart from his rider for thirty Turns?"
"No," said Valonna. "He died a few months after he began his sentence. He and his dragon just…gave up."
They sat there, all three of them, in silent, mutual horror.
"But it's not the same for us," said Carleah, with more defiance than she felt. "We're not apart from our dragons. We can still talk to them. Just not in our heads."
"And it's curable," Tarshe added. "We know there's an antidote."
"It's just a matter of time before the Master Healer finds it," said Carleah.
"And then we'll be back to normal," said Tarshe.
Valonna's eyes moved between them as they spoke. "You're right," she said. She reached across the desk and squeezed each of their hands. "Both of you." Then she squared her shoulders. "Now, let's look at these northern bronze riders, and see if any of them sounds like someone we'd like to have around."
The morning passed in a blur. After they'd discussed the candidates for exchange with D'pantha – and settled on K'letan, a bronze rider from Telgar – Valonna took them through the most pressing issues of Weyr management currently occupying her time. They talked about Madellon's problems with livestock supply, the blasting work due to commence soon in the south-eastern quadrant of the Bowl, and the imminent arrival of a new Harper to take up the position of Weyr Singer – though Carleah, to her own dismay, wasn't familiar with the journeyman, whose last assignment had been in eastern Peninsula territory. They discussed how two newcomers to the lower caverns – both pregnant women – were settling into their new roles at the Weyr: one well, the other less so. Then Valonna showed them her work on Madellon's primary tithe request. The lists and calculations of exactly what the Weyr would need each Turn for the next five went on for pages and pages, and so did the mapping of those requirements to the resources of each of Madellon's three major Holds. Carleah was captivated by it all. It was as if a door to the inner workings of Madellon had been flung open, and she'd been invited to peer inside.
Tarshe was less enamoured of it. When the lunch hour came, Valonna sent them to the dining hall to eat, rather than all the way back to the weyrling barracks. They queued up at the serving hatches with everyone else, and then sat down at the end of one of the long communal tables to eat. "All those population charts and graphs," Tarshe said, layering meat and bread on her plate. "I can't make head nor tail of them."
"I thought it was fascinating," said Carleah. "Especially the projections for how many new dragons there'll be in three Turns' time, when Shimpath's clutched again and Berzunth has her first hatchlings."
"That's what I don't understand," said Tarshe. "There were twenty-five dragons in our clutch, and nineteen in the one before that. So why does the tithe request only account for an extra thirty new dragonets by 105? Shouldn't the population growth double with two queens clutching?"
"Oh," said Carleah. "The more queens a Weyr has, the smaller the average clutch size. There's a formula for estimating eggs-per-clutch based on the number of queens in a Weyr, their relative ages, and what point it is in a Pass or Interval."
"How –" Tarshe began, and then stopped. "Your da?"
"No!" Carleah said, chagrined. "There was a note about it on one of the Weyrwoman's charts!"
Tarshe looked at her for a moment, and then laughed. She shook her head. "I reckon you should have Impressed a queen. You'd make a far better weyrwoman than me."
"I don't want a queen," said Carleah. "I have Jagunth." She looked at nothing for a moment, trying not to reach for her dragon. "But sometimes it doesn't seem fair. How greens are treated as if they're stupid. And green riders, too."
"No one's ever going to think you're stupid, Carleah," said Tarshe.
"No one ever thought my da was," said Carleah. "But he wasn't taken seriously, because he was a green rider. Not until T'kamen became Weyrleader; and they'd been friends forever. It's not fair."
"I suppose it isn't," said Tarshe. She frowned. "Do you think we'll ever find out what happened to him? T'kamen?"
"I don't know," said Carleah. "Maybe we won't. I think –"
"Weyrlings out of the barracks?"
The challenge came from behind her. Carleah turned in her seat, an indignant protest already leaping to her lips. "No, we're…"
She stopped. The rider coming towards them was T'rello, and he was grinning at them.
"Wingsecond," Tarshe said, laconically.
"Weyrwoman," T'rello replied.
Tarshe snorted. "Not yet I'm not."
"Tarshe, then," said T'rello. "And Carleah. Do you mind if I join you?"
Tarshe looked at Carleah , raising an eyebrow.
"If you must," said Carleah, taking Tarshe's cue.
T'rello put his plate down on the table, then stepped over the bench and sat down beside Carleah. For a fleeting moment, Carleah wished that Kessirke were there to see T'rello, sitting next to her. Then she banished the unkind thought.
"How are you both?" T'rello asked.
"Dragon-deaf," said Tarshe. She reached casually over and took a fried tuber off T'rello's plate. "Still."
"What about you, Carleah?" T'rello asked.
"The same," said Carleah. "How's Santinoth?"
"Still a broken dragon," said T'rello.
Carleah looked askance at him.
"He's not been the same since Giskara," said T'rello. "He's never been afraid of anything before. You taught him the meaning of fear."
Carleah wasn't sure if he was mocking her or not. "I didn't know it was him," she said defensively. "I thought it was that Southern bronze. How was I supposed to know you were there?"
"Well, I nearly wasn't," said T'rello. "We'd only just been reassigned to that sector. You have no idea how surprised I was to actually find you!"
"Saving the day," Tarshe said, with complete aridity.
"You didn't need much saving," said T'rello. "If it had been R'maro and not me, I think Maibauth would still be a quivering wreck right about now."
Despite herself, Carleah stiffened again at the mention of the Southern bronze's name. It annoyed her. How long would it be until she didn't react that way?
Tarshe rescued her. Taking another fried tuber from T'rello's plate, she stood up. "Best we get back to the Weyrwoman, Carleah," she said. "If the Wingsecond here can bear to let us go, that is."
"You know I have no authority to command you," T'rello said. "Even when you're stealing my lunch."
"And don't you forget it," said Tarshe.
Carleah waited until they were almost all of the way out of the dining hall before she said anything. "He's so shameless, Tarshe."
"He's a bronze rider," said Tarshe. "What do you expect?"
"But could he be any more obvious? Berzunth's not even a Turn old yet. He's playing a really long game with you."
"With me?" Tarshe asked. She stopped, and Carleah stopped too. "What makes you think it's me he's interested in?"
"You're a queen rider," said Carleah. "Of course he's interested in you."
Tarshe shook her head. "T'rello's not interested in me." She shook her head, smiling strangely. "You really didn't notice?"
"Notice what?" Carleah asked, blankly.
"The teasing. The body language. The way he deliberately sat next to you. T'rello's not after me, Carleah." Tarshe laughed. "It's you he fancies."
Continue to Chapter fifty-seven: C'mine
Dragonchoice 3 is also posted at FanFiction.net and An Archive Of Our Own - if you'd like to review, comment, or ask a question, feel free to do so there.
Dragonchoice 3 at FanFiction.net
Dragonchoice 3 at An Archive Of Our Own
Dragonchoice is also on Twitter and Tumblr
Dragonchoice 3 news
Dragonchoice re-read and commentary at AO3 posted 22 December 2017
The end is nigh posted 8 February 2017
Happy (nearly) birthday, Dragonchoice 3! posted 5 October 2016
Venn diagram posted 25 February 2016
Don't let me Rosebud; or, why your feedback matters posted 17 February 2016
Dragonchoice 3 chapters
Act four
Act five
Dragonchoice re-read and commentary at AO3
Happy (nearly) birthday, Dragonchoice 3!
Don't let me Rosebud; or, why your feedback matters

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


The Single Adult Ministry goal is to move from crowd to community - and one of the best ways to do this is by joining one of our Singles Life Groups. Not only will they provide you with some "instant community," but they also will make it much easier to venture out and meet new friends at our larger group meetings and event (because you will already know 10-12 people there). We encourage you to take this step and move from crowd to community.


text:
Q: Infinite login loop in Debian Virtualbox I am trying to write a small character device kernel module and somehow, I managed to fill up my virtual hard drive by reading from it (??).
Now as soon as I type in my password at the gui prompt, the screen goes back to black and drops me right where I started, again the prompt. I can drop into a shell and log in, but I can't do a lot, since every auto-completion attempt is met with a not enough space message, which is a pain.
I increased the size of the virtual drive with VBoxManage, but strangely, nothing changes.
How can I get Debian back to log in via Gui?

A: First off, you have increased the size of your virtual hard disk, but not the partition. That's why you're still out of space.
GUI cannot start, because starting requires some files to be created on disk.
The most convenient way to fix this would probably be to boot a GUI-based Linux off an ISO image and free up the disk space using some file manager.

A: As it turns out, I simply needed to free up some space.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Advertise with Lip!
The Rachel Funari Prize For Fiction 2019
film review: testament of youth
Rosie Hunt
Testament of Youth brings Vera Brittain's memoir of the same name to life on the big screen. The film opens amid a jubilant scene: Armistice Day, 1918. In the middle of it all, a young woman stumbles, overwhelmed by the crowds and removed from the joy everyone else is seemingly experiencing. The timeline then jumps back four years, telling Brittain's story and providing an explanation for why the end of the war was not, for her, a cause for celebration.
Published in 1933, Brittain's memoir came to be a defining account of her generation's experiences during the First World War. After growing up in an affluent English family and beginning her studies at Oxford (not without a battle to convince her father it was worth the tuition fees), Brittain's own world was thrown into turmoil as she watched her brother, fiancé and childhood friends march off to war.
Feeling compelled to contribute to the war effort in some way, she volunteered as a nurse, serving in military hospitals in Britain, Malta and the Western Front. After the devastating losses of the war, Brittain returned to Oxford and later became an established feminist and pacifist writer.
The film chronicles the lead up to war as well as the four long war years and their immediate aftermath. The pre-war scenes have a slightly blurred, nostalgic aesthetic, seeming almost unreal and perhaps hinting at the horror to come. The war years have few depictions of the frontline, instead showing the chaos of military hospitals and many gut-wrenching farewells as the young soldiers return home on leave only to go back to war again all too quickly. Brittain nursed both Allied and German soldiers, and one particularly important scene depicts her holding a German soldier's hand as he dies, a moment which will be referenced later in the film as she argues against war reparations for Germany.
Vera Brittain is played by Alicia Vikander, who is interesting and engaging in the role. While Kit Harington's performance as her fiancé Roland Leighton was perhaps a little stiff and unconvincing, the rest of the cast were strong. Taron Egerton as Vera's brother Edward was warm and charming, and the close relationship between the siblings was well portrayed. Dominic West was also strong in his role as their upright father who is unable to fully hide his terror at seeing his children go off to war.
The final third of the film is particularly moving, with one last devastating loss followed by the cruel silence and calm of the post-war scenes. The film uses some clever techniques to illustrate the ways Vera's life has been changed by the war, showing the emptiness of places that were once full of laughter and friendship. The film's final scene, though, is perhaps its most powerful, skilfully constructing the solitude of the war's aftermath for Vera.
The memoir itself goes on to chronicle her life as a young writer and pacifist in inter-war Europe. While perhaps not as suited to the big screen, this period is worth reading about; perhaps the film will inspire new readers to pick up the memoir. The film also omits Brittain's poetry; her fiancé's love poems are quoted and used to further the narrative, but Brittain's own poetry is seemingly missing. Though not her most celebrated work, a film based on her memoir could have incorporated a poem or two, such as 'The Superfluous Woman', which describes a feeling of loneliness after the war is over.
While at times the film is a little superficial with slightly clichéd dialogue, its overall message is strong. The heartbreaking losses Brittain experiences during the war and her sorrow at its end expose the futilities of war and nationalist aggression in the most effective of ways. The film also offers a female perspective on war, sometimes ignored in historical retellings, to the mainstream. The film does not glorify this experience nor the deaths of young men; it has a distinctly sad tone, just like Brittain's memoir itself.
This entry was posted in Film and tagged film, film review, women. Bookmark the permalink.
Charles on is it okay: for women to use the men's bathroom?
Jennifer Kokany on this is where women come to hide: my experience of homelessness as a result of domestic violence
Monique on creating yourself: an interview with jill jolliffe
sajad on interview: aryana sayeed
grandpoppy John on interview with hanna guy: co-founder of dorsu
Feminaust
Feminism 101
Feminist Foundation Blog
Feminist Ryan Gosling
Gender and Education Association
Hoyden About Town
Musings of an Inappropriate Woman
Operation Beautiful
Settle Petal
Sheilas
The Brainwash Project
The Dawn Chorus
The F-Bomb
The Feminine Mystique
The Mamafesto
Viva La Feminista
Where is Your Line
Wom*n's Department of the University of Melbourne Student Union
Young Feminists Blog
© 2013 Lip Magazine.
Header by George Rose, website by Connor Tomas O'Brien


text:
Software // Enterprise Applications
Other Voices: Ask Your Users: Less Really Can Be More
Software companies hate to admit it, but most people don't use all the features of their products. Making them happy might mean giving them less.
About a month ago, at Microsoft's annual CEO Summit, Michael Marks of Flextronics reportedly joked that his company would pay more for Microsoft applications that had fewer features. (For InformationWeek coverage of the event, see "Miles To Go".)
While in many ways this may have been a humorous opportunity to raise his concern surrounding the behavioral aspects of technology, there is some truth, too. Although software companies would hate to admit it, most people don't use all the features of their products.
It may seem crazy to think about increasing the perceived value of a product by removing features, but there are a number of great examples of companies doing this both inside and outside the information-technology industry. In fact, the March 2003 Harvard Business Review's toolkit, Finding Your Innovation Sweet Spot, sites "subtraction" as one of four methods to innovate with a new product. The example cited is the Philips Consumer Electronics Slimline Q-series DVD Player. What Philips found was that most functions that people needed on the actual DVD player could be controlled by a single button. So they built a player with that one button and put the rest of the control buttons on the remote. This created a simpler and more elegant product.
Another interesting example, this one from the Internet, is Google's interface. Many search engines came before Google and even in the boom's early days, the presumption was that only a few would survive. That didn't stop hundreds of entrepreneurs from creating new, function-crowded search sites.
Google's founders took a different approach. They created a very focused and simple product. Instead of trying to be an information portal with maps, directions, local information, weather, traffic, etc., they focused on building the world's best search engine.
They believed that being the best by definition meant leaving the other features to those who otherwise might be competitors. Google would work on speed, completeness, and simplicity. It's so focused, as a matter of fact, that someone reportedly counts the words on the home page to ensure that it isn't too complicated. Searchers of all skill levels can more easily navigate the Google site than its kitchen-sink foes. Google is widely considered the market leader today.
It takes discipline to bring focus to a product, discipline less likely to emerge in a consensus environment. Each stake-holding group has its must-have list, and ultimately you end up so many niche features that the average user gets turned off by confusion or a higher price.
It's even worse when you look at corporate software. There you have power users who tend to dominate discussions as you review enhancements, and, unfortunately, they're often much less concerned about what the average user or even novices will want from the software. It takes a good project manager who's supported by a strong leader to push back for clean and consistent applications. Yet as Philips and Google have demonstrated, less really is more in some situations.
If you're still skeptical, ask yourself, when was the last time you described a piece of your software as either simple or elegantly designed?
Sean Ammirati is the founder and director of Avanti Strategies. Talk to him at [email protected].
To discuss this column with other readers, please visit the Talk Shop.
Be the first to post a comment regarding this story.


text:
Collections Boys' weekly reader novelette: a complete story weekly
Boys' weekly reader novelette: a complete story weekly
The mysterious chevalier; or The slave of the invisibles 1
Pforzheimer Collection holds the following 11 issues, stitched as issued: no. 5. The sailor boy brothers; or, The vengeance of the dead hand. -- no. 37. The mysterious chevalier; or The slave of the invisibles. -- no. 38. Caught in his own trap. -- no. 39. Risen from the dead; or, The medical student. -- no. 40. Jack and Jack's mate; or, The two young reefers. -- no. 41. Merry Mildmay, the young middy. -- no. 42. Bred in the bone; or, Like father like son. -- no. 43. Under false colours: a story in five acts. -- no. 44. Who was guilty? or, The mystery of Beecham Manor. -- no. 45. Boys will be boys! -- "Christmas number." Back from death; or, Two Christmas eves.
Issuance: serial
Carl H. Pforzheimer Collection of Shelley and His Circle
Shelf locator: Pforz (Boys' weekly reader novelette)
Penny dreadfuls
Date/sequential designation: v. 1, no. 1 (1881) -- v. 13, no. [?] (1883)
Content: Each issue with a wood engraving on the front cover.
Acquisition: Jarndyce : 5 Oct 2009 : £IXX.yz
Extent: V. :ill.21 cm.
RLIN/OCLC: 1536970
Universal Unique Identifier (UUID): 6ec56140-012b-0135-d9ae-7377c16322b6
x Boys' weekly reader novelette: a complete story weekly
Magazine covers2
Carl H. Pforzheimer Collection of Shelley and His Circle2
Pforzheimer Collection2
Risen from the dead; or, The …


Are there any time restrictions or rules for bringing an issue to the Ombudsman?
No. You can contact the Ombudsman at any time. Keep in mind that your options for resolution might be constrained by statutory, regulatory, or administrative time frames.
Do you get involved with cases in litigation?
The Ombudsman does not get involved in matters currently in litigation.
When do you consider a case closed?
The CDER Ombudsman considers a case closed when no further action is needed to satisfy the complainant's case and/or the complainant was referred to the appropriate groups outside of the Ombuds office for resolution. A case can also be considered closed if all options have been exhausted for the Ombuds office or if an action has taken place in which the CDER Ombuds cannot become involved (e.g. legal cases, formal EEO complaints).
I have a question about requesting information from FDA.
Some or all of the information that you seek might be readily available on our publicly available Electronic Reading Room and other locations. If you still want to request information from FDA/CDER, please follow the instructions; note that there might be a fee to process your request.
Can an external person/group have a face-to-face meeting with the Ombudman?
Although this is a somewhat rare occurrence, yes, any interested party can meet with the Ombudsman. Most situations can be resolved by other means of communication; however, in certain circumstances, a face-to-face meeting might be warranted. The meeting must have a clear purpose.
How do I submit a formal complaint to CDER?
The CDER Ombuds does not accept formal complaints, either verbally or in writing. Please review the Dispute Resolution section of this website.
Are there limits as to what the Ombudsman can do for me?
As spelled out by the American Bar Association, these are the limitations of a federal ombudsman's authority (PDF - 97KB).
(7) act in a manner inconsistent with the grant of and limitations on the jurisdiction of the office when discharging the duties of the office of the Ombuds."
Is there any circumstance in which the Ombuds would break confidentiality?
Yes. The Ombudsman must report any allegations of criminal activity to the Office of Internal Affairs or Office of Criminal Investigations, as appropriate. In these cases, the identity of the confidential source may be protected from public disclosure. The Ombuds will also break confidentiality if imminent risk of serious harm is evident.
I want to market a product and I am not sure if FDA considers it a drug, device, or biologic. It might even be a combination of more than one. How do I find out which FDA Center will have regulatory jurisdiction?
Read the applicable information at Office of Combination Products and then contact our Office of Combination Products at combination@fda.gov or call 301-796-8930.
I want to report a current or expected drug shortages.
Please contact our Drug Shortages Program at drugshortages@cder.fda.gov.
Who should I ask about Drug Master Files?
Email your question to DMFquestion@fda.hhs.gov.
I am aware of a protocol violation and want to report it to FDA.
Please contact Dana Walters in the Office of Scientific Investigations at 301-796-3378 (email: Dana.Walters@fda.hhs.gov) or contact the CDER Ombudsman.
I submitted my application to Drug Registration and Listing and haven't received a response yet. How should I follow up?
The fastest and easiest way to get a response is to send an email to edrls@fda.hhs.gov, and if you get no response within two weeks, please contact the Ombudsman.
How is the CDER Ombudsman related to the FDA (Agency level) Ombudsman?
The role of the CDER Ombudsman is similar to the FDA Ombudsman and both Ombudsman offices follow the same operating principles of confidentiality, informality, and neutrality. However, utilizing the CDER Ombudsman provides a way for anyone with a complaint or dispute involving CDER entities or programs to work through their problem at a level closer to the source. The CDER Ombudsman is in the Center Director's Office of Executive Programs.
I am unsatisfied with the outcome of my complaint to the CDER Ombudsman, who should I contact?
You can contact the Agency level Ombudsman's office at ombudsman@oc.fda.gov or call 301-796-8530.
I have a question about a drug.
CDER's Division of Drug Information (DDI) responds to public questions about human drug products. You can email them at druginfo@fda.hhs.gov or call DDI at 301-796-3400. The FDA Information for Consumers web page might give you an answer to your question.
I want to report a bad reaction to a drug.
Our system for collecting this type of information is called MedWatch. If you want to report an adverse event, i.e. bad reaction to a drug, please voluntarily report it at Reporting Serious Problems to FDA or call 1-800-332-1088. If you had a life-threatening reaction to an FDA-regulated product you purchased from a Website, please contact your health care practitioner for advice and then call FDA at 866-300-4374 or 301-796-8240 to report the website.
I have a complaint about a pharmacy.
Please contact the State Board of Pharmacy for the state in which the pharmacy is located.
I saw a drug for sale on the internet and I don't think it can be legally sold on the internet.
You can report it at Reporting Unlawful Sales of Medical Products on the Internet and if you've received an email promoting a drug product illegally, please write to webcomplaints@ora.fda.gov.
I saw drug advertising that I believe is false, misleading, or lacks fair balance.
If you are a consumer, please review the Prescription Drug Advertising web page and report it to our Office of Drug Marketing, Advertising, and Communications.
If you are a healthcare professional, please participate in our Bad Ad program by reporting the violation to BadAd@fda.gov.
I am a reporter and want to interview the ombudsman.
Please contact FDA's Press Office.
Where can I find information on safety alerts, enforcement actions, and get tips on buying medicines online?
FDA posts updated information on this site, Protecting Yourself.


text:
The 2018 FIFA World Cup
The smart person's guide to the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
How to Stream World Cup 2018
You can watch the matches in Russia from a computer or laptop on Fox Sports and its properties. Here's how.
Video Replay Is Coming to Russia's World Cup
Here's how VAR will work at the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia
The Evolution of the World Cup Soccer Ball
The official Adidas soccer ball of World Cup 2018 looks like a ball from 1970. But make no mistake, this is modern sports tech
The Physics of a Penalty Kick
Penalty-kick shootoutsthose nerve-racking ends to ties in World Cup elimination roundsgive the advantage to shooters, who kick the ball at speeds of up to 80 mph from 12 yards away. Here's how goalies can use physics to beat the odds.
How World Cup Goal Line Tech Works
Brazil 2014 is the first FIFA World Cup in which the refs have a little technological assistance to help them know whether the ball crossed the goal line.


text:
Press Releases Wisconsin DATCP: Cardinal-Hickory Creek Ag impact statement available
Wisconsin DATCP: Cardinal-Hickory Creek Ag impact statement available
Contact: Donna Gilson, Communication Specialist
(608) 224-5130, [email protected]
MADISON – The Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection has published its agricultural impact statement for the Cardinal-Hickory Creek electric line project, recommending ways to reduce harmful effects on farmland and farm operations.
The statement is available online at datcp.wi.gov. Citizens may also request a paper copy of the document. The statement will be submitted as testimony to the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin, which has approval authority for high-voltage electric transmission lines.
The proposed 345-kilovolt transmission line would start at the Hickory Creek Substation in Dubuque County, Iowa, and cross the Mississippi River to follow one of several potential routes from Cassville to the Cardinal Substation near Madison. The project would also include a new substation near Montfort and changes to other substations.
There are 692 agricultural properties along the various potential routes, totaling about 3,700 acres. The actual amount of farmland and number of farms affected would depend on which route is chosen.
The statement notes that the project crosses one of Wisconsin's most productive agricultural areas, as well as the ridges and valleys of the Driftless Area. Because of that topography, many farmers have installed erosion-control practices that could be changed by this project. Many of the farms that use organic practices could be affected by construction and maintenance of a power line. Most of the potential routes run cross-country rather than along field edges or property boundaries, which may cause more damage to soil and interfere with farming operations. Some of the project impacts could be reduced by choosing the routes located along roads and highways.
Agricultural impact statements are required for projects initiated by organizations with condemnation authority, if they will take more than 5 acres from any one farm. Electric transmission lines, natural gas lines, roads, airports, wastewater treatment plants and parks are examples of projects that may require a statement.
DATCP staff attended three PSC public meetings to talk to landowners and sent a questionnaire to 377 farmland owners who could have at least three acres taken as an easement or outright purchase for the project. More than 125 landowners responded. The report recommends requirements that the PSC should impose and practices the applicants should follow to reduce agricultural impacts.
The applicants seeking permission to build the line are American Transmission Co. LLC and ATC Management Inc., ITC Midwest LLC, and Dairyland Power Cooperative.
To request a paper copy of the statement, call (608) 224-4650; email [email protected], or write to DATCP, ATTN Ag Impact Statements, P.O. Box 8911, Madison, WI 53708-8911.


text:
Appeals Court Ruling on Coastal Panel Prompts Special Session
Gov. Gray Davis yesterday called for a special legislative session to reconstitute the state Coastal Commission to assure it complies with a recent court ruling.
The Third District Court of Appeal ruled Dec. 30 that the commission's appointment structure violates the state Constitution because the legislative leadership has broad discretion to appoint and remove members.
Davis said state Sen. Sheila Kuehl, D-Santa Monica, and Assemblywoman Hannah Beth Jackson, D-Santa Barbara, will introduce bills that would give legislative appointees to the panel fixed two-year terms.
Davis said he expects to have the bill through the Legislature and on his desk next week.
"The Legislature and I have worked with extraordinary cooperation and unprecedented speed to keep the California Coastal Commission viable and doing its job, " Davis said in a written statement. "For more than a quarter century, this commission has been protecting and strengthening California's coast. I'm pleased that we could agree on a proposal that will protect and strengthen the commission."
The commission voted on Jan. 8 to seek reconsideration or to appeal to the state Supreme Court.
The Third District affirmed a Sacramento Superior Court judge's ruling in favor of a nonprofit organization that sued after the commission blocked its attempt to create an artificial reef off Newport Beach.
The court ruled that the commission's structure violates the state Constitution's separation of powers clause because legislative leaders appoint eight of the 12 commissioners and can remove them at will. Presiding Justice Arthur Scotland wrote that the appointment power gives the Legislature the authority to declare the law and also to control the execution of that law.
"The flaw is that the unfettered power to remove the majority of the Commission's voting members, and to replace them with others, if they act in a manner disfavored by the Senate Committee on Rules and the speaker of the Assembly makes those commission members subservient to the Legislature," the jurist said.
Because the commission performs executive-branch duties, that breaches the separation of powers clause, the court said.
Davis appoints four commission members. Four are appointed by the Senate Rules Committee and four by the Assembly speaker.


text:
Why Zika shouldn't derail the Rio Olympics
NEIL RAU and RICHARD SCHABAS
Neil Rau is an infectious diseases specialist and medical microbiologist based in Oakville, Ont.; and an assistant professor, University of Toronto.
Richard Schabas is a public health physician and was Ontario's chief medical officer of health (1987-1997).
In April, 2003, Toronto was hit with a World Health Organization travel advisory because of SARS. The city was justifiably outraged. The advisory was unreasonable – motivated by fear, not science. There was no significant risk for visitors and the embargo simply created gratuitous economic injury.
Will history repeat itself, with the Zika virus serving as a justification to derail the Olympics set to begin on Aug. 5 in Rio de Janeiro? Recent commentaries in the Harvard Public Health Review and Forbes magazine have proposed this drastic response.
Zika, like Dengue and West Nile viruses, is primarily transmitted to humans by mosquitoes. Typically, Zika causes mild or asymptomatic illness. With the recent geographic spread of the virus, two previously unrecognized complications of Zika have become apparent. The first is a rare form of muscle paralysis known as Guillain-Barré syndrome, which has a broad clinical spectrum, from mild to severe, and substantial recovery is the norm.
The other complication of Zika is microcephaly, a brain birth defect affecting 1 per cent of pregnancies when infection is acquired during the first trimester. While the risks for pregnant travellers are probably lower than for Rio residents, the severe consequences justify the prudent advice for pregnant travellers to take a pass on Rio until more is known.
All other travellers are advised to take some basic precautions to prevent mosquito bites, and to follow specific advice to prevent the rare, but newly discovered, possibility of male-to-female sexual transmission of Zika after they return home. But there is no general recommendation not to travel to these countries.
Aside from the logistical absurdity of moving the Rio Olympics elsewhere at this point, the call to do so is based on specious arguments, as follow:
Myth No. 1: Zika virus has changed. In fact, the newly recognized complications, of Guillain-Barré and birth defects, are probably coming to light because Zika is hitting previously unexposed populations. Instead of being infected as children and developing immunity, populations are now getting Zika infection as adults. The virus itself has not fundamentally changed.
Myth No. 2: Zika poses an unacceptable risk to travellers. In fact, risks for Olympic visitors will be much less than for impoverished Brazilians living in hard-hit areas (the favelas) that do not have good sanitation, piped drinking water, intact window screens and central air conditioning. All in all, we should expect fewer than five cases (and maybe none at all) of Zika-caused Guillain-Barré among 500,000 Olympic visitors. It is not a zero risk, but a very small one. The winter months in the Southern Hemisphere should decrease the risk further, as also happens with Dengue.
Myth No. 3: The influx of Olympic visitors will accelerate the global spread of Zika. In fact, the Zika genie is already out of the bottle. It has spread like wildfire in the Western Hemisphere, reaching most of South and Central America and many islands of the Caribbean; its spread is basically dictated by the range of the Aedes mosquitoes and we have no effective means of stopping it. Fortunately, this range doesn't include Canada. It does, however, include the U.S. Gulf Coast states, where Zika will probably arrive soon.
Travel advisories will be ineffective and are unreasonably punitive to affected countries. Why single out the Rio Olympics? Why single out Brazil, which has more than six million tourists each year, without the Olympics? When Zika reaches the United States, should they cancel the next Super Bowl, scheduled for Gulf Coast Houston?
Myth No. 4: Holding the Olympics in Zika-affected Rio breaches the Olympic spirit. Au contraire. The Olympics are supposed to be an inclusive global event, which presumably includes South America. Staging the Games outside the cocoon of the First World carries some risks but also provides huge economic benefits to the host country. The unfortunate emergence of Zika needs to be part of this risk equation but we need a balanced assessment, based on facts and not driven by fear.
In summary, we encourage those non-pregnant travellers who are lucky enough to be going to the Rio Olympics to simply enjoy themselves. Let the Games begin!


Ultra durable and waterproof to 197'/60m, the Dive Housing is designed for deep sea diving and extreme activities. Its flat glass lens delivers maximum image sharpness above and below water. Includes Standard and Skeleton Backdoors.
RECON GoPro Dive Housing for HERO3/HERO3+/HERO4 .


Quieter, Less Intrusive Privacy Because the VoiceArrest™ Sound Masking System delivers both spatial and spectral uniformity of sound, this technology can operate at lower levels than competitive systems and still provide effective voice masking and privacy. Most masking systems must operate at 48 to 51 decibels of sound in order to provide acceptable privacy for most of the office space. The VoiceArrest™ system, however, is normally operated at 45 decibels under the same conditions. The increased effectiveness of the VoiceArrest™ Sound Masking System provides for equivalent privacy and quieter, background sound. Or if you require even higher levels of privacy than most offices, you can utilize the higher settings without increasing the noise to an intrusive level. Controlled Placement of Privacy With other masking systems, the air space above the ceiling is utilized to distribute the white noise for sound masking. When the masking is delivered in appropriate volumes above the open cubicles, the sound also echoes in the ceiling above the closed offices, even though there are no loudspeakers present; the result is often excessive noise levels in the closed office. The old systems could only resolve this problem by lowering the settings which resulted in less consistent privacy across the open office space. The Direct Field technology used by the VoiceArrest™ System provides better control over the sound distribution in an area shared by both open cubicles and closed offices. The sound masking intended for the open office area is entirely restricted to the open area, with no echoing or bleed over effect in the closed offices or conference rooms. If there are enclosed spaces that also require sound masking, separate zones can be established with their own levels and controls entirely independent of the necessary coverage of any open office area. Privacy + Paging + Music The VoiceArrest™ Sound Masking System also has the ability to utilize the sound masking speakers to add paging and/or music. The balanced placement of our high quality speakers provides the cleanest paging system on the market without the typical "startle" effect. Background music can also be added from a wide variety of sources. Cost Effective Privacy Businesses and other facilities are looking for a cost-effective way to provide speech privacy. The VoiceArrest™ Speech Privacy Sound Masking System can meet this need. While providing state of the art speech privacy, the VoiceArrest™ system utilizes more effective technology and methods, allowing them to offer their technological and performance enhancements at a modest, completive price, even when compared to the older, less effective products. Contact us today to find out how the VoiceArrest™ Speech Privacy System can raise the privacy levels of your workplace!


text:
Mountain Heritage Award
Railroads in Western North Carolina
Image Courtesy of The Great Smoky Mountains National Park Archives
Essay by Timothy N. Osment
History, M.A.
WCU 2008
"From Asheville to the Tennessee line, the Southern Railway follow the tortuous windings of the French Broad River, crossing it from bank to bank several times." ~From "With Pen and Camera thro' the Land of the Sky, 1904."
Early in the 19th century railroads were being built throughout the expanding United States. Western North Carolina was growing as well. Asheville, a crossroads for agriculture, was also emerging as a magnet for tourists seeking the healing climate, loggers looking to harvest timber, and miners interested in the large deposits of minerals.
Easy access was a necessity for all of these groups, and railroad expansion offered the solution. Financial backing and the rugged terrain were immediate challenges. But the Civil War, which devastated families, businesses, communities, and commercial growth, blocked railroads for over a decade.Until the 1870s, railway routes to western North Carolina ended at the steep mountainside at Old Fort. There goods and passengers were required to transfer to stage coaches. Finally, in March 1879, after several years of difficult construction and great expense, the railroad finally entered Buncombe County through the Swannanoa Tunnel. Less than twenty years after the end of the Civil War, the Eastern Continental Divide was conquered. On October 3, 1880, the Western North Carolina Railroad made its first scheduled arrival at Biltmore. Trains brought money, power, and a taste of affluence to Western North Carolina.
The Murphy branch of the WNC RR made it to Pigeon River (present-day Canton) in January 1882 and Waynesville later the same year. Now Balsam Mountain challenged the railroad's trek west. Abandoning plans to tunnel through the mountain, engineers laid the tracks along a dangerous and difficult grade up and over Balsam. At 3100 feet, Balsam Gap became the highest railroad pass east of the Rockies. From there the WNC RR dropped into Dillsboro and proceeded to Bryson City and Andrews, finally reaching Murphy in 1891. Murphy celebrated by laying the cornerstone of its new courthouse on the same day the railroad made its first scheduled stop in the town.
One of the saddest episodes in constructing the WNC RR occurred when workers were constructing the 863-foot Cowee Tunnel, just west of Dillsboro. At the time, prison chain-gangs were being exploited as a cheap source of labor. One morning, crossing the Tuckasegee River to the tunnel, a boat carrying iron-shackled convicts capsized. Bound in death as in life, 19 inmates drowned. With sad irony, they were buried in unmarked graves on a hill overlooking the tunnel.
Take the train from Asheville to Murphy.
The WNC RR experienced its heyday in the 1940s during construction of the Fontana Dam. At the time, the temporary "Fontana Village" was the largest city west of Asheville. The increased popularity of automobile and bus travel took its toll on the railroad. Passenger service was discontinued in 1948. Freight traffic declined as resources like lumber, copper, and iron were depleted. In 1988 the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad was created in Dillsboro. The industrial focus of the rails now shifted to tourism and preservation. As a living museum steeped in history, the GSMR carries nearly 200,000 passengers annually. Today, modern day rail travelers follow the same breathtaking route once used by dignitaries, families, laborers, logs, and minerals. "Eat Taters and Wear No Clothes!" That was the nickname locals gave the East Tennessee & Western North Carolina Railroad. Another early railroad in Southern Appalachia, it ran from Johnson City, Tennessee, to Boone, North Carolina, from the late 1800s until 1950. For several rural mountain communities it was one of the few sources of contact with the outside world during the Great Depression. Respected and loved for their neighborly ways, employees of the ET & WNC were known to pick up items "in town" for those unable to make the trip–and even sometimes let locals jump on and ride for free. When questioned about their generosity they replied, "Well, we were going that way anyhow!" Before the railway was completed it was often commented that the only way to get to Boone was to be born there. The shrill whistle of the ET & WNC echoing through the mountains was a comfort to local residents and provided an additional nickname, The Tweetsie.
This essay was produced primarily from information gathered from The Great Smoky Mountains Railroad, the Archives of Appalachia at East Tennessee State University, The History of Western North Carolina by John Arthur and Jeffrey Weaver, and johnsonsdepot.com.
For more information please see:
The Western North Carolina Railroad, 1855-1894 by William Abrams, Jr., 1976.
Tweetsie Country: the East Tennessee and Western North Carolina Railroad by Mallory Ferrell, 1991.
Trains, Trestles, and Tunnels: Railroads of the Southern Appalachians by Lou Harshaw, 1977.
A History of Railroading in Western North Carolina by C. Franklin Poole, 1995.
Reminiscences of an Old-Timer by Ross Smith, 1930.
Railroad Crossings of the Blue Ridge: 1879-1909 by Neal Westveer, 1990.
Tweetsie.com
Railroads in Western North Carolina Digital Heritage Moment from Digital Heritage {dot} Org on Vimeo.
Appalachian Trail Through Hikers
Mountain Feist
Cullowhee Idea
About The Digital Heritage Project
DigitalHeritage.org includes essays, video interviews, and other materials created by the students of Western Carolina University. It also includes regional lesson plans created by teachers participating in the Adventure of the American Mind project sponsored by the Library of Congress. Radio spots created by WCU faculty and students may be heard on stations WKSF-FM, WMXF-AM, WPEK-AM, WWCU-FM, and WWNC-AM. A print version is available each month in the Laurel of Asheville.
Tonya Carroll (B.A., 2007 M.A., 2009) with Bruce Frazier (Carol Grotnes Belk Endowed Professor in Commercial & Electronic Music) in the recording studio.
Copyright, Western Carolina University. All Rights Reserved


text:
package org.jetbrains.plugins.scala
package codeInsight.intentions.implementAbstract

import com.intellij.codeInsight.intention.impl.ImplementAbstractMethodAction
import org.jetbrains.plugins.scala.base.ScalaLightCodeInsightFixtureTestAdapter
import org.jetbrains.plugins.scala.codeInsight.intentions.ScalaIntentionTestBase

/**
 * Nikolay.Tropin
 * 12/27/13
 */
class ImplementAbstractMethodTest extends ScalaIntentionTestBase {
  def familyName: String = new ImplementAbstractMethodAction().getFamilyName

  val START = ScalaLightCodeInsightFixtureTestAdapter.SELECTION_START
  val END = ScalaLightCodeInsightFixtureTestAdapter.SELECTION_END

  def testFromTrait() {
    val text =
      """
        |trait A {
        |  def <caret>f: Int
        |}
        |
        |class AA extends A
      """
    val result =
      s"""
        |trait A {
        |  def f: Int
        |}
        |
        |class AA extends A {
        |  override def f: Int = $START???$END
        |}"""
    doTest(text, result)
  }

  def testFromAbstractClass() {
    val text =
      """
        |abstract class A {
        |  def <caret>f: Int
        |}
        |
        |class AA extends A {}
      """
    val result =
      s"""
        |abstract class A {
        |  def f: Int
        |}
        |
        |class AA extends A {
        |  override def f: Int = $START???$END
        |}"""
    doTest(text, result)
  }

  def testParameterizedTrait() {
    val text =
      """
        |trait A[T] {
        |  def <caret>f: T
        |}
        |
        |class AA extends A[Int] {}
      """
    val result =
      s"""
        |trait A[T] {
        |  def f: T
        |}
        |
        |class AA extends A[Int] {
        |  override def f: Int = $START???$END
        |}"""
    doTest(text, result)
  }

  def testFunDefInTrait() {
    val text =
      """
        |trait A {
        |  def <caret>f: Int = 0
        |}
        |
        |class AA extends A
      """
    checkIntentionIsNotAvailable(text)
  }

  def testUnitReturn() {
    val text =
      """
        |trait A {
        |  def <caret>f
        |}
        |
        |class AA extends A
      """
    val result =
      s"""
        |trait A {
        |  def f
        |}
        |
        |class AA extends A {
        |  override def f: Unit = $START???$END
        |}"""
    doTest(text, result)
  }

}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Customer success is our number one priority. As such, we take great pride in asking the specific questions to determine which plant material will work best in your location. We do not want to sell you a plant if we are not confident that it will successfully thrive in your space. We want to help you to get it right the first time, ensuring there's no need to rip and replace unsuccessful products and waste time and energy doing so. We are so confident in the quality of our plants and the quality of our recommendations that we guarantee our trees and shrubs for one full year.
We are very proud of our comprehensive selection of wire basket caliper trees. Similar species are organized together and displayed at our centre in Rows A1, A2, A3 and so on, all the way to G2. Check out the vast assortment of pyramidal evergreens in Row B1 or the majestic Red Oak, Pin Oak or White Oak in Row D1.
We also have a great selection of 4-inch caliper maples trees, which are 15 to 20 feet tall in Row C3. Varieties include Autumn Blaze Maple, Red Sunset, October Glory, Autumn Fantasy and Brandywine Maple. There is no reason to order a tree and hope it is nice! We encourage you to stroll our rows of trees to personally choose the tree that will adorn your property for many years.
1970: In his teens, founder Vic Bellaire planted his first seed to grow an orange tree. Always interested in growing, Vic developed a green thumb and trees became his passion.
1988: Vic and Kathy Bellaire, Master Florist, purchased 16.5 acres of farmland. The farm was planted with Blue Spruce, White Spruce and Ash trees.
1994: The garden centre opened and started selling wholesale to the landscape trade.
1996: The tree farm begins to specialize in large caliper shade trees in wire baskets.
1999: Japanese Maple trees become the number one most popular tree/shrub at the garden centre.
Our exceptional staff will assist you to create your dream garden. With our extensive knowledge, we will help you select the right plant for the proper location, which will save you both time and money.
Read what our customers have to say about their experience with us! To leave your own testimonial, please contact us at Maidstone Tree Farm.
"Very different plants and flowers! Really helpful staff!" – Christina M.
"Great place with good selection of plants. The people there were very helpful with information on plants." – Kathy L.


text:
'use strict';

Object.defineProperty(exports, "__esModule", {
  value: true
});

var _alaska = require('alaska');

var _alaskaBalance = require('alaska-balance');

var _alaskaBalance2 = _interopRequireDefault(_alaskaBalance);

var _Goods = require('alaska-goods/models/Goods');

var _Goods2 = _interopRequireDefault(_Goods);

var _Sku = require('alaska-goods/models/Sku');

var _Sku2 = _interopRequireDefault(_Sku);

function _interopRequireDefault(obj) { return obj && obj.__esModule ? obj : { default: obj }; }

class CartItem extends _alaska.Model {

  preSave() {
    if (!this.createdAt) {
      this.createdAt = new Date();
    }
  }
}
exports.default = CartItem;
CartItem.label = 'Cart Item';
CartItem.icon = 'shopping-cart';
CartItem.defaultColumns = 'pic title user goods price sku createdAt';
CartItem.defaultSort = '-sort';
CartItem.noupdate = true;
CartItem.nocreate = true;
CartItem.defaultLimit = 100;
CartItem.api = {
  list: 3,
  create: 3,
  remove: 3
};
CartItem.fields = {
  pic: {
    label: 'Picture',
    type: 'image'
  },
  title: {
    label: 'Title',
    type: String,
    required: true
  },
  goods: {
    label: 'Goods',
    ref: 'alaska-goods.Goods'
  },
  sku: {
    label: 'SKU',
    ref: 'alaska-goods.Sku'
  },
  skuDesc: {
    label: 'SKU Desc',
    type: String
  },
  user: {
    label: 'User',
    ref: 'alaska-user.User',
    index: true,
    private: true
  },
  currency: {
    label: 'Currency',
    type: 'select',
    options: _alaskaBalance2.default.getCurrenciesAsync(),
    default: _alaskaBalance2.default.getDefaultCurrencyAsync().then(cur => cur.value),
    group: 'price'
  },
  price: {
    label: 'Price',
    type: Number,
    default: 0,
    format: '0.00'
  },
  discount: {
    label: 'Discount',
    type: Number,
    default: 0,
    format: '0.00'
  },
  quantity: {
    label: 'Quantity',
    type: Number,
    default: 1
  },
  createdAt: {
    label: 'Created At',
    type: Date
  }
};


If you are in the market for an express cruiser, look no further than this 2006 Regal 3880 Sedan Bridge, priced right at $243,400 (offers encouraged).
This vessel is located in Portsmouth, Virginia and is in good condition. She is also equipped with twin Yanmar engines that have 347 hours.


text:
Huard admits he didn't know when "soon" would be. But after Sunday's doubleheader split with conference foe Henry Ford Community College, the first-year Stars coach was able to follow through with his promise. The single victory was enough to hand LCC the Michigan Community College Athletic Association Eastern Conference championship, the program's first title of any kind since its inaugural season in 1973-74.
The team will face Western Conference champs Kellogg Community College for the state title at 6 p.m. on Thursday at Sienna Heights University. LCC will then begin regional tournament play May 16 in Battle Creek.
"Maybe (it happened) a little bit sooner than I expected, to be honest with you, but I give all the credit to our players," Huard said. "They bought into our philosophies, identity."
Huard believes his ties to Grand Ledge and time with Davenport University's coaching staff helped the players get acclimated quickly to the coaching change.
"When I mention that I was from Grand Ledge and coached at Davenport and my pedigree, I think it opened some eyes as far as the guys knowing those are both successful programs," he said. "And being the leader of young adults, I think they wanted to know what I was all about and what my history was."
It's been a year of firsts for the program. Aside from the conference championship and the chance to play for a state title, 2012 Grand Ledge grad Blake Dahlstrom threw the program's first no-hitter April 21. Huard said the opportunity to do something special has been a driving force for his club.
"I think they've stepped up to the occasion," Huard added. "I preached this on Day 1 when I first met them, the goal of junior college is, obviously, advancing themselves to a four-year school, and I said the best way to do that is to having a winning team, because coaches from other schools want to see winning programs. I really tested them on that, and now it's starting to take into effect."
Maintaining success in softball
On the other end of the spectrum, Marc Kibby took over a program with rich tradition when he was named LCC's softball coach six years ago.
Under Bob Every, the Stars won eight conference and seven state titles from 2001-09. Kibby and former athletic director Scott Latham had three goals entering the new regime — represent Lansing, carry on the school's softball tradition and give back.
He's done just that.
With victories over Mott Community College and Kalamazoo Valley Community College last weekend, LCC, which won its second straight Western Conference title this year, claimed its first state championship since 2009.
His team opens the District I tournament against Kalamazoo Valley Community College at 4 p.m. Wednesday at Ranney Park.
"It's (about) playing winning softball and playing as a team," Kibby said. "And being good people. That's what we want."
Last season, the Stars won the District I tournament and qualified for nationals. They posted a 40-19 record in the process. This season, LCC is 37-13-1 and is on pace to surpass last year's win total, which was the most during Kibby's tenure, with a strong showing in the postseason.
Kibby said he believes last season's deep run has carried over into this year.
"We have four key sophomores who were back from last year's team," said Kibby, whose team went 28-4 for the second straight year in conference play. "You hear all of these coaches say, 'Four years, you have to have seniors.' Well, at a two-year school, you have to have sophomores. Our sophomores here, the last three weeks, have picked it up. You know that they want this."
Before coming to LCC, Kibby spent 16 years as the softball coach at Bath High School. His time at Bath, he said, allowed him to evaluate talent in less-publicized cities and high schools. Five of Kibby's 17 players come from areas with less than a population of 2,000 people, and he has two players from the Upper Peninsula.
"That's the kind of program that we wanted," he added. "These kids have talent. No one spends the time to look as hard as we do."
Contact James L. Edwards III at jledwards@lsj.com. Follow him on Twitter @JLEdwardsIII.
Local championship players
Here are the local players on LCC's baseball team: Hunter Ruhstorfer (Haslett), Avery Maurer (St. Johns), Drew Stavischeck (Holt), Brendan Baker (Grand Ledge), Chris Lowe (DeWitt), Blake Dahlstrom (Grand Ledge), Alex Huard (Grand Ledge), Justin Young (Dansville), Alex Archambeault (Waverly), Sam Davison (Grand Ledge), Jake Crum (St. Johns), Trey Bauer (Pewamo-Westphalia), Duncan Gillett (Corunna), Christian Keller (Grand Ledge), Jacob Songer (Grand Ledge), Cullen Turner (Haslett), Cam Collins (Grand Ledge), Keaghan Sutliff (Ovid-Elsie)
Here are the local players on LCC's softball team: Jenelle McCoy (Mason), Brittni Wilcox (Portland St. Patrick), Miranda Hector (Eaton Rapids), Connor Proctor (Fulton), Makailah Jackson (Waverly), Jordan Richmond (Olivet), Brooklyn Dolloff (Ithaca)


text:
Q: Reset / Re-initialize NSXPCConnection? Sorry in advance if this is an obvious question or I demonstrate a total lack of knowledge here (which would be accurate).

*

*OS: macOS (10.12+)

*IDE: Xcode (11)

*Using: Cococa + Objective-C

We're interacting with a C API. That API stores all sorts of session/environment information under the hood. There are specific API calls that require a total restart of the API, but the only way to accomplish that is fully shutting down the client application that invokes it (the API acts like a Singleton with no way to reinitialize itself).
My hope is that potentially wrapping the C API in an XPC Service would let me more gracefully shut down the service and restart it so I can avoid restarting the entire client application.

*

*Is that even remotely the right way of thinking about this need in Cocoa?

*If (if) it is, how would I go about doing that? I added a simple XPC Service to the existing app using File -> Add Target -> XPC Service. I can call into the C API and that all works using NSXPCConnection and hitting the appropriate service method from the app. I'm stumped on how I would potentially kill/reinitialize the XPC Service, though.

*Is there a different / better way to look at this?

Any direction / ideas / critiques most welcome
Thank you!

A: I think I got this to work with NSXPCConnection.
Following up on Kill XPC when parent app is still running I called what I could of the API's dispose-ish methods and then called exit(0) inside of a method in the the XPC connection.
So far, so good!


text:
April 28, 2015 <April 28, 2015
More on the Law of Armed Conflict, Gaza and the BBC
As has been noted here before, less than twenty-four hours after the commencement of Operation Protective Edge in July 2014 the BBC began promoting to its audiences worldwide the notion that Israel was committing 'war crimes' in the Gaza Strip. That accusation – along with related ones such as 'crimes against humanity', 'deliberate targeting of civilians' and 'collective punishment' – continued to be a theme found in BBC coverage throughout the fifty-day conflict and since its conclusion, despite the fact that its origins were to be found in statements from politically-motivated NGOs concurrently engaged in 'lawfare' against Israel and in amateur speculations from BBC journalists.
Of course much of that material is still available to the general public as 'permanent public record' on the BBC News website and no attempt was made – either at the time or since – to provide audiences with impartial professional commentary on the topic of the Law of Armed Conflict which would enable them to reach informed opinions on the topic.
Two experts on the subject of the Law of Armed Conflict recently wrote:
"Broadly speaking, we concluded that IDF positions on targeting law largely track those of the United States military. Moreover, even when they differ, the Israeli approach remains within the ambit of generally acceptable State practice. The IDF is served by a corps of highly competent and well-trained legal advisors who operate with a remarkable degree of autonomy, and its operations are subject to extensive judicial monitoring. While there are certainly Israeli legal positions that may be contentious, we found that their approach to targeting is consistent with the law and, in many cases, worthy of emulation."
Michael Schmitt and John Merriam have also produced two new papers on the subject:
1) The Tyranny of Context: Israeli Targeting Practices in Legal Perspective
"The article examines the operational context in which Israel conducts targeting. It assesses how that context affects Israel's approach to targeting, surveys the Israel Defense Force's targeting process, examines the military attorney system that provides advice to Israeli Commanders on targeting matters and surveys Israeli positions on particular aspects of the law of armed conflict."
2) Israeli Targeting: A Legal Appraisal
"This article summarizes the results of a research field study examining Israel Defense Force in December 2014. It discusses the unique operational and strategic context in which the IDF operates and discusses Israeli targeting practices. The piece also surveys and assess Israeli positions on the law of armed conflict. It concludes that such practices and positions reflect the environment in which IDF targeting takes place."
The BBC's continuing failure to show any interest whatsoever in bringing its audiences such professional perspectives to balance the politically motivated messaging it propagated during the conflict and in the months since its end does nothing to reassure licence fee payers that it is committed to accurate and impartial reporting.
Law of Armed Conflict, Gaza and the BBC
JCPA e-book on Operation Protective Edge
Accuracy, BBC, BBC News, Gaza Strip, Impartiality, Israel, LOAC, Operation Protective Edge
BBC Monitoring plays down Saudi concerns over Iranian nuclear programme
As was noted here last week, the BBC's coverage in the run-up to...
BBC coverage of Har Nof terror attack: World Service's 'Newshour' – part one
BBC's Bowen tries to persuade TV audiences that Hamas does not use human shields
Hamas once again given a platform on the BBC's 'Hardtalk'
Previous articleBBC's Sackur touts 'racist' Israel in Hardtalk interview with Herzog
Next articleObsession? Guardian publishes their 78th piece on Mordechai Vanunu
A FORMAL COMPLAINT TO THE BBC – PART 5


text:
Dems Show Desperation With "Win One for Teddy" Strategy
Public opinion has turned sharply against health care
By Javier E. David	• Published at 1:04 pm on September 1, 2009
Sinking under the weight of raucous town hall meetings and cratering public support, health care reform was thrust into further uncertainty last week with the passing of Senator Ted Kennedy. The spiritual leader of the Democratic party's liberal wing was a forceful advocate for social justice initiatives, prompting reform advocates to invoke his name to lend an emotional ballast to health care policy reform efforts. Democrats are calculating that his death can be leveraged to create a veneer of bipartisanship.
The surprising turn of events underscores the weak position from which Democrats seek to advance a revamp of the nation's health care system. Congressional Democrats are losing the propaganda war as they confront a scenario once believed improbable: the possible demise of comprehensive health care reform. It's quite the state of affairs for President Barack Obama's signature domestic initiative and a topic long considered a cornerstone of Democratic policy thinking.
During what many political pundits have called the "make-or-break month" of August, public opinion has turned sharply against health care reform. An energized grassroots movement opposed to expensive, rationed government-run health care has put politicians on the defensive.
By trotting out Kennedy's memory, Democrats indulge what has become of their most manipulative yet effective tradition: using emotion and symbolism to supplant (or subvert, as some might argue) empirically supported arguments. Alas, the "Win one for Teddy" strategy is entirely consistent with the propensity of liberals to win politically charged debates. Opponents of universal health care have been branded as unpatriotic, or demonized as racists implacably opposed to the agenda of the first African-American president. Such accusations are patently false, and they obscure the fact that it's not just Republicans or conservatives raising concerns about the plan.
The steady decline in public opinion reflects an inconvenient reality militating against the emotional arguments crafted by Democrats: universal health care is simply unaffordable at this juncture. The Congressional Budget Office has undermined the effort with numbers showing proposed health care legislation would only cover a fraction of the estimated 47 million uninsured, and at a staggering cost of at least $1 trillion.
Since the NFL regular season is almost here, it's appropriate to employ a few football metaphors. The White House Budget Office serves as the fiscal quarterback for the president's priorities. But the office threw an interception worthy of Brett Favre when it released estimates showing a cumulative deficit of $7 - $9 trillion over the next decade in the thick of the health care debate. President Obama also muffed a punt when he proposed budget cuts that are the fiscal equivalent of ordering a diet coke with a bacon double-cheeseburger and chili-cheese fries. Elsewhere, Washington's political class has yet to call signals for contending with the impending financial tsunami of Social Security and Medicare - both of which are set to become insolvent when the Baby Boom generation retires.
We can expect Kennedy's saintly treatment in the media to serve as a backdrop for debate when Congress returns in the fall. While nobody should eulogize comprehensive health care reform just yet, attempts to use his legacy as a force multiplier for health care reform are likely to prove fruitless. No amount of moralizing, or appropriating the memory of a fallen liberal icon, can obscure the stubborn fact that a government-run plan is too expensive to countenance.
For more stories from The Grio, go to thegrio.com.
Copyright TGRIO - The Grio


text:
Opinion | Trump's EPA chief betrays pro-life values
Guest Columnists Opinion
Opinion | Trump's EPA chief betrays pro-life values
Opinion | Remembering the stories of our heroes
Guest Columnists Opinion State
Opinion | Legislature ignoring charter school law
Opinion | A Republic, if we can keep it: The cost of counting undocumented immigrants in the U.S Census
Opinion | Climate change is killing our coastal gulf fisheries
Rev. Mitch Hescox
Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency Scott Pruitt speaking at the 2017 Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in National Harbor, Maryland. (Gage Skidmore)
For evangelicals the Bible is the authoritative for our faith. Therefore, we believe as the psalmist says, "The earth is the Lord's, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it;" (Psalm 24:1-2 NIV). God created the earth and all who live on it — thus belonging to Him, and as such have value and worth independent of human valuation.
President Trump's campaign rhetoric seemed to restate those biblical values in his promise to care for forgotten Americans. However, President Trump's Administration, especially the head of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Scott Pruitt, have done little to defend the forgotten, especially our unborn and newly born children. While claiming to be pro-life, they have done little to fulfill EPA's Mission, "To protect human health and the environment." Instead they have pandered to industry lobbyists, proposed bailouts to the dying fossil fuel industry, and "lived high on the hog" instead of defending the lives and health of our children.
On Monday Mr. Pruitt announced plans to roll-back car fuel efficiency standards. As American Lung Association's (ALA) President Harold Wimmer stated: "Weakening federal protections from vehicle pollution threatens public health … especially children, older adults and those living with a lung disease, who are most at risk to the health impacts of unhealthy air."
We still have a great deal of work to do to clean up our air, yet Mr. Pruitt is moving us backwards. According to ALA's 2017 State of the Air Report, 29.5 million children live in areas that receive an F for at least one air pollutant, and 40 percent of all Americans live with unhealthy air.
The fuel economy rollback is but one of the attacks on public health by the Trump Administration. Currently the Administration plans to roll-back the Clean Power Plan, the New Source Performance Standards for Fugitive Methane, Control Techniques Guidelines for existing natural gas protection, the Bureau of Land Management's methane flaring and leaking standards, the Cross-State Ozone Rule, and the Mercury and Air Toxics Standard to list a few. Mr. Pruitt has even put forward a rollback of a requirement that old refurbished truck engines put in new truck bodies meet new truck pollution standards, basing his decision on a study by the main manufacturer of these new truck bodies. This follows a pattern by Mr. Pruitt — accept findings by affected industries while ignoring what EPA's own scientific experts and other medical experts say.
Our nation has provided subsidies for almost 100 years to the fossil fuel industries. Yet the most egregious costs are hidden in the bodies of our children. Over 100 toxic chemicals are emitted as a direct result of fossil fuel combustion that directly damage human health. These include: polyaromatic hydrocarbons; arsenic; lead and mercury; carcinogens like benzene; and fine particles that are all inhaled and harm vital organs including the heart, lungs, and brain.
Nearly 4 million kids go to school within a half mile of oil and gas facilities, exposing them to airborne toxins throughout the day. Up to 40 percent of babies born to mothers living within that same half mile of gas facilities are born early, have low birth weights, and have increased risks to birth defects, cancers, and other life-long health hazards. Yet the Trump Administration's EPA and BLM have decided to halt common-sense standards to limit the methane leaks, defend our kids, and save industry money.
Given that 1 in 3 children in the US suffer from Asthma, ADHD, Autism, and severe allergies with links to fossil fuels and petrochemicals — enough is enough. President Trump, your EPA and its policies are not helping the forgotten, they are harming our current and future generations. It's time to follow your promise to America, your promise to be pro-life, and do what the Bible commands:
"Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy." Proverbs 31:8-9 (NIV)
Related Topics:administrationauthoritativeBiblebiblical valuescampaign rhetoricchildrendefendEnvironmental Protection Agency (EPA)evangelicalsfaithfederal protectionsforgotten AmericansHarold Wimmerlung diseasePresident TrumpPro-LifepromisePublic HealthScott Pruittunbornunhealthy airvehicle pollution
Opinion | The Alabamization of America is complete
Opinion | Congratulating our service Academy nominees
Rev. Mitch Hescox is the President & CEO of the Evangelical Environmental Network.