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First-Ever Bounce Original Movie A Stone Cold Christmas Starring Demetria McKinney (Saints & Sinners) To Premiere Sun. Nov. 25 at 9:00 p.m. (ET)
Bounce Announces New Comedy Series Last Call, Charles Malik Whitfield (Empire) Stars
ATLANTA (Nov. 14, 2018) – Bounce, the nation's fastest-growing television network designed for African-American audiences, will premiere its first Bounce Original Movie, A Stone Cold Christmas, on Sunday, November 25 at 9:00 p.m. ET/8:00 p.m. CT.
Bounce also announced a new original series Last Call, a half-hour situation comedy from Bobbcat Films and Roger Bobb, producer of Tyler Perry's House of Payne, Tyler Perry's Meet the Browns and Mann & Wife. Last Call will premiere on Bounce on Monday, Jan. 7, 2019.
A twist on the Charles Dickens classic A Christmas Carol, A Stone Cold Christmas stars Demetria McKinney (Saints & Sinners, Tyler Perry's House of Payne) as Mia Stone, a shrewd businesswoman and a dreadful boss, who is more concerned about money than family and friends. When Mia finds herself face-to-face with the love of her life, she is forced to deal with past decisions if she has any chance of a future. Rounding out the cast are Andra Fuller (True to the Game, Black Jesus), Fred Williamson (Being Mary Jane, Hell Up in Harlem), Brittany Perry Russell (Sparkle, The Preacher's Son) and Lochlyn Munro (Riverdale, Scream, White Chicks). A Stone Cold Christmas will also air throughout the holiday season.
Bounce will premiere two more original movies in 2019.
Last Call stars Charles Malik Whitfield (Empire, If Loving You is Wrong) as Darius Knight, an ex-NFL player who – after discovering his business manager ran off with all his money – opens a comedy club in the backroom of his only remaining investment – a Baltimore bar named Last Call. The bar regulars are then forced to share their favorite watering hole with a parade of comics while Darius climbs out of debt. principal cast members include T.C. Carson (Living Single), Carl Payne (Martin), Brely Evans (Being Mary Jane), Mishon Ratliff (Lincoln Heights) and Erica Page (Office Christmas Party). Season one will feature guest appearances from Towanda Braxton (Braxton Family Values), Pierre (How to Be a Player), Vanessa Fraction (Barbershop 2), Karlous Miller (Wild'N Out), David Otunga (WWE Raw) and Teresa "Top Notch" Nelson (Wild'N Out). Cynthia Bailey (Real Housewives of Atlanta) and Lisa Wu (Hollywood Divas) also make appearances on Last Call this season.
Bounce (@BounceTV) airs on the broadcast signals of local television stations and corresponding cable carriage and features a programming mix of original and off-network series, theatrical motion pictures, specials, live sports and more. Visit BounceTV.com for more information. Bounce is part of The E.W. Scripps Company (NASDAQ: SSP).
Contacts: Jim Weiss 770-672-6504 jim.weiss@scrippstv.com
Bounce Lands Rights to Scandal in Licensing Agreement with Walt Disney Direct-to-Consumer & International
Bounce's First-Ever Original Movie, A Stone Cold Christmas, Reaches 1.4 Million Viewers
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Home » Business » DGA Says Upcoming Film & TV Contract Talks Promise To Be "One Of Most Difficult" In Years
DGA Says Upcoming Film & TV Contract Talks Promise To Be "One Of Most Difficult" In Years
DGA leaders said today that their upcoming contract negotiations with the Aliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers "promises to be an extremely challenging negotiating environment – one of the most difficult and complex we have faced in many years."
DGA National Executive Director Russell Hollander and DGA negotiations chair Jon Avnet said in a communique to members that the upcoming talks will be made all the more difficult "with studios continuing to consolidate and become increasingly vertically integrated, and with extraordinary economic headwinds facing our industry and our nation."
DGA To Honor Mark Hansson And Valdez Flagg For Career Achievements & Guild Service
"In this environment," they told members, "your strength and support will be more important than ever. We are committed to fighting for an entertainment industry that is fair, safe, equitable, sustainable and accessible for all.We all have a stake in issues like wages, streaming residuals, funding for our health and pension plans and more. And we are committed to ensuring that the work and contributions of directors and their teams are respected."
The guild's current contract expires June 30, and while no date has been set yet for the commencement of the talks, Hollander and Avnet said that the guild "has been preparing for bargaining for more than a year and a half, listening to the concerns of our members, researching the issues, and consulting with industry experts so we are in the best possible position to achieve our goals. Our strategic bargaining process is designed to ensure that we reach the strongest contract possible – a goal we can achieve because of your participation and your voice at the table. Our diverse negotiating committees represent every corner of our membership and they have been working consistently to ensure your priorities will be reflected during bargaining."
The WGA's contract expires May 1, but in recent bargaining cycles the DGA has come to the negotiating table first, often times setting the stage for the other guilds to follow. That may not be the case this year, however.
In their update posted on the DGA website, the DGA leaders said that "When it comes to making the decision about when to start negotiations, we are guided by one simple principle: we will only begin bargaining when we believe we have the most leverage to win the best possible deal for DGA Directors and their teams.
"Some years, that means we have negotiated early, but only when the studios agree to address our priorities and we are confident we can extract a premium for providing them with the security they need to plan their summer and fall schedules. We have used this strategy quite successfully in the past, such as our health care deals in 2004 and 2010, and our 2014 negotiations when we won the industry's first-ever residuals formula for original SVOD projects. Other times, we have had more leverage closer to contract expiration."
"For almost a century," they said, "we have leveraged these strategies to make strong, fair deals for our members. In 1939, we won our very first contract after Frank Capra called the producers' bluff, knowing he had every leading director solidly backing him up. Since then, we have negotiated successive contracts to win fair wages, secure residuals that ensure our members are fairly compensated for the reuse of their work and establish the DGA's Pension & Health Plans to protect our members in their retirements. In 2008, we made a game-changing deal amid a rapidly shifting media environment, becoming the first union to establish jurisdiction and residuals for original content made for new media. We also negotiated strong contract language that has allowed us and our fellow guilds to successfully challenge in arbitration studio self-dealing. And we continue to improve on our gains every time we negotiate."
The DGA leaders pledged to their members that with six months to go before the expiration of the DGA contract, "We will start communicating with you more frequently about the bargaining preparations, the issues and what's at stake. As the process moves forward, we want you to be informed so you can engage and communicate with your guild representatives.
"Our industry continues to evolve rapidly, but no matter how many changes we face, one principle holds steady: the work we create as directors and members of the directorial team continues to entertain billions around the world. For our industry to thrive, we must be able to build a creative and economic model that allows us to share in the success of what we make together.
"This year's negotiations are about more than bargaining a strong contract for the next three years – they're about setting the course for the future of our industry and ensuring the sustainability of hundreds of thousands of good, union jobs."
Greg Berlanti Signs New Mega Overall Deal With Warner Bros Television Group
WGA Awards (Again) Makes Several Top Oscar Screenplay Contenders Ineligible
DGA Says Upcoming Contract Talks Promise To Be "One Of Most Difficult" In Years
Bob Iger Wants Disney Staffers Back In Office Four Days A Week Starting March 1
A3's Justin Baxter Joins Vault Entertainment As Manager
Mercedes To Drive 10 New Models In 2023

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The Mitchell MU40C Concert Ukulele provides all the fun of our MU40, now in a larger "concert"-sized body for a bigger sound with excellent projection.
The MU40C is designed around a bound Lindenwood body for bright, snappy tone and a natural finish for outstanding looks. The bound fingerboard offers comfortable, easy playability for players of any skill level.
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We've done it. We've survived the apocalypse.
Chris Holtmann still believes in the Buckeyes.
Jim Tressel is proud of his Super Bowl Buckeyes.
Ohio State's QB coaches have either been great or heinously bad.
Word of the Day: Effulgent.
BEST NATIONAL BRAND. Folks, the Buckeye #brand is strong.
Stewart Mandel took a stab at listing the top-five most attractive coaching jobs in the country, based on a criteria he laid out, and Ohio State made the list and its national brand played no small part.
When I say "most attractive," I'm talking about the combination of history, fan support, resources, infrastructure and, most importantly, a fertile recruiting footprint from which you can sign national championship-caliber talent.
Ohio State: I would argue Ohio State is the sport's No. 1 "national" brand at this point, even more so than Notre Dame. Its fan base is enormous. Ohio is still a great high school state, and most of those kids grow up wanting to be Buckeyes. It's the one Northern program that's seemingly been immune to the demographic shifts that gave rise to the South's recruiting dominance.
The other schools in Mandel's top-five Alabama, Georgia, Texas, USC, in no order but alphabetically.
I don't really have a beef with any of that except maybe Georgia, but even that is fine because there's no reason why Georgia shouldn't be on the list, the Dawgs have just extremely underperformed most of my lifetime.
The hilarious thing is, Mandel never even considered Michigan. Next on his list was LSU, Oklahoma, Texas A&M and Penn State.
I'm sure that will go over well with the mitten.
TOP-RATED TRANSFER. For a brief moment in time, Justin Fields' transfer was the biggest news in college football, so it makes sense that he's considered the top-ranked transfer player this season.
The rankings are headlined by Justin Fields. We ranked him a five-star out of high school and he's done nothing to dampen that level of expectation. After failing to beat out an unflappable starter in Jake Fromm at Georgia, Fields has the potential to emerge as a transformational talent at Ohio State.
I think the general consensus is that nobody doubts how talented Fields is, we just want the eligibility decision to happen so we can get the worst-case scenarios out of our heads.
The good news is, it seems like that decision could be coming soon, and that it will be good news for the Buckeyes.
Back to those rankings, there were a few other intriguing names on the list. Outgoing Buckeyes Tate Martell and Keandre Jones check in at No. 10 and No. 34, respectively.
Meanwhile, Buckeye offense line target Jonah Jackson from Rutgers comes in at No. 5 and quarterback target Nick Starkel from Texas A&M is No. 41.
Adding two of the top-five available transfer players at positions of need would seem like good news.
ALMOST-BUCKEYE JOE THUNEY. Jim Tressel has three of his former players in this year's Super Bowl, but it could have been four if he was willing to take a chance on a two-star player rated No. 85 in the state of Ohio.
Tressel, who signed Alter standout Nick Mangold in 2002 and was famous for finding diamonds in the rough during his 10 seasons as coach of the Buckeyes, ultimately never came through with an offer.
Another major-college coach with roots in Ohio took advantage.
It turned out to be a miss for Ohio State, because Thuney went on to be an All-American at NC State, and NFL starter and is about to play in his third Super Bowl.
I guess it goes to show that missing out on Ohio prospects who later blow up isn't a totally new thing, and honestly, it's hard to blame Tressel for walking away from a guy that wasn't even ranked in the top 100 at his position.
The only thing you can do is tip the cap to Mr. Thuney and hope he makes the Great State proud.
NEW COLUMBUS BBQ KING? Former Buckeye defensive back Chimdi Chekwa and three of his friends are hopping into the food service game with a BBQ joint that looks nothing short of perfect.
I have not yet tried the food, but I've seen some photos and dear lord my body is ready.
Warning: If you have even the slightest bit of hunger, do not scroll.
Well you scrolled, which means your stomach now controls your actions.
The place is called The Pit BBQ Grille, located 3545 Cleveland Ave. They also offer catering and have a food truck for reservation.
If it tastes 10 percent how good it looks, I may have found myself a new home. You'll get an official review once I'm able to go check it out.
CLASS OF 2037. Folks, the Buckeyes have their point guard in the 2037 recruiting class.
Welp, the little guy just couldnt wait. Owen James Craft decided to bless us two weeks early!
Mommy killed it and is doing great!
Buckeye nation will be praying that he has his father's grittiness, leadership traits and defensive tenacity.
But also, maybe his aunt's jump shot.
How Concerned Are You About Ohio State's Quarterback Situation?


24 Lessons per pack – 8 pages per lesson.
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Best time to go to Midwest
Ohio State Fair 2023
Experience traditional Midwestern summer entertainment
July 26–August 6, 2023
Buy Tours & Tickets
Ohio State Fair Featured in
One of the largest State Fairs in North America, the Ohio State Fair is held at Ohio Expo Center (717 E. 17th Ave.) in Columbus, Ohio, from late July till early August. The Fair is attended by almost 1 million people during its 12 days. It has been showcasing Ohio's products, its people, and their accomplishments for over 160 years, bringing approximately $68.5 million to the state's economy.
A range of activities like concerts, exhibitions, sporting competitions, art show, free stages with hypnotists and magicians are available every day at the fair. Its operation hours are from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m., and tickets are $10 for adults. There is plenty of entertainment for kids, like exotic animals in the free petting zoo, a farm animal delivery room, youth agricultural competitions, horse shows, and a park with free kiddie fishing and wildlife. For special events like competitions and races check the fair's daily schedules.
Both kids and adults can try more than 60 exciting rides, and of course, there are about 200 vendors with souvenirs and plenty of food choices, even for those who prefer gluten-free.
The concert lineup saw stars such as The Beach Boys, Cole Swindell, TLC, Kenny Rogers, Pentatonix, and traditionally the All-Ohio State Fair Band & Youth Choir.
The history of the Ohio State Fair dates back to 1846 when the Ohio State Board of Agriculture decided to establish a District Fair. Since 1850 the State Fair has been running and the first site of the state fair was at Camp Washington, Cincinnati.
How much does it cost to get into the Ohio State Fair?
General admission prices are $10 for adults (13–59), $8 for seniors (60+) and children (6–12), and free for children (5 and under). The advance sale admission ticket is $6.
How much is parking at Ohio State Fair?
Parking is available at $5 per vehicle. The AAA Parking Lots are easily accessed from I-71 at the 17th Avenue exit and the Hudson Street exit at Silver Drive. Handicapped parking is also available, as well as complimentary AAA Courtesy Shuttles to and from the main entrance gate.
Is the Ohio State Fair still on for 2020?
The 2020 Ohio State Fair has been canceled. The 2021 edition is scheduled for July 28 through August 8.
Can you smoke at the Ohio State Fair?
Smoking at the Ohio State Fair is prohibited.
Find hotels and airbnbs near Ohio State Fair (Map)
Ohio Expo Center & State Fair
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in Kentucky
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Country Concert
Warrens Cranberry Festival


I'm a big fan of artificial intelligence, and I recently tried creating a simple game with adaptive enemy AI driven by a genetic algorithm. The result is invAIders, an Xbox Live Indie Game that is part Shoot'em Up (SHMUP), and part artificial intelligence experiment. The game pits the player against generations of enemy AI. When the player beats a generation, the genetic algorithm ranks the AI and uses them to create a new generation of enemy to fight the player. This blog entry discusses my approach to implementing the genetic algorithm, as well as some lessons learned in trying to use this technique to create a compelling enemy.
A genetic algorithm, or GA, is simply an implementation of Darwinian principles ("survival of the fittest") as a search technique. From this perspective, life or existence is simply a problem solving exercise to determine the most survivable life form (best not to dwell on that too much). Bottom line, each distinct life form represents a possible solution, and the performance of these solutions are compared against each other. The most successful solutions propagate themselves to the next generation, while the unsuccessful solutions do not.
Consider the chart below. The vertical lines represent individuals within a population, and the curved line represents how well any possible individual might perform. This line is known as the fitness function. The intersection of the individuals with the fitness function represents their fitness value. Of course, when you use a GA, it's usually because the true shape of the fitness function is unknown. We can only guess at it by examining the fitness values produced by the individuals. Each individual performs at a certain level on the fitness function, and those who perform best are selected to serve as the basis for future solutions. Ideally, this selective "breeding" of successful individuals creates localized searches of the solutions space, ultimately arriving at "The Best Solution".
Now, because of the somewhat random nature of GAs, I am obliged to point out that this search technique is not complete. That is to say, a genetic algorithm might not ever get to "The Best Solution". In fact, a GA is not guaranteed to even explore every location within a given solution space. But in spite of this, genetic algorithms are pretty useful in dealing with complex multivariate problems. As long as you can calculate a fitness value of a possible solution, the GA provides a methodology for searching the solutions space. Plus, they're fun!
I should really note that this is only a cursory look at GAs, as I am only a cursory geneticist. Much more in depth information can be found throughout the internets via the magic of the Google.
For invAIders, I used the following general process to implement my genetic algorithm.
In this preparatory step, we dissect the possible values which the solution could take and reduce them to their basic parts. Very simply, this is so that individual solution values can be generated procedurally at run time.
For invAIders, the solutions are the AI for the enemy ships. I broke the AI down into two main portions: the spawning parameters, and the orders.
The spawning parameters determine where the enemy shows up. They all come from the top of the screen, but they show up in different locations, and spawn at different speeds. Further, the various ships in a wave (all from the same AI) might be offset slightly, so that each ship appears a little to the left or the right of the preceding ship. All of these values are easily created via a combination of random numbers and parameters.
The same thing is done for the order portion of the AI. To make the ships act in interesting and varied ways, I made the orders out of lists of behaviors. The behaviors simply determine how the enemy will move and shoot. Movement has three possible values, turn left, turn right, or go straight. I added in one additional metavalue for variety – steer toward the player. Similarly, shooting consists of shooting straight (relative to the direction of the enemy), shooting down to the bottom of the screen, or shooting at the player. Each behavior has an associated time value, and once that time is up, the next behavior goes into effect. To create a complete order, approximately 40 of these behaviors are strung together in a list. As with spawning, each of these factors are easily generated using random numbers and parameters.
Now that the solution space is established, the next step is to create the initial generation. One approach would be to create "hardcoded" seed AI to serve as the initial generation. However, in a fit of "procedural generation" zealotry, I opted to allow the first generation in invAIders to be completely randomly generated at run time. All of the new AI are color coded with a green cockpit, so that they can be easily identified.
After some playtest feedback, I did make a concession and create two "Starter AI" to serve as the first two waves. These AI are mostly randomly generated, though I set specific values for their spawning rate and spawn location offset. The intent was to allow new players to fight AI that was "hobbled", based on values that I assumed (correctly or not) would make them easier to deal with.
Once a generation of individual AI specimen has been created, the next step is to test them against a fitness function. Enter the player. I like to consider that in invAIders, the player is the problem, and the AI is the solution. The fitness test is seeing how well the AI solves the "player problem". To that end, invAIders measures the fitness value of the AI by how many times a particular AI specimen (or wave) kills the player, and how long, on average, each ship survives. The AIs that kill the player more and last longer are considered to be better solutions.
This creates an interesting reversal in performance assessment. At the end of a generation, the scores of interest are really the scores of the enemy, not of the player. After each generation, we can see the immediate relative performance of the AI in that generation. Each individual AI also has a history associated with it, and their relative performances are compare over their entire history. This provides a bit of added stability to the fitness values, so a new "usurper" AI won't get just lucky and automatically take top place. Consistency, ideally, is rewarded over luck.
Once all the AI have been "racked and stacked" by the fitness function, it's time to create a new generation of AI. There's generally three methods of propagating successful specimen: Selection, Mutation, and Cross Over. invAIders uses all three.
Selection is simply selecting the best performing individuals from a population. This is a pretty easy process: simply reintroduce the top performing individuals into the next generation. As mentioned, my implementation uses cumulative rankings, so it is possible that the top performing AI in a given generation may not necessarily be the top overall AI. Again, consistency over luck. I selected the three top AI overall. In the game, I've labeled them as "Dominant", and color code them with red cockpits so that player might have an idea of who they are fighting (and to intimidate them).
Mutation provides a slight twist on Selection. A top performing individual is reintroduced into the new generation, but with a bit of alteration. The level of alteration, or mutation, is up to the genetic algorithm designer. The trick is to balance "innovation" and "proven performance". A 100% mutation fails to leverage the benefits of the parent. A 0% mutation is the same as selection. I chose to have a random mutation level, where a randomly selected number of things would be changed between parent and child. The mutation process involves creating a copy of the parent AI, and then changing some of the factors that define it. For example, a mutation might replace some of the parent's orders with new ones, or change some of the spawning values. The intent is to explore the solution space from the vantage point of successful parents. In my GA, the new altered values are generated with the same parameters as when they were newly created. These mutant AI ships are listed as "Mutant", and have orange cockpits. Each generation has three mutants, two based on the top performing AI, and one based on the second to top performing AI.
Lastly, I round out the generation with three new, randomly created AI, for a total of ten AI in each generation. Once this is done, the cycle starts anew, and the AI is tested against the player problem again.
I think that using a genetic algorithm introduces some very interesting balance and game play dynamics. This can be seen in the context of the Flow concept, popularized by Jenova Chen. I like to think of Flow as basically an expression of the Yerkes-Dodson theory of optimal stress expressed over time.
The goal of the video game should be to match the players ability to the challenge presented, to put them into the "Flow-zone". This can be done by increasing the power level of the enemies as the power of the player increases. The problem with a genetic algorithm is that if you artificially increase the power of an AI outside of the genetic algorithm construct (say, by giving it more hit points), then you could end up wrecking the nature of the fitness function and somewhat invalidate the previous search results (in other words, the genetic history). The result would be that the GA produces nothing better than a random AI.
Ideally, the genetic algorithm would start with a poor performing AI, and then work its way up to a high performing AI (see the discussion above about Creating an Initial Generation). As mentioned though, trying to dictate and control the fitness of a given specimen presupposes that you already know what "The Best Solution" is. And if that's the case, why muck around with a GA?
This line of thought vexed me until I applied a different perspective on stress. In addition to the simple mismatch in abilities, stress can also be a function of change. Humans are pretty good at pattern recognition, and fairly good at memorization. We also tend to gravitate towards "comfort zones" of the familiar. If the player fights the same AI again and again, no matter how good the AI is (within reason), they will figure out how to beat it. The beauty of GAs is that once the player learns the pattern and figures out how to beat that dominant AI, that AI goes away, and a new one takes its place. The player has to constantly learn and change to adapt to the new enemy behavior. Its less a matter of getting the right power-up, and more a matter of adapting quickly to a changing enemy.
Now, the same applies to the human player end of the equation. Again, many games feature a string of increasingly powerful weapons to help the player maintain flow. I was concerned that doing so would overwhelmingly disrupt the fitness function. The player might become too powerful, wrecking the GAs ability to adapt, and thus dropping the Stress to Ability ratio into the boredom area. I wanted every AI to be on relatively equal footing against the player, regardless of what power-ups the player might have. The differentiator on the fitness function should be the player's behavior, not what the player has accumulated. To that end, most of the power ups in invAIders are really "power-sideways-es". For example, the main weapon has a heat limit, and like many games, if you overheat, you have to wait for it too cool down. Now, you can get a number of multi-shot power-ups, but they also heat up quicker. They are not necessarily better weapons, just different ways to use available resources. The fitness function remains relatively constant.
Well, as constant as a human can be. Humans have an annoying habit of learning. As the player adapts to the changing patterns of AI presented, they are likely to learn and change their own behavior. Accordingly the fitness function results change as well. But ideally, the player is learning the patterns of presented by the AI, and the AI, is changing those patterns in response to the player. Hopefully, this creates a nice feedback loop that helps keep the play in the Flow-zone.
The upshot is that if the fitness function changes, then "The Best Solution" is also changing. To some extent, this realization relieves my fear of "The Best Solution" being created in the new AI random generation process. As long as the stress presented by this AI is not insurmountable, the player will eventually learn to beat it. The fitness function will then change, and something else will become "The Best Solution". For the genetic algorithm, this is where flexibility and diversity comes into play. The trick is to keep the have a sufficient mix of new and old so that when the player masters one particular artifact of an AI presentation, the GA can substitute in something new.
As the player response to the AI adjusts, the flexibility presented by the three new AI introduced each generation increases the chances of finding a solution that the player will not be ready for. This is a very tangible representation of the notion of strength through diversity.
Well, now, that is the question, isn't it? I'd say the jury is still out. I'll leave this game play video over here so you can take a look. I will say that I believe it accomplishes at least one objective, in that even I am surprised by what the AI does. Which makes me happy. I did make a concession and add in different difficulty levels, acknowledging that players have different innate skill levels, and the genetic algorithm might not be able to compensate for that. The difference between levels is the number of enemy per AI wave: 10 for easy, 20 for normal, and 30 for hard. But the mechanics of the GA remain intact.
To some extent, the effectiveness of the AI evolution is evidenced in the Genealogy screen, which is accessible at the end of each generation. This display lists the AI one generation per row, and draws in links to show parent / child relationships. The rows are organized so that the highest ranking AI appear in the middle of the row.
The presence of new AI (color coded green) in the middle of the top rows shows that the genetic algorithm is searching for an effective solution, and is rapidly cycling though ineffective ones. Towards the bottom of the chart we begin to see that the AI hones in on effective solutions, and the top ranked AI return as Dominant specimen.


Now out there in Spanish, Kidenga is the free smartphone app that permits customers to report signs of illness and mosquito exercise. Provision of leprosy elimination providers to the folks nearest to their door step (up to SHP) through PHC system and by transferring the retained sufferers from referral centres to the well being centres/district clinics. Within the late nineteenth century, Mexico was in the technique of modernization, and public health issues had been once more tackled from a scientific perspective.
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Maryland Reverses Course, Fires Reinstated Football Coach
Coach DJ Durkin Fired One Day After Reinstatement The University of Maryland executed a reverse of sorts. A day after reinstating suspended football coach DJ Durkin, the university pivoted...
Coach DJ Durkin Fired One Day After Reinstatement
The University of Maryland executed a reverse of sorts. A day after reinstating suspended football coach DJ Durkin, the university pivoted and fired Durkin.
Facing pressure from Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, students, media, alumni and the parents of the late Jordan McNair, Maryland – or, more properly, outgoing president Wallace Loh – moved to shut down plans for rallies, a possible walkout at Saturday's game and extraordinarily pointed criticism. Loh decided Durkin had to go.
McNair, 19, died of heatstroke two weeks after being pushed past his endurance point during spring conditioning drills. Apparently few, if any, of the football program's health protocols were followed as McNair struggled to complete sprints and then collapsed.
Reports later followed of a "toxic" culture that intimidated players. This, theoretically, was overseen by Durkin. An investigation proved damning, but the Board of Regents announced Tuesday that Durkin, under a suspension with pay, would remain and that Loh, who wanted Durkin gone, would retire in June.
Loh, without consulting the board, fired Durkin on Wednesday.
Doing the right thing after doing the wrong thing doesn't earn the university any bonus points. It's still way in the negative column. That the football team is 5-3 and a game away from bowl eligibility is a testament to the grit of the players and the remaining coaching staff that includes interim head coach Matt Canada. But this is so not about football, which has become almost an afterthought at Maryland.
It's about decency and integrity. It's about taking pride in your purpose, which is not only educating students but keeping them alive.
Alumni (this typist is one) stayed in touch on Wednesday, emailing the Board of Regents, threatening to give up season tickets, vowing to withhold support of the school (including financially). The student government planned a rally and there was talk of a walkout after halftime of Saturday's game. Some players spoke out on social media about Durkin's return (no, they weren't happy).
So Maryland saved itself from further embarrassment.
Sadly, it still has plenty to deal with.
Nothing will bring back McNair, whose parents entrusted him to Durkin and others. Nothing will erase this tragedy. But the face of a program deemed abusive, if not toxic, is gone. Better days may be ahead.
Post By: Larry Weisman, a longtime sportswriter for USA TODAY, blogs for Twistity.com. Follow him on Twitter @MrLarryWeisman
Larry Weisman	November 1, 2018
athleteCoachdeathdj durkinFiredFootballheatstrokereinstatementsportsStudentsuspensionsuspension with payuniversity of maryland
An Open Letter To My Alma Mater, The University Of Maryland
Larry Weisman	- Oct 31, 2018
The Future Of Tech Is Here!
Margaret McQuarry	- Nov 1, 2018
The Long Wait Ends – First Of NFL Training Camps Set To Open As Denver Broncos Report On Wednesday For Beginning Of League's 100th Season
British Open Returns To Northern Ireland After 68-Year Absence – Play Begins Thursday At Royal Portrush Golf Club
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American League Wins All-Star Game 4-3; Hometown Hero Shane Bieber…
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Congratulations to Peter Brown, Site Foreman who has been awarded a £50 safety award.
This is the second safety recognition award for Peter on the Duro Felguera Site in 6 months.
While working on site, Peter spotted an area of open pipework which could have increased the risk of falling at height. Peter made the area safe and alerted the DF safety Office. The matter was swiftly dealt with without further incident.
Congratulations to Peter who is pictured on the left receiving his £50 Safety Award from Mick Hardy, Safety Manager for Alstom.


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From: amazongroupofcompany < " www. " @ orion.ocn.ne.jp >
Date: Mon, Oct 9, 2017 at 10:49 AM
Subject: HAVE WON $5.5 MILLION FROM AMAZON CEO JEFF BEZOS
Attention Pls,
Congratulations you have warn the price of $2.5 million from Amazon, CEO for more information you can contact me on this email,
Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos has overtaken Bill Gates and is now the richest person in the world, with a fortune topping $90 billion for the first time ever.
When markets opened on Thursday, Bezos had a net worth of $90.6 billion, putting him $500 million ahead of Microsoft founder Bill Gates. Amazon stock opened up 1.6% on Thursday, adding $1.4 billion to Bezos' net worth. That was enough to put him ahead of Gates, who was last surpassed on Forbes' real-time rankings for just two days nearly a year ago by Spanish retail giant Amancio Ortega.
Forbes started tracking billionaires around the globe in 1987. Bezos is now the seventh person to hold the title of the world's richest person and the third American to top the global ranks besides Gates and Berkshire Hathaway CEO Warren Buffett.
While Gates and Buffett both appeared on Forbes' first ranking of America's 400 Richest people in 1982, Bezos is a newer addition to Forbes' wealth rankings. He first appeared on the Forbes 400 in 1998, a year after Amazon went public, with a $1.6 billion fortune. Bezos ranked third richest in the world on Forbes 2017 list of the World' s Billionaires, published in March, with a fortune of $72.8 billion.
Bezos would be nowhere close to being the world's wealthiest person had Gates not given so much of his fortune to philanthropy. Gates, who created the Giving Pledge with Buffett to encourage billionaires to give at least half of their wealth to charitable causes, had given away $32.9 billion over the course of his lifetime through end of 2016. Forbes estimates that Bezos, who has not signed the pledge, had given approximately $100 million to charity through the end of 2015. In June, Bezos tweeted out a request for ideas for his philanthropy, garnering thousands of responses.
Bezos attended Princeton and then worked at a hedge fund before starting his online bookseller in a garage in Seattle in 1994. Amazon has since grown into an online retail behemoth selling a wide range of products. It also offers cloud services through its Amazon Web Services division, known as AWS. Outside of his day job, Jeff Bezos owns aerospace company Blue Origin and the Washington Post.
Gates fortune is built on software firm Microsoft, which he founded in 1975 with his friend Paul Allen. Gates has sold off much of his Microsoft stake but still owns about 2% of the company' s shares, worth about $12.4 billion - just under 14% of his fortune. His investment firm Cascade Investments has ploughed Gates' money into a wide variety of assets, including public stocks, real estate, private equity and venture capital. Gates owns stakes in companies as diverse as Canadian National Railway, hygiene technologies firm Ecolab and Mexican Coke bottler Femsa.
American entrepreneur Jeff Bezos is the founder and chief executive officer of Amazon.com and owner of ' The Washington Post.' His successful business ventures have made him one of the richest people in the world.
Entrepreneur and e-commerce pioneer Jeff Bezos was born on January 12, 1964, in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Bezos had an early love of computers and studied computer science and electrical engineering at Princeton University. After graduation he worked on Wall Street, and in 1990 he became the youngest senior vice president at the investment firm D.E. Shaw. Four years later, he quit his lucrative job to open Amazon.com, a virtual bookstore that became one of the internet' s biggest success stories. In 2013, Bezos purchased The Washington Post in a $250 million deal. His successful business ventures have made him one of the richest people in the world.
Jeff Bezos was born on January 12, 1964, in Albuquerque, New Mexico, to a teenage mother, Jacklyn Gise Jorgensen, and his biological father, Ted Jorgensen. The Jorgensens were married less than a year, and when Bezos was 4 years old his mother re-married, to Cuban immigrant Mike Bezos.
As a child, Jeff Bezos showed an early interest in how things work, turning his parents' garage into a laboratory and rigging electrical contraptions around his house. He moved to Miami with his family as a teenager, where he developed a love for computers and graduated valedictorian of his high school. It was during high school that he started his first business, the Dream Institute, an educational summer camp for fourth, fifth and sixth graders.
Bezos pursued his interest in computers at Princeton University, where he graduated summa cum laude in 1986 with a degree in computer science and electrical engineering. After graduation, he found work at several firms on Wall Street, including Fitel, Bankers Trust and the investment firm D.E. Shaw. It was there he met his wife, Mackenzie, and became the company' s youngest vice president in 1990. contact our E-mail(amazongroupofcompany@ gmail.com <amazongroupofcompany@gmail.com>)


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Research at the Laboratory for Industry 4.0 Smart Manufacturing Systems (LISMS), The University of Auckland
时间:2019-04-12 09:22 点击: 所属单位:机电工程学院
讲座名称 Research at the Laboratory for Industry 4.0 Smart Manufacturing Systems (LISMS), The University of Auckland
讲座时间 2019-04-22 15:00:00
讲座地点 西电北校区主楼三区"菲声493"学术报告厅(III-237)
讲座人 Prof. Xun Xu
讲座人介绍
Professor Xun Xu is a Chair of Manufacturing at the Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Auckland. He joined the Department after completing a PhD from the University of Manchester (then UMIST), UK in 1996. He has been working in the field of intelligent manufacturing solutions for some 30 years. Dr. Xu is an internationally recognized expert in smart machining systems, cloud-based manufacturing and IoT enabled manufacturing. He serves as an Associate Editor and a member of Editorial Boards of a number of international journals and has published over 300 research papers. Dr. Xu is the founding Director of the University of Auckland "Innovative Manufacturing and Materials" Program, which draws expertise and experts from the Faculties of Engineering, Business and Science of the University. He has also served as the Associate Dean Research of the Faculty of Engineering, and Deputy Head of Department. He is the Director of Laboratory for Industry 4.0 Smart Manufacturing Systems (LISMS), the only Laboratory for Industry 4.0 in New Zealand. His current research focus is around the Industry 4.0 technologies, e.g. cloud manufacturing, smart factories, Augmented Reality (AR)/Virtual Reality (VR) for manufacturing, big industrial data and data analytics, additive manufacturing and human-machine interactions. Dr. Xu is the Fellow of American Society for Mechanical Engineers (ASME), and the Fellow of Engineering New Zealand (EngNZ).
讲座内容
LISMS is established to showcase some key technologies of Industry 4.0, as well as to demonstrate how New Zealand businesses benefit from implementing these technologies. The laboratory also facilitates interactions and collaborations between industry partners and researchers. We aim to focus on:
· Developing and showcasing Industry 4.0 technologies
· Encouraging collaborations between industry and researchers
· Showcasing and implementing the research works at local industries
The talk will present some case studies developed at the Laboratory for Industry 4.0 Smart Manufacturing Systems.
Dream It Together (共梦未来)..
Materials for Green Proces..
阿秒精密光谱专题系列——加速..
阿秒精密光谱专题系列——从..
国企领导上讲台——使命担当..
Algorithms for multi-disci..


A crown procedure usually requires two appointments in most offices. But we use a state of the art computer aided design machine called CEREC. This allows us to start and complete you crown in one visit.
While the tooth is numb, I will prepare the tooth by removing any decay and shaping the surface to properly fit a crown. Once these details are accomplished an optical impression is taken with the CEREC computer and the crown is designed on this computer. The next step is to mill the crown from a ceramic block, E.max or Enamic in my office. At this time the crown is ready to try on your tooth to check the fit. If the fit is good it will be fired in a ceramic oven if E.max is used or polished and bonded to the tooth if Enamic is used. Most all patients are very interested in this high tech procedure as they are having it done on them.


United Way of Central Washington serves the communities of Eastern Yakima Valley. In the past three years United Way has worked to recruit local volunteers and empower them to both raise funds and advise the United Way board of directors on the best programs in which to invest those funds.
Companies, employees and community donors all contribute to the annual campaign, and to date, United Way has invested more in area programs than has been raised here. In the end, volunteers know that the Yakima Valley is one greater, connected community, and thousands of people are helped every year...in a "united" way!


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Hosted By Donna Apidone
An in-depth roundup of the latest news, along with reports, analysis, and commentaries from NPR and Capital Public Radio News. Hosted locally by Donna Apidone with statewide and regional news anchored by Steve Milne.
Monday – Friday, 2 a.m. – 9 a.m.
on News Station
State And Regional News From CapRadio
In India, Some Students With Low Test Scores Can Buy Their Way Into College
A certain number of seats at schools in India are reserved for those paying double or triple tuition. And unlike the Varsity Blues scandal here in the U.S., this behavior is legal in India.
President Trump, Congress Reach 2-Year Budget Deal
NPR's Steve Inskeep talks to NPR's Susan Davis and Jason Furman, who was the Council of Economic Advisers chairman in the Obama administration, about the plan and whether it's fiscally responsible.
Lone In-N-Out Cheeseburger Found Thousands Of Miles From Its Home
A couple in New York City found an In-N-Out cheeseburger, apparently freshly made, but there's no In-N-Out restaurant within a thousand miles.
Does Taking A Plunge Into A Pool Count As A Shower? The CDC Weighs In
The CDC confirms that 51 percent of Americans surveyed admitted using swimming as an alternative to bathing, and the agency doesn't say that's a bad thing.
News Brief: Budget Deal, Britain's Next Prime Minister, Tensions With Iran
President Trump and congressional leaders strike a budget deal. Britain's new prime minister is to be announced Tuesday. And, Britain is at odds with the U.S. over how to manage tensions with Iran.
'Avengers: Endgame' Surpasses 'Avatar' To Become Box Office King
NPR's Rachel Martin talks to Kevin Fallon of "The Daily Beast" about "Avengers: Endgame" overtaking "Avatar" as the highest grossing movie of all time — a record "Avatar" held for a decade.
Boris Johnson To Lead Britain As Its Next Prime Minister
Members of the ruling conservative party have voted for Boris Johnson to replace Theresa May, who is resigning. Johnson, a former foreign secretary and mayor of London, is a Brexit supporter.
Protesters In Puerto Rico Continue Calls For Gov. Rossello To Resign
NPR's Steve Inkeep talks to political anthropologist Yarimar Bonilla, who has been protesting in Puerto Rico to force the governor to resign.
A Study Confirms That Laugh Tracks Make Jokes Seem Funnier
Comedy shows on TV often use recorded laughter in combination with a live audience. A new study shows that hearing laughter, especially spontaneous laughter, makes a bad joke seem funnier.
A Look At How Iran Is Dealing With Growing Tensions With The U.S.
NPR's Rachel Martin talks to Trita Parsi of the Quincy Institute, and formerly of the National Iranian American Council, about how current tensions in the Persian Gulf are affecting Iranian politics.
More Stories at npr.org
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Ian Fleming's Spectre in Retrospect
When James Bond author Ian Fleming first introduced the criminal network SPECTRE to his many readers in the novel Thunderball in 1961, he inadvertently created an organisation which has arguably become one of the most famous fictional crime syndicates in popular literature.
It also became, of course, a major part of the James Bond legend on the big screen, with the EON franchise even 're-imagining' the concept for the most recent and 24th James Bond movie Spectre, directed by Sam Mendes and released in 2015.
Much of the drive to re-introduce SPECTRE to the series was down to both John Logan and Sam Mendes. With the confirmation from Mendes at the recent Hay Festival that he will not now be helming Bond movie no. 25, the JBIFC takes the opportunity to offer a brief retrospective on the SPECTRE organisation – its creation, its role, its dramatic return (or rebirth), and a few points on the way about how its boss, the archetypal Bond villain Ernst Stavro Blofeld, has been interpreted over the years.
And, one suspects, like all the memorable Bond baddies we love to hate, we have probably not seen the last of one of our favourite villains or his insidious organisation.
SPECTRE begins
Ernst Stavro Blofeld was first introduced to the world in Ian Fleming's 007 novel Thunderball in 1961, where he was head of SP.E.C.T.R.E. (SPecial Executive for Counter-intelligence, Terrorism, Revenge and Extortion), a global criminal network with its secret headquarters in Paris. It operated under the guise of the 'International Brotherhood of Resistance Against Oppression', a kind of cross between a charity and a human rights organisation.
As Fleming described it, SPECTRE had been in operation since 1956. As a former Naval Intelligence officer, and then working as Foreign Manager for the Sunday Times (where he was responsible for the newspaper's overseas coverage and for appointing its correspondents in the field), the Bond author had built up extensive knowledge about war criminals, ex-Gestapo members, spies, terrorists, smugglers and other rogue operators in the murky world of the post-war 'Cold War', and some of this detail helped him give SPECTRE some plausible background.
The SPECTRE network was thus utterly ruthless and primarily concerned to generate profit for Blofeld and its executive board, no matter how this was done! To this end, among other things, SPECTRE had been responsible for recovering the late Nazi Heinrich Himmler's jewels from the Modsee, selling Russian secrets from East Berlin to the CIA, selling heroin supplies to a gang in Los Angeles, selling Czech germ-warfare phials to the UK's MI6, the blackmail of a top former Nazi official, the assassination of a defector to the Russians, and the kidnapping of the daughter of a 'Detroit Purple Gang' contact.
As originally described by Fleming, Blofeld was a physically large man, very tall and weighing over twenty stone. Born in Imperial Germany in 1908, his father was Polish and his mother Greek ('Stavro' is a Greek name). His eyes were dark, rather like Benito Mussolini's, and his face was topped with black crew-cut hair; he did not smoke or drink, and he regularly chewed violet-scented mints.
By On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1963), however, Blofeld had changed locations to Switzerland and radically altered his appearance: he had lost weight, now had long, silver-coloured hair, no ear-lobes, and wore dark green-tinted contact lenses. He also desperately sought recognition of the aristocratic title of the Count de Bleuville. In You Only Live Twice (1964), Blofeld had again altered his appearance and was now living in Japan, operating under the alias of Dr. Guntram Shatterhand. In many ways, SPECTRE had now become a much smaller organisation, very much under the direct personal control of Blofeld and his evil assistant Irma Bunt.
There has been some interest on the part of Fleming experts in the Bond author's evident fascination with certain words, or variations of the same word, in his 007 novels, including with the word 'spectre'. In Fleming's fourth 007 novel, Diamonds Are Forever (1956), at one stage Bond's cover as a diamond smuggler is blown and he is kidnapped by Serraffimo Spang, of the 'Spangled Mob', and is locked up in 'Spectreville', a ghost town outside Las Vegas. And, in a variation on the word, in Fleming's 007 adventure From Russia With Love (1957), Tatiana Romanova offers to defect with the coveted 'Spektor' coding machine.
SPECTRE on screen
In the EON movies, SPECTRE was first name-checked in Dr. No (1962), and Blofeld himself was first glimpsed (in profile only) in From Russia With Love (1963), where cinema audiences were also introduced to the now famous 'Octopus' symbol, used in secret communications or on rings worn by members. Blofeld went on to become a much-loved feature of the James Bond film series, appearing in five further films prior to the Mendes-directed Spectre.
Some commentators in the past have compared Ernst Stavro Blofeld to the infamous arch-villain Moriarty, the devious and super-intelligent adversary to the famous detective Sherlock Holmes. There is certainly something beguiling about the head of SPECTRE, and one of the pleasures of the early James Bond films for cinemagoers was discovering what Blofeld's latest mad scheme entailed. Prior to Spectre in 2015, the SPECTRE chief had last been glimpsed in the official series in the pre-credits to For Your Eyes Only in 1981, and then appeared in Kevin McClory's 'unofficial' Bond movie Never Say Never Again in 1983 (played by Max von Sydow).
Interestingly, the official EON series had come very close to re-introducing Blofeld and SPECTRE back into the franchise in 1976-77 for Roger Moore's 007 adventure The Spy Who Loved Me (an early draft had featured Blofeld and the SPECTRE organisation), but ongoing legal action by Kevin McClory, claiming ownership of 'Blofeld' and 'SPECTRE' as creative concepts, encouraged producer Cubby Broccoli to drop Blofeld from the screenplay (he was replaced with 'Karl Stromberg'). One suggestion as to why the (un-named) Blofeld was seen in FYEO in 1981 is that Cubby Broccoli was still keen to show his rejection of McClory's claims.
Blofeld on the screen, of course, has seen a number of actors give him life, most notably Donald Pleasence, Telly Savalas, Charles Gray, and (unofficially) by Max von Sydow. He has also been portrayed (in an uncredited way) by Anthony Dawson, and we have also heard his voice via Eric Pohlmann and Robert Rietty. And now we have the Christoph Waltz interpretation to add to the list. Waltz, determined to protect the character during the production of Spectre, had a lot of fun with the 'Is he Blofeld or not?' question, and successfully teased journalists for many months over the issue. And rightly so!
Moreover, perhaps in a nod to both his own fondness for the Donald Pleasence interpretation of Blofeld and the wider cultural impact of the Bond villains on cinema history, director Sam Mendes was keen for the Waltz version to have a damaged eye. Indeed, as the recent February, 2016, issue of Cinefex noted, the final visual 'look' of Blofeld in the climax to the Spectre storyline was especially important: Mendes wanted Blofeld's appearance to reference the version seen in the film You Only Live Twice, and a number of versions of Blofeld's damaged eye were apparently tried out before the final one was settled on.
Unsurprisingly, there was tremendous interest generated when major rumours emerged in 2014 that Blofeld and SPECTRE were about to return to the EON series. Although the news had at that point not been officially confirmed by EON, the UK's Mail On Sunday newspaper (November 23, 2014) more-or-less threw out a huge spoiler when it carried a showbiz news story entitled 'You weren't expecting this, Mr. Bond. But… BLOFELD'S BACK!'
Written by Chris Hastings in London and Caroline Graham in Los Angeles, the Mail story claimed that Christoph Waltz was tipped to play the evil genius, and that Waltz's involvement in the new 007 movie (Daniel Craig's fourth adventure as Britain's most famous fictional spy), would be confirmed at the official press conference held to launch the new film, which was due to take place in the first week of December.
Moreover, the Mail article claimed that the press conference would announce that Waltz was playing an unknown character named Franz Oberhauser, son of the late Hans Oberhauser, a ski instructor who acted as a father figure to Bond. In the Ian Fleming books, the Bond author made James Bond an orphan, as his parents – Monique Delacroix, from Switzerland, and Andrew Bond, from Scotland – were killed in a tragic climbing accident in the Alps. According to the sketchy timeline set out by Fleming in his books, the young Bond was taught to ski by Hannes Oberhauser, of Kitzbuhel, shortly after he attended the University of Geneva.
In a spoiler act worthy of SPECTRE itself, the Mail revealed that 'senior sources' (un-named, of course) believed that the casting of Waltz as Franz Oberhauser was a double bluff, and that Waltz was actually playing Blofeld.
The Mail report cited one Hollywood source as saying: 'Christoph Waltz is playing Blofeld in the next Bond film. The tone of the 007 films has changed significantly in recent years and the producers have changed the character to fit in with the new-look 007'.
The article also pointed out that Blofeld's return was now possible because of the settlement of the long-running legal dispute that took place between EON and the estate of the late Kevin McClory who, for many years (as noted earlier), had claimed he held the rights to both Blofeld and SPECTRE, and also various other elements of the James Bond creative concept.
As many Bond fans know, Kevin McClory died in 2006 and, in 2013, McClory's estate sold their remaining claims to Bond and Blofeld to Danjaq, the official maker of the 007 franchise via its subsidiary EON, and distributor MGM. The settlement meant that the character Blofeld and his organisation SPECTRE were once more ripe for inclusion in any future 007 movies. This immediately led to intense speculation about whether EON would one day make use again of the iconic villain.
SPECTRE and Logan
It is perhaps worth remembering that occasional speculation about the possible return of Blofeld and SPECTRE had been a fairly regular pattern for some years prior to all this, but had been given a big fillip in the run-up to Bond 23 (Skyfall), when scriptwriter John Logan had made a teasing remark that he thought Blofeld was a worthy adversary to Bond. Speaking at a special BAFTA Screenwriter's Q & As event, when asked whether he still held to a comment on this topic that he had made some years previously, Logan repeated (with a wry smile) the same comment: 'Bond should always fight Blofeld'.
Such comments led to a flurry of further speculation and views. A good example came in November, 2013, when writer Scott Meslow penned an article making the case for the return of Blofeld (see the JBIFC's news report of 15/12/2013).
Meslow argued that Blofeld remains 007's most memorable adversary in both the books and the movies. But, argued Meslow, Blofeld's return should not necessarily be as the bald, scarred, cat-stroking version seen in the early EON films, and so warmly lampooned in the Austin Powers movies. A brand new interpretation could be offered that would fit in with the 'more grounded' style of the Daniel Craig 007 movies.
As Meslow pointed out, the Blofeld of the books in particular 'is a more evasive figure, and one that would translate far more neatly to the modern 007 movies. In each of Blofeld's literary appearances, James Bond isn't entirely sure that he's targeted the right man; every time Blofeld evades justice, he undergoes extensive plastic surgery on his face, or loses or gains a significant amount of weight, and flees to a well-stocked hideout, which makes him all but impossible to track with any kind of certainty'. Meslow continued: 'In many ways, Blofeld has become a more poignant villain than ever. In a modern political context that has shifted from enemy states to scattered, elusive enemies, the idea of a villain with the intelligence and resources to reinvent himself is a frightening one'. In Meslow's view, therefore, Blofeld's 'chameleonic qualities make him a uniquely strong candidate for reinterpretation'.
Meslow's comments certainly gave many Bond fans food for thought, especially when they contemplated possible plot scenarios for Bond 24. It would appear that John Logan may have been coincidentally thinking the same way, and so it came to pass: Logan arguably realised his big ambition with Craig's fourth 007 adventure Spectre.
An interesting question now arises. If Logan returns to the series for Bond no.25, will he pick up and pursue the Blofeld storyline further? (Blofeld's fate was left rather open-ended at the end of Spectre). At the time of the production of Spectre, there were reports that Logan had been contracted to pen the stories for both Bond 24 and 25, something that appreared to be confirmed by EON. Whether this remains the case is difficult to ascertain. In an interview with the film magazine Total Film recently, Logan hinted that he had no plans for the next Bond movie. On the other hand, he did not completely rule himself out. Time will tell.
Some of Ian Fleming's biographers have argued that the James Bond author 'borrowed' the name 'Blofeld' from Tom Blofeld, a Norfolk farmer who was chairman of the Country Gentleman's Association and also a fellow club member of Boodle's, the London club where Fleming often went to eat regularly. He had also been a contemporary of Fleming's at Eton school.
Incidentally, Tom Blofeld's son is the famous cricket commentator Henry Blofeld, something which the cricket-loving Sam Mendes is no doubt well aware of!


Here at Erik L. Burns, APLC, we use our years of experience and experience to fight for your rights. You deserve professional help in your criminal defense case, and we have a reputation for putting the needs of our clients at the forefront of our efforts. The Baton Rouge area courts have a fair share of criminal defense cases, but no two cases are the same. With 21 years of experience, we can dissect any case and find the best way to build a defense for you.
With 21 years of successful legal practice, our firm is well equipped to investigate your criminal defense case, defend your rights throughout your trial, and present your side of the story in a compelling manner to a jury of the Baton Rouge area courts. While we at Erik L. Burns, APLC are aggressive about enforcing your legal rights, we are also skilled orators and know how to present your side of events to juries in your criminal defense case.
criminal defense matters can potentially ruin your life, and Baton Rouge area prosecutors will be relentless in their case. If you face criminal defense charges in the Baton Rouge area, be sure to rely on a representative like those of our firm at Erik L. Burns, APLC. With 21 years of experience, we will fight diligently for your case. Call us at (225) 791-2340 now to enlist our help.


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Download my CV (in Swedish)

## Professional experience

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|-|-|
| 2018 -- present   | **Hydrologist** @ Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute, SMHI (Sweden)) |
| | Seasonal forecasting • Ice break-up forecasting • Officer on duty for the Swedish, Europea (EFAS) and global (Aristotle) hydrological warning services • Large-scale flood forecasting • Large datasets • Model development • Research |
| | |
| 2017 -- 2018 | **Postdoctoral Researcher** @ University of Zurich (Switzerland) |
| | *Snow hydrology • Model development • Large datasets • Data scarcity • Model uncertainty* |
| | |
| 2011 -- 2016 | **Graduate Teaching Assistant** @ Uppsala University (Sweden) |
| | *Lectures • Seminars • Laboratory and field work* |
| | |
| 2011 -- 2016 | **Graduate Research Assistant** @ Uppsala University (Sweden) |
| | *Data needs for hydro-meteorological modelling • Socio-hydrology • Social media data* |
| | |
| 2009 | **Lab technician intern** @ Laboratori Català de Control (Spain) |
| | *Quality control of cement, concrete and anchorages • Testing of soil properties • Water sampling and analysis* |
| | |
| 2008 | **Consultant intern** @ URS Corporation (Spain) |
| | *Environmental control tests of petrol stations • Soil decontamination • Hydrogeological data processing • Fauna and sediment sampling* |
| | |

---

## Education

| | |
|-|-|
| 2011 -- 2016   | **PhD, Hydrology** @ Uppsala University (Sweden) |
| | *Thesis: Information Needs for Water Resource and Risk Management: Hydro-Meteorological Data Value and Non-Traditional Information.* |
| | |
| 2009 -- 2011 | **MSc, Earth Sciences (Hydrology/hydrogeology)** @ Uppsala University (Sweden) |
| | *Thesis: Modelling Climatic and Hydrological Variability in Lake Babati, Northern Tanzania.* |
| | |
| 2004 -- 2009 | **BSc, Geology** @ Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (Spain) |
| | |
| 2007 -- 2008 | **Exchange student** @ Université Joseph Fourier -- Grenoble 1 (France) |
| | |

---

## Skills

| | |
|-|-|
| **Programming** | Python • R • Matlab • LaTeX • Fortran • Markdown • Bash |
| | |
| **Software** | ArcGIS • QGIS • GRASS GIS • LISFLOOD-FP • HBV • HYPE • Git • Inkscape • Linux |
| | |
| **Instrumentation**   | Campbell loggers • Hydro-meteorological sensors |
| | |
| **Languages** | *Native or bilingual proficiency:* Catalan • Spanish |
| | *Full professional proficiency:* English |
| | *Professional working proficiency :* Swedish • French |
| | *Elementary proficiency:* German |
| | |
| **Other** | Swedish driving license (B) |
| | |

---

## Grants, awards, & honours

| | |
|-|-|
| 2017   | **Travel grant** |
| | Swiss Association of Geography |
| | |
| 2016 | **Scientific photo contest winner** |
| | European Geosciences Union (EGU) |
| | |
| 2015 | **Research Fellowship** |
| | Consortium of Universities for the Advancement of Hydrologic Science Inc. (CUAHSI) |
| | |
| 2014 | **Travel grant** |
| | Liljewalchs Foundation |
| | |
| 2010 | **Scholarship** |
| | The Swedish-Spanish Foundation |
| | |
| 2007 | **Scholarship** |
| | ERASMUS Programme |
| | |

---

## Other activities

| | |
|-|-|
| 2016 -- present   | **Scientific translator** |
| | European Geosciences Union's Planet Press initiative |
| | |
| 2013 | **Volunteer** |
| | International Association of Hydrological Sciences (IAHS) |
| | |

---

## Representation duties

| | |
|-|-|
| 2014 -- 2016   | **PhD student representative** @ Centre for Natural Disaster Science (CNDS) |
| | |
| 2013 | **PhD student representative** @ Uppsala University |
| | |
| 2007 | **Student representative** @ Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona |
| | |

---

References available on request.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


"The Flat Grandma" is a highly treasured individual in any flat – the anchor in the stormy seas of deadlines and hangovers. Although her nights out are few, her opinions and pearls of wisdom are ever in abundance. And while she may struggle to keep up with the latest memes, there's always something to learn from the flat grandma and if you don't know one, it's probably because YOU are one.
Here are a few tell-tale signs that maybe mean that you too are joining the glam-ma movement.
Can you count the number of nights out you've been on this term on one hand? Do you make the occasional appearance at pres and get greeted by your pals as though they haven't seen you in a year? It seems fairly obvious that you're no longer the pop princess you may have been in your younger days, so quit while you're ahead and give everyone a farewell hug as they head off clubbing whilst you head on home.
Getting eight hours of beauty sleep every night is far more important to you, because you've sensibly realised that you just aren't getting any younger. On the few times you've managed to make it out, you may treat yourself to a glass of Prosecco, but that bottle of water is always in tow. Yes, your pals will tease you, but it's not your fault you seem to develop hangovers mid pre.
Don't be sad that you can't hack the sesh anymore – 10 points for trying, right?
Are you feeling ever so out of touch with modernity? Does the world seem to be moving too fast for you? It's okay, us grannies understand. Your flatmates have probably voiced their concerns about your worrying lack of knowledge concerning the latest top 40, yet you still don't understand why it's so tragic to listen to a little bit of Celine Dion now and again.
The only memes appearing on your timeline are ones about cute fluffy dogs getting their hair cut, and every time you tag a pal in what you think is a new post they reply, "hahaha yeah I saw this."
Asides from this, you do actually make a conscious effort to keep up with the times – but apparently reading the latest magazines just doesn't seem to cut it anymore.
You'll never be caught without your handbag. Not for reasons you may think, but for issues of practicality and because your whole life depends on it. It holds your prized possession – your diary – which although is a great source of banter for your guy friends, saves you day in and day out and you couldn't begin to imagine going a day without it.
If you too have a worryingly high dependancy upon your dear diary, you may have to admit that you've joined the premature over 75s club. Alongside your analog calendar, people can always count on you for having a pack of soothers handy, and you'll make doubly sure that your pal actually has a sore throat before you start dishing them out, because as you always remind everyone, they do actually contain menthol. Trust you to know that.
Colour co-ordination is key. Your shoes will always match your bag and your pyjamas will always be a matching set. Grandmas aren't frumpy, but the ultimate style icons. You'll think about your outfits for the upcoming week and always take into consideration the upcoming weather forecast, because nothing would be worse than being caught in a snow storm without your bobble hat and mittens.
The BBC weather forecast at six is unmissable, and you'll easily spend a good 20 minutes afterwards ranting to your flatmates about how they need to make sure they wrap up warm this week. You love an oversized cardi and a cashmere scarf, and while some may think this is a questionable fashion choice, it's honestly because you're always bloody freezing and you'll do anything to stop your shivery shakes. Cold hands and feet are your day-to-day reality, and no socks and tights combo could ever really combat this constant struggle.
Everybody knows cold hands equal a warm heart, so don't go beating yourself up about your useless body thermostat – we are lovely people with the biggest warmest beating hearts ever.
You're without a doubt the flat mate your pals will come to if they need a shoulder to cry on or some sort of morale boost. In a flash, you'll tell them that you think they're fabulous, which you genuinely do, because you can't help but always see the best in people.
Your cuddles are life saving and you love giving people a good ol' back rub – plus you have so many pearls of wisdom you may as well create your own range of jewellery. On top of this, you're the queen of the rant since nothing is ever quite up to your prim and proper standards. You've definitely caused a scene in a restaurant when your soup arrived a tad lukewarm, and you're constantly moaning about the deteriorating quality of Zara – so you're extremely empathetic when others come to you feeling the same sort of way.
You may not have an endless supply of McVitie's Rich Tea biscuits to mend those broken hearts, but you'll always have that everlasting grandma love.
You undeniably take up the most room in your shared bathroom cupboards and your collection of creams is only getting bigger. Even though you're 20 years of age, you've been using anti-ageing creams since the very second you passed teen-hood, and you swear that's what is keeping you looking so damn young. It's definitely got nothing to do with you actually being very young.
One night without using your gold leaf extracted eye cream and you vow your bags have never looked worse as you frantically apply for extra baggage on your upcoming flight home, in fear that you're gonna get charged extra at the very sight of your un-elasticated skin.
You probably shamelessly own a Princess Diana mug and hold strong opinions against Camilla Parker-Bowles. It's still a very sore subject for you, and you refuse to engage in any debates about the topic. You'd never dream of missing a royal wedding on the telly, and you may even treat your flatmates to a home-made trifle for the special occasion. Weddings, births and even a royal documentary – you're there, and all other plans will be pushed aside. Your flat mates have probably joked about buying you a commemorative plate. The worst part is that this was only a joke – you actually wished they were being more serious.
So, if you've read this and you're feeling slightly suspicious that you may be your flat grandma, don't hold back. Embrace your granny-ness in all its full glory, and go and treat yourself to a Marks and Sparks dine in for two for £10. It's about time the grandma gets a bit of credit – because, lest we forget, we should always respect our elders.


text:
Home > Vol 7, No 8 (2021) >	Kantharia
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.18203/issn.2454-5929.ijohns20212907
Isolated 6th cranial nerve palsy: a rare manifestation of tuberculosis
Shehnaz Kantharia, Rajesh A. Kantharia, Pradeepkran Reddy P.
Tuberculosis (TB) is a contagious infection that is usually caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis bacteria. It usually affects the lungs and also spreads to the brain and spine. In the central nervous system, the neurological manifestations are numerous and varied and usually occur in two major forms, tuberculous meningitis and tuberculoma. Tuberculoma are well defined, granulomatous, space occupying lesions, which can occur anywhere in the central nervous system. Usually, brainstem tuberculoma can cause sixth and seventh cranial nerve affections along with motor and sensory symptoms, which are usually unilateral. Isolated abducens nerve palsy could be attributed to lesions of the nerve along their extra axial course and cause diplopia. Here we are presenting a case report of an 18-year-old boy with isolated sixth nerve palsy due to tuberculosis. The diagnosis of tuberculosis was achieved using interventional radiology for the purpose of biopsy. Using an image guided technique, we could avoid an open surgical procedure.
6th cranial nerve palsy, Diplopia, Tuberculosis, Tuberculoma, CT guided biopsy
Garg RK. Tuberculosis of the central nervous system. Postgrad Med J. 1999;75(881):133-40.
Azarmina M, Azarmina H. The six syndromes of the sixth cranial nerve. J Ophthalmic Vis Res. 2013;8(2):160-71.
Graham C, Mohseni M. Abducens Nerve Palsy. In: StatPearls. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2021. Available at: https://www.ncbi. nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK482177/. Accessed on 2021 Apr 20.
Wikipedia contributors. Sixth nerve palsy. In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sixth_nerve_palsy&oldid=1021134931. Accessed on 2021 Apr 20.
Al Kabbani A, Farooq S. Abducens nerve palsy. Radiopedia. Available at: https://radiopaedia. org/articles/abducens-nerve-palsy-1. Accessed on 2021 Apr 20.
Rush JA, Younge BR. Paralysis of cranial nerves III, IV, and VI. Cause and prognosis in 1,000 cases. Arch Ophthalmol. 1981;99(1):76-9.
Lee MS, Galetta SL, Volpe NJ, Liu GT. Sixth nerve palsies in children. Pediatr Neurol. 1999;20(1):49-52.
Hamilton SR, Lessell S. Recurrent idiopathic lateral rectus muscle palsy in adults. Am J Ophthalmol. 1991;112(5):540-42.
Moster ML, Savino PJ, Sergott RC, Bosley TM, Schatz NJ. Isolated sixth-nerve palsies in younger adults. Arch Ophthalmol. 1984;102(9):1328-30.
Peters, George B 3rd. Cause and prognosis of nontraumatic sixth nerve palsies in young adults. Ophthalmology. 2002;109(10):1925-8.
Akhil K, Vimla B, Surender B, Harsh M, Singh H. Isolated clival metastasis as the cause of abducens nerve palsy in a patient of breast carcinoma. Indian J Ophthalmol. 2015;63(4):354-7.


You go to a local clothing store to buy a pair of jeans and have to look through several stacks of jeans to find your favorite- if that happens, the overall shopping experience gets dampened. Therefore, local clothing stores emphasize heavily on product display to ensure that the customer has a good experience. In addition to that they also give you a salesperson to guide you through your shopping and finding perfect clothes.
Ecommerce website designers take a lot of cues from traditional offline shopping and apply it to online shopping store to make the overall experience of the users as hassle-free as possible. However, one area frequently ignored is product listing page. A recent study has concluded that day after day, online shopping is becoming more and more confusing as the choices available online are increasing. A major reason for that is online stores' deep focus on adding more and more products to their website and not paying equal attention to enhancing their product listings.
This is like filling your local shop with thousands of clothes and then telling the user to go and find the one they like. In addition to that as online shopping does not allow consumers to physically access the product before buying; online shoppers face difficulties in making a proper decision. The trouble increases when there is no proper information available regarding the product.
Every two out of three ecommerce websites impede the ability of the user to compare the products due to several inconsistencies in the attributes of the listed products.
Half of the ecommerce sites just include all the product attributes in one long title, cramming 2-3 lines full of technical specs.
More than three fourth of the ecommerce websites just show same amount of information for all product items and omit specific information related to some particular products.
The sales of a website also depend upon the information available about the items on the websites. Studies have shown that people very often select or reject a product based upon the information available on the website. Mostly when nothing is written.
Having too little or irrelevant item information is highly problematic for users as it creates anxiety in them and they feel inability to adequately assess the listed products. Rather than going to each product page back and forth, most of the relevant information must be provided in the listing page itself. This issue is so prevalent that out of the 50 top US ecommerce websites nearly half do not showcase relevant information to the consumers on product listing page.
The biggest issue plaguing an ecommerce website is the bounce rate. Most of the people coming to the website would just surf and leave without buying anything. In order to counter it, websites focus immensely on the design of the page. They however fail to understand that product-listing page also plays a key role. The following are some of the key tips to optimize the product-listing page and decrease bounce rate.
Product attributes: There are some attributes that must always be displayed in the product-listing page. Just having a name and image of the product will not suffice. Other universal attributes include price, user ratings, and variations. In addition to it, one must also display category specific attributes, which are particularly related to the product.
Balancing quantity of products – The fact remains that amount of information being displayed directly affects the number of items present on a given page. This is why one must undergo a balancing act where the number of products does not go down and the product attributes are also shown properly.
Comparison – In addition to giving the overview of the product, the listing page must also have an option where users can easily compare multiple products. This comes in handy where users have shortlisted a few products and want to compare them to make a decision.
Grid or list – UI of a product-listing page is highly crucial as far as user experience is concerned. This is why there must always be an option for users to change the view between grid or list in accordance to their taste.
Same sized thumbnails – Visual content plays a critical part in the current ecommerce arena, which is why ecommerce websites must lay huge emphasis on the size of thumbnails used in the listing page. Most of the ecommerce websites use small thumbnails in order to accommodate more products on a single page. Others use irregularly sized thumbnails, which hamper user experience. In order to optimize the product-listing page, one must only use equally sized thumbnails.
Brief product Title – In the current age of competition, most of the ecommerce websites focus on SEO aspect of their products. By doing this, they incorporate the overall description of the product in the title itself. They however forget that optimizing product title for SEO will not result in conversion rate of the website. This is why the title of the product in the listing page must be brief.
In the end, it is all about signal-to-noise ratio in the product listing. Every website must maintain a right balance, which results in high ratio so that the users easily find the product they are looking for. In addition to this users must also easily differentiate between which products to pursue and which to ignore. Although it's not that complicated a task to optimize the product listing page and offer enhanced user experience to shoppers, more than half of the ecommerce websites fail on one parameter or the other. The fact remains that if you make it easy for the user to make an informed decision, consumers will trust your website for their shopping requirements.
Good one! Thank you for sharing this useful content.


Barton took control of this one early and took out the previously undefeated Ramblers from Rosebud on homecoming night at Frank McClellan Field.
Barton led by 27 points before Rosebud even got on the board. The Ramblers were held scoreless by the first three quarters.
Barton was led by Keddric Jackson who had four touchdowns and 262 yards on just 13 carries.
The Bears move to 4-0 overall and 1-0 in the 2-3A. Barton will be facing Riverview next week at Frank McClellan Field. Kickoff is set for 7:00 pm.


First chop the garlic and chilli. Place them in a bowl. Then add in water, fish sauce, sugar, lime juice and stir all the ingredients well. Put aside.
Prepare a large bowl with hot water. Soak one Vietnamese spring roll wrapping in hot water for few seconds to soften. Then take it out from water, wipe it dry and place it flat on a plate.
Shred the cucumber and cut sardines into chunks.
In a row across the center, place a handful of sprouts, shredded cucumber, mint leaves and place 2 pieces chunks of sardines on top, leaving about 2 inches uncovered on each side.
Fold uncovered sides inward; then tightly roll the wrapper from bottom on the top.
You just need to repeat that for all spring rolls.
Serve the rolls whole, garnished with basil, cilantro leaves, lettuce and with the dipping sauce in a nice bowl.


text:
Celtics Wrap: James Young's Strong Finish Not Enough In Loss Vs. Knicks
by on Fri, Oct 16, 2015 at 10:12PM
Sometimes, youth inspires performances like the Boston Celtics had in their first preseason game against NBA competition. But there was no encore Friday night.
A slow start and sloppy play down the stretch doomed the Celtics in their 101-95 loss to the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden.
Isaiah Thomas (13 points), Tyler Zeller (12), Evan Turner (11) and James Young (10) led the way for Boston offensively. New York's Derrick Williams led all scorers with 19 points.
But those weren't the stats that made the difference. Instead, it was the Knicks' turnover advantage (20-9), and their performance from 3-point range (48 percent) that made the real impact in this one.
STARTING FIVE
Isaiah Thomas, Avery Bradley, Jae Crowder, David Lee, Amir Johnson
Young had one of his best games in a Celtics jersey, even if he did most of his damage in the fourth quarter. He was one of four players who finished in double digits in scoring for Boston despite playing just 16 minutes.
He was the best offensive player for the Celtics in the final 12 minutes, which is a good sign for his development after spending most of last season with the Maine Red Claws in the Developmental League.
FEELS GOOD TO BE BACK
Bradley made an immediate impact in his return to the C's starting five after sitting out Wednesday's game against the Brooklyn Nets.
Bradley finished with seven points, eight rebounds and three assists in 21:36 minutes. All eight of his rebounds came on the defensive end, where he also came up with a steal.
MORE PRESEASON FLAGRANT FOULS
Things got a bit chippy between the two teams near the end of the third quarter.
Jared Sullinger, who had a quiet game up to that point, was hit hard by Kyle O'Quinn as he went up for a layup. Initially, Jonas Jerebko was the one who got a technical for walking toward his injured teammate, but the refs reversed that decision and gave O'Quinn a flagrant 1 foul instead.
Kyle O'Quinn takes out Jared Sullinger https://t.co/YNVDEFf1m5
— Brian Robb (@CelticsHub) October 17, 2015
TWEET OF THE NIGHT
Brad Stevens got a technical. We repeat, Brad Stevens got a technical.
BRAD STEVENS JUST PICKED UP A TECHNICAL FOUL, GUYS!
— Jay King (@ByJayKing) October 17, 2015
DO NOT EFF WITH PRESEASON BRAD
The Celtics will play their first home preseason game Monday when they face the Brooklyn Nets at TD Garden. Game time is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET.
Thumbnail photo via Mark J. Rebilas/USA TODAY Sports Images
Thumbnail photo via Boston Celtics guard James Young (13) against the Phoenix Suns at US Airways Center. The Celtics defeats the Suns 115-110.


(HealthDay News) — For women with a twin pregnancy, insertion of a cervical pessary is not associated with a reduction in the rate of spontaneous early preterm birth, according to a study published online August 27 in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology.
Kypros H. Nicolaides, MD, from King's College London, and colleagues examined whether insertion of a cervical pessary in twin pregnancies would reduce the rate of spontaneous early preterm birth in a multicenter randomized trial. A cohort of 1,180 eligible women were randomized to receive cervical pessary at 20+0 to 24+6 weeks' gestation until elective removal or delivery or to expectant management.
The researchers observed no significant between-group differences in the rate of spontaneous birth <34 weeks (P=0.722), perinatal death (P=0.702), adverse neonatal outcome (P=0.524), or neonatal therapy (P=0.701). There was no benefit seen for insertion of a cervical pessary in a post hoc subgroup analysis of 214 women with short cervix (≤25mm).


text:
New Brunswick Native Headed to His Second Super Bowl
By: Johnny Vega
FOXBOROUGH, MA—In his sixth season playing in the NFL, one of the best things that could have happened to Jonathan Casillas' career happened.
After spending the last year and a half playing for the struggling Tampa Bay Buccaners, Casillas was traded to the New England Patriots, who have established themselves as one of the greatest teams of all time.
In Tampa Bay, he played for former Rutgers University head coach Greg Schiano, who was fired after a rough 2013 season.
Since being traded to New England, Casillas made an immediate impact and shined bright both on special teams and defense for the Patriots.
The 27-year-old New Brunswick native got the news that he was traded to New England on a Tuesday, and reported for work with his new team by Wednesday.
Calling the Patriots "another incredible organization," Casillas took to his Twitter to say, "Blessed to have an opportunity to play for such a legendary franchise with a winning culture."
Casillas didn't have much time to soak it all in or think about anything but learning the Patriots playbook as quickly as possible.
Not skipping a beat, he was on the field that Sunday.
After being traded from a team with one of the worst records in the league, Casillas hit the field in his new #52 uniform as a member of the mighty Patriots and immediately made his prescense felt.
Although he only played on special teams in his first few games, Casillas would end up starting a few games on defense after a few of New England's players were forced to sit out due to injuries.
Casillas fit in perfect with Patriots defense and played just as good as any top defensive linebacker.
Ten weeks after being traded, Casillas and his new team now find themselves playing in the Super Bowl, the largest single-day sporting event in the world.
No stranger to playing in big games, this year's Super Bowl will be his seventh postseason game of Casillas' career. He made a game-changing play that helped the New Orleans Saints defeat the Indianapolis Colts in the 2010 Super Bowl.
But his football career started playing for the New Brunswick High School Zebras, right here in Middlesex County.
Casillas was raised on Remsen Avenue in New Brunswick, and played college football for the University of Wisconsin before turning pro.
On his newest team, Casillas quickly made a big impact, causing television analyst and former New York Giants quarterback Phil Simms to say on national television, "Wow, what a quick way of indoctrinating himself to the team and being productive."
New England's coach Bill Belichick called Casillas a "four-down player," indicating Casillas has the skill set to play against the run or pass, as well as on special teams.
Casillas did just that in the Patriots 43-21 win over the Denver Broncos, playing on kickoffs, kick returns, punts and punt returns.
"Casillas had a real good night for us last night with his play on special teams. Tackles and coverage and return units and protection and so forth," said Belichick.
Lucky for Casillas, the week following their win against the Broncos, the Patriots had a bye week which gave Casillas a little extra time to learn the new playbook a little better.
Ten weeks later, Casillas and the Patriots defeated the Indianapolis Colts in a 45-7 blowout to win another conference championship, sending Casillas to his second Super Bowl.
After the game, Casillas said that he was "Beyond blessed and graetful to be a part of such an incredible orginization."
Casillas missed a few weeks of action before being traded, but still managed to rack up 28 tackles and a forced fumble in just ten games with his new team.
Casillas now has a total of 37 tackles for the season and a forced fumble.
The trade that brought Casillas and several other players to New England proved to be smart one.
Casillas and a few of the players that were a part of that trade have played great and have helped get the Patriots to where they're at now.
Many in the City of New Brunswick will be rooting for Casillas and the Patriots, a team that has also seen great performances by a handful of former Rutgers University athletes this season.
The New England Patriots will take on the defending Super Bowl champions, the Seattle Seahawks, in the big game.
Super Bowl XLIX will be held in Phoenix, Arizona, and televised on NBC at 6:30pm on February 1.
Johnny Vega
https://newbrunswicktoday.com/author/johnny-vega/
Raised on Remsen Avenue, Super Bowl Champion Jonathan Casillas Makes New Brunswick Proud
Coach Don Sofilkanich Comes Full Circle, Returning to NBHS Football Program
Zebras Football Team Wins First Game Under New Head Coach
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