Most excellent post...thank you very much bi0 !
Is this a DVD rip?
Anyword on his Friday The 13th score?
Wicked. More Jablonsky is something I'll never refuse!
Play it with winamp! VLC have some problems with this track... i don't know why.. hope it helps.
Wow this is a very good found, bi0h4zard.
Saddly about that´s no complete score of the island exsists.
By the way do anybody know how i contact cheefbrody, the guy who has so many soundtracks?
Because he is not often visiting this shrine.
This is good stuff; thanks for sharing.
Vess' alternate cover art proposal amuses me, especially its use of the distinctive Aliens title font.
uhm... there is only ONE ([Only registered and activated users can see links]) official score, all the other releases are unofficial/bootlegs or promos... including the 52-Track Extended Version.
Avoid wiki for information on official soundtrack releases.
The most reliable source in this area is soundtrackcollector ([Only registered and activated users can see links]).
This is a bootlegg score. kinda rare.
The track that plays during Megatron's awakening scene IS "Soccent Attack", the only diference is that it was cut to fit the scene so the only mistake is that track 14 is a repeat instead of a new track. If anyone wants the actual "Megatron Awakes" version try to find The Allspark Edition of this score. It's basically the same stuff from this set but it does include that cue and the "Road Reunion" track (wich is basically "Scorponok" with faster tempo).
Also, though it sounds nice, the "Qatar" track is not the one we ear after Optimus opening narration. The instrument is the same (or at least close) but in the film that track is actually a small clip of the original Transformers theme.
Still, if you haven't got any of the promo scores this is a close as you get to a full score. I think everyone has pretty much lost any hope that an official one comes out.
any lossless version for this ?
Links are dead, any chance for a reupload?
anyone has the whole set from the same rip? cuz cd2 tracks 21 to 30 are from another rip with LAME encoder (which is good)... but all previous tracks are from crappy encoder..
it would be great to have the whole set with LAME encoder rip... but yet i have no luck finding it tho, thnx!
I too would be interested in a lossless version.
Grabbed it and I had high hopes, but this one lacks on particular piece too.
This little, drum-like part, where the decepticon chopper lands, shortly before he transforms and rips the base to shreds.
It found way into the 2-Disc Edition´s 2nd Disc menu as the kind of decepticon theme.
Anyone knowing what I mean?!
Yeah, i know the one you mean, its just this ominous drum that comes to a alt when Blackout starts transforming, i riped it from the 2nd DVD menu but its not the full size and it has SFX.
On a brighter note, while catching up with a couple of threads and following a post from Takehiro (who is preparing a lossless release of the expanded score) i went to [Only registered and activated users can see links] where an unreleased track from the 1st film has been posted. It's named "Megatron Awakens (Original Unused Track) but as it says it was not used in the movie. After hearing it a couple of times i figured where i knew it from, it was used in the final trailer for "Revenge of The Fallen" between the part where Optimus says "We've kept much from you, Sam" to the point where Megatron is seen rising from the ocean, right before "Scorponok" starts. It's a great piece of music and just more proof that the is still a lot of TF music out there to be released.
click on the link and once there, it starts automatically. It did with me. As for downloading it, i have a Realaudio ap wich just pops up in those kinds of windows and allows me to download them. If you don't have that, just go your "Temporary Internet Files" folder and look for it there.
Also, the original heads up was from jjlogan78, not Takehiro. Sorry jj.
And that´s exactly what I mean.
@macdawson: There start´s nothing when I´m on that page, I even don´t see any news of this track, that you mean and maybe that´s a weird question but I´m more the user on the pc, I don´t have that knowledge, so where do I find the folder for the temorary files?!??!
Just heard "Megatron awakens" (unused), awesome.
But what about the other piece I asked for, at soccent base in qatar?!
Bio would u mine a re-up coz the second link do nt contain the full 30 tracks.
Any more news on the lossless release?
Can you re-upload 02 Quatar (Alternate) as a single file.
VLC or itunes do not recognise it.
Had to convert the file. As a result, the rate is 128 kbs, but works beautifully in iTunes and Creative MediaSource.
I'm looking for the 1 that corresponds to Transformers (the movie Animated) that either Steve Jablonsky/someone else did for that movie that is a blend of Movie Soundtrack & Score put together which had a total of about 50 songs more or less does any 1 here have it, I believe the soundtrack is called "Till All are 1"
That particular piece is called "Tense Action (Demo)". It was used as a demo score pieces for the movie, and can be found on the 4-disc Expanded Score release.
- Right after the opening narration, when we first open in the Desert?
I am currently working on the "Megatron Awakens" track. currently, it contains a tiny portion of music and a slight voice in the beginning. I have nearly removed the sfx up to where megatron says "I am megatron", and beyond. It's mainly a remix of Soccent Attack, Megatron awakens is, with the exception of the beginning part.
interesting... I'll be sure to take a listen!
Anyone have the film version of "Optimus" with the flute removed?
No. It doesn't exist, just like the rest of somehow the best of the whole score is still missing. Such as the cue that plays before Road Reunion, other arrangements of the SOCCENT Attack, the film version of Qatar, and the film version intro to Sam on the Roof. I know because I've been working on a true-to-the-movie version of the score with all cues, and existing cues that sound like how they do in the movie. And both times that "Optimus" appears with the flute removed, there are non-removable SFX in the DVD audio.
Oh and also the film version of "No Sacrifice, No Victory". And the film version of "Sam in the Building". And also the vast majority of the music from Transformers 2...we can't forget about all that.
And one more thing. Can someone tell me if this is Transformers music or if it belongs to another Steve Jablonsky score: MEGAUPLOAD - The leading online storage and file delivery service ([Only registered and activated users can see links]). It was recorded off of a new site full of Steve Jablonsky news.
The missing cues could have been either edited from various stuff or most likely done by one of Jablonsky's people so hence not with the "complete" version. Obviously they did record two versions of "Optimus" but why the film version wasn't included, who knows.
Obviously they did record two versions of "Optimus" but why the film version wasn't included, who knows.
I'm not sure if its the right place to ask, but I'll ask anyway since it's a Transformers thread.
Whatever happened to the release of this Score? I was dumb enough to cheapen out and say, "I'll wait till it gets cheaper" then suddenly I'm told the CD was taken off the market for reasons no one knew. I was once told that the reason was that there was a shadow composer on the first score who was meant to only have certain cues in the film and CD but ended up being considerably more. It is said that this was what caused the company to retract the release and halt productions on any future releases as the disagreement was too big to correct. Can anyone verify this or shed some light on this, its annoying as Transformers part one by Jablonsky was really good.


Excited for the rest of NY fashion week...and then London fashion week yaaay. Definitely going to go down to Somerset House next weekend, but I have no idea what to wear. Might take some street style photos if I am brave enough, but it's embarassing because at the moment all I have is my phone, really need to invest in a proper camera. I'm really clueless about cameras and photography though, if anyone has any tips please let me know!
That was my favorite look from Derek Lam too! Also, Jason Wu...always perfection!


What is Universal Credit, how will it impact your parish and how can you respond?
Capital Mass are 2-hour interactive, practical training sessions about Universal Credit which is the biggest change in the welfare system for generations. The training is aimed at anyone working for or volunteering with a church in the Diocese and is FREE.
Over the next 3 years, Universal Credit will affect about 600,000 people in the Diocese of London, whether in or out of work. This means that Universal Credit will effect every congregation as well as guests at Foodbanks and similar ministries.
How to know whether you should attend.
If you answer yes to any of the following questions - then we'd suggest you need to be with us.
bringing up children on low income?
on low wages or zero hour contracts?
unable to work due to illness or disability?
This will be an informal, informative session with plenty of time for questions and discussion. And as ever with our events, we promise good coffee, tea, cake and snacks.
We will look at what the changes mean and how the church can respond.
What is 'Universal Credit' and when is it being introduced?
How will it affect those in my community?
How might we respond as a compassionate church to prepare & support?


text:
Paul Michael Anderson
Writer – Three-Named Devil
A Blog!
Bones Are Made to be Broken
How We Broke
Everything Will Be All Right In The End: Apocalypse Songs
Stories & Editing
Originally written as part of a collaboration-only anthology known as Chiral Mad 4, this 20,000-word novella was created alongside Bracken MacLeod, author of such books as Mountain Home, Stranded, and White Knight & Other Pawns.. The story was well-received, particularly with Sadie "Mother Horror" Hartmann, a reviewer and co-owner of the horror genre subscription service Night Worms. Working with specialty publisher Thunderstorm Books, Night Worms commissioned a limited edition paperback-version of the novella for their March 2020 package, and Thunderstorm released a now-sold-out hardcover edition.
Flip the Polaroids like a deck of cards, fan them in your hands. See the age-tinged colors mingle; shifting and mutating into an earthy kaleidoscope. Watch the images themselves creating an original composition. Any story can have a happy ending if you edit carefully.
Dani and Eric spent their childhood summers at a cabin deep in the woods. Now a rebuilt luxury vacation property, it's as distant from what it once was as they are from each other. Drawn to the house after their father's death, the siblings try to reconcile their estrangement from one another. But the past isn't the past, and the Polaroids Dani took their last summer together are a reminder of how present their pain really is. With storm clouds gathering…and an apparition stalking them from the shadows…Dani and Eric cannot escape the looming reminders of the tragedy that has defined, and might end, their lives.
"MacLeod's fiction is full of traps–some physical, some psychological, none easy to wriggle free of." – Terrence Rafferty, The New York Times Book Review
"Anderson announces himself as a major talent in the dark fiction realm, capable of fashioning imaginative, bold visions." – Shawn Macomber, Fangoria

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Ammonia as a marine fuel
As the global maritime industry strives to reduce its carbon footprint, C-Job is looking at cleaner and greener alternatives to conventional fossil-based fuels. For years, C-Job has been a strong believer in ammonia as a marine fuel and first explored its potential in 2016 and published extensive research into the subject in 2019. The research showed that ammonia can safely and effectively be applied as a marine fuel.
What is ammonia?
Ammonia – NH3 – is a colorless gas. It is a compound of nitrogen (N) and hydrogen (H), both of which are abundant elements.
Nitrogen can be obtained from an air separation process.
Hydrogen can be obtained from the electrolysis of demineralized water.
The process to obtain and combine nitrogen and hydrogen into ammonia requires electricity. In this way, ammonia production is an ideal way to utilize the (over)capacity of solar and wind-generated electricity.
Ammonia is produced by combining nitrogen and hydrogen in the Haber–Bosch process.
There are many benefits to using ammonia as a renewable fuel in the maritime industry. It has no sulfur oxide (SOx) and no particulate matter emissions. If the whole supply chain is sourced from renewables, it is a carbon-free fuel.
Due to its long history in the fertilizer industry, ammonia is an easily sourced material with established working practices.
Ammonia production is straightforward and the internal combustion engine to use ammonia as a marine fuel already exists and fuel cell technology is advancing fast. Combined, ammonia is a renewable fuel with much potential.
"Reviewing all ammonia power generation options, the Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC) is clearly the most efficient. However, it does have practical challenges as the power density and load response capability are not on an acceptable level yet. Therefore, in the short term applying the internal combustion engine is the way to go."
- Niels de Vries, Lead Naval Architect
C-Job research: ammonia carrier fueled by its own cargo
The research performed by Niels de Vries uses an ammonia carrier concept design which is fueled by its own cargo to compare the performance of ammonia as a fuel versus conventional fuel. The ammonia carrier features an internal combustion engine that uses an ammonia hydrogen mixture (ICE SI). Additionally, in the design of the bulk carrier, transporting ammonia as cargo, all safety aspects required were incorporated.
The result shows that ammonia can be used as a marine fuel when a number of safety measures are incorporated into the design. A full risk assessment with design consequences for a fuel system using ICE with an ammonia hydrogen mixture is included in the C-Job research by Niels de Vries.
The research was awarded the Maritime Designer Award at the Maritime Awards Gala in 2019.
The Ammonia Energy Association is an international industry association with the aim to promote the adoption and use of ammonia in a sustainable energy economy. C-Job Naval Architects has been a member of the association since 2018 in a further commitment to research ammonia's potential. Together we collaborate with other industries and have the ambition to realize a safe and efficient ammonia-fueled vessel.
ENGIMMONIA is a consortium of companies and organizations from the maritime sector that together are looking at ways of contributing to the decarbonization of our industry. The EU-funded project started in 2021 and will run for four years. Its main objectives are to accelerate the introduction of alternative fuels, with a particular focus on ammonia. and the identification and transfer to the maritime sector of proven clean energy technologies already in use in terrestrial applications.
More about C-Job


text:
History of LBSA
Executive Director & Senior Staff
Contacting LBSA
Regulations & Fees
Meeting Minutes & Resolutions
Vendors List & Statement
Solicitation of Bids
Pay to Play Policy
Automated Debit Program Form
LBSA History
The ordinance to create and establish the Long Branch Sewerage Authority was passed and adopted in 1953. Five board members were appointed to oversee the operations of the Authority and still serve in this capacity as appointed officials today. In 1968, the Broadway Avenue Treatment facility was officially decommissioned, and the Joline Avenue plant was put online.
Since that time the Long Branch Sewerage Authority has seen significant upgrades with its facility, especially with the passage of the EPA's Clean Water Act of 1972. This federal law was the cornerstone of surface water quality protection in the United States. The law employs numerous regulatory and non-regulatory tools to directly reduce the amount of pollutants discharged into our waterways.
In order to meet the requirements of the "Act", LBSA underwent a major upgrade from primary to secondary treatment as an Activated Sludge Facility which was equipped to operate by several new methods, namely step aeration or conventional activated sludge process. This process was designed to remove eighty-five (85) percent of Suspended Solids and eighty-five percent of BOD. Since 1998, the LBSA has averaged a removal of 95% Suspended Solids and 95% BOD before discharging into the Atlantic Ocean.
A by-product of wastewater treatment is the production of Bio-Solids. These solids are processed and removed from the facility. They may be re-used for land-application or beneficial reuse as fertilizer. This year LBSA will process and remove from the treated effluent Bio-Solids that will be used as a Beneficial Reuse by-product.
The LBSA currently serves a population of approximately 31,000 people with customers in Long Branch and parts of West Long Branch, namely Monmouth University. Our extensive collection system consists of approximately 500,000 linear feet of sewerage lines and six pump stations. The collection system has seen significant upgrades over the past few years, culminating with the Phase II Sewer Rehabilitation Project that was completed in 2003.
The treatment plant consists of various treatment trains, many that have also seen significant upgrades over the past few years. The facility is staffed 365 days of the year, with the Collection Crew available for after-hours emergencies.
The LBSA staff consists of an Executive/Operations Director, four office personnel, three supervisors, ten plant personnel and three collection-system crew. Without the skills and motivation of this diverse group of employees, the operation of the Long Branch Sewerage Authority would be impossible. These employees are at the forefront of protecting and enhancing Long Branch's surface waters for economic stability and coastal aesthetics for Long Branch's present and future residents.
Web Design NJ | D-Fi Productions


In May 2016, actions under the PLANERB ("Plan de Acciones Estratégicas para la Rehabilitación de presas de la Unión", Strategic Action Plan for dam rehabilitation in Brazil) Project initiated. This project is the results of a contract conducted by Gas Natural Fenosa and approved by IICA (Instituto Interamericano de Cooperação para a Agricultura) in Brazil and the Ministry of National Integration with title "Consultancy services for developing a strategic action plan for dam rehabilitation in Brazil" ("Servicios de Consultoría para la elaboración de un plan de acciones estratégicas para la rehabilitación de presas de la Unión") funded by the World Bank.
The main objective of this work was to elaborate a structural, organizational and environmental diagnosis of 164 dams in Brazil (owned by DNOCS, CODEVASF and the former DNOS) and perform a strategic action plan to define rehabilitation measures, aligned with the requirements of the Dam Safety Law Nr.12.334 published in 2010.
iPresas, in the period 2017-2018, has been collaborating with GPG (Global Power Engineering, company of the Gas Natural Fenosa group, for international power generation) within the framework of the PLANERB Project, participating in site inspection visits to part of the dam portfolio, working group sessions and developing a software tool for dam portfolio management, called iPresas PLANERB. This tool allows integrating and representing results from the developed diagnosis for all dams and to define sequences for prioritizing future rehabilitation measures for dam safety improvement.
iPresas PLANERB is a support tool that will promote a risk-informed portfolio management, defining the optimal sequence of dam safety actions at asset and portfolio scale, along with the analysis of different scenarios (current and future). In addition, it allows integrating all documentation of each dam through a clear and easy user interface.
The Law Nr 12.334 of 20 of september of 2010 established the required procedures for dam safety management in Brazil, including the development of a National Dam Safety Information System (SNISB).
Based on the register of the International Commission on Large Dams (ICOLD), Brazil accounts for more than 1300 large dams (higher than 15 m or with a dam height ranging from 5 to 15 m but with a reservoir volume larger than 3 hm³). Consequently, Brazil is the fifth country worldwide in number of large dams, but there are also thousands of small dams across the country.


text:
Home News Business News IFC planning to invest $30 million in Kalyani Gerdau Steels Limited
IFC planning to invest $30 million in Kalyani Gerdau Steels Limited
Written by Ramanathan
New Delhi: IFC is planning to provide a loan of up to $30 million (approximately) to Kalyani Gerdau Steels Limited (KGSL), located in Tadipatri district in Andhra Pradesh. This is intended to partly fund further enhancement of the manufacturing facility with the addition of a Coke Oven plant and a 12MW waste heat recovery based power plant.
The total cost of the Project is expected to be $46 million. The IFC Board of Directors are expected to make the decision on April 30, 2011.
Earlier, in 2010, IFC had extended a $25 million financing to KGSL to partly fund the restoration and modernization of its steel manufacturing facility.
The company's manufacturing unit is located at village Jambulapadu, about 6 km from Tadipatri town in Ananthpur district of Andhra Pradesh on 887 acres of land. The existing facilities have a production capacity of approx. 300,000 tonnes per annum (TPA) of pig iron and billets using the blast furnace route. The Company has plans eventually to expand the steel production capacity to 1 million TPA.
The previous IFC investment involved setting up of a 6 MWe blast furnace waste gas recovery based steam and power generation plant, a sintering plant to better utilize the iron ore fines; vacuum degasser unit and a rolling mill to manufacture value-added products. This project is currently under implementation and the production is expected to commence from September 2011.
The proposed new investment involves setting up of a coke oven plant of 200,000 TPA capacity and a 12MWe power plant that will use the waste heat generated by the coke oven plant to support the existing production capacity of 300,000 TPA.
KGSL is a joint-venture between Gerdau and the India based, Kalyani Group. Gerdau, the majority owner, is a leading steel producer in the world, with a crude steel production capacity of 25 mpta and rolling capacity of 22 mn tonnes, spread over 14 countries. Gerdau is listed on the Sao Paolo, Madrid and New York (for ADRs) Stock Exchanges. Kalyani Group, the other sponsor, is a major Indian industrial group which owns Bharat Forge, which is the second largest forging group globally.
Essar Steel adds slitting line for thicker HR steel coils at Pune, Bahadurgarh (07/04/2011)
Yamazaki Mazak opens State of the Art Technology Centre in Pune (06/04/2011)
Eaton Corporation opens First Integrated Test Lab in India at Ranjangaon (06/04/2011)
Prime Minister chairs meeting of the Council on Trade and Industry (31/03/2011)
Foreign Direct Investment rules relaxed to boost FDI and Technology inflows (31/03/2011)
B. Swaminathan appointed Managing Director(Designate) of Hinduja Foundries (31/03/2011)
Hindalco achieves financial closure for Aluminium Smelter Project in M.P. (31/03/2011)
Karam Chand Thapar Group to invest USD 20 million in Container Manufacturing (31/03/2011)
JCB to produce 40,000 ecoMAX engines per year at it's Ballabgarh facility (29/03/2011)
McNally Bharat bags Rs. 115.56 Cr order from Neyveli Lignite Corporation (29/03/2011)


Replacement 12V Electron Generator for all Automotive ERPS systems.
Replacement 12V Electron Generator for all Automotive ERPS systems. Package includes 1 x Electron Generator, fuse kit, mediswab and joiner.
Package includes 1 x replacement 24V Electron Generator.
Re-Installation Kit with Fuse, Cable & 4 Std E-Couplers.


A frontal boundary in the vicinity Sunday morning should allow for precipitation to start around daybreak across the region. Initially, this precipitation likely will start off as either snow or freezing rain.
Ground temperatures will warm slowly through the morning hours, but before they rise above freezing, a light dusting of snow or very light glaze of ice, could make for slick roads, especially on bridges and overpasses.
Conditions should improve by lunch time, as temperatures slowly rise above freezing. Make plans now to allow some extra time to travel Sunday morning.
The National Weather Service in Louisville has issued a Flood Watch for southern Indiana and central Kentucky, including Lexington from Sunday evening through Tuesday afternoon.
A slow-moving frontal boundary will linger over the region Sunday into Tuesday. Lift along this boundary will cause a prolonged period of light to moderate rainfall, causing rises on area rivers and streams and likely periods of street flooding.
This rainfall could cause some area rivers to rise to moderate flood stage. Also, flash flooding will be possible Monday night as a trailing cold front crosses the region.


You can sign up for this class a few weeks before it happens at the front foyer desk. We set aside a few times a year to teach people how we like to run our rooms. This is a mandatory training for anyone who wants to work in our rooms, so please sign up if you are at all interested!
See Pastor Wendy with any questions.
We can provide childcare during the training if you sign up for it.


text:
If you select labs in Italian, the descriptions on this website will still be displayed in English. However, when you include the lab in an ILS and change the language setting of the ILS to Italian, the lab will be displayed in Italian within the ILS.
Gravity Force Labs
There are two similar labs that you can see if you create a space, feel free to choose which one to use. Please note that while the preview shows you only one, the screenshots present both labs.
Diffusion And Molecular Mass
Explore the role of a molecule's mass with respect to its diffusion rate. Diffusion is the process of a substance spreading out from its origin. Molecules diffuse through random molecular motion.
Reactants, Products And Leftovers
Reactants, Products And…
Create your own sandwich and then see how many sandwiches you can make with different amounts of ingredients. Do the same with chemical reactions. See how many products you can make with different amounts of reactants. The primary aims of the lab are:
Blast a car out of a cannon, and challenge yourself to hit a target! Learn about projectile motion by firing various objects. Set parameters such as angle, initial speed, and mass. Explore vector representations, and add air resistance to investigate the factors that influence drag.
This lab allows students to watch different types of molecules form a solid, liquid, or gas.
Light a light bulb by waving a magnet. This demonstration of Faraday's Law shows you how to reduce your power bill at the expense of your grocery bill.
The determination of the speed of light is always a challenge for accurate measurements, since Gallileo four hundred years ago supposed that light is travelling with a finite velocity.
The Volume-Pressure Relationship
Investigate the relationship between the volume of a gas and the pressure it exerts on its container. This relationship is commonly known as Boyle's Law. The pressure of a gas tends to decrease as the volume of the gas increases. Primary aims of the Lab:
Phase Change
Explore what happens at the molecular level during a phase change. The three common physical states of matter (also called phases) are solid, liquid and gas. Matter can change phase with the addition or subtraction of heat. Molecules are always in motion.
Beer's Law Lab
"The thicker the glass, the darker the brew, the less the light that passes through." Make colorful concentrated and dilute solutions and explore how much light they absorb and transmit using a virtual spectrophotometer!Primary aims:
Energy Transformation (34)
Fundamental Forces (53)
Structure Of Matter (49)
Microcosm (Quantum) (17)
Virtual Lab (47)
Data Set (1)
Above 16 (41)
Albanian (27)
Basque (37)
Belarusian (17)
Bosnian (32)
Central Khmer (8)
Croatian (27)
Galician (15)
Georgian (16)
Haitian (27)
Kazakh (23)
Lao (11)
Macedonian Slavic (14)
Malay (19)
Maori (18)
Norwegian Bokmål (36)
Norwegian Nynorsk (24)
Persian (27)
Simplified Chinese (52)
Sinhala (20)
Tibetan (10)
Traditional Chinese (36)
Turkmen (13)
Ukrainian (40)
Welsh (10)


text:
import sys
import unittest

from libcloud.common.azure import AzureConnection
from libcloud.test import LibcloudTestCase

class AzureConnectionTestCase(LibcloudTestCase):
    def setUp(self):
        self.conn = AzureConnection('user', 'key')

    def test_content_length_is_used_if_set(self):
        headers = {'content-length': '123'}
        method = 'PUT'

        values = self.conn._format_special_header_values(headers, method)

        self.assertEqual(values[2], '123')

    def test_content_length_is_blank_if_new_api_version(self):
        headers = {}
        method = 'PUT'
        self.conn.API_VERSION = '2018-11-09'

        values = self.conn._format_special_header_values(headers, method)

        self.assertEqual(values[2], '')

    def test_content_length_is_zero_if_write_and_old_api_version(self):
        headers = {}
        method = 'PUT'
        self.conn.API_VERSION = '2011-08-18'

        values = self.conn._format_special_header_values(headers, method)

        self.assertEqual(values[2], '0')

    def test_content_length_is_blank_if_read_and_old_api_version(self):
        headers = {}
        method = 'GET'
        self.conn.API_VERSION = '2011-08-18'

        values = self.conn._format_special_header_values(headers, method)

        self.assertEqual(values[2], '')

if __name__ == '__main__':
    sys.exit(unittest.main())

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Grants system laissez-faire with billions
An Oracle-based system used to administer grants for the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) was not up to the task of monitoring the billions of dollars which has passed through it over the years, the federal auditor-general has said.
By Suzanne Tindal | October 22, 2009 -- 06:16 GMT (23:16 PDT) | Topic: Oracle
The NHMRC's information systems do not adequately support the NHMRC's core business.
Auditor-general
The auditor-general's report on the council said that its core information systems left much to be desired.
"The NHMRC's information systems do not adequately support the NHMRC's core business — grant management. Its primary grant management system contains substantial data anomalies. Furthermore, the system does not accommodate the monitoring of grants financial and progress reporting requirements, or capture qualitative information from submitted grant reports."
The system had no internet interface, so that applications had to be uploaded and budget amounts entered manually, risking processing errors. The reports function was also unable to provide inaccurate reports because of the high number of duplicate records.
The original scope of the system, implemented in 2002, had been to only manage project grants, but it had expanded to record other grants programs. This had led to multiple databases, which the auditor-general did not consider ideal.
The system was unable to monitor the progress of grant applications or to flag projects for which the final reports were late. It also couldn't check if researchers held more than the allowed six grants per person. There was no way in the system to make funding contingent on projects meeting certain criteria such as ethics requirements. The system also only held one financial year, while grants could go over multiple financial years.
The NHMRC responded that it had been aware of the problem, and since 2007, had been developing a replacement system which is to go live to all grant schemes by 2010. Pilots of the new system were scheduled for this year.
The new system will be a customised version of CA's Clarity. The budget for the system to the end of 2012 is $3.3 million. CA is receiving around $3 million for the implementation while Logica will be paid just under $1.5 million for hosting the system until January 2012.
The auditor-general believed that the new system would fix many of its concerns, but recommended that the council introduce a regular data verification program, compliance controls, an interface between the new system and the council's financials, and good documentation.
Security Enterprise Software Cloud Big Data Analytics Storage Data Management
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How to go green without breaking the bank
SAGE-AU puts conference on ice
Does the US Apple-Samsung verdict matter in Australia?
Daily Cuppa: VMworld kicks off
Data 2021 Outlook Part II: Hedging the cloud
Over the next year, the issue of cloud vendor lock-in won't be quite so cut and dry.
Oracle moving headquarters to Texas, says CNBC
Oracle will allow employees to choose their work location, and will continue to maintain "hubs" in Redwood City and other locations around the world, it said. ...
Oracle fiscal Q2 results top expectations, profit forecast higher, boosted by cloud
The database giant said its subscriptions for Fusion and NetSuite were the star of the quarter.
Oracle takes a new twist on MySQL: Adding data warehousing to the cloud service
Oracle is taking MySQL in a new direction: introducing an aggressively priced cloud service combining transaction processing and data warehousing, with the bonus of dispensing ...
Kotlin language maker JetBrains: Windows 10 and M1 macOS get Android Jetpack Compose
Developers can use a new user interface framework to bring Android apps to Windows 10, macOS and Linux.
Oracle supercomputer AI glitch impacts elections in Brazil
The problems caused delays in the totalization of votes in the first round of municipal elections.
Oracle adds sales, commerce tools to CX apps
Oracle Fusion Customer Experience applications are getting a few key features for sales and commerce.
QUT pushes ahead with five-year cloud-focused digital strategy
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This assortment assesses the functionality of Brazil's Lula da Silva, the single working-class president in Latin American background, in his first time period. The contributing students care for Lula's variety of governance; the kind of monetary and social guidelines he followed, in either their confident and disadvantages; the influence on nearby inequalities; the administration's remedy of agriculture and the surroundings; the character of Lula's international coverage; and the Lula government's position within the country's long term development. This quantity consists of popular economists and local scientists, in addition to political scientists and historians.
The intelligence mess ups surrounding the invasion of Iraq dramatically illustrate the need of constructing criteria for comparing professional opinion. This booklet fills that desire. right here, Philip E. Tetlock explores what constitutes logic in predicting destiny occasions, and appears at why specialists are frequently improper of their forecasts.
In a central authority of Wolves: The rising American Police kingdom, John W. Whitehead charts America's transition from a society ruled by way of "we the people" to a police country ruled via the powerful arm of the legislation. In such an atmosphere, the legislation turns into one more instrument to oppress the folks.
Human Rights Watch's global document 2014 is the worldwide rights watchdog's flagship twenty-fourth annual assessment of world developments and information in human rights. a useful source for reporters, diplomats, and voters, it beneficial properties not just incisive state surveys but in addition numerous hard-hitting essays highlighting key human rights matters.
Kant outlined the Enlightenment as humanity's try and go away at the back of its self-imposed immaturity. Social idea is hence charged with enlightening the human situation and its social structure so that it will in attaining adulthood and human dignity. Enlightenment is a completely subversive enterprise. The authors to this quantity are certainly not disturbed through the declare that everyone contributes to society in response to their skill and that everyone gets based on their wishes.
Pp. 259–271. Samuels, David. 2003. Ambition, Federalism and Legislative Politics in Brazil. New York: Cambridge University Press. Samuels, David, and Richard Snyder. 2001. " British Journal of Political Science 31(3):651–671. Santos, Fabiano. 1999. " Dados 42(1):111–138. Santos, Wanderley Guilherme dos. 2003. " In Maria Victoria Benevides, Paulo Vannuchi, and Fábio Kerche, eds. Reforma Política e Cidadania. São Paulo: Fundação Perseu Abramo. pp. 33–43. Schmitt, Rogério Augusto. 1999. "Migração Partidária e Reeleição na Câmara dos Deputados".
Moreover, closed lists will severe the direct link that now exists—at least potentially—between voters and legislators. If accountability is said to be low now, what will it be when voters cannot punish representatives directly? As recent research has shown (Kunicova and Rose-Ackerman 2005 and Persson, Tabellini, and Trebbi 2003; but see Chang 2005 for a contrary view), corruption is higher under closed list than under open list PR electoral systems; and the reasons are precisely the greater power of parties and lower accountability of legislators in the former systems.
In Brazil, 22 of the 27 districts in the 2006 elections had more than one million voters; 12 had more than 3 million voters; 8 had more than 5 million voters; 3 had more than 10 million voters and 1 had over 28 million voters! The combination of relatively large magnitudes with large electorates implies a high level of competitiveness in legislative elections. 4 candidates per seat. 6. In six states the number of candidates per seat was over 10. 4 in Rio de Janeiro). Wanderley Guilherme dos Santos (2003) defends the level of competitiveness of the Brazilian system, using as an indicator the number of candidates per seat.


Descargue o lea el libro de David Lynch: The Man from Another Place (Icons) (English Edition) de Dennis Lim en formato PDF y EPUB. Aquí puedes descargar cualquier libro en formato PDF o Epub gratis. Use el botón disponible en esta página para descargar o leer libros en línea.
At once a pop culture icon, cult figure, and film industry outsider, master filmmaker David Lynch and his work defy easy definition. Dredged from his subconscious mind, Lynch's work is primed to act on our own subconscious, combining heightened, contradictory emotions into something familiar but inscrutable. No less than his art, Lynch's life also evades simple categorization, encompassing pursuits as a musician, painter, photographer, carpenter, entrepreneur, and vocal proponent of Transcendental Meditation.
David Lynch: The Man from Another Place, Dennis Lim's remarkably smart and concise book, proposes several lenses through which to view Lynch and his work: through the age-old mysteries of the uncanny and the sublime, through the creative energies of surrealism and postmodernism, through ideas of America and theories of good and evil. Lynch himself often warns against overinterpretation. And accordingly, this is not a book that seeks to decode his art or annotate his life—to dispel the strangeness of the Lynchian—so much as one that offers complementary ways of seeing and understanding one of the most distinctive bodies of work in modern cinema. Its spirit is true to its subject, in remaining suggestive rather than definitive, in allowing what Lynch likes to call "room to dream," and in honoring the allure of the unknown and the unknowable.


Women entrepreneurship is a prerequisite for building a better nation. When women are entrepreneurial, society with stability is assured; her competencies in making decisions will surely influence her family's behaviour and the society at large. Empowerment of women is essential as thought and their value systems lead to the development of a good family, a good society and a strong nation. Entrepreneurship is the willingness or ability to seek investment opportunity, mobilizing financial material and human resources to meet the needs in the area in order to manage a business to a successful end.
There are certain characteristics women entrepreneurs should possess. Every business is an adventure, whether such business succeeds or fails will depend on the ability of the entrepreneur to effectively use positive qualities and restrain negative characteristics. Some positive characteristics like being imaginative which entails a well-planned approach in order to examine and identify entrepreneurial opportunities. Women entrepreneurs should have association with knowledgeable people and contracting the right organization offering support and services. Enterprising women have further ability to work hard. Hard work is needed to build an enterprise; she has to put in a lot of physical and mental energy into the enterprise. Women entrepreneurs must have an intention to fulfil their dreams. They have to make a dream into an idea enterprise and so have to work persistently. They should have the willingness and desire to take risk the ability and proficiency to make forecast estimate and calculations. The woman should be innovative and think differently from others, she should look for gaps in the society and fill them. She must be aggressive in challenging environments, however must be courteous and have drive. She must possess the ability to manage and organise operations, information's and resources effectively.
One of the greatest characteristics which the woman entrepreneur must possess is self- confidence. She believes in herself and not on fate, sees obstacle as challenge that must be faces squarely and conquered. She is not afraid of making decision and accepts responsibilities for them. A woman entrepreneur is a leader, motivator, manager and director. She guides people to accomplish goals and delegates duties which encourage team work in the establishment. These positive characteristics have been restrained by so many barriers to women entrepreneurship above.
Women entrepreneurship in the world especially in Africa has been a neglected topic, Women for many centuries has always been the underdog and invisible in the society. From a very early age it is instilled into the girl's minds that their duty lies in providing services to their family. Domestic chores, sibling care and assisting the mother in household responsibilities, prepare her for the world of care taking of future generation. Self-denial, putting others before oneself, self-effacement, gentleness, sacrifice, soft-spokeness and other feminine qualities are encouraged in her upbringing. Decision making, strength of expression, articulateness, opinion formation, future career planning etc., are not qualities which are promoted to develop her in her socialization process. She is for the most part confined to an inside world and not permitted to interact with the outside world of information, knowledge and accessing various resources. The psychological effect of this kind of socialization process becomes evident later in life in her low level of confidence. Studies have shown that men have high level of confidence and women have medium level of confidence. Also, "the son preference and daughter neglect" syndrome has an extensive and deep rooted physical and mental impact on the daughters who are discriminated against.
Many socio-cultural factors have confined women to traditionally prescribed and socially acceptable roles; and without male approval, women's so-called decisions become non- functional. In our society, marriage on the side of women looks like the greatest achievement and no matter how successful you are must aspire to get married. This mentality has caused women to do anything for marriage even ending their career. Educated women turning into house wives just to get married or stay in marriage is the order of the day.
Double roles and responsibilities limit women's responsibilities and involvement in activities outside of the household, this is because it is traditionally perceived that women's primary role is as a housewife or mother and men are supposed to be involved in outside activities including income generation. Another barrier to women entrepreneurship is the low value given to women's work. Whatever tasks women perform are frequently not even considered work. If it is work, then it is not seen as worthwhile work. It is only supplementary, part- time, ad hoc and frivolous work. These prevailing social values, culture and perception tend to work as a restraint on the growth of women entrepreneurship in most society.
Most of these barriers are humanistic in nature and can be avoided to a remarkable extent by spirited efforts. Some appropriate actions for most these solutions are specific to the barrier. Their implementation will obviously encourage both practising and nascent women entrepreneurs.
Gradual change of belief systems through better education and information with emphasis on gender empowerment measures (GEM), encouragement of policies/ programs that prepare rural women to be entrepreneurs, improve gender awareness and establish gender sensitive industrial policies.
Social orientation, awareness campaign and sensitization of women in the society, equitable consideration and unbiased entrepreneurial opportunities between men and women. Family-friendly policy to allow women to manage their time more friendly and still participate in active entrepreneurial activity.
Behavioural modification and change of attitude to embrace entrepreneurial pattern of behaviour and attributes. Reinforce self-confidence in women entrepreneurs through sensitization workshops and seminars and also assigning challenging tasks.
Dissemination of information on entrepreneurship and its economic importance targeted to women. Business and technology information to be made available support for dissemination of information through network of rural NGOs, CBO and CSOs.
Encouragement of women to form groups and association in the rural areas in order to strengthen their position in villages and undertake development projects. Cooperation with existing entrepreneurial associations.
Promotion and development of institutions for support services of technical kind, establishment of special outreach in rural areas.
In some developed countries like Canada, Germany, Sweden, South Korea, United Kingdom and the United States where women entrepreneurship is being practiced have shown significant contribution of women entrepreneurship to their economy. In both formal and informal sector, women contribution to industrial development either small or medium scale production activities is substantial. This coupled with remunerative employment generating capacity enables women to fight poverty. Women entrepreneurship increase growth rate of savings by opening business bank accounts to keep their savings and their savings is likely to be applied for investment purposes across the country. Women entrepreneurship also makes contribution towards household expenditure from the proceeds of their business. This definitely would rub off well with the economy as more families now have more purchasing power to stabilize demand in the economy. Involvement of women in entrepreneurship has led to the formation of new business which leads to factor productivity increase and increase in efficiency.
The international labour organisation survey (2007) in Vietnam showed that 12% of women entrepreneurs use all or most of their profit for savings or domestic consumption as compared to 6% of the male entrepreneurs. Thus it can be seen that women's involvement in entrepreneurship positively impacts their families and their national economy. Women entrepreneurship brings asset to the global market, they create employment because any women owned business employs people to help out, they reduce rural-urban migration. Entrepreneurship makes the women to be economically, socially and politically empowered thereby promoting sustainable development. Women entrepreneurship can be developed in so many ways so as to ensure greater participation in entrepreneurial activities.
2)	Better educational facilities and schemes should be extended to women folk from government part.
4)	Vocational training to be extended to women entrepreneurs.
5)	Skill development to be done in universities and higher institutions.
7)	Ministry of women affairs should assist widows and single mothers in their trade and provide business guidance.
8)	Women training programme should be organized and taught to encourage more passive women entrepreneurs.
9)	More governmental schemes to motivate women entrepreneurs to engage in small scale and large-scale business ventures.
10)	Financial institutions should permit by statute to extend purely trade related finance to women entrepreneurs.
Women entrepreneurship in Africa is very essential in economy development as the percentage of women is greater than that of men and if such privilege is given to women will bring tremendous change in the nation. Women are known as organizers, coordinators and planners in the family and if such energy is channelled towards entrepreneurship I believe will make a strong and independent nation.


A Look at the BBC's New World War I Drama "Birdsong"
Reviews from the UK are rather glowing thus far and people are throwing around phrases like "achingly bleak and romantic," "a triumph," and "a glorious tale of love and war." Okay, okay, you got my attention TV reviewers. I'm intrigued.
The World War I drama stars Eddie Redmayne (My Week with Marilyn, The Pillars of the Earth) and Clémence Poésy (In Bruges) as Stephen and Isabelle, two young lovers who have a fairly all-consuming – and, yes, tragic – affair. Longing looks and angst abound. And then, of course, there's the whole problem of the war.
Click through for a look at a BBC preview for yourselves. Birdsong is slated to debut in America this Spring on Masterpiece.


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You are here: Home » Publishing Division » Audio & Video » Daniel Schmachtenberger about the Inability to Accept Unnecessary Suffering and the Unprecedented Universe
Daniel Schmachtenberger about the Inability to Accept Unnecessary Suffering and the Unprecedented Universe
June 2, 2015 By Kerstin Zohar Tuschik Leave a Comment
Daniel Schmachtenberger is the Founder of the Emergence Project and has recently come on board of the Center for Integral Wisdom as Director for Research & Development and Senior Vice President.
At our March 2015 board meeting in Texas, he held a fantastic talk about his outrageous dream: that the phrase, "we live in a world of outrageous pain" would no longer be true.
Listen to his talk below and join him in his outrageous dream.
Key Points and Questions:
Daniel's Unique Gift: His inability to accept unnecessary suffering
Daniel's outrageous dream: One day the sentence "We live in a world of outrageous pain" is no longer true.
How do we trigger the emergence of a self-organizing, effectively self-governing, self-evolving global civilization so that we are not solving problems that we are still structurally causing, inducing and incentivizing?
We need to optimize for all life, for all things that matter, simultaneously–as not in conflict with each other but symbiotic with each other.
Reconciling paradox is part of an Integral consciousness. How do we get from either…or to both…and?
Marc Gafni then frames this conversation in relation to the Center. While CIW invests major efforts in reweaving the narrative of existance–which is mainly about interiors–Daniel and his Emergence Project emphasize the systemic, structural questions–thus mainly exteriors. Long mutual conversations resulted in the choice at CIW to bring those two perspectives and projects together in synergy.
Listen to Daniel here (with introduction by Marc Gafni):
Some more points Daniel makes during his talk:
The universe is unprecedented. Every emergence of evolution is unprecedented.
Our stakeholders are all sentient beings now and forever.
We need to become conscious agents for symbiosis, organization, synergy, the advance or novelty and uniqueness.
Trying to solve a problem without recognizing how it is interconnected with all the other problems externalizes harm to something else that matters.
What would I be without the rest of the universe?
We live in a world of outrageous pain not because of duality but because of collective insanity.
Evolution does this iterative evolution and then discrete jumps. These jumps happen both when they can and when they have to.
When the consciousness that can externalize harm has the technology that represents an existential risk for all of us, the consciousness has to shift.
Earth is a tiny spaceship floating through space.
How can we obsolete the basis of all of our problems by not conditioning harm-causing, dysfunctional human behavior in the first place?
We can translate all our global problems to groups of humans doing particular activities that's causing them and we can look at what conditioned these patterns of behavior in those people.
There are determinants of behavior in all quadrants (internal/external, individual/collective).
All of it matters and all the things that matter are not mutually exclusive but mutually supportive to each other.
When we value the scarcity of things we artificially manufacture the scarcity of things.
How can we condition omni-considerate, integrally developed behavior in everybody, intrinsically, as a basis for self-governance?
Nothing less than that is adequate to what we want to do. So, that's our task.
Daniel Schmachtenberger's background in systems science, human behavior, and activism brought him to focus on the global systems that interconnect and drive our major global challenges.
He has spent much of the last decade studying the etiology, scope, magnitude, timelines, and interconnectedness of major issues; inventorying global resources and solutions; doing detailedcomparative analysis of economic and comparative analysis of economic and governance systems; and developing comprehensive systems solutions, adequate to the issues and realistically achievable.
Daniel has expertise as a social science, a social engineer and evolutionary philosopher and strategist. His aim is to develop an integrated set of technologies and processes capable of organizing and supporting a distributed and continually updating comprehensive critical path management system for humanity's total evolution. He is working to repurpose and synthesize relevant state-of-the-art systems for information management, complexity processing, mathematical forecasting, and other data science tools into an integrated set of functions capable of global resource allocation planning and strategy. His aim is the shortest path to a fundamentally redesigned world-system that makes possible and supports the highest quality of life for all life, now and ongoingly. Specifically, his focus is on the development of new systems of economics and governance that intrinsically incentivize life-enhancing behaviors at all levels of agency, supporting distributed and spontaneous problem solving and conscious participation in our global evolution.
Learn more about the Emergence Project>>>
Filed Under: Audio & Video, Blog, Wisdom for your Week Series


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Alone in the Dark vs QuipTracks - NOW AVAILABLE!
There are two kinds of movies. There are entertainers and there are challengers. Considering the way it completely breaks apart 73 seconds in and goes on to be regarded as one the most shameful and preventable disasters ever recorded, Uwe Boll's Alone in the Dark is decidedly a Challenger.
Indeed, the film challenges both its audience and the culture surrounding it. Particularly bold are its alien monsters, which Uwe has unapologetically dubbed "Xenos", daring you to compare them to the more well-known and highly regarded Xerox subsidiary, Zeno Office Solutions. Bolder still is the casting of vapid space case Tara Reid as an ostensibly competent archaeologist, sending the uplifting message that dumb girls can be smart too.
But perhaps the most challenging aspect of the film is the way Uwe expands and evolves the frankly played-out "unreliable narrator" convention to also include an unreliable prop department, unreliable captioning, and a bevy of unreliable lighting rigs. What is the plot? Uwe won't tell you, and by doing so, he cheekily holds up a mirror to you, the sole viewer in the empty theater, to reveal that it is YOU who is alone and in the dark.
No need to dig through bargain bins; you can get a pre-owned copy of the movie directly from us, in a custom QuipTracks case no less!
Re: QuipTracks VS Alone in the Dark - COMING SOON!
Initial recording is 100% complete. Editing is 75% complete.
Alone in the Dark is decidedly a Challenger.
You mean like the shuttle, right?
I hope it's not too soon because yes.
That was one of my favorite riffs.
Doing hopefully final re-recording today.
Alone in the Dark is now available to our Patreon patrons who were at the $3 tier. Wide release next Friday!
Re: Alone in the Dark vs QuipTracks - NOW AVAILABLE!
Awesome stuff! Watched it last night. Definitely will watch it again.


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NOTHING BURGER: Feds Find Zero Evidence Showing Trump Made Illegal Hush Money Payments
Another facet of the witch hunt against the President comes to a close.
President Donald Trump and his organization have been formally cleared by federal prosecutors in New York of any wrongdoing regarding accusations of sending hush money payments, killing another canard pushed by Democrats and the fake news media to paint Trump as a criminal worthy of impeachment.
A judge is ordering federal prosecutors to release information about their probe into the Trump organization after finding no evidence to charge Trump or any of his executives with crimes. The investigation stemmed from alleged reimbursement payments to former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen for money that he paid to keep a Trump mistresses quiet. Trump has denied any affairs or wrongdoing from the start.
"The campaign finance violations discussed in the Materials are a matter of national importance," wrote US District Court Judge William Pauley in his final decision. "Now that the Government's investigation into those violations has concluded, it is time that every American has an opportunity to scrutinize the Materials."
Prosecutors claimed that the alleged hush money payments constituted illegal campaign contributions, but no evidence could be produced to charge anyone with a crime. A Trump lawyer noted this legal victory as another feather in his client's cap, as he continues to outmaneuver the deep state's witch hunt against him.
"We are pleased that the investigation surrounding these ridiculous campaign finance allegations is now closed. We have maintained from the outset that the President never engaged in any campaign finance violation," Trump's lawyer Jay Sekulow said.
Cohen is serving jail time after pleading guilty to to eight counts, including two counts of campaign-violence violations. He claims he paid off porn star Stormy Daniels and Playboy playmate Karen McDougal on behalf of Trump to keep them quiet about affairs with the President in 2016.
It is very possible that Cohen received poor legal advice from his attorney Lanny Davis, a Clinton crony of many decades, who whined publicly about the closing of the investigation.
"Why is Michael Cohen … the only member of the Trump company to be prosecuted and imprisoned?" he said. "Especially since prosecutors found that virtually all of Michael's admitted crimes were done at the direction of and for the benefit of Donald Trump? Why?"
Cohen did his best to reinforce all of the narratives from the fake news and the Democratic Party when he gave public statements about his relationship with Trump, probably in the hopes that it would buy him some leniency from the courts.
"Recently, the President Tweeted a statement calling me weak, and he was correct, but for a much different reason than he was implying. It was because time and time again I felt it was my duty to cover up his dirty deeds rather than to listen to my own inner voice and my moral compass," Cohen said in court last year.
"My weakness can be characterized as a blind loyalty to Donald Trump, and I was weak for not having the strength to question and to refuse his demands," he added.
Despite Cohen's histrionic testimony, no evidence could be produced to convict Trump or his associates of any crime.
The judge said he will allow certain redactions to unrelated parties and law enforcement personnel who investigated the case when material related from the case is released to the public.
Is the FBI Preparing to Revoke 1st Amendment Protections for Trump Supporters?
Ripping off the mask.
After last week's mostly peaceful protests at the Capitol, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) intends to browbeat and scrutinize Trump supporters as criminals, CNN has announced.
The rationale is that all Trump supporters are "extremists," and if their constitutional rights are honored and protected, they might commit domestic terrorism, or something.
"Federal officials stressed on the call with state, local, tribal and college campus law enforcement leaders that the FBI will not tolerate extremists using the First Amendment as a guide to incite violence," CNN reported.
Predictably, the Rooskies are being trotted out as a familiar scapegoat for the growing anger that is building against corrupt government officials in both parties.
"According to the source, federal officials said on the call that Russian actors have been amplifying the false narrative that members of Antifa infiltrated Trump supporters during the riot at the US Capitol, and the Chinese have seized on news stories showing chaos in the US," CNN reported.
According to the article, the FBI, Department of Homeland Security and Office of the Director of National Intelligence are predicting that more violence is on the way.
"The violent breach of the US Capitol Building is very likely part of an ongoing trend in which (extremists) exploit lawful protests, rallies, and demonstrations, and other gatherings to carry out ideologically-motivated violence and criminal activity," an intelligence brief from the deep state agencies stated.
Big League Politics has reported on the massive crackdown that has ensued since last week's siege of the U.S. Capitol, which has put the entire political establishment on notice:
Meghan McCain, the venomously anti-Trump daughter of deceased Sen. John McCain, is calling for President Donald Trump's supporters to be put into Guantanamo Bay.
McCain is calling for Trump supporters who participated in the infamous and historic Capitol siege in Washington D.C. last week to be detained in the facility typically used to hold foreign terrorists.
"I just think we need to treat domestic terrorists the way we do actual terrorists. I think we need to consider all possibilities. I'm not against sending these people to Gitmo. These are domestic terrorists who attacked our own Republic. They should be treated the same way we treat Al Qaeda," she said during a discussion on ABC's "The View."
… McCain also endorsed impeaching President Trump or removing him with the 25th Amendment, thinking this incredible overreach would somehow prevent the likelihood of violence…
The events of last week have exposed who the RINOs are once and for all. The civil war within the Republican Party over the next election cycle will be epic.
The mask has been ripped off. Fair elections are no more, the Constitution is toilet paper, and the deep state will be treating patriotic Americans like ISIS.


It seems the Donald J. Trump Foundation shares a donor with the Clinton Foundation—Ukrainian billionaire businessman and philanthropist Victor Pinchuk. The oligarch gave $150,000 to the Donald J Trump foundation in 2015, according to a recent tax filing. During the campaign cycle, Hillary Clinton was criticized for her foundation's relationship to Pinchuk, among other important foreign leaders, amid concerns that he could sway decisions if she were to be elected president.


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Squanch Games' sci-fi shooter is a yammering mess of mediocrity.
By Rick Lane
(Image: © Squanch Games)
Lacking the sharpness needed by both shooters and comedy, High on Life is a low point in the gaming calendar.
Why you can trust PC Gamer Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you. Find out more about how we test.
What is it? An annoying, underwhelming shooter co-created by Justin Roiland.
Expect to Pay: £46/$60
Release date: Out now
Developer: Squanch Games Inc
Publisher: Squanch Games Inc
Reviewed on: AMD Ryzen 5 3600, Nvidia GeForce 2080 Super, 32 GB RAM
Multiplayer? No
Link: Official site (opens in new tab)
Edge Magazine once famously lamented that we couldn't talk to the monsters. Well, a paw from a monkey the size of King Kong must have curled a finger somewhere, because High on Life had me begging for the monsters to shut their flapping gobs. 2022 has generally been a year in which video games Talked Too Much, whether that's Dying Light 2's exhausting cutscenes, or Atreus' unwelcome hints in the PS5 exclusive God of War: Ragnarok. High on Life takes this trend to its maddening extreme, with a case of verbal diarrhoea so acute it's at risk of suffering a prolapsed face.
If you're sat there thinking "Well, duh. It's a game developed by the studio co-founded by the co-creator of Rick and Morty, of course there's a lot of talking," let me stop you right there. Rick and Morty is a 20-minute cartoon where Justin Roiland's fast-stammering style is (usually) funnelled through scripts sharper than the pickled scientist's barbed tongue. High on Life is 15 hours of Interdimensional Cable—a deluge of meandering word salad that's constantly searching for the joke and only occasionally delivering it, usually covered in something sticky. It's the difference between a shot of expensive balsamic and having your head shoved into a vat of white vinegar.
(Image credit: Squanch Games)
Which is not to say that High on Life is never funny. Sometimes it is. But that's the headline problem with High on Life, it's only ever sometimes anything. It's a first draft of a comedy script with a handful of good jokes, a generic sci-fi universe with a couple of decent levels, and a thoroughly mediocre shooter where its handful of interesting gimmicks are stretched to breaking point.
Let's examine the corpse before I start dismembering it. High on Life has you playing a nonspecific teenager who's home alone with their similarly-aged sister when, oh snap, aliens invade. But with the aid of one of the invader's weapons (which, it transpires, is a sentient weapon known as a gatlian) you escape to an extraterrestrial metropolis called Blim City. Here, you learn that humans have become the interstellar underworld's hot new narcotic, and with the aid of a down-on-his-luck bounty hunter, you resolve to assassinate the heads of the organisation that invaded Earth, the G3 Cartel.
All told, it's a strong introduction. While High on Life can't match the dashing good looks of, say, Modern Warfare 2, it has some impressive areas, especially when you leave your boxy suburb for the dense and colourful alien hub of Blim City. The hookshot idea of having guns that are also characters is interesting, too, and there is a pleasure in picking up a pistol and hearing not-Morty start chattering out of it.
The novelty lasts for maybe an hour. Then the rot starts to set in. The problem isn't simply that your guns talk too much, the problem is everyone talks too much. Almost every NPC you run into spews dialogue as if they ate a mouldy thesaurus, and it's all either characters pointing out obvious things and going "Yeah, uh, well, I guess that's kinda weird, but you do you!" or a festering dollop of radioactively obnoxious adlib.
It's the difference between a shot of expensive balsamic and having your head shoved into a vat of white vinegar.
If you ever wanted to listen to an off-brand Mario Goomba try to sell you alien cum for 10 minutes, High on Life is the game for you. There are no jokes. The joke is that he sells alien cum, and that's a bit awkward! Especially when the game keeps saying "alien cum" over and over, and a-a-a-adds a few hesitations in there. Alien cum! It's the, it's the thing that this little alien Goomba sells. That's the joke now. I already explained that but I'm going to repeat it again, just to make sure I've run it completely into the ground!
There are some genuine laughs amid the incessant verbal tsunami. One area has a running gag about an organisation called Mothers Against Violence that does a better job of moulding Roiland's shtick of haphazardly iterating on the same point into something amusing. The humour also lifts itself off the floor when it revolves around a character the writers have bothered to add some depth to, such as Gene, the deadbeat bounty hunter who helps you track down the G3. For all of Rick and Morty's belching and dumb alien names, it's good at using that to explore the many neuroses humans suffer from. Little of that appears in High on Life. The gatlians who accompany you are particularly underwhelming. Only one, Creature, manages to rise above familiar comedy archetypes, with his relentless positivity making for refreshing contrast to the game's relentlessly acerbic tone.
No doubt some people will find High on Life hilarious. But even if you do, the humour remains splattered across a thoroughly mid first-person shooter. It isn't terrible, although it hovers dangerously close to that for a long time. For the first three hours of this game, you have access to one weapon: the gatlian Kenny. Kenny is a bog-standard pistol with an alt-fire called the Glop-shot—a slimy mortar that can launch enemies into the air. The idea is that you juggle enemies to do more damage, although this is more trouble than it's worth, as constantly looking up to shoot an enemy means you can't see what surrounding enemies are up to.
With only Kenny at your side, the shooting is incredibly flat, lacking in any sense of pace or momentum. It doesn't help that the combat music in this game is some of the worst I've ever heard—a tuneless, repetitive sci-fi buzzing that completely fails to elevate the action in any way. A lullaby would get you more pumped for a fight. It is truly reprehensible.
As you pick up the other gatlians, the combat becomes more entertaining. The chameleon-like Gus makes for a serviceable shotgun with a disc alt-fire that you can rebound for extra hits. Sweezy, meanwhile, is an enjoyable replica of Halo's Needler, and the most effective weapon in the game. But Creature is again my favourite. He fires his children at enemies—small, colourful imps that latch themselves onto foes and bite them to death. He also has a useful alt-fire that temporarily turns enemies to your side. Proxy weapons are always hard to make satisfying, and Creature is a fine example of how to do it right.
By the time you acquire Creature, High on Life's arsenal is shaping up nicely. But outside of one last gatlian unlocked for the final level, and your melee weapon Knifey, that's all the weapons you get. Even if High on Life was a great shooter, five guns isn't enough to sustain the fun over 15 hours. And High on Life isn't close to being a great shooter, always favouring gimmicks over tight gunplay. Many enemies are covered in glop, which acts as armour that dissolves off them as you deal damage. It's a neat way of visualising damage, but the act of killing enemies is loose and rubbery, especially the deeply awkward melee executions, which are like someone's puppeteering your character from a mile away. There's also nowhere near enough enemy variety, with half the roster comprising annoying bugs that scuttle along the ground, and floating drones that are equally arduous to fight.
Even if High on Life was a great shooter, five guns isn't enough to sustain the fun over 15 hours.
The lack of weapon or enemy diversity is indicative of a broader issue, which is that High on Life runs out of ideas about halfway through. The first couple of missions take you to some impressive locations. Well, one impressive location—a sprawling cyberpunk city that's built on the underside of an asteroid. The other main planet is an ugly purple forest world filled with legally distinct alien Care Bears who like everything else in this accursed game never stop talking. Nonetheless, it sets you up for a wild, planet-hopping adventure. But it turns out that you only ever hop between these two planets (and Blim city), with the second half of the game repeatedly bringing you back to these two locations. What new areas appear in the second half are significantly smaller than those seen in the first, with the game becoming increasingly reliant upon arena fights as it progresses.
At least these spaces are fun to navigate. Many of your weapons' alt-fire modes double as navigation tools. Gus's disc-shot can embed in certain surfaces to create platforms, while Sweezy can create time-dilating bubbles that slow down spinning fans. Through these tools, the three planets unfold over time, revealing new pathways that'll lead you to sentient Luglox chests you can slash open for coins. None of this is spectacularly original, and there's a fuzziness to how your character moves that speaks to budget limitations. Still, High on Life is a better first-person platformer than it is a shooter. That's probably damning with faint praise, but faint praise is as good as you're going to get from me.
I'd love to tell you that High on Life is great. Not only because I enjoy Rick and Morty, and would love to see a video game version of that show at its best, but also because, for all that it does wrong, there is a weirdness to High on Life that I'd like to see more of in games of this scope. Living alien guns that talk to you is a cool concept. The sci-fi universe it depicts has moments of vision, and there are glimpses of a fun shooter when the game is at its most intense. But the whole enterprise is undercooked, then crushed to death beneath a mountain of insufferable dialogue.
High on Life: Price Comparison
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Rick Lane


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I can't say that I am all that excited about the album, but I am really looking forward to the pictures on the CD cover!!
Jessica Simpson Going Country On New Album
Believe it: Jessica Simpson has decamped to Nashville to begin work on her debut country album, due sometime in 2008 via Columbia Nashville.
Simpson declined to name songwriting collaborators, but tells Billboard.com she will most definitely be involved in the creative process. "Writing is a release for me," she says. "It's a way for me to tell my story. That's not to say I wouldn't record a song that I didn't write. It's just that it has been a while since I have opened the book."
But why country, and why now? "I am a country girl," she says. "I grew up in Texas, and country music was what I listened to. I always wanted to make a country album, but I wanted to wait until the time was right."
"I think there is a strength in female country artists," Simpson adds, citing Martina McBride, Shania Twain, Faith Hill and Reba McEntire as some of her inspirations.
Asked what has surprised her most since starting the follow-up to 2006's "A Public Affair," Simpson says, "Nashville is a very warm city. The people are friendly and kind. There is a sense of community, which thrives on music. There is no animosity … only respect for one another's talent."
It's unclear if Simpson will hit the road in support of the as-yet-untitled country project, but she says, "Since the record is in the beginning stages, there hasn't been much talk about a tour just yet."
← Woo hooo!! Welcome back, Dave!!! → As excited as I am about the game…I hope they do not do any more movies!


Much has been written about a 'de facto schism' now increasingly apparent in the Church. I may be able to shed a little light on this. In the last four years, I have visited hundreds of Catholics in more than a dozen countries across Europe and North America. In my travels, I have been consistently struck by the fact that the crisis in the Church is remarkably similar across these countries –despite vast cultural differences between, say, Mexico and Germany.
The problem is the same across the West: declining Catholic populations, closing parishes, aging clergy and empty seminaries and convents.
And the response to this crisis? 'More of the same'. Senior Catholic clerics think that the antidote to the disaster their policies have brought on the Faith is to double down and give us even MORE of the Age of Aquarius.
It would be comical if it wasn't so tragic: literally, centuries of Catholics' hard work and sacrifice is now being squandered by our ecclesiastical paladins, on a global basis. Universities, schools, hospitals, adoption agencies, social services – in many places the entire legacy of the Church is being systematically dismantled and destroyed.
And what of the disinherited? Those now under 40?
• Flimsy, liberal, heresy-spewing Catholics are a dime a dozen because Church leadership has failed time and time again to bring down the hammer on them. I've been to pro-choice parishes. I've been to parishes that didn't offer regular confessions. I've seen Protestant ministers sit next to priests by the altar in the name of ecumenism. If bishops actually did their jobs as shepherds of the church, all of this would be unthinkable.
• My generation, as a whole, is ignorant of the Faith because of weak leadership, bad catechetics, and humanistic atheism. Many of my generation are self-indulgent libertines who don't want to be told what to do. Many of the "practicing Catholics" of my generation only attend cheap, feel good, banal masses and services that pander to emotions. Our leadership for our entire lives, save a few good bishops and priests, have strayed away from the traditional teachings and worship, and they were gun-shy when it came to moral theology.
• I am afraid for the souls of the Faithful, I have read about much error being propagated by some of those who have been entrusted with great responsibility within the Church, and I feel that some of his holiness, Pope Francis', statements have been unclearly worded, and some in the Church have used to push forward their own agenda at odds with the Truth.
• Most cradle Catholics leave Catholicism because they don't know anything about it in the first place. I am a convert to the faith from Islam and atheism in a country with very low Catholic population and very few Catholic resources to learn. Yet I know way more stuff than most of them and it is worrying.
• I went to Catholic parochial and high school, and I can tell you now upon looking at the profiles of all my friends: these schools are nothing more than factories for fallen-away Catholics.
• During the diaconate formation I've been taught that the church is not a hierarchy. That it's not some grand pyramid with the pope at the top, and that we are all the the same loving and inclusive level. Until you start asking about tradition and or question something the pope said. Then all of a sudden you find yourself in a parody of 1930s-1940s Germany with "HOW DARE YOU QUESTION THE POPE!" "DON'T YOU KNOW IT'S A MORTAL SIN TO QUESTION A PRIEST, NEVER MIND HIS HOLINESS!!!?" And all of a sudden the hierarchy comes out and it's bashing you on the head with the book of liberalism.
I could go on, but you get my point. For a generation in love with irony, it seems these young Catholics don't yet get the great irony of their situation: the old clerics now dismembering their Church are doing so in the name of the zeitgeist of the Sixties – that era of paens to the forever young.
But once the last gasp of the 'forever young' is heard, it will be this young generation that will have to pick up the pieces. As the damage should be considerable, perhaps it's time they raise their voices now?


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The pandemic has brought tremendous change in all our work lives. One of the significant changes has been the increasing push to prioritize Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) in the workplace. It is essentially about a shift in attitude and is the first step in building a people-forward future of work.
Diversity refers to the state of exhibiting a lot of range and variety in the workplace. Our world is shaped by countless different perspectives, ethnicities, and cultures. For organizations, diversity refers to a multicultural workforce and reflects other differences like race, gender, age, education, etc. Every factor of diversity has to be considered as these distinctive perspectives will determine the character of the business. Real diversity is recognizing that every voice is unique.
INCLUSION IN THE WORKPLACE
Inclusion in the workplace entails ensuring that every employee is given the room to thrive. While diversity is concerned with building a workforce with a wide-ranging selection of backgrounds and experience, inclusion ensures that they are all given a voice. Inclusion is when all employees feel like they belong. They have an opportunity to voice their opinions freely and do not feel excluded based on their identity. They see themselves reflected in the company's values.
EQUITY IN THE WORKPLACE
Equity refers to the policies that are instituted to support diversity and inclusion in an organization. Tangible real-world solutions are discovered by acknowledging structural imbalances. For equity-first businesses, a consistent process of redressing the balance of opportunity is essential. Equity-led companies consider individual needs and rebalance structures to account for disadvantages faced by minority groups.
FRAMEWORK FOR ACTION ON DEI
Divulge relevant opportunities
To create alignment and generate a commitment to DEI in the workplace, the first step that needs to be taken is to effectively communicate the organization's perspectives, identity, culture, and values – This leads to identifying the most relevant opportunities for change.
Inclusive leadership Promoting the full participation and sense of belonging of every employee, customer, and strategic partner requires active ongoing efforts. Along with policies and practices, the ability to envision and enact new ways of leading is essential.
Activate diversity
Recognizing and engaging differences within the employee and customer base are necessary for activating diversity. It also includes defining expectations and setting clear goals.
At Data Direct we help companies and communities to understand the dynamics of DEI in the workplace. Since each particular organization is unique, we identify specific actions that can be taken to drive business towards the desired goal.
HOW TO BUILD SUCCESSFUL WORK TEAMS
GOOGLE'S 2021 PAGE EXPERIENCE UPDATE


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Q: How can I getting start microcontroller programming? I have programming in high level language for several years, but recently I want do some adventage on hardware, I wish I can DIY some funny toys for my son.
At first, I thought embedded system is what I need, but I found it still too high level, and then I found microcontroller is more simple, but I don't know how to get start with it, and which chip should I choose, I wish I can choose a serial chip I can use it for most requirement but it is cheap( it is not a clear description, I know ).
Anything else should I know to get start with this?
FYI: I wish it is absolutely low level

A: Honestly, I believe what you are looking for is an Arduino and Sparkfun for parts / kits.  I'd start there, as you progress you can eventually move onto getting your own chip programmer instead of using a bootloader (like the Arduino has).  Maybe move to microchip pic's or raw atmel chips... maybe even propeller.  As a starting point it doesn't get much easier than an arduino. Good luck, have fun.

A: I will second on the arduino from sparkfun.  At the moment I get the lillypad (an arduino variation) or the arduino mini pro, both around $20, but the lilly pad has pins already on it for the serial/power to usb thing that you will also want to buy.
I am not a big fan of the avr instruction set, so I will throw in that you can also get the armmite pro, arduino footprint but arm based.  The mbed is relatively popular, super easy to use and you dont need anything else (the other two mentioned want for a serial to usb adapter for programming and power).
right now TI is pretty much giving away msp430 launchpad boards for $4.30 or $5 something at sparkfun, just through in a couple with the order.  the msp430 is a good instruction set, no harder or easier than anything else to program.  (they are all easy once you get the hang of it)
At the ti website there are the stellaris boards, loaded with gadgets like oled displays and things like that, it is trivial to brick the 811 board so I would recommend one of the others, the 1976 or whatever that number was wasnt a bad board, good price/feature for getting your feet wet.
All of the above have sandboxes to play in but you are not required or limited to the toolchains, programmers, host operating systems, etc.
I am not a pic fan from a product perspective, I cut my teeth as you are about to do, using a pic.  but moved away and never went back.  there are some boards at sparkfun for the pic.  I have not tried the propeller, I prefer chips I can program directly instead of an on-board interpreted basic or anything like that (I reprogram my arduinos and armmite pros as soon as I get them to wipe the interpreter and take over).
I think the arduino is probably the place to start to meet your description, there are many flavors now and partly because atmel does a very good job with documentation/support and perhaps for that reason there have been avr fanatics/lovers, and as a result of that there are TONS of hobby DIY projects that are arduino based.  With an arduino I think you will hit the ground running sooner than you would with another platform (even the ones I mentioned).

A: I suggest that you get a development starter-kit for an AVR device or a low end ARM Cortex-M3 (depending on your budget and performance requirements).

A: I agree with Clifford.
Also, take a look at TI's MSP430.  They are very simple to use and TI hosts a ton of sample projects with decent write-ups.
JMB

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


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Which Languages in the World Are the Closest to English?
By: Avishai Edenburg
English is a bizarre language that doesn't seem closely related to any other language, despite being one of the most commonly spoken languages in the world thanks to globalization and the internet. But while it's true that English isn't mutually-intelligible with any other language, it isn't true that English has no close relatives. Here are 5+ languages that are most similar to English. Look at the sample sentences and see how many words you can recognize:
1. German
You might have heard once that English is a "mix of German and French". While that is not really accurate at all, English and German indeed belong to the same family of West Germanic languages. German, however, has a very complex and heavily-gendered grammar, on top of 8 vowels (a, ä, e, Ii, o, ö, u, ü).
2. Dutch
Dutch is rather a better contender than German for closest relative to English because while English is a West Germanic language, it belongs to an even more specific subfamily of "Lower" Germanic languages, named so for their geographic distribution along the lowlands of the North Sea. Besides English, Dutch is the most widely spoken of these "low" languages and is often said to be midway between English and German.
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3. Scots
Scots is a tricky entry, as many people can't even agree as to whether Scots is a sister language to English, or a dialect thereof. Scots descends from Northumbrian Old English but has developed somewhat independently of its southern neighbor, with a lot of unique vocabulary you wouldn't find in English. Today, Scots is rarely spoken, having been supplanted in most places by Scottish English, but come New Year's Eve, all over the English-speaking world people sing "Auld Lang Syne" in Scots.
4. Frisian
Considered by some to be the closest language to English, Frisian is actually three distinct minority languages in The Netherlands and northern Germany which share a lot of linguistic innovations with English, such as the "ch" sound (written "ts" in West Frisian). Naturally, after centuries of living among Dutch and German speakers, the Frisian languages have diverged greatly from their shared roots with English and are not mutually intelligible with it.
5. Danish, Swedish and Norwegian
On paper, the languages of Scandinavia aren't "genetically" close to English, belonging to an entirely different branch of Germanic languages, but languages don't operate like organisms do, and can interact and create hybrids (creoles) with one another even if they aren't closely related. English is similar to the Nordic languages because of the impact of Danish speakers on Old English during the Viking Age, as well as a similar process of grammatical simplification that the Scandinavian languages underwent.
Image source: Nicolas Raymond
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French loanwords that are pronounced differently or mean something else entirely in French
Do You Know What Speakers of Old English Called a Snake?
Kennings are a unique feature of English that goes all the way back to old Anglo Saxon epics and poems.
Funny! Isn't English the Strangest Language!?
If you thought English is a clear-cut and tidy language, you better read this.
These Witty Signboards Will Make Certainly You Chuckle
Signboards that we see everyday are mostly forgettable. However, here is a collection of the wittiest signboards with some great messages.
Science and Technology 4:50
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This video will show you how bubble gum is made and talk about its history.
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Why Did Old Hollywood Stars Speak With a Specific Accent?
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The World's Oldest Brewery Could Date Back 13,000 Years...
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