Ornate. Distinctive. Refined. The technology of the F-GN2200 Victorian looks forward, while its style harkens back. A part of our finest line of instant hot water dispensers, this model is designed for use with our stainless steel tank for filtered, near-boiling water.


text:
$3.4M road plan to ease traffic near new arena
With the Dollar Loan Center in Henderson a handful of months away from hosting its first events city officials are in the process of adding features aimed at improving the anticipated event day traffic flow.
$3.4M road plan to ease traffic near new arena.
Updated October 26, 2021 - 7:40 am
Work on the Dollar Loan Center in Henderson continues, on Thursday, July 22, 2021, in Henderson. (Bizuayehu Tesfaye/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @bizutesfaye
With the Dollar Loan Center in Henderson a few months away from hosting its first events, city officials are in the process of making changes to nearby roadways to improve the anticipated event day traffic flow.
When the 6,000-seat arena was first conceptualized, many residents in the surrounding Green Valley Ranch subdivision voiced concerns about the impact it could have on the heavily residential area. Many were concerned about increased traffic congestion tied to events at the $84 million facility on the southeast corner of Green Valley and Paseo Verde parkways.
To get ahead of the situation, Henderson began a $3.4 million project last month that adds two new traffic signals on Paseo Verde Parkway and one on Green Valley Parkway.
One of the Paseo Verde signals is being installed at Village Park Drive, the main drag to Green Valley Ranch Resort and the District at Green Valley Ranch outdoor shopping mall, where some arenagoers are expected to park. The other will be added on Paseo Verde at Desert Shadow Trail, where a four-way stop currently exists.
The new signal on Green Valley Parkway will be located at the road leading to the Dollar Loan Center, the Henderson Multigenerational Center and Paseo Verde Library.
Work on the road project began in late September and is scheduled to continue through February, the same month construction on the arena is slated to wrap up.
In addition to the new signals, the road project also includes some lane improvements.
There will be an added southbound through lane on Green Valley Parkway, an added southbound to westbound right turn lane and an added northbound right-turn lane on Green Valley at Paseo Verde. The right-turn lane on northbound Green Valley Parkway also will be extended, said Kathy Blaha, spokeswoman for the City of Henderson.
"The traffic study performed for the event center provided recommendations to improve traffic flow," Blaha said. "The improvements included with this project were among the recommendations proposed by the traffic study."
Another project on the books looks to make further improvements to the corridor, including widening of 215 Beltway.
Clark County wrapped up a widening project earlier this year that saw the freeway go from three lanes to four from Windmill Lane to Pecos Road. Upgrades to the 215 interchanges at Pecos and Green Valley Parkway now are being reviewed, along with improvements to arterial streets in the area.
Henderson has been coordinating with RTC on these improvements, which are RTC funded.
To help with the change in traffic flow from a normal day to a game day, an adaptive signal system is being incorporated within the travel corridor.
Adaptive traffic signals utilize sensors to collect data, which is fed into a controller to review and develop signal timing improvements and modifications. The process is updated continually to ensure signal timing is reacting to real-time conditions.
Henderson and the Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada carried out a pilot program with the adaptive signals on a 3.6-mile stretch of Eastern Avenue and saw travel times reduced by 25 percent.
In addition, Henderson has a contract with a parking specialist group, PATG, to handle event day traffic once the Dollar Loan Center opens.
"This is the same firm employed at T-Mobile and Allegiant (Stadium)," Blaha said.
Contact Mick Akers at makers@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2920. Follow @mickakers on Twitter. Send questions and comments to roadwarrior@reviewjournal.com.
New arena's tenants
The Dollar Loan Center will be the home of the AHL Silver Knights, with their first game at the arena planned for April 2, and the Indoor Football League's Knight Hawks, which will also kick off their tenure there next year.
The first announced event at the arena is the Big West men's and women's conference basketball tournaments March 8-12.
Posted on: Henderson, Local, News, News Columns, Road Warrior, Traffic
Tagged: Has Video, mc-news

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Resultados do Grande Prêmio da Grã-Bretanha de Fórmula 1 (formalmente LIV Foster's British Grand Prix) realizado em Silverstone em 15 de julho de 2001. Décima primeira etapa da temporada, teve como vencedor o finlandês Mika Häkkinen, que subiu ao pódio ladeado por Michael Schumacher e Rubens Barrichello, pilotos da Ferrari.

Classificação

Treino classificatório

Corrida

Tabela do campeonato após a corrida

Classificação do mundial de pilotos

Classificação do mundial de construtores

Grã-Bretanha
2001
Desporto no Reino Unido em 2001

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
ERG Partners
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PUC Seeks Comment on Future of Energy Efficiency, Conservation Programs
The Public Utility Commission seeking comments on the future of energy efficiency and conservation (EE&C) programs established under Act 129 of 2008. By a secretarial letter, the Commission requested input into future program areas as detailed on the links below.
At the same time, The Commission announced it would convene a stakeholder meeting to discuss the potential implementation of the second phase of the energy efficiency and conservation (EE&C) program as part of the Commission's continuing implementation of Act 129 of 2008.
Commission staff will convene the Stakeholder meeting on March 16, 2012, at 9 a.m. in Hearing Room 1 of the Commonwealth Keystone Building in Harrisburg. The purpose of the meeting is to allow interested parties to discuss views on possible timeline issues, additional planning and implementation, as well as to begin a dialogue about the potential energy reduction targets for phase two of Act 129.
"Throughout my tenure on the Commission, I have championed the programs resulting from Act 129 and I remain a strong supporter of energy efficiency and demand response," said Chairman Robert Powelson in a statement. "It is essential, however, that any future Act 129 programs are effective uses of consumers' money."
The Commission voted 5-0 to seek comments on important topics and issues that will be instrumental in designing and implementing any future phase of the EE&C program. The current EE&C plans are valid through 2013, at which time the law directs the PUC to re-evaluate the costs and benefits to determine if the EE&C programs should continue. By initiating this planning process well in advance of 2013, the Commission intends to facilitate a smooth transition to minimize any possible program lapses if the decision is made to move into the second phase of the program.
PUC seeks comments on energy efficiency, conservation programs
PUC to convene stakeholder meeting to prepare for potential second phase of energy efficiency and conservation program
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ad(Hutcheson, Steven) » Refine Search
The influence of written information security policy on digital forensic data analysis: A case study of law enforcement and private investigative operations
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That is adorable! I admit when I first saw this scene in the movie I was surprised and thought that it was completely pointless to have Adam Driver to be shirtless in the movie, kind of like Chris Hemsworth being shirtless in the Thor films, I don't know if it was because they were trying to make the movie more funny, or if they were pointing out that Rey and Kylo might be a 'thing', (and that fact that it was Snoke who was responsible for Rey and Kylo communicating through the force, why he'd have them communicate when Kylo is shirtless is puzzling to me) but Rey's reaction and response was hilarious and who've thought that Adam looked that good underneath that cloak! (I've seen him in other films, I always thought he was a tall skinny dude, but damn!) Again, love the pic, so adorable!
I love the memes that sprang up. I even made one.
OMG SAAAAAME except I did. ;w; REYLO FOR LIFE THOUGH.
I love his facial expression!
"My friend saw Kylo Ren in the shower. He told me Kylo has an 8-pack."
Oh my gosh, Rey's face!! Love-love-love this!!


American girls collection. Felicity, 1774 volume 4.
Spring brings Felicity's tenth birthday and a visit from Grandfather. He gives Felicity a precious gift--a guitar that had belonged to her grandmother. Felicity is so enchanted with the guitar that she disobeys her mother and takes it out of the house to show her friend Elizabeth. Her parents are angry when they learn what she's done. They refuse to believe a message Felicity has overheard that means danger for the colonists. Felicity risks her parents' anger again when she decides to alert the colonists herself!
As her tenth birthday approaches, Felicity is excited by her grandfather's visit, but she is also concerned about the growing tensions between the colonists and the British governor in Williamsburg.
ils:a94015|Book|Books|1st ed.|English|Pleasant Co.,|c1992.|69 p. : col. ill. ; 22 cm.


We believe keynoting doesn't begin when we walk on the stage.
Keynoting starts with strategic conversations to develop a purpose and determine the needs of the audience. Our participants walk away inspired and motivated!
We provide applicable resources and steps to success. We deliver the "how to" for real-life situations with honest solutions, not just the theories for applications.


text:
Police investigation launched after woman is found dead in Benton home
The 49-year-old was discovered at a house near Coach Lane in the early hours of Wednesday and a 43-year-old man is in custody
Katie Collings
Police have launched an investigation after a woman was found dead in a house in Newcastle .
A man has been arrested after the 49-year-old was discovered at an address in Benton in the early hours of Wednesday morning.
Police were called to Penfold Close, near to the Northumbria University Coach Lane Campus, at 12.48am by the ambulance service.
It is not yet known how the woman died.
North East news LIVE: Latest breaking news, sport, weather, traffic and travel
A spokesperson for Northumbria Police said: "Inquiries are ongoing into how the 49-year-old woman died and at this time her death is being treated as unexplained.
"A 43-year-old man has been arrested in connection with the death and remains in custody while enquiries are continuing."
A spokesperson for the North East Ambulance Service added: "We were called to Penfold Close at 12.34am to a female patient.
"CPR was in progress and we deployed three resources to the scene and alerted the police to the incident."


Part of our Clarity trend collection this simple and sleek double wall stainless steel tumbler is compact for an easy fit with most single cup or K-cup coffee maker. Lid is push-on and slides open and closed. Great for use at the office. 14oz. Complies with Prop 65. 5.87" H x 3.5" L. Imprint area is 3.00" H x 4.30" L on Centered on tumblerCenter of art 2" down from lip. Please call for rush delivery availability or multi-colour/multi-location imprints.


text:
Q: PHP List items in json data in a table I am doing some requests using php i am getting this json data from the url i am requesting from and i need to list the name and tag category of each different set of brackets or item out in html  how would i go about this see my code below
<?php
    $query = $_POST['query'];

    $cSession = curl_init();
    curl_setopt($cSession,CURLOPT_URL,"https://api.spiget.org/v2/search/resources/" + $query);
    curl_setopt($cSession,CURLOPT_RETURNTRANSFER,true);
    curl_setopt($cSession,CURLOPT_HEADER, false);
    $result = curl_exec($cSession);
    curl_close($cSession);

    $json = json_decode($result);
    foreach ($json['items'] as $data)
    {
        echo "
". $json['name']."
";
        echo "
". $json['tag']."
";
        echo "\n";
        echo "\n";
        echo "\n";
    };?>

JSON DATA
Warning: A non-numeric value encountered in C:\xampp\htdocs\request.php on line 7
Warning: A non-numeric value encountered in C:\xampp\htdocs\request.php on line 7
Warning: Invalid argument supplied for foreach() in C:\xampp\htdocs\request.php on line 14
Those are the errors i get when the file is run

A: You define in your json loop as $data so you need to use it in displaying
<?php
$query = $_POST['query'];

$cSession = curl_init();
curl_setopt($cSession,CURLOPT_URL,"https://api.spiget.org/v2/search/resources/" + $query);
curl_setopt($cSession,CURLOPT_RETURNTRANSFER,true);
curl_setopt($cSession,CURLOPT_HEADER, false);
$result = curl_exec($cSession);
curl_close($cSession);

$json = json_decode($result);
foreach ($json['items'] as $data)
{
    echo "
". $data['name']."
";
    echo "
". $data['tag']."
";
    echo "\n";
    echo "\n";
    echo "\n";
};?>

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


John co-founded PresidioSports.com in 2008 and directed the daily news publication for seven years until it stopped publishing new content in December of 2015. In that time, Presidio Sports posted over 22,000 articles covering local athletics in the Santa Barbara community.
Today the website's home page is curated with some our best content over the years including many of our most-read stories and the athletic community's most significant accomplishments from 2008 through 2015. All of Presidio Sports' content remains accessible for historical record.
The publication's impact on the local sports community was recognized when Presidio Sports handed off some of its operations to Noozhawk.com in January of 2016.
Bill Macfadyen, Noozhawk's founder and publisher, said he and his business partners, Kim Clark and Tom Bolton, are looking forward to adding a sports section to their fast-growing website, but are saddened by the demise of a fellow online-only operation.
Macfadyen credited Presidio Sports with making a positive difference in the lives of thousands of student-athletes over the years.
Presidio Sports had previously partnered with local print weekly Santa Barbara Independent to reach a larger and broader audience.
PresidioSports.com is the Santa Barbara region's only dedicated sports news website, covering high school, college, and even club sports, and The Independent is the area's leading source of news, arts, entertainment, and lifestyle coverage, with the South Coast print circulation of 40,000 copies a week as well as the most trafficked media website, twice named the best weekly newspaper website in the country.


text:
Hawaiian Pig's Needlessly Long Musings on the Story
Not in Reach....
Hawaiian Pig lets loose a rant and a half on the plot of Halo Reach and story telling ability of Reach - it's so on the money it pains me - so I stole if from HBO just to ease my pain a lil by sharing it with you, dear Halo Fan. Thanks HBO! It's epic so I'm putting the read more thingy in right now...
Needlessly Long Musings on the Story
Ok, brace for impact. I started writing this and it just kept going.
Cody's point here on the story and cutting missions is valid, but I'd like to flesh it out a bit more. In fact, go read that. I agree with pretty much everything he says; although I agree with it, you're not gonna find that glowing praise for the Reach's gameplay here.
Yes, like ODST, Reach has many missions where "nothing actually happens." In typical video game fashion, you spend a lot of time running around doing mostly arbitrary tasks that are explained in some contrived manner.
I mean, did you really need to wander around the hub world piecing together the events for the past few hours when Dare simply hails you to get the party started? Or did you really need to turn on this comms array, or shut down that shield generator, when all you end up doing is delivering a package?
In the grand scheme of things, not really, right?
Well, not exactly.
With ODST and Reach, Bungie has time and again expounded their aim to "bring the player closer to the ground." After the glorious galactic romp that is the Halo trilogy, it seems Bungie's writing staff decided to try their hand at a narrower scope.
The idea was to jump feet first into hell… to get down and dirty and to see the war from the perspective of the thousands who fought and died. After all, not everyone is a stoic hero with his finger on the latchkey.
But with a narrow scope comes great responsibility; whatever you narrow your focus on better be damned interesting.
As Cody pointed out, the majority of levels in the Halo trilogy move the plot forward in some way.
Whereas the original Halo advanced a series of large scale events that flowed together, Reach presented a series of smaller events that, in the end, seemed utterly disjointed or insignificant.
If we condense both stories down to the bare essentials, this becomes readily apparent:
We come across mysterious ancient ring world.
We crash land and our captain is captured.
We rescue our captain and discover that the ringworld is a weapon
We split up, our captain to search one area, and we search another…
We find the controls to the weapon and find out our captain is in grave danger
Holy crap there's an unforeseen menace down here… and hey, what happened to our captain…
We make a new friend and he helps us kick start this weapon into overdriv—oh shit, doublecross! It was gonna kill us all
We stymie our new foe and devise a new plan:
We blow the damned thing up!
As you can see, there's clear flow from the top down; the events before directly influence the events that come. Throw in the occasional twist, and you've got yourself an interesting series of events.
There's a downed comms array, we need to check what's up.
Oh crap, it's down because the Covenant are on Reach
A lot of military handwaving occurs to find out that:
There's a big cruiser here, I guess we should take it out…
We take it out, but holy crap here comes more!
…well now I'm separated from my group, let me help some civilians, I guess
*beep beep* The Doctor will see you now: she's got a mission for you: Deliver a package that can turn the tide of the war
You deliver the package and die
When it comes down to it, not a whole lot happens in any coherent manner. There's a big cruiser, you take it out, then you help some civilians, and, unrelated to all of that, you finally do something significant to Halo's overall story arc.
But of course, that's not the point right? This game isn't supposed to advance or enrich the overall Halo story arc right?
No, instead, we're supposed to enjoy this presentation of a planet's fall… a planet whose fall gives rise to our original hero's galactic space opera. We're supposed to feel engaged in the atmosphere and feel connected to the characters. We're supposed to feel as though turning on that AA gun was part of a greater concerted effort to keep the planet from falling… even if it was just some AA gun.
So, Bungie narrowed the scope and decided to focus on developing this atmosphere.
Honestly, why they couldn't do this in addition to telling a coherent and compelling story whose events logically follow one another is beyond me. It really was a bit of a cop-out to have Halsey suddenly page you toward the end for a secret mission. Isn't that really familiar?
In spite of the largely insignificant story it tells, Reach is supposed to make me feel like I'm part of a band of SPARTAN-IIIs who are doing their best to stave off the annihilation of a world.
I can dig that, I guess. It's not the buffet of glorious Halo intrigue that I'm used to, but it's colourful at least, right?
The question is… does it even do this well?
Honestly, I'd say it's hit and miss.
I've made a bit of a realization about the Halo trilogy with the new perspective these two latest games provide:
Without the grand scale and widely varying locales, without the constant flow of interesting events, without the room for wild speculation, mystery and intrigue, and without the feeling that the universe rests on my shoulders… the characters of Halo… well, they'd fall flat.
Let's take the Arbiter for example. How do I know that the Arbiter is a proud Elite warrior? Why do I feel a sense of respect for him toward the end of the series? Why did I enjoy fighting alongside (or as) this beast who was once my enemy?
Do I know he's a skilled warrior because someone told me they read his dossier that's riddled with black ink? Is it because he spouts phrases you would expect of a proud warrior?
Or is it because we see him fall from the highest ranks of the Covenant armada, get utterly betrayed by his former leader, and rise up and inspire his people to revolt?
Take a guess.
Few things say brother-in-arms like that moment where the Chief and Arbiter stand back-to-back in the Ark's control room. The strength of this scene is not simply a result of that badass pose they strike, but rather due to all the shit the two of you have gone through. From his defeat at Halo, through his fall from grace, through his realization that the great journey was a lie, to the ensuing revolution he begins, I got a firm sense that the Arbiter was more than just a gun at my side.Really. Here's the kicker: Character development is most often a direct result of the trials and tribulations that occur in light of the events of a story.
You don't read a book for a description of a character; you read a book to see the character experience a set of events and change in light of them. That's what makes them interesting.
So when your game has very few significant events, your characters are left to develop through small ancillary exchanges.
That, or you outright just tell me what I should think about your characters.
One of the moments that best demonstrate this is when Noble Team comes across some farmers in the first level. Emile gets short tempered and hostile in this exchange and Jorge immediately chimes in to diffuse the situation. Speaking their language, Jorge shows compassion, and we get a glimpse at the kind of person he is. To boot, there are some children cowering inside the house and the moment gives you a great sense that the planet is more than just a battleground; it's their home.
This exchange does nothing for the plot, it doesn't advance anything significant, but it adds character. One could argue that the game is full of moments like this, but you'd be hard pressed to find many more.
Jorge's development as a character is probably the best handled in the game. Unlike the others, the player isn't berated with overt comments that announce his qualities to you through a megaphone. We actually see Jorge emote on various occasions, be it interrogating a daughter of a dead man, talking to Halsey, floating above Reach in space, or sacrificing his life.
Interestingly enough, the latter is a major event in the game. Funny how such events have the potential to develop character.
In fact, there was a meaningful event that could have certainly provided our characters a chance to strongly emote that was unbearably mistreated:
So there I was right? I'm on Reach, investigating a downed comms array. My commanding officer said that it was probably taken out by the local insurrectionists, when suddenly, I hear something up on the roof… What is that? Oh?
There's a skirmisher outside the window.
It's the covenant and they're on Reach.
What does my team have to say about this?
Jorge: Here we go.
Really?!That was it?! Here's an opportunity to depict a full scale invasion of a planet by the Covenant, and how do you do it?
The sound of scampering feet on the steel roof over my head?
What is this, Left4Dead?
And what's the reaction of our characters to Covenant invading our most heavily fortified military world?
Jorge: It's the damned covenant.
Emile: Cheer up big man, this whole valley became a free fire zone.
Incredibly. Whack. Woefully missed opportunity.
But I've digressed…
It's through a character's actions, and meaningful interactions, that we find depth. Jorge gets this on a few occasions, but the other members of Noble…
Should they be so lucky…
In attempting to shoehorn some personality into these characters, not only do we end up with a rag tag team of cardboard cutouts instead of believable people, but we undermine the development of the atmosphere upon which Reach's story so precariously depends. This happens throughout the game, but I've decided to pick out a few gems that felt like someone was slowly pushing needles into my eyes, all the while telling me "Hey, I'm pushing needles into your eyes."
Carter: Me, I'm just happy to have Noble back up to full strength. Just one thing. I've seen your file. Even the parts the ONI censors didn't want me to. I'm glad to have your skill set, but we're a team. That lone wolf stuff stays behind. Clear?
Noble Six: Got it, sir.
Jun: Welcome to Reach.
This line basically reads like: Hey man, woah, woah, woah!I know you're badass, but can you dial back the awesomejust a bit, we're trying to work together here.
Oh, and in case you didn't know. You're playing Halo: Reach by Bungie Studios.
Hell, this whole cutscene was better handled in the trailer; Jorge gives a subtle nod to Pegasi, and Jun says "You picked a hell of a day to join up." That would have been easier to stomach, but it still doesn't do away with the Mary Sue treatment of Noble Six.
Now dialogue was never Halo's strong suit…
But really…
Kat: Question of my life. If the question is when will this station be back online, two weeks, earliest. This is plasma damage. All major uplink components are fried.
Carter: Two minutes is too long.
Kat: "Which is why I'm splicing into the main overland bundle to get you a direct line to Colonel Holland… You're in my light, Commander.
Oh? Some technobabble? Did we mention Kat is real techy? How interesting that the major uplink components are fried… Hey, get out of her light and let the woman workdammit.
This scene is about as excruciating as the one where Kat borrows Emile's knife to writenothing on the ground.
Obviously, this doesn't advance the plot; instead, it's clear that it's meant solely to develop her character. But what's the development? All it tells us is that she's some boring sci-fi cliché: The Technology Specialist. Just about every member of Noble aside from Six and Jorge get this treatment.
Because nothing really happens to them, we don't learn much about the main characters outside of moments like these. And it's moments like these that stuck out like a sore thumb.
Honestly, most of Noble Team's dialogue is simply objective based. The most interesting dialogue in this game actually comes from various marines and officers who help build atmosphere (more on that later).
I mean, what else do we really know about Kat? A pretty good test of character design is to try your best to describe the character. The more significant things you can say, the better.
Rest assured, I've got a lot more to say about Cortana or the Arbiter than I have for every member of Noble Team.
I have to think that a narrow scope doesn't necessarily mean an insignificant plot. Just because we're not dealing with things on a galactic scale doesn't necessarily mean your characters can't experience change. There's no interplay between a protagonist and antagonist, and there aren't any real emotional or psychological obstacles for our characters to overcome. The biggest problems our characters face are solely action based: there's an objective, and we have to complete it.
Halsey: Are you a puppet or a SPARTAN?
You said it, babe.
What can you honestly say changed about each character from the beginning of the game to the end?
Rated For Atmosphere
I will say that, atmospherically, Reach does a stellar job of illustrating… well, the fall of Reach.
The level designs and set pieces really make you feel as though you're fighting for survival on an embattled planet.
When the UNSC Savannah offers her assistance despite having her "wings clipped," only to get shot down shortly thereafter, you really feel like things are barely holding together. There are plenty of small things that encourage this feeling.
Next time you fight up the beach on Long Night of Solace, as you enter the base, stop and turn around. The battle continues outside. A Pelican drops off a ton of UNSC troops who are armed to the teeth, and if you hang out here, the Covenant waves don't seem to stop. You ultimately have to leave it, but like dummy battles you can see off in the distance on other levels, it's things like this that make you feel like you're part of a larger war.
Of course, there's another missed opportunity here: At the beginning of Tip of the Spear, we get teased with that moment every Halo kiddie has dreamt about for as long as we can remember:
One massive-as-fuck scale battle.
holyshitomgicanteventellwhatsgoingon
Now I'm sure that didn't pan out because of hardware constraints, but I don't think there was a single moment in the game where I fought alongside a friendly vehicle. You do this in Halo 2 in Mombasa and in Halo 3 on The Covenant, and goddamn, do those sections feel large in scale (Two Scarabs, holy shit!).
Nevertheless, as far as the majority of the game is concerned, you certainly feel like you're desperately fighting a losing battle.
There are countless examples of this. Helping civilians on Exodus and New Alexandria certainly developed a feeling of hopelessness with respect to saving the planet; even if it was just something to do because you got separated from the rest of the team and ultimately the plot itself.
A cohesive story aside, these missions stand out the most in terms of setting atmosphere and give you a great chance to see civilians of Reach. When your falcon flies over battles occurring down below, you not only realize that you're losing the battle, but that you can't really help… you can only delay the inevitable. If I were more emotionally engaged, I'd have felt moved.
The thing is, Reach has a heck of a lot of these little things that build the atmosphere, but really lacks it where it counts. Only those us fans, those intimately familiar with the Halo universe, will be able to set aside the lack of compelling story and characters to really appreciate these small things.
But at the end of the day, when the characters fall flat, and when the things you do involve running around between ultimately arbitrary objectives, it's hard to get emotionally invested.
I mean, I don't think Reach is gonna be turning Roger Ebert's head.
Atmospheric "asides," are great, but two full missions of them? Well then where's your story? That's like 20% of your game.
Would it have been so difficult to ensure that everything maintained a logical flow? Some simple things could have made the events make more sense. Perhaps the big cruiser that we first came across was digging for the artifact that Halsey was researching. Suddenly the two events are meaningfully linked, and the game is that much more cohesive…
The games of the trilogy did this with ease. Why is it that this game feels like "Halo: Random Crap That Happened on Reach?"
Now, it's very likely that the books, or something in the legendary journals, will link together all of the events that occurred in the game. But as far as the actual game is concerned, it's not much more than a collection of events that occurred to some boring characters. At best, it's a tale of perseverance in a handful of soldiers. Maybe that would be compelling if those soldiers weren't bland and, thus, died unceremoniously (1).
All I Need To Know Is, Did We Lose 'Em
On the whole, I was completely underwhelmed by Halo Reach's story. When I completed everything, I was ecstatic about all the cameos and subtle nods to existing Halo canon (2), but I couldn't name a single moment that stood out to me.
I couldn't say "Remember when this happened? And how about this."
I was left kind of dumbstruck. And if not for the halo-heart-string pulling cameos, I don't think I would have had many nice things to say (3).
The Halo trilogy is loaded with a lot of these iconic moments, and despite multiple play-throughs, I still can't pin a moment here that really stands out. What's worse, is that there's so much potential here.
Alas, at the end of the day, when it comes to Reach's story, the question is:
Am I gonna place this story alongside the Halo Trilogy or ODST on my proverbial bookshelf?
I think we both know the answer to that.
Labels: halo reach, halo reach plot, propaganda
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Anthony Smith eases up on piano, reinvents himself in New York
Deep into the vibes
By Dave Good, Jan. 10, 2018
Anthony Smith
No, not a CD-release party, although jazz music will be played live. It's a book-signing party, the author of which is central to the band. Anthony Smith's back in town after four years in New York. Some may remember him as keyboardist in a red-hot pop/rock band called the Mighty Untouchables. Or, as a straight-ahead jazz pianist. Smith says he reinvented himself while in New York.
The Anthony Smith Vibraphone Quartet: "26-2" (Live at Subculture NYC)
"I put the focus on the vibraphone," he says by phone. He and his wife and kids live near Lake Murray now. "I was a pianist who dabbled in the vibes." Now, he says it's the other way around.
Masters of the Vibes
Saturday, January 13, 2018, 8 p.m.
Dizzy's/Musicians Union Hall, 1717 Morena Boulevard, San Diego
Then, there's the book: Masters of the Vibes is conversations Smith's had with several major vibraphonists. "The book covers so much ground historically and culturally, too," he explains. I wonder about his New York experience. Was it like they all say — that you gotta go there to make or break? "No. I didn't have the experience of a 22-year-old trying to make it in the jazz world." In truth, he says the East Coast move was because his wife got a killer job there. "I was already established as a musician."
But, the Big Apple: "It was a cool situation for me to develop a whole new network. And I got to play with world-class guys." Some of them ended up in his book. And it follows that music by the artists profiled will be showcased, with Carlos Cuevas on piano, drummer Fernando Gomez, and bassist Mackenzie Leighton.
Smith, 48, teaches jazz studies at SDSU. And he is no stranger to publishing. A few years ago he wrote and released The Lizard Stays in the Cage. The book is 700+ pages about his life as a touring musician. It is half again as much funny as anything by Carl Hiaasen. "I still have copies available, if anybody wants one."
More stories by Dave Good
Warm, dark saxophone sounds — July 19, 2018
Single-minded Joshua White — Nov. 22, 2017
Jazz came knocking — April 16, 2014
Our Pulitzer pianist — Aug. 28, 2013
Mikan Zlatkovich on Jazz — April 4, 2012


This report summarises the findings of a systematic review of the best, available scientific evidence on how home adaptations can contribute to improving later life. Living in a suitable home is crucially important to a good later life. The right home environment can maintain or improve people's physical and mental health, wellbeing and social connections,enable them to carry out day-to-day activities safely and comfortably, and help them to do the things that are important to them. More than 90% of older people in England live in mainstream housing, as opposed to specialist housing or residential care. However, current UK housing stock is often not accessible or adapted to meet people's needs as they get older, with small room sizes, steep internal stairs, baths rather than showers and steps outside. While many people will maintain good health and fitness for much of their later years, the likelihood of having one or more long-term condition, physical impairments,disabilities and frailty that make day-to-day life at home more difficult does increase with age. The percentage of people who have difficulty with at least one activity of daily living (basic routine activities like eating, bathing and dressing) increases dramatically from 16% at age 65 to around half of those aged 85. By people's late 80s, more than one in three people have difficulty undertaking five or more activities of daily living unaided (Marmot et al 2016). Installing aids and adaptations into people's homes, such as grab rails and level access showers, can improve the accessibility and usability of a person's home environment, maintaining or restoring their ability to carry out day-to-day activities safely and comfortably. The last comprehensive review of the evidence on home adaptations was published in 2007. Since then, there has been increasing policy attention paid to the benefits of home adaptations, particularly in relation to how they can reduce health and social care costs, many of which are outlined in this review. However, there should be much greater focus and action given to the widely acknowledged and unsustainable pressures on our health and social care systems, coupled with the fact that we are living for longer and the proportion of older people in our society is growing. In the last Spending Review, the budget for the Disabled Facilities Grant was increased to enable greater access to home adaptations for more people, yet there is still an unacceptable and under-reported number of people not getting the equipment and support they need. This review aims to provide an up-to-date analysis of evidence of the importance and effectiveness of home adaptations.


Today Bugaboo is Sponsoring the Forever Friends Challenge. The challenge today is to use BLUE. What better way to use BLUE than for a Christmas card made with a super cute snowman image called Snowman Winter. You can find him at the store by clicking on his name.
Wonderful creation Lori. I love blue Christmas cards. Thanks for joinig us at Christmas Inspirations challenges. We hope you will play with us along the year.
Thanks for joining us at Christmas Inspirations challenges. We hope you will play with us along the year.
This is one fab card! Such a great image.
Thanks for joining us at Forever Friends!
What a cute snowman... thank you for joining us at crafty cardmakers this time.
Your Snowman is really cute, Lori! I like the shades of blue, the card looks fantastic!
Thanks for playing with us at Challenge up your life!
That snowman is a real sweetie, Lori!
What a fun Christmas card!
Thanks for joining us at Crafty Cardmakers this time and we hope to see you again soon.
i love your card! the snowman is so cute!!!
Thank for joining us at Challenge up your life!
Such a cute image and perfect design for our clean and simple challenge. Thanks for joining us at Paper Sundaes.
You've made a fun christmas card, the image is so cute. Thanks for sharing your card with us at FOREVER FRIENDS 'Shades of Blue' challenge.


text:
Wooden Guitar Picks Promote Cape Breton and the Environment
Adam Chiasson is no stranger to the music industry. Born and raised in Sydney River, Adam played in bands and toured Canada and the USA with Jennifer Roland. Adam currently lives in Calgary, where he started his company Tree Picks almost by accident.
"I stumbled across some wood that I had and made a few picks for myself and some friends," said Adam. "I got really good feedback, so I started experimenting with different types of wood and designs. Six months later, I started selling picks with Cape Breton Island on them."
Tree Picks are customized, laser-etched guitar picks. They are made from a range of woods and in a variety of styles for different types of guitar players from jazz to acoustic. To give back to the environment, Tree Picks plants a tree for every guitar pick they sell.
Tree Picks currently sell in over 20 countries. A few musicians such as Justine Vandergrift and Matt Blais even have their own line of picks.
For more information, visit TreePicks.com
https://www.facebook.com/treepicks/
https://capebreton.lokol.me/wooden-guitar-picks-promote-cape-breton-and-the-environment


text:
The Tumble Inn Anna: A Daughter's Life The Shooting of Rabbit Wells
Wings Clarence Cochran, A Human Boy
William Loizeaux
More Praise for
Anna: A Daughter's Life
A New York Times Notable Book
"Stunningly clear-eyed and lyrical…the economy and beauty of his words give this book a kind of illuminating grace…We are each the only one of our kind. William Loizeaux makes this case for his family and the rest of us with remarkable eloquence, passion, and honesty."
—Reeve Lindbergh, Washington Post Book World
"Powerful…This is honest writing…that allows for humor, and that tracks the process of becoming a parent and the process of bereavement with extraordinary precision."
—Helen Epstein, New York Times Book Review.
Born with a number of birth defects known as VATER Syndrome, Anna Loizeaux's chances for survival were uncertain. Each day was a gift and each moment was precious. Much of her brief life was spent in hospital nurseries and operating rooms, where medical technology and human intervention mustered all their resources to give her the chance for life that nature had not. In the end, they couldn't.
Anna lived only a few precious, wonderful months, and when she died she shattered the lives of her parents. Where is the design to the death of a child? What is left to hold on to? William Loizeaux began to write a journal. Begun out of the agony of grief and the determination to forget nothing, Anna: A Daughter's Life becomes an affirmation: there is no life without a marker. In the terrible beauty and uncompromising honesty of her father's prose, Anna has her marker. This stunningly beautiful record of a father's grief begun out of isolation and helpless rage, becomes an act of celebration. In it, he finds, and offers to us, the courage and spirit that asked so much from so brief a life. Here is an unforgettable portrait of an unforgettable child that reaches out to us all.
More Praise for Anna: A Daughter's Life
"The book that Anna's father, William, began as a very private effort to come to grips with his grief flowers into a document of public and universal meaning…The sharp imagery, the motifs, the writer's voice…all combine for riveting reading."
—Judy Fowler, The Baltimore Sun
"Written with luminous clarity and heartbreaking candor, this journal is an exorcism of grief, an outpouring of a father's fiercely tender love."
"It is a heartbreaking story, but the author's skill and eloquence make it unforgettable. Very highly recommended."
"On behalf of his daughter, Loizeaux shares his sorrow with heartbreaking honesty."
—Kirkus (pointer review)
"Anna is a wonderful book, honest, wise, and full of love. There is comfort in these pages even as they haunt."
—John Hubbard, The Oneida Dispatch
"Inspiration, a word that has lost its usefulness, regains it in this book."
—Frederick Busch
"Here intelligence grows into wisdom, precision matures into poetry, and courage takes on the stature of a heroic act of witnessing in the face of incalculable pain."
—Joyce Reiser Kornblatt
"What kind of knowledge can come from such a loss, what kind of resolution can such a true story have? The author, who couldn't have given us the answers to such questions as he began his entries, does provide us at the end with answers as satisfactory as the act of living can provide, ones that, being devoid of sentimentality, are genuine, and reach out to include us. This is secular autobiography, but it reminds me at times of certain passages I cherish in St. Augustine's Confessions, as well as others in James Agee's Let Us Now Praise Famous Men and A Death in the Family.
—James McConkey
William Loizeaux is an award-winning writer of short stories, essays, two novels for children, and two memoirs, one of which, Anna: A Daughter's Life, was a New York Times Notable Book. Now he has written his first novel for adult readers, The Tumble Inn, and his memoir The Shooting of Rabbit Wells has recently been reissued.
© 2015 William Loizeaux; Site Design by Chester Harvey


text:
There has been a lot of talk recently about the metaverse – a kind of 3D version of today's internet, in which users will work, learn, play and shop in immersive virtual worlds. Could it be the next big thing?
The metaverse is essentially a merging of virtual, augmented, and physical reality, and blurs the line between your interactions online and in real life. You will be able to create an avatar through which you can move around your virtual world and interact with others also moving around in avatar form. The metaverse will be a new information realm, with real social and economic possibilities and the potential to broaden our spectrum of experiences beyond what's possible in the physical world.
The world's 2bn+ video-game players have already tasted the beginnings what's of possible, although today's games platform are still basic with rigid simulations. As virtual worlds become more complex and granular, they could generate their own money, economies, work, lifestyles and social interactions.
This is a timely event which will examine:
The benefits of being in the metaverse
The metaverse's first killer apps
Which business models are likely to succeed?
Will we be able move from one metaverse in to another?
How will data from avatars be managed?
Will tech giants like Facebook and Microsoft dominate the metaverse, or will blockchain technology and cryptocurrencies act as decentralising forces. Come and join us to learn what's on the horizon, understand the bigger picture, and future proof your business.
Codex events are where the big-hitters come out to play.
6:00 pm 6:45 pm Panel Discussion and Q&A
Codex TV
Rev Lebaredian, Vice President, Omniverse & Simulation Technology, NVIDIA
David Chalmers, Author, Reality+: Virtual Worlds and the Problems of Philosophy
Rev Lebaredian
Vice President, Omniverse & Simulation Technology, NVIDIA
Author, Reality+: Virtual Worlds and the Problems of Philosophy
David Chalmers is University Professor of Philosophy and Neural Science and co-director of the Center for Mind, Brain, and Consciousness at New York University. He is known for formulating the "hard problem" of consciousness, which inspired Tom Stoppard's play The Hard Problem, and for the idea of the "extended mind," which says that the tools we use can become parts of our minds.
In his new book Reality+: Virtual Worlds and the Problems of Philosophy, he argues that virtual reality is genuine reality, and that we can lead a meaningful life in metaverse-style virtual worlds.


Let those ephemeral visions drift gently into reality with the easy chic of the Dreamt It Shorts.
Pull-on jogger shorts in a loose, slouchy silhouette.
Lightweight, crinkled rayon body is set off by a Battenberg taped lace trim at the edges.


Elizabeth Kirkhart is an associate in the Tampa office of Lewis Brisbois and is a member of the General Liability Practice. She handles matters that range from commercial and personal premises liability to automobile and trucking liability. She is involved in matters from inception and often begins the investigation and defense within hours of an accident.
Prior to joining this firm, Ms. Kirkhart worked in the insurance industry for over a decade and handled personal auto, commercial and homeowner's liability claims and lawsuits. She also handled subrogation, bodily injury, property damage and collision claims in multiple venues. Her prior experience gives her a strong insight into the needs and interests of insured and insurance clients as she represents them in her current position.
For most of her time in the insurance industry, she focused on Florida liability claims including defense for fatality and serious injury claims. Ms. Kirkhart managed the litigation department for a well-known insurer for personal auto lawsuits across thirteen states. Ms. Kirkhart has participated in over three hundred mediations and handled thousands of lawsuits through settlement, arbitration or trial. Ms. Kirkhart has a robust insurance background and years of experience moving files through the litigation process.
Additionally, Ms. Kirkhart is an advocate for sustainable and environmentally friendly farming, waste reduction and recycling and the benefits of nutritional food availability and education. She volunteers with Keep Tampa Bay Beautiful, Gasparilla Music Festival and the Hillsborough County Humane Society.


text:
The Cranky Monkey
Saved by the Bell Drinking Game
on January 13, 2021 Drinking Games
Early Morning Asshole
The break room counter in my office, has to the right a water cooler/heater. It's typical of most break rooms. It has a hot, room temp, and cold. Just to the right of that, is a stack of styrofoam cups. There is also a stack off to the left of the counter near the teas.
So, I'm at the water filling my mug with a little hot water to rinse it out. As I'm standing there, a guy, a good two feet taller then me comes into the room, and reaches over me to grab one of the styrofoam cups. Keep in mind he could have went to the other stack, but it would have involved taking an additional two steps to get to. In the process of grabbing the cup, he elbows me on the side of the head. It wasn't hard, but still he did it, and it was rude. He could have waited two second for me to finish, or like I said, grab a cup from the other stack. But what really pissed me off is, he didn't do what most of us would do, which is immediately apologize. So of course irritated I was like "Excuse me." In retrospect I should have said "excuse you" but it was early and my mind hadn't woken up yet. At this point he says a quick, "oh sorry" then goes to start his coffee and leaves the room while it brews. As I finished what I was doing, I slowly get more and more aggravated. Maybe because it was early, or maybe because I was a little shocked, but I didn't actually get as mad as I normally would have while he was there. And unfortunately or maybe it was a good thing, but instead of waiting for him to come back and immediately punch him in the nuts, I left and went to bitch to a friend of about it.
As I'm writing this, I realize the appropriate response would have been to spit in his cup while he was out of the room.
It's people like this guy, that are why I don't want to be a Microsoft FTE, and why I enjoyed not being here so much over the summer. As I've posted before, they think everything revolves around them, and they don't even notice when other people are in the room. Unless of course, that other person in the room is a higher up manager, then they totally know that person is in the room. Fucking ass hounds!!!
Microsoft People who make me cranky
Rooster said…
Two words: Omnipotent Stick.
The egocentrisism oozes from the doors of the buildings.
He wouldn't have known about the spit which defeats the point. I would have taken his cup away and let the coffee brew without one.
MGD said…
Fuck the omnipotent stick… what he really needs in the omnipotent tree stump up his ass.
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How Working for Microsoft as a "V-" or "A-" Is Like Being Black In The 50's
The United States Peace Index
© The Cranky Monkey


text:
Study finds deforestation is changing animal communication
by University of Waterloo
Deforestation is changing the way monkeys communicate in their natural habitat, according to a new study.
This study, led by an anthropologist at the University of Waterloo, offers the first evidence in animal communication scholarship of differences in vocal behaviours in response to different types of forest edge areas.
Working in a tropical lowland rainforest in Costa Rica, the researchers examined how human-caused forest habitat changes have affected vegetation and, in turn, the rate and length of howling by the group-living howler monkey species.
Led by Laura Bolt, an adjunct professor of anthropology at Waterloo, the study compared how the communication behaviour of the mantled howler monkey differs in forest edges impacted by human activity, known as anthropogenic edges, compared to natural forest edges.
"Howler monkeys are well-known for making very loud, long-distance vocalizations called howls," said Bolt. "While howls are only produced by adult males, howl function is not entirely known, so we conducted our study to test the hypothesis that the intensity of howling by monkeys relates to defending ecological resources such as areas of richer vegetation or preferred feeding trees."
Anthropogenic areas were identified as areas within 50 meters of barbed wire fences marking the edge of the forest and the start of coconut plantations or cattle pasture, and natural forest edges as areas within 50 meters of a river.
The study found that males howl to defend high-quality resources, with notably longer durations of howling in the forest interior and at river edge areas where vegetation resources are richer. The researchers also found differences in howl length between river edge and anthropogenic edge areas, which is an important insight for conservation planning.
"Howler monkeys eat leaves and fruit, and if they are howling to defend these resources, we predicted that males would howl for longer durations of time when in a forest interior or near the river edge, where vegetation is richer compared to anthropogenic edge," said Bolt.
To conduct their study, the researchers collected data on mantled howler monkey howling behaviour from May to August in 2017 and 2018, following groups as they travelled across various edge and interior habitat zones. All monkey groups were well-habituated and did not react to the visible presence of the researchers.
With their evidence showing that anthropogenic deforestation is altering howler monkey behaviour, Bolt and her colleagues say that long-term howler monkey conservation initiatives should prioritize preservation of forest interior and river edge regions and re-forestation of human-caused forest edges.
"While it is yet unknown what implications these behavioural changes across different edge zones may have for monkey fitness," says Bolt, "our findings show that it is proximity to anthropogenic forest edge, rather than to naturally-occurring forest edge, that is changing howler monkey communication behaviour. This is just one of the many ways that howler monkeys are affected by deforestation."
The study will be published in the journal Behaviour in spring 2020.
Plants faring worse than monkeys in increasingly patchy forests of Costa Rica
Provided by University of Waterloo
Citation: Study finds deforestation is changing animal communication (2020, January 9) retrieved 23 January 2020 from https://phys.org/news/2020-01-deforestation-animal.html
South American howler monkeys may be more threatened than previously thought
Shedding new light on night monkeys
Mutations in the mantled howler provoked by disturbances in its habitat
Howler monkey study examines mechanisms of new species formation
Rio reintroduces howler monkeys after century's absence


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text:
Tag Archives: Sam Rayburn
Time of My Life, Part 58: It goes with territory
My morning started at the Sam Rayburn VA Medical Center in Bonham, Texas, where I went for a routine exam.
During the course of the examination, the radiology technician and I engaged in some light-hearted banter that wove its way eventually toward some of the complaints she gets from veterans such as me.
"If I say something that someone doesn't like, they go to" speak to the personnel office, she said. "Then I hear from her" and have to explain, she added.
No one tells the personnel office about all "thousands of good things that go on here," she said.
I laughed. Loudly, in fact. It reminded me of an aspect of my career that I shared with the radiology technician. I will share it with you.
I told her that "when I was a working guy, I wrote editorials for newspapers." One of the aspects of the job was getting feedback from readers. It could be positive. It could be negative. I told her that "I lost count many years ago of the time someone would say, 'Hey, I really liked that editorial you wrote.' I would ask him or her 'Which one?' They couldn't remember, but only told me they liked it," I explained. Did it frustrate me? Of course it did! I wanted to know the particulars of what pleased this individual; I didn't tell her that part.
Then I told her, "If they disagreed with an editorial I wrote or a position I laid out, why they were able to recite it back to me … word for word."
Such is the nature of that line of work and so it is with what my new friend at the Rayburn VA Center has chosen to do.
I ended up telling her, "I hope you know it just goes with the territory."
She understands.
journalismmediaSam RayburnVA medical center
Mr. Sam knew his place
August 20, 2019 kanelis2012
BONHAM, Texas — The plaque pictured here offers an important civics lesson. It tells of the late Sam Rayburn's role as speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives and also as a rank-and-file member of the legislative branch of the federal government.
The great Mr. Sam said he didn't work "under" eight presidents, but that he worked "with" them. Listen up! Pay attention!
Too many presidents over many decades have fancied themselves as bigger than their office, occupying an office bigger and more powerful and meaningful than the other two co-equal branches of government.
Yes, Donald Trump, I refer to you as well.
Rayburn served in the House with eight presidents, the first of whom was Woodrow Wilson; the last of them was John F. Kennedy. Rayburn died in November 1961.
He was the Man of the House, even when he wasn't pounding the gavel as its speaker.
I came back to the Rayburn Library and Museum today to show my visiting brother-in-law — who is quite a student of history — this place my wife (his sister) and I visited for the first time just a few weeks ago.
I didn't see the plaque on our first visit. I feel compelled to offer these few words as a tribute to the understanding that Speaker Rayburn had about Congress and its role as a partner in the making of laws that govern all Americans. He was a student of government and knew he was duty bound to work within the system, reaching across the partisan divide, to find common ground in search of the common good.
There is a huge lesson that needs to be learned in the present day. Donald Trump, then the Republican nominee for president, declared in the summer of 2016 that "I, alone" can repair the things that he said were ailing the country. Uh, Mr. President, good government is most definitely a team sport, requiring all branches of government — even the judiciary — to play a role in the crafting and interpretation of law.
Sam Rayburn knew what has been lost on occasion in the present day. Legislators dig in against the president, who digs in against the men and women who serve in Congress. Nothing gets done. They all seek to declare political victory, when in reality they all fail.
Given that we have only one president at a time, the onus for failure — at least in my mind — falls on the doofus in the White House at the moment.
I cannot stop thinking at this moment how the great Sam Rayburn would react to the bullying and showboating he would witness from down the street at the White House.
My guess? He wouldn't stand for it.
co-equal branches of governmentCongressexecutive branchjudicial branchlegislative branchSam RayburnUS ConstitutionUS HouseUS SenateWhite House
Mr. Sam might be spinning in his grave
An item has been brought to my attention, so I want to share it with you here.
The fellow set to be nominated as the nation's next director of national intelligence now serves the Fourth Congressional District of Texas, which once was served by one of the great Texas politicians of all time, three-time U.S. House Speaker Sam Rayburn.
The current congressman, John Ratcliffe, will be named soon to succeed Dan Coats, who is, um, "stepping down" as DNI. It seems that Coats and Donald John Trump have had some serious differences of opinion over the Russians' role in the hacking of our election system in 2016. Coats says the Russians did it: Trump sides with the Russians who deny doing it.
Enter the newest DNI, Rep. Ratcliffe.
To be fair, Ratcliffe's national intelligence credentials are no skimpier than those that Dan Coats brought into the office. Coats, though, proved to be one of the few mature grownups to serve the Trump administration.
The jury is still out on Ratcliffe, a fervent, strident, ardent supporter of Trump. I await the questioning from senators who will ask whether he supports the Coats view of Russian hacking or the Trump view that it was all a "hoax."
As for the Rayburn legacy, I've had the pleasure of writing a blog post for KETR-FM, the public radio station based at Texas A&M-Commerce, the talks about the Rayburn Library and Museum in Bonham. You can see the KETR piece here.
While touring the exhibit, I found a statement attributed to Mr. Sam, the legendary Democrat, that I believe is quite fitting in today's climate. He says it is better to always "tell the truth" because you never have to worry about what you say.
Ratcliffe is set to join a presidential administration that seems to consider truth-telling to be some sort of sin, a sign of weakness.
How would Speaker Rayburn react to that? I sense he might be doing cartwheels in his grave at this very moment.
Dan CoatsDNIDonald TrumpFourth Congressional DistrictJohn RatcliffeMr. SamRussian election hackingSam Rayburn
local news, national news, State news
Speaker Rayburn's credo: Just tell the truth
BONHAM, Texas — The text below the picture posted with this blog item offers a fundamental and irrefutable truth about those who serve in public office.
It is simply to tell the truth at all times. "You don't have to remember what you said," the text tells us.
Who said it? The late great U.S. House Speaker Sam Rayburn, arguably Bonham's favorite son.
He was known simply as Mr. Sam. He mentored many huge Texas political icons, men he taught the lessons of legislating and leadership. He was known to be a plain speaker, a man of enormous integrity. Mr. Sam did not enrich himself at the public trough.
I came to his library and museum today. My wife and I took a tour of the simple but still elegant exhibit and learned a little more about this legendary political figure.
I was struck by the text I cited at the beginning of this blog post because — and you likely know where this is going — of the conduct we have seen exhibited by the current president of the United States, Donald John Trump.
I have no idea how Speaker Rayburn would react to the incessant, relentless and unceasing lies that pour forth from Donald Trump. I only can presume to believe that he would be appalled, aghast and astonished at what would he hear.
The library and museum speak silently but eloquently to the kind of man Rayburn was. He represented his North Texas congressional district with honor, as he did the House of Representatives as the Man of the House.
Sam Rayburn's honor, to my mind, was built on his effort to speak honestly and truthfully. It is a lesson that is lost totally on too many politicians who have come along after him.
That means you, too, Donald John Trump.
CongressDonald TrumpHouse of RepresentativesSam RayburnTrump lies
local news, State news
Do these guys represent the state … or not?
Hurricane protection is a real big deal if you live along the Texas coast.
My family and I lived there for nearly 11 years before high-tailing it to the High Plains more than two decades ago. We still have dear friends there who face the threat of being wiped out by killer hurricanes that blow in from the Gulf of Mexico.
The Texas Tribune reports that many of the state's congressional delegation, including some House representatives from the imperiled region, aren't yet willing to commit to spending what it takes to protect coastal cities from potential destruction.
https://www.texastribune.org/2016/04/17/congress-mostly-silent-hurricane-protection-texas/
What's up with that?
They don't want to spend the money it will take, for example, to buttress the seawall protecting the Houston-Galveston region. It's not politically prudent, apparently, in this age of penny-pinching for the sake of penny-pinching.
"While state officials say the project enjoys the full support of Texans in Congress, almost every member has been silent on the issue, including those who hold the most sway," the Tribune reports.
Don't these individuals represent the state that sends them to Washington to certain things for us, such as argue for legislation that benefits the state?
Sen. John Cornyn, the senior man from Texas, isn't weighing in on the coastal protection plan. Texas' other senator, Ted Cruz, is too busy running for president to give much careful thought to the needs of the home folks … or so it seems.
The Tribune reports that Texas Land Commissioner George P. Bush has placed coastal protection at the top of his own agenda. Bush hopes Cornyn will climb aboard the protection bandwagon. If he does, he figures to bring considerable political clout to the battle, which matters a lot, given that Cornyn is a key member of the Senate Republican leadership team.
The issue is money. As the Tribune reports: "But with a price tag sure to reach into the billions, the spine will almost certainly require a massive infusion of federal money, state officials agree. Whether Texas' congressional delegation has the political backbone to deliver the cash remains to be seen."
I'm trying to imagine an earlier generation of Texas pols — guys like Lyndon Johnson and Sam Rayburn — sitting on their hands.
hurricane seasonJohn CornynLBJSam RayburnTed CruzTexas Gulf CoastTexas Tribune
national news, political news
What became of a strong House speaker?
March 1, 2015 kanelis2012 1 Comment
John Boehner seems like a decent enough fellow. I've long thought of him as someone whose instincts lead him toward working with Democrats, not against them.
But the speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives has this problem: It is that some of his fellow Republicans don't like working with the other party. There seems to be enough of those types to make governing quite difficult for the once-affable speaker.
http://www.politico.com/story/2015/03/boehner-house-congress-rambunctious-115634.html?hp=c1_3
Boehner today said on CBS's "Face the Nation" that the House is a rambunctious place. It's full of members with competing ideas on how to get things done. He said "I think" I can lead the House.
Interesting, yes? Well, yes.
The speaker was handed a big defeat this past week when the House defeated his plan to fund the Department of Homeland Security for three weeks. The "rambunctious caucus" of the House, aka the TEA party wing, bolted from his idea, along with a number of Democrats. Some last-minute scrambling enabled the House to approve a DHS funding bill that expires at the end of this week. Then we get to do this all over again.
I'm trying to imagine how past speakers would handle all this rambunctiousness. Would Speaker Sam Rayburn of Texas allow it? How about Speaker Tip O'Neill of Massachusetts? Hey, do you think Speaker Newt Gingrich of Georgia would stand still for this foolishness?
These three gentlemen — two Democrats and a Republican — were among the stronger-willed men to run the House. They all governed with considerable effectiveness. Their secret? My belief is that they all knew how to work with members of the "other party." They also worked well with presidents of the other party, working overtime to search for common ground.
Speaker Boehner is being whipsawed by his own caucus. It's not a pretty sight.
By definition, Speaker Boehner is the Man of the Entire House, not just of his or her political party. The partisan roles are filled by the majority leader and the majority whip of the party in charge. The speaker, though, is supposed to look after the interests of all House members.
Boehner has to figure out a way — in a big hurry — to get the rowdy bunch in line.
I have an idea: Pick up the phone, call Newt Gingrich and ask him: "Newt, how in the world can I corral these clowns?"
Capitol HillCongressDHS fundingHouse GOPJohn BoehnerNewt GingrichSam Rayburnspeaker of the HouseTea partyTip O'Neill
Boehner's backside is on the line
October 6, 2013 kanelis2012
Poor John Boehner.
He wanted more than anything to be speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives. He got his wish when Nancy Pelosi handed the gavel to him as the 112th Congress convened in 2011. But now he's like the dog who kept chasing the car … but didn't know what to do when he caught it.
The Republican speaker is being whipsawed by factions within his own party.
Does he "cave" to demand to end the government shutdown by agreeing to put a Democratic measure to fund the government to a vote? Doing so would anger the tea party clique that is calling the shots in the GOP caucus.
http://nbcpolitics.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/10/03/20804176-john-boehners-legacy-on-the-line-in-shutdown?lite&ocid=msnhp&pos=1
Does he want to remain speaker or — as he insists — does he want to do what's best for the country and get the government, all of it, back in action?
Therein lies his dilemma. He must appease the raucous minority within his own caucus or he must do what most of the rest of us want, which is to end this ridiculous stalemate.
He is the speaker of the House, which defines him as a very powerful politician. He's second in line to the presidency, after the vice president. He can make the speaker's office as weak or as strong as he wants.
My sense is that Boehner wants to be seen as a strong speaker in the mold of, say, Texas Democrat Sam Rayburn. He's wired to cut deal with the other side, just as Rayburn was during his many years as speaker.
However, he's got that faction within his own party that thinks it knows best. It doesn't know anything. Its members have no institutional knowledge of what happened to their caucus the last time they orchestrated a government shutdown in 1995. They had their heads handed to them at the next election.
Another speaker, Newt Gingrich, knows what happened. He's been trying to counsel his tea party pals about the folly of their mission. It's been to no avail.
Meanwhile, the current Man of the House is being flummoxed. Poor guy. Maybe he shouldn't have wanted to be speaker quite so badly.
government shutdownJohn BoehnerNancy PelosiNewt GingrichSam RayburnTea party


text:
const Ceibo = require('../');
const QUnit = require('qunit');
const { test } = QUnit;

QUnit.module('commonjs', function() {
    test('it works', function(assert) {
        var tree = Ceibo.create({ key: 'value' });

        assert.equal(tree.key, 'value');
    });
});

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Artists Bridge the Gap is the fourth installment of Red Room's live art and music auction and event. This year, Red Room is partnering with All's Well Theatre. The majority of proceeds from the event will go to two wonderful NGOs in Germany, Rosalinde e.V. Leipzig and Queer Refugee Network Leipzig (QueeRNL).
To help raise funds for these great organizations, we will be hosting a daylong event. Throughout the day, artists will create art to be auctioned at the end of the day. There will be performances by All's Well Theatre as well as live music bands.
We're partnering with Queer Refugees Network Leipzig (QueeRNL) and RosaLinde Leipzig e.V . to support LGBT refugees in Germany.
*Scroll down to the end of the page to learn more about what they're doing specifically!
Please read the instructions below and submit your application here by March 30th, 11:59 PM.
The Red Room invites anyone to submit their design for consideration.
official merchandise for the fundraiser.
merchandise table and through including your art in a Visual Dialogues show.
2. Download the template at the Red Room website.
3. Submit your application and your design here.
5. Attach submissions as higher resolution JPEG or PNG files.
These choices will be based on originality, creativity and adherence to the rules.
1. You may submit up to three designs.
2. Do not use any logos. The logos will be added to the winning shirts.
5. No inappropriate references (drugs, alcohol, violence, etc) allowed.
from participation in this contest.
the design and does not take up too much space.
1. Emergency Packages : As LGBT refugees arrive they will need money to cover basic needs until they are registered with the government. We want to make sure they have that!
2. Integration Materials: Many refugees are left in camps with few ways to interact with local people. This money will be used to facilitate language training and to fund cultural outings for the refugees. Everyone deserves to feel welcome, like they are part of a community and like they are capable of contributing to the new community they're a part of.
society by going with them to doctors, lawyers or any other institution to provide language mediation and ensure the network member feels comfortable.


text:
Books Around the Corner Q&A: Travis Baldree, author of 'Legends & Lattes'
by Stephanie Csaszar December 18, 2022
"The bond between author and reader has always fascinated me. Without the reader's imagination, an author's words are dead in the dark. Only when you open their book do you make them come alive. It's like a spell. And you spread that magic because you talk about the book, post about it, or give it away to someone." - Thomas Olde Heuvelt, Hex & Echo.
Our next author featured in our series is Travis Baldree. I thought I'd leave it to a writer to explain why I am doing this series of author interviews and I couldn't have said it better than Thomas Olde Heuvelt above.
You can order Legends & Lattes on our website HERE (support indies). I hope you all enjoy this interview as much as I did. I am always pleasantly surprised by the Lightning Round.
Stephanie Rose: Can you take us through your writing process for Legends & Lattes?
Travis Baldree: I wrote Legends & Lattes during NaNoWriMo '21 - after my day's work narrating, I stayed in my audio booth, and wrote one chapter per day, every day, probably averaging 1800 words a day. My NaNo buddy Aven Shore-Kind and I kept each other on task, and we both finished by the end of November.
After that, I did my own thorough editing pass, and then a formal edit with an author friend of mine who goes by the name Forthright, who has a background in editorial. We edited one chapter a day (with days off for holidays and such), and as we went, I started 'editing ahead' and internalizing some of the language tweaks and cuts we were making. It was a great learning experience! The book didn't change substantively in content (a few minor scenes were added), but everything was tightened overall and it was hugely to the book's benefit.
SR: What character do you most identify with and why?
TB: Viv - It's a book about someone in their 40's discovering that the work they spent their life doing, and the life they thought the wanted, wasn't right for them anymore. Subsequently they switch careers entirely, move to a new city, and start over, and discover a community they never knew existed, but that it turns out they really needed. I'm basically the same person. I spent decades building video games, and then retired from it at 40 to become a full-time audiobook narrator - and there are a lot of parallels throughout. I didn't set out to inject that much of myself into the book, but it clearly happened.
SR: You are an audiobook narrator and narrated Legends & Lattes. How was it to narrate your own book rather than someone else's?
TB: It was the easiest narration ever! I knew all the voices, all the pronunciations, and EXACTLY what the author intended on every line.
SR: Do you listen to any music when you write? If so what kind?
TB: I do - it's just a total mishmash from all genres. I don't have mood specific playlists - just a giant list of things I like, which is really all over the place.
SR: What is the best piece of life advice that you've received?
TB: To be kind.
SR: Can you tell us about the next book in the Legends & Lattes universe? Will there be more after that? Any other projects you're working on?
TB: A standalone prequel has already been written titled 'Bookshops & Bonedust'. It's set 20 years prior when Viv is headstrong and at the beginning of her adventuring career. She gets wounded, and is sidelined by the leader of her outfit in a run-down beach town while she recovers, where she befriends the foul-mouthed owner of a beleaguered bookshop. It's a book about the little things that happen in our lives that change us fundamentally much, much later in ways we don't expect, and about the power of books and stories to connect people across wide gulfs, and also, there are a lot of skeletons in it. I just wrapped up my edits for that, so now, I'm letting my brain turn off for a bit to decide what I'll do next in the new year.
SR: Any recent books, films, shows, or podcasts you want to recommend to our readers?
TB: I think Andor is some of the best TV I have seen in ages. Not just the best Star Wars (I haven't liked most of the recent stuff) - but a series written for grownups that cares about characters instead of fan-service, and I can't say enough nice things about it. I was consistently blown away.
Lightning Round | Altered and Borrowed from James Lipton
SR: What is your favorite word?
TB: Ostensibly - I have no idea why.
SR: What is your least favorite word?
TB: Iichor - because it isn't pronounced the way it ought to be.
Runner-up - Eidolon - for the exact same reason.
SR: What is your favorite movie?
TB: This is impossible! Um. Jaws is kind of a perfect movie.
SR: What is your favorite book?
TB: This is even worse! I don't think I can possibly answer this in any way that will last, so maybe I'll just say The Farseer Trilogy and back away?
SR: What sound or noise do you love?
TB: Ocean surf at night.
SR: What sound or noise do you hate?
TB: The sound of chewing.
SR: What is your favorite curse word?
TB: Fuck is easily the king of all curse words.
SR: What profession other than your own would you like to attempt?
TB: I wish I had the time to learn to really paint well.
SR: What profession would you not like to do?
TB: I have done enough farm work that I know I never want to do it again.
SR: If you knew you were going to die and only had a chance to read one more book what would it be?
TB: The Hobbit
SR: You plan a movie night and can watch one movie with any one writer. What writer and what movie do you choose?
TB: Neil Gaiman and Heathers
SR: What author dead or alive would you want to spend the day with and in what fictional fantastical place?
TB: Terry Pratchett in Hobbiton.
About Travis Baldree
https://twitter.com/TravisBaldree
https://www.instagram.com/travis_baldree/
https://travisbaldree.com/
TRAVIS BALDREE is a full-time audiobook narrator who has lent his voice to hundreds of stories. Before that, he spent decades designing and building video games like Torchlight, Rebel Galaxy, and Fate. Apparently, he now also writes books. He lives in the Pacific Northwest with his very patient family and their small, nervous dog.
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Check out our interview with The Big Brain Theory's Tom Johnson!
Tom Johnson is a self-proclaimed "old school geek", but a geek non-the-less! We recently had an opportunity to speak with the Discovery Channel's Big Brain Theory contestant, and online fan-favorite, about his life, geekery, and being a part of Discovery's newest reality show (with a twist) hosted by Kal Penn.
Here's a little more about Tom from his Discovery Channel bio, but you should also check out his website, and continue the geeky conversation with him online via Twitter.
By the way….have you heard Episode 62 yet? Because you should.
For more about The Big Brain Theory, check out the show site and check it out Wednesdays at 7EST|6CST on Discovery!
Is there someone you'd like to hear us interview? Let us know over on Twitter: @JustUs_Geeks – LET US KNOW!