text:
On HIGH IN THE CLOUDS
by mary martin on October 30, 2010
HIGH IN THE CLOUDS, by Paul McCartney, Geoff Dunbar and Philip Ardagh is supposed to be for Grades 2-4, but its themes, vocabulary and syntax are more advanced.
From Barnes and Noble:
"Wirral the Squirrel is homeless. The evil Gretsch have [sic] destroyed his wilderness home, trampling it in their relentless drive to expand. But Wirral does not despair; he vows to find a new home in Animalia, the fabled land where all creatures are said to live together in freedom. What begins as a personal quest becomes a mission as the brave little acorn-cracker realizes that animals are enslaved everywhere. Sir Paul McCartney, children's book author Geoff Dunbar, and children's book artist Philip Ardagh have created a beautiful book with an ever-timely message."
There's a lot missing in that description, such as the surprising death of Wirral's mother, Sugartail, at the beginning of the book. But if I were to be critical about the narrative of the book, I'd say there's a lot missing there too. For instance, Sugartail's death happens so suddenly and without a lot of explanation. Their home was evidently slated to be bulldozed, and then it was. Done. Me and my doctorate had to reread sections of the book because I kept thinking I overlooked the context or backstory of a handful of details. I even started from the beginning three times because I thought I missed a page or a paragraph.
With that said, the illustrations are wonderful, and the general theme of this adventure story is laudable. This reader would have liked to have seen the story and the characters developed more (and with fewer stereotypes), however. I understand this is a children's book, but particularly if you're trying to be a voice for animals, it would behoove you to make connections that might be missed otherwise. For instance, the animals are enslaved. They are forced to work in factories owned by a hideous woman, Gretsch. Wirral's quest is to free the animals and take them to Animalia, where all animals (and insects, as a flea from a flea circus is a major character, and beetles are mentioned) already are free. But there's no connection made–or no explanation–for how we use animals. Animals are indeed enslaved, but in real life they're not making widgets in factories. And when you read the reviews on various sites that sell the book, there is no mention of how we enslave animals. I don't get a sense that readers really understand the message.
But that's because the message isn't developed. I'm giving the book a vegan/animal rights message because that's my lens. Objectively, however, though the use message is there, believe it or not, you can talk about enslaving animals and still not present a clear vegan message. Or any vegan message. There is no mention of food or skin or zoos. The factory is supposed to be a proxy for all of that, but it doesn't work for me. I wish it did, but it doesn't.
Finally, there's a place over yonder where animals are free (Animalia). And the animals all go there after they are set free. They don't stay where they are (Megatropolis), I think, because humans are destroying it and building cities with evil factories that enslave animals. So there's a pro-environment/anti-development message in the book that, for me, is clearer than the animal rights message. We are destroying their homes, but there's a place where they are free from us. That's a nice message for kids, I guess.
The problem is there isn't really a place they can all go to be free from us, which is why I find the ending strange. I know the ending would have to be a happy one, but rather than mass exodus, how about the animals taking their homes back or . . . something.
I suppose telling young children the details of the enslavement of sentient nonhumans isn't an easy task, and any entree to the discussion is helpful. This book is indeed a way of beginning to discuss what enslavement is and all of the ways we use animals, and for that reason I'll read it to Baby Sky. But probably with plenty of commentary throughout.


text:
Elizabeth Warren Claimed Her Parents Had to Elope Because of Mother's Native American Ancestry
Richard Moorhead |
Elizabeth Warren claimed her parents had to elope because of her grandparent's concerns over her mother's supposed Native American ancestry while running for Senate in 2010.
Watch her account of the dramatic, yet ultimately dubious and self-serving story here, while speaking on a Massachusetts TV channel:
"My father's parents said absolutely not… you can't marry her because she's part Cherokee and part Delaware. After fighting as long as they could my parents went off, they eloped… It was an issue in my family the whole time I grew up."
Warren has made elaborate claims of Native American ancestry for years, claiming to be as such in law school applications and other professional documents when she potentially stood to benefit from such an ethnic identity.
Her critics doubted the veracity of such claims, and were largely vindicated when Warren released a DNA test that indicated she had 1/1024 Native American ancestry. Warren apparently initially believed that such a minuscule relation to Native American people was enough to identify as one, a misconception that was corrected when the official Cherokee Nation Secretary of State, Chuck Hoskins Jr, released a statement rebuking her use of Native American identity as a political prop.
In order for Warren's story about her parent's marriage to be true, exaggeration about her supposed Native American ancestry would have have to been a tradition practiced on her mother's side of the family for generation. It's perhaps more likely that the story of a forbidden marriage was simply exaggerated or just simply made up.
It's possible that hundreds of millions of Americans have Native American ancestors, but American Indian organizations such as the Cherokee Nation frown upon the notion of reducing Native American identity to mere DNA tests, which generally don't specify between American Indians and all indigenous peoples of the Americas.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Home›Destinations›Europe›Switzerland›Bern›Things to See›Cathedral of St. Vincent
Bern› Attraction
Cathedral of St. Vincent
Our Rating Neighborhood Münsterplatz Hours Easter to Oct Tues-Sat 10am-5pm, Sun 11:30am-5pm; Nov-Easter Tues-Fri 10am-noon and 2-4pm, Sat 10am-noon and 2-5pm, Sun 11:30am-2pm. Viewing platform closes 30 min. before cathedral Transportation Bus: 12 Phone 031/312-04-62 Prices Free admission to cathedral; viewing platform 5F adults, 2F children Web site http://www.bernermuenster.ch
The Münster is one of the "newer" Gothic churches in Switzerland, dating from 1421. The belfry, however, was completed in 1893. The most exceptional feature of this three-aisle, pillared basilica is the tympanum over the main portal, which depicts the Last Judgment and contains more than 200 figures. You'll see mammoth 15th-century stained-glass windows in the chancel, but the most remarkable window, the Dance of Death, can be found in the Matter Chapel. The cathedral's 90m (295-ft.) belfry dominates Bern and offers a panoramic sweep of the Bernese Alps; to reach the viewing platform, you must climb 270 steps. The vista also includes the old town, its bridges, and the Aare River. Outside the basilica on Münsterplatz is the Moses Fountain, built in 1545.
Bern Switzerland Bern
View our full list of Attractions in Bern
Frommer's Shortcut Switzerland Buy Now


Some years ago a close relative who was also a good friend asked me to read the draft he had prepared of his adventures since volunteering from Jersey for the British Army in 1939. He had been at Dunkirk, St Malo, the Western Desert, Sicily, Italy (including Monte Cassino) and Burma and had campaign medals right across his chest. Despite being in the thick of almost all the major theatres of war except D-Day, what he had written was boring, boring. I tried to put my critique nicely but in the end it would have been unfair not to have been honest. The manuscript remained just that - a collection of school exercise books - and I lost a friend but kept a relative.
Thus it was that I approached Ian Ronayne's newly published book with some trepidation. Not because I feared for Ian's writing style - I had already had a preview of a chapter and knew his words would flow easily. I am a fan of Richard Holmes and Bruce Catton, historians who invoke in their writing the techniques of thriller writers whose skill is to hold your and keep you wanting to turn the pages. But while history is often thrilling, unlike the conventional thriller, we know the ending before we read the first page. The true skill of the history writer is to keep us enthralled along a road where we already know the destination. This Ian achieves with the apparent ease of someone already well-practised.
In the published histories of the Great War, the role of the Channel Islands is not writ large. Even in the Islands themselves, despite the ubiquitous war memorials commemorating the 'glorious dead', the unique experience of the Second World War, when the enemy was not so much at the door as in the front parlour, is overwhelming. However, along with the rest of the British Empire, the impact on Island families from the loss of a loved husband, son, brother or lover, was far greater in the first global conflict than the second. That Jerseymen (and the book that records the role of Jerseywomen has yet to be written) flocked to the colours when they need not have done has now been meticulously and often movingly recorded.
Against the vast backcloth of the Western Front and the emotions evoked by the fate of many 'Pals' battalions, the Jersey 'Pals' have earned, so far, little recognition. Unlike their Guernsey counterparts, there was no Royal Jersey Light Infantry, and the fates of the Jerseymen were very much linked with that of the Royal Irish Rifles. Ian answers a question so often asked. Why the Royal Irish Rifles? What special link was there between this island and that Ireland? The answer is very prosaic. The Royal Irish Rifles were short of men and would have taken them from anywhere.
Ian fills in a lot of detail and in particular explores the relationship between the Island and its men at the Front. What he paints is a much more complex picture than has hitherto been the case. What we learn is that there was much more to a group of volunteers going happily to war singing that it was a long way to Tipperary. The island's attitude towards its potential heroes was at best ambivalent and at worst very much a case of out of sight, out of mind. Why this should have been so is explored in considerable detail.
Much of the book is written in a distinctly 'novelish' style. I was particularly impressed with the prologue in which Ian displays techniques that would certainly grace the opening pages of a novel and I suspect that behind the historian is a novelist waiting to show himself.
Ultimately most war histories are stories of tragedies and this is one of them. It is also the story of a group of young men (and in the case of their CO, not so young) who deserve the recognition that Ian's work has now finally afforded them.
Altogether more than twelve thousand men from these Islands fought in the Great War, many with considerable distinction. Indeed the proportion of men who rallied to the colours (and, more tragically, their losses) was greater from the Islands than from any other community in Britain. This is often overlooked. While Ian's book does not address this particular wider aspect, it does give its reader a much greater insight into why this might have been. The Jersey Pals, whose story 'Ours' is, were a relatively small cog in that larger wheel.
In his Foreword His Excellency Lt General Andrew Ridgway writes that this book will ensure that the memory of the Jersey Company in the Great War and the bravery and devotion of this loyal band of 'Jersey Pals' will live on forever.
In his introduction Ian suggests that he had not expected to have to write the book because surely it had been written already. I am glad he did and his work deserves a wider readership than it is likely to get.


Miniature M8 Could be Called "One Mini 2"
This year, HTC announced and subsequently launched - one the same day no less - a successor to the popular HTC One. We reviewed this successor and thought it to be an excellent device. One thing was more than a little confusing however is the naming convention used; HTC One (M8) doesn't roll off the tongue that easily now does it? As we've been hearing for quite some time now, HTC plans to release a Mini version of the M8, just as they did with last year's HTC One (now known as the M7). This is where you'll be thinking it'll be called the "M8 Mini" or something else that makes a lot of sense, but according to @evleaks, we'll be saying hello to the HTC One Mini 2 later on in the year.
It certainly sounds bizarre, but when you think about it, the "HTC One Two" would have made more sense, but then it'd look like HTC's marketing department is counting rather than naming a device. 'HTC One Mini 2' does sound a little better than 'HTC One (M8) Mini', but no matter what HTC does with their naming scheme here, we're pretty sure there's going to be some sort of confusion for consumers when they go out and buy a new HTC device. Still, on store shelves, we're assuming the buying public is smart enough to tell the difference between a phone with one camera on the back, and a phone with two cameras on the back.
That's exactly the route we see HTC taking with a mini version of the M8, bringing all the major features down into a smaller - more affordable - package that will appeal to those not looking for a large device or don't want to pay as much for one. We reviewed last year's One Mini and thought HTC had done a good job of bringing the key features from the One down to a smaller device. Thanks to the BoomSound speakers last year's "Mini" wasn't all that mini and it was only available on one carrier here in the US, hopefully HTC can work a long way to fixing both these wrongs.


The 3P's represent people, process and product. The 3P's are the focus of the continuous improvement strategy TQM or Total Quality Management.
1. People - Ensure expectations and satisfaction of both internal and external customers are met to the best of your ability.
2. Process - Continually strive to get better in all processes.
3. Product - Conform to specifications and requirements of all product characteristics.


text:
Top Stories November 30, 2019
WaPo: Trump's Talk Of Cease-Fire Surprises Taliban, Afghan Government
By News & Guts
On Donald Trump's first visit to Afghanistan, the falsehoods continue. Trump made a surprise trip to Bagram Air Force Base outside Kabul on Thanksgiving to visit troops. But he also spoke to the press on the Taliban's desire for a cease-fire in the 18-year-old war. But as The Washington Post reports, it was more wishful thinking than reality. The Post writes:
"They didn't want to do a cease-fire, but now they do want to do a cease-fire," Trump said of the militants. "It will probably work out that way. . . . We've made tremendous progress," he added.
"But on Friday neither the Taliban nor the government of Afghan President Ashraf Ghani indicated that a cease-fire was near, or even being discussed in resumed U.S. negotiations."
Trump's talk of Afghanistan cease-fire appears to surprise the Taliban, Afghan government https://t.co/OQy9NutUNV
— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) November 30, 2019
The New York Times writes Western diplomats and Taliban leaders were scrambling to figure out what had changed.
"They were particularly confused by his remarks, made during an unannounced Thanksgiving visit to Afghanistan, that the United States was once again meeting with the Taliban to discuss a deal, but that "we're saying it has to be a cease-fire."
"Demanding a cease-fire would amount to a big shift in the American position and require a significant new concession from the Taliban — one that the Americans have little leverage to extract."
Trump abruptly called off the talks in September. In an interview with the times, a Taliban negotiator said, "Our position remains the same."
President Trump said stalled talks with the Taliban were back on and called for a cease-fire — something his negotiators had deemed unrealistic. https://t.co/rFGgZ3cyQx
— The New York Times (@nytimes) November 29, 2019
The Week: Tulsi Gabbard is suing Hillary Clinton
USA Today: Ousted Recording Academy CEO alleges sexual harassment, corrupt Grammys voting
CNBC: Security consultants hired by Jeff Bezos think his phone might have been hacked by Saudi crown prince, report says
WaPo: Mike Bloomberg shifts presidential ad campaign to focus on impeachment
The Hill: Trump confirms plans to expand travel ban
Trump Downplays Injuries Troops Suffered In Iranian Air Strike
D.C. Attorney General Sues Trump Inaugural Committee "For Abusing Nonprofit Funds To Enrich The Trump Family"
Play no favorites,
pull no punches.


Sketchbooks are fundamentally for recording our questions, our responses, and our observations. They do not require the same filter we apply to the rest of our lives. This workshop is focused on helping participants understand their relationship to art-making, so naturally, it is formatted around conversation and a cozy sketchbook session. We will be drawing, writing, collaging, and talking throughout the workshop.
Participants will receive a handout with a number of questions about their practice, what they gain from it, who they make work for, what they do when things aren't working out, and how they feel about their sketchbooks. These questions will be pasted or transcribed into their working sketchbook and worked through over the course of the session. Each question will be addressed with a group rapid-answer session, a timed silent-work period, and a group discussion, during which students may speak about their thoughts as they develop. We will discuss some very basic design principles and drawing exercises (for which zero talent is required), and try to resolve all of the pages and questions both aesthetically and intellectually. An emphasis will be placed on being willing to take risks, to make something ugly, and to let plans and ideas change. The intention is to develop content and meaning through the process of making art, rather than to treat art-making as a means to an end product.
You will be asked to react aesthetically, emotionally, and intellectually, and to think of one way in which the work is personal and one way in which the work relates to other people, on any scale. You will very likely be unsatisfied to some degree at some point, but this workshop is intended to guide you toward making something positive from each seemingly unsalvageable situation.
You will give attention to both aesthetics and content, but you are expected to honestly pursue your intentions in both realms. Not every student has fine-art intentions, and that is entirely welcomed. There is as much depth in one student's relationship to the niece/daughter/spouse to whom they usually give their work, as there is in another student's journey to develop their own artistic vision and intentions. You may or may not arrive with an intention to explore a specific topic, but if you do, it will find its way in. If you do not, you will find one. You will be encouraged to tear out and mail anything you still hate to a friend, loved one, or enemy.
Advance registration is required for all JCBA workshops. Email JCBA Director John Cutrone at jcutrone@fau.edu. Sending your email will begin the registration process.
One seat in this workshop is available to an FAU student at no cost thanks to JCBA Book Arts Enthusiast Cindy Bartosek, who has funded student participation in our workshops with a generous gift to the Jaffe Center for Book Arts. To be considered for this seat, you must be a current FAU student and send an email to jcutrone@fau.edu explaining what it would mean to you to have the opportunity to take this workshop. Applications for this opportunity will be accepted through March 23, 2016.


This paper details an architectural description of the Mission Data Processing and Control System (MPCS), an event-driven, multi-mission ground data processing components providing uplink, downlink, and data management capabilities which will support the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) project as its first target mission. MPCS is developed based on a set of small reusable components, implemented in Java, each designed with a specific function and well-defined interfaces. An industry standard messaging bus is used to transfer information among system components. Components generate standard messages which are used to capture system information, as well as triggers to support the event-driven architecture of the system. Event-driven systems are highly desirable for processing high-rate telemetry (science and engineering) data, and for supporting automation for many mission operations processes.


Great but sizing a little off.
These pants have great quality material and the colour looks amazing in person! They fit me... just. I am usually a size 8 in pants and am sooo glad I got the 10 to be safe. I would highly recommend these trendy pants for work but definitely go up a size.


May 12, 2015 / . .
The evolution of diagnostic imaging technologies across medicine has been rapid, and a number of companies seeking approval for novel drugs and devices have been using and want to use imaging data as study endpoints in clinical trials. To assist these companies, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently released a new draft guidance on the use of images in clinical trials. The new draft document, "Clinical Trial imaging endpoint process standards: Guidance for industry," if enacted as written, will have important implications for the conduct of ophthalmic clinical trials.
Designed to provide a clear path for clinical trial sponsors who want to use images as an endpoint in drug and device clinical trials, the guidance focuses on creating standards for image acquisition, display, archiving, and interpretation, all of which the FDA considers key elements when imaging is used in determining whether a drug or device has met its primary endpoint.
Imaging process standards aim to help trial sponsors ensure that images are obtained in a uniform manner that complies with a trial's protocol and that allows fair comparison with images obtained with different devices by different people and at different centers; the guidance also calls for a verifiable audit trail to document the accuracy and reliability of the imaging process. Uniformity in image gathering, transmission, and interpretation is a critical aspect of ensuring a clinical trial's ability to establish treatment effects and detect potential safety concerns.
Published in March 2015, the FDA draft guidance would revise the Standards for Clinical Trial Imaging Endpoints issued in August 2011. A number of key points have been clarified, including the need, in some cases, for an "imaging charter" that would detail trial-specific imaging process standards that would have to be in place prior to patient enrollment.
Trial-specific standards are particularly important in specialties like ophthalmology, where there are few specialty-wide standards for imaging.
One important aspect of this is that the draft guidance would require that any software used in image interpretation be FDA-approved or cleared, or undergo the arduous investigational device exemption (IDE) process. "If interpretation tools are to be used," the guidance states, "the [imaging] charter should specify the use of FDA-approved computer-assisted interpretation tools. Alternatively, an unapproved (investigational) tool justified for use with a given imaging modality can be used in some situations if it is compliant with all applicable FDA regulations, including the investigational device exemption requirement" (p. 26, ll. 1048-52).
What this means is that sponsors of trials with imaging endpoints would have three options for compliance: use software already approved or cleared by the FDA-for ophthalmic image management and interpretation (currently, the only such software is EXCELSIOR™ by EyeKor, LLC); develop their own software and ensure that it meets the standards set in the IDE process; or use a single manufacturer's already approved software, which may have limited capability to analyze data across multiple technology platforms—and ophthalmic trials regularly use data from multiple platforms.
As a draft guidance, the document will evolve, and the FDA must still decide whether the proposal will be adopted in whole, in part, as amended, or not at all. But, for now, sponsors are strongly encouraged by the FDA to follow the guidance as closely as possible to make sure that their clinical trials don't hit regulatory snags down the road.
Yijun Huang, PhD, is cofounder and chief technology officer of EyeKor, LLC, in Madison, WI.


text:
Home/World News/Panasonic factory employs solar PV
Panasonic factory employs solar PV
SINGAPORE: Over 10,000 Panasonic solar panels have been deployed at the company's own hermetic refrigeration compressor factory in Singapore.
The total installation of 11,916 panels includes 10,124 Panasonic HIT solar panels, covering an area of more than 20,000m² across five factory buildings. The factories will begin drawing from the 2.4MW PV this year. At its peak, the factory's PV system is expected to power, on average, 10% of its entire operations.
The system has been installed under a leasing agreement with Sunseap, a leading solar energy system developer, owner and operator in Singapore. Sunseap will bear both installation and maintenance costs of the project, and pass on cost savings to Panasonic through cheaper electricity rates compared to drawing from the grid.
Panasonic's HIT panels are said to be able to maintain high performance at high temperature, making them ideal for utilisation in tropical climates. The panels are manufactured at Panasonic Energy Malaysia.
Atsunao Terasaki, managing director, Panasonic Appliances Refrigeration Devices Singapore, said, "As one of Panasonic's eco model factories in Southeast Asia, PAPRDSG's focus has long been to ensure that we adopt green manufacturing practices and work towards environmental sustainability. We recognise that industries are huge consumers of energy. Through our solar leasing collaboration with Sunseap, we not only hope to reduce carbon footprint, but also drive uptake of solar energy in businesses and industries."
Panasonic Appliances Refrigeration Devices Singapore was established in 1972, manufacturing inverter compressors for fridges, water coolers and vending machines.


text:
Events, Pick Up Capsules
Pick Up Capsules
Pick Up Capsules, known as Pick Up Gacha in the Japanese version, show up as a third option to choose from in the Store. They appear once a month and remain available for 2 to 5 days. There are usually 15 Tsums at a cost of 30,000 coins per Tsum, for a total of 450,000 coins. (Occasionally there are 20 Tsums for a total of 600,000 coins.)
Tsum Tsum reaches Max skill and is replaced
Each Pick Up Capsule includes specific Tsums you can obtain and often more than one of each Tsum. If any of the Tsum Tsum are at max skill level, then those capsules will be replaced with a Premium Ticket.
If you empty the capsule of all 15 Tsums in this special box, you will be rewarded with a Skill Ticket.
Pick Up Capsule images are in order of most recent.
International version Edit
Images of Pick Up Capsules for the International version.
~2018 Edit
Japan version Edit
Images of Pick Up Gacha for the Japanese version.
Retrieved from "https://disneytsumtsum.fandom.com/wiki/Pick_Up_Capsules?oldid=60771"


text:
Q: Don't return duplicate title in WordPress loop I have this standard loop for returning titles of a custom post type:

    <?php
        $args = array(
        'post_type'         => 'food_types',
        'posts_per_page'    => -1
        );
        $query = new WP_Query($args);
        while ($query->have_posts()) : $query->the_post(); ?>

<?php echo the_title();?>

        <?php endwhile;
        wp_reset_postdata();
    ?>

The problem is that there are often posts with the same title.
I need my loop modified so that there is only one instance of any given post title returned in the loop.
For example, if there are posts with these titles...
Tomato
Orange
Orange
Apple
Apple
Egg
Banana
Banana

...then the loop should only return this:
Tomato
Orange
Apple
Egg
Banana

I hope that makes sense.

A: If you are only worried about fruit names, it may make sense to create a separate data set for it and not even bother looping all posts and removes the burden of tracking names inside the loop.
Edit: It makes sense to move this functionality into a function so you can easily reuse it anywhere.
// functions.php
function getFruits() {
    $query = new WP_Query([
        'post_type'       => 'food_types',
        'posts_per_page'  => -1
    ]);

    // When to use wp_reset_postdata(): https://wordpress.stackexchange.com/a/144344/145214
    wp_reset_postdata();

    // Extracts out just post_titles and makes new array
    $fruits = array_column( $query->posts, 'post_title'); // PHP7+

    // Gets unique values
    $fruits = array_unique( $fruits );

    return $fruits;
}

// template
$fruits = getFruits();

// Then all you have to do is loop that list
foreach($fruits as $fruit) : ?>

        <?= $fruit ?>

<?php endforeach;

A: Is duplication in the database ok, if not, then you might want to run a script to remove duplicates, as it can result in a performance hit.
If there are not too many items in the list, then a quick solution for your current code could simply to add each title to an array, and then continue the while loop if the item was previously added.
Use: https://www.php.net/manual/en/function.array-push.php and https://www.php.net/manual/en/function.in-array.php
So something like this.. NB: this is just in concept... I did not test the code.:

<?php
    $args = array(
    'post_type'         => 'food_types',
    'posts_per_page'    => -1
    );
    $query = new WP_Query($args);
    $list = array();
    while ($query->have_posts()) : $query->the_post();
    if(in_array(get_the_title(), $list)){ continue; }
    $list[] = get_the_title();
    ?>

<?php echo get_the_title();?>

    <?php endwhile;
    wp_reset_postdata();
?>

*Modified to use get_the_title() as you explained in comments

A: the_title() does not require to echo. check:

    <?php
    $args = array(
        'post_type'         => 'food_types',
        'posts_per_page'    => -1
    );

    $query = new WP_Query($args);
    while( $query->have_posts() ) : $query->the_post(); ?>

<?php the_title();?>

    <?php endwhile;
     wp_reset_postdata(); ?>

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Persons scuba diving or skin diving in federal waters must display a diver-down flag to mark their diving area. Those involved in spear fishing in Arkansas state waters must display a diver-down flag and stay within 300 feet of the displayed flag. For safety reasons, it is strongly recommended that vessels not engaged in diving operations stay at least 100 feet away from a displayed diver-down flag. Two types of flags are used to indicate diving activity.
A rectangular red flag with a white diagonal stripe is attached to a vessel, float, or buoy.
A blue and white International Code Flag A (or Alfa flag), at least 3.3 feet (one meter) high and visible from all directions, must be displayed on vessels on federally controlled waters. This flag indicates that a vessel is involved in a diving activity.
Scuba divers and snorkelers should not place a flag in an area already occupied by other boaters or where their diving operation will impede the normal flow of waterway traffic. Divers also should follow all of the water safety rules themselves.


Public Relations is a cost effective way to ignite your brand with the right audiences and it should be part of every marketing communications plan. But when is the right time to hire a PR agency and when and how do you find one that matches your brand?
Ask yourself this. Does your business have the capacity to fully manage PR efforts internally? Or, are you ready to take your brand to the next level by putting it in the spotlight?
The marketing function specifically is a specialist area and not all entrepreneurs or managers understand it fully, nor should they need to. This is why many look for supporting agencies.
How do I find a PR agency? Google search using key words relevant to your company like franchising, retail, pr agency. Or, research companies you admire or that are similar to you and look at who is doing their PR through their online press releases.
But outsourcing to the experts is a tough decision to make. The PR agency becomes an extension of your operation. It speaks with media on your behalf and represents your brand. How do I pick the perfect PR match? Two words: experience and communication.
Are you a coffee franchise? Look for PR agencies who have worked with other coffee franchises before. They understand your needs, understand the market and will hit the ground running when they learn your brand. Look to see if they have hit results similar to what you're expecting with your brand. This could be coverage in national newspapers or consumer magazines.
But don't look past an agency that isn't heavily experienced in your respective industry. The key to good PR is the ability to forge relationships with editors and broadcasters for your company and any agency with a good PR account team can do this well. Look for client testimonials from brands similar to yours, and see what they say about the prospective agency.
Good PRs have exceptional communication skills, so you be the judge. How did you feel the first time you spoke or met with an agency? Do you feel comfortable with them and excited about potentially working with them or do you feel like you're being "sold"? If this is how they represent their brand, it's probably how they'll represent your brand.
Don't be afraid to ask them questions about how they work. How often you can expect communication from them, particularly when it comes to activity and results. Ignite PR & Marketing sends weekly wraps of PR activity to all of our clients as well as monthly or bi-annual PR reports. We meet with clients monthly to discuss successes, challenges and any upcoming opportunities. We find that consistent communication with clients gives us the best opportunity to ignite their brands.
Our Director, Trina McColl, is always available to answer questions about how we can help ignite your brand.
Ignite PR & Marketing is an established and experienced firm with a strong background in both franchising and retail services.


text:
JEWISH HOME LA
Hungarian State Secretary Visits Los Angeles
December 23, 2015 By Jewish Home LA
On December 5th Congregation Bais Naftoli hosted the Honorable Szabolcs Takacs, Hungarian State Secretary for European Union Affairs and Ambassador Extraordinary for the Prime Minister.
Ambassador Takacs was presented with a Certificate of Appreciation by attorney Andrew Friedman, President of the synagogue, for the recent vote of Hungary taking the side of Israel on the issue of labeling of products at the European Union. In accepting the Commemoration, Ambassador Takacs enumerated the efforts of Hungary to fight anti-Semitism, which is currently on the rise in Europe. The Ambassador said that Hungary has zero tolerance for anti-Semitism and noted that Holocaust education is taught in the national curriculum.
Takacs also met with the USC Shoah Foundation, The Holocaust Museum, The Los Angeles Hungarian House and the American Jewish University and noted that Hungary is chairing the International Holocaust Alliance in Brussels, an organization of more than 30 countries. The Alliance was designed to combat anti-Semitism.
On December 21st Hungary made another statement of its aversion to anti-semitism when it cancelled plans to erect a statue honoring a notorious anti-semite, Bálint Hóman. The decision was made in light of public opposition by local Hungarian civil society organizations, Jewish advocacy groups, and the U.S. State Department. Human Rights First's Susan Corke said of the decision, "The cancelation of this statue is an important signal that antisemitism will not be tolerated."
Have something on your mind? Please share it with us! Cancel reply


Heavy duty 9″ diameter auger takes the effort out of digging the right sized hole for the task at hand. For gas driven post hole diggers. Carbide cutting edge. Professional quality. Spiral tip for easy digging. Commercial grade with replaceable carbide cutting edge.


text:
North American Pearls
If Boston's confounding roads have never been easy to explore by car, imagine the obstacles visiting bicyclists face. In 2006 Bicycling magazine put the city on its list of America's worst cities for cycling—for the third time. Enter Mayor Thomas Menino. Recognizing the benefits of a bike-friendly culture—for the environment, to ease traffic congestion, for public health—the mayor appointed a former Olympic cyclist as the city's bike coordinator, launched an annual cycling event, and became a biker himself. The city installed 15 miles of bike lanes and distributed 40,000 cycling maps. While Boston has a long way to go, Bicycling named it a "future best city" in 2008. Cities from Louisville to Los Angeles are ramping up their bike accessibility, and visitors are a big part of the game plan. The result may be a boost in car-free tourism across North America, like that which has existed in European cities such as Amsterdam and Copenhagen for years. These are the leaders among North America's bike-friendly cities: Portland, New York, Chicago, San Diego, San Francisco, Montreal, Washington D.C., Tucson. Read more here.
Posted for Velo Mondial by Pascal van den Noort (Amsterdam, The Netherlands) at 16:11
Fixing the Great Mistake
"Fixing the Great Mistake" is a new Streetfilms series that examines what went wrong in the early part of the 20th Century, when our cities began catering to the automobile, and how those decisions continue to affect our lives today. In this episode, Transportation Alternatives director Paul Steely White shows how planning for cars drastically altered Park Avenue. Watch and see what Park Avenue used to look like, how we ceded it to the automobile, and what we need to do to reclaim the street as a space where people take precedence over traffic.
America counts; who joins?
One of the greatest challenges facing the bicycle and pedestrian field is the lack of documentation on usage and demand. Without accurate and consistent demand and usage figures, it is difficult to measure the positive benefits of investments in these modes, especially when compared to the other transportation modes such as the private automobile. An answer to this need for data is the National Bicycle & Pedestrian Documentation Project, co-sponsored by Alta Planning and Design and the Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) Pedestrian and Bicycle Council. This nationwide effort provides consistent model of data collection and ongoing data for use by planners, governments, and bicycle and pedestrian professionals. The basic assumptions of the methodology are that, in order to estimate existing and future bicycle and pedestrian demand and activity, agencies nationwide need to start conducting counts and surveys in a consistent manner similar to those being used by ITE and other groups for motor vehicle models. Learn how to count here.
Bike Sharing in Mumbai, India
A student picks up a bicycle waiting at Mulund station, rides it to Kelkar College and parks it at a cycle stand there, where it is ready for use by the next student. Mumbai has launched a bike-sharing system, following in the footsteps of Paris, London, Dublin and New York. From Mulund, where the 'Cycle Chalao' movement is now restricted, organiser I-Initiate hopes to spread out across the city. The start has been encouraging, with 100-odd Kelkar students joining on January 25. This has helped "convert" 100 habitual users of the rickshaw, a polluting mode of transport, said Raj Janagam of I-Initiate. "By the end of the year, we plan to measure the carbon emission we have prevented simply by switching to the bicycle," he said. Membership is of two kinds: a monthly subscription (like Montreal's Bixi model) or a refundable deposit system. "We have studied many successful and failed international models and realised that for the system to sustain, it needs to be easy to implement. Our programme has a very low operational cost and involves minimal book-keeping. Since this is a trial launch, we also chose the location carefully. Read on here.
German President confronts car people
The German Federal President Mr Horst Koehler held an incredible speech in front of ADAC, which is THE lobby organisation for cars and car culture in Germany. Now his office published the translation in English. Some quotes: 'Many people just get into their cars in the morning almost without thinking, and then they find themselves stuck in another traffic jam. Experts have calculated that traffic jams cost the German economy several billion euro every year. And to my mind the answer is not simply to build more roads. Stuck in traffic jams, people waste time, get irritated. Some people put themselves through it every day, even if a five-minute walk would take them to the underground, which would get them to work quicker and more comfortably.'
'Henry Ford once said, "If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses". In other words, mobility has to be thought ahead. You, leading representatives of the car industry, be ahead of your customers! The phrase "that's what the customers wanted" is not set in stone for all eternity. As leaders you have a responsibility to lead. And part of that is to recognize shifts in the tide - on the markets and in society - and to react promptly and get new products ready for the market.'
Training about Electric Bcycles
Since its official start in June 2009, the Presto project has made considerable progress. Presto consists of 3 main pillars: cycling infrastructure, cycling promotion and electric bicycles. Today, the consortium has completed a policy guide for each of these pillars. These guides are aimed at supporting the PRESTO cities in their cycling policy activities and at serving as European reference guides for all those who are interested in the subjects concerned. The guides will be published on the PRESTO website very soon. The European Twowheel Retailers' Association (ETRA) is in the consortium responsible for the pillar electric bicycles. Consequently, the European trade association has written the Policy Guide on Electric Bicycles. In anticipation of its publication on the PRESTO and ETRA website, the guide can be downloaded until 17 February 2009 from this link. The Guide serves as basic material for the training programme, which is an integral part of PRESTO. The objective of the electric bicycle training is to raise awareness on electric bicycles, to stimulate and facilitate market penetration and to promote the use of electric bicycles. Key issues are potential user groups, the market, opportunities and the vehicle itself. The training is aimed at anybody who may have an interest in electric bicycles.
An Electric Boost
It began in China, where an estimated 120 million electric bicycles now hum along the roads, up from a few thousand in the 1990s. They are replacing traditional bikes and motorcycles at a rapid clip and, in many cases, allowing people to put off the switch to cars. In turn, the booming Chinese electric-bike industry is spurring worldwide interest and impressive sales in India, Europe and the United States. China is exporting many bikes, and Western manufacturers are also copying the Chinese trend to produce models of their own. From virtually nothing a decade ago, electric bikes have become an $11 billion global industry. In the Netherlands, a third of the money spent on bicycles last year went to electric-powered models. Industry experts predict similar growth elsewhere in Europe, especially in Germany, France and Italy, as rising interest in cycling coincides with an aging population. India had virtually no sales until two years ago, but its nascent market is fast expanding and could eclipse Europe's in the next year. While the American market has been modest — about 200,000 bikes sold last year, by some estimates — interest is rising. Read on in the New York Times here.


text:
The University of Plymouth is renowned for high quality, internationally-leading education, research and innovation. Founded in 1862 as the School of Navigation, the University of Plymouth is now the UK's 15th largest university. Plymouth was granted university status in 1992 the university is now home to almost 18,000 full time students.
The University of Plymouth consists of five faculties: Arts and Humanities, Business, Health and Human Sciences, Medicine and Dentistry, and Science and Engineering.
The university was placed second in the UK, and 86th globally in the 2018 Times Higher Education Young University Rankings and was the first university to be awarded the social enterprise mark. While more recently the university made it into the top 50 of UK universities in the 2022 Guardian Universtiy Guide.
The Old Dairy is just 5 minutes' walk from the university, while Frobisher House is a 7 minute walk.
Our awards.
All dedicated to you.
We're proud to have won some awards. But hopefully they mean something to you too. Because the National Student Housing Survey only recognises accommodation based on real student experiences. So the people voting are the ones who live with us. Which means you can pick your Host student home with confidence.


"Captain America: Civil War" is setting up for one of the biggest openings in box office history, and it may get some extra help from everyone's favorite web-slinger.
"Civil War," the next film in Disney's Marvel Cinematic Universe, opens Friday with Captain America fighting Iron Man alongside a cavalcade of heroes including, for the first time, Spider-Man.
The young wall crawler from Queens is one of the most popular characters in box office history bringing in $3.9 billion at the worldwide box office, according to comScore (SCOR).
However, up to this point the rights to the character belonged to Sony Pictures Entertainment, keeping him from joining Disney's Avengers.
That changed last year when Disney and Sony made a deal to share the rights and reboot the franchise with Tom Holland as the new Peter Parker.
Spider-Man's addition to Marvel Studios is a moment fans have been clamoring for, and that excitement could help boost "Civil War" ticket sales.
For example, in a Fandango poll of more than a 1,000 moviegoers who visited the "Civil War" ticket page, 87% said they are intrigued by Spider-Man's presence with other Marvel heroes.
And the first glimpse of Spider-Man in a March trailer of the film got a huge reaction online, helping it reach over 63 million views on YouTube.
"His presence can only help because the character is still counted among the most popular superheroes in all of comic book lore," said Shawn Robbins, senior analyst at Boxoffice.com. "The rule of thumb in any fan-driven movie genre or adaptation is that if the fans are happy, you're on the right track."
The introduction into the Marvel Universe is also a new start for our friendly neighborhood Spider-Man.
Will the addition of Spider-Man help boost the box office of Marvel's "Captain America: Civil War"?
The character has had a successful streak at the box office, but not with critics.
The last three Spider-Man films (2007's "Spider-Man 3," 2012's "The Amazing Spider-Man," and 2014's "The Amazing Spider-Man 2") brought in lackluster review scores of 63%, 73%, and 53% on review site Rotten Tomatoes.
So far reviews for Holland's performance have been stellar.
"Previous movies have had issues balancing the youthful banter and scientific confidence of the comic-book wallcrawler, but Holland nails the role in every aspect," wrote Brian Truitt, entertainment writer for USA Today.
This is good news for Disney and Sony who are partnering on next summer's "Spider-Man: Homecoming."
"Disney benefits from adding an iconic character to their library of Marvel films at just the right time in the narrative," Robbins added. "Sony gets to partake in that success now with proven creative talent breathing much-needed new life into a character that helped kick-start the current wave of superhero blockbusters."
Box office analysts have "Civil War" projected to haul in roughly $200 million domestically this weekend, and having Spider-Man doing whatever a spider can should help.
Yet, with or without him, the Marvel franchise -- and its roughly $9 billion worldwide box office -- doesn't exactly need saving.
"Spider-Man is a nice add-on," said Eric Handler, media and entertainment analyst for MKMPartners. "But given the success of The Avengers and Captain America films, 'Civil War' is perfectly capable of standing on its own."


Please use the map to search car rental stations in Leiderdorp. - You simply click your preferred car rental company in Leiderdorp on the map. - The car rental station map also shows you rent a car companies around your area in Leiderdorp.


text:
Automotive Gift Ideas: Pep Boys Is Celebrating Black Friday Early With These Great Deals
Check out the best Pep Boys Black Friday 2020 deals
By Lisa Conant November 16, 2020
Deposit Photos
The Drive and its partners may earn a commission if you purchase a product through one of our links. Read more.
With Black Friday fast approaching, many of us are starting to consider what Holiday 2020 will look like as far as shopping in stores versus online. If you're like many Americans, you may be concerned about heading out the stores for a Big Box Black Friday Bonanza.
If you're looking for gift ideas for the car geek in your life, you need a specialty retailer that has all the parts, tools, and automotive accessories you're looking for. And in 2020, that spot is the legendary Pep Boys.
Pep Boys has got you covered with amazing online deals on automotive gifts, many of which are better than its in-store offers. And you can browse all of the sales from the safety and comfort of your own home. You can even do it in your pajamas if you want; we won't tell.
Like a lot of retailers, Pep Boys isn't waiting until Black Friday to release its best deals of the year. Pep Boys has already started knocking down prices in big ways and will continue to do so throughout the entire month of November—and all the way through the holidays. We're seeing major markdowns on some of its top-selling products.
But there's no way we could list them all. Pep Boys is offering across-the-board Black Friday deals all month long, like 25 percent off car batteries, brake pads and rotors, and shocks and struts, and many more vehicle-specific parts and accessories than we can possibly list.
It should be noted that while many of these products are available for purchase online, you may need to go into your local Pep Boys store to pick them up—which should be fast and easy thanks to Pep Boys curbside pickup option.
So if you're looking for the best deals on automotive gifts for the car aficionado in your life, look no further than Manny, Moe, and Jack this Black Friday. (Editor's Note: Prices were valid at press time, but deals expire and prices can change. Check the Pep Boys website for the latest information.)
Slime Compact Pro Power Tire Inflator
This super-compact tire inflator packs a ton of power into a tiny package, making it the perfect gift for drivers of cars and light trucks. It's lightweight and super portable, and comes with a long 17-foot air extension hose that can easily reach all four tires on your vehicle. It plugs right into your car's 12-volt power outlet, so no need to worry about finding a 110v AC outlet when it's time to use it. The easy-to-read in-line dial gauge lets you accurately monitor tire pressure between 0-100 PSI. This powerful little unit can fully inflate most car tires in approximately six minutes. Its brightly colored green coiled air hose is 65 cm in length and comes equipped with a brass twist connector with a rubber-insulated cover.
You even get multipurpose adapters that allow you to quickly and efficiently inflate pool toys, rafts, sports balls, air mattresses, and much more. This is a great gift idea for anyone who spends a lot of time on the road—or poolside!
You Save: $11
Bell Deluxe Roadside Emergency Kit
It's that time of year when you definitely don't want a loved one stranded with a broken-down vehicle on the side of the road, so the Bell Automotive Products Deluxe Roadside Emergency Kit is a great gift idea. This premium emergency roadside kit comes complete with the tools necessary to get you through most roadside problems: a bright LED flashlight; three AAA batteries; two glow sticks; 8-foot jumper cables; a 2-in-1 screwdriver; slip-joint pliers; a 24-inch elastic tie-down; ten cable ties; duct tape; electrical tape; nitrile gloves; shop towel; jersey gloves; rain poncho; hi-viz safety vest; "Help" sign; space blanket; and a 35-piece first aid kit.
All of this is housed compactly and conveniently in a durable carrying and storage bag that includes an integrated reflective warning triangle for extra road safety and visibility.
Yada Wireless Backup Camera with 4.3" Monitor
Score one of the best deals—and the most desired gifts—of the year with the Yada Digital Wireless Backup Camera with 4.3" Monitor. This well-built camera is specifically designed to help reduce blind spots, ensuring a safer ride for you and your loved ones. It offers the ease and security of quickly and accurately viewing what is behind your vehicle while in reverse. The digital wireless signal provides you with a private, no-interference connection to the large 4.3-inch monitor that can be mounted almost anywhere inside your vehicle, thanks to its strong suction cup mount. The camera features a wide-angle lens with an IP67 waterproof rating. It's easy to mount and install over your license plate and comes equipped with handy night vision capability. All this also comes with free access to Yada's technical support hotline.
This high-tech gadget is sure to be a big hit under the tree.
Armor All Truck Floor Mat
It's always a good idea to invest in some heavy-duty rubber floor mats to protect your vehicle's clean carpet and interior from unsightly mud stains, water damage, and degradation due to harsh salt and ice melters. That's why we love these Armor All Truck Floor Mats. They're made from premium-grade, ultra-durable rubber and feature deep tread patterns to draw mud and water away from your shoes and hold it securely in the deep trays of the mats. Specially designed reinforced raised heel pads give an added layer of protection and durability to these well-made mats. The advanced trim design is specifically sized to fit trucks, including Ford, GMC, Chevy, Dodge RAM, and more.
This comprehensive set of mats even comes with a smartly-designed one-piece rear mat that protects the entirety of your truck's back seat, or it can be cut to become individual floor mats. How clever is that? It's an ideal gift for the hard worker in your life.
Black Magic Chrome Wheel Cleaner
Black Friday sales really do encompass a lot of products across the board, like this Black Magic Chrome Wheel Cleaner, which is being sold as a BOGO promotion by Pep Boys this November. This powerful mixture allows you to quickly and easily remove some of the toughest grime, such as brake dust and tar residue, from your wheels, leaving them with a mirror-like finish that looks brand new. This is the top tire and wheel care brand at Pep Boys for a reason; it comes highly reviewed by users and is safe for all chrome wheels.
This is a great stocking stuffer for any automotive enthusiast—because you also get one for yourself!
Regular Price: $6.99 per bottle
Sale Price: Buy one, get one 1/2 off
You Save: 50 percent on one bottle
Torin Big Red 3.5 Ton Garage Jack
Save big on the Torin Big Red 3.5 Ton Garage Jack this November. It's the perfect gift for any garage rat or gearhead who spends a lot of time tinkering with machines in the shop. This professional-level car jack is a great option for jacking up low-profile vehicles, thanks to its well-thought-out design. It slides easily and safely under almost any vehicle and boasts a 7,000-pound lifting capacity and a lift range of 3-7/8 to 21-1/16-inches, making it a very versatile choice. Its heavy-duty all-steel construction ensures that this jack is strong enough to be put to the test and won't fail when you least expect it. It also features over-pump bypass protection and a sealed hydraulic unit for the ultimate in functionality and reliability.
While this jack is heavy and super stable, it's fairly easy to move around your shop thanks to its smooth rolling, full-swivel, heavy-duty castor wheels. This jack will provide reliable and durable use around your garage for years to come.
Gearhead 14-Piece 1/4" SAE Drive Socket & Ratchet Handle Set
What car geek doesn't want to find a new set of auto-focused hand tools under the tree? Pep Boys delivers by offering upwards of 25 percent of select tool and socket sets, like the Gearhead 14-Piece 1/4" SAE Drive Socket & Ratchet Handle Set. GearHead is a well-known and respected brand name in the automotive tool industry and has been manufacturing high-quality and dependable tools for years. These tools are built from premium materials, meet or exceed all ANSI standards, and are designed to offer a lifetime of reliable use. They're even backed by a lifetime guarantee.
This socket set includes a 1/4-inch drive universal joint, a 1/4-inch drive ratchet handle, a 3-inch extension bar, and 11 sockets in various sizes, and a handy plastic rack for keeping it all organized, making it a well-rounded and versatile socket set that's a great gift.
You Save: 25 percent
Schumacher 100A, 6V/12V Fully Automatic Battery Charger
It's always a good idea to invest in a reliable, and portable battery charger to add to your emergency preparedness kit, and with the Schumacher 100A, 6V/12V Fully Automatic Battery Charger being significantly marked down in price for major pre-Black Friday savings, it's an ideal choice. This 100-amp 6/12-volt fully automatic charger is powerful enough to start cars, trucks, SUVs, recreational vehicles, and more from the dead. It comes equipped with a battery and alternator tester that shows you charge levels and allows you to diagnose other electrical issues as well.
This unit is super-portable and light enough to take anywhere and comes with a convenient carrying handle for easy transport. It features an easy-to-read digital display and multi-stage charging for added safety, precision, and battery life. It's the perfect gift for anyone with a garage full of off-road toys, jet skis, or even golf carts.
Best Floor Mats: Protect Your Car's Carpet In Style
Choose a set of quality floor mats to protect your interior and enhance aesthetics
Best Wheel Cleaners: Give Your Car a Showroom Look
Spritz and rinse your wheels to make them shine with these top wheel cleaners.
Best Solar Car Battery Chargers: Keep Your Battery Charged Anywhere
The best solar chargers that can handle any car battery
Best Backup Cameras: See What's Behind You While Backing Up
Increase your rear view with these top backup cameras
Best Car Battery Testers: Check Your Cranking Power
If you're wondering what's going on with your battery, these top car battery testers will give you answers
Other 'Engine & Performance' Reviews You Might Like:
Crate Engines Engine Hoists Brake Caliper Grease Best Spark Plugs Boost Gauge Alternators Truck Muffler Header Wraps Best Fuel Pressure Tester Motors Blow Off Valve Brake Calipers Glasspack Mufflers Ignition Coils Sway Bar Bushings O2 Sensors Engine Air Filters Transmission Coolers Serpentine Belts Air Filters for Cars Mufflers


Kyle Bursaw – kbursaw@shawmedia.com Members of the DeKalb Fire Department talk by a building on Pleasant Street in DeKalb, long known as the Wurlitzer Company, where a portion of the building collapsed on Sunday, May 20, 2012.
Kyle Bursaw – kbursaw@shawmedia.com Hinckley-Big Rock graduating seniors Kris Beitel (center) and Cory Bradburn play with their tassels as Kim Halverson delivers some last words to the group as they wait in line before the ceremony on Sunday, May 20, 2012.
Kyle Bursaw – kbursaw@shawmedia.com J.D. Oeters glances out the window in the library where the graduating Hinckley-Big Rock were getting ready for the ceremony on Sunday, May 20, 2012.
Kyle Bursaw – kbursaw@shawmedia.com A man in the crowd records a vocal duet by graduating seniors Rachel Phillips and Josie Kossman during the Hinckley-Big Rock commencement on Sunday, May 20, 2012.
Kyle Bursaw – kbursaw@shawmedia.com Rachel Phillips gives a high five to Jimmy Raymond as the graduating Hinckley-Big Rock seniors are asked to begin to line up for the ceremony on Sunday, May 20, 2012.
Kyle Bursaw – kbursaw@shawmedia.com Hinckley-Big Rock senior Roman Hartman uses the program as a fan to cool off during the commencement ceremony on Sunday, May 20, 2012.
Kyle Bursaw – kbursaw@shawmedia.com Calogero Catalanotto (from left), Alyssa Cowan, Alyssa Dahlman, Brandon Dillenback and Megan Hamm chat while lined up and waiting for the Hinckley-Big Rock graduation to begin on Sunday, May 20, 2012.
Kyle Bursaw – kbursaw@shawmedia.com Valedictorian Kaitlin Phillips gives some parting words to the Hinckley-Big Rock class of 2012 on Sunday, May 20, 2012.
Rob Winner – rwinner@shawmedia.com Ashley Green (from left to right), Mary Edwards and Kristina Kramlich pose for a photograph before their nursing pinning ceremony at Kishwaukee College in Malta Saturday morning.
Rob Winner – rwinner@shawmedia.com Nursing student Stacey Opiela (left) allows Jennifer Aversano to sign a card on her back for Sylvia Baker (not pictured) before their pinning ceremony at Kishwaukee College in Malta Saturday morning.
Rob Winner – rwinner@shawmedia.com Students LaSaundra Chandler (left) and Lisa Carter applaud for their instructors before receiving their nursing pins during a pinning ceremony at Kishwaukee College in Malta Saturday morning.
Rob Winner – rwinner@shawmedia.com Nursing student Garrett Burton (right) presents director of nursing Heather Peters with a plaque before his student address during a pinning ceremony at Kishwaukee College in Malta Saturday morning.
Rob Winner – rwinner@shawmedia.com Lisa Anger (right) receives her nursing pin from her mentor Sue Allen during a pinning ceremony at Kishwaukee College in Malta Saturday morning.
Rob Winner – rwinner@shawmedia.com Director of nursing Heather Peters (left) pins nursing graduate Amie Bemis during a pinning ceremony at Kishwaukee College in Malta Saturday morning.
Rob Winner – rwinner@shawmedia.com Quincy Kimble anxiously awaits his turn to receive his nursing pin during a pinning ceremony at Kishwaukee College in Malta Saturday morning.
Kyle Bursaw – kbursaw@shawmedia.com Severals trees at Sandwich High School have toilet paper hanging from the branches before the graduation ceremony there on Sunday, May 20, 2012.
Rob Winner – rwinner@shawmedia.com Nursing graduate Sherry Wisdom watches her fellow classmates receive their nursing pin during a pinning ceremony at Kishwaukee College in Malta Saturday morning.
Rob Winner – rwinner@shawmedia.com After receiving her nursing pin, Claire Perkovich (right) is hugged by pediatrics instructor Susan Hudson during a pinning ceremony at Kishwaukee College in Malta Saturday morning.
Kyle Bursaw – kbursaw@shawmedia.com Jason Kellmer was one of several Sandwich High School grads in the Tri-M music honor society to earn a second tassel, seen on the left. Sunday, May 20, 2012.
Kyle Bursaw – kbursaw@shawmedia.com Caitlyn Jennings helps her twin brother A.J. Jennings with his cap before the Sandwich High School graduation on Sunday, May 20, 2012.
Kyle Bursaw – kbursaw@shawmedia.com Hannah Prucha (right) takes a group picture of some of her fellow graduating seniors before the Sandwich High School graduation ceremony on Sunday, May 20, 2012.
Kyle Bursaw – kbursaw@shawmedia.com Gail Rogers combs her hair after putting on her cap before the Sandwich High School graduation ceremony on Sunday, May 20, 2012.
Kyle Bursaw – kbursaw@shawmedia.com Robbin Stuckert, the presiding judge of the DeKalb County Drug/DUI Court, talks about the program at DeKalb County Board Report on the DeKalb County Drug/DUI Court in Sycamore, Ill. on Monday, May 21, 2012.
Kyle Bursaw – kbursaw@shawmedia.com Tara King, a DeKalb County Drug/DUI court graduate and president of its C.L.E.A.N. Slate Alumni Program, watches the proceedings at a DeKalb County Board Report on the DeKalb County Drug/DUI Court in Sycamore, Ill. on Monday, May 21, 2012. Multiple graduates came out to the meeting to show their support.
Kyle Bursaw – kbursaw@shawmedia.com Dr. Marilyn Stromborg, coordinator of the DeKalb County Drug/DUI Court, shows the DeKalb County Board and those attending statistics about the program during a meeting in Sycamore, Ill. on Monday, May 21, 2012.
Kyle Bursaw – kbursaw@shawmedia.com Chef Alex Smith reaches for a utensil while helping Mikala Busch, 13, make 'monster cookies' on Tuesday, May 8, 2012. On Tuesday nights prior to meals, Smith leads a program called 'Baking with Chef Alex' where groups come and learn about working in the kitchen while helping produce baked goods for the meals.
Kyle Bursaw – kbursaw@shawmedia.com Chef Alex Smith, of Feed'em Soup (right), works with the Busch family including Todd (from left), Emma, 9, and Dawn to bake 300 'monster cookies' on Tuesday, May 8, 2012 to be served at the Feed'em Soup meal the next day. On Tuesday nights prior to meals, Smith leads a program called 'Baking with Chef Alex' where groups come and learn about working in the kitchen while helping produce baked goods for the meals.
Kyle Bursaw – kbursaw@shawmedia.com Roommates Brandi Gordon and Brandee Ross (right) react as Ross arrives on the scene of a fire that started in a neighboring apartment in their building at 1057 Ridge Road in DeKalb, Ill. on Monday, May 21, 2012.
Kyle Bursaw – kbursaw@shawmedia.com DeKalb firefighters work to open up a hole in the roof of 1057 Ridge Drive in DeKalb, Ill. to extinguish a fire on Monday, May 21, 2012.
Kyle Bursaw – kbursaw@shawmedia.com Todd Busch (in Feed'em Soup shirt) helps his daughter Tessa, 4, mix up the ingredients for 'monster cookies' on Tuesday, May 8, 2012 to be served at the Feed'em Soup meal the next day. On Tuesday nights prior to meals, Smith leads a program called 'Baking with Chef Alex' where groups come and learn about working in the kitchen while helping produce baked goods for the meals.
Kyle Bursaw – kbursaw@shawmedia.com DeKalb firefighters spray at the roof of 1057 Ridge Drive in DeKalb, Ill. to extinguish a fire on Monday, May 21, 2012.
Rob Winner – rwinner@shawmedia.com Tip Top Roofing and Construction owner Kapu Aluli (second from right) talks with former employee Mark Simmons as Aluli's softball team bats during a game at Katz Park in DeKalb Thursday, May 10, 2012.
Rob Winner – rwinner@shawmedia.com Tip Top Roofing employee Jeremy Jacobs cheers for a play on the field as the Tip Top Roofing softball team plays a game at Katz Park in DeKalb Thursday, May 10, 2012.
Rob Winner – rwinner@shawmedia.com Tip Top Roofing and Construction owner Kapu Aluli heads off the field during a company softball game at Katz Park in DeKalb Thursday, May 10, 2012.
Rob Winner – rwinner@shawmedia.com The old Cortland Elementary School building as seen on Wednesday, May 23, 2012.
Kyle Bursaw – kbursaw@shawmedia.com Ruth Anne Tobias, chair of the Ad Hoc Courthouse Committee, looks at the pieces installed in what will be the new the high traffic courtroom in the expansion of the DeKalb County Courthouse on Wednesday, May 23, 2012.
Kyle Bursaw – kbursaw@shawmedia.com Larry Anderson (from left) Julia Fauci and Ruth Anne Tobias, all of the Ad Hoc Courthouse Committee, walk through the construction area on the first floor of the expansion to the DeKalb County Courthouse on Wednesday, May 23, 2012.
Rob Winner – rwinner@shawmedia.com Ben Rydecki, winner of the 2012 DeKalb County Spelling Bee, practices spelling words read by his mother, Carole, at their Somonauk home on Friday evening.
Rob Winner – rwinner@shawmedia.com Ben Rydecki, winner of the 2012 DeKalb County Spelling Bee, practices spelling words on his computer at his family's Somonauk home on Friday evening.
Rob Winner – rwinner@shawmedia.com Carole Rydecki uses a list of words to test her son, Ben Rydecki, at their home in Somonauk on Friday evening.
Rob Winner – rwinner@shawmedia.com (From left to right) Sycamore resident Leslie Jacox and her daughter Brianna, 13, speak with Emily Barrile, a representative of the DeKalb County American Red Cross, during the Care or Be Square Youth & Family Volunteer Fair at the DeKalb County Community Outreach building Thursday evening. Brianna felt the need to get involved with volunteering and decided to attend the fair to get some information on how to help. Thursday, May 24, 2012 DeKalb, Ill.
Rob Winner – rwinner@shawmedia.com DeKalb Park District employee Jeff Zweifel makes repairs to the top deck of the large water slide inside the pool area at Hopkins Park Tuesday afternoon.
Rob Winner – rwinner@shawmedia.com DeKalb Park District employees Brad Garrison (left) and Todd Bex discuss the installation of a new water slide for the children's pool area at Hopkins Park Tuesday afternoon.
Kyle Bursaw – kbursaw@shawmedia.com DeKalb players watch the final minutes of their season from the sidelines with Sycamore up 2-0 in the Class 2A DeKalb Regional final on Friday, May 18, 2012.
Kyle Bursaw – kbursaw@shawmedia.com Sycamore's Katherine Kohler (right) takes a shot around DeKalb's Alli Smith during the Class 2A DeKalb Regional final on Friday, May 18, 2012. Sycamore beat DeKalb 2-0.
Robbin Stuckert, the presiding judge of the DeKalb County Drug/DUI Court, talks about the program at DeKalb County Board Report on the DeKalb County Drug/DUI Court in Sycamore, Ill. on Monday, May 21, 2012.


My grandson Josh visited us over the past few days, and we had a good time together. We went to the "Cave Without A Name" to hear a concert on his first evening here, one of several unique experiences that we were able to enjoy while he was here. The pictures below show some of the highlights of his visit.
Yet, what he may remember most are the homelier aspects of his visit: Picking a ripe prickly pear cactus fruit (and picking out the fine little stickers from his hand for another day;) delicious watermelon every evening; or whipping me in two out of three closely fought chess matches. He was the champion!
Cave Without a Name, San Antonio, San Jose Mission. Bookmark.


Since my back was broken in the fall at fifteen years of age, I have had almost twenty years of intense pain. Operations, grafts, casts, hardware, braces, physio…I have endured pain that I never would have imagined. I lead a ridiculously full life in spite of it all. At fifteen, I had a hip graft and Harstshill rectangle wired in. The next year, the hardware was taken out as it had slipped out of place. At seventeen, I had operations to save my life, as my spine had collapsed, crushing my stomach, heart and lungs. At twenty, I had surgery to remove the rods screwed alongside my spine. Nobody knew how I would cope or be able to hold myself up without them.
I had further surgeries to shrink the three remaining discs after they bulged out. I went through pregnancy with metal filings and chunks of bone lodged in my spinal canal (too risky to remove), and a spine made out of old hip and rib grafts, fused from the thoracic region down. I would have endured hell itself to have this child. I went to the physio department of my local hospital regularly, and did hydrotherapy daily. Some days, the pain was disabling, and I was in a wheelchair toward the end of my pregnancy. I developed gestational diabetes and had to inject insulin, and when I went into labour, my sugar levels were uncontrolled. The obstetrician couldn't risk a general anaesthetic, and we had to chance administering a spinal anaesthetic. I was warned that there was a risk I could be permanently paralysed, and they only had one opportunity to get it in place. I breathed deeply and didn't move an inch, and it worked!
The report above was tabled almost five years ago. Things have gotten worse. Being in early menopause has made the pain more intense and my bones more fragile. An attempted murder half a lifetime ago, and I deal with the aftermath daily. I can handle the pain, but what hurts is not being able to go horse riding with my daughter, nor skating, nor cycling. If I fell over, the damage would be catastrophic. How do I cope, and what have I learnt? I will tell you in my next blog piece.


As someone who has bought many products over the last few years I thought I would review this product as I have never found anything like it before.
The product Vintage Blueprint Cash Bonanza by Stuart Turnbull & Bart Hennin is like no other product I have come across on the open market.
I am amazed by the attention to the detail that has gone into this publication.
I am sure many reading this have bought products only to find they are as confused in the beginning as they were when they read about the product. If you are one of those then stand by to be amazed.
I suppose I have got used to paying for products that are not always as complete as I would like them to be. Especially those that recommend free programs to be used but don't go on to explain how to use them.
Imagine my surprise as I went through Vintage Blueprints Cash Bonanza and not only found some programs that were recommended to improve what was being done they also included videos on using the programs mentioned.
There is always the possibility that you have used the programs mentioned before and therefore do not need this instructional video but I had not used any of the programs that were mentioned and so I found the videos extremely useful.
After reading through the product and watching the videos just once I felt thoroughly at home trying to follow the guidance given. I am sure I could set up my own business within 24 hours.
To me this is a no brainer. There are plenty of guides out there that say they will take you through everything you need to know, or they will take you by the hand and lead you, and then fall well short when it comes to following the advice given.
Vintage Blueprints Cash Bonanza actually does give you all the information you need to know to start building a very good business. They explain where you need to go to get the initial information. They go on to tell you why and how to amend that information, explaining as they go (with video's) how to use the same programs as they do.
They explain how you go about setting up your sales page and all the information you need in between.
This program takes you by the hand and leads you to the land of making money with very little effort on your part. I would say without hesitation that if you fail after following all the advice given then you are never going to make money on the internet.
To Stuart & Bart I say a tremendous thank you for producing this product and starting me on the road to financial freedom.


text:
Q: pyspark: org.apache.spark.SparkException: Failed to execute user defined function($anonfun$11: (vector) => vector) both of the train data and the test data have 52 features ,,have the same dimension. The way of extracting features are the same. The program has no syntax errors. When I added a random sampling of negative samples, the error occurred.
17/10/02 10:28:23 ERROR HiveMetaStore: Failed to delete table directory: file:/E:/tianchi_taobao/tianchi2/spark-warehouse/re Got exception: org.apache.hadoop.hive.metastore.api.MetaException Unable to delete directory: file:/E:/tianchi_taobao/tianchi2/spark-warehouse/re
Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "E:/tianchi_taobao/tianchi2/test4.py", line 256, in <module>
    spark.sql("create table re as SELECT user_id,item_id FROM result WHERE prediction>0 ")
  File "D:\Anaconda3\lib\site-packages\pyspark\sql\context.py", line 360, in sql
    return self.sparkSession.sql(sqlQuery)
  File "D:\Anaconda3\lib\site-packages\pyspark\sql\session.py", line 543, in sql
    return DataFrame(self._jsparkSession.sql(sqlQuery), self._wrapped)
  File "D:\spark-2.0.2-bin-hadoop2.7\python\lib\py4j-0.10.3-src.zip\py4j\java_gateway.py", line 1133, in __call__
  File "D:\Anaconda3\lib\site-packages\pyspark\sql\utils.py", line 63, in deco
    return f(*a, **kw)
  File "D:\spark-2.0.2-bin-hadoop2.7\python\lib\py4j-0.10.3-src.zip\py4j\protocol.py", line 319, in get_return_value
py4j.protocol.Py4JJavaError: An error occurred while calling o24.sql.
: org.apache.spark.SparkException: Job aborted due to stage failure: Task 4 in stage 25.0 failed 1 times, most recent failure: Lost task 4.0 in stage 25.0 (TID 3881, localhost): org.apache.spark.SparkException: Failed to execute user defined function($anonfun$11: (vector) => vector)
    at org.apache.spark.sql.catalyst.expressions.GeneratedClass$GeneratedIterator.processNext(Unknown Source)
    at org.apache.spark.sql.execution.BufferedRowIterator.hasNext(BufferedRowIterator.java:43)
    at org.apache.spark.sql.execution.WholeStageCodegenExec$$anonfun$8$$anon$1.hasNext(WholeStageCodegenExec.scala:370)
    at scala.collection.Iterator$class.foreach(Iterator.scala:893)
    at org.apache.spark.sql.execution.WholeStageCodegenExec$$anonfun$8$$anon$1.foreach(WholeStageCodegenExec.scala:368)
    at org.apache.spark.sql.hive.SparkHiveWriterContainer.writeToFile(hiveWriterContainers.scala:185)
    at org.apache.spark.sql.hive.execution.InsertIntoHiveTable$$anonfun$saveAsHiveFile$3.apply(InsertIntoHiveTable.scala:131)
    at org.apache.spark.sql.hive.execution.InsertIntoHiveTable$$anonfun$saveAsHiveFile$3.apply(InsertIntoHiveTable.scala:131)
    at org.apache.spark.scheduler.ResultTask.runTask(ResultTask.scala:70)
    at org.apache.spark.scheduler.Task.run(Task.scala:86)
    at org.apache.spark.executor.Executor$TaskRunner.run(Executor.scala:274)
    at java.util.concurrent.ThreadPoolExecutor.runWorker(ThreadPoolExecutor.java:1142)
    at java.util.concurrent.ThreadPoolExecutor$Worker.run(ThreadPoolExecutor.java:617)
    at java.lang.Thread.run(Thread.java:745)
Caused by: java.util.NoSuchElementException: key not found: 0.006578947368421052
    at scala.collection.MapLike$class.default(MapLike.scala:228)
    at scala.collection.AbstractMap.default(Map.scala:59)
    at scala.collection.MapLike$class.apply(MapLike.scala:141)
    at scala.collection.AbstractMap.apply(Map.scala:59)
    at org.apache.spark.ml.feature.VectorIndexerModel$$anonfun$10$$anonfun$apply$4.apply(VectorIndexer.scala:324)
    at org.apache.spark.ml.feature.VectorIndexerModel$$anonfun$10$$anonfun$apply$4.apply(VectorIndexer.scala:323)
    at scala.collection.immutable.Map$Map2.foreach(Map.scala:137)
    at org.apache.spark.ml.feature.VectorIndexerModel$$anonfun$10.apply(VectorIndexer.scala:323)
    at org.apache.spark.ml.feature.VectorIndexerModel$$anonfun$10.apply(VectorIndexer.scala:317)
    at org.apache.spark.ml.feature.VectorIndexerModel$$anonfun$11.apply(VectorIndexer.scala:362)
    at org.apache.spark.ml.feature.VectorIndexerModel$$anonfun$11.apply(VectorIndexer.scala:362)
    ... 14 more

A: I don't know in details your features so I will assume that you have 52 separate columns and that your are using a VectorAssemlber to merge them.
First of all, check that you can assemble all of your features. If you have vectors and primitive features, you can't merge them.
Then check if you have some Indexer (StringIndexer or VectorIndexer) between your features. If positive, pay attention that in the training and test sets all the possible cases are available: maybe you have positive/negative labels only in the test set.
This question could potentially be a duplicate of this answer.