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Then-United Nations Ambassador Susan Rice arrives for a meeting on Capitol Hill on Nov. 28, 2012 to discuss the Benghazi attack on Sept. 11, 2012. (AP)
By Louis Jacobson August 7, 2020
If Your Time is short
• Trump aides and allies have criticized Rice's involvement in the Obama administration's response to the 2012 killing of four Americans in Benghazi, Libya, as well as her role in "unmasking" of Trump's incoming national security adviser, Michael Flynn, from intelligence reports.
• On Benghazi, Republicans criticized what she said about the attacks in their immediate aftermath on Sunday news shows.
• On unmaskings, officials make thousands of requests each year to reveal identities mentioned in intelligence reports, and it's been a common practice in both the Obama and Trump administrations.
Joe Biden hasn't chosen a vice presidential nominee yet, but the preemptive attacks are already underway online and among conservative commentators.
One of their targets is Susan Rice, a former senior official in President Barack Obama's administration.
Aides and allies of President Donald Trump have focused on two episodes in particular: Rice's involvement in the administration's response to the 2012 killing of four Americans in Benghazi, Libya, and her role in "unmasking" of Trump's incoming national security adviser, Michael Flynn, from intelligence reports. During the former, she was serving as ambassador to the United Nations; during the latter, she was national security adviser.
One of the most direct attacks came from Fox News host Tucker Carlson, who called her "a threat."
"Say what you will about Susan Rice and we're about to, but she is not a buffoon," Carlson said, adding, "Susan Rice knows exactly what she wants and she understands the system well enough to get it."
The left of the Democratic Party is also unhappy with Rice being a vice presidential contender, because of her advocacy of military action in Obama-era policy in such countries as Libya, Syria and Yemen.
With Rice's role in Benghazi and unmasking likely to come up again — if she's not tapped as Biden's running mate, she could be a candidate for another role on his foreign policy team — we decided to dig into our archives to recap what both incidents were about.
What happened at Benghazi?
In 2012, U.S. diplomatic workers were staffing a temporary residential outpost in the Libyan city after the death of dictator Moammar Gadhafi.
On a night the U.S. ambassador, Christopher Stevens, was visiting from the capital in Tripoli, armed Islamic terrorists attacked, setting a toxic diesel-fueled fire that killed the ambassador and a colleague. Americans then drove, chased by attackers, to a nearby annex, where a mortar attack in the morning killed two security contractors. By noon, a scramble by the American and Libyan governments got U.S. workers to safety in Tripoli, along with the bodies of their four colleagues.
The main connection between Rice and Benghazi is her appearance on several Sunday morning news shows shortly after the attack. She was accused of downplaying the possibility that a planned terrorist act had led to the deaths. Instead, she suggested the attacks flowed from public protests at U.S. facilities throughout the Arab world following news reports about a movie made in the U.S. that mocked Islam.
Our review of transcripts found that Rice consistently emphasized the importance of the video, and in only one of the five interviews did Rice speak the words "al-Qaida."
Rice repeatedly referred to "non-al-Qaida Libyan extremists" possibly being involved, but Rice portrayed these extremists as opportunists who seized the moment, not part of a pre-planned terrorist attack. In fact, she told CBS's "Face the Nation" that "we do not have information at present that leads us to conclude that this was premeditated or preplanned."
In Rice's 2019 memoir, "Tough Love," she wrote that she had become a convenient "villain" for conservative media. Because her comments seemed to blame an American-made video rather than the individuals' killers, this made her a "recyclable boogeyman."
"I acknowledge that there were some words and phrases I uttered on Sunday, Sept. 16, that I wish I could restate with more precision, less certitude, or not have said at all," she wrote. "None of them materially changed the substance of what I said, but they offered fodder for my critics to pick at."
This year, Rice told ABC's "This Week" that congressional panels had found no wrongdoing on her part. "Not one of them found that I had deliberately misled the American people," Rice said, adding that the line of attack against her "is dishonest, and it's a distraction."
Foreign policy experts offered mixed reviews of Rice's role.
Alan J. Kuperman, an associate professor at the University of Texas' Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs, said her television appearances exemplified "ambition and political loyalty" and fell short on honesty.
Daveed Gartenstein-Ross, the CEO of Valens Global, a counterterrorism consulting firm, said Rice has a reputation for competence. But he added that the account by Michael Morell, who at the time of the Benghazi attack was the deputy CIA director, does raise concerns.
In his 2015 memoir, "The Great War of Our Time: The CIA's Fight Against Terrorism—From al Qa'ida to ISIS," Morell wrote, "A good bit of what (Rice) said was consistent with the CIA points, but she also said that the video had led to the protests in Benghazi. Why she said this I do not know. It is a question that only she can answer."
Michael O'Hanlon, a foreign policy specialist at the Brookings Institution, said that Rice might have been "more careful in her remarks, which in retrospect were far from perfect, but she wasn't egregiously guilty, and she wasn't making talking points up herself."
John Pike, the director of globalsecurity.org, said the seeming contradictions in the talking points were "not her fault, and I don't think she could be expected to air internal intelligence disputes on the Sunday chats."
Then-National Security Adviser Susan Rice follows President Barack Obama across the South Lawn of the White House to board Marine One. (AP)
Rice's involvement in "unmasking"
The other controversy being raised by Trump allies involves "unmasking."
What is unmasking? It's when senior government officials request the identity of an American citizen who has appeared unnamed in intelligence reports about certain communications, such as intercepted phone calls. The idea is that national security officials, at least in some cases, need to know the identity in order to understand the intelligence.
Usually, American identities are protected in reports on communications involving people under investigation or surveillance. This is called "minimization," and it's partly why data collection under Section 215 of the Patriot Act is considered legal and not unduly intrusive. Americans' communications are not monitored unless they are under investigation, but it's possible for them to be caught up unintentionally if they communicate with a foreign individual under surveillance.
Data suggests that unmasking is not an unusual practice. According to data released annually by the director of national intelligence, there were 9,217 unmasking requests made of the National Security Agency between September 2015 and August 2016, and 9,529 in 2017. In the full years under Trump, the number rose to 16,721 in 2018 and 10,012 in 2019.
Rice acknowledged to House investigators in September 2017 that she had unmasked Flynn and other Trump officials to understand why the crown prince of the United Arab Emirates was in New York in late 2016, during the transition before Trump took office, CNN reported.
Flynn resigned as Trump's national security adviser in February 2017, just weeks into the new administration, amid reports that he lied about conversations he'd had with senior Russian officials that may have addressed lifting sanctions on Russia that Obama had imposed.
Many Republicans allege that Rice and other Obama administration officials abused their authority by unmasking Trump officials, including Flynn. They also allege that Rice lied when she was asked in the 2017 PBS interview whether she knew that Flynn and others "may have been caught up in surveillance of foreign individuals and their identities may have been disclosed." Rice responded, "I know nothing about this."
Rice told MSNBC in 2017 that "the allegation is that somehow Obama administration officials utilized intelligence for political purposes. That is absolutely false." She added in her memoir that "it is completely false to suggest that asking for the identity of an American person is the same as leaking it."
Democrats point to the statistics to support their argument that the unmasking inquiries were nothing out of the ordinary. Former Obama national-security spokesman Tommy Vietor tweeted that for officials like Rice, it's "literally their job to understand intel to help make informed decisions."
Susan Rice, "Tough Love," 2019
Michael Morell, "The Great War of Our Time: The CIA's Fight Against Terrorism—From al Qa'ida to ISIS," 2015
Washington Post, "The Trailer: The left worries about a 'hawk' as VP," Aug. 6, 2020
Politico, "'She is absolutely our No. 1 draft pick': GOP pines for Rice as Biden VP," Aug. 5, 2020
Republican National Committee, "Susan Rice bombshell puts spotlight back on Biden," May 20, 2020
Fox News, "Susan Rice's resurfaced 2017 comments denying knowledge of Trump team surveillance raise eyebrows," May 19, 2020
CNN, "Rice told House investigators why she unmasked senior Trump officials," Sept. 18, 2017
PolitiFact, "Michael Flynn's unmasking: What you need to know," May 14, 2020
PolitiFact, "Fact-checking Benghazi: The rhetoric hasn't matched up with reality," May 16, 2014
PolitiFact, "Jay Carney says Susan Rice didn't play down terrorist involvement in Benghazi," May 13, 2013
Email interview with Alan J. Kuperman, associate professor at the University of Texas' Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs, Aug 5, 2020
Email interview with John Pike, director of globalsecurity.org, Aug 5, 2020
Email interview with Michael O'Hanlon, foreign policy specialist at the Brookings Institution, Aug. 5, 2020
Interview with Daveed Gartenstein-Ross, CEO of Valens Global, Aug. 5, 2020
Browse the Truth-O-Meter
More by Louis Jacobson
Jake Tapper
stated on January 13, 2021 remarks in a CNN broadcast:
The second presidential impeachment of Donald Trump was "the most bipartisan impeachment in American history."
By Louis Jacobson • January 13, 2021
stated on January 6, 2021 a Senate floor speech:
"This election actually was not unusually close."
By Louis Jacobson • January 8, 2021
stated on December 27, 2020 social media posts:
Says a recent study found no asymptomatic or presymptomatic spread of COVID.
By Louis Jacobson • December 28, 2020
stated on December 3, 2020 an interview with CNN:
"People have lost faith in the ability of the vaccine to work. Already, the numbers are really staggeringly low."
By Louis Jacobson • December 8, 2020
stated on November 30, 2020 a press conference:
"The states that are locked down are increasing at twice the rate we are" in Florida
stated on November 19, 2020 remarks in a press conference:
In Michigan "we have over-votes in numerous precincts of 150%, 200%, and 300%."
By Louis Jacobson • November 20, 2020
stated on November 18, 2020 a roundtable with healthcare workers:
The law governing the transition of presidential power "doesn't require there to be an absolute winner. It says the 'apparent' winner."
stated on November 4, 2020 social media posts:
Say a video shows "staffers stuffing ballots in flint mi"
By Louis Jacobson • November 5, 2020
stated on November 4, 2020 a tweet:
"Last night I was leading, often solidly, in many key States, in almost all instances Democrat run & controlled. Then, one by one, they started to magically disappear as surprise ballot dumps were counted."
stated on November 4, 2020 a speech at the White House:
"We already have won" the election.
stated on November 1, 2020 an interview on ABC's "This Week":
"We will be over 290 electoral votes on Election Night ... no matter what they (Democrats) try to do, what kind of hijinks or lawsuits or whatever kind of nonsense they try to pull off."
Say Joe Biden told a crowd in Florida, "Hello Minnesota!"
stated on October 24, 2020 a speech in Dallas, Pa.:
Says President Donald Trump "thinks that $15 an hour minimum wage is too much for essential workers."
stated on October 27, 2020 remarks to reporters:
Counting ballots for weeks after Election Day "is totally inappropriate, and I don't believe that's by our laws."
stated on October 27, 2020 a tweet:
"CAN I CHANGE MY VOTE? ... The answer in most states is YES."
By Daniel Funke • October 27, 2020
stated on January 15, 2021 in a Facebook post:
Says a photo shows armed soldiers protecting Joe Biden's inauguration.
By Miriam Valverde • January 16, 2021
stated on January 12, 2021 in an Instagram post:
Says Joe Biden stayed silent about violence at Black Lives Matter protests.
By Tom Kertscher • January 16, 2021
stated on January 5, 2021 in a tweet:
Says that "the way to reach 'herd immunity' is for >70% of the population to get vaccinated."
By Brandon Mulder • January 15, 2021
Amanda Chase
stated on January 7, 2021 in Facebook post:
"Antifa is the culprit" in the Capitol riot.
By Warren Fiske • January 15, 2021
stated on January 10, 2021 in a TV interview:
"It takes quite a while on Election Day to load those ballots, which is why we have the 1 a.m. or 3 a.m. ballot dumping in Milwaukee."
By Eric Litke • January 15, 2021
stated on January 6, 2021 in a Facebook post:
"Coronavirus vaccinations seem to be causing 50 times the adverse events of flu vaccinations after just the first of two shots."
A photo shows Democratic lawmakers wearing clothing and masks with the Nazi swastika.
By Samantha Putterman • January 15, 2021
Sarah Godlewski
stated on January 9, 2021 in Twitter:
"It wasn't all women that lost jobs (in the December jobs report), it was mostly Black and Latina women. In fact, white women gained employment."
By Nusaiba Mizan • January 15, 2021
Photo shows Rep. Lauren Boebert with Capitol rioters before she gave them a tour of the building "one day before the insurrection."
stated on January 12, 2021 in blogs:
Antifa provoked the shooting of Ashli Babbitt at the Capitol.
By Noah Y. Kim • January 14, 2021

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Isabel Marant's SS18 collection offers a showcase of a number of retro silhouettes including the sports-inspired shape of this black padded cotton-canvas Faust bomber jacket. It's crafted for a relaxed fit with a point-collar and long sleeves and fastens across the hem with a coordinating drawstring. Note the exterior slip pockets and internal zip-fastening pocket as practical finishing touches. Runs true to size.


text:
About Better Reading
Better Reading
Author Related
The Outsider: Read a extract from Promise Me Happy by Robert Newton
Start reading now
Nate has had a hard time over the last two years dealing with an abusive father, the loss of his mother and a stint in a juvenile detention centre. However, over the last 18 months he's had plenty of time to reflect and is hoping to start afresh when released.
Nate's expecting his father to come and pick him up, secretly hoping that he might have changed, but when his mother's brother Uncle Mick appears at the gate, he doesn't quite know what to think. Nate doesn't know much about his Uncle although the last time they saw each other at his mother's funeral, things were less than pleasant. Why had he only seen Mick a few times before then and why didn't he ever come and try to help them escape from Nate's violent father?
Despite Mick coming to pick him up he doesn't appear thrilled with the situation and what can Nate possibly find of interest in the small coastal town of Oyster Bay where his uncle lives?
Yet, once Nate meets a few of the locals – in particular Gem – he starts to see the appeal of living in a small community on the water and begins to feel at home. Different to the other kids in the area, Gem has coloured hair and a unique dress sense and she's willing to look beyond Nate's past and take him at face value.
Gem offers Nate hope, love and a chance to imagine a future that could be a happy one – without violence, surrounded by people who care about him. It's not all easy, however – the local teens don't warm to Nate and he faces the challenge of taking the high road so that he doesn't end up behind bars. Then there's getting used to living with Mick who is not only mourning the loss of his sister but also a failed business and marriage. Nate sets to work earning his trust and making sure that he takes care of himself.
Read our full review | Purchase a copy of Promise Me Happy | Read a Q&A with author Robert Newton
Robert Newton works as a firefighter with the Metropolitan Fire Brigade. His first novel, My Name is Will Thompson, was published in 2001. Since then he has written seven other novels for young people, including Runner, The Black Dog Gang (shortlisted for the NSW Premier's Literary Awards) and When We Were Two (winner of a Prime Minister's Literary Award for Young Adult Fiction). He lives on the Mornington Peninsula with his wife and three daughters.
Penguin Random House Australia
News | Author Related
A Champion of Children's Stories
Creating Something from Nothing: R.A. Spratt gets philosophical (and a bit wacky) about kids meeting authors
Laugh in the Face of Danger: Review of The Australia Survival Guide
Time for the Sidekicks to Shine: Read an extract from Super Sidekicks: Ocean's Revenge
A Taste for Adventure: Read an extract from Atticus Van Tasticus
A Rollicking Read: Review of Atticus Van Tasticus
Heart-warming: A Review of Fly
Chaos Parachutes into Currawong: Read an extract from The Peski Kids: Stuck in the Mud
Spies, criminal masterminds, lots of laughs… and mud: Review of The Peski Kids: Stuck in the Mud
Fawlty Towers Meets Treehouse: Extract of Toffle Towers: Fully Booked
Books by Penguin Random House Australia
Shout Out to the Girls
Robert Newton has published several other young adult novels in Australia. He is a full-time firefighter, and lives in Melbourne with his wife and two daughters.
Books by Robert Newton
Mr Romanov's Garden in the Sky
When We Were Two
Promise Me Happy
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text:
IC 2509 — галактика типу * (зірка) у сузір'ї Секстант.

Цей об'єкт міститься в оригінальній редакції індексного каталогу.

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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Audi's latest ad is titled: "Zachary Quinto vs. Leonard Nimoy: "The Challenge". This features the original Star Trek's Spock (Nimoy) and the new Star Trek's Spock (Quinto). As an added bonus, it also features Nemoy doing his Bilbo Baggins song.


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One of the things that we forget to do when we allow people to enter our lives is set boundaries. We wonder why our friends make comments that hurt our feelings, why our partner teases us in ways that annoy us, or why people do things that we don't like. It's because we don't set boundaries.
Healthy boundaries look a lot like deciding whether a potential relationship will be good for you instead of jumping head first and rushing into intimacy. It looks like recognizing that friends, partners, and family are not mind-readers. It's knowing what you do and do not want and not allowing people to decide that for you. It's also being your own parent and not allowing others to control you. It's saying no when you want to and telling people around you when something isn't for you. Healthy boundaries include trusting your own decisions, being sexual when you want to be, and not allowing others to take advantage of who you are romantically or in general.
When boundaries are set and are healthy those around you will not have a chance to walk all over you, like before.
We are so good at forgiving others that we forget that we need to forgive ourselves as well. We need to tell ourselves that what we do is okay the same way we tell others. It's okay if we say the wrong thing at the wrong time, it's okay if we do something stupid, it's okay if we fail a test, it's okay that we ate the whole cake, and it's okay if we don't have it all together. We are all our biggest critics and we put the most pressure on ourselves, so the most that we can do is forgive ourselves after any slip-up.
When you forgive yourself you can feel the weight lift off your shoulders. When you say to yourself, "I forgive you", you can instantly feel what forgiveness feels like. It isn't keeping you up at night and it doesn't have you wondering who else you might've let down.
I'd say this would be healthy for both introverts and extroverts. Even if it means sitting in your bed for hours upon hours watching your favorite show. There's a long list of things you can enjoy doing alone. Going to the gym, reading, running or sitting outside for a few minutes doing absolutely nothing.
It's not something you have to do every day or it is something you can do every day. It's something you enjoy but you don't need to reason with why you enjoy doing it or tell anyone what you enjoy most about it. It's to bring you closer to yourself in a way that is more understanding. That is what practicing self-care is. It's doing things for you that make you enjoy life a little more. Let this "something" that you find be that for you.


text:
HomeVanderpump RulesLisa Vanderpump To Guest Star On ABC's American Housewife!
Lisa Vanderpump To Guest Star On ABC's American Housewife!
iRealHousewives April 13, 2020
According to Variety, Lisa Vanderpump will guest star on the May 6 episode of "American Housewife." The former Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star will appear as herself in the episode, which sees the Otto family visiting California on an all-expenses paid trip that overlaps with Katie's (Katy Mixon) birthday.
Vanderpump is currently starring in her Bravo spin-off show, Vanderpump Rules. The series is currently in its eighth season.
LVP walked away from the Bravo hit reality series after feuding with her co-stars and she refused to film with them. Vanderpump admitted that she wasn't herself last year after mourning the death of her brother.
LVP confirmed that she quit RHOBH ahead of filming the reunion, which she decided not to attend. RHOBH will premiere this week on Wednesday, April 15 at 9pm on Bravo.
Photo Credit: Astrid Stawiarz/Bravo
American Housewife Lisa Vanderpump Pump Rules Real Housewives of Beverly Hills RHOBH Vanderpump Rules
Brinnette Seopela's Ex-Husband Themba Gezane Opens Up About Their Split And Denies Abuse Allegations!


text:
Ex-Cop Anthony Arevalos Will Not Take Stand in Own Defense
Trial expected to end Wednesday
By Lauren Steussy	• Published at 11:46 am on November 7, 2011
The stream of accusations against former San Diego police officer Anthony Arevalos has come to an end, as witnesses in the ex-cop's defense take the stand in the final days of his case.
The prosecution rested Monday in Arevalos' trial, who is accused of eliciting sexual favors from women he pulled over while on duty. Some of the women who testified claim he groped them and sexually assaulted them after pulling them over on suspicion of DUI last year.
When the defense presents their witnesses, Arevalos will not take the stand. Instead, an expert will discuss the effects that alcohol has on a person's memory, as evidence in the case shows that many of the women were under the influence of alcohol.
Clairemont 5 mins ago
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church's chicken 1 hour ago
Survivor of Church's Chicken Shooting Shares Story of Recovery
Many of the testimonies have portrayed Arevalos as "creepy" and describe encounters with him in which they claim he touched them inappropriately.
One woman claimed in her testimony that Arevalos followed her into a public restroom and told her to show him her breasts. She then stated that Arevalos touched her inappropriately. That incident led to the charges currently against him.
Testimony is expected to end Wednesday. There will be no hearing Tuesday.
Arevalos has pleaded not guilty to 21 felony counts. If convicted, he faces 19 years in prison.


I'm still playing with all the lovely Hummingbird stamps from Designs by Ryn, and my new stamp set from Tim Holtz. I saw a photo of a hummingbird on Pinterest that had a gold throat, quite the most beautiful bird I've ever seen! I wanted to make a card with a hummer like that, so here it is!
beautiful!! Great combination of stamps!
What a lovely card Wendy!
Hey Wendy! You've got me curious to find that Hummingbird that you spoke of! Absolutely love this one! The colouring on the hummingbird pops it out from the neutral background beautifully! The leaves give the piece nice dimension and a lovely Fall feel too. Thanks!!!
Just noticed the darker colouring at the centre of the leaves. Beautifully done!
Wow what a beautiful card!!! I just love all the stamps you used , just amazing!!!
A very proud member of Ryn's Design Team!
Pretty Rosie (left) and beautiful Monty who sadly now has his angel wings.
Beautiful hummingbirds by Designs by Ryn!
Designs by Ryn and Carabelle.
Lavinia Stamps Challenge.... Use a die or punch.


We're proud to introduce our latest innovate mobile device. You can make calls (it is a phone, after all), listen to music, record music, take photos, shoot video, edit songs, edit photos, edit video, chat with friends, browse the Web, run apps, play games, crunch numbers, flip channels, open your garage door, bake a cake, read minds, levitate, see through walls, and more. It's not a smartphone. It's a SuperPhone.
In fact, the only thing it can't do is let Clark Kent crawl inside to don his cape.
We're saving that for 4.0.


University of Phoenix Stadium is no stranger to colorful and larger-than-life characters and all manner of derring-do. Besides all the action of Arizona Cardinals home games during football season, the cavernous Glendale landmark has not only hosted battles by the heroes and villains of the WWE, but also the rock 'n' roll theatrics of over-the-top superstars like Bono and Mick Jagger.
So it seems only natural that throngs of costumed geeks, cosplayers, and those sporting capes and cowls aplenty will congregate inside the stadium this weekend along with the creators and actors behind some rather legendary comic book, sci-fi, and fantasy characters during the first-ever Phoenix Comicon Fan Fest.
The three-day extravaganza -- which runs from Friday, December 12, to Sunday, December 14 -- is a spin-off of sorts of the regular Comicon held every May (or thereabouts) and will include much of the same sort of geek-friendly activities and attractions, only without the overwhelming crowds or stifling summertime temperatures. And that includes one of the best parts of any Comicon event: the many special guests that are scheduled to make appearances for question-and-answer sessions, photo opportunities, autograph signings, and panels in the stadium's various meeting rooms.
We've looked over the Fan Fest's guest list and assembled a rundown of who we're most excited to see and meet this weekend out in Glendale.
If you stayed through the ending credits of Iron Man 3 last summer -- which we've got a sneaking suspicion that you did, since it was a Marvel movie and all -- you might have seen the name Bob Layton rolling by under the "special thanks" section. It's a credit that's richly deserved, considering that the longtime comic book artist and scribe contributed greatly to the Iron Man mythos along with fellow writer David Michelinie during their tenure with Marvel in the late '70s, including penning the landmark "Demon in a Bottle" story arc and creating such important characters as Rhodey and Justin Hammer.
They also came up with the notion of specialty armors, which was (for better or worse) a major plot device in the third film. So if you dug the flick's explosive climax of a phalanx of Iron Man suits laying waste to hordes of Extremis-enhanced bad guys before self-destructing, be sure to high-five Layton after his appearance on Saturday at Fan Fest.
Speaking of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, if you've seen the squee-inducing trailer for the two-part Avengers: Infinity War saga that's due out in 2018 and 2019, it includes the iconic image of the dreaded Thanos smugly wielding the cosmically powerful Infinty Gauntlet. Its something that dates back to the cover art original Infinity Gauntlet arc in the early '90s and has been recreated over the years by any number of Marvel artists over the years, including Brandon Peterson. He's arguably one of the more gifted illustrators and artists currently in the bullpen and has lent his skills to such titles as Age of Ultron (which, sadly, isn't the basis for the upcoming Avengers sequel, save for the title) and Ultimate Vision, as well as both The Uncanny X-Men and The Astonishing X-Men.
If you happen to be eager to ask Linda Blair a few questions when the Oscar-nominated actress -- best known for her role as possessed teenager Regan MacNeil in the 1973 horror classic, The Exorcist -- at her Q&A panel on Sunday morning, allow us to dispense with a few of the more obvious ones: Yes, she was truly terrified when filming the movie, thanks to director William Friedkin having her placed in a harness and shaken during certain scenes. And, no, that wasn't her voice you hear in the actual film, as the late actress Mercedes McCambridge provided the demon's coarse-as-sandpaper rasp. And if you're hoping Blair can reenact The Exorcist's famous head-spinning scene, either at the panel or during any of her various photo ops throughout the whole weekend. . . um, that was a obviously a special effect, silly.
While he may have spent much of his 37-year career portraying such roles as Corporal Hicks in Aliens, the outlaw Johnny Ringo in Tombstone, or Sheriff Hague in Grindhouse, Michael Biehn will be most famous for being hard-boiled time-traveling soldier (and, ultimately, John Connor's daddy-o) Kyle Reese in the original Terminator from 1984. The 58-year-old actor certainly realizes this fact and embraces it with gusto, which means you shouldn't be embarrassed when peppering him with questions about working on the iconic film or getting his opinion on the new version of the character in the upcoming Terminator: Genysis during his spotlight session on Saturday morning.
One of the funnier moments from the 2012 comedy film Ted was when Mark Wahlberg's boss extolled the virtues of hanging out with Tom Skerritt, be it at Chicago Bulls game or helping out with home maintenance. ("I don't think of him as an actor anymore. . . he's just like a guy.") It's not a completely absurd notion, given that the noted character actor has played a series of kindly-but-stern father figures, mentors, or down-to-earth joes during his career, whether its Commander Mike "Viper" Metcalf in Top Gun, the dad in Steel Magnolias, or Sheriff Jimmy Brock on Picket Fences. So listening to Skerritt reminisce at his panel on Sunday afternoon will be more akin to sharing a beer with your old man and not some awkward talk about the birds and the bees.
Rumors have persisted for years that one of the many famed actors who played Doctor Who (well, the ones who are still alive, that is) was going to make an appearance at Phoenix Comicon, usually involving either David Tennant and/or Matt Smith. While we always greeted such scuttlebutt with a grain of salt, it turns out that it was correct -- sorta. Comicon organizers have arranged for Colin Baker and Paul McGann, the thespians who starred as the sixth and eighth incarnations of the legendary Gallifreyan time lord, respectively, to materialize at Fan Fest.
And with all due respect to Mr. Sand Shows and Mr. Dickey Bow, we couldn't be more jazzed to see them in person. Both are bound to have some great stories to tell during their back-to-back spotlights on Friday afternoon, whether it involves working on the show or returning for the various 50th anniversary specials last year. Although you should probably refrain from asking them to don their Doctor costumes during any of their multiple photo ops during the weekend.
Phoenix Comicon Fan Fest runs from Friday, December 12, to Sunday, December 14. Admission is $15 to $25 for a daily pass or $50 for the full event.


ATI Catalyst 9.7 (BETA): Three New OpenGL Extensions!
Naixela released two demos "geometry shader painterly rendering" and "geometry shader tessellation" taking advantage of Shader Model 4 (inclusive source code).
Renders a scene into color, position, and normal textures, and then outputs the scene as a large number of brush strokes covering the screen using the geometry shader.
Tessellates a heightfield based on distance to the viewer using the geometry shader.
The first ever DX10 benchmark from techland is out.
Shader Maker is a simple, cross-platform GLSL editor. It works on Windows, Linux, and Mac OS X. It provides the basics of a shader editor, such that students can get started with writing their own shaders as quickly as possible. This includes: syntax highlighting in the GLSL editors; geometry shader editor (as well as vertex and fragment shader editors, of course); interactive editing of the uniform variables; light source parameters; pre-defined simple shapes (e.g., torus et al.) and a simple OBJ loader; and a few more.
Shader Maker est un editeur GLSL multi-plateformes (Windows, Linux et MacOS). Il inclue la coloration syntaxique, des éditeurs pour les vertex, geometry et pixel shaders, édition interactives des variables uniformes.


text:
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Planet-friendly perfection, this tote is ideal for groceries or your next convention. Made of 90g non-woven recycled material, with a modern-dot debossed trim and cardboard bottom for added support, it oozes eco-savvy style.
Pack Info.: 100 pcs / 27.00 lbs.
Pack Note: (Dimension Weight) / 26 lbs. (Actual Weight) / 20" x 16" x 14"


Available in log, rock or glass format, this direct vent gas fireplace insert is suitable for almost any location. With ease, a professional installer can turn your wood-burning fireplace into a energy efficient gas insert fireplace that will fit effortlessly in the existing hole of your old masonry fireplace providing energy-efficient warmth as well as adding an attractive accent to any room. This range of fireplaces has been created for modern living – no matter what type of home you might have, a direct vent gas fireplace can be easily installed, as long as you have a masonry chimney. Made to give years of useful service, modern innovation combines with proven technology to provide a fireplace that's a superb investment.
Mendota's gas fireplace inserts instantly enhance the beauty and functionality of your existing woodburning fireplace. Features sealed combustion, direct vent technology that keeps warm air in and cold air out, assuring high air quality, maximum efficiency and trouble-free operation in today's tight homes. Woodburning fireplaces are messy, drafty, inconvenient and costly to operate. Breathe life and warmth into the heart of your home with a high efficiency, restoration-quality Mendota gas fireplace insert. It quickly slides into existing masonry or installed factory built fireplaces and utilizes your existing chimney with a liner.


Oh," laughed Rangely, "I'm not to be entrapped into giving metaphysical and theological definitions. I mean what we are expected to call wickedness, conventionally speaking. I've an old cad of a parson in my new play and I am trying to decide if it will do to have him advocate a grand scheme for reforming the world by reversing definitions and calling those things men choose to do virtues, and dubbing whatever man detests, vices.
"A fine, drizzling rain was striking against the windows of a cosy third floor sitting-room, obscuring what in pleasant weather was a fine distant view of the Charles river. The apartment was evidently that of a woman, as numerous details of arrangement and articles of feminine use suggested; and quite as evidently it was the home of a person of taste and refinement, and of one, too, who had traveled."


text:
Home//Cognoscenti
Looking For Myself On Halloween, In A Biker's Jacket And Horns
Alex BenedictTwitter
People in costumes participate in the annual Village Halloween parade on Sixth Avenue on Oct. 31, 2018 in New York City. (Stephanie Keith/Getty Images)
Two years ago, I drove 100 miles to Provincetown for Halloween. Where better than P-town, I reasoned, to dress counter to my preppy teacher's uniform, a button-down shirt and ill-fitting khakis? It was a responsible image, or so I thought, and presented to my students an island of calm in their turbulent teenage lives. Those years are dramatic for many students, but my students at the vocational-technical high school often come from low-income, high-drama neighborhoods in Brockton, so I felt a responsibility to be a role model who wasn't interested in selling them anything stronger than Walt Whitman.
All this came at a cost to me personally. I have a strong iconoclastic side, but it never appeared at work, and rarely at home. My entire life often felt khaki-colored. Although not technically in the closet, I never discussed my sexual orientation or even my political views. Day after day, I was a neutral presence at the front of a beige classroom.
But on this warm autumn night, I had left my teacher drag behind. I wore black work boots and a biker's jacket with no shirt underneath, a fake nose ring and dark rams' horns on my forehead. As I walked down Commercial Street, I felt at first ignored, until a middle-aged guy with two buddies stopped in his tracks and laughed.
"I get it!" he said. "You're horny!"
I just smiled.
Now I was way outside my comfort zone, but isn't that what I had come for?
As the street filled with gay men on their way to the Crown & Anchor, I got a few appreciative nods. An hour later, though, the jacket weighed me down and the horns dangled loosely. Standing in a bar packed with dinosaurs, satyrs and leather men, I felt out-of-place. I stood at the periphery of the dance area, wondering what I should have expected. I have a history of detesting bars, especially gay ones. My annoyance must have often shown on my face. About 10 years ago, when I was living in New York, a peppy stranger noticed my scowl and said, "If you're not having a good time, why don't you just go home?" I did.
Over the years, I began to think that the problem was me, and not the bars. It was a self-fulfilling prophecy: When a man shows interest, you run away, and so you meet no one. On this night, I resolved to be open to the universe of endless possibilities and give my teacher persona a rest. The universe answered shortly thereafter. Across the room, I saw two brown eyes staring at me. They were a part of some furry costume, a bear or a fox. I looked away, but when I looked back five minutes later, they were still staring. OK, I thought, this is your chance. I walked up to the bear and shook his hand.
The author and the biker's jacket. (Courtesy)
"Name's Alex," I said.
"Lorenzo," he said and gestured to two men to his left. "This is my husband, Todd, and my boyfriend, Karl."
I waved to both of them, then moved to the side of the group. He doesn't have a type, I thought to myself, as his two men were markedly different. The husband was about 6'3" with a paunch, and the boyfriend about 5'9" and fit.
It was difficult to talk over the thumping cacophony, but Lorenzo was a master. He leaned into my ear and put his hand on the small of my back. Since we'd just met, it was bold but effective, because I understood most of what he said. Like me, he was a public school teacher in an urban school. He was a competitive rower and traveled around the world to regattas. The conversation was winding down, so I began to leave, but there was one more item on Lorenzo's agenda.
"Can I kiss you?" Now I was way outside my comfort zone, but isn't that what I had come for? I shrugged an assent. We moved a foot away from the group. The kiss was not passionate, but warm and friendly, like Lorenzo. As we kissed, I couldn't help noticing that unlike my nose ring, Lorenzo's was real. His arms were covered with tattoos, something I was too scared to consider. Like me, he taught urban teenagers, but unlike me, he was doing a much better job of presenting them with an image closer to his independent spirit.
And when homophobia came up in the readings, as it does in "Of Mice and Men," I did not hesitate to say I was gay, and how that passage affected me.
The next day I went back to my khaki-colored life in Boston, but over the next few months, I began to dress differently. My shirts were slightly more colorful and tapered; my glasses, a little more fashionable. I continued to lose weight and work out — students began asking me for workout tips, probably to distract me from grammar lessons. Another day, when the students had had enough of reading "The Glass Castle," I led them in a push-up contest. I won.
Even my boss noticed the change, and said that I was "aging in reverse." It wasn't just my appearance that changed; my behavior did too. I smiled more and looked for opportunities to be playful with the students. And when homophobia came up in the readings, as it does in "Of Mice and Men," I did not hesitate to say I was gay, and how that passage affected me. I wasn't truly aging in reverse — it's more accurate to say that I was revealing what had been there all along: a strong, empathic gay man.
All these changes were incremental. It wasn't that one night that changed me. I went to Provincetown because I had already started on a journey to becoming my most authentic self. Nonetheless, meeting Lorenzo was a reminder about the image we choose to present to the world and the role of playing dress-up. The horns, the boots and the jacket all revealed parts of my psyche that had always been there. Sometimes, what we wear every day is the costume.
Follow Cognoscenti on Facebook and Twitter.
Here and Now: Halloween 2020: Tips To Stay Safe But Have Fun
Bob Bordone: Pete Buttigieg Is Inspiring Us To Come Out — Again
Cloe Axelson: 'Losing The Thread Of What We've Lost': A Postcard From The Pandemic
Alex Benedict Twitter Cognoscenti contributor
Alex Benedict is a Boston-based writer and educator.


Our culture celebrates a "never give up, never say die," attitude, and generally regards quitting as a personal failure.
But we've got it wrong. Sticking to the course you are on is often much easier than truly letting go – which may be the hardest thing you've ever done in your life.
If you're stuck on the wrong person, you probably already know that you need to move on. You just don't know how. Start with some deep thinking. Identify your reasons for being stuck, and you will discover how to un-stick yourself and move on.
1. You are focused on extrinsic qualities. "Good on paper" is how women describe men who possess every characteristic on their checklist – but something is missing. Men get wrapped up in the appearance of a woman, letting a pretty face and hot bod trump everything else – and then wonder why they're miserable.
Instead: Ask yourself: if no one could ever know I was dating this person, would I still date them? Make a list of the internal characteristics that you value in a mate – like kindness, strength and loyalty – to help you come to terms with the fact that "good on paper" is not good enough for you.
2. You're a perfectionist. You hate to fail, and you really hate the feeling of losing control. You're determined to win her back, to prove yourself right and gain back control.
Instead: Think about what you've already learned from the relationship, so that you can view it as a beneficial experience – not a failure.
3. You believe that you have one soulmate. Believing in soulmates (plural) is fine – but deciding that there is only one person on the planet who is your perfect match is a recipe for disaster. Life isn't a Hollywood rom com, and you aren't 15 – so ditch the idea that you have a singular soulmate.
Instead: Focus on your relationships with good friends and family members. Aren't they your soul mates too? Enhancing your connections will broaden your definition of love.
4. You've invested so much time. You've spent countless hours pining over this person or wooing them, and to step away would feel like a loss on your investment. It would be. But continuing on your path will only cause you to spend even more time and energy on a losing deal.
Instead, focus on the future. If you tend to have obsessive thoughts, meditation can be a power tool for learning how to control your mind.
5. You think you need closure to move on. If you're waiting for the grand apology or a sign from above, you may be waiting a long time.
Instead: Just as we create meaning in our lives, we can also create closure. Make closure happen on your own. Burn a picture, rip up a letter, or get a new hairstyle.


When I need tape saturation, I hit tape. Pros Stunning sound; interactive display makes setting up crossovers effortless; modulation system makes it truly special. It's out of this world. Saturn comes out as the more versatile effect of the two. All in all, there are 16 distortion and saturation types found here — quality stuff.
You may also be interested in: Up to six bands can be activated, and for extra editing wiggle room, the GUI has a Wide setting, about 30 per cent wider than the Normal one. Likely cheaper than the plugin your buying. Swturn that's just there as it is.
Looks can be deceptive, though, as becomes apparent the second you fabfilter saturn distortion push a satugn through the thing…. From subtle, clean and warm tube or tape saturation to the wildest multiband guitar amp effects: Creating new modulation connections could not be easier: Hive by U-he Essentials: Dunno why "tape" plugins are ffabfilter popular Also worth noting is that this is a multi-band unit.
The frequency range on either side of the line becomes a separately controlled band, the volume of which is set by raising or lowering the handle that appears in the middle or via the Level knob. FabFilter Saturn distortoon a range of different high quality distortion modelsinspired by the vintage sound of tubes, tape and guitar amps. For experienced users it will feel right at home. We love all fabfilter plugins, and their saturn is fabfilter saturn distortion to distort, saturate, basses and synths.
Punch by Rob Papen Review: In this pica we can see he uses Saturn Saturation from FabFilter.
Oh, and then there's FabFilter's superb modulation system, of course, which sahurn as awesome here as it is in the company's other plug-ins saturrn enables you to design set-ups of staggering complexity. Damien Lewis FabFilter Saturn is my new favorite plug-in. All-access artist fabfilter saturn distortion, in-depth gear reviews, essential production tutorials and much more. Image 1 of 3 FabFilter Saturn's large spectrum analyser is an ever-present – and cool – feature of its display.
In the decade since the release of its first plug-in, One, FabFilter has made an indelible mark on the music production landscape. Pros Stunning sound; interactive fabfitler makes setting up crossovers effortless; modulation system makes it truly special.
Saturn comes out as the more versatile effect of the two. Saturn comes in most commonly used virtual plugin formats available today, in both 32 and bit formats — to comply to different DAWs and setups.
Messing with the parameters on many levels can make your sound out of this world. Information Press Download press kit View screenshot Reviews Even as a single-band unit, Saturn does a stunning job of saturating and distorting any source thrown at it.
Transient Processing with FabFilter Creative plug-ins. When I need tape saturation, I hit tape. It's out of this world. Nos encanta los plugins de fabfilter y saturn es un buen distottion y saturador. This plugin is seen at dsitortion This is not unheard of, not too long ago we saw something similar done in the effects Kombinat Dva, by virtual effect and instrument company Audio Damage. The quality of the algorithms is palpable: Makes it very handy.
Distortion and saturation play a very important role fabfilter saturn distortion music production.


Maldives is flush with quite a lot of adventurous activities. Although the island has primarily earned its reputation as a romance destination, Maldives has other attractions as well. Activities are quite many, and they await for you to discover them on yourself.
If you do a little research on the island's natural set up, it will teach you quite a lot. Maldives is rich with geographical features such as cliffs, caves and overhangs, in addition to other marine life: sharks, barracudas, gropers, jackfish, morays, manta rays, and bluefish snappers. Do not forget to buy a waterproof camera. It will be a worthwhile investment especially when you chose Maldives as your holiday destination. Reef exploration is done best, if you can rent diving gear. If you are not so good at diving, you can take a coach with you as well.
Maldives' sugary beaches and azure waters attract quite a lot of tourists from all parts of the globe. And that is why you should not miss reef exploration.
This is a famous diving location. You will come across a great many reef sharks. They look somewhat fierce with their sharp vertical shape. They form the majority of the marine population with other creatures such as sea fans, anemones, black corals, fusiliers, Napoleons, and schools of feeding barracuda. This will be a bonus feature, if you are a diving professional.
This will be just for you, if you are exceptionally skilled diving. Take a good dive underwater, and you will come across a wreck of a cargo ship. What a treasure to set eyes upon? The cargo, they say, was drowned in 1981. Most of what you can see there is various coral and other formations such as sponges, tubastrea and a numerous schools of fish. But make sure you are exceptionally skilled in your job, as currents may turn out to be strong at times. If you are not sure of your capacity, better avoid this area.
It offers other features such as the beach itself and coral reefs.
Maldives is not all about its natural richness. It has a rich cultural legacy. Visit a museum or two to get an idea about its rich history. These museums are mostly set up on ancient and historically important buildings. It is hard to say which museum is more important. Every museum is equally important. So take your time to visit each and every museum, for there are not many museums. If you take lodging at Maldives Villas, an Adaaran Select Hudhuranfushi, it will be easy to reach any museum of your choice.
This mosque's importance lies in the date when it was built: 1656. And architecture, next. Its intricate coral-stone walls will narrate a long story of the island's architectural tradition. You will see Arabic script carved into them. And what's more, there are interesting woodcarvings and amazing lacquer decorations.
Take a walk inside and feel the ancient Maldives and how the natives lived their lifestyles back then.


Access your Centrelink online account with myGov using one login and one password.
We've changed how you sign in to your Centrelink online account. You'll need to sign in to myGov, then select Centrelink from your service list.
Have you linked your Centrelink online account to myGov?
Yes. Sign in, you're good to go!
No. It's easy, link it now! Sign in and select Services.
Create a myGov account, then link it to Centrelink. It's quick and easy to create a myGov account and link it to Centrelink.
Need help? Read our myGov online guides or watch our videos. There is also help information on the myGov website.


Heading out of the station, and finding where my bus would depart from was not easy. Unaware of the tiff between BEST and NMMT, I headed straight to the BEST bus station. A BEST Traffic Inspector posted at the bus station coerced me to use a non-AC BEST bus instead. Determined not to fall to his encouragement, I decided to check out with a couple of road-side vendors. The vendors said that the NMMT bus would be parked near the railway FOB. I headed to the spot, and was joyed seeing an NMMT supervisor standing.
There were lots of passengers standing around the area - I wasn't sure if they were for the bus, or just waiting for someone else. There was no sign of the bus anywhere - just went and casually enquired with the supervisor if a bus was expected soon - he replied in affirmative. Not much after I had this talk, a red-coloured monster appeared at a distance. The bus was pretty crowded - the driver briskly moved the whale through a sea of auto-rickshaws, and parked the bus on the side of the road, close to the footpath. I admired the way the new driver handled the bus at a tight parking.
The bus that took me on the first NMMT Volvo experience.
The bus was MH-43-H-5118. The crowd inside was admirable - the bus emptied in under a minute, and filled in another minute. I walked around clicking pics of the bus - with a traffic constable looking at me with a similing face. The bus crew weren't able to hide their amazement at seeing someone photograph their beast. After mandatory photographs, I decided to head inside. Sad! All seats were taken!
I enquired if the next bus would turn up soon - the reply came "40 minutes later". Forty minutes was too long a time, and my return train would start at 2230 - I need to reach Vashi fast, and carry my baggage to the station. I decided to take a chance - and got into the bus. I was all prepared to travel standing for the next hour to Vashi - after all, its a Volvo! But wait - did I see an empty seat at the middle? Yes! There was one empty seat - the one perpendicular to the direction of movement. I grabbed it in no time. The bus started from Bandra at around 1730.
There were quite some standees inside when we started. The driver stopped outside the BEST bus station, and picked more passengers - much to the anger of the BEST inspector posted there. The driver slowly glided through the badly crowded roads, controlling the beast well. The AC wasn't appearing very powerful - but that was because the vent right above my head was closed. It was too high, and I had no option but to let it be. The bus was pretty crowded by now - atleast 20 standees. The conductor came around selling tickets - he did have an electronic ticket vending machine, but not the smart uniforms that the conductors in Bangalore or Chennai wear. This guy was clad in the drab Khakhi uniform.
The ticket to Vashi set me poorer by Rs. 28 - a price worth it. The driver appeared desperate to get an empty stretch, to let the beast loose. We were crawling through heavy traffic around Sion in about 20 minutes from start of the journey. The music system was playing out a popular radio station, dishing out latest chartbusters. Quite a lot of passengers alighted at Sion and Chembur - signifying the need for an AC intra-city travel in more routes in Mumbai. The NMMT Volvo just got its route and timing right. The bus never got empty through the journey, and we had standing passengers all the way.
The bus entered the more-or-less empty stretch after Anushakti Nagar very soon. The driver let the beast loose, and we were doing no less than 80-90 kmph in most stretches. We slowed down as we reached Vashi. The bus dropped me at Vashi, exactly at 1829 - exactly 59 minutes after we set off from Bandra. The travel time was absolutely amazing, given the fact that the journey was right at the peak hour. The number of passengers inside the bus was amazing - truly amazing for a new service.
Recent newspaper reports suggest that the service is indeed a hit, so good that it forced BEST to start its own version - albeit costlier - using their new King Longs. NMMT operates 11 Volvos on this route alone - giving a clue of the popularity of this route. These buses, on route 105, takes 80-90 minutes to the cover the 34 km distance from Bandra Railway Station (West) to CBD Belapur, via Sion, Mankhurd and Vashi. The end-to-end fare is Rs. 45.
Such services are the only way out for cities with heavy vehicular traffic like Mumbai. Get more of these buses, and incentivise car owners to leave their fuel guzzlers at home. Save Mother Earth, start using public transport.
Great observations and notings of our great 105 NMMT AC buses.
I don't remember seeing you on one that I usually am on...the BKC route special bus. My journey started on the 19th of September and am still honestly using the service more as an obligation for the kind gesture of the authorities towards me.
19th Sept from Maitri Park to Bharat Nagr at BKC and asked the gentleman at the window if the BKC route would be stopped. He said -"NO" and not "I don't know". From Monday, I waited very sincerely for three days at the stop but there was no sign of the buses. Their plans had changed and all the BKC buses were discontinued.I was very upset.I somehow got the GM's phone number and blasted. But, I regret, as these people are so sweet with you that I just cannot get angry on them, even though I have to wait for an hour at the bus-stop for the bus that is scheduled to leave Bandra at 5.45 p.m. They go on telling me, Madam..we are going to ply this bus only till your quarterly bus exists and then you will have to come to Kala Nagar to catch the bus.. I say, I wish I could do that even before my bus pass got over. Now as an obligation I sincerely wait at the ICICI stop for the bus.
I have different plans now...I will take the BEST smart card pass of Rs.1000/- and then jump buses as and when I want and stop the waste of time at the stops. (NMMT is cheaper than BEST)but it is more important to save time than money.
Anyway, Binai,hope to bump into you on our great bus journey sometime. I am the little friendly,talkative,elderly lady (with vitiligo)in her 50s.
During my days in Belapur, NMMT never responded to people's request.


Instagram is a major part of our lives, with millions of users and promotional opportunities. Instagram marketing has become an essential part of digital marketing, and it's essential for companies to keep up so that they can maximize their digital marketing. The new instagram algorithm that came last spring has changed the way that digital marketers need to approach the platform, and here we are going to analyze just how the algorithm chooses what photos and videos show up in the feed of a potential client or customer, and what this means to digital marketers. MyCity Social is a top Digital Marketing Agency Orlando business owners trust. For your SEO needs, call MyCity Social today!
What shows up in your Instagram feed is not only based on the people you follow, but also on the interests you express by browsing and clicking. Basically, the feed is personalized to you based on your online interests. Instagram leans on machine learning to mine your past behavior in order to produce a personalized feed for every user. Even if you follow the exact same accounts as another person, your feed will still be different as it will be personalized based on the way you interact with these accounts. What is key is what and how Instagram places as your "friends and family" category, as these are the accounts that will pop up the most in your feed.
How Instagram does this is through predicting what photos and videos are the most interesting to you, and they utilize three main factors to figure this out. These factors are interest, timeliness, and relationship. Interest is defined as how Instagram predicts the amount you'll care about a post. The more they think you'll "like" that post, the higher it will show up in your Instagram feed. Interest is rooted in how you've behaved in the past regarding similar content, and machine vision analyzes the actual content of the post. This functions kind of like the Instagram Explore page- once you like one video of hamsters, your entire explore page will fill up with videos of hamsters. If somebody in your feed posts a video of a hamster playing the piano, Instagram will think that you'll like that as well. The second factor they utilize is Timeliness, which is essentially how long ago the photo was posted. The new algorithm Instagram has implemented will prioritize recent posts, so you'll be seeing fewer posts from over a week ago. Instagram has started to focus on more about when you posted something, rather than only the content or engagement on the post. During the holidays last year, a lot of people were still seeing Christmas posts even though it was pass New Year's. The new algorithm is supposed to deal with this issue. The last factor is Relationship, and the way you know this person. If you comment on a lot of somebody's photos or are tagged in photos with them, Instagram will note that they are probably in your "friends and family" category. MyCity Social, a Digital Marketing Agency Orlando business owners trust, recommends that one way this can be incorporated into digital marketing is to encourage your followers to tag you in posts. This way, you will show up more frequently in their feeds.
Instagram marketing is large part of digital marketing in today's social media dominated world. MyCity Social is a top Digital Marketing Agency Orlando business owners rely on for their SEO needs. Call us today to expand your brand!


Ma'chere mademoiselle, it is with deepest pride and greatest pleasure that we invite you to be our guest. Young ladies along with their mom, grandma, aunt and special friends are invited to dress like royalty and attend our royal tea party. Tea, treats and activities await!


The best decision I ever made hiring Caring Hands Matter for my mother. I have to leave the state on an emergency. I called Caring Hands Matter in Fairfax, VA to care for my 93 years old mother with Alzheimer. They were able to send a CNA to my home on a Saturday for a whole two weeks. Sincerely, the CNA was very kind to my mother. I would recommended this agency to anyone who is looking for a good Agency to take care your love ones. Caring Hands Matter I really appreciate your services. Thank you so much!!!
We have been using the services of Caring Matters in Fairfax to assist with the needs of our elderly mother. Mom has dementia and it's been very important that we be able to work with an agency that we can trust to provide compassionate and professional care. Our experience with Rebecca and Maria has been exceptional. They really seem to care about Mom as an individual and they have consistently provided her with individualized, professional assistance. The company name is appropriate – caring DOES matter, and we're grateful to be dealing with a company that follows this philosophy. Based upon our experience, we recommend this company without reservation.
We are so thankful for Caring Hands Matters and have been using them since December 2014. We moved here from out west around that time and our daughter did some research was lucky enough to discover Rebecca and Maria and tell them about our situation. My husband had just been diagnosed with Dementia with Lewy Bodies and it was imperative I find someone to be with my him while I wrote at home (I am an editor and writer) and had some much-needed respite time! Rebecca came to our home and spent time with Norm and me so as to assess the home situation, what Norm was like - and what kind of person would be suitable for him. We continue to be so happy with Caring Hands Matters - they are always there for us and when I needed full time help in the summer during Norm's hip surgery they came to visit Norm several times, and provided excellent care to fill in that extra time; I honestly could not have gotten through July without their help. We currently have a wonderful, compassionate, and professional young woman who makes our lives easier. I strongly recommend this agency and cannot imagine using anyone other than them. They are first-rate and really know what they are doing - and they are a blessing in the home health care community of this part of Northern Virginia!
When I reached them to take care of my ill Aunt, they were so supportive and reliable. They were well organized in their services and supervision. They not only take care of our loved ones but also ensure them to get well recover soon. Hurrah for their service.


text:
GREEN="\e[32m"
RED="\e[41m\e[37m\e[1m"
YELLOW="\e[33m"
WHITE="\e[0m"

echo -e $GREEN"Upgrading containers to $RELEASE_VERSION..."$WHITE

echo -e $YELLOW"Waiting for fabric command: container-upgrade"$WHITE
karaf_client "wait-for-command fabric container-upgrade"

karaf_client "fabric:container-upgrade $RELEASE_VERSION amq-001"
wait_for_container_status "amq-001" "started"

karaf_client "fabric:container-upgrade $RELEASE_VERSION esb-001"
wait_for_container_status "esb-001" "started"

karaf_client "fabric:container-upgrade $RELEASE_VERSION gwy-001"
wait_for_container_status "gwy-001" "started"

karaf_client "fabric:container-upgrade $RELEASE_VERSION fabric-003"
wait_for_container_status "fabric-003" "started"

karaf_client "fabric:container-upgrade $RELEASE_VERSION fabric-002"
wait_for_container_status "fabric-002" "started"

karaf_client "fabric:container-upgrade $RELEASE_VERSION fabric-001"
wait_for_container_status "fabric-001" "started"


Favorite recipes of the Lester S. Miller family. Tried and tested by Amish cooks.
Harvest of Our Heritage brings you a collection of 700 favorite recipes from our close-knit family. Use our recipes to cook a simple light meal, prepare a fancy tea party or cook a big, traditional Amish meal.
You will find canning and freezing recipes and tips for preparing a wedding. It's all here for you. Interlaced within it's pages are memories of treasured times spent with Grandpa and Grandma. This is our family's way of sharing the joy of the Harvest of our Heritage with you. May God bless its readers and their families. Enjoy!


Ethiopia has inaugurated a hydroelectric dam that aims to double the country's electricity output, but which critics say is a threat to locals and a UNESCO-listed lake in Kenya.The Gibe III dam, which reaches 243 metres (800 feet) in height, is the third-largest dam in Africa and the biggest in a series built along the Omo River.
When it comes fully online, the Gibe III is expected to produce 1,870 megawatts of power, enough to sell energy abroad including to neighbouring Kenya. The dam has been generating electricity for about a year.
Project boosters say the dam will allow authorities to better regulate the flow of the Omo, which spools out over 700 kilometres. They also deny the dam is primarily a way to ensure a steady flow of water to irrigate cotton and sugar cane plantations.
Gibe III, located about 350 kilometres (220 miles) southwest of Addis Ababa, took nine years to build and cost 1.5 billion euros ($1.6 billion), with 60 percent of financing coming from the Chinese export credit agency China Exim Bank.
Ethiopia was the world's fastest growing economy last year at 10.2 percent; however the International Monetary Fund estimates that the worst drought in 30 years is likely to see this plummet to 4.5 percent in 2016.
The Blue and the White Nile rivers converge in Khartoum and from there run north into Egypt as the Nile.But the project has poisoned relations with Egypt, which is almost totally reliant on the Nile for agriculture and drinking water, and fears the dam will hit its supplies.
Previous articleApex introduces Bartec Couplers (mechanical splicing solution) into the Kenyan market.


999 — Exaggerating and highlighting the 9 O'clock position on the watch face: this represents the emergency nature of the Police Service.
The Thin Blue Line — This familiar term routinely used when referring to the Police Service has been adopted as the title for this unique watch. It characterizes the stretched nature of the service and the very significant demand placed on policing.
Serving Communities Since 1829 — This marks the establishment of the first full time: professional and centrally coordinated Police Service by the then Home Secretary Sir Robert Peel.
Blue Second Hand — This represents the perpetual and active nature of policing: operating in communities every second of every day.
Fairness: Integrity: Diligence and Impartiality — Taken from The Police Attestation= these are the four principle values that describe the manner in which officers commit to discharge their policing duties: when taking the oath to uphold the law.
The Emblem - etched onto the inside of the glass in the caseback embeds the TAG Heuer logo within the traditional star, seen as a common feature of most modern custodian police helmets. This further demonstrates TAG Heuer's very highest regards for British Policing.
Blue Strap Option - There is a choice of having the gents model on a bespoke calf leather strap. This strap has a blue trim stitching and is only avaliable on The Thin Blue Line TAG Heuer.
4 years interest free available, from £30.00 per month.
We are currently taking orders, please use promotion code 999.
The watch will be available in 12 months, we are currently taking orders.
There is a charitable donation of £25.00 donated per watch.
It aims to ensure that survivors have all the help they need to cope with such a tragedy, and that they remain part of the police family.
Please regularly rinse your watch in fresh water and soap, especially whenever you have used it in salt water. For frequent or prolonged use in water, we recommend you opt for a steel and/ or gold bracelet.
Remember that your watch is only water-resistant if the crown is correctly screwed in* or pushed into the normal position.
If the temperature changes suddenly, a slight condensation may appear under the crystal of your watch.
This mist will disappear by itself and will not affect the functioning of the watch. If the condensation persists, please see your official TAG Heuer dealer.
Over time, the waterproofing seals on your watch may deteriorate. We recommend that you have the water-resistance of your watch checked once a year by your official TAG Heuer dealer, who will replace the seals if necessary.
When a self-winding mechanical watch has not been worn for some time, it uses up its power reserve and stops.
To start it again, either place the crown in position 1 and rewind it manually, or activate the rotor by making movements of your wrist.
The automatic movement requires particular care. To maintain its precision, TAG Heuer Service Centers recommend a service every 4 to 6 years. This period can vary according to the conditions in which your watch is used.
Our straps are made of the finest leather, treated for superior resistance to humidity.
The crocodile leather comes exclusively from farmed animals, and its origin is certified by customs documents.
This leather is a natural material. However, we recommend that you limit its use in water. To maintain the condition of your leather strap, we recommend cleaning it with a soft, dry cotton cloth and not using any abrasive products. It is normal for the leather to become slightly darker over time.
For your comfort, wash a rubber strap regularly with soap and water, particularly on the inner surface.
For the upkeep of your metal bracelet, we recommend cleaning it with soap and water once a month. To avoid any accidental opening, our steel and/or gold bracelets are fitted with a double security or button clasp.
The Thin Blue Line can be purchased by accessing the following weblink and using promotion code 999 https://portal.andrewmichaels.co.uk.
We are now open for orders as the project is now live.
These are entirely flexible, however, you will be required to pay a minimum deposit of £200 when the order is placed. You can of course pay the full amount at this time or any amount above the minimum deposit if you wish. Prior to delivery, you will be required to pay the balance or elect to spread the payment for your watch over a longer period. We offer interest free finance over a maximum period of 48 months, subject to qualifying criteria being met. Full details of the financing options available can be found on the website.
Can I buy one on the High Street?
This offer is not available on the High Street. To keep the offer exclusive to those in policing, TAG Heuer have decided to partner up with a single jeweller with whom they have a well-established and long standing relationship. You can of course order this watch directly from Andrew Michael's Jewellers by attending their shop in Newark.
Yes. We have recognised that many may seek to purchase this watch as a family heirloom with a view to passing it on to others. We have been asked to allow additional purchases for this reason. There will be a maximum of two watches available to each individual.
Can you purchase a Thin Blue Line if you don't work for the Police?
This offer is only available to those who have served or those that currently serve within the Police Service of the United Kingdom. The offer is not restricted to officers but all of those that work in this challenging environment and ultimately make up the 'Thin Blue Line'. Whilst it is impossible to ensure that those that fall outside of these categories are not afforded this offer, we have sought to mitigate this by requiring full service details to be provided during the ordering process. Once the offer has closed, we will additionally provide the Federation Office for each Force area, with a list of orders from individuals claiming to work currently or most recently for that particular Force. This will enable the Federation to object to any individual looking to access this offer who it is believed does not qualify for it.
If I don't want to purchase one now, can I buy one in the future?
No. This is an offer strictly limited by time. There is a three month 'window' during which time you will be able to order the watch. After the three month period, the offer will close and this watch will not be available again.
Is it right that each purchase will generate money for charity?
Yes. We have partnered up with the charity Care of Police Survivors (CoPS) and will be donating to them £25 for every watch that is sold. This could amount to a substantial sum which will help them in their incredibly important work helping families of police officers, killed on duty, to re-build their lives.
How many watches will be manufactured?
The number of watches manufactured will be based upon the number of orders made during the offer period. Each watch will be marked with a serial number which will show where in the series it was produced. So the first watch ordered of a total number of 5000 orders will show as 0001/5000.
How long will it take to receive my watch?
The watches are hand made in Switzerland and whilst it is difficult to be precise as to when they will be completed, we will endeavour to make them available as soon as possible. It can reasonably be presumed however that delivery of the first batch of watches may not take place until towards the end of 2017. We will of course ensure that you are routinely updated on progress from the point of order up until the time your watch is delivered.
How will I receive my watch?
There will be the option to have your watch sent through the post or to collect it at one of a number of 'orientation days' which will be arranged around the country. The time, date and location of these days will be notified to you in advance and will enable you to be shown the functionality of the watch, have it sized(if the bracelet option is ordered) and to ask any questions you may have. If you choose to have the watch sent to you and you elect the bracelet option then you will be required to have any adjustments made yourself. This can be arranged through an authorised Tag Heuer dealer or any competent jeweller. The cost of any adjustment should be minor.
Can I have the watch personalised with details that do not relate to my service with the Police?
Yes. You can either opt to have your personal details (name, rank, service number, Force) engraved onto the rear of the watch or elect to have other details within the character limit inscribed instead if you wish.
Will Tag offer this watch again in the future?
No, being a limited edition this is a one off offer. This watch will not be produced again.
Can I cancel my order at any stage?
You will be able to cancel your purchase within 14 days after placing your original order. After this period any request to cancel the order will be declined and your deposit will be lost.
It looks very much like the Tag Carrera, is it similar?
The Carrera has been in the Tag Heuer catalogue since 1963 and is considered one of the most aesthetically pleasing and perfectly conceived watches of its kind. Using this classic watch as a basis for the designhas ensured that The Thin Blue Line remains a stylish and versatile timepiece whilst incorporating a number of subtle variations, making it both unique and solely relevant to those who serve or have served in policing. It will doubtless take its place in the history of Carrera watches a full history of which can be found on the AMJ website.
Are there any options on the strap or dial colour?
The colour of the dial is intrinsic to the design of the Thin Blue Line and is not available with an alternative option. The watch is, however, available with a choice of either a leather strap with blue side stitching or a steel bracelet at no extra cost. Additional/alternative straps may be purchased as part of the order for those who prefer to retain a choice between the two.
Yes. Every Thin Blue Line is accompanied by TAG Heuer's international 2 year parts and labour guarantee. If something goes wrong during the guarantee period how do I get the watch repaired? The watch can be returned to Andrew Michael's who will liaise direct with TAG Heuer. Alternatively, you can take it to any authorised Tag dealer who will be able to arrange for any necessary repair.
Can I use any Tag retailer to have the watch serviced?
Yes, however, AMJ would be delighted to provide ongoing support and service at a discounted rate to that offered by other retailers.
What will be provided with my Thin Blue Line?
Each watch will be supplied with TAG Heuer's standard storage box, a certificate of authenticity and guarantee documentation. Whilst we hope this document has answered most of the questions you may have, please feel free to call Andrew Michaels Jewellers direct on 01636 679638, if your question is not covered above or if you'd like to discuss any of the points further.


text:
Q: Has anyone successfully trained Squeezenet with residual connections? I have trained the two versions of Squeezenet, both with success, thanks @forresti !
When training the one with residual connections, I am stucked. Whatever learning policy I took, the one shipped in this repo, or the plainly step, I cannot train it to the results given in the paper. The accuracy is a bit lower than Squeezenet v1.0....
I know that I should post this in that repo, but I can't find issues tab there....
Anyone could shed me some light? Thanks in advance!
====================EDIT=============================
I firstly adopted the solver hyperparameters shipped with SqueezeNet-v1.0. Then, I changed the learning policy from poly to step, keeping  the remaining parameters untouched and closely monitored the loss and accuracy, when they became apparently flat, I changed the learning rate by a factor of 0.4. In both cases, I got top-5 accuracies 81.9x% and 79.8x%, lower than the benchmark provided in the paper, seems rather weird....

A: You can use newest SqueezeNet v1.1 version of Squezenet from: https://github.com/rcmalli/keras-squeezenet
Model Definition:
from keras import backend as K
from keras.layers import Input, Convolution2D, MaxPooling2D, Activation, concatenate, Dropout
from keras.layers import GlobalAveragePooling2D, GlobalMaxPooling2D
from keras.models import Model
from keras.utils.layer_utils import get_source_inputs #https://stackoverflow.com/questions/68862735/keras-vggface-no-module-named-keras-engine-topology
from tensorflow.keras.utils import get_file
from keras.utils import layer_utils

sq1x1 = "squeeze1x1"
exp1x1 = "expand1x1"
exp3x3 = "expand3x3"
relu = "relu_"

WEIGHTS_PATH = "https://github.com/rcmalli/keras-squeezenet/releases/download/v1.0/squeezenet_weights_tf_dim_ordering_tf_kernels.h5"
WEIGHTS_PATH_NO_TOP = "https://github.com/rcmalli/keras-squeezenet/releases/download/v1.0/squeezenet_weights_tf_dim_ordering_tf_kernels_notop.h5"

# Modular function for Fire Node

def fire_module(x, fire_id, squeeze=16, expand=64):
    s_id = 'fire' + str(fire_id) + '/'

    if K.image_data_format() == 'channels_first':
        channel_axis = 1
    else:
        channel_axis = 3

    x = Convolution2D(squeeze, (1, 1), padding='valid', name=s_id + sq1x1)(x)
    x = Activation('relu', name=s_id + relu + sq1x1)(x)

    left = Convolution2D(expand, (1, 1), padding='valid', name=s_id + exp1x1)(x)
    left = Activation('relu', name=s_id + relu + exp1x1)(left)

    right = Convolution2D(expand, (3, 3), padding='same', name=s_id + exp3x3)(x)
    right = Activation('relu', name=s_id + relu + exp3x3)(right)

    x = concatenate([left, right], axis=channel_axis, name=s_id + 'concat')
    return x

# Original SqueezeNet from paper.
def SqueezeNet(include_top=True, weights='imagenet',
               input_tensor=None, input_shape=None,
               pooling=None,
               classes=1000):
    """Instantiates the SqueezeNet architecture."""

    if weights not in {'imagenet', None}:
        raise ValueError('The `weights` argument should be either '
                         '`None` (random initialization) or `imagenet` '
                         '(pre-training on ImageNet).')

    input_shape = input_shape

    if input_tensor is None:
        img_input = Input(shape=input_shape)
    else:
        if not K.is_keras_tensor(input_tensor):
            img_input = Input(tensor=input_tensor, shape=input_shape)
        else:
            img_input = input_tensor

    x = Convolution2D(64, (3, 3), strides=(2, 2), padding='valid', name='conv1')(img_input)
    x = Activation('relu', name='relu_conv1')(x)
    x = MaxPooling2D(pool_size=(3, 3), strides=(2, 2), name='pool1')(x)

    x = fire_module(x, fire_id=2, squeeze=16, expand=64)
    x = fire_module(x, fire_id=3, squeeze=16, expand=64)
    x = MaxPooling2D(pool_size=(3, 3), strides=(2, 2), name='pool3')(x)

    x = fire_module(x, fire_id=4, squeeze=32, expand=128)
    x = fire_module(x, fire_id=5, squeeze=32, expand=128)
    x = MaxPooling2D(pool_size=(3, 3), strides=(2, 2), name='pool5')(x)

    x = fire_module(x, fire_id=6, squeeze=48, expand=192)
    x = fire_module(x, fire_id=7, squeeze=48, expand=192)
    x = fire_module(x, fire_id=8, squeeze=64, expand=256)
    x = fire_module(x, fire_id=9, squeeze=64, expand=256)

    if include_top:
        # It's not obvious where to cut the network...
        # Could do the 8th or 9th layer... some work recommends cutting earlier layers.

        x = Dropout(0.5, name='drop9')(x)

        x = Convolution2D(classes, (1, 1), padding='valid', name='conv10')(x)
        x = Activation('relu', name='relu_conv10')(x)
        x = GlobalAveragePooling2D()(x)
        x = Activation('softmax', name='loss')(x)
    else:
        if pooling == 'avg':
            x = GlobalAveragePooling2D()(x)
        elif pooling=='max':
            x = GlobalMaxPooling2D()(x)
        elif pooling==None:
            pass
        else:
            raise ValueError("Unknown argument for 'pooling'=" + pooling)

        #x = Dense(10, activation= 'softmax')(x)

    # Ensure that the model takes into account
    # any potential predecessors of `input_tensor`.
    if input_tensor is not None:
        inputs = get_source_inputs(input_tensor)
    else:
        inputs = img_input

    model = Model(inputs, x, name='squeezenet')

    # load weights
    if weights == 'imagenet':
        if include_top:
            weights_path = get_file('squeezenet_weights_tf_dim_ordering_tf_kernels.h5',
                                    WEIGHTS_PATH,
                                    cache_subdir='models')
        else:
            weights_path = get_file('squeezenet_weights_tf_dim_ordering_tf_kernels_notop.h5',
                                    WEIGHTS_PATH_NO_TOP,
                                    cache_subdir='models')

        model.load_weights(weights_path)
        if K.backend() == 'theano':
            layer_utils.convert_all_kernels_in_model(model)

    return model

Example Usage:
import numpy as np
from keras_squeezenet import SqueezeNet
from keras.applications.imagenet_utils import preprocess_input, decode_predictions
from keras.preprocessing import image

model = SqueezeNet()

img = image.load_img('../images/cat.jpeg', target_size=(227, 227))
x = image.img_to_array(img)
x = np.expand_dims(x, axis=0)
x = preprocess_input(x)

preds = model.predict(x)
print('Predicted:', decode_predictions(preds))

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Waves of asylum seekers keep coming at illegal border crossing in Quebec
CBC News visits the remote end of a gravel road in Quebec that's become a popular illegal border crossing for asylum seekers from the U.S.
Gravel-topped end of Roxham Rd. has become a 24/7 outdoor processing centre
David Cochrane, Lisa Laventure · CBC News · Posted: Aug 02, 2017 7:51 PM ET | Last Updated: August 3, 2017
A man who crossed into Canada at an illegal crossing in Saint-Bernard-de-Lacolle, Que., holds the baby of a fellow traveller as they sort through their paperwork to show RCMP officers. (CBC)
After just a few minutes standing at the end of Roxham Road, where Quebec and New York meet, the first asylum seeker appears: a lone man in a taxi seeking to make his way into Canada.
Ten minutes later, another taxi, this one carrying a family of four.
Over the next hour, three more taxis, a minivan and a shuttle bus.
Surge in asylum seekers coming to Canada nothing new, community groups say
In a period of six hours, late Tuesday and into early Wednesday, 16 taxi drops deliver more than 80 asylum seekers to the border.
RCMP officers stationed at the gravel-topped stretch of road in Saint-Bernard-de-Lacolle, Que., dutifully shout out warnings that this is an illegal border crossing and that anyone attempting to enter Canada will be arrested.
The warnings are immediately ignored. The entire point of this trek is to get arrested. To get into the Canadian immigration system and out of the American one.
Record numbers of asylum seekers cross into Canada through Roxham Road 0:44
The police officers and border officials assigned to Saint-Bernard-de-Lacolle are not authorized to speak to reporters. But in a series of private conversations, multiple officials tell a similar story.
They say it has been this way for weeks: a stream of taxis, buses and vans dropping people at the border so they can be arrested and get into Canada.
24/7 outdoor processing centre
During a single 24-hour period from Tuesday into Wednesday, close to 300 asylum seekers crossed the border at Roxham Road, a police source said.
Other officials said 200 people a day has become common in recent weeks. Just a few weeks ago, this stretch of road averaged 30 a day.
Many of the asylum seekers who left the U.S. for Canada in recent months are originally from countries targeted by U.S. President Donald Trump's so-called travel ban, which many critics say is actually a Muslim ban. But the current surge consists mostly of Haitians, driven from their homeland by the 2010 earthquake, who were told by the U.S. government in May they could face deportation as early as January.
Illegal border crossings decline in Manitoba but spike in Quebec
Olympic Stadium used to house surge in asylum seekers from U.S.
The influx has become so great that many newcomers were bused to Montreal's Olympic Stadium on Wednesday, where they will sleep on cots set up in the concession stand area.
Those arriving at Roxham Road were a mix of families and single men. There was a significant number of young children, including a few no more than a few weeks old. Several women in late stages of pregnancy held their kids as they dragged their belongings behind them in well-worn suitcases.
The illegal crossing has evolved since more migrants started arriving late last year. Back then, it was a lonely gravel road that ended in a ditch to mark where Quebec and Canada ended and New York and the United States began.
Now, that ditch and dirt road is a 24/7 outdoor processing centre.
The local Quebec municipality has filled in part of the ditch to make a footpath so the elderly, infirm or very pregnant can cross more easily. Metal barriers have been set up to help with crowd control. There are tents to protect everyone from the blazing summer sun. Generators power fans during the day and lights at night. There's even a pair of portable toilets.
Each person who crosses the border here is questioned, processed and searched. Luggage is placed in the back of a large cube truck after being thoroughly searched by RCMP officers. Eventually, the migrants are taken away on a round-the-clock, load-and-go minibus to a makeshift RCMP detachment for holding and further processing before being handed off to the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA).
Officers ask to see passports or proof of identification, search through the asylum seekers' phones and laptops, and note their height, weight and whether they're currently on any medications. (Lisa Laventure/CBC)
That RCMP detachment is minutes away, just a few hundred metres up Route 15 from the legal border crossing with the United States. A police officer told CBC News it has only one toilet and was designed to hold 30 to 40 people.
But the numbers being held there now are so large that dozens of detainees had to spend Tuesday night outside, with only a tent canopy for shelter. They were held inside a chain-link compound that also houses RCMP vehicles, some trailer units and a row of portable toilets. At dawn on Wednesday, dozens of migrants were in the yard sitting on folding chairs waiting to be processed.
Crossing border illegally is no 'free ticket' to Canada government warns
Immigration and Refugee Board can't keep up with asylum claims
Eventually, they will move across the road to yet another temporary detention centre. This one is run by the CBSA, and officials told CBC News the facility is also bursting at the seams. There isn't enough room or beds for the volume of people coming in. Some detainees sleep on the floor, using pieces of cardboard as mattresses.
As CBSA and RCMP officials try to process people already in custody, the load-and-go minibus continues to make its frequent runs to the border.
On the American side, New York state taxis have built a booming cottage industry taking people to Roxham Road. There's always another wave to deliver. And the next one is never far behind.
The temporary RCMP processing centre has recently been handling 300 or so asylum seekers at day at the illegal crossing on Roxham Road. (Lisa Laventure/CBC)
Montreal's Olympic Stadium used to house surge in asylum seekers crossing from U.S.
Illegal border crossings by asylum seekers decline in Manitoba but spike in Quebec
Government says there's no 'free ticket' to Canada as number of asylum seekers climbs
How the Safe Third Country Agreement is changing lives on both sides of the border
A smile and arrest welcome asylum seekers to Canada


Radio stations must pay royalties to recording companies and performers, as they do to composers and songwriters, when musical broadcasts are "streamed" over the Internet, a federal appeals court has affirmed.
PHILADELPHIA (AP) —Radio stations must pay royalties to recording companies and performers, as they do to composers and songwriters, when musical broadcasts are "streamed" over the Internet, a federal appeals court has affirmed.
A three-judge panel of the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a rule adopted by the U.S. Copyright Office, under the Digital Performance Right in Sound Recordings Act of 1995.


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Jared and Ed were wonderful. They made time to answer questions and explain all work done. They were very professional, friendly and courteous.
We really appreciate your timing coming to Casper in December and getting to work to return our house to us. It's really great to have function doors again! Thanks!
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This is a team you can count on!
We contracted Rapid Foundation Repair to do some home improvement work for us this summer. Nathan, Adam and their entire team performed outstanding work with great attention to detail. They installed drain tile, pulled-back on a foundation wall, as well as installed two egress windows. We were extremely happy with their work: the pricing was extremely fair, continual communication/update of scheduling, excellent craftsmanship – plus cleanup was stellar! We could not recommend this company more highly.
Couldn't ask for better people!!
Very nice to work with, friendly. Rapid Foundation Repair definitely knows customer service.
Very pleased with the foundation repair work done on my home. I would definitely recommend Rapid Foundation Repair.