text:
While counting
==============

Select world **Around 1**. You have seen before that Reeborg takes 9 steps
before reaching the first square where he is blocked by having a wall in
front of him. Let's use the increment operator to have Reeborg keep
track of the number of steps and stop just before hitting a wall::

    number_of_steps = 0;
    while number_of_steps < 9 :  # "<" means "less than"
        move()
        number_of_steps += 1

.. topic:: Try it!

    Try to run the above. Then, modify the program to write the value of
    ``number_of_steps`` in Reeborg's Diary each time it is incremented.

Defining ``repeat()``?
----------------------

In the above program, Reeborg was counting and doing a number of steps
(``move``) up to a predetermined value. We have seen before how to
accomplish this using a single instruction::

    repeat(move, 9)

Let's define a function ``my_repeat`` that will *hide* the code with the
while loop above::

    def my_repeat():
        number_of_steps = 0
        while number_of_steps < 9 :
            move()
            number_of_steps += 1

    my_repeat()   # use it!

That's not very useful compared with ``repeat()`` since both the number
of steps to take and the specific instruction to repeat are
*hard-coded*. We can do better by *passing* **arguments** to
``my_repeat`` as follows::

    def my_repeat(some_function, max_value):
        number_of_steps = 0
        while number_of_steps < max_value :
            some_function()
            number_of_steps += 1

    my_repeat(move, 9)   # use it!
    my_repeat(turn_left, 4)

.. topic:: Try it!

   Try to run the above program.

Scope
-----

In the definition above, ``number_of_steps`` was a **local** variable
only known inside the function ``my_repeat``.
An other way, which we have seen previously,
is to us a **global** variable as follows::

    number_of_steps = 0
    def my_repeat(some_function, max_value):
        global number_of_steps
        while number_of_steps < max_value :
            some_function()
            number_of_steps += 1

Whether a
variable is *local* to a function or *global* is known as the **scope**
of the variable. Generally, it is recommended to use local variables
whenever possible so that if you reuse the same variable name (locally)
elsewhere in a program, it will be treated as a completely different
variable and won't affect the value of a similarly named variable
elsewhere. If you use global variables, a change in one part of the
program will change the value of that variable everywhere else - often
leading to some hard to trace bugs.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


A Kelowna-based hemp company will be featured on a new William Shatner-led television show about the science behind marijuana.
The Medical Review is a show that travels across the world to investigate "meaningful updates on the most important health and medical advances," according to its website.
William Shatner will be hosting the show.
The show's producer reached out to Brynn Jones, at Kelowna-based J/W Mariceuticals, to help find professionals in British Columbia who are knowledgeable about pot science.
In addition, Jones' company, which sells hemp products in both retail and wholesale, will be featured in the show.
Jones said they chose his relatively new company to be a part of the show because of the way his website was set up.
J/W Mariceuticals is the brainchild of Brynn Jones and Jason Weber. They began the company in May 2014, and were originally hoping to set up a medical marijuana company.
As they looked into the industry, they decided because of the legal gray area it currently sits in, it would be better to get into it after the federal election once the industry's future is better known.
Because of this, they have moved in the direction of hemp products, like protein powders and oils, that Jones says carries different health benefits.
Jones is helping the TV show investigate many of the claims of hemp and marijuana advocates through scientific research.
Jones didn't know details of when they would be filming or when the show is expected to air, as they are still in the early stages.


text:
IRELAND - MALTA - TRAVEL
The Wandering Scribe
IF YOU'RE IRISH – Come into the Parlour. There's an Easter Gift for you !!!
Date: April 17, 2019Author: paddycummins 0 Comments
The Irish are one of the most widely scattered nationalities in the world (did you know that one in six of us born in Ireland lives abroad?
It is of no surprise that there are now almost 40 million Americans that claim to have Irish ancestry considering that almost 5 million Irish have emigrated to the US since the 1700′s. The exodus of Irish immigrants to America really took off during the Great Hunger (Irish Potato Famine) between 1845-52 when over 1 million Irish died and many of those that survived fled in search of a better life.
Many Irish Americans feel a deep, spiritual connection to Ireland, their homeland and the birthplace of their ancestors.
What is amazing is that many American's ancestors left Ireland because of dire poverty and starvation. Yet despite the difficulties of their lives in Ireland, they brought a great love of their homeland with them to the United States. I think there are few groups of immigrants so deeply linked to their homeland by nostalgic memories. This spiritual, mystical connection has been passed down through the generations.
Throughout the long years living in the US, many Irish American still recount fond memories of their Irish grandparents or great-grandparents. They attribute their great admiration to a warmth, wit, turn-of-phrase, or generally pleasant outlook on life that is unique to the Irish.
So, to celebrate Easter, a historically poignant time for the Irish everywhere, I am delighted to give you all a gift of a little bit of Ireland in the form of my new book: "At Home in Ireland" (The Green and Misty Isle).
It is a collection of short stories and poems all set in Ireland.
I describe the ten stories as 'Rich & Real' because they bring to life the real charm and character of the Irish and show the richness of the wit and warmth that you only find in Ireland.
The twenty poems which I refer to as 'Sweet & Tender' also come from the heart of Ireland and with their lyrical rhyme and tender themes, capture the essence and spirit of Ireland and the Irish.
So, for five days – Tuesday 16th April to Saturday 20th April – "AT HOME IN IRELAND" will be available to download, FREE OF CHARGE.
To download your FREE copy of "AT HOME IN IRELAND" just click on this link:
If you're Irish. Paddy Cummins.
Published by paddycummins
Paddy Cummins has written fifteen books. Four novels, an epic sea book, a memoir, an autobiography, three travel books, a self-help book, a book of selected poems and three collections of short stories and poems. Paddy lives in Ireland during the summer and spends the winter months in Malta. To see all Paddy's books just click on 'My Books'.	View all posts by paddycummins
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Ireland's most beautiful landscape – Beara, West Cork.
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INTERVIEW with Paddy Cummins
THE IRISH PUB
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Q: relativeLayout set to wrap_content with alignParentRight? I want to set relative layout to wrap content , and align all of the children to the right , here the xml :
<RelativeLayout xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
    android:id="@+id/relativeLayout18"
    android:layout_width="wrap_content"
    android:layout_height="wrap_content"
    android:background="#000">

    <TextView
        android:id="@+id/textViewMsgDate"
        android:layout_alignParentRight="true"
        android:layout_width="wrap_content"
        android:layout_height="50dp"
        android:layout_gravity="right"
        android:layout_marginRight="8dp"
        android:gravity="center"
        android:textColor="#ffff"
        android:text="simple"
        />

</RelativeLayout>

but as you can see in the picture i dont succeed ? although if i align to the left wrap_content work as expected .

A: The problem here is that you are aligning the child of the RelativeLayout to its parent's(RelativeLayout) right, since RelativeLayout's width is set to wrap_content this won't move the child.
If you wan't to align the child to right of the parent, parent should have greater width than it's child. So either give RelativeLayout some width or make it "match_parent" or align the RelativeLayout itself to right, so that its child(TextView) moves along with it.
Note : if you align to left and make the RelativeLayout width "wrap_content", it behaves as you expected because, RelativeLayout is already aligned to left, thus it the child as well.
EDITED
To achieve what you want, simply do this :
<RelativeLayout xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
android:id="@+id/relativeLayout18"
android:layout_width="fill_parent"
android:layout_height="fill_parent">

<RelativeLayout
    android:id="@+id/textview_wrapper"
    android:layout_width="wrap_content"
    android:layout_height="wrap_content"
    android:layout_alignParentRight="true"
    android:background="#000">

    <TextView
       android:id="@+id/textViewMsgDate"
       android:layout_width="wrap_content"
       android:layout_height="50dp"
       android:layout_marginRight="8dp"
       android:textColor="#ffff"
       android:text="simple"
    />
</RelativeLayout></RelativeLayout>

The result should be something like this :

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Starkey Wins Prestigious CES Innovation Award
Evolv AI designated as a 2023 CES Innovation Award honoree
Eden Prairie, Minnesota (January 5, 2023) – Starkey is proud to announce that its most advanced line of hearing aids, Evolv AI, has been named a CES® 2023 Innovation Awards Honoree in the accessibility category. As one of the world's most influential technology competitions, this award honors products with outstanding design, engineering, and innovation, with winners chosen from thousands of applications around the world. Starkey's CES Innovation Award marks the tenth product innovation and design award won by Evolv AI.
"Starkey's ground-breaking technology continues to receive high-profile accolades," said Starkey President and CEO Brandon Sawalich. "By focusing on innovation and technology, we've paved the way for cutting-edge products that truly help people live better lives. I'm excited about what lies ahead, because, in many ways, we're just getting started."
Starkey's new full line of hearing aids, Evolv AI, sets the stage for an entirely new hearing ecosystem that not only emphasizes hearing's impact on overall health and wellness, but creates an effortless user experience. The hearing aids are built on Starkey Sound™, a ground-breaking technology created by years of refining Starkey's research and science-based algorithms to power high-fidelity audio, which is modeled after the human auditory system. Like the brain, Starkey Sound is designed to automatically suppress background noise and increase speech audibility and intelligibility with machine learning technology. The combination of these features creates an effortless hearing experience for users. Evolv AI's always on and always automatic approach delivers realistic and genuine sound quality in every environment, without the need to do anything extra.
"At Starkey, we are revolutionizing hearing healthcare through innovative technology," said Chief Technology Officer Achin Bhowmik, Ph.D. "Evolv AI leads the way in sound quality, but its ease of use is truly groundbreaking. We are proud to continue to earn recognition for excellence and provide our hearing health care professionals with more powerful devices that enhance quality of life and help connect people with the world around them."
To learn more about Starkey, please click here.
Starkey is a privately held, global hearing technology company headquartered in Eden Prairie, Minnesota. Founded by Bill Austin in 1967, Starkey is known for its innovative design, development and distribution of comprehensive digital hearing systems. Led today by President and CEO Brandon Sawalich, Starkey is the only American-owned provider of hearing technologies. The company has more than 5,000 employees, operates 29 facilities and does business in more than 100 markets worldwide. Learn more at starkey.com.


text:
Daily Deal: The Complete Learn to Code Master Class Bonus Bundle
Supposedly Disadvantaged Conservatives Not Exactly Rushing To Support Josh Hawley's Anti-Section 230 Bill
Indian Gov't Uses National Security Law, Bad Information To Block Twitter Accounts All Over The World
(Mis)Uses of Technology
from the censorship-starts-at-home-but-has-plenty-of-travel-options dept
Mon, Jun 24th 2019 10:44am — Tim Cushing
US social media companies are continuing to act as proxy censors for governments around the world. This is adding some bizarre twists to stories of social media content takedowns as governments target posts by non-citizens located thousands of miles away.
India may have abandoned a fake news law, but it still acting as though unverified news is a threat to national security. In a case covered by Kevin Poulsen for The Daily Beast, an American college student's tweets were targeted by the Indian government, which claimed the student was engaging in spreading propaganda.
Twitter is warning a Texas college student that it might "be obliged to take action" after some of his tweets were ruled a national security threat by the government of India eight thousand miles away.
The notice issued to 21-year-old Ryan Barenklau on Saturday is part of a crackdown on a group of open-source investigators who spend their days sifting through data and imagery to glean insights on regional conflicts around the world. Barenklau's focus is primarily on Crimea and North Korea, but in May a journal in India wrongly claimed his account was part of a Pakistani disinformation ring.
Barenklau was hit with notices from Twitter over five tweets, none of which mention India. The tweets discussed North Korean missile tests, possible US government action in Iran, the recent Hong Kong protests, and, weirdly, CBS News footage of the Notre Dame cathedral fire.
Others received similar notices recently originating from the Indian government, including a British student who tweets covered Syria, Sudan and the Gulf of Oman, and "NatSecJeff," the Twitter account of Pakistani investigator/British counterterrorism think tank member Faran Jeffery.
The scattershot approach of these takedown demands suggests the Indian government is using an automated tool to search for targets and issue notices. Securing the nation from online threats is a job that is too important not to do, but not important enough to do well.
But there's more to this than bulk removal requests. Research published by the Great Game India journal claimed these accounts were all part of a coordinated misinformation campaign by Pakistani operatives.
Great Game India pegged Jeffery as a fake news operative working for Pakistan, citing some of his other tweets, and the fact that he previously worked for a Pakistani institute with military ties. In May, an Indian newspaper aired the journal's findings under the headline "Retired Pak officers behind 'fake news,'" publishing a list of seven additional Twitter accounts that frequently share Jeffery's tweets.
The paper, citing Great Game India's research, claimed all the accounts "have Pakistani roots."
Now that the damage has been done and content blocked, the journal's researchers are saying mistakes may have been made. But they're unwilling to go into specifics about which of the targeted accounts -- which include two US college students -- they're wrong about. Given the circumstances, it appears the Indian government is targeting Twitter accounts in the US and Britain for spreading misinformation… based on bad information.
Pushback from US tech companies has been minimal. Users no longer need to fear just their own governments, but every government in the world. As more governments enact laws directly targeting speech, the effects will continue to be felt around the globe.
Filed Under: automated censorship, censorship, india, social networks
Companies: twitter
Former Content Moderator Explains How Josh Hawley's Bill Would Grant Government Control Over Online Speech
Gab, Mastodon And The Challenges Of Content Moderation On A More Distributed Social Network
Politicians Queue Up To Make France's Proposed Law Against 'Hateful Content' Far, Far Worse
UK ISPs Vilify Mozilla For Trying To Secure The Internet
Anonymous Coward, 24 Jun 2019 @ 10:46am
That is the same thing twitter does.
Gary (profile), 24 Jun 2019 @ 11:07am
Re: Funny
Oh, Twitter is a government that threatens people with legal sanctions? Do tell!
Re: Re: Funny
It's clearly a spam bot, here to show us how badly written it, or how trollish the author is.
Re: Re: Re: Funny
I figured it was a neo-nazi complaining that he got de-platformed after calling for genocide. They are the first (not the only) to bitch about that.
Anonymous Coward, 24 Jun 2019 @ 12:00pm
Re: Re: Re: Re: Funny
Ah. You maybe onto something there.
Once, while setting up a school internet filter, my friends and I read some neo-nazi propaganda (It was better than trying to look at porn sites in mixed company). The site was... interesting... it how completely incoherent and self contraditory it was.
Why should someone in the US care about what the Indian government thinks about their posts? Why should an Indian citizen care about what the US thinks of their posts? Why is Twitter apparently going to enforce other nations' laws against people not in those nations?
Should Erdogan get to stifle global speech, too?
Sharur, 24 Jun 2019 @ 12:12pm
A citizen in one country's concern over the views of a foriegn government should be limited to: a) their assets under the control of that government, b) the ability of that government to sue them, c) the ability of that government to obtain their Extradition (Note that the US and India do have a Extradition treaty, but such action requires "dual criminality")
Twitter, on the other hand, presumably doesn't want to lose access to a billion plus customers, so is willing to play ball with the Indian government, for economic reasons.
Anonymous Coward, 24 Jun 2019 @ 3:31pm
I think the bigger question is, why would someone in any country want to use twitter?
Annonymouse, 25 Jun 2019 @ 11:49am
Well a number of US courts are more than happy to apply and enforce US law outside the US.
ECA (profile), 24 Jun 2019 @ 11:50am
This nations internet...
Is Closed..
Love all these countries, trying to share THEIR ideals and concepts over borders, that they Never enforced before..
Finding REASONS to close your internet to your citizens, 101. Blame the NET for all your problems...Dont solve your internal problems Dont understand the Human condition, Just point fingers.
Anonymous Coward, 25 Jun 2019 @ 4:15am
and, weirdly, CBS News footage of the Notre Dame cathedral fire
Clearly, he must have confused it with the 9/11 attack. So it fits again?
Anonymous Coward, 7 Jul 2019 @ 1:01am
Just make a competing site and ignore Government requests
Wouldn't it be better if twitter just booted people with no explanation and saved all the drama? It isn't like they need a reason to boot people, so why put out these controversial reasons for doing so?
Their site. Their way. The end.


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text:
Robert Mueller Tells America "No," He Did Not Totally Exonerate The President
Former special counsel Robert Mueller warned that the Russians are attempting to get involved in the American elections saying, "they're doing it as we sit here."
By Tasneem Nashrulla and Paul McLeod and Kadia Goba and Emma Loop
Tasneem Nashrulla BuzzFeed News Reporter Paul McLeod BuzzFeed News Reporter Kadia Goba BuzzFeed News Reporter Emma Loop BuzzFeed News Reporter
Last updated on July 24, 2019, at 4:44 p.m. ET
Posted on July 24, 2019, at 7:16 a.m. ET
Former special counsel Robert Mueller testified Wednesday before two congressional committees about his probe into Russia's interference in the 2016 elections and President Donald Trump's efforts to obstruct the investigation.
Mueller is a man of few words — during his testimony he hewed closely to the conclusions of his report.
Mueller dismissed Trump's repeated claims that the Mueller report "totally exonerated" him, testifying that it was "not what the report said."
He warned that the Russians are attempting to get involved in the American elections saying, "they're doing it as we sit here."
Mueller said that he would not be able to answer questions about the opening of the FBI's Russia investigation or any questions about the Steele dossier.
Even so, House Democrats grilled Mueller with questions that highlighted Trump's efforts to impede the high-profile investigation and the president's efforts to have Mueller fired.
Meanwhile, Republicans attacked Mueller's credibility, saying he is a biased investigator.
Robert Mueller said his testimony would stay within the text of the 448-page report.
Mueller's opening statement, as expected, hewed closely to the conclusions of his 448-page report, and he reiterated that he would not summarize the results any differently during his testimony.
"The report is my testimony," Mueller said, "and I will stay within that text."
Mueller also said that he would not be able to answer questions about the opening of the FBI's Russia investigation or any questions about the Steele dossier, both topics that Republican lawmakers were expecting to grill him about.
Mueller also amplified the significance of Russia's interference in the 2016 elections. "Over the course of my career, I've seen a number of challenges to our democracy," Mueller said. "The Russian government's effort to interfere in our election is among the most serious. As I said on May 29, this deserves the attention of every American."
Mueller reiterated that the report did not completely exonerate Trump.
Via video-player.buzzfeed.com
"Director Mueller, the president has repeatedly claimed your report found there was no obstruction and that it completely and totally exonerated him," Judiciary Committee Chair Jerry Nadler told Mueller. "That is not what your report said, is it?"
Mueller replied, "Correct, not what the report said."
"What about total exoneration. Did you totally exonerate the president?" Nadler asked.
"No," Mueller responded.
Nadler then quoted from Mueller's report, saying the investigation found multiple acts by the president that were capable of exerting undue influence over law enforcement investigations, including the Russian-interference and obstruction investigation.
He then asked Mueller to explain "in plain terms" his findings of his investigation.
"The finding indicates that the president was not exculpated for the acts that he allegedly committed," Mueller said.
BuzzFeed News @BuzzFeedNews
Rep. Ted Lieu: "The reason again that you did not indict Donald Trump is because of [Office of Legal Counsel] opinion stating that you cannot indict a sitting president, correct?" Mueller: "That is correct"
At the start of his next hearing, Mueller clarified what he meant in this exchange with Rep. Lieu: "As we say in the report and I said in the opening, we did not reach a determination as to whether the president committed a crime."
The former special counsel, in response to later questioning, said he did not indict Trump for obstruction of justice because of the Office of Legal Counsel (OLC) opinion that says a sitting president cannot be indicted. Back in May, Mueller emphasized that the policy meant his office could not indict Trump, but also that his office didn't get to the point of concluding whether Trump committed a crime; they presented evidence on both sides of that question.
Democratic Rep. Ted Lieu asked Mueller, "The reason again that you did not indict Donald Trump is because of the OLC opinion stating that you cannot indict a sitting president, correct?"
"That is correct," Mueller responded.
During the second hearing, Mueller corrected himself on the characterization of the exchange with Lieu, reiterating that his team did not determine whether Trump committed a crime.
"I want to go back to one thing that was said this morning by Mr. Lieu who said, and I quote, 'you didn't charge the president because of the OLC opinion.' That is not the correct way to say it," Mueller said. "As we say in the report, and as I said at the opening, we did not reach a determination as to whether the president committed a crime."
Mueller testified that it would be "unconstitutional" for him to indict Trump based on the OLC opinion. When Nadler asked if the president could be prosecuted for obstruction of justice after he leaves office, Mueller said, "True."
Mueller said Russia is still trying to interfere with US elections.
Russian interference in US elections didn't end in 2016, former special counsel Robert Mueller told members of Congress Wednesday — in fact, he added, they're still doing it "as we sit here."
During his questions, Rep. Will Hurd, a Texas Republican who previously served in the CIA, said Russia posed a "significant threat" as it increased the frequency and intensity of its active measures, using groups like the infamous troll farm, the Internet Research Agency.
Mueller said he agreed, adding that in 2020, the threat wouldn't be coming from Russia alone.
"Many more countries are developing the capability to replicate what the Russians have done," Mueller said.
Mueller added that it was critical for US government agencies to work together against the ongoing Russian threat.
"It wasn't a single attempt. They're doing it as we sit here," he told committee members. "And they expect to do it during the next campaign."
Mueller fielded repeated questions about Trump's efforts to have him fired.
video-player.buzzfeed.com
Democrat lawmakers got Mueller to repeatedly testify about Trump's efforts to fire him as special counsel after learning that Mueller was investigating him for obstruction of justice as part of the Russia probe.
"Director Mueller, you found evidence, as you lay out in your report, that the president wanted to fire you because you were investigating him for obstruction of justice. Isn't that correct?" Rep. Ted Deutch asked Mueller.
"That's what it says in the report. And yes, I stand by the report," Mueller replied.
Mueller testified that Trump had called his then–White House counsel, Don McGahn, at home and directed him to fire Mueller. McGahn, however, declined.
The president then urged McGahn to dispute that Trump had asked him to fire Mueller, asking McGahn to create a White House document rebutting the account, according to a New York Times report.
During the hearing, Mueller was asked if Trump "tried to protect himself by asking staff to falsify records relevant to an ongoing investigation."
"I would say that's generally a summary," Mueller responded.
When asked why the president of the United States wanted him fired, Mueller said, "I can't answer that question."
Andrew Harnik / AP Images
Republicans attacked Mueller as biased and called his investigation "un-American."
Republicans attacked Mueller's credibility, painting him as a biased and unfair investigator as the former special counsel testified before Congress for the first time since releasing his report into 2016 election interference.
Although Mueller found insufficient evidence to conclude Trump's team criminally conspired with Russia, Republicans on the House Judiciary Committee had their knives out.
They accused Mueller of hiring Trump-hating investigators, said he violated Trump's rights to presumption of innocence, and even called his investigation "un-American."
Rep. Matt Gaetz, a close ally of Trump's on Capitol Hill, accused Mueller of holding Trump to a double standard. He said Mueller "threw the book" at Trump associates who lied, but refused to charge other dishonest witnesses.
"Maybe the reason why there's the discrepancy in what you focused on is because the team was so biased, pledged to the resistance, and pledged to stop Trump," said Gaetz.
He and others brought up now-infamous texts by former FBI agent Peter Strzok that insulted Trump. When Mueller said he acted swiftly to remove Strzok from his team once the texts were revealed, he was met with skepticism.
"Well, there's some discussion how swift that was," said Rep. Louie Gohmert.
Gohmert insinuated that Mueller had a conflict of interest because he was longtime friends with former FBI director James Comey, whom Trump fired. He defended Trump as an innocent man trying to stand up for himself.
"What he's doing is not obstructing justice. He is pursuing justice. And the fact that you ran it out two years means you perpetuated injustice," said Gohmert.
Mueller repeatedly seemed caught off guard by Republican attacks, often struggling to defend himself. At times he pushed back on Republican characterizations of his investigation, but frequently the questions veered into territory that Mueller said he could not comment on. At one point, he was accused of refusing to answer questions.
In a heated moment, Mueller pushed back against questions from a Republican lawmaker who suggested that Mueller's team was biased toward Hillary Clinton.
Rep. Kelly Armstrong said that some of the top attorneys in Mueller's team had shown their political bias either by attending Clinton's election night party or by representing her and her aides in litigation.
Mueller, who had avoided being confrontational during the nearly three-hour hearing, finally appeared to lose some of his cool at the insinuation.
"We strove to hire those individuals that could do the job," Mueller told Armstrong. "I've been in this business for almost 25 years, and in those 25 years, I have not had occasion once to ask somebody about their political affiliation. It is not done. What I care about is the capability of the individual to do the job and do the job quickly and seriously and with integrity," he said.
Several Republicans hammered Mueller on the second part of his report, which did not find Trump had committed obstruction of justice but also did not exonerate him. They argued that Mueller had no right to specify Trump was not exonerated, and said this violated the principle of presumption of innocence.
"The drafting and the publication of some of the information in this report without an indictment, without prosecution, frankly flies in the face of American justice. And I find those facts and this entire process un-American," said Rep. Guy Reschenthaler.
Mueller often struggled to get a word in edgewise. When Rep. John Ratcliffe challenged Mueller to cite a Department of Justice policy that directed him not to exonerate Trump, Mueller started to respond that he could not but he was facing a unique circumstance. But Ratcliffe cut him off, citing time constraints, and continued his attacks.
"Respectfully, you managed to violate every principle in the most sacred of traditions about prosecutors not offering extra prosecutorial analysis about potential crimes that aren't charged," said Ratcliffe.
"I agree with the chairman this morning when he said Donald Trump is not above the law. He's not. But he damn sure shouldn't be below the law, which is where Volume 2 of this report puts him," he added.
After the hearing, Trump told reporters at the White House he thought Mueller did "horrible" in his testimony and the handling of the investigation.
"There was no defense to this ridiculous hoax — this witch hunt," Trump said. He also called Wikileaks — which he repeatedly praised on the campaign trail — a "hoax."
"This has been a very bad thing for our country," he said.
Mueller refuses to touch impeachment question
Republican Rep. Mike Johnson tried to coax Robert Mueller into saying he would not recommend impeachment, but Mueller wasn't biting.
"One last important question. Your report does not recommend impeachment. Does it?" asked Johnson.
Mueller responded, "I'm not going to talk about recommendations."
Johnson tried again, asking if the report concludes that impeachment "would not be appropriate here, right?" But again Mueller said he would not discuss recommendations.
Johnson ultimately abandoned the matter. "That's one of the many things you wouldn't talk about today. But I think we can all draw our own conclusions," he said.
Later, during Democratic questioning, Johnson tried to raise a point of inquiry, asking Democratic chair Rep. Jerry Nadler whether the point of the hearings was to try to get Mueller to recommend impeachment. But Nadler declared the inquiry out of order and refused to let Johnson speak further.
At a time when Democrats are grappling with whether to begin an impeachment investigation into Trump, several members ended their questioning by saying it now falls to Congress to take action.
Democratic Rep. Al Green, who has led the push for impeachment in the House, said Democrats needed to "move forward after this hearing" with opening an inquiry. "We were told to wait for the report, we did. We were told to wait for Mr Mueller's testimony, we have. We now have to move forward with impeachment," he said.
"If we don't, we're starting to engage in the paralysis of analysis such that at some point we'll say, 'too late to impeach, let's defeat [Trump] at the polls,'" Green added. "And then the suffering that he has caused would be to the extent that history won't be kind to us."
The second part of Mueller's testimony begins with Rep. Adam Schiff accusing Trump of "disloyalty to the country"
In his opening statement, Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff, the Chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, who has resisted Democrats' efforts to impeach Trump, accused the president of "disloyalty to the country" for welcoming Russian interference in the 2016 election.
"Disloyalty to country. Those are strong words, but how else are we to describe a presidential campaign which did not inform the authorities of a foreign offer of dirt on their opponent, which did not publicly shun it, or turn it away, but which instead invited it, encouraged it, and made full use of it?" Schiff said.
Last week, Schiff was one of 137 Democrats who voted against pursuing impeachment against Trump.
In his opening remarks, Schiff also accused the Trump campaign of engaging in lies, greed, and corruption.
"But worst of all, worse than all the lies and the greed, is the disloyalty to country, for that too, continues," Schiff said. "When asked, if the Russians intervene again, will you take their help, Mr. President? Why not, was the essence of his answer. Everyone does it."
He also said, "But disloyalty to country violates the very obligation of citizenship, our devotion to a core principle on which our nation was founded, that we, the people, not some foreign power that wishes us ill, we decide, who shall govern, us."
Schiff asked Mueller about his two-year investigation, asking if it was a "witch hunt" as Trump frequently claims.
Schiff: "When Donald Trump called your investigation a witch hunt, that was also false, was it not?
Mueller: "I like to think so, yes."
Schiff: "Your investigation is not a witch hunt, is it?"
Mueller: "It is not a witch hunt."
Mueller also testified that Trump's claim of calling the Russian interference in the 2016 election a "hoax" was false.
Saul Loeb / AFP / Getty Images
Mueller says offers of foreign dirt can be a crime but won't say whether the Trump Tower offer was illegal
Connecticut Rep. Jim Himes, a Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, asked Mueller whether 2020 political campaigns should tell the authorities if a foreign government or person offers them dirt on an opponent.
"Should be — and it can be depending on the circumstances — a crime," Mueller replied.
It is illegal for foreigners to make campaign contributions to US elections.
But Mueller later declined to say whether an offer Donald Trump Jr. received regarding incriminating information about Hillary Clinton would be proof of an illegal campaign contribution.
Trump Jr. had received the offer in a June 2016 email from a music publicist who helped set up the now-infamous Trump Tower meeting that followed just a few days later. The publicist, Rob Goldstone, had noted that the information was "part of Russia and its government's support for Mr. Trump." Trump Jr. had responded enthusiastically to the offer, saying, "if it's what you say I love it."
Rep. Terri Sewell, another Democrat on the committee, asked Mueller whether the exchange was "evidence of an offer of illegal assistance."
"I cannot adopt that characterization," Mueller responded.
"Isn't it against the law for a presidential campaign to accept anything of value from a foreign government?" Sewell said.
"Generally speaking, yes, but there— generally, the cases are— are unique," Mueller said.
Later, Mueller told Sewell that he didn't believe anyone in the Trump campaign had informed the FBI of Goldstone's offer. Sewell also asked whether campaigns are responsible for letting the FBI know if a foreign government offers information.
"I would think that is something they would and should do," Mueller replied.
Mueller says Trump's past praise of WikiLeaks is "problematic"
Mueller testified that Trump's tweets praising Wikileaks were "problematic" and said that the president was boosting "illegal activity."
Democratic Rep. Mike Quigley quoted various tweets by Trump in which the president had said, "I love Wikileaks," "This Wikileaks stuff is unbelievable," and "This Wikileaks is like a treasure trove."
Quigley asked Mueller how he would react to those tweets.
"Problematic is an understatement in terms of what it displays, in terms of giving some, I don't know, hope or some boost to what is and should be illegal activity," Mueller said.
"They're doing it as we sit here"
Mueller warned that the Russians are attempting to get involved in the American elections "as we sit here." He also testified that Russians would interfere in the 2020 elections as well.
Republican Rep. Will Hurd asked Mueller if he found any evidence to suggest that Russians would interfere in the US elections again.
"It wasn't a single attempt. They're doing it as we sit here. And they expect to do it during the next campaign," Mueller said.
Mueller says he didn't interview Trump because a subpoena would have taken too long
Mueller explained that though they had the power to, his team did not subpoena the president for an in-person interview because Trump would have fought it in court, which would have extended the length of the investigation.
Robert Mueller explains he didn't pursue a subpoena against Trump because of "the necessity of" wrapping up the investigation and he expected the president to fight a subpoena
"We negotiated with him for a little over a year," Mueller said. "But when we were almost towards the end of our investigation and we had little success in pushing to get the interview of the president, we decided we did not want to exercise the subpoena powers because of the necessity of expediting the end of the investigation."
"The expectation was if we did subpoena the president, he would fight the subpoena, and we would be in the midst of the investigation for a substantial period of time," Mueller added.
Mueller, pressed by Democratic Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney, said the written responses Trump provided to Mueller's questions were "certainly not as useful as the interview would be." Maloney then asked if the president ever tried to plead the fifth, and Mueller declined to comment.
Maloney continued to query Mueller about his decision not to subpoena the president, saying that one explanation is that Mueller "flinched," but he added that the former FBI director didn't "strike [him] as the kind of guy who flinches."
"I hope not," Mueller said.
"We had to make a balance decision in terms of how much evidence we had compared to the length of time it would take [litigating]," Robert Mueller further explains his decision not to subpoena Trump
"The third explanation I can think of is that you didn't think you needed it," Maloney continued.
Maloney then pointed to a section of the report that discussed cases in which an in-person interview was not necessary for proving intent, asking Mueller: "Did you have sufficient evidence of the president's intent to obstruct justice, and is that why you didn't do the interview?"
"There's a balance," Mueller said. "In other words, how much evidence you have to satisfy that last element against how much time you're willing to spend in the courts, litigating the interview with the president."
Tasneem Nashrulla is a reporter for BuzzFeed News and is based in New York.
Contact Tasneem Nashrulla at tasneem.nashrulla@buzzfeed.com.
Paul McLeod is a politics reporter for BuzzFeed News and is based in Washington, DC.
Contact Paul McLeod at paul.mcleod@buzzfeed.com.
Kadia Goba is a political reporter for BuzzFeed News and is based in Washington, DC.
Contact Kadia Goba at kadia.goba@buzzfeed.com.
Emma Loop was a political reporter for BuzzFeed News and is based in Washington, DC.
Contact Emma Loop at emma.loop@buzzfeed.com.


text:
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A project of the NC Justice Center
North Carolina climate change deniers owe the world an apology
By Rob Schofield
- 8/2/2022
- in Top Story, Weekly Briefing
The summer has been marked by intense storms and record heat. (Getty Images/Greg Cruthis)
As you've no doubt noticed, our state, nation and planet are experiencing yet another summer of record heat and intense storms. As scientists have been explaining and predicting for decades, climate change resulting from greenhouse-gas-driven global warming is altering weather patterns and spurring big and deeply problematic changes in the Earth's environment.
It's a rapidly worsening crisis that's helping to expedite the extinction of numerous species and render vast swaths of territory increasingly uninhabitable. Across the planet – even here in the U.S. – millions of people have become "climate refugees" as the lands they and numerous other living species once called home have been inundated by rising seas or become inarable deserts.
That now is a time for urgent, all-hands-on-deck action by every individual, group and institution with the slightest ability to help combat this emergency is beyond question.
And fortunately, this is a message that seems finally to be getting through in a lot of places that long denied it or tuned it out.
Across the planet, manufacturers of automobiles, aircraft and other polluting modes of transportation have finally begun the process of weaning their creations from fossil fuels.
Massive public and private institutions like the U.S military and the insurance industry are taking action to change practices and adapt – if for no other reason than to preserve vulnerable assets and survive.
And while they continue to downplay their role in unleashing especially damaging pollutants like methane, even some major oil companies now feature prominent statements on their corporate websites in which they concede truths like the "the future of energy will be lower carbon."
And last week, U.S. Senate negotiators agreed on climate legislation that could make a significant impact.
Whether however such actions and statements will be sufficient to stave off widespread disaster for the planet and those who call it home is, tragically, highly questionable. Even if humanity somehow manages to achieve ambitious goals for mid-century "carbon neutrality," things are still going to get a lot worse than they are today. Absent a series of unforeseen technological miracles, a massive overhaul of human living patterns or ideally, both, the physical, economic, and political pressures on the earth's billions of acquisitive human inhabitants are sure to ramp up in the decades to come.
Of course, one of the many great tragedies associated with this sobering situation is that we might well have avoided a good bit of it. The scientific consensus on climate change stretches well back into the 20th Century and it's been 16 years since former Vice President Al Gore made the film, "An Inconvenient Truth."
As with the dangers of cigarettes, cars without seat belts, and widespread easy access to military-grade assault weapons, it didn't and doesn't take a genius to grasp what the ever-increasing consumption of carbon fuels and the emissions it produces were and are doing to the atmosphere.
Unfortunately, as has become the norm in so many areas in the modern era, greed, ignorance, and a stubborn unwillingness to change, or even to endure minor inconvenience, got in the way.
Spurred on by the denials of selfish, polluting industries and the propaganda mouthed by the conservative "free market" think tanks they funded, millions of Americans naively fell for the crazy notion that the climate emergency is some kind of hoax born of a nefarious plot by liberals to squeeze all the fun out of life.
Here in North Carolina, groups funded by conservative megadonor Art Pope have for years generated a steady flow of commentaries, links, and "research" designed to promote this fantasy. Some posts claimed that global-warming-driven climate change wasn't really happening. Others said that if it was, it was likely to due to solar cycles or some other non-anthropocentric cause.
More recently, as the reality of climate change has become painfully and unavoidably obvious to anyone not in a coma, the deniers have taken to denying that real world disasters (like the huge spike in western wildfires in recent years) have any connection to the phenomenon. Other posts simply warn against doing anything to address the situation. You can visit the John Locke Foundation's website and search "climate change" to see some of this stuff.
And, of course, all this propaganda has taken a huge and destructive toll by providing convenient cover to feckless politicians in thrall to corporate lobbyists cautioning against taxes on pollution that might somehow "harm the economy."
Never mind that the "tax" imposed on all of us by climate change – in the form of massive cleanup and infrastructure costs (as well as the loss of life and planetary well-being) – dwarfs any financial levy that any government official ever considered asking of Americans.
The bottom line: If there is any justice left in the world, at some point very soon the climate change deniers will – like many other enemies of the truth throughout history – come to see the disastrous error of their ways, apologize to the millions whom their actions have helped endanger, and join the effort to advance real solutions for our increasingly fragile planet.
One can only hope there will still be sizable portion of it left to save when the truth finally dawns.
Tagscarbon pollutionclimate changeclimate emergencyextremismglobal warmingJohn Locke Foundation
Rob Schofield, Director of NC Policy Watch, has three decades of experience as a lawyer, lobbyist, writer and commentator. At Policy Watch, Rob writes and edits daily online commentaries and handles numerous public speaking and electronic media appearances. He also delivers a radio commentary that's broadcast weekdays on WRAL-FM and WCHL and hosts News and Views, a weekly radio news magazine that airs on multiple stations across North Carolina.
Follow @Rob_Schofield
State lawmaker's take on climate change is sadly emblematic of a toxic worldview
Toyota deal highlights the political right's detachment from reality on the seminal issue confronting humanity
It's time to say 'no' to the massive tax conservatives are imposing on Americans
U.S. Supreme Court curbs federal power to regulate greenhouse gases, in blow to Biden
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[caption id="attachment_119123" align="alignleft" width="598"] The summer has been marked by intense storms and record heat. (Getty Images/Greg Cruthis)[/caption] As you've no doubt noticed, our state, nation and planet are experiencing yet another summer of record heat and intense storms. As scientists have been explaining and predicting for decades, climate change resulting from greenhouse-gas-driven global warming is altering weather patterns and spurring big and deeply problematic changes in the Earth's environment. It's a rapidly worsening crisis that's helping to expedite the extinction of numerous species and render vast swaths of territory increasingly uninhabitable. Across the planet – even here in the U.S. – millions of people have become "climate refugees" as the lands they and numerous other living species once called home have been inundated by rising seas or become inarable deserts. That now is a time for urgent, all-hands-on-deck action by every individual, group and institution with the slightest ability to help combat this emergency is beyond question. And fortunately, this is a message that seems finally to be getting through in a lot of places that long denied it or tuned it out. Across the planet, manufacturers of automobiles, aircraft and other polluting modes of transportation have finally begun the process of weaning their creations from fossil fuels. Massive public and private institutions like the U.S military and the insurance industry are taking action to change practices and adapt – if for no other reason than to preserve vulnerable assets and survive. And while they continue to downplay their role in unleashing especially damaging pollutants like methane, even some major oil companies now feature prominent statements on their corporate websites in which they concede truths like the "the future of energy will be lower carbon." And last week, U.S. Senate negotiators agreed on climate legislation that could make a significant impact. Whether however such actions and statements will be sufficient to stave off widespread disaster for the planet and those who call it home is, tragically, highly questionable. Even if humanity somehow manages to achieve ambitious goals for mid-century "carbon neutrality," things are still going to get a lot worse than they are today. Absent a series of unforeseen technological miracles, a massive overhaul of human living patterns or ideally, both, the physical, economic, and political pressures on the earth's billions of acquisitive human inhabitants are sure to ramp up in the decades to come. Of course, one of the many great tragedies associated with this sobering situation is that we might well have avoided a good bit of it. The scientific consensus on climate change stretches well back into the 20th Century and it's been 16 years since former Vice President Al Gore made the film, "An Inconvenient Truth." As with the dangers of cigarettes, cars without seat belts, and widespread easy access to military-grade assault weapons, it didn't and doesn't take a genius to grasp what the ever-increasing consumption of carbon fuels and the emissions it produces were and are doing to the atmosphere. Unfortunately, as has become the norm in so many areas in the modern era, greed, ignorance, and a stubborn unwillingness to change, or even to endure minor inconvenience, got in the way. Spurred on by the denials of selfish, polluting industries and the propaganda mouthed by the conservative "free market" think tanks they funded, millions of Americans naively fell for the crazy notion that the climate emergency is some kind of hoax born of a nefarious plot by liberals to squeeze all the fun out of life. Here in North Carolina, groups funded by conservative megadonor Art Pope have for years generated a steady flow of commentaries, links, and "research" designed to promote this fantasy. Some posts claimed that global-warming-driven climate change wasn't really happening. Others said that if it was, it was likely to due to solar cycles or some other non-anthropocentric cause. More recently, as the reality of climate change has become painfully and unavoidably obvious to anyone not in a coma, the deniers have taken to denying that real world disasters (like the huge spike in western wildfires in recent years) have any connection to the phenomenon. Other posts simply warn against doing anything to address the situation. You can visit the John Locke Foundation's website and search "climate change" to see some of this stuff. And, of course, all this propaganda has taken a huge and destructive toll by providing convenient cover to feckless politicians in thrall to corporate lobbyists cautioning against taxes on pollution that might somehow "harm the economy." Never mind that the "tax" imposed on all of us by climate change – in the form of massive cleanup and infrastructure costs (as well as the loss of life and planetary well-being) – dwarfs any financial levy that any government official ever considered asking of Americans. The bottom line: If there is any justice left in the world, at some point very soon the climate change deniers will – like many other enemies of the truth throughout history – come to see the disastrous error of their ways, apologize to the millions whom their actions have helped endanger, and join the effort to advance real solutions for our increasingly fragile planet. One can only hope there will still be sizable portion of it left to save when the truth finally dawns.


Pack light with a breezy vacation essential. Worn as a top or over swim, the Same Side offers a lightweight cotton tunic, trimmed with a bohemian lace-up neckline. The relaxed coverup features 3/4 length sleeves and a rounded shirt hem.


text:
From Ray Charles To Aretha Franklin, How Legendary Producer Jerry Wexler Shaped Soul and R&B
March 6, 2020 11:49 AM |Updated: August 13, 2020 11:28 PM
Virginia Prescott and
Emilia Brock
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Jerry Wexler, record producer and mogul shown here on Oct. 17, 1979, has been a moving force in soul, jazz and rhythm and blues.
For decades, "race music" was the euphemism used for recordings by African American musicians. That didn't sit well for a young music journalist named Jerry Wexler, who coined the term "rhythm and blues" in 1949. The term stuck.
But it was as an executive and producer at Atlantic Records that Wexler changed American music. He introduced the masses to Ray Charles and Big Joe Turner, and honed the sound of Aretha Franklin, Otis Redding and Wilson Pickett.
"On Second Thought" host Virginia Prescott speaks with Joe Alterman.
On Saturday, Mar. 14, ATL Collective and the Atlanta Jewish Music Festival will "relive the soul" of the legendary music producer.
The event will touch on Wexler's storied career and his influence on popular music. It will also include performances of songs that he produced, or were released by Atlantic in that era, including music by Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles, Bob Dylan, Booker T. & the M.G.'s, Led Zeppelin, Professor Longhair, and many more.
Joe Alterman, executive director of the Atlanta Jewish Music Festival, joined On Second Thought to share insight on Wexler, one of the few non-musicians inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
"I think [Wexler] really represents a producer that wasn't out to accomplish his objectives for the music," Alterman said. "He was trying to figure out what made these artists special and do whatever he could to bring them out."
On how Wexler got into the music business
After he said he, quote, "endured the obligatory bar mitzvah" — which I like — then he went to the army. And when he came back, he didn't have work, and he was just hanging out in jazz clubs. He was a big jazz fan. He was a real intelligent listener and loved the music. And basically, he got a job at Billboard magazine. And he got lucky getting that job because, in the interview, the guy asked him, you know, the obvious question of that era, which is, "What record label is Nat King Cole on?" And he didn't know. Somehow he still got the job. But he was writing for Billboard, and then he ended up taking over the publishing estate for Frank Loesser, who wrote 'Guys and Dolls.' And then two of his friends whom he met hanging in these jazz clubs, Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson, who ran Atlantic Records, asked him to take over the publishing for Atlantic. But he said he didn't want to work for friends. So they asked, "What would you want to do?" And he said, "I want to be a partner."
On Jerry Wexler's work with Ray Charles
You know, the lesson here to me is the "less is more" thing. And I think Jerry just really understood what made Ray [Charles] special and how to encourage his career as a producer. For example, he wrote in his book, "Even on a bill with a host of other powerful performers, Ray Charles bears special distinction. Of all the artists I've worked with, only three rate the Appalachian genius, and he was the first." And Aretha and Dylan are the other two, by the way. But I think he really just understood how to work with him. He didn't overproduce him. He actually said that, "I realized the best thing I could do with Ray was leave him alone. He needed a producer like Ray Kroc needed a hamburger."
On the impact of recording music in the South
Jerry Wexler became taken with the town Muscle Shoals, and he ended up bringing a lot of his artists to record there. And I think for many of the artists, they've spoken about how [...] it was getting out of the city, and it was relaxing and which definitely aided in the music. But everyone really speaks of this like kind of a vibe in the air, that was kind of a spiritual thing that made them feel the music in a deeper way. So when they were there in Muscle Shoals recording at Fame Studios, Jerry spoke about the magic there.
On Wexler's influence on Aretha Franklin's sound
I really think he helped her find herself. Because if you listen to her on Columbia before she came to Atlantic, it's great stuff, but she's singing standards and it's not quite an Ella Fitzgerald knockoff, but it's more in that vein. And actually, when she came to Atlantic Records for her audition, Jerry told her — in the audition — to, quote, "drop the Judy Garland Cabaret Act." And then he found out that she played the piano in church, so he told her to sit at the piano and play. And that kind of changed, you know, everything. It wasn't that he had to push her into this southern soul thing; it's that Columbia really didn't understand her gospel roots. And he kind of saw something in her that maybe she didn't see quite yet, and he really helped her get to it, I think.
On what made Wexler such a talented producer
Well, I think, you know, reading his autobiography and becoming familiar with his story, it's just so apparent not just how much he loved the music, but how knowledgeable he was about the music and how that really worked in favor of producing these artists. For example, with Ray Charles, he really understood what those horn arrangements were about. They were kind of emulating Ray's comping on the piano. They were kind of George Shearing chord voicings. You know, he really got it. And I think he really represents a producer that, you know, wasn't out to accomplish his objectives for the music. He was trying to figure out what made these artists special and do whatever he could to bring them out. He always said, "Let Aretha be Aretha."
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The event, "ATL Collective Relives the Soul of Jerry Wexler and Atlantic Records," takes place Saturday, Mar. 14 at City Winery in Atlanta.
Tags: Jerry Wexler GPB Loves Music Atlanta Jewish Music Festival Rhythm and Blues Aretha Franklin
Virginia Prescott
Virginia Prescott is the Gracie Award-winning host of On Second Thought for Georgia Public Broadcasting.
SENIOR PRODUCER, POLITICAL REWIND
Emilia Brock is senior producer for GPB's program, Political Rewind. Before that, she was supervising producer for GPB's On Second Thought.
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Sourced from Organically farmed grapes on the Ablington Vineyard in the Hunter Valley. Careful handpick of Meagan and James favourite clones of Chardonnay. Bladder pressed and native fermented in neutral puncheons for 10 months.


Some time this week we will send out emails to all the sites accepted into Round 4 with the new member agreement and some instructions on what you need to do before you become official 9rules members. I was just trying to enjoy the rest of my short weekend before I began the assimilation…errr, integration of these great new sites. So just a little bit more patience and the process will begin.
Also, it seems some people are taking the list personally if they don't see themselves on it. Understand that when you are going over so many sites in a short period of time it is definitely possible to miss a couple of high-quality ones in the mix. Hopefully, there is a time down the road where we can find them again and pick them up. Blogging is about having fun and whether you got in or not shouldn't be your concern, but whether you are having fun doing what you do.


Remove from oven and place 3 slices of cheese on top of the flatbread, sprinkle with salt & pepper, then place thinly sliced tomatoes on top and repeat with a sprinkling of salt & pepper. Place back in the oven for another 5 minutes, plus extra 2-3 minutes on broil. Watch the bread closely, if it begins to look to dark remove it from the oven immediately.
Once flatbread pizza is baked and the edges are golden brown, remove from the oven, drizzle with however much of the balsamic vinegar mixture you would like, sprinkle with basil leaves, slice and serve and enjoy!


Sydney-based Jeremy Dylan began combining his passions for filmmaking and music into a profession at an early age, when he directed a concert film for a high school rock band while in eleventh grade.
His feature writing-directing debut Benjamin Sniddlegrass and the Cauldron of Penguins, narrated by comedy legend Stephen Fry, was released in 2011, two months shy of his 21st birthday.
Several months later, a conversation with Americana music icon Jim Lauderdale at the Beatles museum in Liverpool sparked a journey that would see Dylan devote the next three years directing the definitive document of Lauderdale's unconventional career Jim Lauderdale: The King of Broken Hearts, shot on location in California, Tennessee, North Carolina and Tamworth, Australia. After successful screenings in the US and Australia, the film was released in mid-2014.
In addition to his filmmaking duties, Dylan is a music video director and hosts the weekly music podcast My Favorite Album, in which guest musicians discuss their all-time favorite record and its impact on their own music.
He is also a member of the Americana Music Association Australian Advisory Group and Multimedia Marketing and Content Manager at concert promoters and managers Entertainment Edge, where he is involved in organising the Deni Blues and Roots and CMC Rocks the Hunter festivals.
Having not known a single thing about the American country music scene before partnering with Jeremy to make The King of Broken Hearts, Chris came to the project not quite knowing what to expect. The good news is that he now has a fine appreciation of all things Tennessee: the Great Smoky Mountains, tasty fried chicken, moonshine and of course the best that Americana music has to offer – especially Mr Jim Lauderdale.
Having grown up on the Internet, Chris is super passionate about the opportunities that online distribution is bringing to the indie film world. The King of Broken Hearts represents Chris' second documentary to be released via a direct-to-audience strategy. His first effort was Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea, a film that offered a sorely needed humanitarian perspective on the highly politicised Australian asylum seeker issue.
Chris has also produced three seasons of ABC2 TV's music concert series jTV Presents, a number of short films as well as his fair share of TV commercials, music videos and web series. In 2013, Chris completed a postgraduate law degree as part of his master plan to become a long form producer and independent distributor.


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The proposed Camp for 2007 will be held from 18 - 21 April at El Rancho Holiday Park, Waikanae which is about one hour north of Wellington. We welcome all young people from Huntington's families between the ages of 12 - 18 years. As with past Camps, there will be a mixture of exciting outdoor activities as well as time to discuss and share knowledge on Huntington's disease.


text:
Versailles Births
Woodford County Births
Louisville Deaths
Jefferson County Deaths
Thomas Alexander Marshall
Thomas Alexander Marshall (January 15, 1794 – April 17, 1871) was a U.S. Representative from Kentucky, son of Humphrey Marshall.
Born near Versailles, Kentucky, Marshall pursued preparatory studies. He graduated from Yale College in 1815, and then studied law. He was admitted to the bar and commenced practice in Frankfort in 1817. He moved to Paris, Kentucky, in 1819. He served as a member of the Kentucky House of Representatives in 1827 and 1828.
Marshall was elected as an Anti-Jacksonian to the Twenty-second and Twenty-third Congresses (March 4, 1831 – March 3, 1835). He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1834 to the Twenty-fourth Congress. He served as judge of the State court of appeals 1835-1856. He was professor in the law department of Transylvania College, Lexington, Kentucky from 1836 to 1849. He moved to Louisville in 1859. He served again as a member of the state house of representatives in 1863. He was chief justice of the court of appeals in 1866 and 1867. He died in Louisville, Kentucky, April 17, 1871, and his remains were interred at Lexington Cemetery.


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The Legacy of Horror Writer, Lois Duncan
Featured Horror Books Women in Horror
I Know What You Did Last Summer by Lois Duncan
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The Legacy of an author like the late Lois Duncan stretches farther than one might think—having been 82 years old when she died of a stroke, she left behind a long prolific career of writing fiction for young adults. Many people read Duncan's books in their adolescence, so much so her books can be considered a rite of passage. One thing that can be said of Duncan's writing is that she captures the essence of what it is to go through puberty—the feelings of alienation and the thirst to be accepted by one's peers—and also the kind of chilling, oft supernatural situations that made her horror and thriller writing so famous.
What She's Known For
I started writing for young adults because I was one.
Lois Duncan in The Sarasota Herald-Tribune 2005
Duncan wanted to create something relatable for readers who were too old for children's books and too young for adult books–something in between that could bridge the gap between, something that would carry them over and enable them to be lifelong reading enthusiasts. Authors like Lois Duncan are incredibly important, they breed the interest and love for the written word long after our parents stop reading us bedtime stories and well before we lose interest in school-assigned reading. Duncan's most well-known books to date were written well before young adult fiction had become a popular genre—among these, she had created Down a Dark Hall (1974), Killing Mr. Griffin (1978), and Stranger With My Face (1981). These books were all considerably violent in their own right, but when her 1973 novel I Know What You Did Last Summer was adapted to the big screen, Duncan was "utterly horrified."
I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997)
The movie adaptation, which was released in 1997, horribly skewed her suspenseful thriller—a book about a group of teenagers who were desperate to conceal an accidental killing–into a slasher horror film. She recounted going to see the movie for the first time, "the first time I knew it was a slasher movie was when I bought my popcorn and bought my ticket and excitedly walked into the theater … the heads were dropping and the blood was spurting and I was screaming and the audience was screaming." Truly it was never her intention for it to be as bloody and shocking as it turned out to be on film and it didn't ring true with the message she tried to embed in her stories, that what you do in life matters and accepting responsibility for your actions is paramount.
Not all of Duncan's work lies within the realm of the terrifying and dark, some of it is decidedly light—especially the work that followed after her daughter Kaitlyn—and many of her works have been adapted into film. Like most authors who have had their work adapted into screenplays, Duncan didn't exactly make her name from audiences knowing who came up with the original idea for them. Instead she made her name through the amazing wealth of novels that she contributed to multiple genres and the awards she received for them.
What the Critics Had to Say
Lois Duncan is regularly given credit by critics and journalists alike for pioneering the genre of young adult fiction—she made most of these strides within the teen suspense and horror genres and was even dubbed as the "queen of teen thrillers." The Washington Post's Emily Langer stated that Duncan, "plucked her characters from normalcy and placed them in extraordinary, often dark circumstances," which for a time when Beverly Cleary, Judy Blume, and Robert Cormier were big names in fiction, was decidedly against the grain of the genre.
What the Fans Have to Say
Even four years after her death, Lois Duncan is still on the minds of the people she inspired to write during their youths—her impact was profound and lasting because she finally gave teens a voice for the dark and dismal forces that play a large part in the imaginations and fantasies of so many of us during a time of chaotic emotions and hormones. She isolated that turmoil and removed it from the internal struggle by creating these dark tales and then illustrated how much worse things could really be beyond our own thoughts, fears, and expectations.
Tags author, books, dead author dedication, horror book, horror culture, Horror Novels, horror writer, Horror Writers, legacy, Lois Duncan, paranormal, Paranormal Authors, writer
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Q: Show view only when data is received from API I am new to iOS development and one thing that I am finding bad with good UX is following.
I have a view that looks like when View loads.

But behind the scenes an API call gets the data and calls tableView.reloadData which fills in all the data.
Problems
1. I want to only show the view when populated. meaning when API returns result and populates labels.
2. While 1. is getting worked upon, I want to show an activity indicator letting user know that we are working on getting the data.
How could this be achieved? I don't know what to search specifically for that.

A: You need an asynchronous request with a completion block/closure.
Look into Alamofire if you're using Swift, or AFNetworking if you're using Objective-C.
In Swift, you'd do something like:
// Start animating some spinning wheel here
Alamofire.request(.GET, "http://httpbin.org/get", parameters: ["foo": "bar"])
         .response { (request, response, data, error) in
                     // Stop animating spinning wheel and call reloadData here
                   }

In Objective-C, that'd be something like:
AFHTTPRequestOperationManager *manager = [AFHTTPRequestOperationManager manager];
// Start animating some spinning wheel here
[manager GET:@"http://example.com/resources.json" parameters:nil success:^(AFHTTPRequestOperation *operation, id responseObject) {
    // Stop animating spinning wheel and call reloadData here
} failure:^(AFHTTPRequestOperation *operation, NSError *error) {
    NSLog(@"Error: %@", error);
}];

Cheers!


A Simple Bread - Saying 'Hello' To My Bread Machine!
I have been waiting to show (off ) my bread machine! Westbend HiRise with dual blades. Ever since I got it recently, I have been waiting to bake a decent enough bread and tell you all about it. Of course it took time, beginning from getting a step-up converter to figuring out how the machine works and what recipes work best. And some more time as I made the big mistake of ignoring instructions and thinking that baking bread in a machine (after baking bread by hand all along) is going to be a breeze ( to the extent that I kept planning for the next post to be that bread) until the first one turned out to be a brick (Oh No!!!) and the next couple of them just about OK.
Problem with assuming that bread machine baking is exactly the same as baking bread by hand and trying to compare it with the rules or fundas you are used to for hand made bread. Then ending up thoroughly confused, bewildering people around you by obsessively talking about it and baking more breads..till you bake a decent one. Hope rekindled in this wonder gadget so many people successfully use - in different ways. Hope - the desperate bread baker's bread!
To me, a bread machine is a really really new gadget, having read about it first on Champa' s blog. A machine in which I can just dump in the bread ingredients in a certain order, select a cycle, the color of the crust I want, the size of the loaf and then press start. Then get on with my business till the machine sounds a beep to signal that the bread is baked and ready. As simple as that. This is the Basic cycle, takes 3.20 minutes in my machine. Or use the machine to just do the dirty work of kneading the dough, allow it to rise, punch down, knead again (this second knead truly shocked me, but it works!) and let it rise again, sound a beep when done. This is the dough cycle, takes 1.50 minutes in my machine. All you then need to do is shape the dough into loaves or rolls or sticks or pizza or whatever you fancy and bake. No mess. Home-baked bread with minimal effort and time.
There is also a feature called as a delay start timer. Allows you to set a basic cycle or dough cycle among others so that you can just dump in the ingredients in the order and command the genie to either fully bake your bread or just knead the dough (till its ready to shape) by a specific time. Really cool. No perishable ingredients on the delay start cycle of course. There is also a Rapid cycle which bakes your bread in about 2 hours, but with more yeast (no thanks!). And yes, another cycle called as home-made which is for seasoned bread-machine users. Allows you to customize each of the knead, rise and bake settings. I think this will be great.
As I gather, a lot of bakers prefer only the kneading to be done in the machine, the shaping, final rise and baking done in the oven. As bread baking veterans say, baking entirely in the bread machine gives an odd shaped loaf, less of taste, less moist breads as compared to bread baked in the oven. Taste and texture is better when baked the latter way. And its not very surprising if you aren't highly impressed with breads baked within the machine. Think a little better than your typical packaged bread. But of course, you could make it in varying flavors, sans a load of preservatives. So if you buy bread regularly and have no time to bake breads at home, then baking in the bread machine is good enough. If you don't want the hassle of kneading but can spend time on shaping and baking, the dough cycle is of great help. I baked 3-4 breads quite successfully, one of them baked in my oven. And yes, the one baked outside tastes much better!
Well, I did read the manual, but completely ignored the recipes in it, as I always do, who ever reads or follows them? But obviously bread machine recipes are an exception. And then I wrote a distress mail to Champa and she suggested that I try a recipe from the manual so that I can get the hang of it. It worked!! I baked one when I was almost asleep, the success shook off the sleep! I wanted to bake another one, and since it was already midnight, I set the machine on delay start and went to bed. Of course, the bread was waiting when I woke up lazily at 7.30 on a Saturday morning!
Here is the recipe from the manual, which I baked on the basic cycle, meaning bread dough kneaded and baked in the machine itself. A recipe which worked for me, the texture was quite good, the flavor could have been better. That I guess can be remedied to a certain extent by adding herbs and spices.
Procedure: Place ingredients in the bread machine pan in the order specified by the manufacturer. Liquid first, then dry ingredients. Level the dry ingredients, quarter the butter and add to the corners. Make an impression the the center of the dry ingredients and add the yeast. Close the lid, bake on the Basic cycle. This made a 1.5 pound loaf, I selected a medium color crust which sets the temperature at 199 degree C /390 degree F.
Thanks to Champa for her post on bread machines, it helped me pick out one for myself. I hope to bake lots of breads like her some day and without the sweat! Here is another useful blog which tells you why a bread machine is better for baking yeast breads. So as I continue to experiment with my machine, find answers to my questions, more breads will appear here, hopefully better ones. The bread machine also comes with a learning curve and I hope to learn my way with the machine better over a period of time, discover good recipes and learn techniques which work better. If you use a bread machine, please do share your most helpful tips and tricks.
June has been a much awaited month for more reasons than one! Very obvious one, school re-opened after a particularly difficult ( for me, not the kids) summer break. If you wondered what that blast of warm air was that hit you on 4th of June, it was just me heaving a sigh of relief! My sister-in-law arrived soon after from the US, lugging along my much-awaited bread machine and lots of other baking goodies, yaaay! According to her, when I saw all my goodies, I looked like someone who got her Christmas and Diwali gifts all at once! Well, it certainly felt like it! Thank God she keeps picking up stuff for me or I can't imagine how tough my baking life would be!
Summer was a busy time at work, daughter refusing to go to a summer camp adding to my woes :(. With my son's swimming and cricket camps, going in and out, getting on with routine, effectively put a dampener on my baking / blogging plans. Life will continue to be on the fast track for some more time with some amount of shopping and outings with the visiting family (did I mention, my sister is visiting too!) Maybe this will explain the lull in the posts here, hopefully I shall bounce back soon, while I make use of my new baking toys!
Now to Hayagreeva ,one of my sister-in-law's favorite sweet dishes we made as part of the welcome-home meal along with another of her favorites Menthya Bele Huli. (Not that jet lag is the best state for folk to relish food). Its basically cooked Chana Dal simmered with jaggery, some poppy seeds thrown in along with grated dry coconut. Lord Hayagreeva or Hayavadana, an incarnation of Lord Vishnu, was fed this dish everyday by the great saint and composer, Sree Vadhiraja.
Procedure : Wash the dal thoroughly. Cook in a pressure cooker with enough water and a pinch of turmeric, add a tiny pinch of cooking soda if you wish. Cook for about 3 whistles. When the pressure drops, drain the liquid, reserve it for another use. The dal must be soft and cooked, but not mushy. The dish must have some texture when you are done cooking it. Place the jaggery in a heavy bottomed vessel, cover it with about 1/4 cup of water and place it on the stove on low heat. Let the jaggery dissolve. Add the cooked dal and stir. Let cook on low heat till it turns a nice homogenous consistency. Mash some of the dal with a masher as it helps it come together. Cook till most of the liquid is evaporated, stirring frequently. (You could of course let more or less liquid remain, depending on the consistency you prefer.) The presence of water helps the dal and jaggery cook together for some time till the dal takes on a bit of the sweetness, without getting a burnt taste. In the meantime, lightly toast the poppy seeds. ( My mother doesn't toast, adds them as is in the beginning). Add the poppy seeds and the coconut. Cook for about 10 minutes, add the cardamom. Heat the ghee and fry the cashews. Tip it in, mix. (Imagine some in the pictures, will you, they are conspicuous by their absence I know!) Take off the heat. Serve warm or at room temperature.
An Introduction To Baking - For New Wanna Be Bakers!
Watch my video! Please follow my page on Facebook for updates on new videos , every Monday! Click here to subscribe to my You Tube Channel, Cakes And More -Baking For Beginners . Subscribe for free, click here!
There are somethings I find tremendously inspiring and I wish I could learn them. Photography and gardening for example. But as I read articles or blogs about them, I end up feeling quite confused. For the very obvious reasons that I don't know the most basic of basics or where to make a start as a complete newbie.
The amazing world of baking beckons so many, but an intimidating thought for most of us as beginners. Ovens, ingredients, baking tools, tins, and pans. All those recipes for cakes, cookies, bread and hundreds of inspiring things we see every day! It can be so confusing and overwhelming.
You so want to start baking but have no idea where to begin. Especially in the absence of any prior exposure to baking, an introduction to baking may help.
Baking is a science : In my opinion, cooking is more of an art, we don't need to follow precise measurements or stick to lot of rules to create something tasty. But baking is a science, where different ingredients come together in certain proportions or measures, following certain methods of baking, resulting in chemical reactions in order to get a certain end product.
The product needs to have the right texture along with taste. For example, we want cookies crisp and crunchy, cakes soft and airy, caramel custard creamy and smooth. So how do we get there?
We have to play by the rules, stick to measures and methods recommended to get the best results. This applies even if you are excellent at cooking! You may be surprised to know that even the best of pastry chefs measure, weigh and bake.
Accurate measurements : Accurate measurements among other things, are critical to the success of any recipe in baking. Of course, it is not disastrous to add a bit more or less sugar, nuts or spices in your cake. But less of baking powder may not give your cake enough rise and the texture you are looking for, more yeast may make your bread smell funny, a little too much cocoa may make your brownies taste bitter. So, absolutely no eyeballing here please!
Measuring cups and spoons: Cups and spoons, mentioned in baking recipes, always refer to standard measuring cups and spoons. Most certainly, these are not the tea cups we drink from or the spoons we eat out of. One teaspoon is 5 ml, one tablespoon is 15 ml, one cup is 240 ml and so on. It is really, seriously important that you get yourself these before you begin. Use one cup to measure a cup, 1/2 cup to measure half a cup and so on. Use a liquid measuring cup for measuring liquids.
Unless otherwise specified one measure of anything, for example, one teaspoon of baking powder, always means a level teaspoon. A scant teaspoon means a 'little less than' a heaping teaspoon means a 'little more than' of that particular ingredient. Unless otherwise specified in the recipe as warm, hot or cold, all ingredients must be at room temperature.
Measuring methods : The best and the most accurate way to measure ingredients is to weigh them using kitchen scales, I prefer digital ones to analog. You can get reasonably priced, simple digital ones from a nearby departmental store or order one online.
Measuring using cups, with special importance to flour could be either by the spoon and level method or dip and scoop method. When following a recipe where ingredients are not mentioned in weight, it may help to know what method is followed by the author or book.
Appropriate pans : Baking tins meant for baking, in the size recommended in the recipe are a must. A pan too big and your cake may be overcooked, hard and shorter. A pan too small and your cake may not be well cooked or the batter could over-flow from the pan! If you use a pan of a different size, the baking time will change too.
A cake meant to be baked in an 8'' square tin will bake faster in a 9'' square tin and vice versa. So you should be able to tell when the cake is done. Best to stick to whatever the recipe recommends when you start baking.
To start with, invest in good quality standard size tins such as 8 and 9'' round and square tins, a regular muffin tray, a couple of cookie sheets. Heavy-duty aluminum is best, you could also use silicone or oven-safe glassware (for both OTG and convection microwave) whatever works best for you.
BASIC BAKING TOOLS: Using the right tools even as simple as a spatula can make a difference. To start with, you don't need to have more than weighing scales, whisks, silicone spatulas, measuring cups and spoons, liquid measuring cup, baking parchment and other small things. Hand mixers, stand mixers and the rest can come in a little later.
BAKING INGREDIENTS: Always, use good quality, fresh ingredients. Baking powder, baking soda, and yeast must be always properly stored in order to give the best results. The best brands of yeast or baking powder will be no use if they are old or improperly stored. Buy small boxes of baking powder and soda if you do not bake very often. Store in a cool, dry place (not in the refrigerator) Buy from stores which sell stuff faster. If in doubt, test your baking powder and soda for effectiveness.
To test the effectiveness of baking powder, mix 1 teaspoon baking powder with 1/2 cup (120 ml) hot water The mixture should bubble immediately. To test the effectiveness of baking soda, mix 1/4 teaspoon baking soda with 2 teaspoons vinegar, the mixture should bubble immediately. If not, discard and get fresh packs.
What gadget do I choose : You could bake in a convection microwave or an OTG, according to me, both work fine. Choose an oven to suit your needs. You could bake in a convection microwave or an OTG, according to me, both work fine. You can try baking in a pressure cooker, yes, but if you really want to try baking everything that you possibly can, invest in an OTG or convection microwave. Please refer this post for more details.
Should I always pre-heat the oven? Yes! Irrespective of whether you bake in an OTG or in a convection microwave, you must always pre-heat the oven. Place the cake or cookie tray in the oven only after is pre-heated ( after it reaches the desired temperature). About 20 minutes for an OTG and till you hear the beep go off if baking in a microwave.
One exception I have come across is a cold oven cream cheese pound cake, which needs the oven to be turned on after placing the batter in the oven. Interesting! When baking in an OTG, place the cake tin on the lower rack, in a convection microwave, place the cake tin or cookie sheet on the lower of the 2 round racks provided. This post tells you how to use your convection microwave.
ATTENTION TO DETAIL: The small things in a recipe make more difference than you would imagine! As they say, God is in the details. Taking an egg based custard off the heat just at the right moment, folding in those egg whites just right etc. You will appreciate this as you continue to bake.
WHAT RECIPES ARE BEST TO START WITH Simplest and best would be granola, cakes and brownies. Choose cakes which need simple mixing of ingredients rather than creaming of butter, or whipping and folding in eggs or egg whites, heating eggs using indirect heat etc. Try recipes which use simple methods rather than those which need more technique, you can try these later! I would not suggest making a start with yeast breads as the variables for success are more here.
Tasting success with your initial bakes will thrill you and keep you going. Bake small quantities of recipes wherever possible so you get to bake more often.
Reading recipes: I know we can't wait to get to the fun part of baking, but please do read recipes fully, notes if any, not once but twice before you start. Plan ahead, gather your ingredients, paraphernalia and then bake.
FOLLOWING RECIPES: Please choose recipes from well known, reliable sources, be it books, blogs or websites. And yes, please do follow the recipe. Every ingredient, every step has a role to play here. Try not to knock off ingredients or substitute (especially eggs) too many unless of course, you know what you are doing!
Baking at home gives you innumerable options to customize your baked goods, but within limits. I promise, you can have fun and play around later. Weigh and line up your ingredients on the counter before you start mixing.
Mise en place : Its most important to weigh or measure all your ingredients, line them up before you begin.
Noting down. As you bake and measure out ingredients, note down any changes you have made, the time you baked them for, your observations about the taste or texture. This will help you create the same result again or improvise to your taste the next time you bake.
Is baking unhealthy? Egg less baking and Savory baking : Contrary to popular belief, baking is not always unhealthy as there are loads of healthy stuff you can bake. In fact, home baked 'junk' is far healthier than store-bought 'healthy' bake! There is plenty of healthy, lower fat and whole grain baking you could do.
Please do not compare homemade bakes with the ones we buy. They are loaded with preservatives and other things which may make them stay soft etc, but harmful to health.
Baking is not always about cakes, cookies and brownies. If savory is your thing, you could bake a whole lot of breads, crackers, tarts, puffs, muffins, appetizers etc to tickle your taste buds.
If you do not consume eggs, check https://gayathriscookspot.com/, Eggless Cooking, Versatile Kitchen and Divine Taste for some egg less recipes you could try. What you can bake at home, can't be bought at any store ( most of the times at least!). Most importantly, bake for the high you will get out of it.
Home-baking allows you to bake to your taste and need, tastes much fresher than store bought and is infinitely rewarding and satisfying. So get your paraphernalia, don your aprons and have fun!


Canon Saudi Arabia sponsors the graduation ceremony of leading educational institution, King Abdulaziz University, taking place from February 7th to February 13th at the university premises in Jeddah. Canon will be providing photography services, conduct dialogue sessions and provide professional consultancy services for students at the exhibition building 29.
At the exhibition, Canon Saudi Arabia, the recently expanded direct operations arm of Canon Middle East in the Kingdom, will provide on ground services to the graduates categorized into three distinct areas of the print room, a student photo booth and a CV and career consultancy area. On the stand, visitors will have the opportunity to capture and print their graduation photograph as well as personalize their own graduation mementos.
Riding on prior success across key markets in the Middle East including Riyadh, the company will introduce exhibition visitors to an extension of its Education for Life roadshow titled 'Education for Life Plus', a holistic initiative to transform educational environments. Through innovation workshops, experts will deep dive into the specific challenges and needs of institutions in the sector to build a customized road to success. Taking the program one step further, students will also be provided with a chance to experience the work environment within Canon offices in the Kingdom.


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Q: MarkLogic knowledge base I am supposed to do a proof of concept for my company using MarkLogic to turn flat files as well as data sources from the web to create an ODS (operational data store).
I do not have any web development experience so my company has suggested I learn javascript, node, and angular.
This is obviously a huge undertaking and I have about a weeks worth of time to get something operational.
I am wondering if someone could give me suggestions on what I should actually learn that will aid me in my MarkLogic venture.
Any help is appreciated, thank you!

A: There are several projects that allow you to stand up a fully functioning basic search app on top of MarkLogic in mere minutes, for instance these two:

*

*slush-marklogic-node, with a NodeJS middle-tier

*slush-marklogic-spring-boot, which gives you pretty much the same app, but with a Java Spring Boot middle-tier

For ingesting data, I'd suggest looking at MLCP first. It has plenty possibilities.
HTH!