Get inspired by a worthy hike over the world-famous Huangshan Mountain, making a vivid picture of this breathtaking mountain blessed with a series of natural wonders, like, grotesque pines & rocks, sea of clouds, sunrise & sunset etc. It is a world of discovery, exploration and enjoyment, with lots of surprises when you hike through the picturesque mountain step by step, from the front range to the back range, from the foot to the top.
Climb atop Celestial Capital Peak, the steepest peak of Mt. Huangshan.
Trek to explore the mysterious West Sea Grand Canyon.
Enjoy the picturesque sunrise and sunset landscapes on the mountain.
Today's Activities Upon arrival, you are picked up at airport and escorted to the hotel for check-in about 15-minute drive. Enjoy your free leisure time after dinner: relax to get over your jetlag or take a stroll nearby to get a first expression of Huangshan City.
Morning drive to Huangshan scenic area to start your exceptional conquering of this fantastic mountain. Set foot on Mercy Light Pavilion to hike through the front range of the mountain. En route, crest Tiandu Peak (Celestial Capital Peak), the most precipitous one in Mt. Huangshan, to experience the excitement of climbing and to appreciate the spectacular natural landscape on the summit.
Today's Activities The full day is highlighted by a trek over West Sea Grand Canyon. The amazing sceneries along the way will surely feast your eyes and satisfy your pursuit of the unknown. After breakfast, start from Tianhai scenic area, past Baiyun Scenic Area, to the hiking paradise - West Sea Grand Canyon, dotted by a series of incredible sights, such as Jade Platform, Fairy-walking Bridge, etc. Then reach Dispelling Cloud Pavilion to appreciate the breathtaking sunset view.
Travel Tips Sunrise and sunset depend on the weather condition. In rainy, cloudy or foggy days you could not witness the sunrise or sunset scenery.
Enjoy the magnificent sunrise on early morning. Hike through West Sea scenic area and North Sea scenic area to catch a glimpse of numerous famous wonders, like Flying-over Stone, Bright Summit and Beginning-to-believe Peak, and hike down the mountain from White Goose Ridge. Afterwards, tour Jadeite Valley before the flight to your next destination.
As a link between the front range and the back range of Mt. Huangshan, Baiyun Hotel is settled in Tianhai scenic area, 300m away from Bright Summit, which offers a great spot for catching the sunrise or sunset views. Baiyun Hotel consists of two main buildings in 3-star standard, well equipped with various types of guest rooms.
Meals as mentioned in the itinerary include daily breakfast provided by the hotel.
Thank you for your very prompt and professional reply . I am very confident that you will take good care of me .
Firstly thank you so much for informing me that the bullet train does not stop next to the International airport but the domestic airport . I would have been in much trouble if I had not learnt that from you .
Overall, we had an excellent trip, and we would certainly recommend your company to others. We were met at each airport or coach station as expected, helped to check in to our hotels, and met again the next morning as organised. We found the scenery around the Guilin area and at Huangshan spectacular and were very happy we had included both these areas in our visit to China.
The hotels were all excellent. The Yangshuo Mountain Retreat was outstanding, both for its service and the setting. The Yangshuo Mountain Retreat is able to organise activities for English speaking tourists and we used them to arrange an evening watching comorant fishing which worked well.


text:
Tenet Reports Inducement Awards under NYSE Rule 303A.08
DALLAS–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Tenet Healthcare Corporation (NYSE: THC) announced the issuance today of restricted stock unit awards to Joseph F. Eazor, the new President and Chief Executive Officer of Tenet's Conifer Health Solutions business unit. These awards were issued to induce Mr. Eazor to enter into employment with Conifer and were issued outside of Tenet's shareholder-approved stock…
Edison La Strada Selected Favourite THC Flower in Canada
MONCTON, New Brunswick–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Organigram Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ: OGI) (TSX: OGI), the parent company of Organigram Inc. (the "Company" or "Organigram"), a leading licensed producer of cannabis, is pleased to announce products from its premium adult recreational Edison Cannabis Co. brand have been awarded top honours in the consumer-driven Leafly Readers Choice Awards. The Company's Edison…
Cresco Labs Announces Signing of Senior Secured Credit Agreement
CHICAGO–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Cresco Labs (CSE:CL) (OTCQX:CRLBF) ("Cresco" or the "Company"), one of the largest vertically integrated multistate cannabis operators in the United States, announced today that it has entered into a non-brokered credit agreement (the "Credit Agreement") for a senior secured term loan (the "Senior Loan") in an initial aggregate principal amount of up to US$100…
IRI to Spotlight Emerging Consumer Trends in the Grocery Industry at FMI Midwinter Executive Conference
–(BUSINESS WIRE)–IRI: WHO: Larry Levin, Executive Vice President, Market and Shopper Intelligence, IRI® Tim Grzebinski, Principal, Client Insights, IRI WHAT: During the FMI Midwinter Executive Conference, IRI's Larry Levin and Tim Grzebinski will discuss the emerging plant-based market, including cannabis, and its impact on CPG during their session…
Coda Signature Celebrates Hollywood's Biggest Night with Luxurious Infused Chocolate Experience for Top Nominees
DENVER–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Coda Signature, maker of award-winning cannabis infused gourmet edibles, all-natural topicals and handcrafted concentrates, is honored to be gifting Oscar® nominees in the major acting and directing categories as part of the luxurious "Everyone Wins" Nominee Gift Bag. Every year since 2002, marketing company Distinctive Assets has independently assembled lavish custom swag bags featuring…
TRULIEVE INVESTOR DEADLINE ALERT: Faruqi & Faruqi, LLP Encourages Investors Who Suffered Losses Exceeding $50,000 In Trulieve Cannabis Corp. To Contact The Firm
NEW YORK–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Faruqi & Faruqi, LLP, a leading national securities law firm, reminds investors in Trulieve Cannabis Corp. ("Trulieve" or the "Company") (Other OTC:TCNNF) of the February 28, 2020 deadline to seek the role of lead plaintiff in a federal securities class action that has been filed against the Company. If you invested in Trulieve…
Medicine Man Technologies Named to 2020 OTCQX Best 50
DENVER–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Medicine Man Technologies (OTCQX: MDCL) is pleased to announce it has been named to the 2020 OTCQX® Best 50, a ranking of top performing companies traded on the OTCQX Best Market last year. The OTCQX Best 50 is an annual ranking of the top 50 U.S. and international companies traded on the OTCQX market.…
Innovative Industrial Properties Announces Public Offering of 2,000,000 Shares of Common Stock
SAN DIEGO–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Innovative Industrial Properties, Inc. (the "Company") (NYSE: IIPR) announced today that it has commenced a public offering of 2,000,000 shares of its common stock. The Company expects to grant the underwriters a 30-day option to purchase up to an additional 300,000 shares of its common stock. All of the shares are being sold…
Merit, Burcon, and Nestlé Announce Collaborative Partnership for Plant-Based Protein Ingredients
WINNIPEG, Manitoba–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Merit Functional Foods and its technology partner Burcon NutraScience are pleased to announce they have entered into a joint development agreement (JDA) with Nestlé. The goal of the joint agreement is to develop and commercialize Merit's novel plant protein ingredients for use in Nestlé's plant-based foods and beverages. The joint agreement commences a…
Fluence Expands EMEA Footprint with Horticulture Partners in Papenburg, Germany
ROTTERDAM, Netherlands–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Fluence by OSRAM (Fluence), a leading global provider of energy-efficient LED lighting solutions for commercial cannabis and agriculture production, announced today it is expanding its presence in the Emsland region of Germany through partnerships with growers and other horticulture specialists operating out of Papenburg. Given Papenburg's decades-long history of attracting horticulture experts, Fluence's…
Innovative Industrial Properties Prices Public Offering of 2,967,799 Shares of Common Stock
SAN DIEGO–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Innovative Industrial Properties, Inc. (the "Company") (NYSE: IIPR) announced today the pricing of an underwritten public offering of 2,967,799 shares of its common stock at $73.25 per share for gross proceeds of approximately $217.4 million. The offering is expected to close on or about January 28, 2020, subject to customary closing conditions. The…
International Beauty Innovation Summit: Arizona, United States – March 2-3, 2020 – ResearchAndMarkets.com
DUBLIN–(BUSINESS WIRE)–The "International Beauty Innovation Summit" conference has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. In an era in which consumers can buy anything online, the customer experience becomes more and more important to build an emotional connection and drive sales. Product presentation, for instance, can go a long way to stimulate purchase behavior. Successful beauty brands…
23456789101112131415161718192021222324252627282930313233343536373839404142434445464748495051525354555657585960616263646566676869707172737475767778798081828384858687888990919293949596979899100101102103104105106107108109110111112113114115116117118119120121122123124125126
132133134135136137138139140141142143144145146147148149150151152153154155156157158159160161162163164165166167168169170171172173174175176177178179180181182183184185186187188189190191192193194195196197198199200201202203204205206207208209210211212213214215216217218219220221222223224225226227228229230231232233234235236237238239240241242243244245246247248249250251252253254255256257258259260261262263264

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


A new view on the past, present, and future?
After this passage that questions our new year's resolution process, I proceeded with the assignment prescription.
"Please cross-examine the success of 2013 with a 'year in review'. Reflect upon your goals for this year and ask yourself if you've completed them. Target things that are habitual, financial, lifestyle-oriented, physical, mental, nutritional, career-oriented, spiritual, etc. Write a paragraph describing these goals, the path you've taken to achieve them, and comment on the journey. Aim not to judge, but simply report. The purpose of this activity is to bring awareness into 2014 so that you start your year rationally and realistically.
I wish you all a 2.0 holiday, taking your chance to rest to the next level.
Play hard, work hard, rest HARDER!
Now that the holiday is ending, I am writing a follow up to my pre-holiday words of guidance. I hope these thoughts will guide you not only through a few weeks, but perhaps throughout the rest of the year. These thoughts have risen to mind as a result of the unfolding of my new life chapter; a moving out of the nesting home of my parents' and into my own brand new condominium.
A change of habitat is overwhelming and consuming. It is pushing me, pulling me, and stretching me more than any yoga I've ever tried. I am embracing the experience as much as it can be held with love (over force). My friend 'time', lagged on with many delays in the beginning during pre-construction and pre-occupancy, and now, post-construction and post move-in, 'time' is always fleeting! Don't even get me started with 'space', before, there was too much space with too little things, now there is too little space with too many things! Time and space; the most mercurial of house guests. I digress.
As a host, home owner, butler, maid, caretaker, DJ, manager, interior designer, contractor, accountant, financial advisor, and chef, all in one, I never thought I'd say that I feel the shackles of independence; freedom truly does come at a cost. I am learning that these first world issues, as superficial as they can be, still do provide deep lessons to be learned. These "moving" growing pains have given me moments of growing gains.
The reorganization and purging of my life's belongings has given me reasons to stop, breathe and smile, as I reminisce with old photos, journals and memorabilia. The financial planning challenges have forced me to call upon my skills in fitness in order to make it through: exercise diligence, nutritional consistency, fuel budgeting with marathon training, etc. The stress of uprooting from my only known home has forced me to create my own home dynamic and plant my own roots. This snow storm clashing of past, present and future is turning out to be a blessing in disguise. I am learning that it is in the moments of struggle and challenge where optimism and positivity shine brightest.
…are three seemingly equal parts to the planning process of self-development. But in recent readings and life experiences, not quite so. We use these elements of the time continuum to base our actions and behaviors. Depending on our tasks, needs and wants, goals, or inclinations, we tap into our memories of the past, our actions of the present, or ideas of the future to get those things done. But do you use this planning process to your advantage? Do you think too much in the past? Are you a dreamer? Have you been accused of being reactive versus proactive? Is there a balance in your past/present/future thinking?
I believe a deliberate amount of effort needs to be dedicated towards developing awareness of our three elements of time before we commit to any plan of action. Once an awareness arises, we can then use these time elements effectively to create a holistic, well-balanced pathway towards achieving our desires.
As an example of imbalance, the new year bombards us with the typical preaching articles, tips, and advice on how to improve in 2014, the same old "New Years Resolution" chatter takes precedence. The focus of these articles are solely on the FUTURE, without much regard for the past and present.
As someone who actively 'thinks different', I advised to reflect upon the PAST with a 'year in review' assignment, because I felt it was under preached and under practiced. Why plan goals for the future when one hasn't accomplished goals set from the past? The idea of doing more when not knowing what has been done has deterred our ability to be present.
An all too common imbalance is our society's inability to live in the moment. The PRESENT is defined by the midpoint between the past and future. Our imbalance of this midpoint is a result of our insecure 'needs' of the past or our irresponsible 'wants' of the future. I believe the only way to correct this imbalance is to let go of the idea of filling every moment in time and every pocket of space.
Don't get caught up with planning meticulously for the future; it'll leave you with baggage from the past. Don't lose yourself in the past; you will miss the flight to the future. Allow yourself to get out of the past and future in order to live in the present.
If we were to personify the past, present, and future, we might see the past as a University Professor, the present as a Buddhist Monk, and the future as an Entrepreneur. The professor's mind is filled with memories, stories, culture, and academia. The monk's mind is filled with appreciation, awareness, open-mindedness, and mindfulness. The entrepreneur's mind is filled with promise, hope, determination, and dreams. Our minds are filled with what fill theirs. Each and every one of us are made up of these personifications.
My use of these three elements of time is to provide a re-balancing of thinking. Do not to think only of the future, because that can be unrealistic, limitless, and unproductive. Do not think only in the present, because that can be consuming, obsessive-compulsive, and narrowing. And finally, do not think only of the past, because that can be biased, limiting and judgmental.
WE MUST USE THE PAST PRESENT AND FUTURE IN BALANCE AND BE AWARE OF THEIR INFLUENCE ON EACH OTHER.
We must honor these elements in varying, but all-inclusive degrees, relative to our purpose and meaning.
– Are your thoughts dominated by the past?
- Are your thoughts dominated by the present?
– Are your thoughts dominated by the future?


text:
Home UK Government Women in Politics: Should we feminise politics for Covid-19 recovery? – Liberal...
Women in Politics: Should we feminise politics for Covid-19 recovery? – Liberal Article
Abby Milnes, Freya Jhugroo and Emily Taylor
Women in Politics: How we should 'build back better' from Covid-19 – Liberal Article
There is an increasing number of women in leading roles throughout international society. The global political empowerment gap was the most improved dimension to gender equality coming into 2020; a year which is proving to be a tipping point for social and environmental sustainability. We need to follow good examples as we stabilise institutions post Covid-19.
One aspect that can't be overlooked is how female leadership is leading the recovery from Covid-19. Not only are women holding over 70% of frontline care roles, but also countries run by women, such as New Zealand, Germany and Taiwan, have some of the lowest death rates per capita.
Coincidence? Maybe. However, this trend cannot be ignored. Particularly considering the fatal consequences of poor leadership during this time of crisis!
Whilst men and women are neurologically similar, our experiences within society are influenced by our sex. Thus, our way of relating to others and consequently our styles of leadership are different.
Feminine traits such as empathy and cooperation have traditionally been devalued in leadership roles. However, the effectiveness of countries' responses to Covid-19 shows the importance of care and kindness in social protection. It isn't just ethics of rights that are important in politics, we need ethics of care.
The UK and US, run dominantly by conservative white men, have simply done too little, too late. Covid-19 demanded a quick and pragmatic response, which these men failed to do. The difference between the sexes ability to deal with times of uncertainty is never going to be binary, nothing ever is. Women, in general, handle uncertainty on a more frequent basis; women's bodies are constantly undergoing change.
As the primary caregivers, women globally face more unpredictable situations that demand collaboration and calmness. Additionally, when given the opportunity, such as after the Rwandan Genocide or during the World Wars, women have proven more than capable of stabilising societies. Whether due to socialisation or not, women respond effectively to unpredictable circumstances.
Furthermore, unlike their male counterparts who walk into an institutional structure designed for them, women need to accommodate for it, not just follow 'the rules'. Therefore, women have the incentive to keep the status quo! This must change to secure future justice!
The speed of reaction also demonstrated clear prioritisation of health over the economy. Herd immunity was never an option for Jacinda Ardern or Silveria Jacobs, both of whom demonstrated a no-nonsense approach when addressing the public. It wasn't a matter of pleasing the electorate but a matter of keeping people safe. This is something undoubtedly women have typically spent a disproportionate amount of time doing considering their traditional gender roles.
Despite their assertive approach, female leaders demonstrated the importance of building personal and empathetic relations with the public. Erna Solberg directly addressed Norway's children, acknowledging and reassuring their anxieties. Whilst Jacinda Ardern continually used Facebook live to further enforce a sense of togetherness.
In the UK, the collective national effort was undermined by Johnson when he defended Cummings actions that had put people within a 300-mile radius at risk of Covid-19. It mocked any sense of unity.
Finally, one of the most important factors when it comes to leadership, particularly in the context of uncertainty, is accepting and following expert advice. Few female leaders showed any scepticism towards scientists throughout this crisis, and the results are significant. On the other hand, Boris Johnson overlooked the importance of expert advice by missing five Cobra meetings. It has resulted (unsurprisingly) with one of the highest death rates in Europe.
Could this difference be rooted in the fact that women's voices have traditionally been undermined, their expertise questioned? Thus developing a modest, collaborative approach in leadership?
Admittedly the contextual factors surrounding a government's ability to deal with Covid-19 are extensive. However, it is a fact that women have disproportionately responded better.
To 'build back better' requires a complementary approach between feminine and masculine traits in the future of leadership.
Written by Guest Liberal Writer, Abby Milnes
Diversity is the way forward – a Labour response
I agree with Abby. This is a very interesting article which highlights the importance of diversity at all levels in society.
It has been both sad and encouraging to see how well women leaders have dealt with this crisis. Sad, because I am not living in one of those countries that has almost bested the virus, and encouraging because they show a more optimistic version of the future.
As my Liberal colleague says, gender is not the sole determinant in how well a country has responded to the coronavirus. However, the few success stories in the world show that women in power have great potential to do exceptional things.
More empathy, cooperation, care and kindness in our politics would improve it greatly. Especially in times of such unprecedented suffering and hardship. Once we get through this, these skills will be invaluable in building a more understanding, tolerant society which works for more people.
I cannot wait for there to be more of us in power, along with many other marginalised voices. More voices from different backgrounds are an obvious way forward to improving politics.
Written by Guest Labour Writer, Freya Jhugroo
An argument more of leadership style than of gender – a Conservative response
The premise of my colleague's article is fundamentally important. Even with a global pandemic in our midst, the sexist power disparities aren't disappearing. In fact, they're more present than ever. Highlighting the trend of exemplary success by female leaders throughout Covid-19 is paramount when beginning to evaluate responses to the pandemic.
At the same time, it is unsound to say that all female leaders perform better than their male counterparts during all times of crisis. Such a position is too generalised, just as is a sexist, blanket statement like, "male leaders are better than female".
As a woman, I understand well Abby's point about engaging with uncertainty on a more frequent basis. The female body is too frequently unpredictable and loves to throw us surprises when we least expect them. Having said this, to compare the hormonal changes of a woman's body, ones which too often repeat periodically, to the diversity and complexity of a country's socio-economic systems and international relations is untenable.
In reality, this is an argument about leadership styles. It is not that women leaders are dramatically better in leadership roles. It's just that 'strongmen' are doing worse. Trump's political playbook, one that promises certainty in uncertain times by delegitimising and demoting the opposition is now being used against a respiratory illness. Covid-19 does not read Twitter.
The success of these women, whether it is Angela Merkel, Sanna Marin or Jacinda Arden, in protecting their nations has proved to the world the value of compassion and pragmatism in politics; a leadership style that will undoubtedly be prioritised in the future.
Written by Guest Conservative Writer, Emily Taylor
Abby Milnes
Senior Liberal Writer | Website
I am a Politics, Philosophy and Economics (PPE) graduate from the University of Exeter. My
foreseeable future is (hopefully) working and volunteering in developing communities, learning a bit more from their perspective what issues they face and solutions they see, before going into research work. I have become a hobbyist about sustainable living, and my concern for equitable development have constantly motivated my academic choices.
Is Foreign Aid a Sham? - Conservative Article
'Eat Out to Help Out' is a Risk - Conservative Article
Fast fashion and COVID-19: a story of exploitation and opportunism – Labour Article
Freya Jhugroo
Hello, I'm Freya. I am going into my third year at Exeter, studying International Relations and Spanish. My main areas of interest are the environment, societal injustices and foreign affairs.
Activism from home: Is it worth it? - Labour Article
Consent Taught Right: What we can do to stop assault- Labour Article
Six people who think they could be Britain's Obama - Liberal Article
Has Media Control of Public Opinion Gone Too Far? The Answer is Yes - Conservative Article
Emily Taylor
Junior Conservative writer | Website
I am a first year student reading Politics, Philosophy and Economics at the University of Exeter. After completing my degree, I wish to go on to study Public Policy at a postgraduate level.
Media coverage of the Reading attack was a tragedy of its own - Labour Article
Does BLM have the potential to revitalise political participation in the long term? - Conservative Article
Is the government's youth employment plan enough? - Conservative Article
A 4 Day Work Week May Be The Only Way Forward - Labour Article
Previous articleREVIEW | Abolish the Police? (POI Podcasts #5)
Next articleA 4 Day Work Week May Be The Only Way Forward – Labour Article
Coronavirus Has Worsened Gender Inequality – Liberal Article


The word gospel literally means "good news." When Jesus was born, the angel of the Lord said to the shepherds, "Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people." (Luke 9:10) What is this good news that was so important God sent an angel to announce it?
Have you ever been afraid that if someone really knew you that you wouldn't measure up or be good enough? There is a still, small voice inside of us all that acknowledges our sin. Romans 3:23, it states, "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." Sin dates back to the Garden of Eden when God gave Adam and Eve one simple command: "Do not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil or you will die." When they chose disobedience, sin entered the world. Each of us will someday die a physical death because we all have the "sin virus" that has been passed down since the very first people chose to disobey God. Not only are we doomed to physical death due to sin, but we each have chosen to sin.
"But your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear."
We are physically going to die, but we are also already spiritually dead (or separated from God). There is a great divide between us and God. We don't like to look at our own wrongdoings, but we have caused this separation. We may long for a God who is close and loving, but our sin has created a divide between us and God. This divide will leave us feeling empty, hopeless, insecure, and ultimately - it will lead us to believe lies about ourselves and God.
Romans 6:23 says that "the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus, our Lord." A wage is something we earn. When we go to a job, we perform a task and earn a paycheck. The Bible uses the same term to describe sin. Our sin has earned us death and eternal separation from God.
Then comes the miracle. Despite what we deserve, God loves us so much that he sent his only Son to take the punishment we deserved on His shoulders... Jesus took our place (John 3:16). He came as a baby to be born of a virgin, conceived by the Holy Spirit, so that he could live the perfect life that we never could and therefore, be the only human worthy of Heaven. He was God in flesh and lived a sinless life so he could take our punishment on the cross. Then he did exactly what he said he would do and rose again, conquering death, on the third day.
Contrary to popular belief, Heaven isn't full of good people and Hell full of all the bad ones. Heaven is full of people who confessed their need for Jesus and asked for forgiveness. Hell is full of those who never saw their sin for what it is and never surrendered to Jesus as their Lord and Savior.
All it takes to move from death to life is accepting His free gift. In Romans 10:9 it says, "that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved." Jesus loves you so much that He gave His life to bring you back to Him. Will you cry out to the Lord and ask Him to save you today?


Windows Identity Foundation helps .NET developers build claims-aware applications that externalize user authentication from the application, improving developer productivity, enhancing application security, and enabling interoperability. Developers can enjoy greater productivity, using a single simplified identity model based on claims. They can create more secure applications with a single user access model, reducing custom implementations and enabling end users to securely access applications via on-premises software as well as cloud services. Finally, they can enjoy greater flexibility in application development through built-in interoperability that allows users, applications, systems and other resources to communicate via claims.
In other words it is a method for centralizing user Identity information, very much like how the Windows Live and OpenID systems work. The system is reasonably simple. I have a Membership data store that contains user information. I want (n) number of websites to use that membership store, EXCEPT I don't want each application to have direct access to membership data such as passwords. The way around it is through claims.
In order for this to work you need a central web application called a Secure Token Service (STS). This application will do authentication and provide a set of available claims. It will say "hey! I am able to give you the person's email address, their username and the roles they belong to." Each of those pieces of information is a claim. This message exists in the application's Federation Metadata.
The key takeaway is that only one single application does authentication. Everything else just redirects to it. So lets actually see what it takes to authenticate against an STS (central application). In future posts I will go into detail about how to create an STS as well as how to use Active Directory Federation Services, which is an STS that authenticates directly against (you guessed it) Active Directory.
First step is to install the Framework and SDK.
The SDK will install sample projects and add two Visual Studio menu items under the Tools menu. Both menu items do essentially the same thing, the difference being that "Add STS Reference" pre-populates the wizard with the current web application's data.
Once the SDK is installed start up Visual Studio as Administrator. Create a new web application. Next go to the Properties section and go into the Web section. Change the Server Settings to use IIS. You need to use IIS. To install IIS on Windows 7 check out this post.
So far we haven't done anything crazy. We've just set a new application to use IIS for development. Next we have some fun. Let's add the STS Reference.
Once it downloads the metadata it will ask if we want the Token that the STS sends back to be encrypted. My recommendation is that we do, but for the sake of this we won't.
We can optionally schedule a Windows task to download changes.
For the sake of testing add <httpRuntime requestValidationMode="2.0" /> to the web.config and retry the test. You should be redirected to http://localhost/WebApplication1 and no errors should occur.


Koverse is looking for an experienced UI Developer to join our Product Development team and partner with our Global Services team. In this role, you will help create sophisticated and secure data-driven products. This position is located in the Denver area or the Northwest (Seattle, Portland, Eugene). Flexibility to travel occasionally (but not too frequently) to customer sites or Koverse locations, both domestically and internationally, is required.


Home Naturally Speaking: "Corals in Hot Water"
Naturally Speaking: "Corals in Hot Water"
In this month's "Naturally Speaking" lecture at the Virginia Living Museum, Dan Barshis will present a summary of his work over the last 15 years investigating what makes some corals more resistant versus sensitive to climate change impacts. He will present his research from American Samoa, Micronesia, Saudi Arabia, the Red Sea, and a project working with the Northern Star Coral. Learn how short-term exposures to high temperatures can actually condition corals to be stronger and more resistant to climate impacts. Mr. Barshis is an assistant professor of marine biology at Old Dominion University.
Join us for light hors-d'oeuvre with a cash beer/wine bar starting at 6 p.m. followed by our speaker at 6:30 p.m. The talk will run for 20 minutes allowing time for questions and a 7 p.m. wrap-up.
Adult-only event. Program is free but we ask you to RSVP so we can prepare appropriately.


text:
The Long History of Comet Phobia
Even the invention of the telescope couldn't convince all people to put aside superstitions about comets.
The Book of Miracles, c. 1550
By: Jess Romeo
Nowadays, the appearance of a comet, like the recently soaring NEOWISE, is likely to inspire wonder and excitement. But for much of human history, a comet was more likely to inspire blood-curdling fear.
"Almost always in classical times comets were regarded as portents, generally as warnings of dire events," writes historian Duane Koenig. (They were also sometimes "harbingers of happy things," like the birth of heroes, prophets, or kings.)
"He contended the bearded star did not concern him because he was bald."
Ancient records show that thousands of years ago, "Persians and Koreans viewed comets as of evil nature and often [announced] war with the country in whose direction the tail pointed," writes Koenig. Over in Rome, comets were an object of fear and worship. Historian Geraldine Herbert-Brown finds that Pliny the Elder paid "particular attention to comets, and the terror they had caused humans in the course of history." According to Pliny, a comet would appear at "crucial intervals" starting in 49 BCE, "glaring terribly when Nero succeeded Claudius, and then continuously throughout Nero's principáte."
Comets—also called "bearded stars"—were consistently seen as bad news for rulers. Around 70 CE, the Roman emperor Vespasian was cautioned about a comet. "He contended the bearded star did not concern him because he was bald. It threatened his neighbor, the king of the Parthians, who was hairy," writes Koenig.
In 1066, the Battle of Hastings was famously preceded by an appearance of Halley's comet, which would be recorded as a portent predicting the defeat of the Anglo-Saxon king in the Norman Conquest.
The fifteenth century witnessed the beginnings of modern astronomy and a more scientific approach to comets. But even into the sixteenth century, writes art historian Roberta J. M. Olson, "the attitudes towards celestial events remained unresolved." Scientists like Copernicus and Tycho Brahe attempted to fight the superstitions. (Martin Luther called comets "harlot stars.") Yet during the turbulence of the Reformation, belief in comets as portents actually spread, writes Olson. In 1528, a comet "the color of blood" was reported, supposedly "caus[ing] some people to fall sick because it was so horrible," adds Koenig. "Some died of fear."
With the invention of the telescope in 1608, the mystery of comets started to lessen. The work of Galileo, followed by Isaac Newton and Edmund Halley, "would, once and for all, establish that comets were physical objects in rational, elliptical orbits around the sun," writes Olson.
But some paranoia persisted: It was believed that children born under a comet would have a hard life, and that it was unlucky to start a business with a comet in the sky. In 1910, the appearance of Halley's comet caused panic, fueled by swindlers who sold pills to ward off "cometary poison." The misinformed believed that the comet's tail would fill the atmosphere with poison gas; in preparation for the event, some people "hid in wells, supplied caves with provisions, or stored oxygen bottles," writes Koenig.
We've come a long way since 500 BCE, when a comet could start a war or portend death. It's almost surprising that in the year 2020, NEOWISE was one of the few events that didn't seem to be a herald of the apocalypse.
astronomycometsArt JournalBulletin of the Institute of Classical Studies. SupplementQuarterly Journal of the Florida Academy of Sciences
Comets, Superstitions, and History
By: Duane Koenig
Quarterly Journal of the Florida Academy of Sciences, Vol. 31, No. 2 (June, 1968), pp. 81-92
Florida Academy of Sciences, Inc.
SCEPTICISM, SUPERSTITION, AND THE STARS: ASTRONOMICAL ANGST IN PLINY THE ELDER
By: GERALDINE HERBERT-BROWN
Bulletin of the Institute of Classical Studies. Supplement, No. 100, VITA VIGILIA EST: ESSAYS IN HONOUR OF BARBARA LEVICK (2007), pp. 113-126
...And They Saw Stars: Renaissance Representations of Comets and Pretelescopic Astronomy
By: Roberta J. M. Olson
Art Journal, Vol. 44, No. 3, Art and Science: Part II, Physical Sciences (Autumn, 1984), pp. 216-224
The Protestant Astrology of Early American Almanacs
The wildly popular books helped people understand farming and health through the movement of the planets, in a way compatible with Protestantism.


See below for a frequently-updated, comprehensive list of upcoming running events in the local Lincoln City, OR area. Races listed here include both walking and running events of various distances — from 1-milers, to 5Ks, to marathons, and everything else in between.
Sorry, we did not find any running events in or near Lincoln City at this time.
Complete list of running events in and near Lincoln City, OR: Marathons, 1-milers, 5Ks, half-marathons, 10Ks, obstacle courses, walking events & more.
Lincoln City (OR) is a city in Lincoln County with an estimated population of 7,930.


text:
package org.lamport.tla.toolbox.util;

import java.io.File;
import java.io.IOException;
import java.net.URL;

import org.eclipse.core.runtime.FileLocator;
import org.eclipse.core.runtime.Platform;
import org.eclipse.swt.SWT;
import org.eclipse.swt.SWTError;
import org.eclipse.swt.browser.Browser;
import org.eclipse.swt.browser.LocationEvent;
import org.eclipse.swt.browser.LocationListener;
import org.eclipse.swt.events.SelectionAdapter;
import org.eclipse.swt.events.SelectionEvent;
import org.eclipse.swt.events.SelectionListener;
import org.eclipse.swt.graphics.Point;
import org.eclipse.swt.layout.FillLayout;
import org.eclipse.swt.layout.GridData;
import org.eclipse.swt.layout.GridLayout;
import org.eclipse.swt.widgets.Button;
import org.eclipse.swt.widgets.Composite;
import org.eclipse.swt.widgets.Shell;
import org.eclipse.swt.widgets.ToolBar;
import org.eclipse.swt.widgets.ToolItem;
import org.eclipse.ui.ISharedImages;
import org.eclipse.ui.PlatformUI;
import org.osgi.framework.Bundle;

/**
 * This class implements a help button that takes the user to a specified location
 * in the help system's html files.  The only part of this class that is used
 * externally is the helpButton command.
 *
 * Implemented by Leslie Lamport
 */

/*
 * Sometimes the Eclipse default internal web browser will not work in your
 * Ubuntu environment.  Is that the case, you need to install webkit
 * library for Ubuntu.  In order to install webkit libraries go to your
 * terminal and run this command.
 *
 *   sudo apt-get install libwebkitgtk-1.0-0
 */

/**
 * The constructor adds a help button to a specified Composite that links
 * to the help page specified by its String argument.
 */
public class HelpButton {
    /**
     *
     * @param parent    Where the button should be added.
     * @param helpFile  The suffix of the URL of the help page, which follows
     *                  .../org.lamport.tla.toolbox.doc/html/ -- for example,
     *                  "model/overview-page.html#what-to-check" .
     * @return A Button that has been added to the Composite that, when clicked
     *         raises a browser window on the specified help page URL.
     */
    public static Button helpButton(final Composite parent, final String helpFile) {
    	final Button button = new Button(parent, SWT.NONE);
    	final HelpButtonListener listener = new HelpButtonListener(parent, helpFile);
        button.addSelectionListener(listener);
        button.setImage(PlatformUI.getWorkbench().getSharedImages().getImage(ISharedImages.IMG_LCL_LINKTO_HELP));
        final GridData gridData = new GridData();
        gridData.verticalAlignment = SWT.TOP;
        button.setLayoutData(gridData);
        button.setEnabled(true);
        return button;
    }

	private static class HelpButtonListener extends SelectionAdapter implements SelectionListener {
        private final String url;

        private Browser browser = null;
        private Shell helpShell = null;
        private Point location = null ;
        private Point size = null ;

        HelpButtonListener(final Composite parent, final String helpFile) {
            final String file = helpFile;
            /*
             * For a helpFile like "foo.html#section", set fileName to
             * "foo.html" and suffix to "#section".  If there is no
             * such suffix, then set fileName to file and suffix to "".
             */
            String fileName = file;
            String suffix = "" ;
            final int idx = fileName.indexOf("#") ;
            if (idx != -1) {
                suffix = fileName.substring(idx) ;
                fileName = fileName.substring(0, idx) ;
            }
            final Bundle bundle = Platform.getBundle("org.lamport.tla.toolbox.doc");
            /*
             * The bundle .tla.toolbox does not explicitly depend on .toolbox.doc.
             * Thus, it's possible that the application is running without documentation
             * which results in the variable bundle being null.
             */
            String urlString = null;
            if (bundle == null) {
                urlString = "http://tla.msr-inria.inria.fr/tlatoolbox/doc/" + file ;
                System.out.println("Could not find local copy of help file.");
            } else {
            	final URL fileURL = bundle.getEntry("html/" + fileName);
            	File theFile = null;
            	try {
            		theFile = new File(FileLocator.resolve(fileURL).getFile());
            	} catch (IOException e1) {
            		e1.printStackTrace();
            	}
            	if (theFile != null) {
            		urlString = theFile.getPath() + suffix;
            	}
            	if ((theFile == null) || (urlString == null)) {
            		urlString = "http://tla.msr-inria.inria.fr/tlatoolbox/doc/" + file ;
            		System.out.println("Could not find local copy of help file.");
            	}
            }

            url = urlString;
        }

        /**
         * This method is called when the `?' button is clicked. It opens the
         * page in the current help window if there is one, otherwise it raises
         * a new window at the position and with the size of the window the last
         * time it was closed in the current execution of the Toolbox.
         */
        @Override
        public void widgetSelected(final SelectionEvent e) {
            boolean setSize = false;

            /*
             * If the window doesn't already exist, create it and add the
             * browser.
             */
            if (helpShell == null) {
                setSize = true;

                /*
                 * Raise the window without a minimize button because minimizing
                 * puts it as a small window in a corner of the screen, not on
                 * the task bar.
                 */
				helpShell = new Shell(SWT.CLOSE | SWT.TITLE | SWT.RESIZE);
                helpShell.setText("Toolbox Help");
                helpShell.addDisposeListener((event) -> {
                    location = helpShell.getLocation();
                    size = helpShell.getSize();
                    helpShell = null;
                });
                browser = null;
                helpShell.setLayout(new FillLayout());
                final Composite comp = new Composite(helpShell, SWT.NONE);
                comp.setLayout(new GridLayout(1, false));

                /*
                 * Add the "back" and "forward" buttons.
                 */
                final ToolBar navBar = new ToolBar(comp, SWT.NONE);
				navBar.setLayoutData(new GridData(GridData.FILL_HORIZONTAL | GridData.HORIZONTAL_ALIGN_END));
                final ToolItem back = new ToolItem(navBar, SWT.PUSH);
                back.setText("<-    Back    ");
                back.setEnabled(false);
                final ToolItem forward = new ToolItem(navBar, SWT.PUSH);
                forward.setText(" Forward  ->");
                forward.setEnabled(false);

                /*
                 * Add an html browser.
                 */
                try {
                    browser = new Browser(comp, SWT.NONE);
                } catch (SWTError e1) {
                    System.out.println("Could not instantiate Browser: " + e1.getMessage());
                    helpShell.dispose();
                    return;
                }

                final GridData data = new GridData(GridData.FILL_BOTH);
                browser.setLayoutData(data);

                /*
                 * Add the listeners for the "back" and "forward" buttons.
                 */
                back.addListener(SWT.Selection, (event) -> {
                    browser.back();
                });
                forward.addListener(SWT.Selection, (event) -> {
                    browser.forward();
                });
                final LocationListener locationListener = new LocationListener() {
                    public void changed(LocationEvent event) {
                    	final Browser browser = (Browser) event.widget;
                        back.setEnabled(browser.isBackEnabled());
                        forward.setEnabled(browser.isForwardEnabled());
                    }

                    public void changing(LocationEvent event) {
                    }
                };
                browser.addLocationListener(locationListener);
            }

            /*
             * Load the page into the browser.
             */
            browser.setUrl(url);

            /*
             * If a new window is being created, set its size to what it was the
             * when the previous window was closed.
             */
            if (setSize) {
                if (location != null) {
                    helpShell.setLocation(location);
                }
                if (size != null) {
                    helpShell.setSize(size);
                }
            }
            helpShell.open();
            helpShell.forceFocus();
        }

        @Override
        public void widgetDefaultSelected(final SelectionEvent e) {
            widgetSelected(e);
        }
    }
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
The Dictionary of Sydney
Browse Entries
Sydney in 1858
Lucy Hughes Turnbull
Persistent URL for this entry
http://dictionaryofsydney.org/entry/sydney_in_1858
To cite this entry in text
Hughes Turnbull, Lucy, Sydney in 1858, Dictionary of Sydney, 2008, http://dictionaryofsydney.org/entry/sydney_in_1858, viewed 19 Jan 2020
To cite this entry in a Wikipedia footnote citation
cite web | url= http://dictionaryofsydney.org/entry/sydney_in_1858 | title = Sydney in 1858 | author = Hughes Turnbull, Lucy | date = 2008 | work = Dictionary of Sydney | publisher = Dictionary of Sydney Trust | accessdate = 19 Jan 2020
To cite this entry as a Wikipedia External link
cite web | url = http://dictionaryofsydney.org/entry/sydney_in_1858 | title = Sydney in 1858 | accessdate = 2008 | author = Hughes Turnbull, Lucy | date = 2008 | work = Dictionary of Sydney | publisher = Dictionary of Sydney Trust
By the mid-1850s, Sydney resembled a bustling English seaport. [media]Steamships ran between Europe and Australia, and mail arrived in 135 days rather than the 275 days it had taken in the early nineteenth century. Sydney had adopted a tone of Victorian sobriety, and spending time in Sydney was in no sense roughing it. Sydney's residents had museums and zoos to visit, and on Sundays horse-drawn omnibuses and ferries took them on trips to the 'countryside', to Botany, the Cooks River, down the Parramatta River, to Manly, or to Watsons Bay. Promenading in late summer afternoons down Lovers Walk in Hyde Park was also popular. The walk ran from St James Church to Liverpool Street. People enjoyed strolling in the park, with the pleasant sea breezes and views down to the boats and villas on the harbour. [1] [media]Gas lamps illuminated the streets of Sydney at night.
The spectacle of entering the harbour and seeing Sydney for the first time was often commented upon, as it was by John Askew, visiting in 1857:
Tiers of fine buildings seem to rise one above the other, like the seats in an amphitheatre, and towering above them all, is the tall spire of St James' Church. [2]
The growing maturity of Sydney as a colonial city was indicated by the establishment of the University of Sydney, in 1852. The university boasted the motto Sidere mens eadem mutato which means 'the same minds under different stars'. The implication of this motto was that the only differences between the new colonial society and that of Britain were geographic, and not cultural. The architecture of the original buildings of the university reflects this notion of entire transplantation. [media]The Edmund Blacket-designed main buildings and St Paul's College were constructed between 1854 and 1860 in the Gothic Revival style, with little regard to difference in climate.
[media]The main commercial streets in the city were (and still are) George and Pitt streets. In the 1850s, when Pitt Street was extended to Bridge Street, the Tank Stream was covered completely. The finest shops were in Pitt Street between King and Market streets. There was still, however, a motley mix of single-storey and multi-storied buildings. The northern end of the city (north of the General Post Office) was evolving into the financial centre. The opening of the Royal Exchange in 1853, on the corner of Gresham, Pitt and Bridge streets, promoted this, as did the construction of solemn banks built in the various revivalist architectural styles of the Victorian era.
In George Street, the 'bucks and Brummels of the Colony' visited the Café Francaise. As well as good food, there were chess and billiard clubs there. Lunch time was taken seriously – the church bells would ring in the city at one o'clock each weekday afternoon, heralding the lunch hour. For one patron of the Café:
Little marble tables, files of Punch and the Times, dominoes, sherry cobblers, strawberry ices, an entertaining hostess and a big, bloused, lubberly, inoffensive host, are the noticeable points of the Café left on my recollection. They serve eight hundred dinners a day at this house. [3]
As the city's commercial activity grew, the two main commercial east-west streets, Hunter and King streets, became the home of unusual and specialist shops and small businesses.
[media]The finest town houses were in Macquarie Street. They were often grand and up to four storeys high. Askew described the scene lyrically in 1857:
The best time to see this neighbourhood in all its glory is on a summer's evening, about an hour after sunset, when the drawing rooms are in a blaze of light. Then the rich tones of the piano or some other musical instrument are heard gushing forth from the open windows, accompanied by the sweet melody of female voices … Beautiful ladies, dressed in white may be seen sitting upon the verandahs, or lounging on magnificent couches, partially concealed by the folds of rich crimson curtains in drawing rooms which display all the luxurious comforts and magnificence of the East, intermingled with the elegant utilities of the West. [4]
[media]Another new residential area in the town was Wynyard Square, recently vacated by the army when it moved to Victoria Barracks at Paddington in 1848. Some of the residents of the area around Wynyard Square were Jewish merchants who lived in smart town houses.
In 1858, Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide were linked by telegraph. The same year, an enthusiastic social observer, WS Jevons, engaged in a survey of Sydney housing. He noted that successful merchants, shopkeepers and professional men lived in mansions or villas, usually on elevated land just outside the city, such as in Glenmore Road, Paddington, or Darlinghurst, Elizabeth Bay or Glebe, or in the middle of town in Macquarie Street or in Lower Fort Street. The middle classes, by which he meant skilled workers, lived in four- to five-roomed houses, clustered in districts such as Surry Hills, Strawberry Hill, Redfern, Glebe, Pyrmont, Balmain and the higher area of the Rocks around Millers Point.[media] The worst housing was much older, and located at the Rocks, the lower end of Sussex Street and around Druitt and Goulburn Streets. Jevons was full of moral indignation about the state of the residents:
I am acquainted with most of the notorious parts of London … but in none of these places perhaps, would lower forms of vice and misery be seen than Sydney can produce. Nowhere too is there a more complete abandonment of all the requirements of health and decency than in a few parts of Sydney. [5]
[1] John Askew, A voyage to Australia and New Zealand, Simpkin Marshall, London, 1857, quoted in Frank Crowley, A Documentary History of Australia, Thomas Nelson, Melbourne, 1973–1980, vol 2, p 315
[2] John Askew, A voyage to Australia & New Zealand, Simpkin Marshall, London, 1857, quoted in Frank Crowley, A Documentary History of Australia, Thomas Nelson, Melbourne, 1973–1980, vol 2, p 185
[3] F Fowler, Southern Lights and Shadows, Sampson Low, London, 1859; Barry Groom and Warwick Wickman, Sydney, the 1850s: The lost collection, Macleay Museum, University of Sydney, Sydney, 1982, p 13
[5] WS Jevons, quoted in Lucy Turnbull, Sydney: Biography of a City, Random House, Sydney, 1999, p 107
Hughes Turnbull, Lucy
Lucy Hughes Turnbull is a a businesswoman, philanthropist and former Lord Mayor of the City of Sydney
SS Malta off Macquarie Fort c1848-1858
full record »
Frederick Garling
From the collections of the
State Library of New South Wales
[a128219 / DG SSV*/Sp Coll/Garling/2]
Industrial and residential suburb on the northern shore of Botany Bay, immediately east of Sydney Airport. Originally seen as a country retreat, it saw industry flourish in the post-Second World War era.
River that flows through south-west Sydney, starting at Graf Park, Yagoona, through to Botany Bay at Kyeemagh. The river was extensively polluted by industry and its course was changed to accommodate the runways of Sydney Airport.
Major tributary of Sydney Harbour, which flows east from Blacktown Creek to meet Port Jackson between Greenwich and Birchgrove. The river is tidal to Charles Street Weir at Parramatta, 30 kilometres from Sydney Heads.
Peninsular suburb at the northern entrance to Port Jackson, which faces both the harbour and the ocean. Its name comes from the 'confidence and manly behaviour' of the Aboriginal people encountered there by Governor Arthur Phillip in 1788.
Suburb on the outermost shore of the southern side of Sydney harbour which, since colonial times, has been an important naval and civil maritime precinct, as well as a destination for Sydneysiders and tourists.
Park providing green space in Sydney's busy centre.
St James Anglican church Queens Square
Early Anglican church which was Australia's tallest structure from 1822 to 1853 The copper steeple is 52 metres high and was part of the modification to the original plans which were for a courthouse on the site.
Gaslight near Cook's Statue, Hyde Park c1880s
[a089209 / SPF/209]
Askew, John
English writer who visited Sydney in 1852.
First proposed by William Wentworth in 1848 as an expansion of Sydney College, the university was established via the passage of the University of Sydney Act in 1850 and inaugurated in 1852 before moving to Camperdown in 1859. It is the oldest university in Australia.
University of Sydney c1863-1865
Blacket, Edmund
Colonial Architect and designer of Sydney University and many public buildings.
St Paul's College
The oldest university college in Australia, founded in 1856. The original sandstone building designed by Edmund Blacket was completed in 1858.
George Street, including Dalton's Photographic Gallery and H. Cohen, Monster Clothing Hall c1858-9
(Mitchell Library)
Tank Stream
The fresh water course which supplied the fledgling colony, emptying into Sydney Cove. It was named for three storage tanks which were constructed in the sandstone beside the stream during a drought in 1790. By 1828 the stream had been polluted to such an extent that it could no longer be used as a source of water and was diverted into a sewer, and by the 1870s it had been completely covered. The Tank Stream still flows in a covered storm water drain.
General Post Office
Renaissance Palazzo style building in Pyrmont sandstone on the corner of George Street and Martin Place. The building was constructed on the site of the earlier George Street General Post Office in two stages from 1866 to 1892 as the headquarters of the Government's growing postal services. In the mid 1990s part of the building was sold and converted for use as a hotel, with the remainder of the building being sold to the hotel's operators Far East/Sino Land in 2017.
Cafe Francais
Licensed cafe in George Street opposite Hunter Street.
View north along Macquarie Street, Sydney 1859
Freeman Brothers
Macquarie Street
Street at the eastern edge of Sydney's central business district, designed as a ceremonial thoroughfare by Lachlan Macquarie and containing many of Sydney's public buildings. It was later the best address in the colony, and became a prestigious medical precinct in the twentieth century.
Wynyard Square, Sydney 1858
William Blackwood
[a785013 / PXD 955/11]
Wynyard Park
Park in central Sydney, originally site of barracks parade ground.
Victoria Barracks
Army quarters in Paddington with a range of sandstone buildings dating from 1841 to the Edwardian period, that comprise one of the best groups of colonial buildings in Sydney. The Barracks housed British soldiers until 1870 before occupation by colonial forces and the Australian Army.
Inner-east residential suburb, named for the London borough, with 3,800 terrace houses built between 1860 and 1890. It was one of the earliest Sydney suburbs to be valued for its heritage buildings, many of which have been restored.
Jevons, William Stanley
English economist who came to Sydney as assayer at the Mint, but pursued scientific and sociological work while in the city, completing a social survey of Sydney in 1858.
Inner suburb to the east of the city which has been home to both gentry and underclass. The former Darlinghurst Gaol is now the National Art School.
Eastern harbourside suburb named in honour of Governor Lachlan Macquarie's wife Elizabeth. Elizabeth Bay House (1837), designed by John Verge, was once surrounded by gardens but these were subdivided in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.
Inner-city suburb named for its original status as Anglican church land granted to Richard Johnson, chaplain of the first fleet in 1790. The Glebe Point area became fashionable in the nineteenth century, while the southern part of Glebe became a working class district.
Inner-city suburb located immediately to the south east of the central business district. After explosive growth in the second half of the nineteenth century it came to be seen as a slum, then experienced gentrification from the late 1960s.
Former sandhills between present-day Cleveland and Devonshire Streets, Surry Hills.
Inner-city suburb located immediately south of the central business district whose sandhills were first settled by Chinese market gardeners and later by Aboriginal people who migrated to work in the local factories. Today it is a rich blend of public housing, renovated terraces, light industry and arts precincts.
Peninsular inner-west suburb between Darling Harbour and Johnston's Bay. Quarried for its sandstone, it later became a heavily industrialised working-class enclave, then gentrified as industry declined.
Harbourside suburb on a peninsula west of central Sydney, named after the First Fleet assistant surgeon, with a working-class and industrial history. From the 1960s, as industry waned, it became popular with professional and business people who wanted to live close to the city.
Suburb located north of the central business district on the western shore of Sydney Cove. Characterised by a precinct of restored nineteenth-century buildings which are a major tourist attraction, it was recognised as a separate suburb in 1993.
Inner-city suburb on the western side of the Harbour Bridge's southern approaches. It was named for the windmills that were built on its heights, and their owner, John Leighton, known as Jack the Miller.
Cambridge Street looking south, The Rocks 4 January 1867
Samuel Elyard
[a2086001 / DGD 15/vol.5/69]
(Original title ' Lower Fort St? 1867.')


Middleware in ring is a way to modify the incoming requests or outgoing responses.
Templates can be used to create a project with a given set of dependencies as well as Clojure code.
This project contains ring and compojure. The dependency for ring is ring/site-defaults which includes some sensible default settings for your application, eg security settings such as anti-forgery.
See the definition of ring/site-defaults for further information.


text:
Мубашир ібн Сулейман Насир ад-Даула (; д/н — 1114) — емір Денійської тайф в 1090—1092 роках, Майоркської тайфи в 1093—1114 роках.

Життєпис
Походив з династії Худидів. Ймовірно був онуком Юсуфа ібн Сулеймана, еміра Лериди. Народився в Лериді, але коли саме достеменно невідомо. Замолоду брав участь у війнах проти Барселонського графства, зрештою потрапивши у полон. Його було звільнено завдяки Абдаллаху ібн ібн Аглабу, еміру Майорки, який всиновив Мурдашира.

1090 року відповідно до попередньої угоди отримав Денійську тайфу. Був союзником Беренгер-Рамона II, графа Барселони. Намагався чинити спротив військам Альморавідів. Але 1092 року його було повалено, втік до Балеарських островів.

1093 року після смерті Абдаллаха ібн Аглаба став новим еміром Майорки. В своїй столиці Медина-Майорка організував літературний гурток, усіляко підтримуючи розвиток культури. Водночас організував масштабні піратські напади на Сардинію, Прованс, лангедок, Каталонію.

У 1109 року норвезький король Сігурд I на прохання християнських держав атакував володіння Мубашира Насира ад-Даули, завдавши у морській битві біля острова Форментера поразки арабському флоту. після цього було сплюндровано острови Ейлісса і Менорка.

У 1114 році в союзі з Пізанською і Генуєзькою республіками барселонський граф Рамон-Беренгер III здійснив напад на цитаделі Мубашира на Майорці і Ібіці, звільнивши безліч християн. Цим скористався Абу'л-Рабі Сулейман, який повалив Мубашира Насира ад-Даулу.

Джерела
 Juan Martos Quesada, «Los reinos de Taifas en el siglo XI», en Ana I. Carrasco, Juan Martos y Juan A. Souto, Al-Andalus, Madrid, Istmo (Historia de España. Historia medieval, VI), 2009, págs. 205—208. ISBN 978-84-7090-431-8

Денійська тайфа
Майоркська тайфа
Худиди

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
USS Gleaves (DD-423) was the lead ship of the  of destroyers.  She is the only ship of the United States Navy to be named for Admiral Albert Gleaves, who is credited with improving the accuracy and precision of torpedoes and other naval arms.

Gleaves was launched by the Bath Iron Works, Bath, Maine, 9 December 1939, sponsored jointly by Miss Evelina Gleaves Van Metre and Miss Clotilda Florence Cohen, granddaughters of Admiral Gleaves; and commissioned 14 June 1940, at Boston Navy Yard.

World War II

Atlantic convoys
Departing for shakedown training soon after commissioning, Gleaves operated off the Atlantic coast and in Caribbean waters until returning to Boston 19 March 1941 to prepare for convoy duty. She departed Newport on her first voyage 23 June 1941. and saw her convoy arrive safely at Iceland. After patrolling in Icelandic waters for a time, she returned to Boston 23 July.

Subsequently, Gleaves made four other convoy voyages to Iceland, Ireland, and North Africa protecting the vital flow of supplies to the European Theater. As the pace of German submarine attacks increased, she made more and more attacks on U-boats, but recorded no confirmed kills. On 11–12 May 1942, despite the efforts of Gleaves and the other escort vessels, seven ships of the convoy ONS 92 were lost in two separate attacks by a large wolfpack.

Convoys escorted

European invasions
After returning to Boston 31 March 1942, Gleaves departed 10 May for participation in the Allied landings in Sicily. After engaging in support and convoy operations in the battle zone, Gleaves and  accepted the surrender of the Italian garrison on the island of Ustica 5 August 1943, and later landed occupation troops on the island. She also drove off a group of five enemy E-boats attempting to attack shipping in the harbor of Palermo, Sicily.

As Allied preparations for the invasion of Italy reached a climax, Gleaves bombarded the Italian mainland. In September 1943 she helped clear the way for the Salerno landing forces. Following the assault, Gleaves convoyed shipping in the Mediterranean area in support of the drive north from Salerno.

When German air and land forces combined in a determined attempt to stop the landings at Anzio in January 1944, Gleaves was again on hand to lend decisive gunfire support and antiaircraft cover. In May of that year she attempted to search out and destroy the  but other ships of the group sank the U-boat. Survivors from the sunken U-boat were picked up by Gleaves 17 May.

Gleaves next took part in the invasion of southern France in August 1944. She escorted the Rangers in their initial landings; bombarded shore installations in support of the main assault; and screened heavier units of the fleet off shore.

On 1 October, Army Cub pilots discovered German MAS boats in the harbor at San Remo, Italy. A determined bombardment in the face of heavy return fire brought about the destruction of at least three of those craft and demolished the boat repair facilities and other harbor installations around the port. Gleaves also found time to destroy at least one  battery which had proven a hazard during the bombardment. The following day, assisted by aircraft from , she bombarded shore establishments, battery positions and shipping in the harbor of Oneglia, Italy, obtaining hits on two large enemy cargo ships, destroying one coast defense battery and one anti-aircraft battery near the harbor. During that action Gleaves received some of the few battle scars of her career when an 88-millimeter shell landed close aboard and perforated her hull with shrapnel splinters.

During the night, while patrolling off San Remo, Gleaves radar spotted three enemy vessels moving down the coast. Unassisted she drove in at them in spite of reported mine fields and succeed at destroying one, driving the other two to shelter. Later during that night the remaining two were again detected trying to reach San Remo. Again, Gleaves went into the attack and this time destroyed a second vessel in the group and drove the third back to Genoa, probably in a damaged condition.

While returning to her station off San Remo she went to battle stations for the third time that night as she was made the object of an attack by at least five suicide-manned explosive motor boats. Judicious application of gun-fire, depth charges and violent maneuvering at maximum speed brought her safely through that attack, leaving four of the craft sunk in her wake. The following morning, upon returning to the area she captured the fifth boat intact with two boat operators aboard. Insofar as it is known, that was the first craft of that type captured from the Germans and it provided valuable tactical information to the Allied forces in the area.

In December 1944, Gleaves was assigned as fire support ship near Allied positions on the Franco-Italian frontier, and performed this duty until sailing for the United States in February 1945. After a period of outfitting at New York and training activities in the Caribbean, she departed 30 June 1945 from Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, for the Pacific, arriving at Pearl Harbor 4 August. While completing her training period in Hawaiian waters, the war came to an abrupt end. However, Gleaves proceeded westward with the outbound occupation convoys and participated in the occupation of Nagasaki in September 1945. She was then engaged in convoy work and commended for her outstanding rescue and salvage work following the typhoon which swept through the Philippine Sea on 29 September 1945.

Post war

Early in the evening of 23 November , en route from Shanghai to San Francisco with 2000 service men and women embarked, discovered a case of smallpox aboard. Her supply of vaccine would not suffice to inoculate all the 2000 men and women aboard. A call for help went out to the naval forces in the area. Four destroyers lay in the harbor at Adak, the nearest base to the position of Adabelle Lykes. One had a mission already assigned, the others were undergoing long deferred repairs. Of these, Gleaves, reported that she could have all vital equipment ready in three hours. At 02:30 on 24 November, she left her berth and sped on her way at .

At 13:00 on 25 November, her radar detected Adabelle Lykes and by 14:00 a line was passed between the two ships which were heaving and tossing in the stormy seas. The vaccine and a supply of penicillin for the stricken men went aboard.

Her duty in the North Pacific terminated, Gleaves transported 300 veterans from the Aleutian Islands to Seattle, Washington, on "Magic-Carpet" duty, arriving 10 December 1945. She then moved to San Francisco and on 2 January 1946 departed for Charleston, South Carolina At Charleston, where she arrived 18 January 1946, Gleaves decommissioned 8 May 1946, and was placed in reserve at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania She was later moved to the Reserve Fleet at Orange, Texas, where she remained through 1967. Gleaves was stricken from the naval register on 1 November 1969 and sold 29 June 1972 and broken up for scrap.

Awards
Gleaves received five battle stars on the European-African-Middle Eastern Area Service Medal for participating in the following operations:

1 Star/Sicillian occupation – 9 to 15 July 1943 and 28 July to 17 August 1943

1 Star/Salerno landings – 9 to 21 September 1943

1 Star/west Coast of Italy Operations – 1944 Anzio-Nettuno advanced landings – 22 to 28 January 1944

1 Star/Anti-Submarine assessment – Mediterranean – 14 Many 1944

1 Star/Invasion of Southern France – 15 August to 25 September 1944

References

External links
history.navy.mil: USS Gleaves
navsource.org: USS Gleaves Photo Gallery
Researcher@Large: Booklet of General plans circa 1941
hazegray.org: USS Gleaves

World War II destroyers of the United States
Ships built in Bath, Maine
1939 ships
Gleaves-class destroyers of the United States Navy


text:
IxDA Interaction12: Rage Against the Machines, Keynote by Genevieve Bell
By Ciara Taylor - February 22, 2012
Images and reporting by Ciara Taylor
Genevieve Bell, director of the Interactions and Experience lab at Intel, presented the closing keynote, "Rage Against the Machines: Designing our Futures with Computing," for Interaction12. The IXR lab, in Portland, specializes in exploring the ways in which technology can be integrated seamlessly into daily life, through re-imagining user experience. Bell asked the important question: Instead of designing interactions, what would happen if we designed relationships between people and technology?
Bell was animated and humorous throughout her talk on the final day of the conference. This might have been because she was warned that her presentation was the only thing standing between the attendees and the Guinness storehouse, where the closing party was held. In her introduction, Bell shared her background as a second-generation anthropologist focusing on cultural practice. She reflected on her initial recruitment meeting with Intel for the IXR lab. Intel told her that they wanted to learn about two things: women and the "ROW." "What does 'ROW' stand for?" she asked. Intel's easy reply was, "the rest of the world."
While Bell was on the search to learn more about women, "ROW" and their relationship with technology, she began to consider Intel's user group. Bell stresses the importance of knowing your users. She shared an image of Intel's perceived user and then another image of who she discovered was the actual Intel user. The image of the Caucasian middle class family, sitting around the television laughing on the couch was an unrealistic vision of whom Intel was designing for.
Intel perceived user
Intel actual user
Upon identifying the more realistic user group of a single man in a cluttered apartment, Bell began to explore the relationship between the user and their technology. According to Bell, one woman she spoke with during her initial research mentioned that all of her technological devices were like a "backpack full of baby birds." Each device has its own ring tone or notification. The user often has to reassure the device; for example if the user wants to delete something, the device has to be reassured that this is the actual chosen action. These machines seem to demand attention in the same way a baby bird relies on its mother for love and food.
After sharing this analogy, Bell takes a step back to consider the relationship between people and technology with examples from history in a mix of anxiety and wonder. She gave the audience an overview beginning with a mechanical duck that was created around 1750 to mimic a real life duck in every sense, even biologically. She utilizes this as a way to begin the conversation about the love and fear people have felt for technology and how this concept has been expressed through science fiction, creating anxiety in culture about technology.
Can a machine think and feel? Frankenstein is an example of the questions raised when considering the "morality of creating life" or giving a "monster" emotion so they can understand what it is like to be human. Another example she gave was of the movie Terminator, sharing an image of the Cyberdyne Systems logo and making the point that our fate of extermination was decided in a microsecond. There was a sense of paranoia and fear of machines taking over and destroying people, their creators.
What would it be to imagine an alternative? Bell shares an example of a graceful robot that serves tea. Utilizing the same tradition of mechanization as the duck, but with more grace. Something about having the robot perform a ritualistic act, in this case serving tea, gets rid of the anxiety and paranoia of machines overtaking their creators and instead, creates the notion of grace and wonder.
Our society is already imagining alternatives and new relationships. More recently there has been development in robots as companion. An example that Bell shared was Pleo, a robotic pet dinosaur that mimics the behavior of a baby dinosaur. Pleo is marketed towards people who might want the companionship of a pet but without the true responsibility. She also shared a cultural tradition from Singapore where they leave offerings of items for their loved ones who have passed away. The offerings can be any item that their loved one cherished while they were alive, but Bell found that three dimensional paper versions of iPads and smart phones are among the most popular items.
Today these technological devices have become so much a part of our lives that we need them alive or dead. Bell closes by challenging designers to rebalance the users relationship with technology by approaching each project through designing relationships and not interactions.
More from IxDA Interaction12:
» Coroflot Connects at Interaction12
» A Conversation with Amber Case, Cyborg Anthropologist
» Q&A with Tom O'Rahilly, Director of the National Leprechaun Museum
» An Introduction to Ethnographic Animation by Kate Ertmann
» State of Interaction Design: Diverging, by David Malouf
» A Conversation with Luke Williams
» A Conversation with Pete Denman
» Welcome to Dublin: Interaction12 Conference Opening
» Interaction Design vs. Designing Interactions, Keynote by Anthony Dunne
» Interaction Awards 2012 Winners
» Storytelling in the Emerald Isle
» Beyond Gamification
» Rage Against the Machines, Keynote by Genevieve Bell
Ciara Taylor
Ciara studied at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and received a BFA with an emphasis in Designed Objects. She is a conceptual designer whose interests include user interaction and social behavior in online gaming, and how they can inform the physical world and the design of tangible objects. Her work focuses on identity, human interaction, and virtual environments, exploring the relationship that people develop with the real world and the virtual.


text: MASS MARKET RETAILINGÕS MOST INFLUENTIAL WOMEN the Prescription Drug Safety program an innovative digital course about abuse prevention to high schools in various regions Developed by EVERFI an education technology innovator the program is an amazing educational platform says Konrad Rite Aid also makes naloxone a medication that can be used to reverse the effects of an opioid overdose available at all of its locations without a prescription The chains efforts to fight drug abuse are ongoing she adds We continue to look at different ways to build on this strategy and make a meaningful difference in the communities we serve Konrad and her team are also highly focused on providing meaningful growth and development opportunities to Rite Aid associates Through her involvement with WE a group formed through the National Association of Chain Drug Stores that focuses on empowering women Konrad was inspired to begin conversations about starting a similar networking group at Rite Aid which led to the recent launch of the companys Womens Leadership Network We felt there was more we could to develop support and inspire the women at Rite Aid to reach their full potential Konrad says Elena Kraus believe that women bring a critical and unique perspective to our company and make it stronger more empathetic and more successful Kraus points out that she has several talented women leaders on her senior leadership team and she informally mentors others in the organization At Walgreens we have an affinity group of women that we call WOW Women of Walgreens which hosts regular events that help women in the organization feel connected and supported she notes Our customers are predominantly women and we as an organization strive to attract the best and most diverse talent to join our team Jocelyn Konrad Executive VP Pharmacy Retail Operations Rite Aid CAMP HILL Pa Jocelyn Konrads new role meshes perfectly with Rite Aid Corp s drive to strengthen its one store one team approach for the front end and pharmacy Last year the company launched a transition to a new field structure that saw regional and district level leaders take on responsibilities for both the front end and pharmacy and in many cases oversee fewer stores so that they could form even closer relationships with their teams According to Konrad her new role as executive vice president of pharmacy and retail operations represents the culmination of this transition which was designed to help ensure that customers have a consistently great Rite Aid experience in both the front end and the pharmacy at any given store location When our customers and patients visit a Rite Aid store our goal is to create a store environment that is consistent and is being run with the same set of priorities says Konrad who had been executive vice president of pharmacy This new leadership structure has allowed us to deliver a consistent message to our teams in both the front end and the pharmacy Now more than ever we are all one team This is especially important as the companys front end offering becomes more aligned with the health and wellness focus touted in the pharmacy Konrad says this ongoing transformation continues to gain momentum as the company introduces new Better for You items shelf labeling that identifies healthier options and a re launch of its Rite Aid Pharmacy own brand and leverages its newly extended partnership with GNC In addition associates in the front end are now more in tune than ever before about offerings in the pharmacy Our front end teams are really playing a key role in getting the message out to our customers about the pharmacy services we offer with flu shots being a great example notes Konrad Immunizations are a key aspect of the retailers broader AIM clinical pharmacy services strategy which encompasses adherence immunizations and medication therapy management and places a significant focus on what pharmacists can and should do beyond dispensing medications There is so much more they can do as we evolve into a valuebased health care system she says We have to ask How does the pharmacists role change during this evolution The answer she says is by Jocelyn Konrad providing clinical services like those represented in AIM to drive positive patient health outcomes Were emphasizing pharmacists responsibilities and purpose asking them to fulfill their professional obligation to their customers through AIM notes Konrad Because each of the components in AIM will positively impact health outcomes overall We know that the true value proposition for our pharmacists is to build relationships with customers to help change behavior when needed and become partners in their health care journey Weve been building on that for the last couple of years and were starting to see the success of our efforts Another area of emphasis for Konrad and Rite Aid has been creating a comprehensive strategy to help address drug abuse and misuse throughout the country We remain committed to focusing on what we can do as an organization to help with this epidemic she comments Weve taken significant steps as a company and alongside of that The Rite Aid Foundation has been a huge contributor as well These efforts include the installation of medication disposal units at law enforcement sites and in stores The units offer individuals a free safe and convenient way to dispose of expired or unwanted prescription and overthe counter medications helping to reduce the chances of accidental or intentional misuse Furthermore Rite Aid became the first drug store retailer to offer DisposeRx packets at every store which are provided to patients with new opioid prescriptions as well as to patients with chronic opioid prescriptions every six months DisposeRx packets contain a biodegradable powder that when mixed with water in the prescription vial dissolves drugs forming a viscous gel that may be safely discarded in the trash And the foundation has brought Elena Kraus Senior VP General Counsel Walgreens DEERFIELD Ill Elena Kraus senior vice president and general counsel for Walgreens started her career in private practice at a large Chicago law firm where she focused on real estate law In the early 1990s she joined Walgreens in house legal team during a time when the company was experiencing organic store growth at a rapid pace The opportunity allowed Kraus to work on various real estate deals that were complex challenging and developmentally beneficial for a young lawyer My role expanded after a few years to include general commercial transactions as we built our digital presence and leveraged our technology innovations in digital commerce and pharmacy she says Kraus says she was initially attracted to Walgreens by its natural growth and its strong culture of respect cooperation and innovation As the companys business expanded her respect for Walgreens ability to embrace the changing retail environment only increased In 2006 Kraus was asked to lead a group of lawyers and paraprofessionals in the transactional area which was her first managerial role at the company In 2013 Kraus was promoted to divisional vice president of commercial legal services where she led a team that was charged with providing legal services to individual business units of the company and she has been in her current role as senior vice president and general counsel since 2016 Kraus notes that the greatest influence on her life was her father He was a man of incredible courage a man of independence in thought and deed and a true warrior as a young soldier in World War II she says As Relationships of trust and respect an immigrant to the U S he was a believer in the strength of the human spirit and always maintained that with education determination and the right mindset of confidence and strength I could become a woman of great achievement In her role as general counsel for Walgreens Kraus is charged with overseeing the strategy and delivery of legal services to the organization I am responsible for the work of our attorneys and paraprofessionals in support of the goals of the business she says In fulfilling her responsibilities as general counsel Kraus faces many challenges in particular evaluating the legal and regulatory risk to the enterprise and providing our internal clients with the most practical and commercial perspectives while protecting the company from legal exposure and risk Kraus adds that sometimes these are competing interests A key function of Kraus office is to work closely with the companys business partners to help achieve strategic goals For example we play an important role in evaluating new products that are introduced in our stores she says Beyond working with the business on contracts for the products we evaluate the products claims and the regulatory requirements necessary to offer the product Its rewarding to see the products available in our stores and on our website knowing that their availability may be benefiting our customers Kraus points out that the general counsel role requires someone who understands and appreciates the economic implications of corporate strategy while advocating for doing the right thing for the companys employees shareholders and customers Kraus describes her management style as direct and supportive and views herself not only as a manager of the process and the function but also as a leader of the hardworking and dedicated professionals who take pride in their work to support Walgreens goals I tend to be a bit of a nurturer at work looking for ways to mentor support and encourage the development of my team says Kraus adding that she believes she has been successful by building positive relationships with her colleagues business clients and legal colleagues alike that are based on trust respect and a sense of common purpose As I have grown in my career I have less time to spend with individual lawyers and paralegals in the organization she says I miss that daily interaction with the people in the trenches and try to schedule some regular visits with my team at all levels of the department One of the opportunities her role as an executive affords Kraus is mentoring other women coming up through the ranks its an opportunity she takes advantage of and one she takes seriously Fostering an environment that promotes and supports women leaders is an important goal and just makes good business sense she says I personally 38 MMR June 24 2019


text:
Harris 'Very Troubled' By SF Reporter Raid: 'We Have Shield Laws For A Reason'
Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call Group
Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA) said Thursday that she is "very troubled" by the San Francisco police department's raid on journalist Bryan Carmody to try to suss out one of his sources.
According to the San Francisco Chronicle, the former attorney general referenced the stringent laws California has specifically to protect journalists from being forced to divulge their sources.
"Apparently they had a search warrant," Harris said of the police. "But the reality is that we've got shield laws for a reason. And especially in this time, where we have these full-on attacks against the press, and leaders calling the press all kinds of names — I'm very troubled by what happened."
The police came calling at Carmody's home and office after he published a leaked police report that revealed scandalous details about the death of the late public defender Jeff Adachi.
Read TPM's deep dive on the scandal and Carmody's personal account here.


Explosive, exciting, death-defying – just a few of the words that describe the all-new Sonic Rush Tour coming to Memphis on Saturday, August 2 at 7 p.m. at Memphis International Raceway.
Born from the unpredictability and excitement of motorsports thrill shows around the world, the Sonic Rush Tour is a celebration of all things speed and power as the world's most amazing acts travel to Memphis International Raceway for a festival of sights, sounds and smells you won't find anywhere else in the world.
Starring the incredible 10,000 horsepower, fire-breathing twin-engine "U.S. Fire Force" jet-powered fire truck of veteran pilot Mark Smith, the side-by-side, 300 mph showdown of the "Smokey Red" jet Funny Car and "California Smokey" Jet Dragster, the legendary "Chevy Rebellion" wheelstander, Street Warz and so much more, Sonic Rush Tour brings together some of the world's most exciting acts for one night of non-stop entertainment.
Keeping with the tradition of family-driven entertainment, the Sonic Rush Tour will provide an incredible show for the lowest price in the sport. Kid's tickets are just $5 and adult tickets are just $20. In addition, parking, an all-access pass to the pit area and a Kidz Zone with a bounce house, slides, rock climbing wall, face painting and much more is free with admission.
Highlighting the 2014 Sonic Rush Tour at Memphis International Raceway will be one of the most exciting race vehicles ever built – the powerful "U.S. Fire Force" jet fire truck driven by Mark Smith. This heavily modified replica fire truck features twin jet engines housed inside of its awesome six-wheeled frame and can reach speeds in excess of 300 mph all while blasting flames nearly 20 feet into the air.
Joining the excitement will be a pair of jet-powered machines known around the world as "Smokey Red" and "California Smokey." The pair will go head-to-head in a showdown approaching nearly 300 mph all while performing an incredible fire show you can literally feel in your chest.
Bringing the action to a close will be the world famous Chevy Rebellion wheelstander driven by Richard Hutchins. One of the original wheelstanders in existence, this powerful ride will travel the quarter-mile at over 200 mph on only its rear wheels.
The Sonic Rush Tour will also include a full evening of racing during the thrilling Street Warz battle of some of the fastest cars in the area.
Tickets for the August 2 event are just $20 for adults and $5 for children (13 and under) and are available at the track gate day of show. Showtime is scheduled for a 7 p.m. start. The family-friendly show features activities for the entire family.
Don't miss the all-new Sonic Rush Tour August 2 at Memphis International Raceway. For more information logon to www.sonicrushtour.com or call MIR at (901) 969-7223.


text:
The Star of Bethlehem
Think of the story of the magi as a historical event, if you like. Probably most Christians do. Others, however, have treated it as a kind of parable. T. S. Eliot in his poem The Journey of the Magi used it as a parable of his own painful conversion to Christianity. Today I wish to consider the story as a parable of the human heart in quest of meaning and fulfilment.
We all of us follow a star, whether one provided by God or one created by ourselves. For our hearts are always restless, dreaming, yearning – for happiness, if you like, though that is a very shallow way of expressing it. We are looking, rather, for ultimate meaning and fulfilment. The point of the story of the magi is that Jesus satisfies the yearning of every human heart: that he is not just the realization of Jewish messianic hopes. He is the key to the meaning of our humanity. He is the 'joy of man's desiring'.
Wishful thinking, perhaps? Pie in the sky? Whistling in the dark? For is it not possible, after all, that while the heart has its dreams, any hope for their fulfilment is illusory? That this world is all there is? That life has no ultimate meaning? That there is no star of Bethlehem?
Journey of the Magi, mosaic, Basilica Sant'Apollinare Nuovo, Ravenna, ca. 6th c.
You think that, if you like: or rather, you think that if you can. But can you? You can only think with your mind. But the mind is made for meaning. It demands meaning, as the eye demands light. Just as the eye ceases to function when surrounded by darkness, so the mind ceases to function when confronted with meaninglessness. And it would, surely, be altogether meaningless for our minds and hearts to yearn for fulfilment, and for such fulfilment to be illusory. The mind could not cope with that, even if the heart could bear it.
The story of the magi is a proclamation that our deepest longings, our most sublime aspirations, are not only capable of fulfilment, but are fulfilled in this child of Bethlehem. Our capacity for heaven is not an illusion. The star of Bethlehem points us to a transcendent destiny beyond the horizons of this world, where alone mind and heart can find meaning and fulfilment. In simple terms, stripped of anything specifically Christian, the star of Bethlehem points to the truth of the poet's words: 'In the depth of your hopes and desires lies your silent knowledge of the beyond; And like seeds dreaming beneath the snow, your heart dreams of spring. Trust the dreams, for in them is hidden the gate to eternity.'
In an age dominated by the belief that the world is all there is, this message will be met with ridicule. It is pre-scientific, we will be told. And yet the alternative to this message is meaninglessness. And since the mind cannot cope with meaninglessness, it will devise strategies for suppressing our need for ultimate meaning, for denying any dimension of our being that points beyond this world; in a word, for denying the need, or even the attraction, of any star of Bethlehem.
And that seems to me to be the agenda of a very large part of the world's population. The post-Christian mind is in denial. It denies the reality of our deepest longings and must therefore deny the relevance of a star that brings meaning to them. It is positively hell-bent on creating strategies of denial. What kind of strategies? I hear you ask. The most common one is to engross oneself in the din and the distraction of popular culture: the culture that surrounds us at all times, which we ingest like toxic spores in a confined space. The most sublime longings of the human heart are smothered over by inane entertainment, sickening frivolity, an obsession with celebrities, quick satisfaction; the glamorization of violence; endless, debased, loveless sex; crass exploitation of the human body – anything to destroy noble values, stifle profound emotions, ignore the soul's quest for higher things. As St Paul put it: 'They became futile in their thinking and their senseless minds were darkened.'
True, that is not the whole picture. There are serious people too who feel no need of the star of Bethlehem or of any other star that points beyond this world. I mean: good people – humanists and atheists who seek meaning and fulfilment in the more sublime pursuits of this life: science, art, literature, music, all kinds of wonderful creativity; or who dedicate their lives to the relief of human distress and the betterment of society; to education and medicine and the elimination of poverty and hunger and injustice from this world; or even your ordinary people who look for no further meaning in life than friendship, affection, the love of their families, duty, personal integrity. You do not need the star of Bethlehem to live a noble life, to embrace the best values of life while it lasts, without further quest or further questioning.
But can a mind that looks for meaning as the eye looks for light tolerate even this more noble alternative to the star that leads to Bethlehem? Can the mind ever tolerate the thought that at the moment of death the most precious things in life fall to the ground like autumn leaves, to be lost forever in an endless winter – with no promise of spring? In the last analysis, that is just as meaningless as the frivolity of popular culture, just as intolerable to a mind that was made for meaning. 'We are born for no reason and die by accident', the philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre once said, in his wisdom. The star of Bethlehem proclaims a different sort of wisdom, namely, that we were made for God and our hearts will never find rest until they come to rest in him. At its very least, the Feast of the Epiphany is a massive, jubilant protest from the universal Church throughout the centuries against the hopelessness of the view that this world is all there is.
We should celebrate this feast by making this protest our own, and first of all by bringing it to bear upon ourselves, for we ourselves are often tempted to immerse ourselves in a meaningless world. And, secondly, we should have the confidence to preach a message of meaning and optimism to a world in denial. We must show by our words and our actions that something immensely beautiful beckons us beyond our self-imposed horizons. Each of us is called to be the star of Bethlehem in the vast wilderness of this world. May the way we live in the coming year make us better fitted for that role.