What, when and where you want the service?
In the beginning of the hackathon we got 5 different SDG-related ideas. After validating these with other Junction Tokyo participants, we saw that the biggest interest was for an app of offering different on-demand services, which could be offered by both professionals and freelancers, and where would not be any gender bias/discrimination. After next round of user validation interviews we saw that 2 biggest potential areas were massage and photography services (over 75% survey respondents). Once the validation was done we started the development process to make a prototype of the user version of the app, keeping in mind the anti-discrimination and gender equality principles for user journey.
The name Remify comes from "Simplified remedy", on-demand service app, helping to solve your pain and troubles while looking for service providers in busy life.
With Remify you can book on-demand professional services, starting with massage and photography (with other services identified in our market survey: housekeeping, personal trainers, wedding organisers, driving coaches, piano teachers, etc later to follow). Remify is matching your needs with available professionals at the location and time you need. Unlike other platforms (TaskRabbit, DMMOkan, ServiceHero, DianDao) which show the profiles of service providers (including their gender) before booking, Remify offers equal treatment for all, matching the needs of professional skills only withholding discrimination.
Based on the user interviews we designed optimal customer journey, sketched it on paper, then created a prototype on Proto.io and tweaked it to used on IBM BlueMIX platform.
The biggest challenge in our team was our very limited technical/coding skills. We had quite a steep learning curve to climb. Initially we started with bootstrapping it on the usual HTML code and then saw that it would not work out with our skillset in the given time. Then we looked for ways to overcome the issue and discovered several web-based services, which allow prototype creation for mobile apps without advanced coding skills. Initially we tried InvisionApp, but it did not look too productive, so we looked further and discovered Proto.io, which let us focus on going further in the development.
Once the prototype was ready the next challenge was to get it up on IBM BlueMIX. There was learning curve as well, based on the tutorials, after failing for hours, we finally got it up. We wanted to link it also with IBM BlueMIX database system, but that's still so the to-do list, we hope to solve that later.
As a sideline, also there were no Japanese in our team, but we were developing a product, that would be launched initially on Japanese market. Thus, through the development process, we were looking for and communicating with Japanese participants of other teams, the volunteers and staff members to constantly validate our product market fit. Sometimes there were communication issues as we were all using different languages for communication, but eventually we got our messages through.
Firstly, that we got a team together. None of us knew each other before, we just met at the slack channel of the event and then later in person at the hackathon venue. And it was a dream team: the team spirit was very high and we were very motivated, so that despite the limited technical/coding capabilities (none of us had developed sophisticated mobile app before), we managed as a team to overcome this challenge and got a working market-validated prototype.
If there is a will, there is a way. When initially it seemed quite hopeless to get a working prototype in given time, then with good teamwork we found a way.
We all learned more coding during the hackathon: using new technologies for the first time to build something.
Never underestimate the potential yourself and your team.
Talking and communicating with people around helps to validate your ideas - while we had a number initial ideas, this way we could find a way to get a product that actually has a market demand.
We learned that as non-Japanese you can actually develop a product for Japanese market.
In addition to being hosted at BlueMIX, to find the way get the database system/backend to work there as well.
Compiling a fully functional MVP and launch it on the market.
Besides Japanese market, also expanding it in other Asian and European countries.


Beautiful 316L Stainless Steel bracelet featuring hand picked Stainless Steel Skulls and blue and black marbled turquoise 9mm beads in an alternating pattern.
Get used to people staring at your wrist!
My good lady loves it!
Love this bracelet, the color is awesome!
This def the last bracelet- as I have now run out of wrist space- 4 bracelets later- with other silver bracelets !!' I like this because it adds a splash of colour to the other 3 bracelets which are silver and natural wood colour. This is a stylish heavyish bracelet- matches everything I wear and really good quality as with all goods purchased from this site. Recommended- but don't forget to choose the right size for your wrist Will still continue to look for more great jewellery as new products arrive- just in case !!!


This is a placeholder page for Caroline Grandy, which means this person is not currently on this site. We do suggest using the tools below to find Caroline Grandy.
You are visiting the placeholder page for Caroline Grandy. This page is here because someone used our placeholder utility to look for Caroline Grandy. We created this page automatically in hopes Caroline Grandy would find it. If you are not Caroline Grandy, but are an alumni of Oxbow High School, register on this site for free now.


A homeowner in Decatur, Georgia opened fire on a would-be burglar. The suspect was shot once in the shoulder.
A Decatur, Georgia homeowner shot a man attempting to burglarize his home on Monday.
According to WXIA, the unidentified suspect used a crowbar on the front door. Fortunately, the homeowner heard the thief trying to break in and quickly grabbed his home defense shotgun in preparation. Upon entering the residence, the burglar came face-to-face with the armed homeowner.
The would-be burglar immediately fled back to his car.
As WXIA-TV reports, the suspect was shot in the shoulder. He still managed to escape from the area, but was eventually found by police at a nearby Texaco gas station. He was transported to Grady Memorial Hospital to be treated for his injuries, and then taken to DeKalb County Jail for booking.
The homeowner will likely not face any charges related to the shooting, WXIA notes.
Illinois LEOs say the state's concealed carry law hasn't had any noticeable negative effect.


Hello everyone! My name is Andrea Brown and I am a Spanish teacher at Woodland High School in Cartersville, Georgia. I have been teaching for eight years, all at the high school level, primarily Spanish 1 and 2. I grew up in Albany, Georgia and moved to northwest Georgia in 2006 to attend Berry College. I earned my master's degree in Spanish Education from Auburn University in 2017, finished my gifted endorsement in April 2018, and am now working on my Education Specialist in Instructional Technology. I love learning new things and experimenting with different teaching strategies and technologies, and am looking forward to sharing my projects and learning reflections on this site.


Almond oil is obtained from the Prunus dulcis (Miller) D.A. Webb var. dulcis or Prunus dulcis (Miller) D.A. Webb var. amara (D.C.) Buchheim or from a mixture of the two. It (cold-pressed almond oil) is obtained by cold-pressing ripe seeds from these trees or by extraction, followed immediately by refining (refined almond oil).
The original wild almond trees is an extremely ancient cultivated plant that is native to the Mediterranean region (European variety). The second major cultivation area (American variety) is the USA, mainly California. The oil content in almonds is 47-61%. Sweet almonds are used for oil production, since these do not contain the bitter (and toxic) taste bud-stimulating substances. Almond oil, Oleum amygdalarum dulcium verum, is pale (refined product) to dark yellow (cold-pressed product). It is of low viscosity, mild to taste and non-drying. It is a clear, fatty oil with a characteristic smell, consisting primarily of oleic and linoleic acids. The oil is photosensitive and must, therefore, be stored in a dark place. Almond oil is rarely used as an edible oil. In the foodstuffs sector, it is only used in confectionery (macaroons). The main almond oil consumers are the cosmetics sector (cosmetic care products) and Medicine (aroma therapy, massage oil).


text:
Poll shows Muslim voters overwhelmingly support universal background checks for gun sales
Posted by Wisconsin Muslim Journal | Mar 9, 2018 | Articles
Survey respondents said public officials would have responded differently to Florida school shooting had the perpetrator been Muslim.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation's largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today released the results of a survey of Muslim voter households indicating overwhelming support (93%) for requiring background checks for all gun sales and for other increased safety reforms to gun laws.
Survey respondents also indicated that they believe public officials would have responded differently to the recent Parkland, Fla., school shooting had the perpetrator been Muslim.
The independent phone survey of 1250 registered Muslim voter households conducted February 22 in 27 states also showed widespread support for a mandatory waiting period on gun sales and a ban on semi-automatic rifles.
In addition, CAIR's survey also indicated that Muslim voters believe Congress and President Trump would have responded differently had the Parkland, Fla., school shooter been a member of their faith.
States with the largest number of respondents included Texas, California, Illinois, and Michigan.
"The results of this survey clearly indicate that, like the vast majority of Americans of all faiths and backgrounds, Muslim voters support gun safety reform measures to keep firearms out of the hands of those who would misuse them to harm others," said CAIR National Executive Director Nihad Awad.
Awad said that CAIR supports reasonable gun safety reforms that could have the potential to stop mass-shootings like the ones that took place in Florida, Sandy Hook, Aurora, and Charleston. He recommended policies that include expanding background checks to all gun sales – including private handgun sales, gun shows and online sales and keeping guns out of the hands of individuals convicted of hate crimes, domestic violence or stalking. CAIR is also calling for federally-funded research into the causes and effects of gun violence in America.
CAIR's Survey Results:
Do you support or oppose stricter gun laws in the U.S.?
Oppose
Do you support or oppose requiring background checks for all gun sales?
Do you support or oppose requiring a mandatory federal waiting period on all gun sales before being able to take a gun home?
Do you support or oppose a ban on semi-automatic rifles?
Do you think Congress and the President would have responded the same way or acted differently had the Parkland, Florida school shooter been Muslim?
Last year, CAIR urged Congress to support the Disarm Hate Act (H.R. 2841/S.1324). Introduced in June 2017 – one week before the Congressional baseball practice shooting and two months before the deadly white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia – the act would ban gun sales to people who have been convicted of a hate crime or a misdemeanor committed out of hatred of a person's race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or disability from attaining a firearm.
CAIR believes that "common sense" gun safety reform does not include support for "No Fly, No Buy," a legislative proposal that would ban gun sales to people placed on the federal government's error-prone federal watch list. The watch list disproportionately targets American Muslims and offers little remedy to appeal incorrect designations as required by the U.S. Constitution.
Following the horrifying massacre of 49 people in Orlando, Fla., in June 2016, bills were introduced into both the U.S. House and Senate aimed at banning gun sales to people on the watch list. In the House, Democrats waged a 24-hour sit-in to force consideration of Rep. Peter King's (R-NY) "Denying Firearms and Explosives to Dangerous Terrorists Act" (H.R. 1076). Rep. King is best known for a series of Islamophobic hearings he chaired in 2011. In the Senate, a bipartisan coalition introduced the "Terrorist Firearms Prevention Act of 2016," which also relied on federal watch lists to ban firearms purchases.
Neither bill would have prevented the Orlando shooter from being able to purchase a firearm because he was on neither the No-Fly List nor the Selectee List.
Republican legislators, backed by groups like CAIR, the American Civil Liberties Union, and the National Rifle Association, ultimately voted down the No Fly, No Buy legislation because it violated due process rights and because of the "high error" rates of placement on such watch lists.
The Washington-based Muslim civil rights organization offers an app to share critical Know Your Rights information and to simplify the process to report hate crimes and bias incidents.
CAIR is America's largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. Its mission is to enhance the understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties, empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding.
PreviousPrashant Waikar: What the news media misunderstands when reporting about Islam
NextTahera Rahman: First Muslim television reporter in America to wear a hijab
Kerry Jude: Connecting students and cultural experiences
Lynden Sculpture Garden welcomes families for World Refugee Day
World Hijab Day brings solidarity in Wisconsin to shatter stereotypes about wearing a head scarf
Bara Omari: Challenging stereotypes by breaking barriers and empowering girls with knowledge

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Q: Send Email Programmatically in Android So I am trying to send an email in Android without using Intent because I need it to be sent in the background. I am following this post,
I have the .jars added as part of the build path.
And I have this code as the class
package cistoran.partyPlanner;

import java.util.Date;
import java.util.Properties;
import javax.activation.CommandMap;
import javax.activation.DataHandler;
import javax.activation.DataSource;
import javax.activation.FileDataSource;
import javax.activation.MailcapCommandMap;
import javax.mail.BodyPart;
import javax.mail.Multipart;
import javax.mail.PasswordAuthentication;
import javax.mail.Session;
import javax.mail.Transport;
import javax.mail.internet.InternetAddress;
import javax.mail.internet.MimeBodyPart;
import javax.mail.internet.MimeMessage;
import javax.mail.internet.MimeMultipart;

public class Mail extends javax.mail.Authenticator {
  private String _user;
  private String _pass;

  private String[] _to;
  private String _from;

  private String _port;
  private String _sport;

  private String _host;

  private String _subject;
  private String _body;

  private boolean _auth;

  private boolean _debuggable;

  private Multipart _multipart;

  public Mail() {
    _host = "smtp.gmail.com"; // default smtp server
    _port = "465"; // default smtp port
    _sport = "465"; // default socketfactory port

    _user = ""; // username
    _pass = ""; // password
    _from = ""; // email sent from
    _subject = ""; // email subject
    _body = ""; // email body

    _debuggable = false; // debug mode on or off - default off
    _auth = true; // smtp authentication - default on

    _multipart = new MimeMultipart();

    // There is something wrong with MailCap, javamail can not find a handler for the multipart/mixed part, so this bit needs to be added.
    MailcapCommandMap mc = (MailcapCommandMap) CommandMap.getDefaultCommandMap();
    mc.addMailcap("text/html;; x-java-content-handler=com.sun.mail.handlers.text_html");
    mc.addMailcap("text/xml;; x-java-content-handler=com.sun.mail.handlers.text_xml");
    mc.addMailcap("text/plain;; x-java-content-handler=com.sun.mail.handlers.text_plain");
    mc.addMailcap("multipart/*;; x-java-content-handler=com.sun.mail.handlers.multipart_mixed");
    mc.addMailcap("message/rfc822;; x-java-content-handler=com.sun.mail.handlers.message_rfc822");
    CommandMap.setDefaultCommandMap(mc);
  }

  public Mail(String user, String pass) {
    this();

    _user = user;
    _pass = pass;
  }

  public boolean send() throws Exception {
    Properties props = _setProperties();

    if(!_user.equals("") && !_pass.equals("") && _to.length > 0 && !_from.equals("") && !_subject.equals("") && !_body.equals("")) {
      Session session = Session.getInstance(props, this);

      MimeMessage msg = new MimeMessage(session);

      msg.setFrom(new InternetAddress(_from));

      InternetAddress[] addressTo = new InternetAddress[_to.length];
      for (int i = 0; i < _to.length; i++) {
        addressTo[i] = new InternetAddress(_to[i]);
      }
        msg.setRecipients(MimeMessage.RecipientType.TO, addressTo);

      msg.setSubject(_subject);
      msg.setSentDate(new Date());

      // setup message body
      BodyPart messageBodyPart = new MimeBodyPart();
      messageBodyPart.setText(_body);
      _multipart.addBodyPart(messageBodyPart);

      // Put parts in message
      msg.setContent(_multipart);

      // send email
      Transport.send(msg);

      return true;
    } else {
      return false;
    }
  }

  public void addAttachment(String filename) throws Exception {
    BodyPart messageBodyPart = new MimeBodyPart();
    DataSource source = new FileDataSource(filename);
    messageBodyPart.setDataHandler(new DataHandler(source));
    messageBodyPart.setFileName(filename);

    _multipart.addBodyPart(messageBodyPart);
  }

  @Override
  public PasswordAuthentication getPasswordAuthentication() {
    return new PasswordAuthentication(_user, _pass);
  }

  private Properties _setProperties() {
    Properties props = new Properties();

    props.put("mail.smtp.host", _host);

    if(_debuggable) {
      props.put("mail.debug", "true");
    }

    if(_auth) {
      props.put("mail.smtp.auth", "true");
    }

    props.put("mail.smtp.port", _port);
    props.put("mail.smtp.socketFactory.port", _sport);
    props.put("mail.smtp.socketFactory.class", "javax.net.ssl.SSLSocketFactory");
    props.put("mail.smtp.socketFactory.fallback", "false");

    return props;
  }

  // the getters and setters
  public String getBody() {
    return _body;
  }

  public void setBody(String _body) {
    this._body = _body;
  }
  public void setTo(String[] toArr) {
      this._to = toArr;
  }

  public void setFrom(String string) {
      this._from = string;
  }

  public void setSubject(String string) {
      this._subject = string;
  }

  // more of the getters and setters …..
}

And I have this code as my sendEmail method that is activated by clicking a button in the menu.
public void sendEmail()
{
    EditText childNameBox = (EditText) findViewById(R.id.childNameBox);
    EditText parentNameBox = (EditText) findViewById(R.id.parentNameBox);
    EditText phoneNumberBox = (EditText) findViewById(R.id.phoneNumberBox);
    EditText ageBox = (EditText) findViewById(R.id.ageBox);
    EditText notesBox = (EditText) findViewById(R.id.notesBox);
    EditText colorsBox = (EditText) findViewById(R.id.colorsBox);
    EditText dateBox = (EditText) findViewById(R.id.dateBox);
    EditText timeBox = (EditText) findViewById(R.id.timeBox);

    childName = childNameBox.toString();
    parentName = parentNameBox.toString();
    childAge = ageBox.toString();
    phoneNumber = phoneNumberBox.toString();
    colorChoice = colorsBox.toString();
    notesText = notesBox.toString();
    dateDay = dateBox.toString();
    timeDay = timeBox.toString();

    emailCombined = childName + bN + parentName + bN + childAge + bN + phoneNumber + bN + colorChoice + bN + notesText + bN + dateDay + bN + timeDay;
    Mail m = new Mail("emailaddress", "password");

    String[] toArr = {"TOEMAIL@gmail.com.com", "FROMEMAIL@gmail.com"};
    m.setTo(toArr);
    m.setFrom("FROMEMAIL@gmail.com");
    m.setSubject("Party Booked");
    m.setBody(emailCombined);

    try {
      //m.addAttachment("/sdcard/filelocation");

      if(m.send()) {
        Toast.makeText(PartyPlannerActivity.this, "Sent Email.", Toast.LENGTH_LONG).show();
      } else {
        Toast.makeText(PartyPlannerActivity.this, "Email was not sent.", Toast.LENGTH_LONG).show();
      }
    } catch(Exception e) {
      //Toast.makeText(MailApp.this, "There was a problem sending the email.", Toast.LENGTH_LONG).show();
      Log.e("PartyPlannerActivity", "Could not send email.", e);
    }
}

And here is the LogCat I got from it
09-01 18:35:50.767: ERROR/PartyPlannerActivity(399): Could not send email.
09-01 18:35:50.767: ERROR/PartyPlannerActivity(399): javax.mail.MessagingException: Could not connect to SMTP host: smtp.gmail.com, port: 465;
09-01 18:35:50.767: ERROR/PartyPlannerActivity(399):   nested exception is:
09-01 18:35:50.767: ERROR/PartyPlannerActivity(399):     java.net.SocketException: Permission denied
09-01 18:35:50.767: ERROR/PartyPlannerActivity(399):     at com.sun.mail.smtp.SMTPTransport.openServer(SMTPTransport.java:1391)
09-01 18:35:50.767: ERROR/PartyPlannerActivity(399):     at com.sun.mail.smtp.SMTPTransport.protocolConnect(SMTPTransport.java:412)
09-01 18:35:50.767: ERROR/PartyPlannerActivity(399):     at javax.mail.Service.connect(Service.java:310)
09-01 18:35:50.767: ERROR/PartyPlannerActivity(399):     at javax.mail.Service.connect(Service.java:169)
09-01 18:35:50.767: ERROR/PartyPlannerActivity(399):     at javax.mail.Service.connect(Service.java:118)
09-01 18:35:50.767: ERROR/PartyPlannerActivity(399):     at javax.mail.Transport.send0(Transport.java:188)
09-01 18:35:50.767: ERROR/PartyPlannerActivity(399):     at javax.mail.Transport.send(Transport.java:118)
09-01 18:35:50.767: ERROR/PartyPlannerActivity(399):     at cistoran.partyPlanner.Mail.send(Mail.java:104)
09-01 18:35:50.767: ERROR/PartyPlannerActivity(399):     at cistoran.partyPlanner.PartyPlannerActivity.sendEmail(PartyPlannerActivity.java:101)
09-01 18:35:50.767: ERROR/PartyPlannerActivity(399):     at cistoran.partyPlanner.PartyPlannerActivity.onOptionsItemSelected(PartyPlannerActivity.java:62)
09-01 18:35:50.767: ERROR/PartyPlannerActivity(399):     at android.app.Activity.onMenuItemSelected(Activity.java:2205)
09-01 18:35:50.767: ERROR/PartyPlannerActivity(399):     at com.android.internal.policy.impl.PhoneWindow.onMenuItemSelected(PhoneWindow.java:748)
09-01 18:35:50.767: ERROR/PartyPlannerActivity(399):     at com.android.internal.view.menu.MenuItemImpl.invoke(MenuItemImpl.java:143)
09-01 18:35:50.767: ERROR/PartyPlannerActivity(399):     at com.android.internal.view.menu.MenuBuilder.performItemAction(MenuBuilder.java:855)
09-01 18:35:50.767: ERROR/PartyPlannerActivity(399):     at com.android.internal.view.menu.IconMenuView.invokeItem(IconMenuView.java:532)
09-01 18:35:50.767: ERROR/PartyPlannerActivity(399):     at com.android.internal.view.menu.IconMenuItemView.performClick(IconMenuItemView.java:122)
09-01 18:35:50.767: ERROR/PartyPlannerActivity(399):     at android.view.View$PerformClick.run(View.java:9080)
09-01 18:35:50.767: ERROR/PartyPlannerActivity(399):     at android.os.Handler.handleCallback(Handler.java:587)
09-01 18:35:50.767: ERROR/PartyPlannerActivity(399):     at android.os.Handler.dispatchMessage(Handler.java:92)
09-01 18:35:50.767: ERROR/PartyPlannerActivity(399):     at android.os.Looper.loop(Looper.java:123)
09-01 18:35:50.767: ERROR/PartyPlannerActivity(399):     at android.app.ActivityThread.main(ActivityThread.java:3683)
09-01 18:35:50.767: ERROR/PartyPlannerActivity(399):     at java.lang.reflect.Method.invokeNative(Native Method)
09-01 18:35:50.767: ERROR/PartyPlannerActivity(399):     at java.lang.reflect.Method.invoke(Method.java:507)
09-01 18:35:50.767: ERROR/PartyPlannerActivity(399):     at com.android.internal.os.ZygoteInit$MethodAndArgsCaller.run(ZygoteInit.java:839)
09-01 18:35:50.767: ERROR/PartyPlannerActivity(399):     at com.android.internal.os.ZygoteInit.main(ZygoteInit.java:597)
09-01 18:35:50.767: ERROR/PartyPlannerActivity(399):     at dalvik.system.NativeStart.main(Native Method)
09-01 18:35:50.767: ERROR/PartyPlannerActivity(399): Caused by: java.net.SocketException: Permission denied
09-01 18:35:50.767: ERROR/PartyPlannerActivity(399):     at org.apache.harmony.luni.platform.OSNetworkSystem.socket(Native Method)
09-01 18:35:50.767: ERROR/PartyPlannerActivity(399):     at dalvik.system.BlockGuard$WrappedNetworkSystem.socket(BlockGuard.java:335)
09-01 18:35:50.767: ERROR/PartyPlannerActivity(399):     at org.apache.harmony.luni.net.PlainSocketImpl.create(PlainSocketImpl.java:216)
09-01 18:35:50.767: ERROR/PartyPlannerActivity(399):     at java.net.Socket.checkOpenAndCreate(Socket.java:802)
09-01 18:35:50.767: ERROR/PartyPlannerActivity(399):     at java.net.Socket.connect(Socket.java:948)
09-01 18:35:50.767: ERROR/PartyPlannerActivity(399):     at java.net.Socket.connect(Socket.java:926)
09-01 18:35:50.767: ERROR/PartyPlannerActivity(399):     at com.sun.mail.util.SocketFetcher.createSocket(SocketFetcher.java:233)
09-01 18:35:50.767: ERROR/PartyPlannerActivity(399):     at com.sun.mail.util.SocketFetcher.getSocket(SocketFetcher.java:163)
09-01 18:35:50.767: ERROR/PartyPlannerActivity(399):     at com.sun.mail.smtp.SMTPTransport.openServer(SMTPTransport.java:1359)
09-01 18:35:50.767: ERROR/PartyPlannerActivity(399):     ... 25 more

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

A: Add the INTERNET permission to your manifest.

A: Did you miss INTERNET permission at your AndroidManifest.xml file?

A: You probably need to add the INTERNET permission to your app.

A: You need the android.permission.INTERNET permission in your manifest to enable your application to open a network socket.

A: Insert this code in your manifest file:
<uses-permission android:name="android.permission.INTERNET"/>

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


If you had a fire at your home or business, let the experts at Awk Construction Services Inc restore your property. For years, we've been the #1 choice for fire restoration services in Brownsville and the surrounding regions. We'll clean up the mess left behind from the fire and make sure your property is back in good condition.
After a fire takes place, you may find soot and smoke damage in the area. It's important to call a licensed specialist to restore your property and get rid of the harmful substances left behind. At Awk Construction Services Inc, we've been restoring properties after fires for years, and we have the most qualified experts in the industry. Regardless of the scope of the damage, they'll restore your property quickly and effectively.
We attribute a lot of our success to our outstanding customer service. We created our company with the customer being our primary focus. That means that when you hire us, you'll get attentive help, quality fire restoration service and a positive experience with our team.


text:
Puth photographed on Jan. 23, 2018 in Los Angeles. Styling by Billy Walsh. Puth wears a Saint Laurent shirt and jacket, and Mr. Completely pants.
Ramona Rosales
Charlie Puth Takes Charge: The 'Attention' Singer on His New Critical Acclaim and Why His First Album Was 'Not Me At All'
by Rebecca Milzoff
February 01, 2018, 8:57am EST
"I just want a studio house like Ryan Tedder," says Charlie Puth with a sigh. The 26-year-old gazes into the flames of the fire pit next to the pool behind his own perfectly nice house, a sleek mid-century abode nestled in a tree-lined section of Beverly Hills where there's currently a $10,000 reward posted for a stolen Pomeranian. "My manager also manages him, so I get to see what my career could potentially look like," continues Puth, referring to the OneRepublic frontman and songwriter -- producer to stars like U2 and Taylor Swift. "He has another house for his studio. He has candles, so now I have candles." Puth curls up, hugging his knees. "I like candles."
Puth -- whose own career kicked off with his 2015 smash with Wiz Khalifa, "See You Again," and now includes "Attention," his 2017 hit that reached No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 -- has been up since 4 a.m. this January morning. He completed a three-hour training session with celebrity fitness guru Harley Pasternak, who's prepping him for his summer headlining tour, and spent another two hours with his allergist. With his fluffy shock of hair and lanky 5-foot-11-inch frame clad in head-to-toe athleisure -- fluorescent yellow Alexander Wang for Adidas hoodie, Lululemon shorts and leggings -- Puth looks more like a tuckered-out high school athlete than a pop star. Since finding fame, he has become a bit of a homebody. "I like to stay in my house a lot," he says. "Or hang out with Adam Levine, who likes the same things I like." He grins. "You know, freshly cut fruits and toilets that greet you when you walk into the bathroom, and Porsches."
"Charlie is one of the most well-rounded and purely talented artists we've got right now," says Levine, a friend and collaborator. Puth's songwriting partner, JKash -- Jacob Kasher, a former rapper from Virginia Beach, Va., who co-wrote Kesha's "We R Who We R" and Cobra Starship's "Good Girls Go Bad" -- says that as soon as he met Puth in 2014, "I knew this kid had a very unique gift. Maybe Max Martin has it. There are few people in the world like Charlie."
Puth and JKash write together primarily while cruising the Los Angeles suburbs in Kash's top-of-the-line Range Rover Autobiography. "Range Rovers symbolize success to me, but, like, of more to come," says Puth. "I don't have one, but I want one. And even when I do have one, I'm going to think, 'I want to be a member of a country club, and I want to write songs in my head on the way there.' What the hell can I say? I'm inspired by materialistic things."
But driving around Burbank and Glendale with Kash is also a way for Puth to recapture the feeling he got as a teen making mixtapes for girls. "I think we secretly like being around normal people -- like if we're near them, we can reach them," says Puth. "When I'm on tour, I get a driver and I pretend I live [in the area]. If I see a group of teenagers, I know they're probably listening to some kind of hip-hop, and I want to make a pop record that gives them the same emotion they get from 'Mask Off,'" the hit by Future.
When "See You Again," the Furious 7 anthem that served as a tribute to the film's late star Paul Walker, tied Eminem's "Lose Yourself" and The Black Eyed Peas' "Boom Boom Pow" as the rap song with the most weeks at No. 1 on the Hot 100, Puth hadn't even released his debut album yet. Nine Track Mind, which came in early 2016, positioned him as a piano-playing, blue-eyed soul man with clean-cut good looks at a time when Justin Timberlake was between albums and Robin Thicke was already looking backward at "Blurred Lines" (and its related lawsuit). The album peaked at No. 6 on the Billboard 200 and spent 92 weeks on the chart, where, two years later, it periodically resurfaces.
But the album's blandly sentimental songs prompted as many eye-rolls as sales. "It has the lowest Metacritic rating... ever?" says Puth with a laugh (actually, not quite: the 15th lowest for an album). "But I agree with that score. That album was not me at all."
"Charlie was thrust into the spotlight pretty quickly," says Dionnee Harper, senior vp marketing for Atlantic Records, who has worked with Puth from the start. "'See You Again' took on such a life I don't think anyone anticipated, and we had to quickly galvanize to capitalize off the momentum." Puth says the album was rushed, resulting in "a mishmash pile of music," and he compares hearing it to "flossing with aluminum foil" and "bitten nails on a chalkboard."
"Everything I didn't want to happen to me -- typical things you hear about a young kid getting signed in the music industry -- happened to me," says Puth. "I was being told to do this, this and this. I didn't want to do any of it, and I was just going along with the punches." He spent two years flogging a hit he never intended to sing -- he wrote the "See You Again" chorus for Sam Smith -- and an album he didn't believe in.
Then, in April 2017, he released a song that didn't sound much like Charlie Puth at all. Driven by a taut, disco-tinged bassline, "Attention" is meticulously arranged, uptempo and definitely not romantic. "It's shit-talking," says Puth. "It's a mean song." It's also his highest-charting single as a solo artist, and his first to earn bona fide pop-snob admiration. (New York Times critic Jon Caramanica called it the fourth best song of 2017; the popular music-nerd podcast Switched on Pop has effusively praised it.) In October, he dropped "How Long," a similarly funky, R&B-inflected j'accuse at a cheating ex that just reached No. 21 on the Hot 100.
Having taken control of his career, Puth's not about to let go: He's producing the entirety of his second album, VoiceNotes, the release of which he moved from January to May in order to perfect it, down to a reshoot of the cover. "Charlie is an incredible musician," says Shawn Mendes, a friend and former tourmate. "He doesn't settle for anything short of perfection."
"I didn't feel like an artist until 'Attention' came out," says Puth, as the backyard fire sputters. "And I feel like people are just starting to get it. I'm not mad that they're just finding out -- they're getting the message I wasn't allowed to say before. 'Attention' is me saying, 'Fuck everybody: I'm doing this song the way I want to do it.'"
This is the life Puth always wanted, going back to his days as a teen coming into New York from Rumson, N.J., to study jazz piano at the Manhattan School of Music. Walking in the city one day with his father, a real estate developer and broker, Puth visited a street-corner psychic. "She said, 'You're not going to be famous, but it's OK!' I was like, 'Fuck no! Dad, go give her money and tell her to check again. I am going to be fucking famous.'"
If Puth had what he now calls a "humble arrogance," it was for good reason. He grew up in relative comfort, with twin younger siblings, both of whom now live with him (Mikaela, who used to work at Refinery29, now manages his day-to-day; Stephen is also a songwriter); his father, who built a prosperous business during Puth's childhood; and a mother who decided, when 12-year-old Puth played the entire Catholic Mass on organ from memory, to find a music teacher who could explain how he did it. The answer: He had perfect pitch, probably from age 3, when he sang Neil Sedaka's "Breaking Up Is Hard to Do" from memory in the key it was written.
"I was such a little punk," says Puth. "You know when you see a cartoon and someone smiles, like, 'ding!'? I had that little sparkle." From age 9, when he bought Eminem's The Marshall Mathers LP, he was drawn to hip-hop. "I had never heard a song with hi-hat on every off-beat," he explains, launching into a beatbox and mouth-trumpet version of "The Real Slim Shady" (one-man-band mode is Puth's default). By seventh grade, he had rigged his home stereo to hook up to a Korg Triton Studio and was producing mixtapes for girls in his class. "I'd combine 'Candy Shop' with 'Drop It Like It's Hot,'" he recalls, giving a vocal demo. "They'd be like, 'OMG, Puth is so weird, but he's kind of cute!'"
Making mixtapes and jumping on the piano at parties, Puth saw, got him attention. "I've always loved... not manipulating people, but finessing people," he says. "I love studying people's reactions, and the best way to do that is by making music." Later, as a full-scholarship music production and engineering major at the Berklee College of Music, "I'd just go to parties where I knew there would be pianos, and be like" -- he sidles over awkwardly -- "'Oooh, what's this? Does anybody know... "Tiny Dancer" by Elton John?'"
He didn't have much experience singing, but at Berklee Puth started putting videos of himself on YouTube, covering songs like Adele's "Someone Like You" with a duet partner, Emily Luther. What happened next provides the foundation of the Puth legend, such as it is: Ellen DeGeneres took notice and signed the duo to her emerging-artists label; it didn't work out; Puth went back to Berklee and, post-graduation, got an offer to come to Los Angeles and join writing sessions. In his first, he co-wrote what would become his 2015 hit with Meghan Trainor, "Marvin Gaye," originally for Cee Lo Green; in the second, "See You Again."
"I got some money, I got a publishing contract, I got a Versace chain that I ended up giving to Kehlani," says Puth today with a laugh, referring to the singer, a longtime friend. "She was probably like, 'Thanks, but no thanks.'" He dreamed of a life like the one portrayed in John Mayer's "Who Says" music video. "It's him walking around this New York apartment, and I always wanted that ambience," Puth says. "Like, I'm having a chill party and people are smoking cigarettes and there's a cheese board with grapes and wineglasses everywhere."
He also started, as he puts it, "super-starring out a little too much." Working with Wiz Khalifa, he says, "I'd never seen so much marijuana in my life," and by 2014, when Jason Derulo took him along on his tour bus and introduced Puth to JKash, Puth himself was "out-smoking some rappers," he says. One day, after eating "like, a pound of marijuana cookies," Puth experienced a six-hour freakout. "I should have been sedated," he says. "I think I almost died." He hasn't touched it since, and today shivers remembering those days. "I thought I had to party and date a lot of girls and just go crazy," he says. "I thought it was what was expected of me as a musician. My mom was the one who was like, 'You're losing touch with why you got here.'"
The only song from Nine Track Mind that Puth says makes the album "bearable" for him is "We Don't Talk Anymore," a breathy duet with Selena Gomez. "It's about a particular moment in my life, when someone very close to me wanted the attention of somebody else. When I found that out and we ended it, I might have done some shady things too, and she might have asked me, 'How long has this been going on?'" Later, he delves a bit deeper. "I don't kiss and tell, but the only way a song like that can come across as real is if there's something else going on behind the scenes," he says. "And that's what was happening [with Gomez]. Very short-lived, very small, but very impactful. And it really messed me up. I'm trying to put this the best way possible: It wasn't like I was the only person on her mind. And I think I knew that going in -- what I was getting myself into."
Puth takes a deep breath and slumps down. "You gather up a bunch of emotion with the life shovel, throw it in the life bucket, mix it up," he says with a shrug. "And she evoked such good emotion on that song, it was a pleasure working with her. That's why I'm always happy to sing it, even though it came from a dark point in my life."
"That was Jennifer Lopez."
Puth's gaze darts toward the entrance of the Hotel Bel-Air, where we -- and, apparently, Lopez and Alex Rodriguez -- have come for lunch. "I love J.Lo, but I don't give a shit." Puth's driver, an elderly man named Bela, whisked us here after Puth declared "I'm hungies!" Now, Puth zeroes in on his meal: two plates of hamachi sashimi, black truffle-dusted roast chicken and some charred broccolini he dutifully munches to satisfy Pasternak, his trainer. "Oh, my God, I care more about the truffles on my chicken. Fucking delicious."
Celebrity has never fazed Puth. Take the way he calmed James Taylor, who appears on VoiceNotes. "He was texting me, like, 'This is a really high song. How am I going to be able to sing this?'" recalls Puth. "I was like, 'No. 1, you're James Taylor. No. 2, I have it in my head exactly how you're going to sing it; I can just hear it.' Lo and behold, that's how it happened. We didn't even have to change keys." Or Boyz II Men, who loved Puth's arrangement for his recent collaboration with them, "If You Leave Me Now," which, he says, references the trio's 1991 classic "It's So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday." "He's very intuitive," says Boyz II Men's Nathan Morris. "To have that musicality at 26 years old in this era, he's a fish swimming upstream, but he's swimming upstream pretty strong."
Puth calls his approach to R&B "nodding to the greats," and pinpoints the sound of VoiceNotes with impressive specificity: "Like walking down a dirt road and listening to New Edition in 1989 -- and being heartbroken, of course." More generally, says Puth, he's channeling the "dark R&B" of the late 1980s created by Babyface, Jimmy Jam, Terry Lewis and Teddy Riley, "these great producers who shaped where dance music and ballads would go." At a moment when cultural appropriation is so central to the conversation around pop music, I ask him if he feels any added responsibility as a white singer in a genre pioneered by black musicians. "I'm not the white guy who's trying to be so cultural -- I just appreciate the culture," replies Puth.
Writing VoiceNotes, he continues, "had a lot to do with my surroundings: I spent a lot of time traveling the world alone in hotel rooms. Sometimes I'd be in the south of France with that warm balmy breeze coming through and white linen curtains, seeing this girl I just called it off with, looking at the ocean, and Janet Jackson's 'Come Back to Me' is playing," he says. "I want to be the one who makes the modern-day version of that song."
Suddenly, a harsh noise breaks through the hushed air in the restaurant. Puth perks up. "That car revving just now? That was an F," he says, humming the note. "So now I'm thinking of songs in F major, and all I hear is 'Racing in the Streets' by Bruce Springsteen and 'Mine' by Phoebe Ryan..." Distracted by the music in his head, he looks happy. "I want fucking massive songs that people are going to listen to forever," says Puth, as if it is the simplest request in the world.
Far-Flung Talents
A diverse crew of artists rely on Puth's abilities -- whether as co-writer, producer or video hottie.
Charli XCX
"He's a real musician: He plays, like, a thousand instruments and understands the structure and theory behind music," says the singer-songwriter, who cast Puth as a car-wash stud in her "Boys" video. "He's crazy, crazy talented."
Jason Derulo
Puth co-wrote on Derulo's Everything Is 4, most notably the Stevie Wonder-Keith Urban collaboration "Broke." "He's a little left of center, which is always cool to me," says Derulo of Puth. "He's not worried about a trend."
The duo collaborated on a "Hotline Bling" remix; Puth hopes to rope her in for VoiceNotes. "She's almost like the Bruce Springsteen of R&B," says Puth of the singer. "She just pokes at people's hearts."
Bonnie McKee
"A lot of artists get lost in their own sauce and don't know how to take suggestions. Charlie is a sponge and has always been excited to learn."
"Charlie's got really eclectic taste and a really extensive memory bank," says the rapper, who roped in Puth as writer, producer, and featured artist for his "Sober." "When we first meet, we talked about the hyphy movement [the rap coming out of the Bay Area in the mid-2000s] and that's what impressed me the most -- his understanding of music across genres and decades."
This article originally appeared in the Feb. 3 issue of Billboard.
Main Image: Puth photographed on Jan. 23, 2018 in Los Angeles. Styling by Billy Walsh. Puth wears a Saint Laurent shirt and jacket, and Mr. Completely pants.


text:
Late April Links
When I owned a 2009 BWW 335i a a year and a half ago, it didn't create any problems for me. However, I did only own the car for three months before I sold it. Then one day, I was sitting in a coffee shop, wondering why I just paid $4 for a five-cent coffee, when I ran into the person to whom I sold my 335i. He looked at me, trying to appear pleasant, but couldn't hide the intense resentment bubbling inside him. He somberly mentioned that he had to take the car in for some expensive repairs right after he bought it from me. That's the game, player. [Jalopnik]
Without any hint of sarcasm or hyperbole, I can tell you that every single time I started any engine with a BMW badge on it, there was the same sense of concerned dread that the stereotypical bomb squad guys got in '80s action flicks. Starting and running a high-strung BMW engine that's destined for daily driver duty without incident is like finding a briefcase with a big red LCD display with five seconds left, with the choice of cutting the red wire or the blue wire, as a sweating Danny Glover somewhere in the background tells you that he's too old for this shit. It's a literal time bomb. [Jalopnik]
The next phase of public pension reform will likely be touched off by a stock market decline that creates the real possibility of at least one state fund running out of cash within a couple of years. The math says that tax increases and spending cuts cannot do much. For one thing, as we learned from Detroit, at a certain point high taxes and poor services force people and businesses out. The numbers are just too big in some states to come out of the budgets. For another, voters won't stand for it. The voters in these states have refused for decades to pay the full costs of the services they were already enjoying; they're not going to have sudden conversions to paying full costs, plus the accumulated costs from the past. State constitutions will be amended if necessary and big legal battles will be fought. I cannot see any plausible scenario in which full promised benefits are paid. [BB]
A close friend recently decided to learn to do a perfect free-standing handstand. No leaning against a wall. Not for just a few seconds. Instagram good. She decided to start her journey by taking a handstand workshop at her yoga studio. She then practiced for a while but wasn't getting the results she wanted. So, she hired a handstand coach. Yes, I know what you're thinking, but evidently this is an actual thing that exists. In the very first lesson, the coach gave her some wonderful advice. "Most people," he said, "think that if they work hard, they should be able to master a handstand in about two weeks. The reality is that it takes about six months of daily practice. If you think you should be able to do it in two weeks, you're just going to end up quitting." [EDGAR]
This Silver Lake Craftsman holds two bedrooms, one bathroom, and an incredible amount of built-in shelving. Hardwood floors run throughout the house, from the rustic kitchen to the bedrooms. The bathroom has a tile floor and a clawfoot bathtub. A patio and small yard can be found behind the house. It rents for $3,450. [Curbed]
I don't think a person in Ashland, WI would have felt like he was missing much that could be had in Minneapolis in 1900. But that has changed, and in the winner take all contest in the midwest, the northern Wisconsin towns lost and Minneapolis won. A house in northern Wisconsin goes for only $60k now! Very poor 100-year return compared to Minneapolis or even Duluth. How do you know if your local industry is going to dry up and blow away, crushing your real estate value and personal earning prospects? (Also devaluing your social capital because two-thirds of your town is forced to move away.) [CBS]
For the pilots of this airplane it was like a normal day in the simulator. Essentially all airliner or bizjet sim training is single-engine operation following a failure because flying a working jet with a three-pilot crew (bulletproof autopilot, left-seat captain, right-seat first officer) is actually easier than a lot of single-pilot operations in light aircraft (hence the higher accident rate for these operations). Thus the "engine failure then land single-engine" is something that a mid-career airline pilot would have done 500 times or more in a sim that is so realistic it can be logged as time in the actual aircraft. [Phil G]
A man is a member of a tribe. You may believe that it does not matter how you dress, but it does. You may think that people should not judge by appearances, but they do. You might well consider yourself to be special and above the hierarchies of social status, but you are not. [Pushing Rubber]
I visited Italy a couple of years ago and was surprised by the level of poverty there. Rome is very carefully kept together, but once you go outside of the center you see a lot of homeless. Genoa at night reminded me of NYC in the 80s. Not great. [MR]
One of the poorest-kept secrets in Silicon Valley has been the huge salaries and bonuses that experts in artificial intelligence can command. Now, a little-noticed tax filing by a research lab called OpenAI has made some of those eye-popping figures public. OpenAI paid its top researcher, Ilya Sutskever, more than $1.9 million in 2016. It paid another leading researcher, Ian Goodfellow, more than $800,000 — even though he was not hired until March of that year. Both were recruited from Google. [NY Times]
This is the only new car I've ever purchased so I don't know what's acceptable in terms of manufacturing defects, but this seems excessive. Since delivery in August 2017, my car has had its windshield replaced (odd residue), a door panel repainted (they missed a swath of clear coat), replaced window regulators (twice), and a replaced door handle. It's been in the shop for 20% of the time I've owned it, and now kinda feels like some weird hackjob rather than an expensive new-ish car. [Reddit]
I ran Trump's assertions to the ground, and for many years I was proud of the fact that Forbes had called him on his distortions and based his net worth on what I thought was solid research. But it took decades to unwind the elaborate farce Trump had built to project an image as one of the richest people in America. Nearly every assertion supporting that claim was untrue. Trump wasn't just poorer than he said he was. Over time I have learned that he should not have been on the first three Forbes 400 lists at all. In our first-ever list, in 1982, we included him at $100 million, but Trump was actually worth roughly $5 million — a paltry sum by the standards of his super-monied peers — as a spate of government reports and books showed only much later. [WaPo]
Greater Portugal, also known as Portugalicia, is a proposed union of the Portuguese-speaking territories including the autonomous region of Galicia, the Eonavian region, the territory of Olivença, and many villages along the Portugal-Spain border that speak any kind of Portuguese-Galician dialect, such as the Fala language. [Wiki]
The Bernie Bros and Mr. Trump's Twitter trolls had called me a donkey-faced whore and a Hillary shill, but nothing hurt worse than my own colleagues calling me a de facto instrument of Russian intelligence. The worst part was, they were right. [NY Times]
All the public expenditure to prevent vice has the same effect. Vice is its own curse. If we let nature alone, she cures vice by the most frightful penalties. It may shock you to hear me say it, but when you get over the shock, it will do you good to think of it: a drunkard in the gutter is just where he ought to be. Nature is working away at him to get him out of the way, just as she sets up her processes of dissolution to remove whatever is a failure in its line. Gambling and less mentionable vices all cure themselves by the ruin and dissolution of their victims. Nine-tenths of our measures for preventing vice are really protective towards it, because they ward off the penalty. "Ward off," I say, and that is the usual way of looking at it; but is the penalty really annihilated? By no means. It is turned into police and court expenses and spread over those who have resisted vice. [Sumner]
Edward S. Lampert and Kunal S. Kamlani will not participate on behalf of Sears (as officer or director) in any discussions, deliberations, negotiations or decisions with respect to a potential transaction in which ESL participates as a buyer, except to the extent specifically requested by the committee referred to below. ESL will not participate in any such transaction as a buyer unless such transaction is both (i) recommended by the related party transaction committee (or another committee of independent directors) of the Sears Board of Directors, which is fully empowered to consider such transaction, and (ii) approved by the holders of a majority of the shares of Sears held by disinterested stockholders. ESL would accept that any transaction in which ESL participates as a buyer would be subject to a "go shop" process on reasonable terms. [EDGAR]
Insurance companies are, however, different from ordinary commercial corporations in that they must set aside and maintain significant levels of special reserves which they need to pay insurance policy benefits. A life insurance company sells insurance and annuity contracts (policies) which, in consideration of premiums received from its policyholders, obligate the company to pay benefits if certain future contingent events occur. These contingent events (called risks) include death, survival, disability, accidental injury and sickness. The financial impact of an insurance contract cannot be known exactly until the insured risks occur or the contract otherwise terminates. This may occur soon after a policy is issued, or many years later. For an extremely large number of issued and outstanding insurance policies, however, these risks can be predicted with reasonable accuracy based on the laws of statistical averages. In order to systematically build assets to support their future obligations, a life insurance company must set aside a considerable portion of the premiums it collects, but which it has not yet used to pay benefits, as a reserve fund. These reserve funds, combined with premiums it will receive in the future plus investment earnings, will accumulate over the years and be available to pay benefit obligations. [IRS]
In this case, for the second time this Term, we are required to construe the complex portion of the Internal Revenue Code concerning life insurance companies. The issue in this case is the extent to which deferred and uncollected life insurance premiums are includable in "reserves," "assets," and "gross premium income," as those concepts are used in the Life Insurance Company Income Tax Act of 1959. Premiums on respondent's policies are often payable in installments. If an installment is not paid when due, the policy will lapse, generally after a grace period. However, there is no legally enforceable duty to pay the premiums. An installment falling due between the end of the tax year and the policy's anniversary date is called a "deferred premium." In 1961, the most recent year in issue, respondent had $1,572,763 of deferred premiums. An installment which is overdue at the end of the tax year is called an "uncollected premium" if the policy has not yet lapsed. In 1961, respondent had $231,969 of uncollected premiums. For convenience, we shall refer to both deferred and uncollected premiums simply as "unpaid premiums." The amount charged a policyholder - the "gross premium" - includes two components. Under state law, the company must add part of the premium to its reserves to ensure that it will have sufficient funds to pay death benefits. This amount, the "net valuation premium," is determined under mortality and interest assumptions. The rest of the gross premium is called "loading," and covers profits and expenses such as salesmen's commissions, state taxes, and overhead. [Findlaw]
History shows that, on average, just two stocks from the global market-cap top 10 list remain on the list a decade later. The two survivors almost always include the number-one stock. But the number-one stock has never been top dog a decade later, ultimately underperforming and moving lower in the list. The second surviving stock has 50/50 odds of beating the market. If this history repeats, nine of the top 10 market-cap stocks will underperform the market over the next 10 years, and just one has a 50% chance of underperforming. We don't particularly like those 95% odds. Can all of the seven tech highfliers collectively succeed to sufficiently justify their $4.3 trillion combined market capitalization at yearend 2017? Nothing is impossible, but this outcome is implausible. Sure, some of the new tech giants are at valuation multiples that are not extravagant, but several sport startling multiples—and all trade at levels that require robust continued growth. These companies are at war—in some cases directly with one another—for market share, competing for the same eyeballs, and are facing a growing risk of regulatory constraints. If history is a useful guide, Apple may still be in the top 10 list (but no longer number one) in 2028, and perhaps one of the others will still be on the list. History would suggest that, of the seven, at least six will underperform the market over the next 10 years. Beyond the top-tier tech favorites, a host of companies such as Snap, Hubspot, Overstock, and now Shopify each have negative earnings and lofty price-to-sales ratios. [Arnott]
Posted by CP at 6:30 AM
CBS, the link lists you've been more regularly publishing count as the most useful aggregation on my entire blogroll. Please continue this noble and refreshing work.
Excellent - glad you have been enjoying!
League of Women Voters said...
I've been told by a couple of friends that they read the links but won't forward or tweet them because of political incorrectness. It's like the USSR or China!
A glorious band, the chosen few, who read the Credit Bubble Stocks links.
High Plateau Drifter said...
Moi?? Politically incorrect??
Where on earth would you get that Idea??


text:
Home WinBuzzer News Microsoft Patent Shows Mixed Reality HoloLens Input Wand
Microsoft Patent Shows Mixed Reality HoloLens Input Wand
A new patent shows Microsoft's plans for mixed reality input methods for HoloLens. The wand-like device is similar to a stylus like the Surface Pen for an augmented environment.
August 23, 2017 6:11 pm CEST
Microsoft has embraced virtual, mixed, and augmented reality more than most. HoloLens is the driver, but the company has thrown the gauntlet to developers to create solutions. Dev's have taken that task and we have seen numerous ideas come to fruition.
WalkingCat is reporting on a new Microsoft patent that furthers it input development. Specifically, the company is working on a wand-like device that will work with augmented reality.
The device is a stylus-like product that may be like Microsoft's existing Surface Pen. Microsoft has been clear that it sees mixed reality becoming a whole computing platform. The company is building up hardware (proprietary and through OEMs) such as a Mixed Reality Controller, and headsets.
Apple and Google are two major Microsoft rivals who are embracing a different method. Those companies have focused on more mainstream niche devices. Microsoft is clearly moving towards the full integration of mixed reality in Windows 10.
https://twitter.com/h0x0d/status/900174091264471040
However, the company is also playing the long game. HoloLens is still in development and will remain so until 2019. Microsoft says it will extend the developer edition to allow more content to be created. HoloLens 2.0 will launch to consumers, hopefully with an extensive list of apps and features.
While HoloLens remains a distant solution, Microsoft is already making gains in mixed reality. This year, the company will bring mixed reality to Windows 10 with OEM built headsets.
Microsoft's Holographic Shell for Windows 10. Using mixed reality, the devices will marry aspects of HoloLens with VR products like Oculus Rift.
For example, like HoloLens, users will be able to interact with 3D objects in a real environment. On the other hand, users can also interact with media (games, movies, apps) in a 3D environment, like Oculus Rift.
SOURCEWalkingCat
Previous articleMicrosoft's Windows Mixed Reality Controllers Receive Bluetooth SIG
Next articleMicrosoft Says Talks with Sony About Minecraft Cross-Play are Ongoing
How to Turn On or Off the Camera / Webcam on Windows 11 and Windows 10
Microsoft Edge Gets YouTube on Windows


HI! Handmade Italia: EITcraftivism - Handmade from the heart!
In February use creativity and manuality and spread your message from the heart!
Throughout the month of February, the Etsy Italia Team is launching a new Craftivism campaign. After the "Craftivism Month" on 2014 we chose to get inspired by Valentine's celebration to promote the handmade and the big heart that is behind every craft project.
The goal is always the same: to bring attention in our cities on the value of the hand-made and the problems and needs of artisanal micro-entrepreneurship. We can and must sensitise our fellow citizens on the importance of choosing the craft to reward the hard work, talent and creativity, so as to support the initiative and personal responsibility. During this campaign, we'll leave to an heart our message with the hope that who will find it, could become personally involved on the values, the needs, goals and expectations that lie behind the small businesses.
What will we do: everyone can create cards, postcards, leaflets, all strictly heart-shaped on which is possible write a message. They could be made with paper, fabric, engraved wood, ceramic, you can choose the way you like it! We will leave our "messages from the heart" around, hanging from a railing, tied to the lamp posts, attached to garbage cans and in any place that seems suitable to spread your message. When you have chosen the place where to place your heart, you'll have to photograph it and share it on social with specific tags.
The more your hearts will be original and cared of, the more it will attract attention to the message you are spreading.
- Anyone can participate! The craftivism initiative "Handmade from the heart" is open to anyone who feels close to these issues.
Creativity is my work, support it!
YOU CAN FIND ALL HEARTS IN OUR PINTEREST BOARD!
Anyone can participate in the initiative but remember to tag your photos with #EITcraftivism #handmaderevolution #craftivism, so we can find them and publish the most beautiful on all our social networks!
Your help is important to let people know the engagement, passion and heart that are hidden behind an handmade project and a small business.
The act is simple to do but it can have great significance.
And if you're walking around the city keep your eyes open!


CSS Recycling committed to ensuring that your privacy is protected. Should we ask you to provide certain information by which you can be identified when using this website, then you can be assured that it will only be used in accordance with this privacy statement.
CSS Recycling may change this policy from time to time by updating this page. You should check this page from time to time to ensure that you are happy with any changes. This policy is effective from 20/05/2018.
We use traffic log cookies to identify which pages are being used. This helps us analyse data about webpage traffic and improve our website in order to tailor it to customer needs. We only use this information for statistical analysis purposes and the data is removed from the system after 120 days.
5 Abex Road, Bone Lane Ind. Estate, Newbury, Berkshire RG14 5EY.


text:
using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using XenAdmin.Diagnostics.Problems.PoolProblem;
using XenAdmin.Network;
using XenAPI;
using XenAdmin.Diagnostics.Problems;
using XenAdmin.Core;
using XenAdmin.Diagnostics.Problems.VMProblem;
using XenAdmin.Diagnostics.Problems.HostProblem;

using System.Linq;

namespace XenAdmin.Diagnostics.Checks
{
    public class AssertCanEvacuateCheck : Check
    {
        private static readonly log4net.ILog log = log4net.LogManager.GetLogger(System.Reflection.MethodBase.GetCurrentMethod().DeclaringType);

        public AssertCanEvacuateCheck(Host host)
            : base(host)
        {
        }

        protected Problem CheckHost()
        {
            var residentVMs = Host.Connection.ResolveAll(Host.resident_VMs);
            foreach (var residentVM in residentVMs)
            {
                if (residentVM.AutoPowerOn)
                    return new AutoStartEnabled(this, residentVM);

                SR sr = residentVM.FindVMCDROMSR();
                if (sr != null && sr.IsToolsSR)
                    return new ToolsCD(this, residentVM);
                if (sr != null && sr.content_type == SR.Content_Type_ISO)
                    return new LocalCD(this, residentVM);
            }

            Session session = Host.Connection.DuplicateSession();
            Dictionary<XenRef<VM>, String[]> vms =
                Host.get_vms_which_prevent_evacuation(session, Host.opaque_ref);

            foreach (KeyValuePair<XenRef<VM>, String[]> kvp in vms)
            {
                String[] exception = kvp.Value;
                XenRef<VM> vmRef = kvp.Key;

                try
                {
                    // We can actually ignore some errors, indicated by null
                    return GetProblem(Host.Connection, vmRef, exception);

                }
                catch (Exception e)
                {
                    log.Debug("Didn't recognise reason", e);
                    log.Debug(exception);
                    log.Debug(e, e);

                    VM vm = Host.Connection.Resolve(kvp.Key);

                    if (vm != null)
                        return new CannotMigrateVM(this, vm);
                }
            }
            return null;
        }

        private Problem GetProblem(IXenConnection connection, XenRef<VM> vmRef, string[] exception)
        {
            try
            {
                System.Diagnostics.Trace.Assert(exception.Length > 0);

                VM vm;

                switch (exception[0])
                {
                    case Failure.VM_REQUIRES_SR:
                        vm = connection.Resolve<VM>(vmRef);

                        if (vm == null)
                            throw new NullReferenceException(Failure.VM_REQUIRES_SR);

                        XenRef<SR> srRef = new XenRef<SR>(exception[2]);
                        SR sr = connection.Resolve<SR>(srRef);

                        if (sr == null)
                            throw new NullReferenceException(Failure.VM_REQUIRES_SR);

                        if (sr.content_type == SR.Content_Type_ISO)
                        {
                            return new LocalCD(this, vm);
                        }
                        else if (!sr.shared)
                        {
                            // Only show the problem if it is really local storage
                            // As the pbd-plug checks will pick up broken storage.
                            return new LocalStorage(this, vm);
                        }

                        return null;

                    case Failure.VM_MISSING_PV_DRIVERS:
                        vm = connection.Resolve<VM>(vmRef);

                        if (vm == null)
                            throw new NullReferenceException(Failure.VM_MISSING_PV_DRIVERS);

                        return new NoPVDrivers(this, vm);

                    case "VM_OLD_PV_DRIVERS":
                        vm = connection.Resolve<VM>(vmRef);

                        if (vm == null)
                            throw new NullReferenceException("VM_OLD_PV_DRIVERS");

                        return new PVDriversOutOfDate(this, vm);

                    case Failure.NO_HOSTS_AVAILABLE:
                        //CA-63531: Boston server will come here in case of single host pool or standalone host
                        vm = connection.Resolve<VM>(vmRef);

                        if (vm == null)
                            throw new NullReferenceException(Failure.NO_HOSTS_AVAILABLE);

                        return new NoHosts(this, vm);

                    case Failure.HOST_NOT_ENOUGH_FREE_MEMORY:
                        vm = connection.Resolve<VM>(vmRef);

                        if (vm == null)
                            throw new NullReferenceException(Failure.HOST_NOT_ENOUGH_FREE_MEMORY);

                        Pool pool = Helpers.GetPool(vm.Connection);

                        if (pool == null || pool.Connection.Cache.HostCount == 1)
                        {
                            //CA-63531: Cowley server will come here in case of single host pool or standalone host
                            return new NoHosts(this, vm);
                        }

                        Host host = vm.Connection.Resolve(vm.resident_on);
                        return new NotEnoughMem(this, host);

                    case Failure.VM_REQUIRES_NETWORK:
                        vm = connection.Resolve(vmRef);

                        if (vm == null)
                            throw new NullReferenceException(Failure.VM_REQUIRES_NETWORK);

                        XenRef<XenAPI.Network> netRef = new XenRef<XenAPI.Network>(exception[2]);
                        XenAPI.Network network = connection.Resolve(netRef);

                        if (network == null)
                            throw new NullReferenceException(Failure.VM_REQUIRES_NETWORK);

                        return new VMCannotSeeNetwork(this, vm, network);

                    case Failure.VM_HAS_VGPU:
                        vm = connection.Resolve(vmRef);

                        if (vm == null)
                            throw new NullReferenceException(Failure.VM_HAS_VGPU);

                        return new VmHasVgpu(this, vm);

                    default:
                        throw new NullReferenceException(exception[0]);
                }
            }
            catch (Exception e)
            {
                log.Debug("Exception parsing exception", e);
                log.Debug(e, e);

                throw new Failure(new List<String>(exception));
            }
        }

        public override Problem RunCheck()
        {
            if (!Host.IsLive)
                return new HostNotLiveWarning(this, Host);

            Pool pool = Helpers.GetPool(Host.Connection);
            if (pool != null)
            {
                if (pool.ha_enabled)
                    return new HAEnabledWarning(this, pool, Host);

                if (Helpers.WlbEnabled(pool.Connection))
                    return new WLBEnabledWarning(this, pool, Host);
            }
            return CheckHost();
        }

        public override string Description
        {
            get { return Messages.ASSERT_CAN_EVACUATE_CHECK_DESCRIPTION; }
        }
    }
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


WELCOME TO THE FUTURE! The McLaren 720S was introduced to the general public at the Geneva Motor Show in 2017. With its 720 hp twin-turbo 4.0 V8, a new design and technology directly derived from Formula 1, McLaren has created a true masterpiece.
Although the 'standard' version already leaves all the other supercars behind, the people of Novitec upgraded this exceptional McLaren and managed to get more than 10% extra power out of it, up to 806 hp on the rear wheels! As a result, this hypercar rams itself to 100 km/h in just 2.7 seconds and is already at 200 km/h in 7.5 counts.
The exterior has also been modified with many carbon fibre parts, lowering and much larger rims, making this Novitec McLaren 720S an extremely rare appearance. Finally, the complete exhaust system has been replaced, resulting in a terrifying sound.
* Specific conditions apply for each car. You can find them on the specific car page and in the general terms and conditions.
PassionWithoutLimits has been founded by a car enthusiast with a true passion for exclusive and powerful cars.
These cookies are necessary for the proper functioning of certain parts of our Site, such as the use of the website and the recording of user preferences. Our website would not work properly or at all without these cookies. Therefore, these cookies are always used.
These cookies are used to collect information about how you use our website. We use the information to compile reports and to improve our sites, make them more user-friendly and monitor their operation. Cookies collect anonymous information about your activities on our website.
By giving permission for marketing cookies, we also place tracking cookies. These cookies allow us to keep you informed of the best offers, such as a second person free offer.


text:
News Biology 20 November 2019
How to behave in school
Mass animal behaviour is a marvel – but what makes individuals decide which way to go?
There are a number of trends in flock motion, new research suggests.
Angie Bandari
A mass of animals flocking, schooling or swarming is one of the grand sights of nature: a flock of magpie geese erupting from an Australian billabong; a bait ball of anchovies about to be engulfed by a humpback whale.
Coordinated behaviour is common in a variety of organisms and it includes such things as insect swarms and bacterial colonies. These are fascinating and often highly visible phenomena.
But the way information spreads and decisions are made in these groups is little understood.
Now, researchers from Southeast University, China, and China University of Mining and Technology have studied synchronised flights of pigeon flocks in an effort to explain the mechanisms behind coordinated behaviour.
Their results have been published in the journal Chaos.
Lead author Duxin Chen, from Southeast University, says that understanding the underlying mechanisms of coordinated behaviour helps us gain a greater understanding of our world.
Mother birds live longer with a little help from their friends
The best-known work on the subject, published in 1987, suggests the behaviour is subject to three basic rules: avoid collision with your peers, match your speed and direction of motion with the rest of the group, and try to stay near the centre.
The new study, which examines how every individual pigeon in a flock is influenced by the other members, found the dynamics are not so simple.
Using a data mining algorithm named k-nearest as their underlying tool, the researchers studied the flights of three flocks, each composed of 10 pigeons.
Every bird's position, velocity and acceleration were sampled with time, and the researchers used this data to determine which pigeons have a direct impact on other individuals in the group.
They determined a number of trends in flock motion.
Depending on factors such as the flock's location, every pigeon has neighbours it influences, and neighbours it's influenced by. Emphasising the complexity of the interaction, the influencers are likely to change throughout the flight.
"Interestingly, the individuals closer to the mass centre and the average velocity direction are more influential to others, which means location and flight direction are two factors that matter in their interactions," says Chen.
The authors suggest their method is sufficiently general to study other coordinated behaviours. They plan next to focus on the collective behaviours of immune cells.
Explore #animal behaviour
Ian Connellan is the editor of Cosmos magazine.
https://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.5120787
https://dl.acm.org/citation.cfm?id=37406
Lab Talk: How to punch big holes in cells
A scientist describes her research into the immune system.
What are school sores and how do you get rid of them?
School sores usually clear up within a few weeks, without any scarring. Here's what to do if you suspect your child has them.
How to involve more women and girls in engineering
We need their insight and creativity to help solve the problems facing our world.
High school aims to Fly High


text:
Prime Minister of the United States
There is no Prime Minister of the United States, but the term "Prime Minister" has sometimes been applied, either as a pejorative term, a "bon mot", or through ignorance, to an official within the government of the United States.
During and after the American Revolutionary War, many Americans saw government as deceitful and untrustworthy. The British political system, especially, was considered tyrannical. The men around the King, namely the prime minister were thought to have achieved complete control through corruption. It was also generally believed that the men around the King utilized the British financial system to destroy its once balanced political system. When, under the Washington administration, Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton established the Bank of the United States, Hamilton met fierce opposition. The "National Gazette" said Hamilton was working as a prime minister, and alleged that his manipulation of the financial system would lead to the downfall of the republic.
Today, the term is applied by people unfamiliar with the American presidential system of government, who presume that the chief executive official (the President of the United States) is instead called the prime minister (e.g. "Prime Minister Clinton"). People accustomed to parliamentary systems where the duties of the head of state and head of government are separated sometimes fail to realize that the President of the United States performs both these functions.
The sobriquet "Prime Minister" has in some instances been applied to American political officials who appear to be exercising substantial executive power. The term generally has more to do with the notion of "perceived" power, rather than legal or constitutional power.
The nickname of "Prime Minister" is thus sometimes used by pundits, political insiders, or journalists as a critical, satirical, or observational title, and not an attempt at a formal government definition. Often the title of "US Prime Minister" is used to allude a sort of 18th century grand vizier-type Prime Minister, that is to say one who is a power behind the throne or influential advisor, as opposed to a modern-style elected Prime Minister in a parliamentary government.
Some offices whose occupants have occasionally been suggested as being "America's Prime Minister" include:
*In Vol. CI (101), 1977 of "The Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography", Fred S. Rolater equates Charles Thomson as a sort of "Prime Minister" of the United States. Thomson served as the secretary of the Continental Congress with commitment and diligence for its entirety (1774 to 1789).
* The Speaker of the United States House of Representatives - The Speaker of the House is ceremonially the highest ranking legislative official elected directly by members of Congress. Since the Speaker and the President are often from different parties, this can sometimes lead to cohabitation situations in which the two are at odds with each other. The Speaker (and the majority leader of Senate if the Senate is also controlled by the opposition) can thus come to be seen as the leaders of the "opposition" and the symbol of their party, and the very personification of partisan opposition to the President's agenda. The Speaker of the House is also a much more politically active figure than many of his or her counterparts in other countries. Throughout American history, the speakership has evolved into one of the nation's key political positions.
The position of House Majority Leader (or sometimes the Senate Majority Leader) is actually more analogous to the position of Prime Minister in countries such as Canada and the United Kingdom. In both instances, the majority (or plurality) leader becomes the Prime Minister and often controls business on the floor, while the Speaker has more of a ceremonial role.
In the late 19th century, in particular following the impeachment of President Andrew Johnson and the damage that was perceived to have done to the American presidency (already shaken by the assassination of his predecessor, Abraham Lincoln), it was speculated by academics, foreign diplomats based in Washington, D.C. and even by leading members of the Senate that the United States would evolve from a presidential to a parliamentary system of government, with the Speaker becoming a "de facto" prime minister, sidelining the President of the United States. The President would in turn evolve into a form of nominal chief executive head of state, in whom legal executive authority would continue to be nominally vested but whose role as policy-maker and head of government would in effect move to the Speaker. Indeed, this presumed power shift "did" in fact occur to some degree in the second half of the 19th Century and early 20th. Teddy Roosevelt and later Franklin Roosevelt are often seen as men who helped shift the majority of power back to the office of the President in contrast to their predecessors, who were far more subservient to a stronger Congress.
* The White House Chief of Staff – As the President's top aide, the Chief of Staff is often one of the closest personal policy advisors to the President. He or she is also frequently the official who manages much of the day to day functioning of the White House, including, as the title suggests, control over much of the staff. How much direct executive power the Chief of Staff exercises is very much dependent on how "hands off" or "hands on" the President is in mundane political matters.
:Powerful Chiefs of Staff have included Reagan Chief of Staff Donald Regan and Nixon Chief of Staff Alexander Haig. Howard Baker, Reagan's last Chief of Staff, had great distaste for what he perceived to be pseudo-royal power in the White House, and denounced the idea of a Chief of Staff "Prime Minister" as a symptom of what he deemed to be an increasingly "Imperial Presidency." See also Arthur Schlesinger, Jr.'s book, "The Imperial Presidency".
* During the 19th century, the United States Secretary of State, as the highest ranking member of the Cabinet, was occasionally called the "Prime Minister", especially by Europeans. For instance, Alexis de Tocqueville's travelling-companion Gustave de Beaumont referred to then Secretary of State Edward Livingston as the "Prime Minister of the United States"
* [http://kendrick.colgate.edu/maroon/ArchivesS95/Text2.3.95/wolyniak.html] Editorial- Does Newt Gingrich see himself as America's Prime Minister?
* [http://ustudies.semo.edu/ui320-75/Course/presidents/clinton/BillClinton.html] Gingrich again mentioned as "almost as a "de facto" prime minister."
* [http://slick.org/deathwatch/mailarchive/msg01035.html] Donald Regan's Prime Ministerial nickname
* [http://www.indianexpress.com/ie/daily/20010313/iin13003.html] Kenneth Duberstein calls Cheney the "Prime Minister"
* [http://www.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2001/12/6/155338.shtml] Editorial mentioning the "de facto" "Prime Minister" Vice President of the Bush administration
* [http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/oswald/interviews/mcmillan.html] Lee Harvey Oswald told his wife that their child would be Prime Minister of the United States.
----In the early 1950s, the Prime Minister of the United States was a character played by Frazier Thomas on the afternoon children's television show "Garfield Goose and Friends".
Unix philosophy
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom — Infobox minister office border = parliamentary minister = prime title = Prime Minister jurisdiction = the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland incumbent = Gordon Brown tookoffice = 27 June 2007 appointed by = Elizabeth II monarch … Wikipedia
Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom — of Great Britain and Northern Ireland Arms of Her Majesty s Government … Wikipedia
Prime Minister of the Netherlands — Minister President Coat of Arms … Wikipedia
Prime Minister of the Philippines — The Prime Minister of the Philippines ( es. Primer Ministro de Filipinas; Tagalog: Punong Ministro ng Pilipinas) was the official position of the head of the government (whereas the President of the Philippines was the head of state) of the… … Wikipedia
Foreign policy of the United States — United States This article is part of the series: Politics and government of the United States … Wikipedia
Israel lobby in the United States — The Israel lobby in the United States is a term used to describe the loose coalition of groups and individuals who attempt to influence American foreign policy in support of Israel and its policies. [The Israel Lobby and US Foreign Policy, John J … Wikipedia
Extraordinary rendition by the United States — Extraordinary Rendition redirects here. For the 2007 film, see Extraordinary Rendition (film). Extraordinary rendition (or irregular rendition) is the abduction and illegal transfer of a person from one nation to another.[1] Torture by proxy is… … Wikipedia
June 2006 in the United States — NOTOC This page deals with current events in the United States, its insular areas, and other American interests. June 30, 2006 (Friday)*The United States military orders an investigation into claims that five US soldiers of the 502nd Infantry… … Wikipedia
Colonial history of the United States — Colonial America redirects here. For other uses, see Colonial America (disambiguation). History of the United States This article is part of a series … Wikipedia
Native Americans in the United States — This article is about the indigenous people of the United States. For other indigenous people see Indigenous peoples by geographic regions Native Americans … Wikipedia


text:
Trump's latest on UFO disclosure confirmed it has been avoided because of its demonic nature
15 giugno 2019 15 giugno 2019 adm-zagami
In an exclusive interview that President Donald Trump gave at the White House in Washington on June 12th, 2019 to ABC News Chief Anchor George Stephanopoulos, the U.S. president was asked what he thought of the increased UFO reports and Trump apparently said he doesn't particularly believe in unidentified flying objects (UFOs), despite the rise in reports of unidentified aircraft by U.S. Navy pilots.
However, Trump did admit he had one very brief meeting on it and,
"I think it's probably — I want them to think whatever they think. They do say, and I've seen, and I've read, and I've heard. And I did have one very brief meeting on it. But people are saying they're seeing UFOs. Do I believe it? Not particular,"
When asked if he thought he had knowledge of a case of extraterrestrial life, the president replied that things are changing:"They see things a little bit different from the past. So we're going to see. We're watching, and you'll be the first to know."
Earlier this year the Navy updated its guidelines for how its pilots report the sighting of "unauthorized and/or unidentified aircraft"due to an increase in the number of reports in recent years.
So is there a level of ultra "top secret" security above the President of the U.S. when it comes to UFOs?
Is this top secret level linked to the infamous "Deep State"?
Can they threaten US National Security interest?
I have tried to answer such difficult questions in the pages of my latest book Confessions of an Illuminati Vol.6.66 where I also wrote that Trump has decided to avoid promoting the alien agenda, seemingly so dear to the Democratic Party leaders, for a specific reason, because he fears the consequences of revealing the truth of what he knows to the rest of mankind.
Remember what happened at the time of the last Presidential Campaign, when the mysterious "Russian" hackers broke into Hillary Clinton's former campaign chairman, John Podesta's private email account, and Podesta immediately reacted by saying that Russian intelligence officials were attempting to influence the presidential election in favor of Donald Trump. Podesta most likely gave the Russians his email details to facilitate the whole process.
Without getting too polemic about this political story, whoever entered in John Podesta's private mail, entered some kind of weirdo zone, fueled with UFO lore, and immersed in perversions of Occult Crowleyanity, linked also to his brother and partner in crime Tony Podesta, the other half of The Podesta Group. Such information confirmed what everyone already knew or at least suspected for years about the perverts and the Satanists in the Jesuit driven New World Order and their obsession for the UFO phenomenon. Because the UFO secret is still the biggest and most dangerous secret in the world.
President Trump knows that today's reality is being strongly manipulated by evil demonic forces behind the alien phenomenon, that collaborate with the various key players of the New World Order that so vehemently oppose him every day. Trump knows that the biggest Illuminati Puppet Masters, the ones that control his enemies, on behalf of the Jesuits, are the ones based in Moscow, in the headquarters of theInternational Organization for the Destinies of the World.
Back in June 25, 2014, in an email disclosed by WikiLeaks, the late NASA astronaut Edgar Mitchellrequested a conversation with John Podesta and then-President Barack Obama:"Regarding the next steps in extraterrestrial disclosure for the benefit of our country and our plant." Remember, for believers and seers of UFOs, there is no doubt of their existence when they released their once "top secret" UFO files for public consumption that leave no doubt about the true existence of UFOs, so what is stopping Trump if not the realization that this will play into the hands of the Satanic Alien Alliance opposing him.
The late president President George H.W. Bush, a former CIA director, when asked about the existence of UFOs said, "You don't know the half of it." In the recent six-part History Channel series titled Unidentified: Inside America's U.F.O. Investigation, featuring former Pentagon employ Luis Elizondo they said there are conservative forces at work in the Pentagon to prevent an alien disclosure because of its demonic nature. This confirms also what I wrote in my book about Trump's official position of not particularly believing in unidentified flying objects that hides something much more sinister.
Italy under threat to become the next Greece
Spygate, The Deep State and Clooney's Villa next weekend


For its new Knorr One Skillet Meals, Unilever worked with American Packaging Corp. to create a pouch with a softer, more prestigious look and dark background—which is a significant departure from Knorr's typical glossy white packaging.
American Packaging achieved this with a new process for combining matte and gloss areas on the three-ply pouch. The converter used a reverse trolley gravure cylinder to apply the matte lacquer inline with flexographic printing—and all in register with 0 trap. The high-gloss visual pop of the brand logo and product photo, along with the deep, rich image of the matte areas on package earned American Packaging a Gold Award for Printing and Shelf Impact.


Katie Tran is a new addition to LOA this 2016/2017 school year. Though it is her first year, she is involved in many clubs and activities and has accomplished a lot. She loves school because it "keeps our brains working".
Moving here from Crews Middle School in Snellville Crews Middle School, she has adjusted by making friends, being nice, smart, social, and praying.
So far, Katie is involved in Beta Club, Student Government, piano, and Jazz Band. She has also planning and managing a talent show, that is coming after Christmas break. It is going to be a service project for the WE program here at our school. She plays the bass, in jazz band, and cello, piano, and guitar.
She made GMEA All-State Orchestra and played for National Federation of Music Clubs. She played a memorized solo for judges and got the highest score of one, three times. She also participated in Solo and Ensemble two years in a row and got a score of one.
"It's all because of Jesus." Katie says in response to what she has to say on her accomplishments at such a young age.


In a case where you need to obtain a divorce, you would need to note that each divorce tend to be quite different from the other. A divorce tends to be easier in a case where both parties agree to the divorce when compared to one where one of the parties is not playing along. In a case where the couple disagrees about everything, you may also need to know that it may take a longer period.
One would need to note that filing of a petition tends to be the first step of a divorce. It is essential to note that even when both parties have agreed that they want a divorce, one may need to consider presenting a petition to the court asking for a divorce. One may also need to include the grounds. One may need a divorce lawyer to guide him or her throughout the process.
The next step tends to be the temporary orders. Among the aspects that feature in temporary orders include children custody as well as support of one of the spouses especially where he or she was dependent on the other spouse. The temporary order is effective throughout the negotiations until a full hearing is finally done. One would need to note that filing for temporary orders is best when filed within the shortest time. In a case where the person seeking temporary orders is not the one who filed the divorce, he or she would need to request for temporary orders within the shortest time possible.
One may also need to know of the service of process which tends to be filed by the person filing the divorce. One may also need to know of the dignified and the undignified service of process. In a case where the service of the process involves serving of papers of one of the parties in his or her place of work or any other place tends to fall under the undignified service of process.
After the service of process, one is supposed to file a response to the divorce petition. Other parties such as social workers, guardians, the court employees may also be involved in some critical differences such as child custody and visitation. One may need to note that going for trial tends to cost more money, take longer and also tend to come with less predictable results and hence the need to avoid it where possible.
The dissolution tends to be the last step of the divorce. In a case where the order of dissolution meets the legal requirements and the parties involved are okay with the decisions, the judge approves it. In a case where one is thinking of a divorce, he or she would need to consider talking to a divorce attorney with the intention of figuring out options.


Our primary priority when it comes to team makeup is to try and achieve team balancing to make the season as enjoyable as possible for all players.
Last year we had almost 130 same team requests. We try to facilitate same team requests on a best efforts basis but it is not always possible to make requests work out.