The POW issue was born during the Watergate scandal. Richard Nixon and Henry Kissinger knew Hanoi was secretly keeping American prisoners, but in the spring of 1973, they were in no position to get a Democratic Congress to pay ransom to North Vietnam.
Watergate was exposed because two Washington Post reporters, Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, defied the unspoken agreement between media and government that remains in effect—in exchange for protecting government secrets, the press gets privileged access to official sources. That tacit pact is the single biggest reason the POW puzzle has never been solved.
My own experience provides a vivid—and exasperating—example of this incestuous relationship between the press and the powerful.
In October 1985, Rowland Evans and Robert Novak held their semi-annual Evans & Novak Political Forum in Washington, D.C. for their newsletter subscribers. Each of us—I had been a subscriber since 1974—paid $450 for a full day of talks from "D.C. political insiders." The line-up featured Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole, White House Chief of Staff Don Regan, New York Gov. Mario Cuomo, and President Reagan's national security adviser, Robert McFarlane.
Minutes later the Wall Street Journal's D.C. bureau chief, Al Hunt, called Paul and took over the editing of the story. Meanwhile, Evans and Novak tracked me down and accused me of violating protocol by exposing "off-the-record remarks by McFarlane." They had suddenly forgotten that I specifically asked Novak whether the session was on or off the record.
In other words, the media—Al Hunt and Rowland Evans and Robert Novak—banded together to protect McFarlane and their access to him at the expense of a dynamite story. A watered-down version eventually ran and garnered some national attention, but never the continual front-page coverage it deserved.
McCain should have been incensed that the national security adviser knew that U.S. POWs were still being held and that the press was suppressing the story. Instead he was furious at me for daring to reveal McFarlane's statements.
The Vietnam War was brought to an end in large part by a healthy, skeptical, adversarial relationship between the media and government. Reporters' suspicions that they were being deceived by military briefers every afternoon in Saigon at the Five O'Clock Follies were the precursor to serious critical coverage of the war. Yet somehow this skeptical media has always believed the very same Pentagon when it comes to POWs.
The incident from 1985 is but one example of many. In my 30 years fighting for the truth about the POWs knowingly abandoned by the Nixon administration, I have repeatedly witnessed an eager partnership between the officials who make national policy and the media that is supposed to cover them—not to cover-up for them.
John LeBoutillier (R-N.Y.) was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1981-1983, where he served on the House Foreign Affairs Committee and the Special House Task Force on U.S. POWs in SE Asia. He is the author of Vietnam Now: The Case for Normalizing Relations With Hanoi.


text:
Home Northeast News Meghalaya
Meghalaya to lock horns with Arunachal in football tourney finale
GUWAHATI , December 2, 2019 5:12 pm
Representational image.
Meghalaya will lock horns with Arunachal Pradesh in the Sub-Junior National Football Championship final at the Kalyani Stadium in West Bengal.
The team from Meghalaya defeated Bengal on Sunday in the first semi-final match between 3-1.
For Meghalaya, Samlang Rympei scored two goals at the 16th and the 92nd minute and Baniatyllilang Mawkhiew scored at the 64th minute to take the team home.
Arunachal knocked out Kerala 2-0 in the second semifinal.
Meghalaya have produced an excellent display, amassing 22 goals in their five matches.
Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma on Monday congratulated the Meghalaya sub-junior football team for making into the finals.
"So proud of our boys from Meghalaya who made it to the finals of the Sub-Junior National Football Championship after defeating Bengal yesterday. Congratulations and all the best to the team and its coaches!" the CM tweeted.
So proud of our boys from Meghalaya who made it to the finals of the Sub-Junior National Football Championship after defeating Bengal yesterday. Congratulations and all the best to the team and its coaches! pic.twitter.com/8zaX5oceKb
— Conrad Sangma (@SangmaConrad) December 2, 2019

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Q: File input sending null to controller I have a file input inside of a form. Ideally I'd like it to allow uploading multiple files on form submit. It was sending empty list so I tried changing to just receive a single file, now it's sending null.
My cshtml form:
    @using (Html.BeginForm(nameof(ServiceCallController.AddMessage), "ServiceCall", FormMethod.Post))
    {
        @Html.HiddenFor(m => m.Id)

                @Html.Label("New Message")

                @Html.Kendo().EditorFor(m => m.NewMessage).Tools(t => t.Clear())

                @Html.Label("Attachments")

                <input type="file"
                       id="myFile"
                       name="myFile"
                />

                @Html.Kendo().Button().Content("Add Message").Name("SubmitAddMessage")

    }

My controller method:
    public ActionResult AddMessage(int id, string newMessage, HttpPostedFileBase myFile)
    {
        if (myFile == null) throw new ArgumentNullException(nameof(myFile));//This should not happen
        return RedirectToAction(nameof(MyView), new { id });
    }

And the contents being sent in the network tab request form data:
Id: 5473
NewMessage: Why is this not working?
myFile: Chrysanthemum.jpg

What am I doing wrong? Why is my file not being sent to the controller?

A: You should add enctype as multipart/form-data
@using (Html.BeginForm(nameof(ServiceCallController.AddMessage), "ServiceCall", FormMethod.Post, new { enctype = "multipart/form-data" }))

And the action method:
[HttpPost]
public ActionResult AddMessage(int id, string newMessage, HttpPostedFileBase myFile)
{
    if (myFile == null) throw new ArgumentNullException(nameof(myFile));//This should not happen
    return RedirectToAction(nameof(MyView), new { id });
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Travis d'Arnaud Hits HR in 1st Game
The Dunedin Jays had a night to forget, as they lost 10 – 2 to Clearwater, but there were some things to cheer about in this game. First and foremost, newly acquired catcher Travis d'Arnaud had an immediate impact on the club, crushing his first HR of the season in the 7th inning. Michael McDade and Justin Jackson were the only other Jays to manage hits off the Clearwater pitching, which was led by 6 strong innings by Austin Hyatt.
It's great to see that Travis started the year off on the right foot. If he stays hot until mid-season, he should easily be able to get a promotion to AA.
POSITION CHANGES ALERT
As we all know, the Jays will soon have Adeiny Hechevarria in the minors and this has altered their long term plans for some minors players. They also had Justin Jackson and Tyler Pastornicky playing at the same level, meaning that something had to give. Well, here's what that squad has done to deal with these issues:
John Tolisano has been moved from 2B to 3B;
Tyler Pastornicky remained at SS; and
Justin Jackson moved from SS to 2B.
Now, that was just 1 game, so it doesn't mean that it will remain this way as the season goes on, but it does make some sense that both Pastornicky and Jackson get accustomed to moving around the infield so that they fit as utility players down the road. Also, Tolisano's power fits better at 3B and he has the arm to play the position, so that also deepens the Jays depth at a very weak internal position.
I'll update this situation as the season wears on and will update my top prospects rankings when this setup has been used consistently.


text:
Whitstable gastropub loved by Gary Lineker named the most exciting restaurant in Britain
Its reputation is far-reaching and entices diners from around the world including America, Sweden and even Australia
Mary Harris
Updated 12:00, 19 OCT 2022
The Sportsman, Seasalter, Whitstable (Image: Kent Live)
A pub in Kent, which is loved by footballing legend Gary Lineker, has been named fifth in The Good Food Guide's Top 20 most exciting restaurants. The Sportsman near Whitstable is no stranger to awards and accolades, including some from Mr Lineker, who loves eating there.
In fact, chef-patron Stephen Harris has previously said he doesn't like to "bang on" about the awards his restaurant in Seasalter has earned, because people probably get fed up with hearing about them. But his renowned venue on Faversham Road which has held a Michelin star since 2008, is once again being celebrated by the experts and he is in fine company in the guide's list of illustrious establishments.
And while one guide earlier this year heaped praise on The Sportsman, but pointed out "it might not look much from the outside", it is clear the world-class establishment inside is up there with the best. Now in its 70th year of publication The Good Food Guide : Top 20 Most Exciting Restaurants of 2022 were revealed at The Groucho Club in London.
Read more: The Sportsman in Seasalter maintains its place as one of the best restaurants in the UK
Reviews were conducted anonymously and paid for in full to ensure the highest standards of integrity. As well as being under new ownership, the guide is also now available as an app.
Stephen Harris of The Sportsman, one of the best restaurants in Kent (Image: Ian Scammell)
As KentLive reported in May, The Sportsman secured its place in the Estrella Damm National Restaurant Awards' top 100 restaurants in the UK. The Michelin-starred pub secured 16th place in the rankings this year. It is described on the National Restaurant Awards' website as being "free of faff".
The description adds: "The Sportsman might not look much from the outside, but behind its whitewashed and weathered façade is a world-class establishment serving some of the best food in the country, in a wonderfully humble and unpretentious fashion."
Mr Harris previously told KentLive that he "prefers to fly under the radar", as he feels people must get fed up when they win things; he said he doesn't like to "bang on about it" and make people sick of hearing about them. But given the excellent reviews that diners, chefs, and food critics regularly give this place, it doesn't appear that this will happen any time soon.
The incomparable reputation of the restaurant has been painstakingly built by Mr Harris and his brother Phillip since they acquired the Shepherd Neame premises in 1999. And although the pub is well known, often lauded by the press, its co-owner is comparatively silent, choosing to shy away from the spotlight.
The pub has been crowned the UK's best gastropub several times and has held its Michelin star since 2008. It's reputation is far-reaching and often sees diners coming from America, Sweden and even Australia to try their tasting menu. Chef-patron Stephen Harris and his brother Phillip acquired the premises in 1999 and have worked hard to make it what it is today.
It is described on the National Restaurant Awards' website as being "free of faff". The description adds: "The Sportsman might not look much from the outside, but behind its whitewashed and weathered façade is a world-class establishment serving some of the best food in the country, in a wonderfully humble and unpretentious fashion."
Former England and Leicester City striker Gary Lineker tucked into a meal in June 2018 at Whitstable gastropub The Sportsman as part of a weekend out in Kent. The Walkers Crisps poster boy dined at the pub just hours before it was named best in the country. Match of the Day host Lineker tweeted his approval of the Seasalter restaurant after enjoying a bite to eat.
Here is the full list of The Good Food guide's Top 20 restaurants
1. L'Enclume, Cumbria
2. Ynyshir, Ceredigion
3. Moor Hall, Lancashire
4. The Raby Hunt, Co Durham
5. The Sportsman, Kent
6. Outlaw's New Road, Cornwall
7. Osip, Somerset
8. Pollen Street Social, London
9. Inver, Argyll & Bute
10. Wilderness, Birmingham
11. Restaurant Story, London
12. SY23, Ceredigion
13. Pine, Northumberland
14. Annwn, Pembrokeshire
15. Condita, Edinburgh
16. Grace & Savour, West Midlands
17. Da Terra, London
18. Carters of Moseley, Birmingham
19. Kol, London
20. Endo at The Rotunda, London
Sign up to get the latest stories from Kent direct into your inbox here.
The 9 restaurants in Kent that celebrities absolutely love
We asked people in Kent's COVID 'hotspot' how they'll react this winter
Canterbury city centre to be home to two new bubble tea shops
The old-school Kent dish with just seven ingredients serving four for £7
The reality of the Kent area split between deprivation and the new 'creatives'
Horror stories from the Kent hotel 'worse than the tower of terror'
Man, 30, charged after woman sexually assaulted in a vehicle in Dover


text:
Best Places to Live: Seabrook, Washington
Get to know this breathtaking community on the dramatic Olympic Peninsula, and one of the 20 Best Places to Live 2017. Get the inside scoop on Seabrook, including where to eat, drink, play, and stay.
By Bob Curley and Tracey Minkin
For the ultimate guide to Seabrook, go here.
Want to live the Pacific Northwest dream in a beach-town setting? Carved out along the spectacular Pacific coast of Washington's Olympic Peninsula, this 11-year-old New Urbanism community has quickly evolved into a place with substantial character and low-key sophistication. The town center, on a bluff above the coastal highway (and beyond, the vast Pacific Ocean), is home to more than a dozen independent boutiques, restaurants, and markets, making daily life a pedestrian pleasure. For low-key explorers, the broad sands of Seabrook's beach is a short stroll away (or your front yard if you live in Seabrook's oceanfront cottages); for big-time adventurers, the riches of Olympic National Park are just up the road.
Photo: Courtesy of Seabrook, Washington
Seabrook by the Numbers
Average July high: 70
Average January low: 35
Median home price: $850,000
Average commute time: 27 minutes
Number of sunny days: 129
RELATED: Road Trip: Seattle, Washington, to Cannon Beach, Oregon
Best Beaches and Other Attractions
The wild, broad-sand beach that edges Seabrook is officially called Moclips Beach, and it's a glorious place for long walks. And while locals often end up at Seabrook's Town Hall for live music and other fun, the new hangout of choice is Horseshoe Park in the community's Farm District, with its horse barn, pickleball and tennis courts, and fire pit.
Nearby, the world's tallest red cedars, Sitka spruce, Douglas firs, and other conifers rise majestically in the Quinault Rain Forest's Valley of the Giants. A 31-mile-long loop drive along the shore of Lake Quinault and the banks of the Quinault River will take you to the towering trees as well as waterfalls, hiking trails, campgrounds, and rustic lake resorts.
RELATED: The Best Seafood Dives in Washington
The charming and pedestrian-friendly town center of Seabrook is home to a wonderful grouping of places to eat and drink. To get mornings off on the right foot, Velvet Bakery By The Sea serves Washington's own Batdor & Bronson coffee along with tantalizing morning pastries.
At Frontager's Pizza Co., chef Andy Bickar pairs traditional Italian brick-oven technique with local ingredients and artisanal prep. He also does a brawny breakfast, including specialties like cast-iron eggs and semolina cakes. The popular Stowaway wine bar pairs charcuterie and cheeses like Seattle's own Beecher's No Woman, Irish cheddar, and Humbolt Fog goat cheese from California with Seven Falls chardonnay from Washington's Wahluke Slope and other top vineyards from the West Coast, Italy, France, and Argentina, and New Zealand.
RELATED: America's Happiest Seaside Towns 2017
Seabrook offers nearly 200 beautiful vacation rentals (including oceanfront and oceanview homes) that can accommodate groups and families from two to 20 in size. Rates start at $119 per night. Near Seabrook, the Pacific Beach Inn has 16 rooms, several with sliders leading out to decks with views of the rugged coast and rolling surf of the Washington coast.


4:00 pm Adam London's Laughternoon D Hotel Las Vegas. Las Vegas style show performance.
7:00 pm Cirque du Soleil 'Mystere' Mystere Theatre. The show features 72 acrobats, comedians, actors, singers, dancers and musician from 15 countries.
7:00 pm Mat Franco Magic Reinvented The Linq Hotel & Casino. Winner of America's Got Talent, Mat performs his magic tricks live on stage.
7:00 pm MJ Live Stratosphere Casino Hotel & Tower. A tribute show to Michael Jackson.
7:30 pm Boyz II Men Terry Fator Theatre. Boyz II Men performing live in concert.
7:30 pm James Taylor The Colosseum at Caesars Palace. Pop / rock performance.
8:00 pm BGCC: Brad Garrett, Eddie Ifft & Jeanie Doogan Brad Garrett's Comedy Club. Comedic performance live.
8:00 pm Sarah McLachlan Encore Theater. Pop / rock performance.
8:00 pm Legendary Ladies of Motown: Mary Wilson & Martha Reeves The Orleans Showroom. R&B / soul music performance.
8:00 pm Art Laboe Star Of The Desert Arena at Primm Valley Resorts. Pop / rock performance.
9:00 pm Las Vegas Live Comedy Club V Theater. See a cross section of best comedians from NY, Chicago, Boston, L.A., and Las Vegas.
9:00 pm Cole Swindell Mandalay Bay Hotel Beach. Performing country music live.
10:00 pm X Burlesque Bugsy's Cabaret. Vegas entertainment.
Mat Franco Magic Reinvented The Linq Hotel & Casino. Winner of America's Got Talent, Mat performs his magic tricks live on stage.
18:00 am Mat Franco Magic Reinvented The Linq Hotel & Casino. Winner of America's Got Talent, Mat performs his magic tricks live on stage.
National Finals Rodeo Thomas & Mack Center.


I want to keep my water-cooler Distilled drinking water in the correct balance. viagra I have been looking all over for the specifics amounts per gallon on treating Distilled water Magnesium and Bicarbonate. viagra We believe that magnesium oil will provide much greater impact as it will get into the bloodstream without going through the gut where malabsorption often occurs. viagra I read it in one of the Newsletters, but cannot locate the information. viagra If you know your mother already has malabsorption problems, taking pills would be problematic since you can just about bet she is not absorbing any supplements to the extent needed.


You know those moments you realize you didn't record in any form? No photograph, no scribbled phrases in a journal, nothing but you and the instant of knowing this is real and beautiful. I had a lot of those these last weeks. I'm thankful.
Zee, a shuttle driver, who spoke to me about Ethiopian coffee ceremony; I can still see his mother dressing for the day and preparing for the family…and I'll likely never meet her. Or see him again. But now I want that coffee, that ceremony, that experience.
Mike, a member of Ketchikian's Holy Name parish, who drove us back to town and offered to take my daughter and me out to see the totems in Saxman. He waited while we reveled in the artistry and then gave us insights into the area as we made our way back to Creek Street.
Marida, a California resident who was at Medusa's for the free champagne (like me) and who danced with me for hours as we led other ladies and one appreciative man to the floor for the joy of moving to music.
The young guy on the plane to Seattle who was a theology student, a honeymooner sitting apart from his bride of eight days, talking with me and exchanging smiles and gestures with Sofia; his flight was delayed. They might miss their cruise. He laughed with us and hoped for the best.
The older lady on the plane from Seattle who rejoiced in the expressions of my grandchild; who shed tears as she told me of her trip to witness the burial of her brother-in-law; who listened as I told her the realities of a widow's journey.
Those five people are my five (of countless) blessings this week. Five I'll probably never see again. Five I'll always remember for their essence, their truths, their humanity.
We are so blessed to connect with one another in this life. It is never as random as we might think.
Categories: Creative process, Encouragement, Faith, Family, Friendship, Grandchildren, Gratitude, Inspiration, Journaling, life journey, Memories, Personal Writing, resilience, Uncategorized, widow, Writing | Tags: blessings, life journey, moments, people, travel stories | Permalink.
Larson. I'll always remember that you memorized our names.
The wonders of this world are many. The choice to live looking for the light is a choice I have never regretted.
May you always find it, too.
Categories: Creative process, Faith, Family, Friendship, Gratitude, Inspiration, Journaling, life journey, Memories, Personal Writing, resilience, Spirituality, Uncategorized | Tags: blessings, life joy, trips, vacations | Permalink.
The little boy in the parking lot. I did not get to see his face; I only saw his red cape fluttering behind him on this windy day. He was holding his mom's hand. And he made it safely to his car.
The lady at the vehicle registration who asked me if I realized my tags expired last May. Have you been stopped for expired tags, ma'am? No, I have not.
A trip to the vet with my daughter's dog. I had the harness on in such a way it made the assistant laugh. Doing the best I can, Lady. We all need to laugh more.
A recent art trip to Houston. Lisa Sonora taught one of her courses Dreaming on Paper and the women in our class painted and cut and glued and wrote. It was beautiful.
Little free libraries. I've seen them on my travels before, but last Sunday I stopped at every one I saw. The effort people make to improve the world. That matters.
Categories: Creative process, Encouragement, Faith, Family, Friendship, Gratitude, Inspiration, Journaling, life journey, Memories, Personal Writing, resilience, Uncategorized, Writing | Tags: art, creative process, joy, Life, lisa sonora art, little free libraries | Permalink.
A pic of my granddaughter's first elevator ride.
A text from my son asking if I want to meet for lunch tomorrow.
Categories: Creative process, Gratitude, Inspiration, Journaling, life journey, Memories, Personal Writing, Uncategorized | Tags: blessings, Gratitude, Life | Permalink.


text:
Fashion | 16 Apr 2019 | By Grace Cook
The superfine storytelling in Laura Newton's knitwear
Laura Newton A/W 2018
'I've always been drawn to knitwear because it can tell a story,' says the Los Angeles-based British knitwear designer Laura Newton. 'Knitwear is so affected by the designer and the maker, and you can feel that energy through its tactility and craftsmanship. It makes you feel like you've picked up something special.'
Newton realised her fondness for a knit as a teenager, when she would naturally gravitate towards woollens when shopping in vintage stores. But she never thought such sartorial affection would lead to a career. 'I wanted to be a painter originally,' says Newton. 'I studied it at school and worked in oils a lot, which inspired a deep interest in colour and texture.' It was during a stint of research while studying at Central Saint Martins that led her to the textiles department and the rest, as they say, is history.
Fast forward a couple of years and Newton is now a senior knitwear designer at Yeezy — a chance opportunity that came about after 'a random phone call one day' — as well as the founder of her namesake label that has its studio in London. 'It's definitely an adventure,' she says, of juggling her two transatlantic jobs. 'Working for yourself allows complete creative freedom, but working for a big brand gives you vastly more experience,' she says. 'I enjoy the contrast.'
Each piece of Newton's knitwear is made by both hand-operated and digitally programmed machines. 'I wanted to simultaneously showcase the traditional methods of knitting while embracing and exploring modern techniques,' she says, of her superfine, stretchy knitted pieces that swathe the body and are punctuated with holes in varying shapes and sizes. Each hole is made by picking up each individual stitch and looping it back onto the machine. 'It's incredibly labour intensive. But I wanted to push the limits of what is perceived as knitwear,' she says. 'By playing around with the tension of the fabric and creating openings to let it interact with the body.'
Newton shares her British studio space — a mezzanine overlooking a concrete factory — with two other knitwear creatives, with whom she exchanges tips and technical information that helps her push the boundaries of her designs. 'It makes financial sense too as operating knit studio on my own would be expensive to accumulate the variety of machines I need,' she says.
While much of her material is sourced from Italy, she also likes to work with waste yarns for her own collections. 'It's yarns that have been cast aside by other brands and are sold cheaply as deadstock. It keeps production costs down, but it's also my way of helping the planet. And it means sometimes the pieces are one-offs, as I have a limited amount of fabric to work with.' It's one of a kind knitwear, much like the vintage pieces she first fell in love with. 'You can feel the story and history it has lived. It enriches its meaning,' she says. §
For more information, visit the Laura Newton website


text:
Q: Error: "dictionary update sequence element #0 has length 1; 2 is required" on Django 1.4 I have an error message on Django 1.4:
dictionary update sequence element #0 has length 1; 2 is required

It happened when I tried using a template tag like: {% for v in values %}:
dictionary update sequence element #0 has length 1; 2 is required

Request Method:     GET
Request URL:    ...
Django Version:     1.4.5
Exception Type:     ValueError
Exception Value:

dictionary update sequence element #0 has length 1; 2 is required

Exception Location:     /usr/local/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/djorm_hstore/fields.py in __init__, line 21
Python Executable:  /usr/bin/uwsgi-core
Python Version:     2.7.3
Python Path:

['/var/www/',
 '.',
 '',
 '/usr/lib/python2.7',
 '/usr/lib/python2.7/plat-linux2',
 '/usr/lib/python2.7/lib-tk',
 '/usr/lib/python2.7/lib-old',
 '/usr/lib/python2.7/lib-dynload',
 '/usr/local/lib/python2.7/dist-packages',
 '/usr/lib/python2.7/dist-packages',
 '/usr/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/PIL',
 '/usr/lib/pymodules/python2.7']

Server time:    sam, 13 Jul 2013 16:15:45 +0200
Error during template rendering

In template /var/www/templates/app/index.html, error at line 172
dictionary update sequence element #0 has length 1; 2 is required

172     {% for product in products %}

Traceback Switch to copy-and-paste view

/usr/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/django/core/handlers/base.py in get_response

                            response = callback(request, *callback_args, **callback_kwargs)

    ...
▶ Local vars
/usr/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/django/contrib/auth/decorators.py in _wrapped_view

                    return view_func(request, *args, **kwargs)

    ...
▶ Local vars
/usr/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/django/views/decorators/http.py in inner

                return func(request, *args, **kwargs)

    ...
▶ Local vars
./app/views.py in index

            context_instance=RequestContext(request))

    ...
▶ Local vars
/usr/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/django/shortcuts/__init__.py in render_to_response

        return HttpResponse(loader.render_to_string(*args, **kwargs), **httpresponse_kwargs)

    ...
▶ Local vars
/usr/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/django/template/loader.py in render_to_string

            return t.render(context_instance)

    ...
▶ Local vars
/usr/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/django/template/base.py in render

                return self._render(context)

    ...
▶ Local vars
/usr/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/django/template/base.py in _render

            return self.nodelist.render(context)

    ...
▶ Local vars
/usr/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/django/template/base.py in render

                    bit = self.render_node(node, context)

    ...
▶ Local vars
/usr/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/django/template/debug.py in render_node

                return node.render(context)

    ...
▶ Local vars
/usr/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/django/template/loader_tags.py in render

            return compiled_parent._render(context)

    ...
▶ Local vars
/usr/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/django/template/base.py in _render

            return self.nodelist.render(context)

    ...
▶ Local vars
/usr/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/django/template/base.py in render

                    bit = self.render_node(node, context)

    ...
▶ Local vars
/usr/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/django/template/debug.py in render_node

                return node.render(context)

    ...
▶ Local vars
/usr/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/django/template/loader_tags.py in render

                result = block.nodelist.render(context)

    ...
▶ Local vars
/usr/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/django/template/base.py in render

                    bit = self.render_node(node, context)

    ...
▶ Local vars
/usr/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/django/template/debug.py in render_node

                return node.render(context)

    ...
▶ Local vars
/usr/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/django/template/defaulttags.py in render

            len_values = len(values)

    ...
▶ Local vars
/usr/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/django/core/paginator.py in __len__

            return len(self.object_list)

    ...
▶ Local vars
/usr/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/django/db/models/query.py in __len__

                    self._result_cache = list(self.iterator())

    ...
▶ Local vars
/usr/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/django/db/models/query.py in iterator

                        obj = model(*row[index_start:aggregate_start])

    ...
▶ Local vars
/usr/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/django/db/models/base.py in __init__

                    setattr(self, field.attname, val)

    ...
▶ Local vars
/usr/local/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/djorm_hstore/fields.py in __set__

                value = self.field._attribute_class(value, self.field, obj)

    ...
▶ Local vars
/usr/local/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/djorm_hstore/fields.py in __init__

            super(HStoreDictionary, self).__init__(value, **params)

    ...
▶ Local vars

It happens too when I try to access on a hstore queryset:
Traceback (most recent call last):
File "manage.py", line 14, in <module>
    execute_manager(settings)

File "/usr/local/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/django/core/management/__init__.py", line 459, in execute_manager
    utility.execute()

File "/usr/local/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/django/core/management/__init__.py", line 382, in execute
    self.fetch_command(subcommand).run_from_argv(self.argv)

File "/usr/local/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/django/core/management/base.py", line 196, in run_from_argv
    self.execute(*args, **options.__dict__)

File "/usr/local/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/django/core/management/base.py", line 232, in execute
    output = self.handle(*args, **options)

File "/home/name/workspace/project/app/data/commands/my_command.py", line 60, in handle
    item_id = tmp[0].id,

File "/usr/local/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/django/db/models/query.py", line 207, in __getitem__
    return list(qs)[0]

File "/usr/local/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/django/db/models/query.py", line 87, in __len__
    self._result_cache.extend(self._iter)

File "/usr/local/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/django/db/models/query.py", line 301, in iterator
    obj = model(*row[index_start:aggregate_start])

File "/usr/local/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/django/db/models/base.py", line 300, in __init__
    setattr(self, field.attname, val)

File "/usr/local/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/djorm_hstore/fields.py", line 38, in __set__
    value = self.field._attribute_class(value, self.field, obj)

File "/usr/local/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/djorm_hstore/fields.py", line 21, in __init__
    super(HStoreDictionary, self).__init__(value, **params)

ValueError: dictionary update sequence element #0 has length 1; 2 is required

The code is:
tmp = Item.objects.where(HE("kv").contains({'key':value}))

if tmp.count() > 0:

    item_id = tmp[0].id,

I'm just trying to access the value.  I don't understand the "update sequence" message.  When I use a cursor instead of hstore queryset,  the function works. The error comes on template rendering too.  I just restarted uwsgi and everything works well, but the error comes back later.

A: Here is the reproduced error.
>>> d = {}
>>> d.update([(1,)])
Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "<stdin>", line 1, in <module>
ValueError: dictionary update sequence element #0 has length 1; 2 is required
>>>
>>> d
{}
>>>
>>> d.update([(1, 2)])
>>> d
{1: 2}
>>>
>>> d.update('hello_some_string')
Traceback (most recent call last):
File "<stdin>", line 1, in <module>
ValueError: dictionary update sequence element #0 has length 1; 2 is required
>>>

If you give the sequence and any element length is 1 and required two then we will get this kind of error.
See the above code. First time I gave the sequence with tuple and it's length 1, then we got the error and dictionary is not updated. second time I gave inside tuple with with two elements, dictionary got updated.

A: Just ran into this problem. I don't know if it's the same thing that hit your code, but for me the root cause was because I forgot to put name= on the last argument of the url (or path in Django 2.0+) function call.
For instance, the following functions throw the error from the question:
url(r'^foo/(?P<bar>[A-Za-z]+)/$', views.FooBar.as_view(), 'foo')
path('foo/{slug:bar}/', views.FooBar, 'foo')

But these actually work:
url(r'^foo/(?P<bar>[A-Za-z]+)/$', views.FooBar.as_view(), name='foo')
path('foo/{slug:bar}/', views.FooBar, name='foo')

The reason why the traceback is unhelpful is because internally, Django wants to parse the given positional argument as the keyword argument kwargs, and since a string is an iterable, an atypical code path begins to unfold. Always use name= on your urls!

A: I got the same issue and found that it was due to wrong parameters.
In views.py, I used:
return render(request, 'demo.html',{'items', items})

But I found the issue: {'items', items}. Changing to {'items': items} resolved the issue.

A: Error in your question is raised when you try something like following:
>>> a_dictionary = {}
>>> a_dictionary.update([[1]])
Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "<stdin>", line 1, in <module>
ValueError: dictionary update sequence element #0 has length 1; 2 is required

It's hard to tell where is the cause in your code unless you show your code, full traceback.

A: Another scenario that causes this error:
dict('{"a":1}')  # gives the error

One way to achieve what you want is to use eval
eval('{"a":1}')  # gives {"a":1}

A: I had the same problem and it turned out that missing 'name' in the urls.py was the cause of problem.

A: In my case, my get_context_data in one of my views was returning return render(self.request, 'es_connection_error.html', {'error':error}); in a try/catch block instead of returning context

A: The error should be with the params. Please verify that the params is a dictionary object. If it is just a list/tuple of arguments use only one * (*params) instead of two * (**params). This will explode the list/tuple into the proper amount of arguments.
Or, if the params is coming from some other part of code as a JSON file, please do json.loads(params), because the JSON objects sometimes behave as string and so you need to make it as a JSON using load from string (loads).
super(HStoreDictionary, self).__init__(value, **params)

Hope this helps!

A: check in your dictionary whether if you have single or double Quotation mark in your key or value!
dict1 = {'hello': 'world', 'programmer's': 'have girlfriend'}

to resolve it you can simply convert your dictionary in to string and then use replace method!

A: I faced this problem when I was trying to convert json string to dict.
Input: '{\r\n  "resource_id": "id",\r\n  "resource_type": "resource"\r\n}'
Using dict() to convert the string to dict gave me this error. The correct way would be to use json module.
Example: json.loads(input_str)

A: urlpatterns = [
    path('',HomePageView.as_view(),name='home'),
]

A: I faced the above mentioned problem when I forgot to pass a keyword argument name to url() function.
Code with error
 url(r"^testing/$", views.testing, "testing")

Code without error
url(r"^testing/$", views.testing, name="testing")

So finally I removed the above error in this way. It might be something different in your case. So check your url patterns in urls.py.

A: Here is how I encountered this error in Django and fixed it:
Code with error
urlpatterns = [path('home/', views.home, 'home'),]

Correction
urlpatterns = [path('home/', views.home, name='home'),]

A: I got this error when I was messing around with string and dictionary.
dict1 = {'taras': 'vaskiv', 'iruna': 'vaskiv'}
str1 = str(dict1)
dict(str1)
*** ValueError: dictionary update sequence element #0 has length 1; 2 is required

So what you actually got to do to get dict from string is:
dic2 = eval(str1)
dic2
{'taras': 'vaskiv', 'iruna': 'vaskiv'}

Or in matter of security we can use literal_eval
from ast import literal_eval

A: Solution»
Pass a keyword argument name with value as your view name e.g home or home-view etc. to url() function.
Throws Error»
url(r'^home$', 'common.views.view1', 'home'),
Correct»
url(r'^home$', 'common.views.view1', name='home'),

A: I encountered this issue when trying to invoke the update method with a parameter of a wrong type.
The expected dict was:
{'foo': True}

The one that was passed was:
{'foo': "True"}

make sure you check all the parameters you pass are of the expected type.

A: I too had a similar type of problem . The solution is simple . just dont try to enter NULL or None value in values or u might have to use Something like thisdic.update([(key,value)])

A: I hit this error calling:
dict(my_data)

I fixed this with:
import json

json.loads(my_data)

A: You are sending one parameter incorrectly; it should be a dictionary object:

*

*Wrong: func(a=r)

*Correct: func(a={'x':y})

A: This behavior will also occurs when using get_or_create method in the following example below one will obviously get that error:
state,_ = Status.objects.get_or_create('Pending')
To resolve this you will add the the respective key and value.
i.e like this state,_ = Status.objects.get_or_create(name='Pending')

A: Please check your URL path I fixed this issue by changing the URL.
path('reset_password_email/', requestpasswordresetemail, "request-rest-email")
Instead of use
path('reset_password_email/', requestpasswordresetemail, name="request-rest-email")

A: I was getting this issue so this is how I solved it ( by doing an eval and strip )
aggr = {}
with open("output.txt", "r") as f:
    for line in f.readlines():
        for k, v in dict(eval(line.strip())).items():
            aggr.setdefault(k, 0)
            aggr[k] = aggr[k] + v

print(aggr)

print(aggr)

The data I was reading was a text file with a dictionary objects
{'unknown': 298, 'a4a815d631c805ccd10dd2f1548baa57': 9724, '22b5a0ff959ce0b4036716cc0c2df68b': 1341, 'd186fde596dffaab46260765c7fcba61': 2052}
{'unknown': 323, '49e5357782510659cf083356f7d2a1ab': 9826, 'a4a815d631c805ccd10dd2f1548baa57': 9812, 'b615930608b8dcd217de7904d4463efb': 2409}


SAN'A, Yemen - Yemeni forces opened fire on an encampment of protesters and killed more than 20 people yesterday in the southern city of Taiz. In another southern town, seized by radical Islamists, government warplanes launched airstrikes.
The new attempts to suppress the uprising against President Ali Abdullah Saleh with overwhelming force, after a weekend when high-level military defectors formed a united front in support of the protesters, all pointed to the longtime leader's increasingly tenuous grip on power.
Yemen's weakly governed provinces are known as a haven for al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, one of the group's most-active branches, and other Islamic militant groups such as the one that overran the southern town of Zinjibar last week.
Government jets bombed the town's outskirts yesterday, the loud booms sending up columns of smoke, resident Ali Dahmis said by phone.
The airstrikes were the government's hardest hit yet against the Islamists since hundreds of them streamed in Friday, seizing banks and government buildings. Military units battled them overnight and into yesterday.
The death toll since Saturday rose to 34, a medic at al-Razi hospital said. He said the dead included militants, civilians and soldiers. Militants shot dead four soldiers yesterday after stopping them at a checkpoint outside the city, the medic said.


text:
Mank: Fincher's Chronicle of Citizen Kane Screenplay–Netflix
David Fincher's 'Mank' First Images (Netflix Release)
The first look at David Fincher's highly anticipated drama Mank was revealed Saturday to coincide with the 79th anniversary of wide theatrical opening of Citizen Kane.
The film is Fincher's first feature directing effort since 2014's "Gone Girl" and chronicles Herman Mankiewicz's (Gary Oldman) race to finish the "Citizen Kane" screenplay for Orson Welles (Tom Burke).
Fincher shot on location at Kemper Campbell Ranch in Victorville, California, where Mankiewicz spent months laboring on the first draft of a screenplay widely considered to be among the greatest ever written. Mankiewicz, notorious in Hollywood for his heavy drinking, stayed clean due to the ranch's strict no-alcohol policy. That left him free to focus on Welles' script.
Mankiewicz delivered a 300-page script to Welles, titled "American" which was then heavily edited. He spent time tweaking the script with input and revisions from Welles, whittling things down to a more manageable 156 pages.
However, the "Who really wrote 'Citizen Kane?'" question has been around for decades.
Mankiewicz sought screenplay credit and was eventually awarded it by RKO. The film's screenplay credit reads: "Screenplay by Herman J. Mankiewicz and Orson Welles."
Although Netflix has not released any official synopsis, the film's logline is "1930s Hollywood is re-evaluated through the eyes of scathing social critic and alcoholic screenwriter Herman J. Mankiewicz as he races to finish the screenplay of 'Citizen Kane' for Orson Welles."
"Citizen Kane" would go on to receive nine Academy Award nominations. Its only Oscar win was in the best original screenplay category. The statue was shared by Mankiewicz and Welles.
"Mank" also stars Amanda Seyfried as Marion Davies and Lily Collins as Rita Alexander.
Fincher reunites with Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, who worked on "The Social Network" and "Gone Girl," for the film's score. No official release date has been set for the film, but it is expected to hit the streaming service and some number of theaters this fall


Thanks to everyone that made such a fun day possible!
#SnowConesForDogHomes was such a fun day at work here at NWO! Not only did we have a blast, but tons of dogs and cats found homes with some pretty amazing people! A huge thank you to Washington County Shelter volunteers and to Shave the Planet for hanging out in the heat all day to make this possible.
We appreciate everyone that came out and made today such a huge success! You all are the absolute BEST!
Party in the Parking Lot 2018 Was a Blast!


text:
About ETCC
ETCC News
Outreach Centers
The Wood County Outreach office is located in Winnsboro TX., at 803 South Main Street. Office hours are Monday through Friday 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Services for victims of domestic violence, sexual assault and other victims of crime include: Crisis Intervention, Safety Planning, Support Groups, Peer Counseling, Shelter, Economic Education Classes, Community Resources & Information, Legal Advocacy, Limited Financial Assistance, Transportation to Emergency Shelter and Medical Accompaniment.
The East Texas Crisis Center HEART (help end abusive relationship tendencies) Support Group in Winnsboro is held every Tuesday from 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m.
If you or someone you know is in need of services please contact the Winnsboro Outreach at 903-347-6506.
Our 24 hour hotline is available after hours at 1-800-333-0358.
No appointment necessary.
Immediate Crisis Intervention and Advocacy are available on a walk-in basis during regular office hours.
Contact us for main telephone number and office hours for each county of service.
After office hours call Hotline at 903-595-5591 or 800-333-0358
Make a Difference Today
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Food donations and other items are needed for our shelter. Please see our Wish List for current items needed.
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Copyright © 2016. All Rights Reserved. The East Texas Crisis Center is a registered 501(c)3 non-profit organization.
Developed by Abbi Media


text:
Board index General Forums General Discussion
Moderator: Milldawg
Hercanic
Protoss Stargate Concierge
Contact Hercanic
Post by Hercanic » Fri Dec 07, 2018 1:23 am
Path of Exile is a free-to-play Action RPG, supported entirely (and extremely successfully) off of cosmetics and stash tab sales. You can find the game on Steam, Xbox, PS4, or download the client directly from GGG's website.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WgS4mhLsypY
Past trailers that have a bit of story to them
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dURQBqMiwIk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ljxcN9-BFlA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=92SpXUJEIVs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PJWWZYlH29M
I have played PoE for over 6 years now, since beta. ARPG is my favorite genre, and this is my go-to game. I adore the sheer depth and creativity you have over your character builds. For example, the designers have been fundamentally against hard caps, so you can push movement speed, attack speed, number of projectiles, AOE, and more to absolutely absurd levels. To the point of crashing the game. And the developers, GGG, are totally cool with that. Some of the more infamous builds could even crash a server in the early days. So if you want, you can literally make a game-breaking build. There are many lolz and memes to be had in this game.
Some lolz
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ca8BcR9AW40
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MWyV0kIp5n4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UYRHRzhRelQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4kGIsWPixbA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ylNyLaZ7_Jw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Dr0kNc3Nms
My favorite spell in the game is Raise Spectre, which allows you to turn any non-unique monster's corpse into a permanent minion for yourself. You can then alter their abilities through Support Gems and certain items. You can also take them to nonsensical extremes:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xb3oYCIQ-6E
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jshisfYFKqY
Every 3 to 4 months, GGG releases a new league. Everyone starts out fresh, like a Diablo 3 season. But the key difference is there is always a brand new league mechanic that significantly affects the game. Every year, the developers have gone bigger and bolder. They treat leagues as a way to field test wildly new and experimental ideas, and the successful ideas go on to be added to the base game.
Breach Trailer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cN82BoHQJHM
In Bestiary League, you hunted exotic animals to capture and add to your personal menagerie. Using the Blood Altar, you could then battle a group of those animals to imbue your items with new and potent properties.
Bestiary Trailer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zPyyo8_Ndyo
In Incursion League, you time-traveled to an ancient Vaal temple when it was still under construction, slaughtering one of two architects to shape how the temple ended up being built. Once you'd altered the temple's timeline 11 times, you could explore it in the present day and reap its lost wealth.
Incursion Trailer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QWXgJ19t4zU
In Delve League, which just ended, you plunged into an infinitely scaling dungeon called the Azurite Mine. The very darkness of the mine could devour you, so to keep it at bay you had to light the way as you went deeper and deeper, uncovering outposts of lost civilizations that long succumbed to the darkness.
Delve Trailer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-YabwBiPxk
In the new Betrayal League, all three of the above league mechanics are coming back in the form of new masters, along with an entirely new league mechanic and master to go with it. You investigate a criminal organization called the Immortal Syndicate, and piece together who is at its helm through interrogating, bargaining, or executing its lieutenants. Your choices affect the rankings and power of its leaders, which ultimately determines what loot you can pry out of their cold, dead hands.
Betrayal Trailer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d8Cpi4dFjm8
Re: Path of Exile: Betrayal
Post by Hercanic » Fri Dec 07, 2018 11:17 am
If you're interested, I have written a Necromancer build guide. It pushes minion count and damage to levels beyond most other summoner builds.
Speaker for the Dead | 74 minion Summoner
League Starter, Leveling Guide | 4.7M Shaper DPS
Path of Exile is one of the few games to get the minion master archetype right. They don't treat minions as some weak extra, restrict them to a paltry few, nor saddle them with counter-productive gameplay. Rather, minions in PoE are legitimate sources of damage. You can successfully base entire builds around any one of the nearly two dozen different types of minions. You can easily create dozens upon dozens of minions at a time, even well over a hundred like you're playing an RTS.
If you love the idea of leading a massive army of undead as much as I do, check it out.
Post by Hercanic » Tue Feb 19, 2019 3:32 pm
Synthesis League announced
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ThYCp7bjDa0
Re: Path of Exile
Post by Hercanic » Wed May 22, 2019 1:32 am
Legion League announced
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o5cA2GvES2w
Zerg Ultralisk Waste Manager
Post by Rocco » Wed May 22, 2019 9:41 pm
It's definitely more enjoyable than Diablo 3.
Post by Hercanic » Wed Sep 11, 2019 2:37 am
Blight League announced
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SzkWGiW-usQ
Post by Hercanic » Fri Nov 15, 2019 11:30 am
ExileCon Website
Livestream of ExileCon
Path of Exile 2 (4.0)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9OosC1E8TVM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V2VRRSVgCL4
A new campaign with seven acts that take place 20 years after Kitava. Overhauled mechanics, graphics, monsters, and more. Will feature 19 new Ascendancy classes and a different passive tree. GGG does not want to split their community, so it will run parallel with PoE 1 within the same client, as "One Game, Two Campaigns", sharing their endgame and all past and future league content. You can even play in the same party regardless of which campaign you come from. All microtransation purchases carry over between both, too.
Metamorph League (3.9)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6f5Zbu4hXI4
Build-a-Boss: Combine five flesh samples, dropped from monsters, to create a boss-level monster, the Metamorph, who has the properties of the samples used. The Metamorph can dynamically shift forms during combat between the shapes of any boss samples you used, changing its abilities and dangers. More challenging samples will give better rewards for slaying the Metamorph.
Conquerors of the Atlas Expansion (3.9)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jSwqFwH0SiI
Revamped map system and continuation of the endgame storyline.
Path of Exile: Mobile
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f_YjBTYHhug
Nope, it's not April 1st. GGG wants to make a mobile game devoid of all the bullshit that mobile games are infamous for, like they did with Free-to-Play back when such a model also had a sour reputation. GGG has consistently shown great integrity and openness with their community all these years. If any company can make a good game, before anything else, that just so happens to be on mobile, something fun to do while on the bus and such, GGG has the track record.
3.9 will hit in December. 4.0 won't be for another year or so. 3.10, 3.11, 3.12, 3.13 leagues will fill the gap.


Foshan Shengbang Steel Structure Co., Ltd. (for short "SBS") is a fast developing enterprise integrating marketing, design, development, manufacturing and construction. SBS has been approved and certified by international ISO9001: 2008 quality management system, and SGS factory system.
SBS is specialized in manufacturing prefabricated steel structure Office with advanced production lines.Office is handling the affairs of a particular place or a place to provide services . Work is to provide office space, different types of businesses , office space vary by office equipment , office staff and other auxiliary equipment composition, put some in the office suitable working environment for people and things that really help , flower, paintings. Office , you can also refer to a body , such as district offices, district government offices, Party offices , etc., is a window to the outside unit , internal organs to assist leadership.
The steel structure panel material included EPS sandwich panel,Rock wool sandwich panel,PU sandwich panel,fiber-glass ,steel sheet.
Skylight, ventilation, downpipe and galvanized gutter etc.
Carbon structural steel: Q195, Q215, Q235, Q255, Q275, etc.
scientific and effective solution for customers.We regard practical growth, innovationand group solidarity as our company spirit, so that we can offer all round service to customers.


text:
Music Tips
Radio Show/DJ Mixes
Slow Music for Slow Brands
The Slow Music Movement Blog
Occasionally something comes along that inspires us to put pen to paper. Maybe some great audio, an inspirational character, record label or event that we feel the need to shout about a little bit? We also put our daily recommendations here for the RSS feed crew.
Madison McFerrin - You + I (Self Release)
WHAT THE COVER LOOKS LIKE:
WHAT WE SAY:
The soul gene is as strong as it gets in the McFerrin family but Madison McFerrin is most definitely her own woman and looking to the future rather than past or sibling glories with her smooth as silk, futuristic soul & positive vibrations.
WHAT YOUR EARS SAY:
You + I by Madison McFerrin
WHAT THE PRESS RELEASE SAYS:
Madison McFerrin is an independent singer-songwriter based in Brooklyn, NY. In December of 2016, she quietly introduced her soulful take on a cappella to the world when she self-released Finding Foundations: Vol. I. After one listen, tastemaking DJ, Gilles Peterson, snatched up her standout track, "No Time to Lose," for his Brownswood Bubblers compilation. Leading up to her sold out debut show at Joe's Pub, the New York Times remarked how her sound "shows wonderful vocal dexterity, deftly swerving from sharp, clearly enunciated staccato bursts to fluttery, free-form melismata."
In February of 2018, she gave her listeners more of her distinctive sound that Questlove dubbed "soul-appella" when she self-released Finding Foundations: Vol. II. Her SXSW 2018 debut led legendary KCRW DJ Anne Litt to remark, "there's some sort of joy and beauty in the way that she performs that really drew me in all that much more." Pitchfork Magazine followed this up by declaring, "Madison McFerrin is making a cappella cool again" in a Rising Artist profile. She subsequently performed at Pitchfork's Rising Artist showcase at Northside Fest, OctFest, Paris Avant Garde showcase and inaugural Midwinter Event at the Art Institute of Chicago. Along with these noteworthy performances, Madison has also dazzled European crowds with her one-woman show of looping hypnotic harmonies live from London to Poland.
After releasing two critically acclaimed a cappella soul EPs, rising Brooklyn singer songwriter, Madison McFerrin, debuts her first body of work that marries her timeless vocals with modern production on her new EP, You + I.
Executive Produced by Madison McFerrin + ned levy jr.
EP cover art photography: ned levy jr.
OUR MISSION STATEMENT GOES SOMETHING LIKE THIS
Lazy Days, Hazy Moments & Dancing to a Slower Groove


The Stella Briefs are made in soft recycled polyester mesh with flock printed little stars. The mesh has an elegant and sheer look and the fit is comfortable and classic. The Stella line combines fun and femininity to perfection! Complete the set with matching Stella Bra.
Styling tip: Wear it under the elegant Amanda Kimono for a fierce lounge look!
Model is 170 cm and wears a size S.


text:
Ibn Khaldun's Science of Human Culture - Heinrich Simon Translated by Fuad Baali
Regular price RM0.00 MYR RM39.00 MYR Sale
This is an English translation of Heinrich Simon's German book Ibn Khaldun's Wissenschaft von der Menschlichen Culture (Leipzig, 1959),
The purpose of the translation being to make Ibn Khaldun's ideas and contributions more accessible.
The title of the book is self-explanatory and, as Simon puts it, "it is indeed Ibn Khaldun's merit to have made human society the subject of a new, separate science."
The German scholar's chief purpose in writing the book is to establish the connection of the Khaldun's work with the philosophical tradition. He shows that Ibn Khaldun's Science of Human Culture is something essentially new and that Ibn Khaldun was the first to attempt to formulate social laws. Apart from the connections with philosophical tradition and with the situation of Ibn Khaldun which will become apparent in the book, the book also considers whether such a view is compatible with the basic religious attitude toward history and whether Ibn Khaldun's view of history is at all Islamic.
The book breaks new grounds and will be a welcome addition to literature on Ibn Khaldun and his work.


We are born into a life of self-centeredness.
One of the first words kids learn is a word that parents despise hearing: "Mine!" Babies are born into this world extremely self-centered — that is their nature. Their cries communicate that their needs are not being met: I need my diaper changed, I'm hungry, I'm scared, I want that. Hopefully, they grow out of it, but sometimes they do not.
Self-centeredness is bound up in our nature. It is a good thing when it is concerned with the basic necessities of life, food, shelter, etc. A healthy sense of self is needed to make sure these things are provided. However, once we live with other human beings, we find that this mindset will not serve us well. Human society works best when we remember that we are not the only ones with needs and desires.
Sometimes we can be like that in the church. Church become all about us, our needs, our wants, our comfort, our ideas. Jesus, however, says that when we choose to follow him, we give up our rights and privileges. The only one with rights and privileges in the church is Jesus who is Lord of the church.
The best way to illustrate the attitude followers of Christ should exhibit is found in Philippians 2:1-11. Here, Paul admonishes us not to be only concerned about ourselves but do things that benefit others as well. He then gives us the example of Jesus himself in what could have been an ancient hymn of the church.
Jesus stepped out of his rights and privileges as God and descended a long stairway that ended with the most horrific death a person could imagine. And he did this not for his benefit, but for ours.
Paul reminds us that this is the attitude we should have as followers of Christ in the church. This attitude dismisses selfishness and conceit and promotes humility and unity.
This Sunday we will talk about how these ideas can be lived out in our lives and our fellowship as the congregation of Navarre United Methodist Church. Join us!


Every now and then web surfing really pays off and a sharp eyed NACK paddler has discovered a real gem. It's a new YouTube feature called SeaKayaking TV. It's got all sorts of short videos on things like kayak rolling, kayak surf handling and landing, forward stroke technique, wet exits and more.
Of course, watching TV doesn't take the place of actual training with a certified instructor and practice sessions to maintain your skills. But what is important is that SeaKayaking TV illustrates techniques many casual kayakers don't even know exist. You never know what you don't know, and that can really get you in trouble.


text:
Archery Programs
The LIVONIA ARCHERY RANGE is closed for the 2022 season.
it will open on April 1, 2023 for the 2023 season.
The Livonia Archery Range is located at 32710 Glendale Avenue off Farmington Road between I-96 and Plymouth Road. Please note that an adult must accompany all children ages 10 and under.
April-August
10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesdays/Thursdays:
4 p.m. to Dusk Saturdays:
Sundays: 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturdays: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sundays: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Sundays: 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
The Livonia Archery Range will be closed on the following days due to holidays for the 2023 season:
April 8 and 9 May 27 and 28
The Archery Range Season Pass allows holders to access the Livonia Archery Range anytime during open shooting hours. All equipment rental from the Archery Range is included as a part of the season pass.
2023 Archery Season Passes can be purchased at the Kirksey Recreation Center or online beginning in Jan. 2023. Proof of residency is required.
Resident Fee
Non-Resident Fee
Individual $40 $55
2 Members $50 $65
4+ Members $70
Day passes allow shooters to access the Livonia Archery Range for the day of purchase during open shooting hours. All equipment rental from the Archery Range is included as a part of the day pass. Proof of residency is required. If purchased online, please keep the receipt as proof of purchase.
Adult (18+) $5 $8
Youth (17 & under) $4 $7
ARCHERY SEASON PASS AND DAY PASS ONLINE REGISTRATION
ARCHERY RANGE FAQS
Are crossbows allowed at the range?
Crossbows are allowed at the Livonia Archery Range. Anyone using a crossbow must shoot from the designated crossbow lane and provide their own bolts.
Are broadhead arrows allowed at the range?
Broadhead arrows are permitted at the Livonia Archery Range. Any archer using broadhead arrows must provide their own targets for shooting.
What equipment is available at the range?
The Livonia Archery Range has recurve and compound bows for ages 8+ available for use with the purchase of a day pass or season pass. The range has target and target faces for individuals to use.
Can I bring my own equipment?
Shooters are welcome to bring their own equipment.
In-Line Skating
Livonia Junior Athletic League (LJAL)
T-Ball / Coach Pitch
Field Rentals


The U.S. Postal Service recently confirmed that it takes pictures of every letter and parcel mailed in the country and at times provides these pictures to law enforcement to aid in criminal cases. These approximately 160 billion pieces of mail are photographed at 200 USPS processing plants around the nation. Postmaster General, Patrick R. Donahoe, said in an interview with the Associated Press that the images are taken primarily for sorting purposes and only kept for 30 days before being destroyed.
The postal service confirmed giving some photographs to law enforcement agencies upon request. Specifically, this included images of the letters containing ricin that were sent to both President Obama and New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg. Investigative agencies such as the FBI and the DEA view this postal information as a vital component of many criminal cases.
The photographs are a part of the USPS "Mail Isolation and Tracking" program. This program was implemented as a response to the 2001 anthrax attacks that led to the deaths of five people. Prior to this 2001 program, the USPS began an even more expansive surveillance program known as "mail covers" which involves taking down the information visible on the outside of letters and packages. Going further than this and actually opening the mail before delivery would require a warrant. Many are becoming concerned over this blurred line between national security interests and the individual right to privacy.
In the past two months since Edward Snowden's leaks, the nation has been fixed on National Security Administration (NSA) "eavesdropping" on citizens' electronic communications. Now, with this information released from the postmaster general, it now seems as if this "low tech" eavesdropping is just as prevalent.
The postal service stated that they only give their photographs to law enforcement at request, but it is important to note that mail cover information is not subject to judicial oversight. All a law enforcement agency has to do to get this information is make a written request to the Postal Inspection Service. These programs allow the postal service, and consequently law enforcement agencies, to not only monitor the mail of suspected criminals, but all individuals.
Since mail covers can be requested of any individuals, many are calling this an invasion of privacy. Bruce Schneier, an author and computer security expert, stated that "collecting the information on the outside of your mail, the metadata, if you will, of names, addresses, return addresses and postmark locations…gives the government a pretty good map of your contacts, even if they aren't reading the contents."
The Fourth Amendment prohibits unreasonable searches and seizures without a warrant validated by probable cause. While the USPS cannot open mail prior to delivery without a warrant supported by probable cause, they have justified photographing mail and even supplying law enforcement agencies with pictures and data of just about everything except the contents of these parcels.
There have been many reports of abuse of the mail cover program, including some successful federal lawsuits.


Who says the Communist Party of India-Marxist or the Left Front was defeated in the Tripura State Assembly polls in 2018 by the combine of the Bharatiya Janata Party and Indigenous People's Front of Tripura?
The overwhelming majority of 2.3 million-plus voters "voted with their feet", to quote Vladimir Illyich Lenin, who quipped following the collapse of the Russian military machine in World War I, when thousands of soldiers, hungry for days, deserted the Army to return home after March 1917. Lenin said, they marked their ballots not with pen or pencil, but with feet that took them out of the lines and brought them home.
However, neither the biggies at Agartala's Dasarath Deb Bhavan, the seat of the State Committee of the CPI-M of Tripura, nor the mandarins at New Delhi's A. K. Gopalan Bhavan, the national headquarters of the party, have the sense of reality that the Bharatiya Janata Party, characterised by the Senegalese Marxist economist Samir Amin as the "Hindu comprador Right", teaming up with the Indigenous People's Front of Tripura did strip naked on July 12, 2017 during a road and rail blockade movement demanding Tipraland and cashed in largely on non-performance of the CPI-M-led Left Front Government to slap a stunning catastrophe on what the official Left (not the CPI-M alone) thought was the impregnable fortress of the CPI-M.
The LF Chairman and State CPI-M Secretary, Bijan Dhar, in a five-part article in Desher Katha, the party's Bengali morninger, resorted to a laboured argument to say in a somewhat imposing way that the defeat of the LF was inexplicable, although cynics, who are mentally shattered after the debacle of the Left, dump it as a rigmarole. Even in 1951, the undivided Communist Party of India won both the seats from Tripura: Dasarath Deb from Tripura East and Birendra Chandra Dutt from Tripura West won with big margins, getting 53.9 per cent and 68.84 per cent of the valid votes respectively. A mistaken impression is in currency that the average difference in votes between the CPI-M and BJP was very small: in 48 seats that the BJP contested it received 20,814 votes on an average against 17,724 votes in 56 seats fought by the CPI-M candidates.
Dhar told newspersons after the poll that the probability of the LF's return to power was 99.99 per cent. On March 2, a day before the counting, he and another CPI-M CC member, Badal Chowdhury, a Minister of the last government, issued a statement that the eighth LF Government would surely be formed.
However, Dhar had the moral courage to state after the ignominious defeat that the "results appear to us as somewhat inconsistent with" base-level information.
The CPI-M State chief made three interesting revelations inter alia. One, this time voting in Tripura was subordinated to the BJP's helping domestic and foreign corporates to "aggressively grab national wealth resources".
Two, there has been a major erosion of influence of the Communists in traditional Adivasi strongholds where the LF had lost with big margins. It won in three out of 20 ST seats. Three, the LF got less than 34 per cent of the postal ballots and in only one of the 59 constituencies it got more votes than the BJP-IPFT alliance. In all, but one seat, the alliance got much more votes than the LF. These observations seem a candid confession. Dhar conceded that the LF had got 1,30,086 votes less than the BJP-IPFT combine.
Eighty-year-old IPFT chief Narendra Debbarma defeated the CPI-M candidate, Ramendra Debbarma, from Takarjala (ST) seat by nearly 13,000 votes, the largest margin in this election, although the CPI-M polling agents were forced to quit under threat from at least six polling booths by the BJP-IPFT agents.
The CPI-M defeated the IPFT from Manu (ST) constituency by less than 200 votes.
Manindra Reang, a Minister of the last government, was defeated by almost 2500 votes by little known Pramod Reang of the BJP from Santirbajar (ST) constituency which is where the historic Reang Rebellion (1943-45) took place.
Another Minister, Aghore Debbarma, also a CC member, was mauled by Mevar Kr Jamatia in the Asharambari (ST) seat by about 7000 votes. Both these Ministers are prominent State Committee members.
Hats off to the local media that predicted what a sizable section of veteran political analysts (including this humble scribe—although not in print fortunately) brushed aside as a miracle or more-than-the-lonescone absurd drama.
Sunil Deodhar, the RSS pracharak-turned-BJP-poll-strategist, stated with confidence six months ago that the saffron alliance would bag 40 or more seats although the party had no MLA in the last legislature.
The LF's failure in trying to cash in on former Chief Minister Manik Sarkar's image as "the poorest Chief Minister" and the media hype thereof is a lesson. Seven-fold rise in registered unemployment—now estimated at 700,000 (at least 40 per cent of adult population)—during his era reflects a glaring mismatch between honesty and performance.
But it cannot be said that the LF Government's commitment to the canons of integrity and transparency was unflinching, The LF Govern-ment's appointment of 10,323 teachers in 2010 and 2013—1100 post graduates, 4617 graduates and 4606 undergraduates—was in contravention of the Right to Education Act, 2009 that set out obligatory qualifications.
Which was why on May 7, 2014, a Division Bench of the Tripura High Court, in response to 58 petitions, terminated the services of these teachers. The HC noted that the State Government did not follow the National Council for Teachers Education guidelines, laid down in 2001, while recruiting them. Later, a Division Bench of the Supreme Court upheld the order.
The dismissed teachers, formed an association of 10,323 teachers, and called on the then State Education Minister, Tapan Chakraborty, who purportedly tried to circumvent the Supreme Court's order by announcing the recruitment of 12,000 non-teaching staff in the Education Department to accommodate them.
There was a contempt petition against this decision before the Apex Court which dissuaded the LF Government in a rebuking tone. The SC asked the State Government to initiate a fresh recruitment policy under the Teachers Eligibility Test as prescribed under the RTE Act by May 31 and complete the process by December 31, but in vain. The BJP cashed in on this shameful goof-up by the CPI-M.
The Trivedi Centre for Political Data at the Ashoka University under the supervision of Gilles Verniers, Assistant Professor of Political Science and co-director, TCPD, Basim-U-Nissa, Mohit Kumar, Ashish Ranjan and Sudesh Kumar, brought out a comprehensive analysis about the collapse of the LF. "In 2018, both CPI-M and BJP totalled 85.7 per cent of the total vote-share....The CPI-M lost 33 seats out of the 46 it previously held. Its presence is reduced to the two geographical extremities of the State—in the northern-most districts and alongside the western border with Bangladesh, in the Shipahijala and the South Tripura districts," it inferred.
On the total collapse of the Congress—plummeting of vote-share from 35 to two per cent—the TCPD scan concurred with the general impression that voters had lost "all hope in the Congress Party and whoever wished to oppose the Left transferred their vote to the BJP. The rise of the BJP exceeds the decline of the Congress, as it gained five more percentage points than the Congress lost. This confirms the notion that the BJP succeeded in becoming the main opposition to the Left for a broad range of voters." The Congress actually helped the BJP win. Had the Congress put up a fight, they might have retained some of their voters, arguably, which would have prevented the BJP from sweeping this election and "convert 43 per cent of vote-share into nearly 60 per cent of the seats, a smaller majority than those obtained by the CPI-M since 1993".
But it is a waste of time to argue with those who believe that the Left succumbed to excessive use of money and muscle power. Statewide violence, intimidation and extortion, aimed at the CPI-M and its supporters after March 3 are true, but all this is not unthinkable.
The CPI-M too had such sanguinary campaigns in West Bengal, even presently in Kerala, directed against the Opposition. But why did Khowai, the region known as the cradle of communism in Tripura, too reject the Marxists?
Why did the LF get less than 34 per cent of postal votes that were cast mostly by government employees and teachers who together have traditionally been the vote-bank of the CPI-M?
Some thought that voters would be polarised between Bengali and Adivasi voters. Adivasis comprise around 30 per cent of electorate. But the very perception of Bengali-Adivasi divide is politically naïve.
George Orwell had rightly said about the possibility of changing mindsets of so-called Communists during the Stalin era that it's futile to "try to teach a parrot a new word".
The author is a veteran journalist and commentator. This article is a slightly expanded version of the one carried in The Statesman (published on March 31, 2018) and sent by the author for publication in this journal.