text:
HomeA Blitzkrieg Bop for God
A Blitzkrieg Bop for God
Alex SuskindAugust 26, 2009PHOTO: ART AS EREZ
PHOTO: ART AS EREZ
Like their forefathers, members of punk band Moshiach Oi! have great reverence for the Moshiach, or Messiah. The only difference is that these punk rockers have traded in their walking sticks for thrashing guitars.
Yishai Romanoff
In their debut album, "Better Get Ready," Moshiach Oi! has found a divine balance of religion and rock. Released on August 25, the album uses the traditional punk sound of raucous guitars and boisterous vocals to explore Jewish ideals and values. "Get Ready" includes original songs like "All Praise" and "I Wanna Learn Torah," as well as Moshiach's unofficial tribute songs to the Jewish people such as "Shabbos" and "Am Yisroel Chai"— the former celebrating Shabbat as "Hashem's Holy Day," the latter a rallying cry for Israel. However, the highlight of the album comes on "Shema Yisroel," which turns into a rowdy version of the traditional prayer.
The name of the group can be traced to the roots of punk, which began in the late '70s when bands like the Sex Pistols and the Ramones began playing loud and fast lo-fi garage rock. Soon, a new genre of punk called Oi! emerged to represent the British working class. Thirty years later, lead singer Yishai Romanoff, who was originally the only member of Moshiach, used Oi! as a double entendre (Oy, from the Yiddish phrase Oy Vey, is described by the band as the eternal sound of the Jewish working class) to come up with the name Moshiach Oi!. Romanoff described it as "the new sound of Jewish hardcore Torah punk rock," and then recruited Menashe Yaakov, Mitchell Harrison and Pesach Simcha to fill out the rest of the group.
With the release of "Better Get Ready," the anointed members of Moshiach Oi! join an already extensive list of Jewish punk bands such as 7Seventy and Yidcore. And like those other groups, Moshiach Oi! is ready to bring its loud and proud Jewish rock to the punk scene. As the late great (Jewish) Joey Ramone once shouted: "Hey ho, let's go!"
This story "A Blitzkrieg Bop for God" was written by Alex Suskind.
Alex Suskind


A raccoon has tested positive for rabies in Graves Park, 1540 Graves Road in Norcross. According to the CDC, the rabies virus attacks the central nervous system and is almost always fatal if untreated.
Early symptoms of rabies in people include fever, headache and general weakness or discomfort. If bitten or scratched by an animal that is suspected to have rabies, immediately seek medical care and contact the Gwinnett County Health Department at 770-339-4260.
Anyone bitten or scratched by stray animals should be captured and tested. Call the Gwinnett County Animal Welfare Bite Office at 770-339-3200 ext. 5576, or after hours, contact Dispatch non-emergency at 770-513-5700.
Rabid animals may act tame. They may also display strange or unusual behavior. They may act aggressive, avoid food and water, foam at the mouth, or have trouble moving or move in a stiff, odd way. Report any animal acting unusual to Gwinnett Animal Welfare and Enforcement at 770-513-5700.
In conjunction with World Rabies Day, Gwinnett Animal Welfare is partnering with Animal Alliance of Georgia, Canine Pet Rescue, Society of Humane Friends of Georgia and Live Healthy Gwinnett to offer free rabies vaccinations 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Sept. 29 at Pinckneyville Park, 4758 S. Old Peachtree Road in Peachtree Corners.


Advice for a new executive, by Chad Dickerson (via) Lara Hogan shares the advice she was given by Chad Dickerson (CTO and then CEO of Etsy) when she first became VP Engineering at Kickstarter. There is so much good material in here. I can vouch for the "peer support group" recommendation: Natalie and I benefited from that through Y Combinator and ended up building our own founder peer support group when we moved our startup back to London. Having a confidential trusted group with which to discuss the challenges of growing a company was invaluable.


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Esthetic, Implant, and Reconstructive Prosthodontics
Our specialty is prosthodontics and our concern is people. Our goal is to provide the highest quality, individualized care without compromise. Our facilities and staff enable us to provide one-on-one prosthodontic treatment with highly specialized yet personalized concern. Dr. Chaffee is the only prosthodontist in Apex who has been certified by the American Board of Prosthodontics.
About Dr. Chaffee
Our COVID-19 Policy
TMD-Jaw Joint Problems
500 West Williams Street
Notice Informing Individuals About Nondiscrimination and Accessibility Requirements and Nondiscrimination Statement:
Apex Prosthodontics (Nancy R. Chaffee, DDS, MS, PLLC) complies with applicable Federal civil rights laws and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, or sex.
Apex Prosthodontics (Nancy R. Chaffee, DDS, MS, PLLC) does not exclude people or treat them differently because of race, color, national origin, age, disability, or sex.
Apex Prosthodontics (Nancy R. Chaffee, DDS, MS, PLLC):
• Provides free aids and services to people with disabilities to communicate effectively with us, such as:
○ Qualified sign language interpreters
○ Written information in other formats
• Provides free language services to people whose primary language is not English, such as:
○ Qualified interpreters
○ Information written in other languages
If you need these services, contact Dr. Chaffee
If you believe that Apex Prosthodontics (Nancy R. Chaffee, DDS, MS, PLLC) has failed to provide these services or discriminated in another way on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, or sex, you can file a grievance with: Dr. Nancy Chaffee, 500 West Williams Street, 919-387-4775, 919-387-9559 (fax), admin@apexprosthodontics.com.
You can file a grievance in person or by mail, fax, or email. If you need help filing a grievance, Dr. Chaffee is available to help you. You can also file a civil rights complaint with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office for Civil Rights, electronically through the Office for Civil Rights Complaint Portal, available at https://ocrportal.hhs.gov/ocr/portal/lobby.jsf or by mail or phone at:
200 Independence Avenue, SW Room 509F, HHH Building
800-537-7697 (TDD)
Welcome to Apex Prosthodontics
(c) 2017 by Apex Prosthodontics
Proudly created by 4L Consulting, LLC

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


This blog post marks the first of our Body Image Series. As an embodiment-focused brand, we think it's absolutely necessary for us to share lessons, tools, perspectives and stories in addressing how we perceive and relate to our bodies. So, through the IMBŌDHI Blog platform we will be sharing a variety of articles, stories and/or interviews that touch upon this topic which we strongly believe needs to be acknowledged and discussed more than ever before.
An Interview with Natalie Grigson: Author of Call Me Perfect — a book for kids addressing self-acceptance and body image.
Today's post is an interview we had with Natalie Grigson. Grigson works as an author and illustrator in Austin, Texas. She is the author of such books as the Peter Able series, The Woods, Matthew Templeton and the Enchanted Journal, and Just Call Me Is. Read on to learn why we found it was important to interview this brilliant writer for our Body Image series.
I've just finished a new book – the sequel to my mindfulness for kids book, Just Call Me Is. This book, Call Me Perfect, focuses on body image and self-acceptance for kids and teenagers. For the past few weeks, I've been working on a Kickstarter to help fund the book's publication. It's…a lot of work.
I decided to write this book because of my own struggles with body image. When I was about 12, I started to equate my self-worth with how I looked – which is when I started dieting. Adding in a lack of understanding of my own emotions, and having no idea how to cope with them, by the time I was 13, I was starting down the path of an eating disorder.
After years of disordered eating, then yo-yo dieting, and finally, for the most part, accepting myself and my relationship with my body and food – I understand how challenging all of this can be. I want to help kids who are already struggling with this, and those who aren't, so they never have to.
Just like the first book in the series, Call Me Perfect is for kids anywhere from about 9 to 15. It's written to the reader in a journal littered with pictures and images – as though the reader has just stumbled upon this book.
It starts with the story of a girl named Margery, who, like many 12-year-olds, is ashamed of her body and begins a diet – which quickly escalates. We're with her on her journey through all of this, through getting help, and ultimately, how she learns to love herself.
The second half of the book is made up of exercises, journal pages, meditations for body acceptance, and some fun games parents and kids can play together, all to help support a healthy body image.
Why do you believe it is important to address body image in a children's book?
Like I said, when I started being aware of dieting, I was about 11 or 12. But these days, I hear horror stories of it starting so much younger – especially in young girls.
When I was teaching, I was working with kids as young as 5-8. I remember some of these kids already discussing openly how much they "hated their bodies" because they were "too fat." It was heartbreaking.
It's important for these kids to know, not only are their bodies okay and to be loved, but that usually when they're hating on their bodies – it's not about their bodies at all, but something else. So it's a tool to help them point out and then cope with their emotions.
What do you hope to see change in regards to our world's current issues around body image?
Oh my god – so much! We're living in this insane time, right now, where Photoshop and visual effects are only getting better. I'd love to see more magazines and fashion brands opt not to use these effects on their models – and in fact, use more realistic depictions of the everyday woman or man (or anyone in between!) I'm talking healthy and happy bodies—be they large, tiny, tall, wrinkly, cellulite-y, short, round, thin—whatever the body type.
I think changing the way we see bodies and talk about bodies every day in the media is a great start. (No more body shaming photos; no more headlines like "Best Bikini Bods!". I think a change in the media could be huge.
I'd also love to see parents start at a young age not praising their children for how they look – but for who they are.
How can we support your journey on spreading awareness of changing people's perspectives toward their own bodies?
Right now I feel like you're catching me when I have complete tunnel vision! As anyone who's done a crowdfunding campaign will tell you – they sort of take over your life for a while. So, of course, my immediate answer is: You can back and share the Kickstarter in order to get this book published and into the hands of kids!
In the long-term, though, here's what you can do, starting right now: If you've ever had an issue with your body (and that is the majority of the people reading this, so you're not alone!) please do me a favor. Give yourself a break. Give your body a break. It's working so hard just to keep you moving and doing the things you love. It's doing a kickass job.
Write your body a letter, telling it how much you appreciate it, thanking it, apologizing to it – whatever you need to say.
Then, write a letter to yourself from your body on how it feels it has been treated by you and the world.
Once the madness that is this Kickstarter is over, I'll be working on the illustrations for this book, and hopefully focusing more on working directly with kids – talking mindfulness, body image, and self-love, in small, supportive groups. I'll also be finishing another book, the third in my (fiction) Peter Able series. You can find out more about all of my books at: www.NatalieGrigson.com.
To support Natalie's Kickstarter campaign, Click HERE.


Congratulations to Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering graduate student Prapti Kafle and the Diao Group for winning the Science Image Challenge award!
The annual research image competition is organized by the School of Chemical Sciences' Viz Lab. Winners were honored at the SCS VizLab Open House on Dec. 14.
The Diao Lab pursues fundamental understanding and control of molecular assembly processes to advance innovations in printed electronics for energy and healthcare.
Congratulations also to graduate student Bo Li with the Schroeder Group. His image "Supramolecular Fibers" was a finalist.


Comprehensive tax reform is a once-in-a-generation accomplishment, the sort of legislative achievement that every politician wants but few will get. Republicans and Democrats began this year with ambitious talk of reaching a bipartisan agreement on tax reform, but it has now become clear to most that it will require the investment of more time and political capital than President Obama has remaining.
That does not mean, however, that investors should ignore the conversation until the next White House occupant arrives in 2017. The building blocks for comprehensive tax reform are already being set into place in Congress and on the campaign trail.
Key power players from each party are ascending to pivotal roles in Congress. In the House, former vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan (R-WI) took the gavel on the Ways and Means Committee at the start of this year, beginning a six-year term as its chairman. Ryan has spent years studying tax issues, and passed up opportunities in House leadership for this chairmanship. He is using his first two years in the position to create favorable conditions for reform, pushing legislation to permanently extend some perennial tax breaks to create a more favorable budgeting calculus later on and leading efforts to use a narrow international tax-reform deal to cover the cost of a long-term highway funding bill.
In the upper chamber, Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) will be retiring at the end of 2016, clearing the path for Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY) to take the lead of the Senate Democratic caucus in 2017. Schumer has long been a major player in the tax discussion as a senior member of the Finance Committee. This past summer, he partnered with Senator Rob Portman (R-OH) to develop the committee's bipartisan framework for international tax reform.
Of course, the most important player in any large-scale tax-reform negotiations will be the next president at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. While it is not yet clear who will win the respective party nominations, much less the presidency, the fact that so many top presidential candidates have begun releasing plans demonstrates that tax reform will be a top priority for whoever next sits in the Oval Office. Despite the passionate anti-establishment sentiment currently gripping voters, I still believe that the two plans that are most likely to see action are those from Hillary Clinton and Jeb Bush.
Clinton's tax proposals, like many Democratic plans, emphasize relief for the middle class. But she also stresses creating the environment for long-term economic growth, which is why a significant increase to the capital-gains tax for investments less than six years in duration is at the center of her plan.
If Clinton wins the election, it is possible that Senate Democrats ride her coattails and regain control of the upper chamber. However, even under the best-case scenario for Democrats, they will not flip enough seats to reach the 60-vote super-majority necessary to pass legislation under long-standing Senate rules. Thus, Clinton will need to work with Schumer and Ryan to hammer out a compromise tax-reform package.
Bush's proposals, in turn, are much broader than Clinton's and his options if he wins the presidency may also be broader. His plan emphasizes job growth, with most of his rate deductions framed as opportunities to increase employment and simplify the filing process. The plan would collapse the seven current individual tax brackets into just three, and would lower the capital-gains rate for all investments, regardless of duration. To encourage people to seek out jobs, Bush calls for expanding the earned income tax credit for childless workers, allowing secondary earners to file taxes separately, and eliminating the payroll tax for seniors eligible for Social Security. On the corporate side, Bush's plan sets a 20 percent top rate and removes many deductions for simplification purposes. However, Bush's entire plan is predicated on an ambitious projected growth rate of 4 percent, which many economists pan as unrealistic.
If Bush wins, Republicans would face the same 60-vote hurdle in the Senate as Clinton, but they will have an ace up their sleeves – the reconciliation process. Under this legislative maneuver, Congress is able to pass one piece of legislation each year with only a simple majority of each chamber, and in this scenario, the Republicans would control both the House and the Senate. In fact, in both 2001 and 2003, the Republican Congress used this exact process to pass President George W. Bush's tax cuts for ten years, the longest period applicable when using the reconciliation process.
There are limits, though, on how far the reconciliation process can be used. Among the current requirements, any bill passed using reconciliation cannot add to the deficit, which would be a problem for Bush's plan as proposed. Republicans could always relax these requirements, as they did when they passed the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts. But as that occurred before the advent of the Tea Party, which was sparked in large part out of concern over the government's profligate spending, such an effort this time around would likely run into greater resistance, particularly from rank-and-file conservative House Republicans.
It is common for investors to treat most of what comes out of politicians' mouths as empty promises, particularly during campaign season. However, in this instance, they should pay attention as the building blocks of comprehensive tax reform are subtly being laid.


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434 Park Avenue-The Ultra Modern And Tallest Res...
434 Park Avenue-The Ultra Modern And Tallest Residential Skyscraper In New York City
The Rising Boom In Residential Luxury Skyscrapers
In the modern times, there is an increasing trend of constructing tall and skinny skyscrapers around New York as developers find them to be more profitable, although they might cost a bomb to build. There are a large number of skyscrapers nestled along the Central Park and the 57th Street in particular-known as the Billionaire's Row.
With superior quality architecture and innovative technologies available today, there are tall and slender towers that are being built easily now than a couple of decades ago. Around 2020, there will be almost 8 new super tall structures that are being proposed to be built in New York City, apart from another 10 that could include the 73 storey building around Brooklyn downtown itself.
There are super tall skyscrapers found practically in most of the major cities of the world ranging from Hongkong to Dubai or Singapore mostly due to lack of space in the cities. But what distinguishes the ultra modern and skinny skyscrapers of New York is they are meant for the super rich and wealthy individuals residing in the city. These luxury high rise projects can look attractive but they may not be within the reach of everyone, except a handful of high net worth individuals who can afford them.
Ultra Modern Penthouses That Defines Complete Luxury
432 Park Avenue is known to be one of the tallest buildings along the Western Hemisphere. With an impressive height of 1,396 feet, there are over 104 luxury condos that have been designed with the luxurious amenities spread across 30,000 square feet. The 12.5 feet ceilings, 10x10 feet windows can take you upto 96 stories at a height of 1,500 feet.
This is one of the tallest residential towers located in the midst of the 56th and the 57th streets on Park Avenue. Catch the most stunning views of the entire city located in the heart of Manhattan right from the Hudson to the East River, Central Park to Atlantic Ocean and the Bronx to Brooklyn.
The cost of the apartments can range anywhere between$17.5 million to $80 million which only the extremely rich and people with hefty bank balances can afford.
Brief history of Skyscraper In New York City
This iconic landmark residential tower project was developed on the demolished site of the Drake Hotel which comprised of 485 rooms that was bought by Harry Macklowe for around $440 million. The construction activity of this project started in 2012 and was completed in December 2015 and came to be known as one of the most famous and sought after site as it was located in the prime area along the 56th and the 57th streets in Park Avenue.
After its completion, it became the tallest building in the United States which is known by its street address. There has been lot of criticism among the local people as this structure was meant to represent the super rich and wealthy status of few Americans.
Unique Design and Classy Interiors of 434 Park Avenue
Rafael Vinoly is the architect who has designed this marvelous residential and luxurious condo project which he attributes to be the most authentic form of geometric shape of the square. It is known to be inspired from the trash can design created by Josef Hoffman.
The interiors of this classy tower have been done by Deborah Berke and Bentel & Bentel who earlier designed the contemporary American restaurants-Eleven Madison Park and the Gramercy Tavern. The flooring is done using solid oak along with countertops made using Italian Marble. There are other exotic and ultra modern features available to the residents with climate controlled wine cellars, outdoor terrace, a lovely spa along with a private massage therapy room along with luxurious swimming pool.
It is one of the best examples of luxury residential projects that combines the best craftsmanship, design and engineering to create world class apartments similar to the Empire State, The Chrysler or the Woolworth Buildings.
First Sale of Condo Apartments
In January 2016, the first apartment was reported to be sold at a staggering $18.116 million which was more than the asking price of $17.75 million. During that time, there were 10 more apartments that were available in the price range of $17.4 million to $44.25 million.
What To Expect Inside The 434 Park Avenue Condos?
Catch the captivating view of the Manhattan skyline by enjoying your breakfast on this luxuriously designed 10 foot long marble breakfast bar. From the master suite with the bed close to the windows, you can get the best possible views of the city. There is a separate bathroom for him and her and from the marble covered shower, you can get a glimpse of the Upper East and the Central Park side.
Along the south, you can get some spectacular views of the Empire State Building and the Chrysler building and the One Trade Center. Among the other amenities including within this condo, there is a lap pool that can provide some stunning views through the double height windows.
The condominium tower provides high ceilings that range in between 351 sq foot studio option to about 6 bedroom or a seven bath penthouse along with a library. Among other amenities included in this luxury condo project, there are facilities provided for golf training along with private dining rooms that are available for the purpose of recreation as well as entertainment options for the residents.
Read our previous article - How a guide can create an account and add tours?
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A Michigan man died Saturday evening after reportedly falling into a vat full of sulfuric acid at a steel manufacturing firm where he worked.
According to The Detroit News, Daniel Hill, 54, became completely submerged in the 10-12 percent sulfuric acid solution Saturday afternoon at Michigan Seamless Tube in South Lyon. Fire Chief Robert Vogel told the outlet that employees were burned by the highly corrosive chemical as they tried to pull Hill from the container.
The Detroit Free Press reported that a state officials' preliminary investigation revealed that Hill was a technician undergoing training near a chemical container when he fell in.
WWJ News Radio reported that Hill was rushed to the hospital at 12:30 p.m. Saturday and died from his injuries later that evening. It's unclear how long he was submerged in the vat before being rescued.
South Lyon police chief Chris Sovik told the news outlet their end of the investigation is closed and that the Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration (MIOSHA) is looking into the deadly incident.
"We don't believe there was any foul play or criminal matter to investigate," he explained.
WWJ noted that a man was killed by a heavy piece of machinery at Michigan Seamless Tube about 12 years earlier. The plant has reportedly had three violations since 2014, one of which led to $52,000 in fines.
MISOSHA's inquiry is expected to take weeks to months. Company officials said they plan to conduct an independent investigation.


text:
<?php

/**
 * Test suite for class.
 *
 * @package Document
 * @subpackage Tests
 */
class ezcDocumentConverterDocbookToEzXmlTests extends ezcTestCase
{
    protected static $testDocuments = null;

    public static function suite()
    {
        return new PHPUnit_Framework_TestSuite( __CLASS__ );
    }

    public function testEzXmlConverterOptionsUnknownOption()
    {
        $options = new ezcDocumentDocbookToEzXmlConverterOptions();

        try
        {
            $options->notExistingOption = 0;
            $this->fail( 'Expected ezcBasePropertyNotFoundException.' );
        }
        catch ( ezcBasePropertyNotFoundException $e )
        { /* Expected */ }
    }

    public static function getTestDocuments()
    {
        if ( self::$testDocuments === null )
        {
            // Get a list of all test files from the respektive folder
            $testFiles = glob( dirname( __FILE__ ) . '/files/docbook/ezxml/s_*.xml' );

            // Create array with the test file and the expected result file
            foreach ( $testFiles as $file )
            {
                self::$testDocuments[] = array(
                    $file,
                    substr( $file, 0, -3 ) . 'ezp'
                );
            }
        }

        return self::$testDocuments;
        return array_slice( self::$testDocuments, 0, 3 );
    }

    /**
     * @dataProvider getTestDocuments
     */
    public function testLoadXmlDocumentFromFile( $from, $to )
    {
        if ( !is_file( $to ) )
        {
            $this->markTestSkipped( "Comparision file '$to' not yet defined." );
        }

        $doc = new ezcDocumentDocbook();
        $doc->loadFile( $from );

        $converter = new ezcDocumentDocbookToEzXmlConverter();
        $created = $converter->convert( $doc );

        $this->assertTrue(
            $created instanceof ezcDocumentEzXml,
            'Not of expected document type ezcDocumentEzXml,'
        );

        // Store test file, to have something to compare on failure
        $tempDir = $this->createTempDir( 'docbook_ezxml_custom_' ) . '/';
        file_put_contents( $tempDir . basename( $to ), $xml = $created->save() );

        $this->assertTrue(
            ( $errors = $created->validateString( $xml ) ) === true,
            ( is_array( $errors ) ? implode( PHP_EOL, $errors ) : 'Expected true' )
        );

        $this->assertEquals(
            file_get_contents( $to ),
            $xml
        );

        // Remove tempdir, when nothing failed.
        $this->removeTempDir();
    }
}

?>

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Guest Lists Management: The couple can now upload their guest lists online and access their wedding account anytime to edit, add or delete their guests information and to have updated details on gift payments and wedding confirmations and declines.
Complete RSVP Service: Guests can now accept a wedding invitation or send their regrets online using Creditbank's online banking website or through the mobile app. The couple can send "Thank You Messages" to their guests, by e-mail or SMS, with the option of personalizing the text message and including their wedding picture as a souvenir.
Instant Gift Payment: Guests can now pay their wedding gift securely using their credit card. Creditbank clients can pay the wedding using their online or mobile banking. No fees are applied to the gift amount.
*Final conditions are set in executable agreements and documents.


transcosmos analytics Inc. (Head Office: Tokyo, Japan; CEO: Yoichi Kawano; hereinafter, transcosmos analytics), a wholly-owned subsidiary of transcosmos inc. (Headquarters: Tokyo, Japan; President and COO: Masataka Okuda; TSE First Section: 9715; hereafter, transcosmos) launched an initiative to deploy the world's most advanced machine learning automation / AI platform "DataRobot" to transcosmos's Service and Administrations divisions and develop over 100 data scientists, the masters of DataRobot. At the same time, transcosmos delivers DataRobot related services to its clients as a resell partner of DataRobot Japan by leveraging its best practices and know-how on developing data scientists. With over 20 implementation projects already up and running, transcosmos aims to achieve over 100 million yen in revenue in FY2017.
transcosmos believes that AI and machine learning are not something that threaten human job security. Rather, these technologies can only unleash their full potential when they work with humans. In fact, AI and machine learning are not born smart. It is humans that make them learn and work smart. Still, it has been a bottleneck for Japanese businesses to "democratize machine learning" as it is a severe challenge to hire and develop data scientists who can master AI and machine learning. In order to overcome the challenge, transcosmos established the AI / Machine learning Promotion Office which drives "democratization of machine learning" and kicked off the project, "1 data scientist for 1 division". As a first step, it deployed "DataRobot" which helps even an ordinal business person perform deep learning and other highly advanced analysis as if popping something in the microwave. Over 50 employees selected not only from Digital Marketing, E-Commerce, Call Centers and other Service divisions, but also from HR, General Affairs and other Administrations divisions, have received special training and are already working on deploying AI / machine learning in their workplaces across Japan.
transcosmos gained significant success in "Nihon Chokuhan", a mail order brand operated by transcosmos. By utilizing DataRobot for direct mail & catalogue delivery list management operations, sales went up by 150% while man-hour for the operations went down by 50% compared to the predicted model built by its traditional data scientist.
transcosmos will utilize the success model across Japan and continues to develop more data scientists, with an aim to make more than 100 data scientists within this year.
transcosmos will also help their clients drive their "democratization of machine learning". Leveraging the success made in "Nihon Chokuhan" brand and its know-how on developing data scientists, transcosmos will deliver DataRobot-related services as a resell partner for DataRobot Japan. Furthermore, transcosmos analytics's data scientists, who have a wealth of experience, provide value-added services such as DataRobot workshops and training that are tailored to the actual use scenario for their clients.
In addition, for the clients to develop a database environment for machine learning and to set links with external systems, transcosmos will provide integrated solutions by combining its unique DMP service "DECode", "DECAds" series that deliver end-to-end services ranging from ads, marketing to customer support building on digital data, as well as various other outsourcing services.
transcosmos's origin of business is to deliver quality and valuable services by uniting "people" with "technology" through "scheme". transcosmos continues to strive to create a world where humans and cutting-edge technologies like AI and machine learning live and prosper together.
* transcosmos analytics is a trademark or registered trademark of transcosmos analytics Inc. in Japan and other countries.
transcosmos launched its operations in 1966. Since then, we have combined superior "people" with up-to-date "technology" to enhance the competitive strength of our clients by providing them with superior and valuable services. transcosmos currently offers services that support clients' business processes focusing on both sales expansion and cost reduction through our 172 locations across 31 countries with a focus in Asia, while continuously pursuing Operational Excellence. Furthermore, following the expansion of e-commerce market on the global scale, transcosmos provides a comprehensive One-Stop Global E-Commerce Services to deliver our clients' excellent products and services to consumers in 49 countries around the globe. transcosmos aims to be the "Global Digital Transformation Partner" of our clients, supporting the clients' transformation by leveraging digital technology, responding to the ever changing business environment.
transcosmos analytics was established as a 100% subsidiary of transcosmos in May 2012, in order to provide KPO (Knowledge Process Outsourcing) service and to support clients in improving efficiency with their intellectual production activities whilst creating new values. transcosmos analytics responds to the rapidly-changing marketing environment flexibly and speedily in order to expand its clients' profits and to maximize their customer satisfaction.


We are committed to professional, fast, courteous and reliable service. We believe in the golden rule. "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you". We always ensure that our customers are satisfied and our goal is to make you a life-long client.


Word went through the underworld that they were tough. No question about it. They were intimidating just by their appearance. The hat was their trademark.
It was slightly past noon, a typical working day almost three decades ago.
A nondescript sedan pulled alongside a curb and parked on Hope Street in downtown Los Angeles.
Four young, impeccably dressed men--in dark, tailor-made, single-breasted suits, wide-brimmed hats, and polished shoes--piled out and approached a hot dog stand. All were well over six feet tall and collectively they weighed more than half a ton.
Momentarily, a Brinks armored truck appeared and rolled to a stop in front of a nearby business. The guards got out and went inside. As they emerged minutes later with a sack of money, they observed the four men at the hot dog stand, looking toward the truck.
Instinctively, the guards spun around and quickly retreated, disappearing inside.
"Well," one of the four said, "it'll probably be about three minutes. . . ."
As he had predicted, police cars--sirens wailing--soon converged on the scene. The officers confronted the suspicious foursome--all munching hot dogs and enjoying a good laugh.
It was not the first time this group had been mistaken for criminals--purely because of their size and dress.
They were, in fact, detectives.
Working out of the robbery division of the Los Angeles Police Department through the 1950s and early '60s, the four became a legend.
They were labeled the Hat Squad--an elite team that quickly gained a national reputation among law enforcement agencies as well as in the underworld.
"They were the most impressive group I ever knew in my 25 years with the department," said Joe Deiro, a retired LAPD detective. "They were tough with criminals but very compassionate people, respected in the underworld."
The squad was led by Max Herman Sr. The others were Clarence A. (Red) Stromwall, Harold N. Crowder and Edward F. Benson.
"We were always together," recalled Crowder, now a Los Angeles Municipal Court judge who supervises the Hollywood branch. "If one guy went to the john, all four of us went to the john. And we always had our hats on."
Stromwall, now a Los Angeles County Superior Court judge, chuckled. "We played it to the hilt," he said, "and chasing bandits in those days was fun."
An old, scarred police baton with a leather strap hangs on a wall over the bar of his La Canada Flintridge home, along with plaques, citations and a cherished photo of his father, Albert C. Stromwall, in a police uniform.
"He joined the police department in 1924 and retired in 1948," Clarence Stromwall said. "I came on in 1946."
Smoking a Honduran cigar slightly smaller than the baton he once carried while walking a beat, Stromwall, 62, was visiting one recent afternoon with his ex-partner Crowder, 61.
The judges drank coffee and talked for two hours about when they roamed the city as members of the Hat Squad, the last five or six years of which they were badge-carrying lawyers.
Their words were frequently punctuated by bursts of laughter as they recalled a few of the "thousands of cases" they worked on--a mood that contrasted drastically with that of the previous day.
That was the day--Jan. 30--Max Herman was buried.
The team's leader was eulogized by attorneys Roy Loftin and Morgan Rodney, a former detective.
"Max defended his clients with . . . a ferocity that was absolutely frightening," Loftin told the overflowing congregation of more than 200.
Rodney praised Herman as "the strongest of the strong, the toughest of the tough, the gentlest of the gentle--always a giver, rarely a taker. He will be missed."
Later, he said that Herman had defended about 30 men accused of homicide. "I don't believe anyone he represented was ever convicted of the original (more serious) charge."
Benson, the fourth member, died of natural causes in 1970. He had played football for Fordham University and later earned $100 or so a game as a professional with the New York Giants. He had also boxed professionally. During World War II, he was a paratrooper, making jumps in Italy and France.
Benson joined the police department in the late 1940s and soon found much in common with the men who became his partners--particularly Stromwall, who also had a fling as a professional boxer.
"I had 13 fights, won three, drew one and lost nine," the judge said, laughing. "I was not the Great White Hope."
Like Benson, the others also saw plenty of action during the war--Herman and Stromwall with the Marines, Crowder with the Air Corps.
Later, during the Korean War, all four went on active duty with the 40th Infantry Division and served in the same battalion. Herman, Crowder and Stromwall were company commanders; Benson was a first sergeant. Stromwall remained in the reserve and retired as a full colonel.
Settling within a stone's throw of each other in La Canada Flintridge, all eventually married and raised children. But leading a normal family life proved impossible as a result of their demanding work and, for all except Benson, their ambitious goals in the legal profession.
Herman and Stromwall were assigned to robbery as partners in 1949 and were joined by Benson in the mid 1950s, then by Crowder in 1959.
"There was no such thing as a hat squad, other than Max and I wore hats," Stromwall said. "It just evolved."
Jake Jacoby, a City News Service reporter first assigned to the police beat in 1935 and still covering it for the wire service, lists Stromwall's father and two others--Claude Thaxter and Slats Henry--as the original "Big Hats."
"Other members of robbery wore hats," Jacoby remembered, "but these guys wore big hats. They existed from 1935, I think, up into the '40s. . . . When they retired, the Hats went into limbo, until the four came along."
Herman and his partners bought their hats from "the old H and K Hatters on Main Street," Stromwall recalled.
"By now," Crowder said, "they were wearing porkpies, little bitty things. We liked the big ones, almost three-inch brims on 'em." Stromwall laughed. "Damned near Stetsons. . . . They were better identification than a badge."
The detectives also had their suits made to order.
"We all spent every nickel we could save to buy a suit," Crowder said. "We'd pay $100--that was half a month's pay--and $20 or $25 for a hat."
Made by a tailor at "Murray's on Main Street," as they remembered, the suits had fancy linings and were single-breasted and cut to compensate for the bulges on their hips, where they carried revolvers.
They used their weapons sparingly. Often, the squad's mere presence--Benson was the lightest at 223 pounds--prompted suspects to throw in the towel quickly.
"We avoided (knocking heads) if at all possible," Stromwall said, "but if a guy asked for it, he got it."
"They were so feared and respected," said Lt. Dan Cooke, a police veteran who worked with Crowder for a period, "that when we'd announce such and such a case had been turned over to the Hat Squad, many of the suspects in those cases would voluntarily give themselves up."
The detectives had citywide jurisdiction and covered their beat thoroughly.
"Earl Carroll's, the Mocambo, Ciro's . . . we roamed that (Sunset) Strip pretty good," Stromwall said. "I think we knew every waitress and bartender in town, and they were the people who knew what was going on."
From time to time, the squad found it necessary to run undesirable people out of Los Angeles, and they usually did it swiftly.
"There wouldn't be anyone hit town we didn't know about," Stromwall said. "This one major guy who got run out of New York had about half the New York Police Department on his payroll. . . . He was in town two days and we had him. We told him he was not welcome here. He said 'thank you' and left.
"Another guy came up from New Orleans. He was going to organize gambling. He was here less than a week. We came in on him with machine guns. He got the message. And he left."
Then there were the "magnificent seven," as Stromwall labeled them, from Cleveland.
"They were all pimps. They were going to set up a big prostitution ring. Among other things, they were going to use the gals to worm their way into law enforcement and get policemen in compromising positions. It took the better part of a year to get them."
Cooke and others talk about the detectives' fairness in dealing with criminals.
"These guys could put you in jail and make you like it," said Robert Peinado, a Palm Springs attorney and former LAPD detective. "We had different types of criminals in those days. Holdup men were fatalistic. They played the game, and if they got caught, they got caught."
Evidence of that respect was apparent at Herman's funeral, attended by a number of ex-convicts the squad had sent to prison.
"Three of them I talked to did collectively 56 years (behind bars)," Stromwall said. "We never put a guy away mad."
The judges remembered an incident involving a gang the four had chased through a hotel off Temple Street.
"There were four guys and three gals," Stromwall said. "They ran out of a side door to their parked car at the end of a cul-de-sac, maybe 50 yards. They had rifles and handguns."
In pursuit, Crowder took one side of the street, Herman and Benson the center, and Stromwall the other side. Like a scene out of the Old West, they approached in broad daylight, weapons holstered.
"It was very rare you pulled your gun," Stromwall said. "You only pull your gun when you want to kill somebody. They saw us coming. They just put their rifles on the hood of their car and put their hands up."
The squad's most complex and perhaps toughest case took eight months to crack. The crime--which began as an abortive holdup of More's Inc., a discount store in West Los Angeles--occurred July 29, 1960.
"It was a robbery, murder, kidnaping-type thing," Crowder said. "It involved the FBI. (A special agent was assigned to each member of the Hat Squad.) It was a hair-raiser."
Two parolees from Alcatraz ultimately were convicted and sentenced to the gas chamber, but neither was executed. One died on Death Row; the other was paroled and now is back in federal prison, the judges said.
A key witness in the case was a citizen who chased the criminals in his car. He was shot through the windshield with a .357 magnum revolver, the bullet striking him between the eyes. Incredibly, he lived to testify.
However, much of the credit for the convictions went to the Hat Squad, which had uncovered countless bits of evidence, including a gun that had been discarded in the desert--"a million grains of sand," as Crowder called the painstaking investigation.
By then, Herman, Stromwall and Crowder had become attorneys, and their more sophisticated knowledge of the law proved extremely beneficial.
"That was about the time all these exclusionary rules became popular," Stromwall remembered, "and we could foresee what was coming down the pike. One hundred fifty-six pieces of evidence went through trial on two separate occasions, and we didn't lose one of them."
Stromwall believes there were only seven attorneys in the police department at the time, "and the chief (William H. Parker) was one of them."
"Going to law school was not a very popular thing to do for policemen. . . . It was difficult for people on the police department in those days to understand that there's a relationship between the law and law enforcement."
All attended night classes at Southwestern University College of Law, Herman and Stromwall graduating together in 1955, Crowder a bit later.
An 18-hour day was not uncommon, the judges said, nor was it uncommon to miss classes because of police work.
Crowder's memories of his bar examinations remain vivid.
"The first time I went in to take the bar," he said, "my mother and father were out here visiting with me. I got up at 5:30, had breakfast and kissed my folks goodby. They congratulated me and said good luck. And as I walked out the door, I saw my dad sitting on the couch drinking coffee.
"I had just finished my second question at the bar exam when the doctor walked across the room and tapped me on the shoulder. 'Mr. Crowder,' he said, 'would you step outside?' And I said sure. He said, 'Your father just dropped dead.' "
Crowder was unable to continue, but took the exam later and passed.
The squad disbanded when Herman resigned from the police department in 1962 after 17 years of service, three shy of retirement. Forfeiting his pension money, he began practicing law in Los Angeles and did so for 24 years.
The future judges retired from the police department, then launched their legal careers.
Crowder practiced law with Herman, Morgan Rodney and another partner in their own L.A. firm from 1967 to 1974, when he was appointed a Municipal Court commissioner. In 1985, Gov. Deukmejian appointed him judge.
Stromwall served briefly in the District Attorney's office, became a commissioner of the Municipal Court, then was appointed judge in 1972 by then-Gov. Ronald Reagan. In 1985, he was elevated to the Superior Court.
Recently, the judges and their wives traveled to Mazatlan on a week's vacation--their first together since the Korean war.
"It was a time to collect and reflect," Stromwall said. "We looked up some retired LAPD friends who live there and talked about the good old days."


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Makayla Rae Photography Blog | Old Mill Pop Up.
Hey Hey… Y'all know what day tomorrow is right?!?! OCTOBER 6th… amongst important birthdays of loved ones & it simply being a FRIDAY it is the start of the Old Mill Pop Up Sale to celebrate 10 years… COUNT EM….T-E-N years…. for Zinnia's Boutique. I do believe I repeat myself each time I share her brilliance but she has yet again OUTDONE herself… this is one you DO NOT want to miss.
As if it isn't enough to get down and check out the Mill there will be a food truck offering plenty of yummy treats & entertainment leading you into the evening. Share the love, and be amazed at Tamie's talent once again all while enjoying an afternoon at Mill.
All this deliciousness starts tomorrow at 10 running until 6 pm & Saturday bring on the food & tunes from 10 -8. Bring the hubby .. you might need to use his wallet and very possibly his muscles to carry out that perfect end table!
So…. Friday & Saturday we will see you at 310 2nd Ave SW … Welcome… to the Old Mill.
« Cameron || September 2017.


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Manatee Leaders Meet To Discuss County's Affordable Housing Crunch
By Cathy Carter • Apr 18, 2019
Downtown Bradenton in Manatee County.
Manatee County Government
Housing prices and rents continue to rise across Florida. Thursday, a group of community leaders and advocates gathered in Bradenton to discuss Manatee County's ongoing affordable housing crunch at an event sponsored by the Manatee Tiger Bay Club.
Nationwide, an average wage earner would need to spend 32.7 percent of his or her income to buy a median-priced home. But for Manatee residents, that figure is 46.3 percent.
Denise Thomas is the Housing and Community Development Coordinator for Manatee County. She said the spectrum of affordable housing covers a large area, from the homeless to millennials and seniors.
"Everyone is impacted in one way or another about affordable housing," she said. "When we look at the cost of housing based off of information from the Sarasota-Manatee Realtors Association, we see the cost for a single family home on average, the median sale price in 2017 was $295,000, and in 2018, it went up to $305,000."
During her speech, Thomas called upon the Florida Legislature to fully fund the state's affordable housing trust fund, also known as the Sadowski fund.
For years, lawmakers have diverted money from the trust for other purposes.
"For many individuals who purchase homes, even our middle income, moderate income, they seek down payment assistance. Well guess where those funds come from," she asked. "It's the state."
The State Housing Initiatives Partnership Program, known as SHIP, allocates money to Florida's counties for affordable housing programs. Thomas said last year, Manatee was eligible to receive $3 million. Instead, the county got just over $500,000.
Currently, the proposed Florida Senate budget has allocated full funding for the Sadowski affordable housing trust. The House version does not.
Another solution to Manatee's housing crisis was advanced by Glen Gibellina of the county's Affordable Housing Advisory Board.
The retired general contractor teaches students at Bradenton's Bayshore High School how to build homes out of shipping containers.
He says the project was inspired by the need to provide shelter for homeless and at-risk students.
"They have no support," he said. "They're either living in their car, living in the woods, or they're couch surfing and that's no way to get an education."
Gibellina says the shipping container homes would qualify as an "accessory dwelling unit," which would permit construction of smaller, secondary homes on the same lot as a primary residence.
"They could be set in the backyards of parents or concerned citizens within walking distance of the high school," he said. "Put it in the neighborhood where they can walk to school. Right now we bus them from all over the county and it costs us thousands of dollars in transportation to get that kid to the school that he belongs to. That's got to change and it's not that hard."
Accessory dwelling units were approved by the county's Planning Board last week. The Manatee County Commission will take up the ordinance in May.
Currently, the county allows guest houses that can be attached or separated from the owner's home but they cannot include a kitchen. Accessory dwelling units allow for a kitchen. The apartments can be up to 80 percent of the main residence's square footage or 1,000 square feet, whichever is less.
During the forum, Adell Erozer of the organization Turning Points, highlighted the latest findings of the United Way of Florida's annual ALICE report. According to the latest data, 44% of Manatee households are at-risk of homelessness. She said the agency, which provides employment services, rental and utility assistance, and free medical and dental care for the uninsured, is seeing an increase in need from Manatee' County's elderly population.
"We're starting to see a lot more of those people who are living on fixed incomes and don't have any kind of rent stabilized housing that they can get into," she said. "As the Great Recession took a lot of people's savings away, it also cut into the reserves that they have for emergencies. What we're finding is that a lot of these people just can't afford the increases in rent in our area."
There is some positive movement on adding affordable housing units in Manatee. On May 2, the County Commission will consider plans for Oaks at Creekside, an apartment complex proposed for Bradenton and Maple Ridge, a subdivision of single-family homes slated for Palmetto.
Manatee's Planning Commission have already approved both projects.
The county's housing crunch is happening admist a growing population. According to the latest census data Manatee's population has increased from 385,450 as of July 1, 2017, to 394,855 on July 1, 2018.
You can read WUSF's series "Growing Unaffordable" HERE.
affordable housing crisis
Growing Unaffordable
Sadowski trust fund
Mantee County Commission
Affordable Housing Trust Fund Eyed For Hillsborough County
By Steve Newborn • Apr 17, 2019
Hillsborough County TV
Hillsborough County Commissioners Wednesday took a step toward creating its first dedicated source of money for affordable housing. It comes after other money has been repeatedly diverted from a state housing fund.
New State Housing Program Won't Help With Rent Or Mortgage
By Daylina Miller • Apr 4, 2019
Daylina Miller / WUSF Public Media
The state Agency for Health Care Administration received federal approval to create a housing assistance pilot program as part of the Florida Medicaid program.
State's Affordable Housing Trust Fund Has Become More Theory Than Practice
By Cathy Carter • Dec 16, 2018
Like everywhere in Florida, Hillsborough County has a lack of affordable housing.
The issue has grown more acute due to a growing population, deep federal cuts to subsidized housing programs, and stagnant wages.


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Ex-Pope Benedict XVI addresses church sex abuse, contradicting Pope Francis
Nicholas Sakelaris
Pope Benedict XVI, shown here in 2013 wrote a letter addressing the sex abuse scandal within the Catholic church. File Photo UPI/Stefano Spanziani | License Photo
April 11 (UPI) -- The former Pope Benedict XVI ended years of silence to address the abuse scandal in the Catholic church, blaming it on the sexual revolution of the 1960s that he said made pedophilia "allowed and appropriate."
The former pope wrote a scathing 6,000-word letter to address what he believes caused the decades-long scandal, from changing societal norms to theological changes.
"Why did pedophilia reach such proportions?" Benedict wrote, according to an English translation posted by Catholic News Agency. "Ultimately, the reason is the absence of God. It could be said that in the 20 years from 1960 to 1980, the previously normative standards regarding sexuality collapsed entirely, and a new normalcy arose. Sexual and pornographic movies then became a common occurrence, to the point that they were screened at newsreel theaters."
He also said too many Christians receive communion as a "purely ceremonial gesture" and too many people see the church as a "political apparatus."
RELATED Pope Francis announces new law to protect Vatican City children
"Therefore, when thinking about what action is required first and foremost, it is rather obvious that we do not need another Church of our own design," Benedict said. "Rather, what is required first and foremost is the renewal of the Faith in the Reality of Jesus Christ given to us in the Blessed Sacrament."
The unprecedented letter marks an unprecedented moment for a former pope, especially because parts of it contradict Pope Francis' approach toward the scandal. The former Pope Benedict XVI hasn't made public statements since he stepped down as pope six years ago. He got the blessing from Pope Francis to write the letter.
"Since I myself had served in a position of responsibility as shepherd of the Church at the time of the public outbreak of the crisis, and during the run-up to it, I had to ask myself -- even thought, as emeritus, I am no longer directly responsible -- what I could contribute to a new beginning," Benedict wrote.
RELATED French cardinal given 6-month suspended sentence for abuse coverup
Pope Francis focuses on the corrupted power of clergy while acknowledging systemic problems that result in abuse being covered up, perpetrators being moved around to new, unsuspecting congregations and victims being demonized.
Benedict's letter focuses less on reforming the Catholic church and more on the moral declines he said he sees in society and the church.
David Gibson, director of the Fordham University's Center on Religion and Culture, tweeted that Benedict's narrative contradicts everything Pope Francis did at the February summit of bishops and cardinals. It puts Pope Francis in a bad spot.
RELATED Under pressure, Vatican to open archive on controversial Pope Pius XII
"Another major problem with Benedict's XVI's opus blaming the abuse crisis on liberal mores and gays and secularization etc," Gibson tweeted. "So it is deeply problematic and damaging at a crucial time."


2x OCTG Inspectors required for a long term contract in Aberdeen.
Our client has a large order to be threaded, LPI'ed and bucked-on. It's 240,000 ft. of 7" 29# Sanicro 28 Range 3 Liner with TSH W563, 3.0 Dopeless coupling x pin plus loose, spare couplings and multiple pups.
We are looking for inspectors who possess strong threading backgrounds, and LPI training/certification.
Additionally, the inspectors would be required to meet with the client to assist in verifying their capability to process CRA tubulars through the facility (padded lines, proper material handling equipment, chucks, tongs, personnel knowledge, etc.).


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United Nations Report Demonstrates Urgency of Climate Change Policies
Feminist Newswire | August 8, 2019
Early today, a United Nations (U.N.) report composed by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change was released in Geneva, Switzerland, detailing the fast approaching effects of climate change and their impact on global food security.
The report examined the correlations between various measures such as rising earth temperatures, soil degradation, and carbon dioxide emissions to analyze the future of food security worldwide. Soil is being lost significantly faster than it is forming which is made worse by the weather effects of global warming such as flooding, wildfires, and droughts. In an effort to create more usable soil, many countries are draining wetlands, a process that, for every 2.5 acres drained, produces the equivalent amount of Carbon Dioxide as burning 6,000 gallons of gasoline. Others are clearing forests to make room for livestock, which every year releases an emissions level equal to driving 600 million cars.
All of these statistics are just a part of the broader narrative on food security. By 2050, the population is estimated to reach almost 10 billion people. With ten percent of the population already undernourished, humans currently taking up over 70 percent of ice-free land, and the amount of viable soil shrinking rapidly, the world is set up to experience a major food shortage very soon. Earlier this month, Liu Zhenmin, the U.N. undersecretary-general for economic and social affairs, stated that "there's been no good progress" on ending hunger, which he called "a tragedy for the international community."
The report did outline ways to correct the damage done; however, action must be taken immediately. Researchers called for a re-evaluation of land use and human behavior surrounding agriculture and food products. Lowering the amount of food waste will have an immediate impact on the amount of land required for the agriculture industry, decreasing the need to employ practices that produce a large amount of carbon dioxide emissions and slowing the rate of deforestation.
While issues of food security are heavily concentrated in areas of Sub-Saharan Africa, the United States is heavily impacted as well. In Texas, a state which recently ended a program that helped low-income families pay their electric bills, one in six families are forced to choose between putting food on the table and financing other expenses. Those most at risk of food insecurity are African Americans, Latinos, Native Americans, single-parent households and households in rural communities.
Media Resources: Feminist Newswire 9/12/16; AP News 7/10/19; IPCC 8/8/19; UN News 8/8/19; New York Times 8/8/19
climate change food insecurity population Poverty UN united nations


Time for 180GO! team practice.
Anyone is welcome to come down and spend the day at the park too.
Can I get 4 team members/alternates for Saturday, May 7th?
I'm expecting Kankakee area and Charleston area members to be available so we're meeting half way between at Zahnd Park in Champaign.
See the Maps link for directions.
Should there be a problem with using the park, we may move at the last minute. Be sure you have my phone number if you're coming.
I am planning on being there. Looking forward to it!
I wish I could be there just to fly at the same time as you folks . . . . as I have so much to learn . . . . but I have a trip for work that extends over that weekend. Maybe I will see you at Valpo on the 14th.
Last edited by goestoeleven on Sun, Apr 24 2011, 10:35 PM, edited 1 time in total.
See you at Valpo Steve.
We should be there, well at least 3 of us. Not sure about Nick, he may be working that day.
A bit out of my range, I'm afraid.
I am planning on coming down too. Oh how much fun we will have!!!
Valpo is now unlikely for me as my wife will be out of town that weekend . . . .
The forecast looks like rain for Saturday and no wind for Sunday.
Still want to do it tomorrow?
I'm going to pass this time ... the probability of rain is too high for Saturday and Sunday is Mother's day!
Catch -22, I really want to get some practice in, but I would prefer to stay dry while doing it. For me I guess it depends on what everyone else thinks. The forecast is definitely not positive. Anybody know someone who owns a wind tunnel?
The worst of the rain is forecast for the morning. How about we meet at 1:30 and fly until 5 or 5:30?
Rose and I will be in Champaign anyway. Give me a call around noon and I'll look at the weather and we'll decide.
10-4---will call you tomorrow around 12.
Ok Mike I will give you a call around noon.


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Locanda dei Nobili Viaggiatori
Stay discovering ancient traditions
ROOMS FARES
Camera matrimoniale ad uso singola, colazione inclusa € 65,00
Camera matrimoniale standard, colazione inclusa € 75,00
Double Room with a view on the Castle € 120,00
Locanda dei Nobili Viaggiatori offers you free WI-Fi and a wonderful garden with a view on the Castle where you can spend some time relaxing. Every rooms has a unique style of furniture, air conditioning and private facilities. In the restaurant area you could enjoy typical and local cuisine, and for breakfast you will be served every day with sweet and savoury home-made food.
Discover our 5 rooms
The Locanda has 5 B&B rooms, each named as historical personalities who stayed as guests at the Castle during Bartolomeo Colleoni's life.
King Christian the first from Denmark: In 1474 King Christian began a journey in order to attend the Jubilee in Rome. He spent march 12th and 13th resting in Malpaga as guest of Bartolomeo Colleoni, owner of the Castle.Bartolomeo Colleoni organized in the king's honour hunts, games, tournaments, and magnificent banquets. The King's stay is celebrated by the frescoes on the walls of the Feast Hall of the Castle, made by the painter Fogolino.
Borso d'Este, duke of Ferrara, Reggio and Modena: For his entire life, Borse d'Este worked to extend his land possessions. He tried any means to achieve.He was a Maecenas and a bibliophile:a magnificent illuminated manuscript of the Bible was made on his behalf.
Albert III, duke of Saxony: He was also called Albert the Brave. He supported the exploitation of the mines in Erzgebirge and reformed the monetary system. Then he took part in the fightings in the Empire: in 1474 he confronted with his army Charles the Bold, and in 1487 Mattia Corvino. On his behalf the Castle of Meissen ( Albrechtburg) was built. In 1499 the Succession Act was the first attempt to introduce to Saxony the principle of the first-born succession.
Francesco Sforza Duca di Milano: Uomo d'armi e cardinale. Tra i suoi condottieri militò (dal 1452 al 1453) Bartolomeo Colleoni (uno dei pochi capitani di ventura ad aver servito sia con i braccheschi che con gli sforzeschi) che diverrà poi il comandante generale della Serenissima, nonché uno dei suoi rivali più accesi, ma all'interno di un quadro di rapporti particolarmente "cavalleresco".
Charles I, duke of Burgundy: He was also called Charles the Bold. He was a man extraordinary brave, well educated, wise and smart. He loved music and tournaments. He has a genius for politics, but in spite of it he was famous for his violent and impulsive nature. Charles the Bold admired the military ability of Bartolomeo Colleoni: the fighting in Marengo, Romanengo and Borgomanero gave Bartolomeo Colleoni an international fame as one of the best knight.
For further information and for reservation:
info@locandadeinobiliviaggiatori.it
Closing days:
Sunday nights and Mondays
First and last name E-mail Message
Please keep me informed on news


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VA Deals With Aftermath of TBI Exam Error
Tampa, FL (Law Firm Newswire) August 31, 2016 - The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has admitted that around 24,000 veterans were improperly screened and given a traumatic brain injury (TBI) diagnosis by VA doctors deemed unqualified to conduct such examinations under departmental policy. As a result, some veterans diagnosed with TBI between 2007 and 2015 did not receive disability benefits.
VA officials told Congress in July that the department is reviewing the cases concerning veterans who underwent incorrect exams and trying to settle their disability claims. Officials announced the VA sent letters offering re-examinations to the affected veterans.
"It is unclear how the VA overlooked the problem for so long," said David Magann, a Florida-based veterans attorney. "Failing to accurately diagnose veterans' TBIs could mean they did not receive proper treatment or the compensation they deserved. However, the VA is taking a step in the right direction by following up with veterans who may have been improperly screened."
The issue emerged after a series of NBC investigations. The KARE 11 team reported that the VA mix-up resulted in around 300 veterans at the Minneapolis VA Medical Center being denied benefits. Combat veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan who may have suffered TBIs were supposed to be screened by one of four specialists consisting of either a neurologist, neurosurgeon, psychiatrist or physiatrist. Among the 21 health care professionals who performed the TBI screenings only one was a qualified specialist.
The VA is still trying to determine the cause of the inappropriate screenings at their facilities. Dave McLenachen, deputy undersecretary for disability assistance at the Veterans Benefits Administration, explained to a House Veterans' Affairs panel, "I don't know if it was a lack of capacity, whether that was an issue at the particular time, or to the extent whether there were enough of those specific specialists available at the time. I don't know the answer to that question."
Department officials said new measures have been implemented to try and prevent the error from reoccurring. The VA said it will monitor the situation and consider using an outreach program if necessary.
Learn more at http://www.tampaveteranslawyer.com/
David W. Magann, P.A.
156 W. Robertson St.
Tampa Office:
4012 Gunn Highway #165
Veterans Statistics At A Glance
Gulf War Veterans, Persian Gulf War, The Global War on Terror (GWOT), Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF), Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF), Operation Freedom's Sentinel (OFS) and ongoing conflicts : Gulf War-era II veterans served on active duty in the U.S. Armed Forces any time since September 2001. In 2015, there were 3.6 million veterans who had served during Gulf War Era II. U.S. combat operations in Afghanistan ended on December 31, 2014. As part of Operation FREEDOM'S SENTINEL (OFS), U.S. forces remain in the country to participate in a coalition mission to train, advise, and assist Afghan National Defense and Security […]
Agent Orange Claims
The VA's general regulations implementing the laws related to Agent Orange are found at 38 C.F.R. § 3.307. Also, specific provisions relating to Agent Orange are found at 38 U.S.C. § 1116. In essence, specific medical conditions are presumed to be related to exposure to Agent Orange in service. The claim will still need to be supported by an adequate medical diagnosis of the condition and proof of those requirements for service location(s) as outlined below. Generally, veterans who served in the Country of Vietnam are presumed to have been exposed, but other types of exposure may require direct proof. […]
Camp Lejeune: Water Contamination Update, Presumptive Conditions
From the 1950s through the 1980s, people living or working at the U.S. Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, were potentially exposed to drinking water contaminated with industrial solvents, benzene, and other chemicals. VA has established a presumptive service connection for Veterans, Reservists, and National Guard members exposed to contaminants in the water supply at Camp Lejeune from August 1, 1953 through December 31, 1987 who later developed one of the following eight diseases: Adult leukemia Aplastic anemia and other myelodysplastic syndromes Bladder cancer Kidney cancer Liver cancer Multiple myeloma Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma Parkinson's disease Presently, these conditions are the only […]
See other news sources publishing this article. BETA | Tags: David Magann, disability, House Veterans Affairs, NBC, tbi, VA


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Endpoint Security Tool Protects Off-Campus Users
The DNSWatchGO solution from WatchGuard Technologies alerts educators about real-time phishing attempts and protects them against malicious websites both on and off school premises.
Seneca College Transitioning to WiFi 6
Seneca College is utilizing the latest generation of Aruba's WiFi access points to boost its network capabilities to handle more devices and boost connectivity speeds.
Refining Disaster Recovery in a Challenging Environment
A clever use of software-defined network virtualization took Mohave Community College from a crippling 72-hour outage to a 45-minute (and still dropping) recovery time.
Indiana U Network Upgrade to Support a Quarter-Million Concurrent Devices
On the heels of wrapping up a 10-year network master plan, Indiana University has gone public with a new plan to undertake a massive upgrade of its network infrastructure. The university said it intends to build up its administrative and learning environment to support a quarter of a million concurrent devices across all of its nine campuses.
Gartner: Top Wireless Tech Trends to Watch
New forms of wireless technology are poised to enable emerging tech such as robots, drones, self-driving vehicles and more, according to a recent assessment by Gartner. The research firm identified 10 key wireless trends worth watching as the technology continues to develop over the next five years.
FCC Votes to Approve Educational Broadband Service Order
The FCC is moving forward with a plan to auction off spectrum from the Educational Broadband Service to commercial providers.
Number of Institutions with IT Networking Budgets Exceeding $2.5 Million Has Tripled over Last Year
About one-third of higher education institutions have budgeted more than $2.5 million annually for on-campus technology and networking services — nearly triple the number of schools with budgets of that size last year.
3 in 4 Schools Approaching 100% WiFi Coverage on Campus
About three-quarters of higher education institutions in a recent survey currently offer wireless coverage for 81 percent to 100 percent of the entire campus.
Nearly 3 in 4 Schools Allow Students to Connect an Unlimited Number of Devices to the ResNet
The majority of colleges and universities — 72 percent — allow students to connect as many devices as they wish to the residential network. But far and away the devices consuming the most bandwidth on campus are smartphones, according to the latest State of ResNet Report from the Association of College and University Housing Officers-International.
Ruckus Debuts New Multigigabit Access Products
Ruckus Networks (acquired by CommScope earlier this year) has introduced two new multigigabit access products.


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Microsoft's efforts for a Digital Geneva Convention get underway | Industry
By Prosyscom Tech Last updated Oct 2, 2018
Breaking Tech Industry news from the top sources
Digital Peace Now team on stage at Global Citizen Festival
On Saturday, September 29, Microsoft launched the Digital Peace Now initiative, a campaign that aims to get governments around the world to agree on rules for the use of state-sponsored cyber-weapons.
The Digital Peace Now campaign was announced at the seventh Global Citizen Festival that took place in New York's Central Park over the weekend.
Along with the on-stage announcement, Microsoft also launched an online portal where users from all over the world can sign a petition in support of Microsoft's efforts.
According to Microsoft, the Digital Peace Now initiative would advocate for:
Agreements between countries to limit the use of state-sponsored hacking cyberattacks.
A broad agreement among countries that sets global rules for the development and use of "digital weapons."
Creation of an independent international organization that spans the public and private sectors to investigate and hold countries and other actors accountable for violating the principles of the agreement.
Work on the Digital Peace Now initiative started back in February 2017, when Microsoft Chief Legal Officer Brad Smith called on the world's nations to come together and sign a pact that regulates the use and proliferation of cyber-weapons, similar to a digital version of the Geneva Conventions –rules that apply in times of war and seek to protect non-combatants.
Smith first began calling for a convention like this right after the NotPetya ransomware outbreak of 2017, when it became apparent that the ransomware that wreaked havoc all over the world was the work of Russian intelligence.
Now, Microsoft is trying to get public support, from both regular citizens and the private sector alike, to get nations to come together and legislate the use of cyber-weapons.
The idea is to have a set of rules in place that prevent and punish government agencies from carelessly deploying cyber weapons that end up harming citizens or the private sector, arguing that such tools should only be deployed against government targets alone.
The OS maker has also released the results of a survey carried out across five nations (US, Mexico, Germany, France, and India), showing that the vast majority of respondents support an agreement between countries that would limit the impact of inter-nations hacking operations.
"Right now, we all have an opportunity to stop future assaults on our digital world but our world leaders need a wakeup call — and that starts with you," said Jamal Edwards, Microsoft's Global Advocate for Digital Peace, during his speech on the Global Citizen stage.
"[Digital Peace Now] is about stopping cyberwarfare and telling our world leaders to take real policy action — before it's too late," Edwards added.
Microsoft's efforts to push the Digital Peace Now initiative are also supported by other policy non-profits such as ICT4Peace, Civicus, and Observer Research Foundation.
conventiondigitaleffortsGenevaindustryMicrosoftsprosyscom techTech Industry
Awesome Games Done Quick 2019 reveals list of speedrun games | Gaming News
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France passes law taxing digital giants in defiance of US anger
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Baidu and automotive industry introduce principles for safe autonomous vehicles
Cavan Digital Hub is Ireland's latest Gigabit Hub
Past enforcement could presage new probe of current digital giants


and I will destroy your mother. 6 My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.
I will also forget your children. 7 As they were multiplied, so they sinned against me.
and will repay them for their deeds. 10 They will eat, and not have enough.
because they have abandoned giving to Yahweh. 11 Prostitution, wine, and new wine take away understanding.
Then how will Yahweh feed them like a lamb in a meadow. 17 Ephraim is joined to idols.
Leave him alone! 18 Their drink has become sour.


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West Papuans: neither lads nor cannibals, but humans
Paul Kingsnorth
Benny Wenda and his wife
There are many things you might expect to see in the plate-glass lobby of 189 Shaftesbury Avenue, central London, on a normal day. Cycle couriers, security guards, delivery-men, kitten-heeled media types carrying takeaway cappuccinos back to their desks. For the headquarters of Emap Consumer Media, one of the world's biggest magazine companies, all this would be de rigueur.
Less expected, and considerably less welcome, would be the presence of a tribesman from the highlands of New Guinea, wearing a bird-of-paradise feather headdress, a shell necklace, a breastplate and feather armbands. Particularly if he was refusing to leave the building until he had been given a personal audience with – and an apology from – the editor of one of Emap's newest titles.
Recently, however, this is just what the company got. Benny Wenda, an exiled tribal leader from West Papua, the western half of the island of New Guinea, wanted a word with Paul Merrill, editor of Zoo – one of Britain's two new "lads'" magazines whose content mixes sexual grotesquerie, celebrity titillation, toilet humour, morbid alcoholism and cultural stereotyping in a way which makes its predecessor Loaded look like the editorial pages of the London Review of Books.
Benny Wenda was angry, and he wasn't going away until he'd been heard.
Paul Kingsnorth's book One No, Many Yeses (Simon & Schuster, 2003) – a campaigning journey inside the global resistance movement – is now published in paperback
A week earlier, Zoo, which sells itself on its idiocy ("You want girls? … You want footie? … You want a laugh? … We'll be the only thing blokes are talking about down the pub!") had published an article entitled "Win a cannibal sex holiday!" It offered a competition to readers whose prize was a "flesh-eating orgy fortnight" in New Guinea, with a few "random orgies" with the natives thrown in, if they were lucky.
The winner would accompany "seasoned jungle hand Reg Barker" (a paediatric nurse from Devon) on holiday to West Papua. Barker was quoted saying various wacky things about the locals. "They do eat people occasionally", he explained – but only if you "really pissed them off". They "slept on the skulls of their enemies" and often indulge in a ceremony in which "everyone has sex with everyone else – anything goes."
None of it is true. There are no sex ceremonies, no cannibalism, no sleeping on skulls in West Papua. Reg Barker, the "seasoned hand", didn't even appear to know what tribes lived where, and at one point managed to confuse West Papua with Papua New Guinea, an entirely separate country across the border to its east.
If it is not true, neither is it funny. For Zoo's "cannibals" are the victims of one of the most brutal, and under-reported, colonial occupations in the contemporary world. West Papua has been occupied by Indonesia for over forty years, after the departure of the earlier Dutch colonial regime. In that time, at least 100,000 Papuans have "disappeared", been killed or tortured by the Indonesian military, whose current force commanders in the region inflicted the same devastating treatment on East Timor until that country managed to secure its independence in 2002.
The Indonesians have closed off West Papua to outsiders and are continuing to inflict what some claim is a genocide on the Papuan people. At the same time, some of the world's largest oil, timber and mining interests are despoiling the environment on a vast scale, and taking the ensuing profits out of the country.
Dancing on graves
Benny Wenda in prison
Benny Wenda leads a peaceful movement campaigning for the independence of West Papua. He has experienced at first hand the fate of those who try to challenge Indonesian rule. Arrested by the military last year, he was locked up and tortured for months before he managed to escape and flee to Britain with his wife and daughter, where he is now seeking asylum. He still bears the scars – literally – of the brutal occupation of his country.
Unsurprisingly, then, Benny didn't laugh at Zoo's zany piece. Instead, with a group of supporters, myself included, he decided to do something about it. Early one morning we marched into the Emap building and demanded a meeting with Paul Merrill. Initially we were refused entry, but a promise to stand outside on the pavement all day distributing press releases about Emap's casual racism soon changed minds, and we all found ourselves seated around a long table in the Zoo editorial offices, as an uncomfortable Merrill, watched over by Emap management, tried to make amends without actually committing himself to anything.
For information about the Free West Papua Campaign, visit www.freewestpapua.org; see also in openDemocracy, John Rumbiak's "Dutch past, Indonesian present…independent future?" (May 2003)
Benny took out some photos he had brought with him of Papuan victims of Indonesian military. One of them showed a dead resistance leader held up like a hunt trophy, surrounded by grinning soldiers.
"Do you think this is funny?" he demanded.
"No, of course not," said the visibly uncomfortable editor. "But you have to understand, we're not a political magazine. We don't do this sort of stuff."
"But everything you've written is untrue," one of us said. "No cannibals, no sex orgies. It's all made up. Are you going to apologise for it?"
"Well, look," said Merrill, "we just wrote down what this Reg Barker guy told us. And like I said, we can't be expected to run a piece on the political situation in Papua New Guinea."
Who is Paul Kingsnorth? You'll regret not finding out. Click here to his own website. Also read his articles in openDemocracy, including "Making a new world – from the US to West Papua" (June 2003)
"We're talking about West Papua," we said.
"Right," he said, uncomfortably.
"You don't even know the difference, do you?" we asked. "You haven't been listening to a word Benny's been saying."
"Look," he said, "we don't do politics. We're an irreverent magazine."
"If we got you a map," we said, "could you even find this country on it?"
For ten minutes Paul Merrill ducked and dived, refusing to accept that accusing an entire culture of eating human flesh and indulging in random orgies was in any way demeaning, offensive or, heaven forbid, racist. Eventually, the patience of one of our number snapped.
"Listen, mate," he said. "I've been to West Papua. This isn't a joke, you know. You're dancing on graves."
"No I'm not!" spluttered the squirming editor.
"Yes you are. You're dancing on graves."
Behind the mask of prejudice
What happens next is up to Zoo. They refused to cancel their wacky cannibal holiday competition, but the managing director of Emap did send Benny Wenda an apologetic letter, saying that Zoo would publish a "follow-up piece" which would "put the record straight". We're still waiting. In the meantime, a group of senior barristers in London, who have formed a group called "International Lawyers for West Papua", have written to the Press Complaints Commission demanding an investigation into Zoo's article.
Other versions of this story were published in West Papua News and the New Statesman
Perhaps this all seems like a bit of a po-faced over-reaction. After all, it's just a lads' mag: what can we expect? But the point is a wider one. Zoo just typifies, in its crude way, what the media in general, and probably society too, thinks about the people of Papua, when it thinks about them at all. Cannibalism, grass skirts, big headdresses, cooking pots, bones through noses, and all the old Victorian adventurer clichés serve as a mask behind which a real and terrifying degradation is going on. Any opportunity to tear that mask off, however small, is worth seizing.
Expose the 'dark money' bankrolling our politics
US Christian 'fundamentalists', some linked to Donald Trump and Steve Bannon, have poured at least $50m of 'dark money' into Europe over the past decade – boosting the far right.
That's just the tip of the iceberg: we've got many more leads to chase down. Find out more and support our work here.


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NYC Tours, Geography of NYC with Jack Eichenbaum
๏ In Praise of Walking Tours
๏ Public Tours and Events
๏ Tour Catalogue
• There's No Place Like Home (Flushing)
• At the Intersection of Brooklyn, Queens and Manhattan (LIC)
• Planning and Redevelopment
• Life Along a Subway Line
• Changing Cultures of Queens
• Nieuw Nederland
• Adventures
๏ Custom Tours
๏ Classes
๏ Lectures
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๏ I'm your Leader and Instructor, Jack Eichenbaum
๏ Walt Whitman as a Geographer
๏ Contact & Mail List
๏ Links and Credits
As an urban geographer I've been fascinated by two prominent boundaries in NYC: the East River separating Manhattan from Long Island (Brooklyn and Queens) and the Brooklyn-Queens boundary formed by Newtown Creek and the hills of the terminal glacial moraine. The contrasts across these lines are interesting by themselves; even more interesting is the potential they invite for connectivity and change!
Long Island City: at the Intersection of Brooklyn, Queens, and Manhattan
This was the site of my first public tour in 1982. Over the years I've offered many slants on this centrally located turf: a rail center, an emerging arts center, a brownfield locale, a home to the "Daylight Loft" factory building, the underpinning of the Queensboro Bridge, and a redeveloping waterfront. Routes can be designed around themes or basic geography.
Long Island City to Old Astoria
Walk the East River shore between the Queensboro and RFK (Triboro) Bridge. Begin at Queensbridge Houses and head for the remnants of Old Astoria. The sights include increasingly oblique views of Manhattan's Upper East Side from three parks, a (former) piano factory, a huge power plant, a "big box" store, the Socrates Sculpture Park, the Isamu Noguchi Museum, and ante-bellum mansions. End in Astoria at the Bohemian Hall beer garden.
La Rive Gauche (Cultural Change East of the East River)
A series of neighborhood walks focusing on the changing industrial waterfront from Long Island City (Queens) to Red Hook (Brooklyn). Transportation connections are made with the B61 and B62, two of NYC's fascinating bus routes. Combined, these routes run the length of La Rive Gauche. Interpretive walks take place in neighborhoods in varying stages of artists' influx and/or gentrification: Long Island City, Greenpoint, N. Williamsburg, S. Williamsburg, DUMBO-Vinegar Hill, and Red Hook. Contrasting tours of various lengths can be designed by choosing two or more neighborhoods.
Water, Eternity, and Time Warps on the Brooklyn-Queens Boundary
Between Glendale (Queens) and Highland Park (Brooklyn), the terminal glacial moraine forms a barrier between the two boroughs. This abrupt rise in the land, the spine of Long Island, was the source for much of Brooklyn's water supply as well as the site of NYC's major concentration of cemeteries. Viagra is the world's most famous stimulant of male potency. It is used for more than 20 years, allowing men to return sexual activity, have fun and give it to women. The use of such pills https://tiaca.org/buy-viagra-sildenafil-online-20-mg/ makes a representative of the stronger sex hardier in bed, increasing the duration, and often the number of sexual contacts. We ascend the moraine, cross Jackie Robinson Parkway and follow the boundary between Ridgewood, Queens and Bushwick, Brooklyn noting abrupt changes in the cityscape. Meets outside the Crescent St Station (J train) and ends at the Myrtle Ave (L train)/Wyckoff Ave (M train) station with connections to other parts of Brooklyn and Queens.
Crossing Newtown Creek: Contrasting Industrial Brooklyn & Queens
Meet outside the Greenpoint Ave subway station (G train), meander through Greenpoint and cross the Pulaski Bridge connecting Brooklyn to Long Island City. See remnants of the intense and largely unregulated industrial development that thrived along Newtown Creek during the late nineteenth century before the consolidation of Greater NYC and infrastructure improvements rendered it obsolete.
Route 1. See elegant 19th century Greenpoint highlights and East River shoreline redevelopment ending at splendid shoreline views in Gantry Park, Hunter's Point, LIC
Route 2. View the striking NYC DEP Wastewater Improvement Plant ("Digester Eggs") and its adjacent Nature Trail; end at a nexus of contemporary artists' activity in Court Square, LIC.
Bridges and Sunsets: North/South Williamsburg
Williamsburg was briefly a separate city in the 19th century and its streets fan out to early population centers. Walk through its Artsy/Youth, Hispanic, and Chassidic communities where old architecture is renewed, restored, ravished, or left to rot. Rest and nosh before crossing the Williamsburg Bridge at sunset on the redesigned walkway to Manhattan. This tour is designed for after-work hours during late spring and summer and can meet at various Manhattan or Brooklyn subway stops.
Bridges and Sunsets: Ravenswood/Hunters Pt.
The waterfront of Long Island City, Queens has seen many waves of redevelopment due to its special transportation advantages. We walk in the shadow of midtown where commercial, residential, industrial and creative functions compete for space. Nosh and rest in the new Gantry Park. Cross the Pulaski Bridge to Greenpoint, Brooklyn at sunset. This tour is designed for after-work hours during late spring and summer and can meet at various Manhattan or Queens subway stops.
The "Upper" Tributaries of Newtown Creek
"Upper" Newtown Creek forms the backdrop for the large truck-accessible industrial conglomeration of East Williamsburg and Maspeth. These waterways are inaccessible to boats, but are visible to the pedestrian along Metropolitan and Grand Aves, the arterials connecting Brooklyn and Queens. The Creek's backwaters figure in controversial county boundaries. Unlike most NYC industrial areas, the trucking complex is investing in itself.
Up Newtown Creek: A Cruise
This tidal arm of the East River forms the boundary between Brooklyn and Queens. At peak industrial build-up, circa 1900, it was one of the busiest waterways in the world. The surrounding area developed from marshland to a flourishing industrial center and then declined into urban brownfields. We'll discuss the bridges, neighborhoods and industry at its edges from Long Island City to Maspeth. Requires a chartered boat such as NY Water Taxi.
What's New in Long Island City
From Queens Plaza, the nexus of Queens' post-WW1 transportation center, we follow Jackson Avenue past Courthouse Square to the old industrial waterfront, now Gantry Park. At the Plaza and the Park, new office buildings and residential towers cater to Manhattan spillover. At Courthouse Square a daylight artists' community is consolidating. New landscaping has softened the look of a grimy past.
Copyright © 2021 by Jack Eichenbaum. Site development by BigCityInteractive.com.


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Apple HomePod mini packs big features in a slim body for just $99
By John Velasco	 October 13, 2020
The Apple HomePod mini is finally official after being introduced to the world at today's Apple event. Its release marks the potential rise of Siri in the ever-evolving smart home, and paves the way for consumers to further embrace the speaker, especially given how the original carried a premium price. Don't let its smaller size fool you, though — it packs quite a punch at just $99, a price that makes it significantly easier for people to welcome Siri into more homes.
First, let's talk about the new design. It's a stark departure from the original HomePod, with a more spherical shape. The top has been shaved off a bit to accommodate a touch panel for various media playback controls. There's also an LED ring that will turn on whenever Siri is accessed. The HomePod mini's spherical shape looks similar to the new Amazon Echo smart speakers announced not too long ago, and the mesh fabric that wraps the unit gives it an interesting look.
Under the hood, it's powered by Apple's S5 chip, and the compact smart speaker delivers 360-degree sound no matter where it's at. While Apple didn't share the details around the speaker driver that's powering the HomePod mini, you can be assured that audio performance is at the top of the list. Based on the price, it's certainly not expected to deliver the same level of performance as the original, but it should compete against the likes of the Google Nest Audio. There's even the option to achieve stereo output by pairing two units together for even more audio power.
With Siri on board, the HomePod mini also receives enhancements that allow it to recognize different voices. Controlling the smart home is going to be more convenient than ever before, as the mini appears to act as a home hub for HomeKit-compatible devices, making it a far more attractive option than the original HomePod, Apple TV, or iPad. There's also deep iPhone integration with the HomePod mini, which allows users to place their iPhone within close proximity to the speaker to let them know some of the details about what the speaker is playing.
Three years after Apple introduced its smart speaker, this follow-up stands a better chance of succeeding. It brings all of Siri's smarts in terms of controlling HomeKit-enabled devices, while retaining a strong focus on audio performance. It follows the announcements of other recent smart speakers like the Amazon Echo (4th Gen) and Google Nest Audio.
The HomePod mini's arrival comes at a critical point for Apple, mainly because HomeKit has trailed its rivals in the smart home space. Its $99 price may help give it broader appeal that will help Siri better compete against other smart assistants in the smart home. It will be available in two colors, white or black, with pre-orders going live starting on November 6 and shipping beginning on November 16. And finally, don't forget all the Apple deals right now happening for Amazon Prime Day.
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This evidence-based anxiety prevention and resiliency building programme is designed for use in schools. The programme also seek to develop self-esteem and teach coping skills in a simple and structured way. This is a two day training event open to Deis Schools only until 22nd March 2019 after this date this event will be open to all Primary Schools.