Every party at Fundemonium is customized to meet the needs of you and your guests. Our number one priority is for you to have a unique and special experience.
We look forward to hosting your party. Please fill out the basic information in the form below and one of our Party Coordinators will contact you within two business days to set up your personal event.
If you'd rather speak directly with one of our Party Coordinators during our business hours, you can call us at (707) 540-0701.
What ages are the party guests?
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Volunteering makes a positive impact in your community but it can also have many benefits for you. Volunteering can enable you to learn new skills, meet new people and gain valuable experience that you can take into your future career. It also gives you the opportunity to explore an area of work that is of interest to you or try something completely different.
Here are some ideas for volunteering opportunities in Hampshire.
You can find volunteering opportunities with Hampshire County Council and other local organisations on the Council's volunteering web page.
Find local and national organisations looking for volunteers in Hampshire in our Community directory. Select the 'Education, employment and volunteering' category.
Find thousands of volunteering opportunities on the Do-it volunteer database.
Age Concern Hampshire has a team of nearly 400 dedicated volunteers who come from all walks of life to offer friendship, support and information to their service users.
Volunteer at a peer support group or become a Dementia Ambassador with Dementia Friendly Hampshire.
Home Library Service volunteers take books to people who are not able to make the journey for themselves.
Befriending offers supportive, reliable relationships to people who would otherwise be socially isolated. Hampshire Good Neighbours Support Service supports independent voluntary groups which offer neighbourly help to people in their local communities.
MHA Live at Home provide care, accommodation, activities and support services to older people throughout Hampshire and are always looking for volunteers.


" This spell creates a magical sword above a creature's head, which will swipe at enemy units independantly of the creatures actions, increasing the HTH attack damage of the troop.
The excalibur sword remains until the enchanted creature is slain, or removed with disenchant.
Only one weapon may exist above a creatures head - if scythian bow is cast on a creature already using excalibur, then the sword is replaced with the bow."
Why not cast it above you wizards head. There's no reason not to have the extra attach strength for when you may need it later.
Like any other enchantment spell, excalibur can be instantly removed with the area effect disenchant.
If it suits your particular battle, it can also be replaced on the attacking creature by casting scythain bow to replace it.
Excalibur cannot be cast on an enemy!
Excalibur is the hand-to-hand combat version of the long range scythian bow. Both perform a similar task.


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Jef Otte November 25, 2010 4:00AM
Perhaps more than any other genre of American music, zydeco brings to mind some distinctly down-home associations; the Cajun blend of country, Creole and blues is steeped in family traditions. And when it comes to family traditions, those ties don't run much deeper than they do in Leroy Thomas.
Son of Leo Thomas, one of the bona fide kings of zydeco, young Leroy was raised playing that distinctly Bayou-style honky-tonk in his dad's band, eventually picking up the accordion after trading a cassette player for one. Turns out the instrument was in his blood: "When I got home, there was a John Delafose song playing on the radio," he recalls, "and I picked [the accordion] up and pretty much played it all the way through. It wasn't perfect or anything, but I pretty much knew what to do with it."
After playing in his dad's band for fifteen years, the younger Thomas "bought me a mike stand and a microphone and never looked back," forming Leroy Thomas and the Zydeco Roadrunners and becoming one of the most formidable zydeco players out there – and probably one of the few people in the world who can play an American flag-emblazoned squeezebox and make it look badass.
Thomas brings his act to the Mercury Cafe, 2199 California Street, this afternoon at 1:30 p.m., and he'll be playing tracks from his latest, the country-tinged Jewel of the Bayou, which he calls his "best record by far." Tickets are $15; for more information, call 303-745-9577 or visit www.cfcz.org.
Sun., Nov. 28, 1:30 p.m., 2010

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Head for this chic daily market where you'll find the very best regional produce, wine and pastries .
Get the best bread for your picnic, made from the recipe of the late king of bread-makers, Lionel Poilâne.
A small market specializing in organic produce every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday morning. A good place to pick up olives, cheese, tomatoes and fruit.
The crème de la crème of cheese in Paris. Aged slowly and sold at peak ripeness.
This award-winning charcuterie shouldn't be missed. Flavoured sausages and boudin blanc are specialities.
An organic market held on Tuesday, Friday and Sunday mornings. Superb produce but pricey.
Wonderful patisserie, with an especially good line in small fruit tarts, such as lemon and strawberry. Fat-free cheesecake for the health-conscious, too.
Hunt for treasures such as Breton seaweed butter and coucou de Rennes at the gourmet food hall in Le Bon Marché department store.
Produce from Normandy is sold at this charcuterie – pâtés, ham, cheese and cider too.
If you don't want to make up your own picnic then try a ready-made sandwich from the bakery. Mouthwatering combinations include goat's cheese with pear.
The dishes are sublime, such as cod with saffron leeks.
Historic restaurant with fine views of Notre-Dame and offering duck à l'orange as the speciality.
This bistro, owned by Guy Savoy, offers creative cooking on the banks of the Seine.
A stylish brasserie with a mix of French, Asian and British food.
Classic French cuisine served in a setting unchanged since 1766.
Spit-roasted meats and signature dishes by top chef Guy Savoy. Aim for a table in front of the giant fireplace.
A taste of Provence from chef Gilles Ajuelos. Try the risotto with scallops.
Dine on classic French cooking with Asian flourishes.
Pick your wine straight off the shelves to accompany the stunning menu .
One of the best bistros in Paris, with frogs' legs, escargots and Châteaubriand on the menu.


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Latin R&B (also known as Spanish R&B) is a style of R&B that originated in Latin America and the United States. It is a musical subgenre of American contemporary R&B and Latin soul that also takes influence from dancehall. The genre began to gain popularity in the late 2010s and has since spread throughout Latin America.

Characteristics
Vocals include a majority of singing and occasionally rapping, in Spanish. The lyrics in Latin R&B are often about sadness, heartbreak, and sex.

History
Latin R&B can trace its roots to Latin pop songs with an American R&B and new jack swing influence, such as the Selena/The Barrio Boyzz song "Donde Quiera Que Estés" released in 1994. According to Rolling Stone, Spanish-language singles by Alex Rose, Rauw Alejandro and Paloma Mami, which borrow from R&B, reached a global audience. In Latin America, the genre became popular with Alex Rose's "Toda", Dalex's "Pa Mí" and "Cuaderno", and most notably Sech's "Otro Trago", which peaked in number one in Spain, Argentina, Colombia and Mexico. In the United States, "Otro Trago" reached the top of the Billboard Hot Latin Songs chart and peaked at No. 34 in the Hot 100.

See also
 R&B
 Latin soul

References

21st-century music genres
2020s in Latin music
Latin American styles of music
Urbano music genres
Contemporary R&B genres
Fusion music genres
Latin music genres

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Matthew Arkin's Broadway credits include Neil Simon's The Sunshine Boys, with Jack Klugman and Tony Randall, Mr. Simon's Laughter on the 23rd Floor, and Manhattan Theater Club's Losing Louie. Other New York credits include originating the role of Gabe in Donald Margulies' Pulitzer Prize-winning Dinner with Friends (Drama Desk nomination), Moonlight and Magnolias at MTC, Rounding Third and War in Paramus. Regional Theater includes All the Way, The Whale, The Prince of Atlantis, and Our Mother's Brief Affair, all at South Coast Rep, Surf Report at La Jolla Playhouse, The Scene at Hartford Stage Company, Around the World in 80 Days at the Cape Playhouse, Rounding Third at Chicago's Northlight Theatre, Talley's Folly at The Bay Street Theatre, Guys and Dolls at Seattle's 5th Avenue Theater, and Sight Unseen at The George Street Playhouse. Film credits include indies Margot at the Wedding, Second Best, Raising Flagg, The Curse, and Bittersweet Place, as well as Death to Smoochy, Liar, Liar, North, An Unmarried Woman, and Chu Chu and the Philly Flash. Television: Rescue Me (recurring), 100 Centre Street (recurring), NCIS, Aquarius, Switched at Birth, Harry's Law, the PBS pilot Copshop, Medium, Third Watch, Hack, The Education of Max Bickford, Ed, Law and Order, Law and Order: Criminal Intent, Law and Order: SVU, Kojak, and All My Children. He is Director of the Acting Intensive Program at South Coast Repertory, an Adjunct Professor at Chapman University's Dodge College of Film and Media Arts, and has taught at HB Studio in New York City.


The Story: Greek ice hockey players are a rare breed. In late 2017 these four players from one of the country's few hockey clubs – Iptameni, got the chance to play the first ever game of pond hockey in the Greece's history. A monumental occasion for anyone who has played hockey their whole life, and a great adventure into the beautiful wilderness that is Epirus.
Special Thanks to Munti Smolikas Guesthouse for their generous accommodation.


CALLING all muggles! If you are a Potter fan that has been left with a Hogwarts-shaped hole since the books were released, panic not.
To celebrate the 20th anniversary of The Boy Who Lived, the British Library is hosting a special Harry Potter exhibition featuring Harry's broom and never-seen-before notes and drawings by JK Rowling.
Around 30,000 eager fans have already snapped up their tickets for the spellbinding exhibition, which is running from Friday October 20 to February 28.
Harry Potter: A History of Magic is the first of its kind to celebrate a single series of books by a living author and includes rare memorabilia surrounding the famous teenage wizard.
Combined with this, is centuries-old British Library treasures including the oldest item in the attraction's collection, the Chinese Oracle bones from 1192BC.
This ancient wonder was used for fortune telling more than 3,000 years ago when they were believed to have come from dragons.
The exhibition is sure to be a magnet for muggles who are keen to learn about the magic of The Potterverse, and see artefacts and rooms themed on subjects such as Potions, Herbology, and Charms.
Potter-enthusiasts can see a six-metre-long scroll dating from the 16th century which explains how to make a philosopher's stone.
There is also a Celestial globe dating from 1693 which has constellations that were inspiration for character names such as Remus Lupin, Sirius Black, Bellatrix LeStrange and Draco Malfoy.
Fans can also pore over JK Rowling's personal sketch of Hogwarts, a handwritten list of teachers at Hogwarts and see the original artwork for the books by Jim Kay.
Included in the colourful creations are portraits of beloved characters Harry, Dumbledore, Professor McGonagall and Hagrid.
Potterheads can also see unseen drafts from early Harry Potter novels, with crossings out and revisions in Jo's hand.
Who knew that an early draft of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone even had Vernon Dursley as a Muggle politician and Hagrid as an inarticulate emissary to 10 Downing Street?
And there is even a tombstone dedicated to the magical Nicolas Flamel, who is said to have died in 1418, but whose grave didn't contain a body.
Tickets cost £16 for adults and £5-£11 for concessions, and can be purchased from the Library's website.
Curator Julian Harrison said: "We're thrilled to welcome visitors and Harry Potter fans alike to Harry Potter: A History Of Magic.
"We've loved discovering the magical traditions that lie behind the books, and we've encountered so many amazing artefacts along the way.
The Harry Potter series went on to sell over 400 million books in 68 different languages, and inspired an eight-part movie franchise and theatre show.
In celebration of Harry Potter And The Philosopher's Stone's 20th anniversary, the Beeb will be showing a magical documentary airing on BBC Two on Saturday October 28 , 2017 at 10pm.
If you are looking for more ways to keep the magic dream alive, here are six UK experiences for fans.


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The late Elizabeth Taylor was one of the last true Hollywood icons. She was a glamorous figure who epitomized old Hollywood glamour. She was born to American parents on February 27, 1932, in London, England. Elizabeth Taylor's eyes are considered to be her most beautiful feature.
Hollywood Career:
Elizabeth began her acting career at the age of nine when she signed a contract with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM). She made her film debut in There's One Born Every Minute (1942) and went on to star in some of MGM's most popular films of the 1940s and 1950s, including National Velvet (1944), Father of the Bride (1950), Giant (1956), and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958). In 1960, Elizabeth won her first Academy Award for Best Actress for her role in Butterfield 8. She would go on to win two more Oscars: one for "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? "(1966) and another for her performance in the title role of Cleopatra (1963). Elizabeth Taylor was not only an accomplished actress; she was also a successful businesswoman. In the 1980s, she launched her perfume line called "Passion.
Lisa Marie Net Worth
Joey Chestnut (A Look at the Competitive Eater's Net Worth)
Elizabeth Taylor's Real Eye Color
It is a well-known fact that Elizabeth Taylor had gorgeous violet eyes. But, did you know that this was not her real eye color? Elizabeth's real eye color was blue!
While her violet eyes were stunning, it is said that she wore colored contact lenses to enhance her already beautiful blue eyes. Whether she did wear colored contacts, there is no denying that Elizabeth Taylor had one of the most captivating gazes in all of Hollywood.
Elizabeth Taylor was one of the most successful actresses of her generation. She was also a savvy businesswoman, with interests in fashion, beauty, and film production.
Taylor began her career as a child actress in the 1940s. She rose to stardom, thanks to her charisma and talent. Besides her work in film, Taylor also became a successful model and spokesperson for products like perfume and cosmetics.
In the 1950s, Taylor started her own production company, Elizabeth Taylor Productions. Throughout her life, Taylor embraced her status as a Hollywood icon. She understood the power of her image and used it to further her career and charitable work. Her glamorous lifestyle and outspoken personality made her one of the most popular celebrities of her time.
AIDS Activism
Elizabeth Taylor was one of the most glamorous actresses of her time, and she used her celebrity status to help raise awareness about AIDS. She also served as the national chairperson of amfAR, The Foundation for AIDS Research. During the 1980s and 1990s, AIDS was a major public health crisis, and Elizabeth Taylor was one of the few celebrities who spoke out about the disease.
In her later years, Elizabeth withdrew to her estate in Bel Air and lived a private life. At the age of 79, she passed away there in 2011. Hollywood's industry remembers her as one of the most glamorous icons.
Tags: Elizabeth Taylor
Andrew Tate (Actor Net Worth)
Anne Mclaren-British scientist
Get Professional Help For Your Commercial Aluminum Door Repairs
Getting Tanned? Here Are Some Vital FAQs You Should Definitely Know
Isabella Justice Hartley: Youngest Classical Musician to Break Records!


We live in exclusive times! Or should that be exclusionary?
Two major Indigenous events announced in Sydney this week turn out to be less than they appear in that they offer, respectively, "indigenous history, feeling and disturbing visions that reach into our lives" and "bringing together indigenous art and culture from around the nation". But it's almost all urban art on offer. Perhaps there's a give-away in the titles. For, in my eyes, both Debil Debil (at the Anna Schwartz Gallery until 8 June) and Corroboree (a festival in central Sydney in November) are rather demeaning White words or adoptions for important Indigenous concepts.
Why, apart from a token presence, would you choose to leave out the cultural riches of remote Northern Australia from any Indigenous cultural event?
It's particularly egregious at the NSW Government's Corroboree festival, taking up 11 days in November. For the two Ministers involved in its launch were clearly mislead. George Souris, Minister for Major Events (and, occasionally, the Arts) made the above declaration about bringing Indigenous art and culture from around the nation to Sydney, and his Aboriginal Affairs colleague, Victor Dominello concurred with reference to "Aboriginal people and communities throughout Australia".
But Artistic Director Hetti Perkins (ex AGNSW) sees it differently: "Corroboree has at its heart the local culture of Sydney city and by association the wider Sydney area and NSW (which includes remote communities). It does aspire to embrace our cultural diversity nationally, indeed many of the partners have connections outside of NSW. Bangarra's program, for instance, often draws on Yolngu culture for inspiration, and some of the dancers are from remote communities. Essentially, the festival supports local cultural expression within the national context".
What a fabulous opportunity is thus lost to open up some of the mysteries and complexities of tribal Aboriginal culture for the Sydney (and tourist) gaze. For I fear that when tourists in particular are asked what they really wanted to see in Australia – and 80% of Germans and 39% of Chinese came with an "interest in Indigenous cultural products" - they weren't thinking of urban Sydney's Blak art. And sadly, "37% of international visitors expressing 'high' or 'medium' interest in Aboriginal tourism left Australia without participating in an Aboriginal tourism experience", according to the Survey of Indigenous Tourism 2000 by the Bureau of Statistics.
Corroboree is funded for 3 years.
No one is denying the political or conceptual power of some of the art that Prof. Marcia Langton has selected for the Anne Schwartz Gallery's show Debil Debil. But then Langton is a very political and conceptual person, with her recent Boyer Lectures proudly touting the middle-classing of Aborigines like herself living in the South. And, like Hetti Perkins, she's chosen to draw a line in the sand and exclude the North – despite many a kadaitcha man in the Desert or Mimi spirit in the rock crevices and bark paintings of Arnhemland.
Sure, there's a handful of Nawurapu Wunungmurra's threatening Mokuy sculptures in bronze from Yirrkala to 'welcome' visitors to the exhibition, opening a life and death/death in life dialogue dramatically. But they're a lonely outpost of tribal thinking in the face of walls of Western art tackling Indigenous issues beyond them.
Closest in spirit to the Mokuy is Warwick Thornton's set of photographic images from Central Australia, replacing traditional soul-stealers of the night with himself in diabolical guise as churchman, cop and cow-cocky...the 20th Century's Debil Debils coming to take you away by day.
Meanwhile, big blond Danie Mellor offers a really thought-provoking look back into his racial past in the Rainforests of Northern Queensland with – I think for the first time – its short Negrito people (as Norman Tyndale categorised them) bravely facing life amongst mighty tropical trees – all given Mellor's trademark blue and white china colouration.
Photographer Darren Siwes also offers novelty and laugh-out-loud humour in his white-face images of Aborigines as toffed-up royals. The Torres Strait's Ricardo Idagi – resident in Melbourne – has departed from his turtle-shell works to model what looks suspiciously like his own head surmounted, Long John Silver-like by a Pretty Polly. It's meaning escaped me – but I laughed!
It'll be fascinating to see what Anna Schwartz's ultra-contemporary crowd makes of Marcia Langton's curation. Will they laugh? Will they feel they've had an 'Aboriginal' experience? Or will they receive an artistic thrill akin to Schwartz's recent shows by AES+F, Yinka Shonibare and Anthony Gormley?
It's unrealistic for Aboriginal people to expect others will stop portraying us in photographs, films, on television and so on. Rather than demanding an impossibility, it would be more useful to identify those points where it is possible to control the means of production and to make our own self-representation".


I finally settled on a pattern for the 3 balls of Southwest Trading Company Oasis that I bought almost 2 years ago... the Aleita Shell from Interweave Knits.
To prevent pooling, I used all 3 balls of yarn for the stockinette stitch portion of the shell and alternated strands every row. I'm alternating between 2 balls every other row for the ribbed portion. I'm making this on US4 and US5 needles instead of US3 and US6 so that I get the correct gauge. I've heard that this yarn stretches a lot, so I'm making it with more negative ease than I usually do. I made a swatch and found that the yarn does indeed stretch after blocking. I tried it on last night and found that it is a bit small now, hopefully ::crosses fingers:: it will fit perfectly after blocking. I'm also making it 2 inches longer than what's called for in the pattern.


Time Warner Cable is looking to hire more than 20 employees for full-time direct sales positions in the Findlay and Tiffin, Ohio markets.
Company representatives will be on hand to interview qualified candidates for sales positions Thurs., Sept. 11 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at 205 Crystal Ave, Findlay, OH 45840. Time Warner Cable will not be available to meet with applicants who arrive at different dates or times then specified.
These positions have considerable earning potential, great benefits and opportunities for career growth. Average Sales Reps make $40,000-$60,000 with top performers earning $80-100,000+. Benefits include full healthcare, a pension plan, a matched 401K, tuition assistance, gas stipend, 3 weeks paid vacation and more.
More information about this Sales opening can be found at http://bit.ly/1aq0XH0. For more information about all Time Warner Cable career opportunities please visit: http://jobs.twc.com. For more information on Time Warner Cable, please log onto www.timewarnercable.com. Time Warner Cable is an Equal Opportunity Employer (M/F/D/V).


Our diverse team of seasoned public relations professionals is what makes Red Banyan a leader in strategic communications and crisis PR.
Featuring primarily senior-level executives with decades of experience in media relations, government affairs and crisis management, Red Banyan's team provides strategic PR counsel to a broad range of clients, including presidential candidates and some of the biggest corporate brands in the country.
What sets us apart is our highly collaborative results-driven culture, unparalleled expertise and uncompromising commitment to our clients.


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Fiber-optic 'e-buildings' popping up in the Big Apple
The old saying in real estate was "location, location, location." But with the deployment of fiber-optic technology into a number of commercial buildings in New York City, the new version of that maxim may now be "location, bandwidth, location."
Metromedia Fiber Network (MFN-New York, NY) has agreed to provide direct fiber connectivity technology to all of Ruding Management Co.'s owned and managed commercial properties in New York City. The agreement encompasses all 16 of Rudin's properties in Manhattan, consisting of over 10 million square feet of commercial space, including the New York Information Technology Center and the New York Global Connectivity Center.
With the application of MFN's Optical Access Ramp concept, Rudin's tenants will be able to deploy advanced Internet, data, video, broadband, and voice applications with virtually unlimited bandwidth--from OC-3 to OC-192--at a fixed lease cost.
"This agreement allows building owners and managers like Rudin to convert their commercial properties into 'e-buildings,'" says Nick Tanzi, MFN's president and chief operating officer, "and provides them with strategic marketing tools to attract and retain quality tenants."
The Optical Access Ramp gives users control over their networks by providing unlimited, unmetered bandwidth using dark fiber infrastructure. The type of fiber installed, single or multimode, depends on a company's requirements, and can be deployed in a number of applications, including single-entry, point-to-point connections, dual-entry diverse ring, SONET-capable networks for multiple locations, and private network builds. MFN says that their fiber-optic facilities are capable of transmitting up to 2 Tbits/sec.
Bill Rudin, president of Rudin Management Co., says that the agreement "accomplishes three important goals: our customers get multiple choices for carriers; telecom carriers gain a 'just-plug-in' architecture; and Rudin gets a managed riser system that can scale with time."


You can now access Google's latest Weather app without first having to open Google or News & Weather apps. However, you'll need to use Google again to revert to the time-honored weather. You can, however, set a shortcut on your home screen to access the weather directly.
Google Weather App (or app let as some might say) is actually one of the best ways to display your local prediction on Android. It features a sophisticated material design interface, playful animations and accurate forecasting data from weather.com. And unlike some other sketchy weather apps, it does not abuse permissions to steal personal information from your phone, as this is only part of the Google app.
The weather should be displayed on a results page. Tap the current temperature on the displayed map.
Step 2: Add Weather to Your Home Screen  Now all you have to do is tap the hamburger menu at the top left of the screen. In the section Weather the option to switch between Fahrenheit and Celsius is displayed, and under this option, you can add Weather to the Home screen. Tap and tap. Then the weather app will be added to your home screen. You can place the link anywhere and it will always be opened for your local forecast.
The only downside here is that the App Icon on your home screen if you want to access it. Because it's just a shortcut to a feature in the larger Google app, you can not put the weather icon in your app's drawer.
However, if you do not like this stray home screen icon, you can not. Maybe you want to try out the widget version of this applet.
Just hit any blank on your home screen, select "Widgets" and then "Google." Four options are displayed. Hold down the "At a Glance" widget and drag it to the home screen. This will give you a widget with today's date and all upcoming events in your Google Calendar and the weather on the right. When you tap the weather icon in this widget, the same weather applet will open.


This column gives an overview of the current events in art and literature. Among other topics discussed in this column, there are notes discussing the Holiday issue of Harper's Weekly, , the tendency of other papers to reprint items from the Saturday Press without giving due credit, Horace Mann's,Wendell Phillips's, and Bayard Taylor's lectures, a discussion of the death of Robert Burns's youngest sister, and a discussion of Thackeray. The column also includes an overview of several current issues of English magazines and their contents.
A note announces the beginning of Taylor's lecture tour in the West and notes that Taylor will not make his way to the East coast for several months (2).


Yesterday, I bought a $300 beach umbrella. If that sounds ridiculous to you, let me explain: it was on sale! I first saw this umbrella in the Frontgate catalog last summer for $499! I spend the summers on Fire Island, and usually manage to ruin at least one $30 umbrella a summer, through general wear and tear, or when a big gust comes and sends it flying down the beach. So I was intrigued by Frontgate's description of an umbrella made by an "Italian manufacturer who has been producing Europe's finest since 1890" that stays put in a 30 mph wind. I'll report on it later, by which time it will probably be sold-out. But if you feel like checking it out yourself, Frontgate offers a 90-day no-questions-asked return/1 year warranty policy.
Well, it's really sturdy and big, but really heavy. I'm still trying to decide whether to keep it or not.


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Share this Story: Maple Leafs GM Dubas denies coach Babcock is under the gun
Maple Leafs GM Dubas denies coach Babcock is under the gun
Lance Hornby
Sep 05, 2019 • September 5, 2019 • 7 minute read
Toronto Maple Leafs coach Mike Babcock, left, and general manager Kyle Dubas watch a scrimmage game during Maple Leafs training camp in Niagara Falls, Ont., September 16, 2018. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Aaron Lynett
A year ago, Kyle Dubas inherited the ideal situation as the new general manager of the Maple Leafs.
Young talent, salary-cap flexibility and coach Mike Babcock still in his honeymoon phase with a vast fan base. The Leafs reached 100 points again, but there have been some significant roadblocks to success as Dubas enters Year 2.
Maple Leafs GM Dubas denies coach Babcock is under the gun Back to video
After a third straight first-round playoff defeat, Babcock has to win back some support from not only the paying customers, but the hockey office, too. Mitch Marner remains unsigned (Dubas has expressed regret that Marner and William Nylander weren't locked up sooner), while two starters (Zach Hyman and Travis Dermott) will miss the first month with injuries. Also, a number of new players and two new assistant coaches must be worked in.
Not exactly a forecast for success, though Dubas dismisses off-season speculation that Babcock's team must get off to a fast start or he'll be on the U.S. Thanksgiving endangered species list.
With training camp starting next week in St. John's, N.L., the GM addressed a number of topics with the Toronto Sun:
What kind of scrutiny is on the team, given the missing players and personnel changes could lead to a slow start and thus negatively affect Babcock's future?
"I don't look at it that the team has to win 'X' amount of games or Mike has to do anything. Mike's proven himself elite a long time. What we'll be watching for at the beginning of the season and at the end is how the team is playing. There have been stretches in the past where we haven't played well and won and played very well and been losing. The key focus will be, are we incorporating the changes we want to make?
"It's a long year, and to say we have to win 'X' amount the first month or first two months is not really the way I've ever approached hockey. The major focus will be on the process of how we're playing versus points."
But isn't it a more challenging dynamic this year with the holes on this roster?
"Every team will have those. We don't have to look very far in our division, specifically Boston and Tampa Bay, who last season had very, very key guys out of their lineup for long stretches of the year. They could withstand it and have a great season.
"That pressure goes to me. We've tried to stock our team with guys that are going to get a good opportunity, who have shown promise in the past, also give our own prospects a good opportunity and build depth of the organization up that way.
"No team is the same coming back, whether it's changes in coaches or in player personnel. I think we'll be well-equipped to make some headway in training camp and pre-season and be ready to roll."
With all the new players (a number of cheaper contracts were added during the summer), what kind of impact must they make, such as forwards Kenny Agostino and Garrett Wilson, so you can dance a fine line around the salary cap?
"Unfortunately, Garrett has a (hamstring) injury that will keep him out likely right through the pre-season. That put a damper on things.
"But you've got a young core (forwards) you know are going to be there. Notwithstanding Mitch's situation, you've got Tavares, Matthews, Nylander, Kapanen, Johnsson, Kerfoot, Spezza, Moore, (new Russian Ilya) Mikheyev. Then you have guys who have shown promise in the past: Pontus Aberg, Nick Shore, Agostino, Jeremy Bracco, Kalle Kossila, Mason Marchment, Dmytro Timashov, Yegor Korshkov, Adam Brooks, Pierre Engvall, on and on.
"It's the most exciting camp we've had in my time here because we have real battles, to replace Hyman with Tavares and throughout the bottom of the forward lines. They've had success in the short run and we're hoping, with guidance, we can increase that in the long haul.
"On the back end, our top four everyone knows (Jake Muzzin, Tyson Barrie, Morgan Rielly and Cody Ceci). Then you have Jordan Schmaltz, Kevin Gravel, Martin Marincin, Justin Holl, Rasmus Sandin, Timothy Liljegren, Ben Harpur and Teemu Kivihalme. I don't think anyone can complain about the amount of opportunity they get. It'll be interesting to see who can grab hold of it, beginning this weekend in Traverse City (at an eight-team prospects tournament)."
What kind of summer has it been for your assistant general manager and salary-cap specialist Brandon Pridham? Regarding the slow process of the Marner contract, you've said there are different leverages for different Leafs such as Matthews and Tavares. What has Brandon done trying to make it all work?
"Frankly, without Brandon, we'd be in a real bind. His ability to sift through countless situations and scenarios and come up with a strategy that will best help our team is remarkable. The work he did on all the contracts we've completed, even with the situation hanging over us (Marner), to be able to insure we'll be protected (including acquiring David Clarkson's dead contract money for LTIR purposes) so we can make the moves we need to, has been really outstanding."
You said earlier this week there is a plan in place to sign Marner without resorting to LTIR money on Oct. 2?
"There are a number of ways. The question was do we have to wait until the beginning of the regular season to sign him, and that answer would be no.
"Without getting into the minutiae of it, say tomorrow or before camp there's a breakthrough, there will be no delay in getting Mitch in here."
You've hinted there's a chance Jake Gardiner returns, though it clearly would take some-cap manoeuvring …
"Because of the quality of person Jake is, until he's locked in elsewhere, the door will never be closed here."
Coming off the playoff defeat to a club such as Boston, do you hope to add to team toughness, either grown organically or importing it?
"When it comes to toughness, our group is accumulating experience. Most of the guys now have three years of playoffs and, relatively speaking, three years of playoff disappointment. As they continue to grow, their tenacity and their use of those experiences to become more battle-hardened and ready for what lays ahead will increase.
"Our focus was to bring in players that fit our vision, who have the talent and ability. Just by chance some of those guys were also bigger. That might be something that comes into play. We continue to show patience and the group continues to grow. We'll be able to overcome a lot of those (toughness) questions in time."
Do you look forward to stability in backup goaltending? It became a big story on its own last year with Garret Sparks (the GM's choice) struggling behind Frederik Andersen.
"I think Garret is still going to be a good NHL goalie (now with the Vegas Golden Knights). It just didn't go well for him last year, but it doesn't mean he's not going to have success.
"For us here, it's Michal Neuvirth, Michael Hutchinson and (Marlies veteran) Kasimir Kaskisuo having a shot as well. We know what their history is (when playing well), it won't be discounted, but let's see how they perform, what our goaltending people have to say, and we'll make the call at the end of camp."
It has been asked many times if a captain will be chosen. Some feel having one might have made a difference at moments in the Boston series. Is the 'C' a front-burner issue this year?
"It's something I spend a lot of time thinking about. I understand the value of it and why people are interested in it. One of the reasons we've been patient is the history of captains the Leafs have had. It is a different role here than other places. That's not to say other situations are easier, but we have to be sure when we make that decision in Toronto, that we're absolutely correct.
"With the quality of people we have, I don't know if they would have really changed in that series or changed the way they operated if they were captain. They all bring various leadership attributes and I would hope that none of them would have changed in the series just because they had a different letter on their jersey.
"But whenever you lose, there's a number of things that people who've been around the game a long time just look at and point to and they very well might be right. We'll never know."
Ricky Olczyk, one of your top pro scouts, departed the team this week to become assistant GM of Seattle. Any other changes with that staff?
"No. A lot of time last year was spent hammering out the details of the player-personnel department, getting it all set. Once Ron Francis became GM in Seattle, we had an inkling because of his relationship with Ricky that would happen. We still feel pretty good about our pro scouting staff. We have Blair MacKasey with essentially more experience than anybody, Jimmy Roque and Troy Bodie is our director. Ricky just became official (Tuesday), so if a star candidate comes up, we have the flexibility to deal with that now."
lhornby@postmedia.com


text:
The decentralisation of work in face of Covid-19: working from home VS distributed headquarters
Sep 1, 2020 | Article
It may not have followed the path of a well designed corporate strategy, but undoubtedly Covid-19 has been a significant push for remote work.
Big tech too, of course, had to rush towards remote operation mode. Within the industry, we see two different takes on the decentralisation of work and organisations: one wants a large part of the workforce working from home indefinitely. It's the road taken by Facebook and Twitter, which are considering the standardisation of their temporary Covid-19 response: Twitter will allow employees to decide whether they want to come back once things normalise and Facebook plans to turn permanently up to half of its positions into remote ones.
The other option is to distribute the company's headquarters, to meet talents where they are. It's the strategy of Amazon, which in August announced plans to create 3 500 new tech and corporate jobs across six cities in the United States (Dallas, Detroit, Denver, New York (Manhattan), Phoenix, and San Diego). Amazon will invest in the construction and expansion of its Tech Hubs more than $1.4 billion. Expansion plans are also foreseen for Ireland (1 000 new jobs, 16 000 m2). Beth Galetti, Senior Vice President, Human Resources at Amazon says "We look forward to helping these communities grow their emerging tech workforce." On a side note, it is an excellent strategy to avoid spendings for stellar salaries and working VISAs to move talents to Silicon Valley. In 2017, Amazon invested $227.8 million only on its AI job positions.
The cost of talent acquisition is high. As the Corporate Solutions CEO at a major real estate firm comments on Forbes, the longer a specialist works from home, the easier it will be for them to take the bait of another company. "The biggest concerns and the questions that I get are around attraction, retention of talent, culture, the culture of innovation, collaboration," he says.
While the financial motivations for employers are clear, it is still to prove whether talents will gain something from staying where they are. Distributed offices may end up being cathedrals in the desert missing a key innovation factor, diversity.


Are you Stargirl Washu's biggest fan? Do you love the way Brainy acts so smart? Do you know how many people love Mr McEachern? If the the answer is yes, then take this quiz.
How well do you know the characters from the hit ABC television show?
How carefully did you watch the Hollyoaks late night special?
How much do you know about the show?
Are you a real fan of Pacific Blue?
How Much Do You Know About the Soap All My Children?
Do you think you know everything there is to know about your favorite soap opera All My Children? Well find out how much you really know about it!
How well do YOU know The Left Behind?
So, you think know the Left Behind series 1-4? Well, find out here!
For the true fans of Reign!


In Fate I project photographs of allergens by Theodore Gray and Nick Mann onto the wall. In a self-directed stage, I use my body to intervene on the screened images. Juxtaposed with their shades, my figure and skin fills them. By altering their color and shape, it performs my ever-changing mental relation with allergy. According to the doctors, allergic reactions to nickel and cobalt will accompany me for the rest of my life. This act of appropriation reinforces in me a state of inner peace and self-acceptance.


Professionele USB3.0 conferencing PTZ camera voor kleine tot middel-grote vergaderruimten.
Platform voor montage direct aan de wand. Geschikt tot 15 kg, formaat 25x34 cm.
Uitermate geschikt voor boven of onder uw Vidyo beeldscherm om hier uw HD PTZ Camera op te plaatsen.
Media Center trolley incl kast voor Vidyo conference systemen, voor een professionele opzet.
Professionele en robuuste muurbevestiging voor uw Vidyo beeldscherm.
Flexibele stand/trolley voor Vidyo conference systemen, voor een professionele opzet.
Beeldscherm is in hoogte instelbaar van 76-99 cm. (Midden v/h scherm) Platform is 40x50 cm en ook in hoogte instelbaar.
Beeldscherm is in hoogte instelbaar van 126-151 cm. (Midden v/h scherm) Platform is 40x50 cm en ook in hoogte instelbaar.
"VidyoGateway XL, 1U, 19"" rack mountable, appliance to connect Vidyo endpoints with Legacy H.323 and SIP Videoconferencing endpoints.
Supports up to 5 HD, 15 SD or 25 concurrent CIF connections.
Supports up to 50 voice only connections. For use with VidyoConferencing v2.0 or later.
NOTE: Connections through the VidyoGateway XL do NOT consume VidyoLine licenses for connectivity through the VidyoRouter."
- and content management for recorded VidyoConferences.
VidyoRouter XL 1U, 19" rackmountable, appliance to host up to 150 concurrent HD connections.
Includes dual hot-swappable power supplies.
VidyoRouters are stackable with auto load balancing provided by the VidyoPortal.
VidyoRouter 1U, 19" rackmountable, appliance to host up to 100 concurrent endpoint connections.
VidyoPortal XL 1U, 19" rack mountable, appliance to manage users, system components and meetings.
Designed for deployments of more than 10,000 registered users, more than 2,500 active users or more than 100 tenants.
Includes mounting rails. Also includes 2,500 Vidyo soft-client licenses.
VidyoPortal 1U, 19" rack mountable, appliance to manage users, system components and meetings.
For deployments of up to 10,000 registered users, 2,500 active users and 100 tenants.
Includes mounting rails. Also includes 1,000 Vidyo soft-client licenses (1 x LIC-SC-1000).
De VidyoRoom HD-3 is geschikt voor de grotere vergaderkamers en biedt met een 4K Ultra HD beeld capaciteit een fantastische video conferencing ervaring.
De krachtige VidyoRoom ™ HD-2 is het ideale systeem voor teamsamenwerking en levert een ongelooflijke 4K Ultra HD videoresolutie zonder enige concessies aan de totale kwaliteit conference ervaring.
De VidyoRoom HD-2 is zeer betaalbaar en heeft een compacte form factor die gemakkelijk te implementeren is in vrijwel elke vergader- of video conferencing ruimte.


The degree of redundancy in metabolic genes is linked to mode of metabolism.
Title The degree of redundancy in metabolic genes is linked to mode of metabolism.
An understanding of the factors favoring the maintenance of duplicate genes in microbial genomes is essential for developing models of microbial evolution. A genome-scale flux-balance analysis of the metabolic network of Saccharomyces cerevisiae has suggested that gene duplications primarily provide increased enzyme dosage to enhance metabolic flux because the incidence of gene duplications in essential genes is no higher than that in nonessential genes. Here, we used genome-scale metabolic models to analyze the extent of genetic and biochemical redundancy in prokaryotes that are either specialists, with one major mode of energy generation, or generalists, which have multiple metabolic strategies for conservation of energy. Surprisingly, the results suggest that generalists, such as Escherichia coli and Bacillus subtilis, are similar to the eukaryotic generalist, S. cerevisiae, in having a low percentage (<10%) of essential genes and few duplications of these essential genes, whereas metabolic specialists, such as Geobacter sulfurreducens and Methanosarcina barkeri, have a high percentage (>30%) of essential genes and a high degree of genetic redundancy in these genes compared to nonessential genes. Furthermore, the specialist organisms appear to rely more on gene duplications rather than alternative-but-equivalent metabolic pathways to provide resilience to gene loss. Generalists rely more on alternative pathways. Thus, the concept that the role of gene duplications is to boost enzymatic flux rather than provide metabolic resilience may not be universal. Rather, the degree of gene duplication in microorganisms may be linked to mode of metabolism and environmental niche.


text:
Griz at Southern Utah
Grizfan-24
I think that playoffs are an outside shot, but not a distant one. They would have to win the last two games AND get some incredible help from the field. You can argue whether this team deserves to be in the playoffs, but in recent years pundits have included Montana in the conversation despite less than overwhelming credentials with similar conference mediocrity. If Montana finishes 7-4 with a 5-3 conference record and that win over Northern Iowa, they'll get discussed.
I don't think there is any doubt this team could make the playoffs with 24 teams getting in, Montana's national reputation and the seating capacity of our stadium. I just don't think we would go very far because we are not a very good team. Making the playoffs doesn't make you a good team. Expanding the bracket to 24 teams was a mistake and now its just like a bowl system where almost every team gets a participation trophy.
I was at the SUU game. First, we played very well in all aspects of the game....except one......PENALTIES! I get so f_cking sick of watching our team get 2-3 stupid personal fowl penalties every game, along with their predictable array of holding, blocks-in-the-back, and motion penalties. PF penalties have always been a given with Hauck-coached teams, and it will cost us games in the future. Robby Hauck should have been called for 2 more personal fouls against SUU. He is trying too hard to be like uncle Tim, but lacks the speed and talent to do so. He is always chirping after every play and he just needs to STFU and play!
Discipline has never been a trademark of Bobby's teams, and nothing has changed. It is so refreshing watching two teams like Alabama and LSU play, without all of the bullshit PF penalties and cheap shots. Those two teams pounded each other with athleticism and hitting like you rarely see, but no cheap shots and stupid in-your-face chirping. Sabin will not tolerate stupidity in games. Players know they will sit if they make stupid penalties, so they don't. I wish Hauck would do the same. He could start with his son.
Last edited by growler; 11-09-2018, 06:53 AM.
Just a bit of commentary on PF penalties and penalties in general.
Over the years I have come to this philosophy about defensive penalties. The late hit penalties come in two general categories. The first I am more than willing to accept, which is the result of playing hard and effort. The second not so much, which is those that are situational and are the result of lack of awareness. I hate late hits out of bounds, running into kickers, punt returners and response penalties. I have no problem in having players getting penalties in coming to the aid of a teammate. We'd run on Mondays as a team for penalty yards. Kids knew that hustle penalties were different than mental penalties. We'd penalize 2 for 1 on every yard for mental mistake penalties, and 1/2 for every 1 physical penalty. We wanted to eliminate the mental mistakes and most years we were pretty successful at eliminating those as a team by mid year.
I have only benched a few kids over the years for penalties, and they were because the kids was clearly out of control and outside of their minds. Dirty plays will get the kids pulled off the field and that has happened more often, and like Bobby, there would be post game and practice conditioning enhancements. We've suspended kids over the years for things we have picked up on film (cheap shots, punches, and the like) and the officials have missed. Some of that stuff you have to be diligent about and some it frankly is in the flow of the game.
Originally posted by Grizfan-24 View Post
Hauck's teams commit penalties because he doesn't stress coaching not to do so. I can not remember Hauck ever talking about limiting penalties in an interview. I think we had 9 penalties for over 150 yards against SUU, and that fact was never mentioned in his presser, to my knowledge. Teams can overcome stupid penalties in games like the SUU game, but they can turn a win into a loss. Until Bobby places emphasis, and imposes consequences for his team committing stupid penalties, they will continue to be a regular occurrence with his teams just like in his first gig here.
I think there are two places that are highly reflective of coaching are as penalties are concerned. Procedure and form penalties. Delay of Game, Illegal Procedure, False Start, and the like are eminently fixable by how you practice and what you practice. The same goes if you are a pass pro team, and you have 3 to 4 holding penalties a game, or a press team and you get a ton of PI calls.
You can get PI and holds called while executing form perfectly, but it is my experience coaching in programs where you suffer from lack of details that you can put your players into to positions where they will get penalties called. I hate watching Press coverage teams who can't press. To me that is coaching, ability and scheme. All fixable.
If you can't fix it, then you have to change scheme or personnel.
It is the stupid personal fowl penalties that fry my ass. I would love to know how many PF penalties we have been imposed this season. I know that it is a lot of them. I have watched Alabama three times this season, and can not remember them getting PF penalty. A head coach can limit them by having a policy of non-tolerance for them. You get one, you sit for awhile.


text:
Q: Akka.NET query actors efficiently I'm creating a proof of concept with Akka.NET for a production project but I'm facing a query concept understanding problem.
Situation is a follows:
CoordinatorActor has a list of thousands of Hotel-Actors.
I would like to query all Hotel-Actors for all hotels with a room available on a specific date.
Of course I could foreach through them and sent a .Ask<> request for the specific date. Holding a reference of all the tasks and do a Task.WhenAll(requests). But that feels a little unnatural.
Alternatively I could send a broadcast message with a request for the specific date to all hotels at once (ActorSelection or router), but then I don't know when they all responded back with a Tell message.
Does anyone has a suggestion how to solve this?

A: Yes, your feelings are right here. Using Ask for communication between actors is considered highly inefficient - mostly because of each ask needs to allocate separate message listener.
First good question would be: do you need to wait for them all to respond back? Maybe responses can be emitted as they come.
In case, when you need to collect all of the data before replying, you need to have some way of counting all messages in order to guarantee if some of them are still pending - in that case using ActorSelection is not feasible. You'll need counter or list of identifiers that could be associated with each message - while they can be even ordinary numbers, usually IActorRefs are easier to work with.
Below you can see simplified example of Aggregator actor that can be created for this particular task - it will automatically return all replies, it received, and stop itself, once there are no more messages to wait for or a timeout has occurred.
class Aggregator<T> : ReceiveActor
{
    private IActorRef originalSender;
    private ISet<IActorRef> refs;

    public Aggregator(ISet<IActorRef> refs)
    {
        this.refs = refs;
        // this operation will finish after 30 sec of inactivity
        // (when no new message arrived)
        Context.SetReceiveTimeout(TimeSpan.FromSeconds(30));
        ReceiveAny(x =>
        {
            originalSender = Sender;
            foreach (var aref in refs) aref.Tell(x);
            Become(Aggregating);
        });
    }

    private void Aggregating()
    {
        var replies = new List<T>();
        // when timeout occurred, we reply with what we've got so far
        Receive<ReceiveTimeout>(_ => ReplyAndStop(replies));
        Receive<T>(x =>
        {
            if (refs.Remove(Sender)) replies.Add(x);
            if (refs.Count == 0) ReplyAndStop(replies);
        });
    }

    private void ReplyAndStop(List<T> replies)
    {
        originalSender.Tell(new AggregatedReply<T>(replies));
        Context.Stop(Self);
    }
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


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