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Derrick Bell Official Site
Established in 1995 by his wife, Janet Dewart Bell, to celebrate Professor Bell's 65th birthday, the Derrick Bell Lecture on Race in American Society at New York University School of Law has the distinction of being one of the nation's leading forums on race and the law. Previous speakers have included: Charles Ogletree, Charles Lawrence III, Patricia J. Williams, Richard Delgado, Cheryl Harris, Frank Michelman, Anita Allen, Mari Matsuda, Kendall Thomas, Lani Guinier, John O. Calmore, Robert A. Williams, Paul Butler, Emma Coleman Jordan, Devon W. Carbado and Derrick Bell himself. The 16th Annual Lecture, scheduled for November 2, 2011, will feature a presentation by Ian F. Haney Lopez, the John H. Boalt Professor of Law at the University of California, Berkeley School of Law. Additional information, including registration information, is available here.
Initially funded by the generous support of the Friends of Derrick Bell and the Geneva Crenshaw Society, the Bell Lecture is supported by New York University School of Law and by the Black, Latino, Asian Pacific American Law Alumni Association (BLAPA) at NYU Law. To honor Derrick Bell's memory and to continue his quest for social justice, the family asks that contributions be made to the Derrick Bell Lecture Fund.
To give online, please click here www.law.nyu.edu/giving
Directions: Complete the form and on the second page, please be sure to enter the gift amount in the "Other Designation" field and designate the "Derrick Bell Lecture Fund" in the text box below it (where it says "Please Specify").
Alternatively, contributions may also be sent to:
Derrick Bell Lecture Fund
D'Agostino Hall
110 West 3rd Street, 2nd Floor
Please be sure to make checks payable to "Derrick Bell Lecture Fund."
Thank you for your generosity and support of the Derrick Bell Lecture Fund.
© 2014 Janet Dewart Bell and the Geneva Crenshaw Society


Like Malabar spinach, New Zealand spinach is a great way to enjoy a tender green even in the heat of summer, when regular spinach doesn't grow well. In the warmest regions of the United States, it can be grown as a perennial, but in most regions it grows best as a warm-season annual.
Its flavor is similar than regular spinach but a little milder. The plant grows quite differently from regular spinach. Instead of forming a bunch, New Zealand spinach branches and spreads like a vine. Harvest the interesting medium-green triangular leaves and silvery expanding leaves, and use them exactly as you would spinach -- raw in salads, sauteed, or cooked.


'Twas strange enough that so many states were willing to declare their implied consent statutes unconstitutional by extrapolation from McNeely (although a few Texas courts sputtered at first). But, the process followed in Texas has had other interesting aspects.
For example, one must search long and hard for a prior instance where a motion for rehearing was granted, then considered for more than a year only to have the motion dismissed (accompanied, however, by concurring and dissenting opinions). Of course, another example of this curious procedure is found in today's handdown (in Robbins).
Why were the PDRs in Reeder and Holidy not dismissed as improvidently granted rather than opinions written affirming the intermediate court decisions?
Why was the opinion in Reeder ordered published (when it added nothing to the jurisprudence of the State, given what had already been said in Villarreal)?
Why were rulings of denial issued today with respect to only 20 of the 37 State's PDRs (filed since July, 2014) in which the constitutionality of 724.012 was raised? Is it still possible one or more of the remaining 17 might be granted? The need for more time offers no explanation; the PDR in Chidyausika has been in Austin for more than 9 months.
And, finally, why was there no ruling in William Smith's case (given the rulings in Moser and Richards)?
One program note: because the CCA has now reversed so many cases without discussing the conflict between art. 38.23 CCP and sec. 724.012, there is no chance the State will succeed in Cole (PD-0077-15). Hence, Texas will join Georgia, New Jersey, Delaware, and Hawai'i as the places where McNeely truly affected the outcome of prosecutions and not just future police practice (as everywhere else denied relief based on Davis).
I have now analyzed in greater depth the topsy-turvy, slow-motion world created by McNeely (particularly its effects on Texas DWI prosecution). For those who were actively involved, I thought it might be useful to share those observations. I realize that everyone else is certainly as tired of hearing about McNeely as someone recently said about some e-mails. With the denial of certiorari in the Cripps case, the meaning or application of McNeely in Oklahoma remains in doubt.
But consider this. While all this litigation has created some temporary disruption, the overall result will be the substantial improvement in the collection and use of scientific evidence of intoxication. Texas is now using blood search warrants like never before to prove intoxication.
And technology will eventually provide a method for testing alcohol concentrations without the need for a needle, making warrantless collection of evidence as easy as a breath test and fingerprinting. And the day will come when no car will start with a drunk behind the wheel. That, sir, would be real progress.


All documents listed below are required for a complete application to Lewis & Clark. Your file will not be reviewed until all documents are received. There is no application fee.
A listing of your extracurricular involvement, work experience, and other co-curricular activities. Include this information within the "Experiences" and "Achievements" sections of the "Supporting Information" portion of your Common Application.
A personal statement (250 words minimum) that addresses your academic history and your reasons for wanting to transfer. Upload your statement to the "Documents" section of Lewis & Clark's program materials portion of your Common Application.
Responses to all Lewis & Clark supplemental questions within the "Questions" section of Lewis & Clark's program materials portion of your Common Application.
Official college transcript(s) for all college coursework completed, including coursework completed prior to high school graduation. Transcripts may be submitted through the Common Application's transcript request system or you may have official transcripts sent directly to Lewis & Clark.
Official high school transcript including verification of graduation. This is required of all transfer applicants, even if you've been out of high school for several years and/or have been awarded an AA degree. If you took the GED or other high school proficiency exam, we require an official score report as well as transcripts for any completed high school coursework.
A record of SAT or ACT scores unless you have verified with the transfer counselor that you will have completed at least 29 semester (44 quarter) transferable credits prior to enrollment at Lewis & Clark. (Learn more about how to submit your test scores on our Policies and Procedures page.) Students applying via the Test-Optional Portfolio Path are not required to submit these scores.
One academic recommendation completed by a college instructor who has taught you in a full credit, traditional academic (non-performance or studio) college class taken post-high school graduation. Test-Optional Portfolio Path applicants must submit two academic instructor evaluations.
Complete list of current and projected courses. This is a list of all the classes you are currently taking and those you plan to take prior to enrolling at Lewis & Clark. You may use our online form or email transfer@lclark.edu with a list of courses. Please be sure to include course numbers, course titles, and the credit amount each course carries.
Some applicants may be required to provide a statement of good standing from their current/most recent institution. Not all applicants will be required to provide this documentation. The admissions committee will notify you if this is required and will provide you with instructions on how to obtain the needed information.
Transfer applicants who are applying for need-based financial aid should complete the FAFSA and CSS Profile by the March 1 priority deadline to receive full consideration for all sources of need-based aid.
Note: Personal interviews are an optional part of the application process. If you're wondering whether you should schedule an interview, read the top ten questions about Lewis & Clark College interviews.


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SUNNYVALE, Calif., April 25, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Juniper Networks (NYSE: JNPR), an industry leader in automated, scalable and secure networks, today reported preliminary financial results for the three months ended March 31, 2019 and provided its outlook for the three months ending June 30, 2019.
First Quarter 2019 Financial Performance
Net revenues were $1,001.7 million, a decrease of 7% year-over-year, and 15% sequentially.
GAAP operating margin was 4.3%, a decrease from 5.1% in the first quarter of 2018, and a decrease from 16.7% in the fourth quarter of 2018.
Non-GAAP operating margin was 11.2%, a decrease from 12.3% in the first quarter of 2018, and a decrease from 21.1% in the fourth quarter of 2018.
GAAP net income was $31.1 million, a decrease of 10% year-over-year, and a decrease of 84% sequentially, resulting in diluted earnings per share of $0.09.
Non-GAAP net income was $92.7 million, a decrease of 7% year-over-year and a decrease of 55% sequentially, resulting in non-GAAP diluted earnings per share of $0.26.
"The first quarter played out largely as we expected, with slightly better than forecasted sales across each of our core verticals," said Rami Rahim, chief executive officer, Juniper Networks. "While we are pleased with the progress we experienced versus our guidance, we are not satisfied with these results and remain focused on delivering a return to growth later this year. We believe the investments we are making in our go-to-market organization, new products we are bringing to market and the acquisition of Mist Systems should position us to achieve this objective."
"We exceeded our profitability targets during the first quarter, with non-GAAP gross margin, non-GAAP operating margin and non-GAAP earnings per share all coming in above the mid-point of our guidance," said Ken Miller, chief financial officer, Juniper Networks. "While we were delayed in executing our proposed $300 million accelerated share repurchase program during the first quarter, due to our acquisition of Mist Systems, we plan to execute this program during the current quarter given our ongoing belief in our future prospects."
Balance Sheet and Other Financial Results
Total cash, cash equivalents, and investments as of March 31, 2019 were $3,502.7 million, compared to $3,448.4 million as of March 31, 2018, and $3,758.1 million as of December 31, 2018.
Net cash flows provided by operations for the first quarter of 2019 was $159.4 million, compared to $271.1 million in the first quarter of 2018, and $212.4 million in the fourth quarter of 2018.
Days sales outstanding in accounts receivable, or "DSO," was 58 days in the first quarter of 2019, compared to 57 days in the first quarter of 2018, and 58 days in the fourth quarter of 2018.
Capital expenditures were $27.9 million, and depreciation and amortization expense was $51.0 million during the first quarter of 2019.
Juniper's Board of Directors has declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.19 per share to be paid on June 24, 2019 to shareholders of record as of the close of business on June 3, 2019.
These metrics are provided on a non-GAAP basis, except for revenue and share count. Non-GAAP earnings per share is on a fully diluted basis. The outlook assumes that the exchange rate of the U.S. dollar to other currencies will remain relatively stable at current levels.
Our Q2 revenue outlook reflects normal seasonal trends.
We expect revenue to grow on a sequential basis beyond the second quarter. While we continue to expect better trends during the second half of the year, we do expect to see some impact from seasonality during the third quarter. We expect to return to year-over-year growth in the fourth quarter. We remain confident in the long-term financial model we outlined at our Investor Day in November last year.
Full year non-GAAP gross margins are expected to improve directionally with revenue volume from Q1'19 levels, and we believe non-GAAP gross margin for the year will be toward the mid-point of our long-term financial model.
We plan to manage our operating expenses prudently; however, we expect the Mist Systems acquisition to be dilutive in 2019. Based on our current forecast, we expect non-GAAP operating expenses on a full year basis to be flat to slightly up versus 2018.
For the remainder of 2019, we expect a non-GAAP tax rate lower than Q1'19 levels.
We expect higher interest income compared to the prior year.
Due to the acquisition of Mist Systems and a higher than anticipated tax rate, we expect non-GAAP earnings per share of $1.75 +/- $0.05 for 2019. If not for these items, our non-GAAP EPS guidance for the year would remain unchanged.
Our guidance for the quarter ending June 30, 2019 is as follows:
Revenue will be approximately $1,100 million, plus or minus $30 million.
Non-GAAP gross margin will be approximately 59.5%, plus or minus 1%.
Non-GAAP operating expenses will be approximately $485 million, plus or minus $5 million.
Non-GAAP operating margin will be approximately 15.5% at the midpoint of revenue guidance.
Non-GAAP net income per share will be approximately $0.39, plus or minus $0.03. This assumes a share count of approximately 350 million.
All forward-looking non-GAAP measures exclude estimates for amortization of intangible assets, share-based compensation expenses, acquisition-related charges, restructuring benefits or charges, impairment charges, strategic partnership-related charges, legal reserve and settlement charges or benefits, supplier component remediation charges and recoveries, gain or loss on equity investments, retroactive impact of certain tax settlements, significant effects of tax legislation and judicial or administrative interpretation of tax regulations, including the impact of income tax reform, non-recurring income tax adjustments, valuation allowance on deferred tax assets, and the income tax effect of non-GAAP exclusions, and do not include the impact of tariffs and the impact of any future acquisitions, divestitures, or joint ventures that may occur in the period. Juniper is unable to provide a reconciliation of non-GAAP guidance measures to corresponding U.S. generally accepted accounting principles or GAAP measures on a forward-looking basis without unreasonable effort due to the overall high variability and low visibility of most of the foregoing items that have been excluded. For example, share-based compensation expense is impacted by the Company's future hiring needs, the type and volume of equity awards necessary for such future hiring, and the price at which the Company's stock will trade in those future periods. Amortization of intangible assets is significantly impacted by the timing and size of any future acquisitions. The items that are being excluded are difficult to predict and a reconciliation could result in disclosure that would be imprecise or potentially misleading. Material changes to any one of these items could have a significant effect on our guidance and future GAAP results. Certain exclusions, such as amortization of intangible assets and share-based compensation expenses, are generally incurred each quarter, but the amounts have historically and may continue to vary significantly from quarter to quarter.
First Quarter 2019 Financial Commentary Available Online
A CFO Commentary reviewing the Company's first quarter 2019 financial results, as well as second quarter 2019 financial outlook will be furnished to the SEC on Form 8-K and published on the Company's website at http://investor.juniper.net. Analysts and investors are encouraged to review this commentary prior to participating in the conference call webcast.
Conference Call Webcast
Juniper Networks will host a conference call webcast today, April 25, 2019, at 2:00 pm PT, to be broadcast live over the Internet at http://investor.juniper.net. To participate via telephone in the US, the toll free dial-in number is 1-877-407-8033. Outside the US, dial +1-201-689-8033. Please call 10 minutes prior to the scheduled conference call time. The webcast replay will be archived on the Juniper Networks website.
About Juniper Networks
Juniper Networks simplifies the complexities of networking with products, solutions and services in the cloud era to transform the way we connect, work and live. We remove the traditional constraints of networking to enable our customers and partners to deliver automated, scalable and secure networks that connect the world. Additional information can be found at Juniper Networks (www.juniper.net).
Investors and others should note that the Company announces material financial and operational information to its investors using its Investor Relations website, press releases, SEC filings and public conference calls and webcasts. The Company also intends to use the Twitter account @JuniperNetworks and the Company's blogs as a means of disclosing information about the Company and for complying with its disclosure obligations under Regulation FD. The social media channels that the Company intends to use as a means of disclosing information described above may be updated from time to time as listed on the Company's Investor Relations website.
Juniper Networks, the Juniper Networks logo, Juniper, and Junos are registered trademarks of Juniper Networks, Inc. and/or its affiliates in the United States and other countries. Other names may be trademarks of their respective owners.
Statements in this release concerning Juniper Networks' business outlook, economic and market outlook, including currency exchange rates; our future financial and operating results; our expectation for potential near-term dilution and long-term benefits from our Mist acquisition; our plans to enter into an accelerated share repurchase in the near term; our expectations regarding our sales execution and investments in our go-to-market organization; the strength of our solution portfolio and strategy; our ability to deliver on our long-term financial model; our ability to expand business opportunities, improve profitability and make necessary investments; our expectations around obtaining revenue and margin growth (including sequential revenue growth throughout the year and a return to year-over-year growth later in the year); our future financial and operating results, including our financial guidance; and our overall future prospects are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act that involve a number of uncertainties and risks. Actual results or events could differ materially from those anticipated in those forward-looking statements as a result of several factors, including: general economic and political conditions globally or regionally; business and economic conditions in the networking industry; changes in overall technology spending by our customers, including Cloud providers and Service Providers; the network capacity requirements of our customers and, in particular, cloud and telecommunication service providers; contractual terms that may result in the deferral of revenue; the timing of orders and their fulfillment; manufacturing and supply chain constraints, changes or disruptions; availability of key product components; delays in scheduled product availability; adoption of regulations or standards affecting Juniper Networks products, services or the networking industry; product defects, returns or vulnerabilities; significant effects of tax legislation and judicial or administrative interpretation of tax regulations, including the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, and judicial or administrative interpretation of tax regulations; legal settlements and resolutions; the potential impact of activities related to the execution of capital return, restructurings and product rationalization; the impact of import tariffs, depending on their scope and how they are implemented; and other factors listed in Juniper Networks' most recent report on Form 10-Q or 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Note that our estimates as to tax rate on our business are based on current tax law, including current interpretations of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, and could be materially affected by changing interpretations of the Act, as well as additional legislation and guidance around the Act. All statements made in this press release are made only as of the date set forth at the beginning of this release. Juniper Networks undertakes no obligation to update the information made in this release in the event facts or circumstances subsequently change after the date of this press release.
Use of Non-GAAP Financial Information
Juniper Networks believes that the presentation of non-GAAP financial information provides important supplemental information to management and investors regarding financial and business trends relating to the company's financial condition and results of operations. For further information regarding why Juniper Networks believes that these non-GAAP measures provide useful information to investors, the specific manner in which management uses these measures, and some of the limitations associated with the use of these measures, please refer to the "Discussion of Non-GAAP Financial Measures" section of this press release. The following tables and reconciliations can also be found on our Investor Relations website at http://investor.juniper.net.
Preliminary Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations
(in millions, except per share amounts)
Net revenues:
Product $ 618.7 $ 710.8
Service 383.0 371.8
Total net revenues 1,001.7 1,082.6
Cost of revenues:
Product 270.0 306.4
Total cost of revenues 419.4 464.2
Gross margin 582.3 618.4
Research and development 227.6 269.4
Sales and marketing 228.5 239.4
General and administrative 68.2 56.0
Restructuring charges (benefits) 15.3 (1.9 )
Total operating expenses 539.6 562.9
Operating income 42.7 55.5
Other income (expense), net 1.8 (14.1 )
Income before income taxes 44.5 41.4
Income tax provision 13.4 7.0
Net income $ 31.1 $ 34.4
Net income per share:
Basic $ 0.09 $ 0.10
Diluted $ 0.09 $ 0.10
Shares used in computing net income per share:
Basic 348.1 355.3
Diluted 352.7 360.6
Preliminary Net Revenues by Product and Service
(in millions)
Routing $ 374.7 $ 408.1
Switching 176.4 230.0
Security 67.6 72.7
Total Product 618.7 710.8
Total Service 383.0 371.8
Total $ 1,001.7 $ 1,082.6
Preliminary Net Revenues by Vertical(*)
Cloud $ 223.1 $ 270.9
Service Provider 435.6 480.1
Enterprise 343.0 331.6
(*) Certain prior-period amounts have been reclassified to conform to the current-period classifications.
Preliminary Net Revenues by Geographic Region
Americas $ 543.6 $ 587.6
Europe, Middle East, and Africa 286.2 308.0
Asia Pacific 171.9 187.0
Preliminary Reconciliations between GAAP and non-GAAP Financial Measures
(in millions, except percentages and per share amounts)
March 31, 2019 December 31, 2018 March 31, 2018
GAAP operating income $ 42.7 $ 196.8 $ 55.5
GAAP operating margin 4.3 % 16.7 % 5.1 %
Share-based compensation expense C 33.9 36.9 70.4
Share-based payroll tax expense C 4.7 0.4 5.6
Amortization of purchased intangible assets A 4.9 4.3 4.4
Restructuring charges (benefits) B 15.3 5.0 (1.9 )
Acquisition-related charges A 10.2 4.3 0.1
Strategic partnership-related charges B 0.8 1.0 —
Legal reserve and settlement benefits B — — (0.6 )
Non-GAAP operating income $ 112.5 $ 248.7 $ 133.5
Non-GAAP operating margin 11.2 % 21.1 % 12.3 %
GAAP net income $ 31.1 $ 192.2 $ 34.4
Loss on equity investments B 1.1 1.3 —
Estimated tax expense from income tax reform B — 3.2 —
Recognition of previously unrecognized tax benefits B — (5.4 ) —
Reduction of expected tax liabilities from tax accounting method change B — (26.7 ) —
Income tax effect of non-GAAP exclusions B (9.3 ) (10.8 ) (12.9 )
Non-GAAP net income $ 92.7 $ 205.7 $ 99.5
GAAP diluted net income per share $ 0.09 $ 0.55 $ 0.10
Non-GAAP diluted net income per share D $ 0.26 $ 0.59 $ 0.28
Shares used in computing diluted net income per share 352.7 350.8 360.6
Discussion of Non-GAAP Financial Measures
This press release, including the tables above, includes the following non-GAAP financial measures derived from our Preliminary Consolidated Statements of Operations: operating income; operating margin; net income; and diluted net income per share. These measures are not presented in accordance with, nor are they a substitute for GAAP. In addition, these measures may be different from non-GAAP measures used by other companies, limiting their usefulness for comparison purposes. The non-GAAP financial measures used in the table above should not be considered in isolation from measures of financial performance prepared in accordance with GAAP. Investors are cautioned that there are material limitations associated with the use of non-GAAP financial measures as an analytical tool. In particular, certain of the adjustments to our GAAP financial measures reflect the exclusion of items that are recurring and will be reflected in our financial results for the foreseeable future.
We utilize a number of different financial measures, both GAAP and non-GAAP, in analyzing and assessing the overall performance of our business, in making operating decisions, forecasting and planning for future periods, and determining payments under compensation programs. We consider the use of the non-GAAP measures presented above to be helpful in assessing the performance of the continuing operation of our business. By continuing operation, we mean the ongoing revenue and expenses of the business, excluding certain items that render comparisons with prior periods or analysis of on-going operating trends more difficult, such as expenses not directly related to the actual cash costs of development, sale, delivery or support of our products and services, or expenses that are reflected in periods unrelated to when the actual amounts were incurred or paid. Consistent with this approach, we believe that disclosing non-GAAP financial measures to the readers of our financial statements provides such readers with useful supplemental data that, while not a substitute for financial measures prepared in accordance with GAAP, allows for greater transparency in the review of our financial and operational performance. In addition, we have historically reported non-GAAP results to the investment community and believe that continuing to provide non-GAAP measures provides investors with a tool for comparing results over time. In assessing the overall health of our business for the periods covered by the table above and, in particular, in evaluating the financial line items presented in the table above, we have excluded items in the following three general categories, each of which are described below: Acquisition-Related Charges, Other Items, and Share-Based Compensation Related Items. We also provide additional detail below regarding the shares used to calculate our non-GAAP net income per share. Notes identified for line items in the table above correspond to the appropriate note description below. With respect to the items excluded from our forward-looking non-GAAP measures and reconciliation of such measures, please see the "Outlook" section above.
Note A: Acquisition-Related Charges. We exclude certain expense items resulting from acquisitions including amortization of purchased intangible assets associated with our acquisitions. The amortization of purchased intangible assets associated with our acquisitions results in our recording expenses in our GAAP financial statements that were already expensed by the acquired company before the acquisition and for which we have not expended cash. Moreover, had we internally developed the products acquired, the amortization of intangible assets, and the expenses of uncompleted research and development would have been expensed in prior periods. Accordingly, we analyze the performance of our operations in each period without regard to such expenses. In addition, acquisitions result in non-continuing operating expenses, which would not otherwise have been incurred by us in the normal course of our business operations. We believe that providing non-GAAP information for acquisition-related expense items in addition to the corresponding GAAP information allows the users of our financial statements to better review and understand the historic and current results of our continuing operations, and also facilitates comparisons to less acquisitive peer companies.
Note B: Other Items. We exclude certain other items that are the result of either unique or unplanned events, including the following, when applicable: (i) restructuring charges or benefits; (ii) strategic partnership-related charges (iii) legal reserve and settlement charges or benefits; (iv) gain or loss on equity investments; (v) significant effects of tax legislation and judicial or administrative interpretation of tax regulations, including the impact of income tax reform; (vi) recognition of previously unrecognized tax benefits that are non-recurring in nature; (vii) the income tax effect on our financial statements of excluding items related to our non-GAAP financial measures. It is difficult to estimate the amount or timing of these items in advance. Although these events are reflected in our GAAP financial statements, these unique or unplanned transactions may limit the comparability of our on-going operations with prior and future periods. Restructuring benefits or charges result from events that arise from unforeseen circumstances, which often occur outside of the ordinary course of continuing operations. These expenses do not accurately reflect the underlying performance of our continuing business operations for the period in which they are incurred. We also exclude certain expenses incurred for the formation of a strategic partnership, as they are directly related to an event that is distinct and does not reflect current ongoing business operations. In the case of legal reserves and settlements, these gains or losses are recorded in the period in which the matter is concluded or resolved even though the subject matter of the underlying dispute may relate to multiple or different periods. As such, we believe that these expenses do not accurately reflect the underlying performance of our continuing operations for the period in which they are incurred. Additionally, we exclude previously unrecognized tax benefits that are non-recurring in nature which are recorded in the period in which applicable statutes of limitation lapse or upon the completion of tax review cycles as the tax matter may relate to multiple or different periods. Further, the impact of certain income tax reform, including the revaluation of our deferred tax assets and liabilities are unique events that occur in periods that are generally unrelated to the level of business activity to which such tax reform or legislation applies. We believe these tax events limit the comparability with prior periods and that these expenses or benefits do not accurately reflect the underlying performance of our continuing business operations for the period in which they are incurred. We also believe providing financial information with and without the income tax effect of excluding items related to our non-GAAP financial measures provide our management and users of the financial statements with better clarity regarding the on-going performance and future liquidity of our business. Because of these factors, we assess our operating performance with these amounts both included and excluded, and by providing this information, we believe the users of our financial statements are better able to understand the financial results of what we consider our continuing operations.
Note C: Share-Based Compensation Related Items. We provide non-GAAP information relative to our expense for share-based compensation and related payroll tax. Due to the varying available valuation methodologies, subjective assumptions and the variety of award types, which affect the calculations of share-based compensation, we believe that the exclusion of share-based compensation and related payroll tax allows for more accurate comparisons of our operating results to our peer companies and is useful to investors to understand the impact of share-based compensation to our results of operations. Further, expense associated with granting share-based awards does not reflect any cash expenditures by the company as no cash is expended.
Note D: Non-GAAP Net Income Per Share Items. We provide diluted non-GAAP net income per share. The diluted non-GAAP net income per share includes additional dilution from potential issuance of common stock, except when such issuances would be anti-dilutive.
Preliminary Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets
Cash and cash equivalents $ 2,155.6 $ 2,489.0
Short-term investments 1,227.4 1,070.1
Accounts receivable, net of allowances 645.4 754.6
Prepaid expenses and other current assets 281.2 268.1
Total current assets 4,309.6 4,581.8
Property and equipment, net 892.4 951.7
Operating lease right-of-use assets
Long-term investments 119.7 199.0
Purchased intangible assets, net 113.5 118.5
Goodwill 3,109.3 3,108.8
Other long-term assets 409.2 403.5
Total assets $ 9,137.9 $ 9,363.3
Accounts payable $ 219.1 $ 208.8
Accrued compensation 166.8 221.0
Deferred revenue 860.1 829.3
Short-term portion of long-term debt — 349.9
Other accrued liabilities 243.1 233.5
Total current liabilities 1,489.1 1,842.5
Long-term debt 1,789.6 1,789.1
Long-term deferred revenue 370.8 384.3
Long-term income taxes payable 407.3 404.4
Long-term operating lease liabilities
Other long-term liabilities 53.2 119.8
Total liabilities 4,286.7 4,540.1
Total stockholders' equity 4,851.2 4,823.2
Total liabilities and stockholders' equity $ 9,137.9 $ 9,363.3
Preliminary Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows
Three Months Ended March 31,
Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities:
Share-based compensation expense 33.9 70.4
Depreciation, amortization, and accretion 48.7 55.7
Other (2.2 ) 1.7
Changes in operating assets and liabilities, net of acquisitions:
Accounts receivable, net 108.6 170.8
Prepaid expenses and other assets 0.5 (11.7 )
Accounts payable 10.1 (31.2 )
Accrued compensation (54.9 ) (14.1 )
Income taxes payable (5.7 ) (7.6 )
Other accrued liabilities (27.9 ) (51.1 )
Deferred revenue 17.2 53.8
Net cash provided by operating activities 159.4 271.1
Purchases of property and equipment (27.9 ) (42.2 )
Purchases of available-for-sale debt securities (884.4 ) (8.1 )
Proceeds from sales of available-for-sale debt securities 232.8 968.0
Proceeds from maturities and redemptions of available-for-sale debt securities 578.3 215.4
Purchases of equity securities (5.1 ) (2.0 )
Proceeds from sales of equity securities 2.2 3.3
Subsequent payments related to acquisitions in prior years — (22.2 )
Net cash provided by (used in) investing activities (104.1 ) 1,112.2
Repurchase and retirement of common stock (2.9 ) (754.2 )
Proceeds from issuance of common stock 29.5 29.3
Payment of dividends (66.2 ) (62.1 )
Change in customer financing arrangement — (16.6 )
Payment of debt (350.0 ) —
Net cash used in financing activities (389.6 ) (803.6 )
Effect of foreign currency exchange rates on cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash 1.6 6.2
Net increase in cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash (332.7 ) 585.9
Cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash at beginning of period 2,505.8 2,059.1
Cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash at end of period $ 2,173.1 $ 2,645.0
Jess Lubert
jlubert@juniper.net
Media Relations:
Leslie Moore
llmoore@juniper.net

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


A little bit about me…First and foremost, I seem to posses the ability to communicate effectively with all ages. I am able to take into account, all situations and circumstances surrounding any child and reach them on a level which they can understand, naturally, dependent upon age. I hold a Ph.D., from UTH, in the study of Social Liberal Science. I believe that with children of all ages, you must always address everything in an intellectual way by which each can understand. I also believe that no two children are alike and will respond differently by the way they are approached. I was raised in a household with strong convictions come from communication and not necessarily punishment. After all, even adults are more receptive to respond to the positive versus the negative. I do not believe it is ever necessary to raise a hand to a child in order to validate and enforce punishment. Violence breeds violence and is an applicable statement in all behaviors proven by who and what we are today.
I am passionate about child care and education.
I am seeking to continue my career as a nanny to show my abilities working with kids to help them grow.


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#ifndef _TYPES_H_
#define _TYPES_H_

/**
 * @file types.h
 * @author Konstantin Tcholokachvili
 * @date 2007, 2013
 * @license MIT License
 *
 * Basic types definition
 */

#define NULL ((void*)0)

typedef enum { FALSE=0, TRUE } bool_t;

typedef unsigned long long int  uint64_t;	/**< 64 bits unsigned */
typedef unsigned long int       uint32_t; 	/**< 32 bits unsigned */
typedef unsigned short int      uint16_t; 	/**< 16 bits unsigned */
typedef unsigned char           uint8_t;  	/**< 8  bits unsigned */
typedef unsigned char           uchar_t;  	/**< 8  bits unsigned */

typedef signed long long int    int64_t;	/**< 64 bits signed */
typedef signed long int         int32_t; 	/**< 32 bits signed */
typedef signed short int        int16_t; 	/**< 16 bits signed */
typedef signed char             int8_t;		/**< 8  bits signed */

/** Physical address */
typedef unsigned int            paddr_t;

/** Virtual address */
typedef unsigned int            vaddr_t;

/** Memory size of an object */
typedef unsigned int            size_t;

/** Return status **/
typedef int                     ret_t;

/** Offset type */
typedef signed int              off_t;

#endif // _TYPES_H_

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


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In the Bible, extraordinary, miraculous occurrences — called wonders and signs — are performed by God in times of great crisis. In the ancient world, it was popular and accepted thinking that one's deity intervened in the ordinary course of events as an expression of that's deity's will and purpose. Writes Alan Arkush, in the introduction to his article "Miracles":
"The Bible reports the wondrous ways in which God redeemed Israel from slavery, gave it a law and a land, and guided its subsequent life as a nation. It tells us, on occasion, how the Israelites reacted when God performed signs and wonders for their sake. Observing the Egyptians dead upon the seashore, for instance, "Israel saw the wondrous power which the Lord had wielded against the Egyptians, the people feared the Lord; they had faith in the Lord, and in His servant Moses".[1] The "wilderness generation" saw and believed. Later generations are expected to believe without having seen. It is true, of course, that "in every generation a man is obligated to see himself as if he had gone forth from Egypt," [2] but that is an obligation he can shoulder only if he already has faith in the veracity of the biblical reports…"[3]
Then Moses held out his arm over the sea and the LORD drove back the sea with a strong east wind all that night, and turned the sea into dry ground. The waters were split .[2]
The biblical miracles are unquestionably accepted by the sages of the Talmud; that they contradict the natural order of nature is explained by the fact that they were preordained and provided for — even as unnatural acts — in the act of creation. Later commentators begin to question this thinking, interpreting biblical miracles as natural phenomena, as figurative manners of speech, or by redefining the conception of "miracle" altogether.
In medieval times, rationalists Jewish philosophers like Maimonides (1135-1204; Spain, Egypt; most of his life in Egypt) and Gersonides (1288-1344, France) proposed a new definition of the miracle, according to which the essence of the miracle does not lie in its being contradictory to nature, but in its having a particular significance in history. Moses Maimonides sought to explain biblical wonders, to the extent possible, in accordance with the natural order, but was prepared to invoke God's supernatural power where naturalistic explanations seemed hopelessly irreconcilable with the biblical text. Gersonides (1288-1344) stated that miracles cannot be of regular occurrence for that would signify a defect in the natural order. Nahmanides (Ramban; 1194-1270, Spain), on the other hand, disputed Maimonides' rationalist conception of miracles, viewing miracles from a kabbalistic viewpoint as an immutable supernatural reality; according to Nahmanides, no man can share in the Torah of Moses unless he believes that all our history consists of miracles.
Later Jewish thinkers offered variant approaches. Spinoza (1632-1677; Holland), on the other hand, abandoned totally the idea of a God who could contravene nature; he rejected the credibility of the biblical miracles as he viewed natural law as inviolable.
S. D. Luzzatto (1800-1865, Italy) attacked the rational approach of the Jewish philosophers of his day, affirming the historicity of the miracles in the Bible. Samuel Hirsch (1808-1888, Germany) in his Die Religionsphilosophie der Juden (1842) also upheld the historicity of the miracles recorded in the Bible, while stressing that it was the moral and educational value and not the miraculous incident which was of significance. In the biblical period, he wrote, God revealed Himself to Israel by means of miracles in order to demonstrate that He was above nature and that nature was not omnipotent. Moses Mendelssohn maintained that the truth of any religion can be proved only if it can be upheld by reason; without rejecting the possibility of miracles, Mendelssohn stressed that Judaism did not appeal for belief to the authority of miracles but to that of direct revelation witnessed by the entire people.
Among modern Jewish thinkers, Franz Rosenzweig, Martin Buber and Abraham Joshua Heschel returned to the biblical notion that miracles signify God's presence. Rosenzweig (1886-1929; Germany) believed, as did Maimonides, that the miracles of the Bible were built into the scheme of things from creation, hence, they were part of the natural order; they were miraculous because of the significant role they played in history. Buber (1878-1965; Austria, Israel), too, stressed that no miracle is contrary to nature, and that the essential element in the miracle is "our receptivity to the eternal revelation." Heschel (1907-1972; Poland, U.S.) stressed the same points, speaking of "the legacy of wonder"[4] or "radical amazement" to describe the sense of mystery and awe that he attributed to biblical figures.
Mordechai Kaplan (1881-1983; Lithuania, US) differed from his contemporaries in his rationalist approach, moving beyond the the medieval philosophers by denying any validity to the miracle, insofar as it supposedly goes against natural law (as explained by modern physics). While rejecting the literalness of the miracle, Kaplan saw in the concept that God performs miracles for the sake of the righteous an important idea that has value for modern man, namely, the idea of responsibility and loyalty to what is right.
[1] Exodus 14:31 [back]
[2] Passover Haggada [back]
[3] Allan Arkush, "Miracle" in Arthur A. Cohen and Paul Mendes-Flohr, editors, Contemporary Jewish Religous Thought (New York; The Free Press, 1987) p. 621. [back]
[4] Abraham Joshua Heschel, God in Search of Man (Philadelphia: Jewish Publication Society of America, 1959), p. 43. [back]
Encyclopedia Judaica, Vols. 11-12 (Keter Publications, 1973)
Philip Birnbaum, Encyclopedia of Jewish Concepts (New York: Hebrew Publishing Company, 1998)
Allan Arkush, "Miracles," in: Arthur A. Cohen and Paul Medes-Flores, editors, Contemporary Jewish Religious Thought: Original essays on Critical concepts, movements, and beliefs (New York: The Free Press, 1987), pp. 621-625.
Miracles TABLE OF CONTENTS


Simple small purse that consists of a simple compartment and is closed by a zipper. Outside is also a second small compartment for business cards, bank notes or cards. This purse is made for those who do not carry a lot of frills and have an interest in having a small wallet.
The "coin purse" is also in gray available.


Steakhouse Wedge Salad is one of those Steakhouse mysteries. How can something with 4 ingredients taste so absolutely phenomenal? I've been to quite a few places that serve a wedge salad, with a variety of toppings, but the one I find at a steakhouse always takes the cake. Or salad! Crisp lettuce, bacon, and tomatoes drizzled with a chunky blue cheese dressing somehow makes going to a steakhouse for salad seem normal. But why wait for a trip to the steakhouse when you can make Steakhouse Wedge Salad at home quickly and easily and for a lot less?
The fresher the ingredients, the better your Steakhouse Wedge Salad. The trick to making this salad stay fresh is freeze your individual salad bowls or plates about an hour before you are going to serve the Steakhouse Wedge Salad. Keep them frozen, only taking them out when you are ready to put the ingredients together, as these salads are made right on the plate. I start with a very fresh and icy cold head of iceberg lettuce. Take out the core from the bottom by lightly smashing it on the counter, core side down. The core will pop right out! Cut the lettuce in quarters for a classic Steakhouse Wedge Salad. I love using heirloom or roma tomatoes for the salad, removing the seeds and just cutting up the flesh. I bake my bacon crispy on a cookie sheet then crumble it for an easy way to get perfect bacon. Pepper coated bacon works fantastically in Steakhouse Wedge Salad. Lastly, I use a quality chunky blue cheese dressing, usually one that I find in a jar in the produce section. The flavor is completely different than the bottles in the dressing aisle, and well worth the extra dollar or so, especially since you can make 4 salads for less than the cost of 1 at the restaurant!
Steakhouse Wedge Salad does not keep once it's made up. But it still makes a great lunch at work. Simply take all the ingredients in separate containers and assemble once it's time for lunch. You'll have a beautiful lunch that is fresh and delicious, and beats a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Grab the ingredients and make a delicious Steakhouse Wedge Salad!


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OTW Guest Post: Euclase
2017-05-28 2017-05-28 Retired Personnel Guest Post
From time to time, the OTW will be hosting guest posts on our OTW News accounts. These guests will be providing an outside perspective on the OTW or aspects of fandom where our projects may have a presence. The posts express each author's personal views and do not necessarily reflect the views of the OTW or constitute OTW policy. We welcome suggestions from fans for future guest posts, which can be left as a comment here or by contacting us directly.
Elicia Donze, also known as Euclase, is a professional artist and fan creator who has been active in fandom communities since the 90s. She is an outspoken advocate for the creation and protection of fandom safe spaces for female and queer communities and a longtime supporter of fandom culture and derivative works. Today, Elicia talks about her history in fandom, her preferred media, and what she loves about fandom
How did you first get into fandom and fanworks?
Way back in 1998, I made a geocities website about Eowyn from The Lord Of The Rings for a class assignment. A few years later, the movies came out, and a few lovely fan girls saw my site and invited me to join their forum, Parma Eruseen, which was quite a big forum in the day, where I eventually became a moderator and fan fiction and fan art contributor. From there I went to livejournal, then Tumblr, but I've been creating fan works since I was a child, and I've been sharing them online for about as long as the means to do so has been available.
Are you currently active in any fandoms?
I'm a little bit active in a lot of fandoms. I make art of a lot of different characters, and I watch and read a lot of different content. I'm a pretty consistently devoted Star Trek, Star Wars, and horror genre fan. But for the last decade my favorite has been Supernatural.
You do a lot of really amazing digital work; are there certain types of art where you prefer to use more traditional media?
I prefer digital online because it's easier to share and very versatile and tidy. In real life, in more analog art settings where I'm doing a drawing for someone or putting art in a gallery, I sometimes like traditional. I also like traditional when I'm scribbling in a journal.
If you could go back and give one piece of advice to your younger self, what would it be?
Don't be ashamed to do whatever makes you happy. Your happiness is valuable.
How did you hear about the OTW and what do you see its role as?
Not to age myself, but I remember astolat's post on livejournal where the whole thing got started, so I've known about the OTW and AO3 since it began. I've always believed in the value of fanworks, ungoverned by commercial media, and the need of the (predominantly) female fan community to reclaim its own mythology in a free, safe space. The OTW and AO3 are endlessly valuable as a resource and community foundation for those of us who might not otherwise have a validated community.
What fandom things have inspired you the most?
Everything. I don't know if I could narrow it down. Watching fangirls take themselves as seriously as any scholar or master in a setting where they are respected, where there's no shame for them to discuss and cultivate and share their passions–there's nothing more inspiring than that. The best writers, the best artists, the best scholars are in fandom.
Catch up on earlier guest posts
3 thoughts to "OTW Guest Post: Euclase"
Eden Cook says:
Elicia, you are a constant inspiration to me, both artistically and personally. Thank you for your strength, I will never forget you.
Rachel Williams says:
Lovely sentiments!
Finding this community and becoming a part of it was wonderful. But seeing people who have been in fandom for so long and are STILL just as deeply involved and thriving… I could almost cry with the validation.
Hammer to Fall and Bang and Blame are Moving to the AO3


We have a size run of the JS Industries Monsta Box HyFi on our racks at Zak Surfboards!!! Topped up last week, the JS Monsta Box has been one of our best selling shortboards in store since its release. Initially conceived to combine the best features of two of JS's best selling models into one board (The Monsta & The Blak Box II) The end result was a new model that worked for a broader range of surfers and in a much wider range of conditions.
This Monsta Box model has less rocker than the Monsta but a touch more curve than the Blak Box II. The outline is more generous than the Monsta, but not as broad as the Black Box II. The tail block also sits somewhere in between these two models with a nice hip drawing back into a rounded square tail. A sweet single to double concave will give you plenty of lift to help you get up and running in quickly.


With an expanded voting Academy and an increase to 10 votes per person, the 2017 list of The World's 50 Best Restaurants brings a stronger pool than ever of incredible dining experiences spread across the world. Led by 26 regional chairs, the voting Academy is made up of chefs, restaurateurs, gastronomes and food critics.
This year's ranking, revealed at an awards ceremony in Melbourne, Australia, showcases restaurants from 22 countries, with six new entries and three new entries from Paris to Tokyo. Check out the list in pictures.
Peter Goossens' stated mission is to put a smile on the faces of visitors to his beautiful farmhouse in the fields of Flanders. It's a goal he has achieved with great success over 30 happy years spreading the joys of Belgian cuisine.


Can you recall when you first began your home business? You probably thought that you had adequately prepared yourself for the many challenges ahead. A lot of time has gone by, and you need to get refreshed. The following article will give you some great advice for running your own home business.
Before you start a home business, be sure to research your market first so that you know what products or services are in demand. No one is going to buy what you are selling if they don't want or need it. Find out what people actually want, and then offer it to them.
It is important to keep that initial excitement going. Although you want to be successful, you may have forgotten certain things or you may have needed motivation. With any luck, this piece has been useful to you.
This entry was posted in Blog and tagged Look Here For Great Advice About Home Business by pagesthi. Bookmark the permalink.
Special thanks to Pest Control Adelaide for making sure that the property we purchased in Adelaide was termite free. You exceeded our expectations with your termite control and inspection service.


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People stand inside the lobby of China's Xinhua News Agency after it was damaged by protesters in Hong Kong, Saturday, Nov. 2, 2019. Hong Kong riot police fired multiple rounds of tear gas and used a water cannon Saturday to break up a rally by thousands of masked protesters demanding meaningful autonomy after Beijing indicated it could tighten its grip on the Chinese territory. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)
Police in riot gear ask a woman to take off her mask outside a train station in Hong Kong, Sunday, Nov. 3, 2019. Riot police stormed several malls in Hong Kong on Sunday in a move to thwart more pro-democracy protests, as the city's leader heads to Beijing for talks on deepening economic integration between the semi-autonomous Chinese territory and mainland China. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)
A demonstrator reacts as police fire tear gas during a protest in Hong Kong, Saturday, Nov. 2, 2019. Pro-democracy protesters attacked the office of Chinese news agency Xinhua for the first time Saturday, after familiar chaos downtown that saw police and demonstrators trading petrol bombs, tear gas and water cannon in the 22nd straight weekend of unrest. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)
Onlookers stand in the entrance of a restaurant as police in riot gear gather during a protest in Hong Kong, Saturday, Nov. 2, 2019. Pro-democracy protesters attacked the office of Chinese news agency Xinhua for the first time Saturday, after familiar chaos downtown that saw police and demonstrators trading petrol bombs, tear gas and water cannon in the 22nd straight weekend of unrest. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)
A protester prepares to hurl a molotov cocktail toward police during clashes in Hong Kong, Saturday, Nov. 2, 2019. Riot police fired multiple rounds of tear gas and used water cannons Saturday to swiftly break up a rally in downtown Hong Kong by thousands of masked protesters demanding meaningful autonomy after Beijing indicated it could tighten its grip on the Chinese territory. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)
A man walks past the posters with Chinese words read "Peaceful protesters and frontliners stand together" at a shopping mall in Hong Kong, Sunday, Nov. 3, 2019. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)
HONG KONG — Riot police stormed several malls in Hong Kong on Sunday in a move to thwart more pro-democracy protests, as the city's leader heads to Beijing for talks on deepening economic integration between the semi-autonomous Chinese territory and mainland China.
There were calls online urging protesters to gather in seven locations to sustain a push for political reform following a chaotic day of protests and clashes with police on Saturday, with the anti-government movement showing no signs of letting up after nearly five months.
Most of the rallies didn't pan out Sunday as scores of riot police took positions, searching and arresting people, dispersing crowds and blocking access to a park next to the office of the city's embattled leader, Carrie Lam.
Still, small pockets of hardcore demonstrators managed to cause some trouble.
As some protesters chanted slogans at the New Town Plaza shopping mall in Sha Tin, police said they moved in after some "masked rioters" with fire extinguishers vandalized turnstiles and smashed windows at the subway station linked to the mall.
In two malls in the New Territories in the north, protesters vandalized shops, threw paint and attacked an outlet of Japanese fast food chain Yoshinoya, which has been frequently targeted after its owner voiced support for the Hong Kong police.
Police rushed into one of the malls after objects were thrown at them. At another, protesters used umbrellas and cable ties to lock the mall entrance to prevent police from entering.
Later Sunday, police stormed the Cityplaza shopping complex on Hong Kong Island after some protesters sprayed graffiti at a restaurant. A human chain by dozens of people was broken up and angry shoppers heckled the police.
The protests began in early June over a now-shelved plan to allow extraditions to mainland China but have since swelled into a movement seeking other demands, including direct elections for Hong Kong's leaders and an independent inquiry into police conduct.
Lam has refused to budge on the demands, and instead has focused on measures that she said contributed to protesters' anger, such as creating jobs and easing housing woes in one of the world's most expensive cities. She invoked emergency powers last month to ban face masks at rallies, provoking further anger.
Her office said Sunday that Lam, currently in Shanghai, will head to Beijing on Tuesday. She is due to hold talks Wednesday with Chinese Vice Premier Han Zheng and join a meeting on the development of the Greater Bay Area that aims to link Hong Kong, Macao and nine other cities in southern China.
The ambitious project will help make it easier for Hong Kong residents to work and reside in mainland Chinese cities, and bolster the flow of people and goods, Lam's office said in a statement.
But the plan has also sparked concerns over China's growing influence over the territory. Many protesters fear Beijing is slowly infringing on the freedoms guaranteed to Hong Kong when the former British colony returned to Chinese control in 1997.
On Saturday, protesters for the first time attacked the Hong Kong office of China's state-owned Xinhua News Agency in a show of anger against Beijing, a day after China warned of tightening its grip on the city to quell the unrest. The attack on Xinhua came after chaos broke out downtown, with police firing tear gas and protesters tossing gasoline bombs.
Xinhua said in a statement that it strongly condemned the "barbaric acts of mobs" that had vandalized and set fire to the lobby of its Asia-Pacific office building. The Hong Kong Journalists Association also deplored "any act of sabotage against the media" and called for an end to violence against the press.
Protesters have frequently targeted Chinese banks and businesses. In July, demonstrators threw eggs at China's liaison office in Hong Kong and defaced the Chinese national emblem in a move slammed by Beijing as a direct challenge to its authority.
On Friday, the Communist Party in Beijing vowed to "establish and strengthen a legal system and enforcement mechanism" to prevent foreign powers from sowing acts of "separatism, subversion, infiltration and sabotage" in Hong Kong.
Hong Kong, which has a separate legal system from mainland China, has tried to enact anti-subversion legislation before but failed amid public opposition. Beijing may be indicating it is preparing to take matters into its own hands by having the National People's Congress — a ceremonial legislature — issue a legal interpretation to enact such legislation.
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Smolin A.Y. Konovalenko I.S. Psakhie S.
A numerical model of ceramic filled with gel have been developed based on the movable cellular automaton method. The response function of automata simulating ceramics corresponds to elastic-brittle body, and the function for simulating gel corresponds to elastic-plastic body with bilinear hardening. Von Mises criterion is used for breaking bonds between ceramics automata, and the two-parameter criterion of Drucker-Prager is used for automaton couples "ceramic-gel". Coarse grain ZrO2 (Y2O3) ceramics with the value of total porosity of 30% was simulated.
We studied uniaxial compression of plane samples with both empty and filled with gel pores. Sample size was 300×300 mm, the size of a cellular automaton (1 micron) corresponds to the average grain size. The pore structure is defined by two methods. The first method considers only cells of the pores, the second one considers the cells and pores of 2 microns. Pores were generated by removing a single automaton randomly (the second method) and their six nearest neighbors (first method) of the initial dense packing machines.
It is shown that in all the cases filling of porous samples with gel alters the distribution of stress concentrators in a sample, in particular making it more uniform. So the samples of the same pore structure filled with gel differ from the sampes without gel in the place of crack formation and the path of crack propagation. Thus in the samples with gel the fracture pattern is closer to one of solid body.
A comparison of simulation results with experimental data are in good qualitative agreement in the range of porosity greater than 45%. In two dimensions, this value corresponds to 30% of porosity. Thus, the model of porous ceramics filled with gel built in the framework of the movable cellular automaton method can describe the mechanical behavior and the response of the material in compression qualitatively.


For the very first time, mobile marketing maven Kim Dushinski is offering a detailed SMS Text Messaging Business Blueprint for free online. Made up of 5 essential steps for building a thriving, street smart SMS text messaging business, this mobile marketing blueprint is available now (http://mobilemarketingbootcamp.com/blueprintsms) for anyone interested in offering text messaging to local businesses.
In response to numerous questions she receives about how to start a mobile marketing business in text messaging, Kim Dushinski, CEO of the International Mobile Marketing Business Network, created a 5 step mobile marketing blueprint and is offering it for free to anyone interested in learning how to start and grow a business in text messaging. It is focused on how to offer text message marketing services to local businesses.
Dushinski suggests that every mobile marketing entrepreneur first take the time to learn the fundamentals of text messaging. "So many people jump into the deep end of the text messaging pool before even learning how to swim. Sure, they're excited, but that excitement can't make the right decisions for them. In fact, excitement without the fundamentals can be a very costly mix," she states.
Created to help save the time and money of aspiring mobile marketing entrepreneurs, Dushinski has boiled down her best mobile marketing business advice into a free online guide.
Featuring the broad-strokes of her new Ultimate Mobile Marketing BOOTCAMP curriculum, this practical step-by-step guide lays out how to start and build a successful SMS text messaging business.
Kim Dushinski is the author of The Mobile Marketing Handbook and President of Mobile Marketing Profits, a Denver-based mobile marketing training company. As CEO of the International Mobile Marketing Business Network, Dushinski is called upon to teach aspiring mobile marketing entrepreneurs from around the world how to start and build their own mobile marketing businesses. Her newest training course is the Ultimate Mobile Marketing BOOTCAMP: 5 Weeks to Building a Thriving Street-Smart SMS Text Messaging Business.


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You are here: Home // Posts Tagged With jeff bridges
The Pit: Tron, True Grit, Doomsday, & More!
Hey everyone! Things have been a bit bumpy over the past few weeks. We've been taking on a lot of guest posts to fill the days. Thankfully we've had Lucian's ongoing wrestling recaps that I hope you have all been enjoying. We'll be posting Raw's recap later today. He has been doing a great job following all of wrestling entertainment. Now, it is time for a new Pit!
A new cartoon based on Tron is coming to Disney XD! The series bridges the gap between the original film and Tron: Legacy. It has a damn impressive cast that includes Elijah Wood, Emmanuelle Chriqui, Mandy Moore, Paul Reubens, Nate Corddry, Lance Henriksen, and Bruce Boxleitner. It is being overseen by Tron: Legacy writer and Lost writer/producer Adam Horowitz. Word is that they are taking a very serious approach to the material and it will not be goofy or kiddie. I have yet to see Tron: Legacy, but after the holidays I'm planning a double feature of both flicks.
I'm not sure how I got through a whole Tron news tidbit without mentioning Jeff Bridges, but I guess I did. Anyhow, I had the pleasure of sitting down to watch Bridges step into a role originally played by John Wayne and I have to say that I was damn impressed. The Coen Brother's True Grit is easily my favorite film of the year and I hope it gets some respect come Oscar time. If you are a fan of westerns, or hell, a fan of good movies in general, go see it when it comes out.
DC Comics has released a pretty cool teaser image for March's Justice League of America #55 and the "Reign of Doomsday". You can check it out here. I can't wait to see DC Comic's big guns take on the monster that killed Superman all those years ago.
Interested in making movies? How about casting your favorite stars in them? And releasing them into virtual theaters where they can become box office blockbusters? Well, you can do such that in Hollywood the Game. The Internet's longest running Hollywood Simulation and Community Game.
PJ over at 141tv posted a very cool video he found online that spotlights all of the films released in 2010. You can check it out here, it is a pretty damn awesome video. Big props go out to the editor, G-Whiz Productions.
Posted on December 23rd, 2010 by ThePit | Comments Off on The Pit: Tron, True Grit, Doomsday, & More!
Tags: 141tv, coen brothers, comics, dc comics, jeff bridges, john wayne, movies, superman, superman doomsday, the pit, tron, true grit
Oscar Nominated Films: 1/36 – Iron Man
I saw this movie three times in theaters back in May. The first was an advance cast and crew screening. The second was with a good friend who wanted to go opening weekend. The third was with my mother who loves a good, hearty action flick. Every time I saw this movie it never lost credibility- it just got better and better.
Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) is the high-powered CEO of Stark Industries, which, amongst other things, supplies weapons to the US Army. During a visit to Iraq to debut and demo a new weapon he finds himself under attack, captured by the enemy and forced to create a weapon to use against the US. With a piece of shrapnel dangerously close to his heart, he invents a mechanism that will keep him alive, and fuels an indestructible iron suit that allows him to escape. Upon his return, he swears to keep his weapons out of enemy hands and hones his iron suit into the super hero Iron Man.
This film is high powered, adrenaline-fueled fun. Downey is the perfect mix of sarcasm and snark as slightly alcoholic playboy, businessman, and inventor Stark. The action sequences are intense and exciting. Even the romance between Stark and his assistant Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow) is sweet and well placed. Jeff Bridges as a fellow businessman at Stark Industries Obadiah Stane is quirky and has a great compatibility with Downey as they clash both literally and figuratively. While making timely changes to Iron Man's origin, it even stays faithful enough to the comic books to please the fans. This smart popcorn flick, along with The Dark Knight, helped to restore everyone's faith in superhero films this year.
Best Visual Effects
The visual effects in this film are amazing, however the most impressive accomplishment in this film is practical- a sleek and believable iron suit in all of its incarnations. It's one of Stan Winston's last projects and it will be remembered with fondness, but I believe it will also be overshadowed by the other two visually stunning films in this category: The Dark Knight and Benjamin Button.
Posted on January 25th, 2009 by Jess | Leave a Comment (1)
Tags: academy awards, gwyneth paltrow, ironman, jeff bridges, jess and the oscars, marvel comics, movies, oscars, reviews, robert downey jr, stan winston
Book to Film: How to Lose Friends and Alienate People
I'm not quite sure how Toby Young's life story came to be a book or a movie, but luckily they got Simon Pegg to translate Young's arrogance into comedy.
Reading this book made me angry. Throughout Toby Young's memoirs you want to reach through the pages and strangle him for being such an enormous idiot. And yet, he is presented with opportunity after opportunity that he continues to mess up in one way or another. Young's memoirs follow him from the start of his career at The Modern Review in London to his years at Vanity Fair in New York and through his descent into oblivion after messing up every opportunity handed to him. The memoir reads like fiction, and would be a quick, funny read if Young didn't go off on so many uninteresting tangents. It's as though once the word restrictions of journalism are lifted he's got so much to say, regardless of whether it's relevant or not. His tendency to ramble and vast amount of name dropping cause him to come off as a bit of a pompous ass. Still, the story has a complete arc and taken with a grain of salt actually makes for an interesting narrative, and is really an inspired source for a film adaptation.
The Movie:
It's impossible for Simon Pegg not to be funny, and he brings a sort of sympathy to Toby that the book lacks, yet it's still very hard to relate to such a despicable character. The movie changes nearly everything- only Toby, now Sydney, and Graydon, now Clayton (Jeff Bridges), remain relatively the same, with a few anecdotes making it to film such as the incident in which Sydney asks a famous actor if he is Jewish and gay (in the book it's Nathan Lane) and Sydney ordering a strip tease in the office on Take Your Daughter to Work Day. Other than that there are new characters, such as Alison (Kirsten Dunst) who plays Sydney's unlikely love interest and Sophie Maes (Megan Fox) a hot young actress who Sydney relentlessly tries to land in bed. The film has its moments of being laugh out loud funny (most of which are lifted straight from the book), but when it comes down to it Sydney is not a character that we want to see rise to success and get the girl.
What's Missing:
Almost all of the tangents from the memoir, plus a ton of characters including Alex di Silva, Toby's good friend who meets great success in Hollywood as Toby falls from grace; Chris Lawrence, Toby's office mate who he immediately bonds with and shares his love for all things British and James Bond; and Caroline, the little sister of a friend from London who comes to live with Toby and whom he falls helplessly in love with.
Alison is like a hybrid of Elizabeth, the smart successful fashion director of Vanity Fair, Aimee who co-heads the department that Toby works in, with a little bit of Caroline thrown in for the romance. The actress Sophie Maes mixes Sophie Dahl the supermodel who befriends Toby and becomes his roommate with the many actresses and supermodels who rejected Toby along the way, plus a little bit of Pippi, the assistant whose dog incident makes it to the film in the form of Cuba, Sophie's ill fated Chihuahua. Eleanor (Sophie's publicist), Lawrence Maddox (Sydney's boss), and Vincent LePak (the young, "it" director) are all completely new to the story. Also, the character of Elizabeth Maddox doesn't exist in the book, but the characteristics and scenes they applied to her are that of Anna Wintour in the book. I think it would have been a cute little throwback had they gotten someone who at least looked like Meryl Streep (if not Meryl herself) and named the character Miranda.
Overall Adaptation:
I was pretty lukewarm on the memoir, but it had the possibility of being a great source of adaptation. However, the film left me feeling pretty lukewarm as well, but I did find Simon Pegg a tad less pompous than the original Toby Young and more of the bumbling idiot that Pegg plays so well.
Posted on October 11th, 2008 by Jess | Leave a Comment (2)
Tags: book to film, books, gillian anderson, how to lose friends and alienate people, jeff bridges, kirsten dunst, megan fox, memoirs, movies, simon pegg, toby young


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Breitenthal ist eine Gemeinde im schwäbischen Landkreis Günzburg und Mitglied der Verwaltungsgemeinschaft Krumbach.

Geografie
Die Gemeinde liegt in der Region Donau-Iller.

Es gibt drei Gemeindeteile (in Klammern ist der Siedlungstyp angegeben):
 Breitenthal (Pfarrdorf)
 Nattenhausen (Pfarrdorf)
 Oberried (Kirchdorf)

Es gibt die Gemarkungen Breitenthal und Nattenhausen.

Geschichte

Bis zur Gründung der Gemeinden
Breitenthal wurde im Jahr 1105 nach heutigem Sachstand erstmals als Stiftungsgut des Reichsstifts Kloster Roggenburg erwähnt. Nattenhausen gehörte bis 1492 zur Markgrafschaft Burgau und kam im 16. Jahrhundert zum Hochstift Augsburg. Seit dem Reichsdeputationshauptschluss von 1803 gehört der Ort zu Bayern. Im Zuge der Verwaltungsreformen in Bayern entstanden mit dem Gemeindeedikt von 1818 die Gemeinden Breitenthal und Nattenhausen.

Eingemeindungen
Im Zuge der Gebietsreform in Bayern wurde am 1. Mai 1978 die Gemeinde Nattenhausen eingegliedert.

Einwohnerentwicklung

(Stand: 31. Dezember 2019)

Zwischen 1988 und 2019 wuchs die Gemeinde von 1004 auf 1244 um 240 Einwohner bzw. um 23,9 %.

Politik

Gemeinderat und Bürgermeister
Der Gemeinderat hat zwölf Mitglieder. Bei der Kommunalwahl am 15. März 2020 entfielen auf die Freie Wählergemeinschaft Breitenthal sieben Sitze (58,3 %); auf die Freie Wählergemeinschaft Nattenhausen entfielen fünf Sitze (41,7 %).

Erste Bürgermeisterin ist Gabriele Wohlhöfler (* 1963) (Freie Wählergemeinschaft). Diese wurde im Jahr 2002 Nachfolgerin von Urban Lecheler (Freie Wählergemeinschaft). Bei der Kommunalwahl am 15. März 2020 wurde sie mit 84,8 % der Stimmen für weitere sechs Jahre im Amt bestätigt.

Bei der konstituierenden Sitzung am 11. Mai 2020 wurde erstmals in der Ortsgeschichte ein Dritter Bürgermeister gewählt. Nach langer Amtszeit übergibt Reiner Stohr das Amt des zweiten Bürgermeisters an Günter Klughammer, welcher einstimmig gewählt wurde. Dritter Bürgermeister wird Thomas Burghard.

Wappen

Kultur und Sehenswürdigkeiten
 Katholische Pfarrkirche Heilig Kreuz, erbaut 1785/1786 unter dem Roggenburger Abt Gilbert Scheyerle nach Plänen von Joseph Dossenberger, mit barocker Ausstattung und Deckenfresken des schwäbischen Barockmalers Konrad Huber. Ende 2019 begann eine umfangreiche Renovierung der Pfarrkirche, die am 10. September 2021 wiedereröffnet werden konnte.
 Pfarrhaus
 Oberrieder Weiher, größter Baggersee im bayerischen Schwaben

Wirtschaft und Infrastruktur

Wirtschaft
Es gab 2018 nach der amtlichen Statistik im produzierenden Gewerbe 45 und im Bereich Handel und  Verkehr keine sozialversicherungspflichtig Beschäftigte am Arbeitsort. In sonstigen Wirtschaftsbereichen waren am Arbeitsort 17 Personen sozialversicherungspflichtig beschäftigt. Sozialversicherungspflichtig Beschäftigte am Wohnort gab es insgesamt 535. Im verarbeitenden Gewerbe gab es einen Betrieb, im Bauhauptgewerbe drei. Im Jahr 2016 bestanden zudem 26 landwirtschaftliche Betriebe mit einer landwirtschaftlich genutzten Fläche von  780 ha, davon waren 506 ha Ackerfläche.

Bildung
Im Jahr 2020 gab es einen gemeindlichen Kindergarten mit 55 Plätzen, in dem 39 Kinder in zwei Gruppen von acht Fachkräften betreut und gefördert werden.

Persönlichkeiten
 Karl Ganser (1937–2022), Geograph und Stadtplaner
 Robert Naegele (1925–2016), Schauspieler, Schriftsteller und Hörspielautor

Weblinks

 Gemeinde Breitenthal
 Bürger- und Ratsinformationssystem

Einzelnachweise

Ort im Landkreis Günzburg
Ort in Oberschwaben
Ersterwähnung 1105
Gemeindegründung 1818

Kirchdorf (Siedlungstyp)

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Volunteering abroad on a Care Project in Costa Rica will be a challenging but rewarding experience as you help care for children, young adults, or the elderly, while getting to know this beautiful country. You do not need any qualifications or previous experience to volunteer on a Care project. If you have energy, enthusiasm, and compassion, you will be able to make a difference, whether you are 17 or 66. Gap year students, college students, career breakers, or retired volunteers are all welcome.
Costa Rica is a relatively prosperous Central American country with a developing tourist industry, and a reasonably good standard of living - there is a huge potential for economic growth. However, there is always a need for extra assistance at many of the kindergartens and care centres.
Our Care placements are based in and around the city of Heredia. The placements are spread throughout the towns, and you will normally travel to work by bus, although some placements may be within walking distance.
You can read more detailed information about the aims of the project in ourCosta Rica Care Management Plan.
The majority of our Care placements in Costa Rica are in day care centres for disadvantaged children, with ages ranging from just a few months to thirteen years old.
YYou will help with day-to-day practical tasks, such as ensuring that the young children are ready for the day, as well as developing important life skills by assisting with basic education, including teaching numbers and the alphabet. You might help with reading, writing, and arithmetic as well. You might also assist the local staff with tasks such as serving food, washing dishes, and cleaning, which are essential to the daily running of the care centres.
With older children, you can make an impact by offering your friendship and support. This is also the perfect opportunity to put any skills you have to good use. Suggestions for various games and activities will always be well received. From arts & crafts to soccer, the time you dedicate will help to add fun and enjoyment to their lives. Anyone with skills in art or music could put these to use by suggesting activities to the local staff, who will be glad to make room for your ideas. The options available are limited only by your imagination.
We also have volunteer opportunities in kindergartens. Wherever you are working, there will always be a lot you can do to contribute to the care and support of the children at your placement.
Songs, games, and sports are popular activities you can help organize. The staff will welcome any new ideas that you may have that will entertain and educate the children, such as drama activities, putting on a concert, or arranging a sports day. Enthusiasm and a willingness to throw yourself into your work, and of course a love of working with children, are vital.
For volunteers with an interest in working with special needs children, we also have placements available at a special education centre. At this centre, volunteers work with children and teenagers who are affected by mental and physical disabilities. As a volunteer, you will work alongside local staff in the centre, caring for babies, children, and young adults with a variety of disabilities, such as Down syndrome.
By giving much-needed support to the staff, and care and attention to the children, you will be able to make a hugely positive impact at the centre. This placement requires a great deal of dedication and patience, but you will be sure to find it an immensely meaningful experience. If you would like to work at a special needs placement in Costa Rica, please note that you will need to speak basic Spanish.
In Costa Rica, you can also choose to work in a day centre for the elderly. Here, members are aged between about 65 and 90 years old, and they enjoy the company of our volunteers. They like activities such as light physical exercise, card games and bingo, and arts and crafts, which our volunteers can help with. You might also be asked to help out with fundraising events and administrative and maintenance tasks from time to time. If requested, you might even be able to assist in the centre's physical therapy sessions.
If you are interested in volunteering at a centre for the elderly, please let us know when you apply.
You should be prepared to work a full working day. The majority of placements open from 7 or 8am until the early to late afternoon. Your exact hours will depend on your individual placement and will be decided with your supervisor when you arrive.
All of the Care placements in Costa Rica close for at least two weeks around the third week of December to early or mid-January, depending on the centre. The special education centre closes for its main vacation from mid-December to mid-February, with a shorter break in the first two weeks of July. All of the placements also close for one week over Easter (Holy Week). Over the Christmas and Easter periods, volunteers are able to travel or enjoy the festivities with their host family.
If you are a high school student and first-time traveler you may want to consider our High School Special programs in Costa Rica.


text:
Lives cut short: the American children lost to stray bullets
Cyril JULIEN
A photo from the DC Metropolitan Police Department on December 21, 2020, shows a picture of Carmelo Duncan, who was shot to death on December 2, 2020
Carmelo Duncan was strapped into his car seat when he was hit by multiple stray bullets, becoming at just 15 months old one of the youngest shooting victims in the US this year -- and a symbol of powerlessness in the face of gun violence.
On December 2, he and his eight-year-old brother were in a car being driven by their father through southeast Washington, DC, when unknown shooters opened fire on the vehicle before fleeing in a stolen SUV.
The toddler died at the hospital. His father and brother survived the ambush, for which police say they don't know the motive.
Carmelo was the 187th victim of gunshot homicide this year in the American capital, out of 197 -- the highest total in 15 years. The city had 196 shooting deaths in 2005.
Many US cities reported "historic levels of violence" in 2020, according to a report by the organization Everytown for Gun Safety -- and young people are paying a heavy price.
This is due to a climate of violence following the police killings of Black Americans, and the Covid-19 pandemic that has closed down schools and youth programs.
"As these critical supports have been shuttered, the void has been filled with gun violence," said the Everytown report.
Just a few days before Christmas, gun violence has already caused more than 18,500 deaths in the US in 2020, according to the Gun Violence Archive, including more than 1,300 minors. Of these, 284 were 11 years old or younger.
- Killed on the Fourth of July -
One such child is Davon McNeal, who was shot in the head on July 4 by a stray bullet fired by young adults celebrating the national holiday.
Only 11 years old, he had left a picnic organized by his mother, Crystal McNeal, in a poor neighborhood in southeast Washington.
"They were just having fun shooting their firearms," his paternal grandfather, John Ayala, told AFP.
One of the shooters, Ayala explained, had been released from prison in May as part of an effort to stop the spread of the coronavirus in detention facilities.
Ayala has been a well-known figure in Washington's Black community since 1989. He founded the local chapter of the group Guardian Angels -- easily recognized by their red berets -- that works to stop violence and crime in metro areas.
"For years I worked all over the world going out to be a role model, talking about positive things and to prevent tragedies like this from happening," said the New York-born 51-year-old. "And then it hits my own doorstep."
"What's sad is when a child is murdered here, we already know that's not the last one," he added, pointing to the general sense of powerlessness.
The day Davon died, at least four children under eight years old were killed by stray bullets in Chicago, Atlanta, San Francisco and St Louis, Missouri, according to the Gun Violence Archive.
- 'Mentality has to change' -
Ayala denounced the passivity and "culture" of silence among some in the African-American community, which is the most affected by gun violence.
"That mentality has to change," he said.
"Snitching is not when you report a crime that is happening in your community against you or somebody else."
In order to keep Davon's name alive, McNeal created a foundation that helps homeless people and disadvantaged youth, though she admits that her charitable work isn't enough to stem the violence.
"You can do all the peace walks, all the events, all the toys giveaways, anything. You can't tell somebody to stop something they already planned on doing," she told AFP.
Ayala and Kevin McGill, the coach of Davon's school football team, also denounced rival gangs that don't hesitate to settle scores around children.
"Where we're from, it ain't really unheard of," said McGill. "It's heartbreaking. At the same time, it's like you become numb to it."
Like McNeal, Maurice Burden, a custodian at a Washington public high school, wants to raise awareness.
He co-founded the group Indigenous Suns, which regularly organizes food and clothing drives. He also wants to hold monthly protests against gun violence.
"Usually we have one march, weeks pass and everybody forgets. So that people don't forget, one march will not do it, we must have many," the 39-year-old father of two told AFP.
Carmelo Duncan's death is "not normal and we will not go to the point of this to be normal," he said.
cyj/to/acb


text:
HC at NYU
10 Conspiracy Theories That Are Definitely (Probably) True
By Julia Fields • NYU Contributor • Entertainment November 14, 2018 at 7:00pm
The word "conspiracy" may sound alarming and immediately make you think of someone standing in the middle of a field with a foil hat. Alas, conspiracy theories are everywhere and they are usually harmless. It can be fun to sit and discuss just what the government might be lying about today. Here are ten theories that may rile up some lively discussion, but are innocent and fun in the end.
The Moon Landing is Fake
This may be one of the most widely believed conspiracies: Buzz and Neil never stepped foot on the Moon's surface and the whole thing was faked. This may to be due to the quick progression of Kennedy promising the American people that he was going to put a man on the moon, then actually doing it. There was increased pressure to beat Russia in the space race, which could lead to the U.S. using any means necessary to get ahead. People have reported seeing microphones and lighting fixtures in the "live" video. The flag continues to wave despite the absence of wind on the moon. Why have we not sent anyone up there since? All of these speculations may be answered by Stanley Kubrick, the designated director of the false moon landing, or we may all be way off. Either way, our limited knowledge of the moon and space limit this theory from truly "taking off."
2. Mattress Firms are Meeting Places for the Illuminati
The existence of the Illuminati is a conspiracy on its own, but more and more theories center around its existence. This one relies heavily on the fact that many small towns in America are saturated with mattress stores, as much as one on every corner of an intersection. The question remains, how do all of these stores stay in business? People cannot be buying enough mattresses to keep all of these stores open. This raises the idea of an alternative purpose for these stores...or just a super solid business model.
3. Britney Spears was Cloned
People love to speculate about celebrities--which ones are secretly lizards or which ones died and were replaced by look-alikes. With Britney Spears, the conspiracy runs deeper. Videos from her youth reveal that Spears used to have a much deeper voice than her current famous nasal sound. Theorists think that she was unable to keep up with her sound, which resulted in her being cloned and replaced. Also, many songs and videos allude to being cloned--namely, the music video for "Break the Ice" and lines from the song "Mona Lisa." "Mona Lisa" was originally supposed to appear on the album "Original Doll," which was never released, and this makes us think: what other secrets were hidden on that album that prevented its release?
4. Mandela Effect
The Mandela Effect refers to thinking you remember something one way, only to discover you were wrong all along. This phenomenon arose in 2010 when people recalled Nelson Mandela dying in prison in the 80's, when he did not die until 2013. Common examples include remembering the name of the Berenstain Bears as Berenstetin, and remembering the Monopoly avatar with a monocle when he is actually bare-faced. The list goes on and on. This effect seems to confirm the existence of parallel universes. Whether or not this is true, it teaches us that our memory fails us more often than we think.
5. Everyone Controlling our Government is Secretly a Lizard
This one may be easier to believe in today's slimy political climate, but confirmations of this theory are scarce otherwise. This theory comes from the easiness of imagining politicians as animals. It provides an outlet for hatred when a particular politician's actions seem otherworldly. Even if some videos do hint at certain humans blinking to reveal reptilian eyes for a moment, it remains fun to image the White House beginning each day by morphing into passable human beings before going to work.
6. Aliens are Contacting Us
The conspiracy surrounding extraterrestrials ranges from whether aliens exist and how they will contact us, to when they will join our society or, inevitably, take over. With unexplainable UFO footage and more politicians and scientists speaking out about their existence, the possibility of seeing an alien becomes more and more real. Every passing day, more people speak about their own experiences of being abducted or cite objects in the sky as proof. The U.S. government has always kept high surveillance on what they apparently know about alien species in America. Some people even believe JFK was assassinated because of his insistence on reading the secret files on extraterrestrials. Either way, the possibility of meeting someone from another planet becomes more and more real as the alien topic gets brought up more and more.
7. Chemtrails
Those streams of white that follow jet planes and that are often seen in movies announcing wedding proposals could be harmful. Theorist believe that chemtrails, which are made out of condensed water vapor, actually contain harmful chemicals that harm the environment and the human species. This, like most theories, blames the government for the harm, saying that chemtrails belong to an initiative by the New World Order. Scientists continue to dismantle this idea, but who knows? It remains something to consider when looking up at the sky.
8. Elvis Presley is Still Alive
These ideas of people who are "dead" never actually dying circulate from figures like Elvis to Hitler. Fans of Elvis claim to have seen him walking around after his "death" in 1977. Some people believe Elvis faked his death in order to live a more normal life and pretended to be someone else. Others even thought they saw Elvis in the background of a scene from Home Alone. These theories, while fun to speculate, will definitely have you doing a double take the next time you walk down the street.
9. The Titanic Did Not Sink
This theory follows Titanic's sister ship, the Olympic, which supposedly did sink on April 15, 1912. Apparently, the Olympic crashed earlier in its career and White Star Line was blamed, which meant a lot of money lost for the company. To make up for that money, an orchestrated vessel disguised as the Titanic sunk as an insurance scheme. People see evidence in the number of windows on each ship and how it varies from picture to picture, confirming a switch. More evidence comes from J.P. Morgan supposedly canceling his Titanic ticket conveniently right before the voyage. Despite the truth, Olympic would not have been as catchy of a movie title anyway.
10. The Simpsons Can Predict the Future
This theory rose to popularity when an image from the show's Season 9 premiere, which aired in 1997, emerged of Bart looking a magazine that had a large 9¢ followed by an image of the Twin Towers, spelling out 9/11 perfectly. This may seem coincidental, but the show continued to predict events that went on to come true, including Donald Trump running for President. They also predicted the Ebola outbreak and Disney buying 20th Century Fox. These occurrences add up to a list of predictions that is hard to ignore or cast aside. These revelations will definitely have us watching the Simpsons more closely, hoping to find out what is in store for the future.
We hope this article sparked some fun discussions with your friends!
Image Sources: 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 10
the titanic
Julia Fields (NYU '21)
Sophomore at NYU studying English and Journalism. Big fan of conspiracy theories, superheroes, and good coffee.
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