text:
Justice promotes grand bargain on teacher pay and natural gas drilling
Steve Rotsch/Governor's Office
Gov. Jim Justice
By Brad McElhinny in News | February 26, 2018 at 1:15PM
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Gov. Jim Justice, who has EQT board member Bray Cary as a volunteer on his staff, today promoted a grand bargain on natural gas drilling and teacher pay — frustrating several participants on the gas issue.
During three stops around West Virginia, Justice urged that a co-tenancy drilling bill be killed in the state Senate so that it — plus another drilling policy known as joint development — may be brought up in special session.
The governor then suggested that both issues would be intertwined with the pay and health care issues that have caused thousands of West Virginia educators to walk out of schools and rally at the Capitol.
Justice said the severance tax could be raised to provide more revenue for teacher pay and healthcare.
The governor's proposals, which were first made at a town hall appearance in Wheeling, frustrated delegates who have been involved with the co-tenancy bill as well as segments of the natural gas industry and the royalties and land organizations that have been shepherding the bill.
Several of them pointed fingers at EQT, which did not immediately respond to the criticism.
"I'm pretty disappointed about the whole thing," said Delegate John Kelly, R-Wood, vice chairman of the House Energy Committee.
"Joint development is a program that has no chance of passage in the House of Delegates. It's failed every year since I've been here and I believe it's going to continue to fail. It's a taking and right now there's only one company in the state of West Virginia — that I'm aware of — that even wants a joint development law passed.
"The other companies, this law actually goes against their current business practices."
An organization called Shale Energy Alliance has been using targeted social media ads for the past week to suggest drilling legislation could be the path toward raises and stable health care for teachers.
The campaign seems to be aimed at generating teacher support and aiming it at lawmakers.
The governor, today in Wheeling, echoed those comments. The governor's official Twitter account also put out the message.
MORE: Justice tells Wheeling area teachers 'you need to be back in classrooms'
I will call us into special session to find a way out through co-tenancy and joint development and the mineral rights people … you've got to find a way that satisfies everybody and raises the severance tax on gas. #wvgov
— Governor Jim Justice (@WVGovernor) February 26, 2018
I am the guy that said let's tier the severance tax on coal and natural gas at the State of the State a year ago. #wvgov
You have two trump cards. You've got co-tenancy and joint development. I'm telling you point blank, where you can help, don't let co-tenancy pass. Make us go to a special session on gas. #wvgov
If co-tenancy does not pass the Senate … I will call for a special session. #wvgov
Bray Cary
Controversy swirled in December over revelations that Cary, an EQT board member since 2008, had been serving as a volunteer in the governor's office, focusing on communications and some policy issues.
EQT's corporate governance policy says it is the duty of the board of directors to serve as a fiduciary of the company.
Cary bought several rounds of shares of EQT stock over the latter part of last year. The largest was a purchase in June of 22,627 shares valued at $1,209,186.
"It makes me wonder," Delegate Kelly said.
Co-tenancy, which passed the House of Delegates and now is in Senate Judiciary, requires at least 75 percent of rights holders on a single piece of property to OK drilling. Advocates say it's a way to allow the majority to go ahead if a few holdouts don't want drilling or can't be located.
Joint development would allow an operator that already has old leases, signed before modern shale drilling began, to combine into a single drilling unit. It's significantly more controversial.
Bills dealing with natural gas drilling and property rights have fallen apart many times over the years, either failing to balance the rights of the various players or being weighed down by a variety of inter-related issues.
Governor Justice earlier this year brought together executives from the big natural gas drilling companies, as well as representatives from the land and royalties groups. They, along with delegates, decided to move forward with co-tenancy on its own.
Tom Huber
Tom Huber, president of the West Virginia Royalty Owners Association, said the governor's proposal on natural gas doesn't stand a chance of helping teachers.
"It's unfortunate the governor would try to manipulate teachers into going home with a false promise of forced pooling for a severance tax," Huber said.
"Let's call joint development what it is — it's forced pooling," Huber said. "Co-tenancy is a carefully negotiated bill to try to resolve disputes between mineral owners in the same tract. It's kind of sad that he would try to trick the teachers like this."
Huber said the governor's position, combined with Cary's presence in the office, looks funny.
"Obviously we, as the Royalty Owners Association, feel it is highly inappropriate to have someone who is on the board and collecting the salary of a major out-of-state corporation in the governor's office, advising him on these issues," Huber said. "There's got to be something wrong with that, ethically or legally."
Jason Webb
Also critical of the governor's call for a special session on drilling issues was Jason Webb, a lobbyist who represents the West Virginia Land and Mineral Owners Association.
"The WV Land & Mineral Owners Association has real concerns about a bundled bill. We believe that the Governor should sign the co-tenancy bill to help move our state forward," Webb said
"If he wants to address joint development for EQT in a special session then we will be at the table to protect mineral owners interests."
A spokeswoman for EQT didn't immediately respond to an invitation to comment on this story.
Dwayne O'Dell
The West Virginia Farm Bureau, which has been a part of negotiations on drilling issues, also was critical of the governor.
"This is an effort to really submarine a lot of really good legislation," said Dwyane O'Dell, the director of government affairs for the Farm Bureau.
"A lot of hard work has been done with agreement with most of the industry. This idea of joint development is a special carve out for one company, that company being EQT."
O'Dell also argued, more generally, against raising the severance tax on natural gas.
"If he chooses to raise the severance tax, in many ways he would put West Virginia in a less competitive situation," O'Dell said.
David McMahon
The West Virginia Surface Owners Rights Organization is also frustrated by the governor's comments, said David McMahon, a lawyer who represents the group.
"We are deeply disappointed that the governor would try to tie joint development and co-tenancy to any other issues," McMahon said. "Co-tenancy has been a four-year battle. It's now got something that everybody can live with and is only very, very indirectly related to the severance taxes and those other issues.
"Joint development, lease integration — whatever they're calling it this time — we call it the invisible ink bill. This is clearly an EQT move."
Phil Reale
The Independent Oil and Gas Association of West Virginia was very surprised by the governor's comments, said Phil Reale, a lobbyist for the group. He said after years of negotiation, there is finally consensus among groups dealing with co-tenancy.
Reale described co-tenancy as a way to make West Virginia more competitive with Pennsylvania and Ohio.
"Increasing the severance tax — when West Virginia's severance tax is already higher than Ohio and there is none in Pennsylvania — would only make us less competitive, less attractive to those who have large opportunities in West Virginia."
Those who deal with natural gas issues were caught by surprise by the governor's announcement, Reale said.
"Frankly, it's a little bit disappointing that we're here at the 11th hour when we're about to have a progessive piece of legislation, embraced by every stakeholder with full consensus, to have this sort of a problem inserted into the mix, where he believes there ought to be something else other than has been developed."
Anne Blankenship
The West Virginia Oil and Natural Gas Association put out a statement of concern about Justice's remarks.
"WVONGA is very concerned with the Governor's statements regarding a severance tax increase and a possible veto of House Bill 4268, the cotenancy bill," stated Anne Blankenship, the organization's director.
"Great progress has been made by stakeholders on this cotenancy bill to ensure that investment in West Virginia by the oil and gas industry continues to boost the state's economy and create family-sustaining jobs that support schools and teachers. His plans to disrupt that progress will only hurt all of us, including our teachers, by keeping West Virginia's laws uncompetitive and discouraging development in this state."
The gas companies want two things from you — co-tenancy and joint development … I said to them, I won't be a proponent of co-tenancy or joint development to help you without raising your severance tax. You know what they said? "We're OK with that." #wvgov
Democrats in the House argued against the co-tenancy bill, arguing that the rights of minority rights holders were being trampled.
Isaac Sponaugle
They're no more likely to support the bill in a special session, especially if joint development is added in, suggested Delegate Isaac Sponaugle, D-Pendleton.
"I didn't know the Republicans were in the business of stealing both property rights and raising taxes for a special session but apparently that's their game plan going forward," Sponaugle said.
"I can only speak for myself — our caucus hasn't met on it — in regards to severance tax, but I do believe that should be raised. But I don't believe you should be stealing people's property rights as a way so oil and gas will lay down when you go to raise the severance tax."
Joint development stands no chance of passing the House of Delegates, even if intertwined with co-tenancy and educator pay and healthcare issues, said Delegate Bill Anderson, R-Wood and chairman of the House Energy Committee.
"In my judgement lease integration will not pass the House of Delegates. We tried that three years ago in House Bill 2688, which failed," Anderson said.
Anderson said the lesson of the past has been dealing with the drilling issues independently.
"Co-tenancy has the horsepower to pass this year," Anderson said.
Anderson declined to criticize Justice, though.
"The governor's going to have to make his judgments about how he runs his office," Anderson said.
"I believe we have a bill in the House now that would require people that are employed in the government, even on a volunteer basis, not receiving pay, to have to file the same ethics forms that all members of the Legislature and elected and appointed officials do that are receiving compensation. I believe that bill should pass."
Brad McElhinny
brad.mcelhinny@wvmetronews.com
@BradMcElhinny
Brad McElhinny is the statewide correspondent for MetroNews. Brad is a Parkersburg native who spent more than 20 years at the Charleston Daily Mail.Contact him at brad.mcelhinny@wvmetronews.com or on Twitter @BradMcElhinny


TEANECK, N.J., March 7, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Cognizant Technology Solutions Corporation (Nasdaq: CTSH), today announced that it has entered into accelerated share repurchase ("ASR") agreements with HSBC Bank USA, National Association and Societe Generale to repurchase an aggregate of $600 million of Cognizant's Class A common stock. The ASR announced today is part of the Company's previously announced capital return plan to utilize approximately 50% of its global free cash flow(1) on an annual basis for share repurchases and dividends.
Under the terms of the ASR agreements, approximately 7.1 million of the shares to be repurchased will be received by Cognizant on March 7, 2019. The final number of shares to be repurchased will be based on the volume-weighted average stock price of Cognizant's Class A common stock less a discount and subject to potential adjustments pursuant to the terms of the ASR agreements. Cognizant will fund the ASR program on March 7, 2019 from cash on hand.
(1) Free cash flow is not a measurement of financial performance prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles and is defined as cash flows from operating activities net of purchases of property and equipment. Refer to our most recent Annual Report on Form 10K for more information.


We tend not to realize how much we rely on our joints—especially our knees—when doing even the simplest of tasks. When a knee has been injured or develops a medical condition, the resulting pain and discomfort can make it difficult to live life normally. In such cases, an orthopedic surgeon may recommend a total knee replacement.
At Banner CORE Center for Orthopedics in Phoenix, AZ, our expert surgeons can help you diagnose your knee's condition as well as correct the damage with a total knee replacement.
The knee is the largest joint in the body. Your knee helps you perform most everyday activities. The knee is made up of the lower end of the thighbone (femur), which rotates on the upper end of the shin bone (tibia), and the kneecap (patella), which slides in a groove on the end of the femur. Large ligaments attach to the femur and tibia to provide stability. The long thigh muscles give the knee strength.
The joint surfaces where these three bones touch are covered with articular cartilage, which is a smooth substance that cushions the bones and helps them move easily.
All other surfaces of the knee are covered by a thin, smooth tissue liner called the synovial membrane. This membrane releases a special fluid that lubricates the knee, reducing friction to nearly zero in a healthy knee.
Normally, all of these parts work in harmony. But disease or injury can disrupt this harmony, resulting in pain, muscle weakness, and reduced function.
The most common cause of chronic knee pain and disability is arthritis. Osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis and traumatic arthritis are the most common forms of this disease.
Osteoarthritis usually occurs in people age 50 and older and often in individuals with a family history of arthritis. The cartilage that cushions the knee bones softens and wears away. The bones then rub against one another causing knee pain and stiffness.
Rheumatoid arthritis is a disease where the synovial membrane becomes thickened and inflamed, producing too much synovial fluid that overfills the joint space. This chronic inflammation can damage the cartilage and eventually cause cartilage loss, pain and stiffness.
When non-surgical treatment doesn't help arthritis or if the arthritis is advanced, a joint replacement is a possible option. During surgery, the diseased bone ends of the femur and tibia are cut away and replaced by a smooth metal covering. A plastic liner, which acts like a shock absorber, is placed between the metal components. The arthritis on the back of the patella is also removed and replaced with a small piece of plastic. All of the metal and plastic components are fixed into place with special bone cement and patients can walk on the surgical knee immediately after surgery.
In preparation for the surgery, the patient will need to undergo a full examination with his or her primary physician to clear them as healthy enough to have the surgery. This will usually include a standard physical exam, a discussion of the patient's medical and surgical history, and any testing or imaging (e.g., x-rays, MRIs) that may be necessary.
Before the surgery, the patient should also prepare for recovery by arranging for any necessary transportation or household assistance, as well as make sure that any hazards are removed from the home. If these arrangements cannot be made at home, the patient can also make plans with a rehabilitation facility for the first few weeks after surgery.
During the actual surgery, the orthopedic surgeon will open up the knee (either via a long front incision or smaller, minimally invasive incisions) and use a bone saw to remove the damaged bone and remove the joint. Once this joint is removed and the bones have been re-shaped to fit the prosthetic, the new artificial knee joint will be implanted and fixed in place (usually with bone cement). Before closing up the patient, the knee will be flexed and tested, then straightened to allow everything to set in place.
Another exciting development in minimally invasive knee replacement surgery is the use of computer guidance and robotics. Surgeons can increase accuracy and minimize certain risks using tools like the MAKO surgical system, which is currently available to patients at the Banner Del Webb, Banner Estrella, and Banner University Medical Center – Phoenix locations.
Starting with a full CT scan of your knee joint, the MAKO system develops a 3D model that your surgeon can use to plan for the procedure. The surgery itself is then performed using a robotic arm, which is automatically guided by the system to the right areas and is restricted to working within defined boundaries. This robot-enabled surgery helps human surgeons achieve the most accurate, steady-handed results when placing and aligning your new prosthetic knee.
This means, less disruption of the soft tissue in the knee to ensure there is equal amount of tension throughout the range of motion of the knee.
What Is Total Knee Replacement Surgery and When Is It Necessary?
In a full knee replacement procedure, the entire knee joint is replaced with a prosthetic joint made from metal and plastic. There are a variety of conditions that may necessitate joint replacement surgery, including arthritis, chronic inflammation, knee deformity, or athletic injury. If knee pain and reduced mobility do not respond to physical therapy, medications, or other treatments, a knee replacement is often the best course of action.
Knee replacement surgery has a relatively high rate of success, with as many as 90% of patients experiencing significant pain relief. Any surgery presents some risks, but serious complications, on the other hand, are quite rare. Potential risks may include nerve damage, implant malfunctions, infection, or blood clot and occur in fewer than 2% of patients.¹ Life-threatening risks like heart attack and stroke are even less likely.
instructions for hospital and home care during the first days to few weeks after surgery.
Work with your care team to manage pain effectively.
Begin Physical Therapy immediately after surgery.
Plan to be discharged 24 hours post-surgery.
Take special precautions to avoid falls and injuries.
Notify your dentist about your orthopedic surgery and discuss whether you need to take antibiotics before any dental procedures.
See your orthopedic surgeon for all scheduled follow-up appointments and periodic checkups.


It is with great sadness that ISAF reports the tragic loss of French yachtswoman Florence Arthaud.
She was killed in a tragic accident in Argentina yesterday, when two helicopters collided during the filming of a TV reality show for French television. Seven other Frenchmen were killed including the swimmer, Camille Muffat and the boxer, Alexis Vastine.
Florence Arthaud was one of France's greatest yachtswomen and charmed the public, when she won the 1990 Route du Rhum, the solo transatlantic race between France and Guadeloupe.
On November 18, 1990, Florence Arthaud forever earned her nickname as the "Little Bride of the Atlantic" when, aged 33, she arrived in Pointe-à-Pitre, Guadeloupe, as winner of the fourth edition of the Route du Rhum.
Arthaud completed the prestigious transatlantic solo race in 14 days, 10 hours and 10 minutes onboard the trimaran 'Pierre 1'. The journey was far from smooth - the autopilot and radio failed, and she had suffered a hernia during the race. But the victory made her famous across France and earned her accolade of 'Champion of Champions' by the French newspaper L'Equipe.
Florence Arthaud had sailed with many legendary French sailors such as Bruno Peyron. She had raced doublehanded with Barcelona World Race competitor Jean Le Cam, together taking second place in the Transat AG2R in 1996.
ISAF expresses its sincere condolence to Arthaud's family and friends in the sailing world and all those affected.


You should arrive at the airport to take your flight to Cairo. After our late evening arrival, we transfer to our home for the next 14 nights, the MS Darakum.
Early this morning we make our way to Aswan airport for the return flight, via Cairo, back to Cork after unique and truly fascinating tour.
The price of this holiday is per person, based on two people sharing a twin cabin. Fourteen nights' accommodation on the MS Movenpick Darakum, including breakfast, lunch & dinner daily; scheduled flights to Cairo and from Aswan via Cairo to Heathrow and finally Cork; transfers and all internal coach travel; guided tours of Cairo, the Giza Pyramids & Sphinx, entrance to the Egyptian Museum; Beni Hassan tombs, Amarna, Abydos & Dendera temples, a guided tour of Karnak and Luxor temples, the Valley of the Kings, Hatshepsut temple, Kom Ombo temple, Philae temple, Aswan dam; and the services of a Riviera Travel tour manager.
Currently, Irish passport holders travelling to Egypt require a visa. For visits of up to 30 days, you can get a visa on arrival by payment in Sterling, US Dollars or Euros; the visa fee is US$25 at approved bank kiosks within airport arrival halls, before reaching immigration counters. There's no need to buy a visa from an agent and in many cases, agents will charge more than US$25 for a visa. Your passport should be valid for a minimum period of 6 months from the date of entry into Egypt.
Evidence of a previous visit to Israel like an Israeli entry/exit stamp in your passport does not normally cause any difficulties when entering Egypt. It is, however, for the Egyptian authorities to determine the right of entry into the country. If you have any concerns, you should contact the Egyptian consulate.
Holders of non-Irish passports should refer to the website of the Egyptian consulate for further information regarding entry visas. The website of the Egyptian consulate is http://www.egyptianconsulate.co.uk/visas.php.


Julia Cook is a former teacher and school counsellor who has written more than a dozen books on behaviour and health for children. Her light, humorous approach keeps kids laughing while they're learning good behaviour skills. She has received the Association for Educational Publishers Distinguished Achievement Award.


All conferences are posted on our public trumba calendar.
Weekly or bi-monthly presentations by local and international leaders in rheumatology care and research.
Series of practical, interactive lectures designed to get first year fellows up and running in clinic. Covers core topics in clinical rheumatology. Runs July through September of each academic year.
24-month curriculum of interactive lectures covering basic and advanced topics outlined by the American College of Rheumatology Core Curriculum Outline for Rheumatology Fellowship Programs. Most lectures provided by UW Rheumatology faculty.
Faculty and fellows present their scholarly work to the Division for feedback. Works in Progress presentations cover a spectrum of ongoing scholarly activities, such as basic science and translational research, clinical research, clinical trials and quality improvement.
Twice-monthly journal club presentations by faculty and fellows of high-impact journal articles in rheumatology care and research.
Weekly conference where fellows and faculty informally present active cases for feedback and education. Sessions moderated by a UW Rheumatology faculty member.
Monthly review of imaging studies submitted for review by fellows and faculty. Moderated by faculty from the UW Department of Radiology.
Annual series of interactive lectures covering immunology for the clinician. Lectures provided by faculty from diverse medical and scientific specialties.


Adopt a greyhound make them smile!
Welcome to Greyhound Trust Wolverhampton based in Wolverhampton, West Midlands. As one of the 57 branches of the Greyhound Trust, Wolverhampton was established in April 2004 with the aim of finding good homes for dogs when they come to the end of their racing careers at Monmore Green Greyhound Stadium, with varying ages from 2 years upto 8 years and anything inbetween.
We hope that the contents of this site will assist you with all the information you need to provide a safe, loving environment for the hounds in our care.


Life has its own life.
Amon the hill area of Miaoxi, originally it had a long history of Tea culture and history of ancient temples.
The name of it was originally from Miaoxi Temple.
small villages are scattered in the mountains.
Following the line of the hill top around 400 meters high, we would smell and feel the energy of all tea fields.


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Chevron To Buy Pasadena Refinery From Petrobras For $350 Million
Chevron Corp. (NYSE: CVX) Nsaid Jan. 30 it would pay $350 million to buy a refinery in Pasadena, Texas, from Brazilian state oil company Petrobras. In addition to the 110,000-barrel-per-day (bbl/d) refinery, Chevron will take ownership of a 466-acre (188.5 hectares) complex on the Houston Ship...
Enable Midstream Announces $1 Billion Term Loan Agreement
Enable Midstream Partners LP (NYSE: ENBL) Jan. 29 announced that it has entered into a $1 billion three-year unsecured term loan agreement. Enable has initially borrowed $200 million under the agreement, and a delayed-draw feature provides Enable the flexibility to make up to $800 million in...
Global Oil Industry Braces For Turmoil From US Crackdown On Venezuela
More than 24 hours after the United States announced large-scale sanctions on Venezuela's nationally owned oil company, merchant trading firms and refiners were still deciphering what the measures prohibited. The sanctions, announced on Jan. 28, are aimed at driving President Nicolas Maduro from...
IEA Chief: Too Early To Assess Impact Of Latest U.S. Sanctions On Venezuela
The International Energy Agency (IEA) has yet to assess the impact of the latest U.S. sanctions on Venezuelan oil supplies, its executive director said on Jan. 30. "Far too early to speak about Venezuela and we are following the events very closely," Fatih Birol told Reuters on the sidelines of an...
EIA: US Crude Stockpiles Rise Less Than Expected
U.S. crude oil stockpiles rose less than expected last week due to a drop in imports, while gasoline and distillate inventories fell as refiners slowed down production, the Energy Information Administration (EIA) said Jan. 30. Crude inventories rose 919,000 barrels in the week to Jan. 25, compared...
Energy Capital Markets Endure Worst Quarter This Decade
U.S. energy capital markets took a hit in 2018 with the upstream oil and gas industry bearing a greater brunt of the decline than any other sector, particularly at the end of the year. A recent Drillinginfo report found total energy offerings last year were down 20% year-over-year. Combined, bond...
Fitch Downgrades Mexico's Pemex Rating; Peso Falls
Rating agency Fitch downgraded the credit rating of Mexican state oil company Pemex on Jan. 29, sending the peso currency falling in early trading in Asian markets. Mexico's deputy finance minister said the downgrade didn't come as a surprise and that the country's sovereign rating was not at risk.
Exxon Mobil, Plains All American To Build Permian Crude Pipeline
Exxon Mobil Corp. (NYSE: XOM), Plains All American Pipeline LP (NYSE: PAA) and Lotus Midstream LLC said Jan. 30 they will build a Texas crude pipeline that can carry more than 1 million barrels per day of oil and condensates. The Wink-to-Webster pipeline will connect the Permian Basin in West...
What's Affecting Gas Prices (Week Of Jan. 29, 2019)?
Bloomberg scrapes imply gas field production was 940 MMcf/d lower when compared to the past week, but imports from Canada increased by 1.16 Bcf while Mexico exports also increased by 1.08 Bcf. Our analysis leads us to expect the EIA to report later this week that there was a 222 Bcf withdrawal for...
Clear Creek Midstream Closes $300 Million Equity Commitment From EnCap Flatrock Midstream
Clear Creek Midstream LLC Jan. 29 announced an initial venture capital commitment of $300 million from EnCap Flatrock Midstream. Headquartered in Houston and established in late 2018, Clear Creek is an independent energy company focused on the development of midstream infrastructure for oil and gas...

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


At least 100 people, most of them students, were arrested in at least 52 cases filed between July 29 and August 15 with different police stations accusing over 5,000 unnamed people over the violence during the latest student movement for road safety.
The police officials said the students took to the streets July 29 following the deaths of two of their fellows in Kurmitola bus accident but couple days later 'intruders' tried to deviate the movement to different channel.
Dhaka Metropolitan Police said at least 81 people were arrested in 43 cases filed under different sections of Penal Code and Special Powers Act between July 29 and August 11 while the rest 16 individuals were arrested under eight cases filed Section 57 of Information and Communication Technology Act.
A female student protestor Lutfan Nahar of Eden College was arrested on Wednesday.
Criminal Investigation Department on Wednesday said that they arrested two students under controversial Section 57 of ICT act and were remanded in police custody for three days.
CID's organised crime unit said they arrested Ahmed Hossain, 19, of Noakhali and Nazmus Sakib, 24, of Dhaka in a case filed with Paltan Police Station on Wednesday under Section 57(2) and 66 of the ICT.
Seven more cases under the ICT act were filed in different parts of the country while 53 named individuals including a former lawmaker Dewan Salauddin of Bangladesh Nationalist Party and 300 unnamed people were prosecuted with Savar police station on August 12, according to the police officials and case documents.
The DMP statistics show 14 more cases filed with Raman police division under Penal Code and Section 57 of ICT Technology Act. At least 31 were arrested in those cases.
Of the cases under Raman division, the Dhanmondi police station said a case was filed accusing 250 unnamed people while two other cases were filed against 750 others.
In Gulshan, the police registered nine cases against 31 individuals and 2,450 other unnamed people while 26 people including 22 students of private universities were arrested.
At Mirpur police division, police registered a case against 600 students and teachers of BUBT University and Commerce College while five other cases were filed with Kafrul police stations against at least 150 others.
At Uttara, four cases were filed against 113 named and 150 other unnamed people over damaging vehicles during the protests launched on July 29 following the death of two students and injuring a dozen others. Of the cases, three were arrested so far.
'In these cases, we have not prosecuted any students, but only the attackers who damaged vehicles,' said Dhaka Metropolitan Police Uttara division deputy commissioner Navid Kamal Shoibal.
At Tejgaon, police officials registered two cases against six individuals. Eight people including two named in the First Information Report were arrested so far.
At Wari division, police officials said two cases were filed against 450 people for damaging two police vehicles and assaulting a policeman. One person was arrested in one of the two cases.
At Motijheel, police registered six cases and arrested 10 individuals.
DMP said the police arrested one in a case filed in Lalbagh division accusing 60 unnamed people.
DMP so far accused 29 individuals in eight of their ICT cases and 16 individuals including acclaimed photographers Shahidul Alam.
On August 2, cyber unit of Dhaka Metropolitan Police prosecuted 28 social media and online news outlets under controversial Section 57 of Information and Communication Technology Act for allegedly instigating students during ongoing protest demanding road safety.
Police in the first information report also said that the accounts of those who liked, shared and posted comments were prosecuted for twisting the demands of innocent students and causing anarchy.
Najmul Islam, an additional deputy commissioner of the cyber security team, said they arrested one of the suspects in the case.
Apart from this, Rapid Action Battalion arrested three students on similar charge in Dhaka for their Facebook post.
Diya Khanam Mim and Abdul Karim Rajib were killed as a Jabal-e-Noor bus ploughed through a crowd while competing with another bus of the same company.
On August 4 and 5, the last two days of the protests, the city saw brutal assaults on students staging demonstrations and checking licence and registration of vehicles.


What's better than the Three Rivers Festival in the summer, and the Johnny Appleseed Festival in the fall? They're hard to beat and staples of Fort Wayne family fun.
"Today I'm taking you to two of my favorite Fort Wayne festivals. One of the most famous —The Three Rivers Festival — is also the oldest, running since 1969. Let's take a look!
Recently featured on The Cooking Channel's 'Carnival Eats,' Junk Food Alley is Fort Wayne Famous — here you'll find award-winning funnel cakes, chocolate covered goodies, and deep-fried everything."


This festival receives many visitors both locally and from overseas staying in the local hotels in Greater Fort Lauderdale. Here you will find information about the festival and its host city Fort Lauderdale and a guide to help arrange your visit.
The show is conveniently located near Fort Lauderdale - Hollywood International Airport (FLL). FLL is ranked 21st in the U.S. in total passenger traffic and 13th in domestic origin and destination passengers. There are more than 325 departure and 325 arrival flights a day. FLL offers nonstop service to 140 U.S. cities and flights to Canada, Bahamas, Caribbean, Mexico, Latin America, and Europe. FLL averages 640 commercial flights per day on 26 airlines. There are also 100 private flights. Each day an average of 80,000 travelers pass through the four terminals at FLL.
Courtesy Shuttles: All courtesy shuttle stops are located on the lower level outside of each terminal. The shuttles transport passengers between terminals, to the Rental Car Center, and to the Airport Economy Parking.
Between Terminals: Courtesy shuttles operate from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m., 7 days a week.
To/From Airport Economy Parking: Courtesy shuttles operate continuously 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Between Rental Car Center and Terminals: The courtesy shuttles operate continuously 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.


Showrooms: Great place to showcase or waste of space?
For a variety of companies in myriad industries, a showroom is a great way to show off the latest and greatest products to new and existing customers.
Teaching educators about the benefits of propane-powered school buses can a rewarding experience for a propane marketer. The enrichment can be further enhanced when the retailer also assists the districts in obtaining government grants to cover all the costs.
Imagine hordes of hurried motorists pulling into gas stations and filling their tanks with propane. Gas-and-go with the swipe of a money card. Think of all the clean-burning gallons that would be consumed should propane become commonplace as an American automobile fuel — to say nothing of the auxiliary LPG business that a public primed for propane would support.


Sound familiar? Coming up with a great idea for a business, service, or product is something that many people struggle with. What are the four questions that you can ask to find a profitable side business niche?
Before I started my company I honestly had no idea what I would do. I was living in a foreign country where I couldn't even speak the language so I thought my options were pretty limited.
You'll find that at first when thinking of ideas for a business niche you may either have many different ideas in your head or maybe, like a lot of people, you don't have any ideas at all.
1. What are my skills, strengths, and interests?
What are you naturally good at or passionate about? What do people regularly ask you for help with? What types of books do you read and websites do you visit? Grab a pen and piece of paper and write a list of all the things that you're good at during this moment – don't include things that you wish you were good at.
This is going to be a great place to start with finding the type of business that you should have. By using the current skills that you already have right now, you are going to save a lot of time and money when building your business.
If you're unsure how to discover a profitable business idea then get my free cheat sheet here with 20 profitable online business ideas.
Take your list of skills, strengths, & interests and rank them in the order of your most to least favorite. You may be able to eliminate some of them completely.
When you think of doing something that you have always loved doing, it gets you one step closer to having a business that you really enjoy because if you don't enjoy the type of work that you're going to be doing then you're in for a long and miserable road ahead.
3. Is this something that people are actually going to pay me for?
Start off first with imagining that your friend came up to you with the idea that you have and asked if you would be willing to pay for this product or service. Is this something you would be willing to pay for and if so how much would you pay?
Next, write each of your ideas down and next to them write who you think would actually pay for this product or service. Your list may include things like job seekers, accountants, small business owners, parents, etc. Then ask yourself if these people actually have money to pay for what you're providing and if you actually have the knowledge and skills necessary to provide the product or service to them.
4. Do people really need and want what I am going to provide?
Once you have found the idea for a business niche that you feel you'll be good at and passionate about, you'll need to validate your idea right now and find out if everything that you've been thinking is really accurate.
Contact several people who fit into the categories of people who will pay for your products or services from the last step and ask them directly if they would be interested and willing to pay for what you'll be providing.
This is extremely important because you want to do everything possible to either validate or eliminate your idea now before you put so much time, effort, and money into something that will be potentially unprofitable.
If you do find out that people are interested and willing to pay for what you're offering then you have a great chance of turning your idea into a successful business and also, as an added bonus, will now have a list of interested prospects who already said that they'd buy from you.
If you find out that they say that it's an okay idea but something that they'd never pay for then first off, that's going to be very demotivating and difficult to hear, but hang in there. If you hear them say that often enough for the same idea then you may want to start the process over and go back to your other ideas.
In the long run, you'll be glad that you did this because it will have saved you so much time and effort then if you would have started a business with a product or service that nobody wants to pay for.
Questions: If you could have any type of business, what would it be? Comment below!


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The New Indian Express-Bengaluru
Today's issue Yesterday Friday Thursday Wednesday Tuesday Monday
BENGALURU  WEDNESDAY  DECEMBER 23, 2020  `7.00  PAGES 20  LATE CITY EDITION 'AIR POLLUTION KILLED 1.7 LAKH INDIANS IN 2019' As much as 18% of the total deaths last year were due to air pollution, says a new paper published in Lancet Planetary Health 1.4% GDP LOST DUE TO POOR AIR QUALITY According to the paper, air pollution shrank India's GDP by 1.4%. However, the study found household air pollution decreased in India, resulting in 64% drop in the death rate attributable to it between 1990 and 2019. ICMR Director General Balram Bhargava attributed this to govt schemes such as the 'Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana' and 'Unnat Chulha Abhiyan' A2.6 lakh cr NORTHERN STATES BIGGEST LOSERS ■ ■ The scientific paper noted that the economic loss due to air pollution as a percentage of the state GDP was higher in the northern and central India states, with the highest in Uttar Pradesh (2.2% of the GDP) and Bihar (2% of the GDP) Delhi had the highest per-capita economic loss at $62 P9 LOSS TO ECONOMY AS PREMATURE DEATHS SHRANK INDIA'S PRODUCTIVITY CHENNAI ■ MADURAI ■ VIJAYAWADA ■ BENGALURU ■ KOCHI ■ HYDERABAD ■ VISAKHAPATNAM ■ COIMBATORE ■ KOZHIKODE ■ THIRUVANANTHAPURAM ■ BELAGAVI ■ BHUBANESWAR ■ SHIVAMOGGA ■ MANGALURU ■ TIRUPATI ■ TIRUCHY ■ TIRUNELVELI ■ SAMBALPUR ■ HUBBALLI ■ DHARMAPURI ■ KOTTAYAM ■ KANNUR ■ VILLUPURAM ■ KOLLAM ■ WARANGAL ■ TADEPALLIGUDEM ■ NAGAPATTINAM ■ THRISSUR ■ KALABURAGI CBSE Class 10 & 12 board exams only after Feb '21 Minister says dates will be decided later, rules out online format EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @ New Delhi THE Central Board of Secondary Education examinations for Classes 10 and 12 will not be held in February, Union Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal 'Nishank' announced during an interaction with teachers on Tuesday . "I received a lot of requests from students and teachers to postpone the CBSE board exams for Class 10 and 12. Keeping the Covid-19 pandemic in mind, we have decided that board exams will not be held in February," the minister tweeted. The exams will be held later, the minister said, but did not givev any specify dates. He only said it will be announced soon. "Our government is in favour of students," he posted on Twitter. Unlike classes, the board exams will not be held online since "many schools are in rural areas", the minister said, adding that exams will not be cancelled either. "The CBSE board exams will be conducted based on a reduced syllabus," Pokhriyal also said, adding that 30 per cent of the total syllabus has been scrapped. While some states have declared as much, others are likely to make an announcement soon. There will also be 33 per cent internal choice in the exam, he said. "We cannot allow Covid-19 to impact students and have them labelled as Covid-era students who cleared the classes without any examination," Pokhariyal noted, emphasising the need to conduct exams despite trying circumstances. "We have organised JEE, NEET exams this year. It was one of the biggest examinations conducted amid the Covid-19 pandemic," he said in response to a query by a teacher. The change in schedule for board exams comes days after the National Testing Agency published a brochure for the Joint Entrance Examination (Main), which said that the tests will be held four times next year beginning February . STUDENTS WILL HAVE 125 DAYS OF CLASSES P E A R L M A R I A D ' S O U Z A @ Bengaluru STUDENTS of Classes 10 and 12 may get about 125 days from January 1, when offline classes reopen, to prepare for the board exams. While Primary & Secondary Education Minister S Suresh Kumar on Monday said during a phone-in programme that the board exams will not be held in March like usual, the minister informed The New Indian Express that the examinations will not take place for about 125 days, which means the board exams may not be conducted until the last week of April or early May However, an . P2 official communication in this regard is yet to be issued. average voter turnout in phase-1 panchayat polls No night curfew or lockdown in K'taka, says CM EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE ELECTIONS to 3,019 gram panchayats in 117 taluks were held in the first phase on Tuesday under the Covid-19 shadow, with half of rural Karnataka casting their votes. While polling was about 80 per cent overall, it crossed 85 per cent in some districts, which is much higher than the turnout for the Assembly and Lok Sabha elections. Except for a few stray incidents, where polling was disrupted for some time, the elections were by and large peaceful. The second phase of voting will be held on December 27 and counting of votes will be taken up on December 30. A total of 4,377 candidates have been elected unop- ALLAYING apprehensions that night curfew may be imposed in the state, like in neighbouring Maharashtra, after a new strain of SARSCoV2 was detected in Britain, Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa on Tuesday said there was no need for such a measure as of now. The State Government is also not looking at any kind of lockdown or quarantine for inter-state travellers. The CM told media persons, "We understand that the finding of a mutated strain of the virus has worried the people of the state and also the country We have . come to know that someone who arrived in Chennai has been found infected. We have to be extra cautious and we have put stringent measures P3 in place," he said. @ Bengaluru @ Bengaluru Voters queue up at a polling booth to exercise their franchise in Nelamangala, Bengaluru, on Tuesday | SHRIRAM BN posed already officials said. , According to Kar nataka State Election Commissioner Basavaraju, the voter turnout was around 80 per cent in 2015, and surprisingly this time, it is a little more. At many places like Kolar, voting was close to 90 per cent while in Hassan and Mandya districts, the turnout was over 85 per cent. In one of the taluks in Bengaluru Rural, it even crossed 91 per cent. Dharwad, Koppal and Ballari witnessed around 80 per cent polling. "We had made all arrangements, but were apprehensive about voter turnout. Surprisingly it crossed our ex, pectations,'' he remarked. P4 Gupkar Alliance leads in 116 J&K DDC seats F AYA Z W A N I @ Srinagar IN the first major electoral exercise after Article 370 revocation, the Gupkar Alliance on Tuesday emerged the single largest group in the District Development Council (DDC) polls in Jammu & Kashmir. Notably , the BJP made inroads and won three seats in Muslim-majority Kashmir — in Srinagar, Bandi- pora and Pulwama. In the 280 DDC seats, elections for which were held in eight phases, People's Alliance for Gupkar Declaration comprising the NC, PDP PC, ANC, , JKPM, CPI and CPM was ahead in 116 seats (86 won and leading in 30 seats). The BJP has emerged as the single largest party. It was ahead in 73 seats, having won 65 seats and leading in eight others. The independents have emerged as the third dominant force with 55 seats (36 won and leading in 19). Top leaders of Gupkar Alliance, which was formed in October to fight for Article 370 restoration, had stayed away from the poll campaign and let the second-rung leaders lead the P10 campaigning. $ 1 BILLION CONTRACTS FOR IT FIRMS Infosys and Wipro have won contracts worth over $ 1 billion each from German auto major Daimler AG and food services giant, METRO AG | P13
23 DEC 2020 of The New Indian Express-Bengaluru
The New Indian Express - Bengaluru 750 Buy
About The New Indian Express-Bengaluru Express Network Private Limited forms part of the "The New Indian Express" Group and was incorporated on August 13, 1999 under Indian Companies Act, 1956. This Company was promoted by Express Publications (Madurai) Limited which is the flagship Company of the Group. Express Publications (Madurai) Limited publishes the prestigious English language Newspaper, The New Indian Express from 32 printing centers in Tamilnadu, Karnataka, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala and Orissa. It also publishes The Sunday Standard from New Delhi. Express Publications (Madurai) Limited also publishes Tamil daily Dinamani and Samakalika Malayalam Varika, a weekly, in Malayalam.


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Anjali Andrea Alban
ABOUT ANJALI
Join the WRITER'S TRIBE
SPEAKING CALENDER
CONTACT ANJALI
It is 1937. Fourteen-year-old Anya and her family are forced out of Odessa by Stalin and flee to Frenchtown, an affluent Jewish settlement in war-torn Shanghai. In the 25-hour period from sundown on Shabbat, Anya rescues an abandoned Chinese infant from the gutter, falls in love with a boy from Italy, and carries her injured brother to safety after a bomb destroys part of her neighborhood. The book explores a little-known passage in Jewish Holocaust history. ANYA'S WAR is a tragi-comic, coming-of-age story, woven with Jewish and Chinese superstition, Greek mythology and Anya's entries in her Book of Moons.
"Everything good begins with me,"
the acorn told its mother tree,
and drifted on the dancing breeze,
to find a cloak of golden leaves.
So begins the magical journey from the seed of hope to a forest of happiness. This ode to trees invites readers to discover life's simple gifts: peace, courage, love, generosity, tolerance and more. With lyrical tree bios and an index of state trees, THE HAPPINESS TREE is a celebration of the natural world and all that is good in life.
THE SEED OF THIS BOOK
Anjali Alban befriended a forest of favorite trees as a young girl. There was the flowering plum in the front yard that burst in April with tart stone fruit; a Ponderosa pine at Lake Tahoe which she watched grow from sapling to towering tree; and a Pom-Pom which showered her with a confetti of petals as she daydreamed on the lawn. Her father, annoyed by the impossible-to-rake mess, would shoo her inside so he could vacuum the grass with a Hoover™ upright. Now a San Francisco mother, Anjali believes that many of our children suffer from "nature deficit" and her mission is to ensure that no child is left inside.
Anjali's presentation on ANYA'S WAR was truly outstanding. The students were engaged with her writing exercise and family history. It was great that my students saw how they could shape their own stories into fiction. Anjali has a true gift for shifting her presentation on the spot while delivering a compelling lesson.
— Evan Schnair, English Faculty, Drew High School
Anjali Alban was a gem. Her presentation on ANYA'S WAR inspired the kids and adults in the audience. Everyone enjoyed the photos, learned about Shanghai during the war, and received chopsticks. Book sales were great!
—Judy Wheeler, Towne Center Books
A nominee for the FLORIDA Children's Book Award. * Adapted into play form by the Tanner Creative Program at The University of Utah. * Touring through children's discovery museums with Out on a Limb. * Sourced for Catholic Education Week school curriculum in Canada.
Shortlisted for China's Panda Award: highly recommended books for readers in international schools. The goal of the initiative is to instill an enduring love of reading and to take students on a reading adventure. Chosen as an American Library Association Honor Book. Each year the Amelia Bloomer List selects the best books with significant feminist content that will appeal to young readers.
You were born in your very own month of the year,
And the world was waiting to welcome you here,
with daydreams and wishes and circles of love,
and in turn, you brought a gift from above."
A heartfelt reinvention of the Monday's Child nursery rhyme, affirming the gifts children bring to the world. Every day is someone's birthday, which January's Child celebrates with creative attributes for each month of the year. Geared for families to share among the youngest and oldest members, this beautifully illustrated treasury is sure to become a classic, evergreen gift for new babies.
© 2018 by Andrea Alban. Proudly created with Wix.com


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Q: Prove that $8^n > (2n-1)^2$ for $n>2$ by mathematical induction My attempt for this question:
Let n=3,
$8^3 > [2(3)-1]^2$
512 > 25 (True)
How do I show the steps for the n=k and n=k+1 for proving? I am not sure how to continue from here.

A: In order to prove this mathematical relation by induction for $n > 2$ we have to do two main steps. ( I'll assume $n \in N$)
First, let's prove that for $n=3$ the inequality is true. I'll save you the calculations as you've already done that.
Second, prove that, assuming the inequality is true for a certain $n=k$, it is automatically true for $n=k+1$.
( In this way, you know that if the inequality is true for $n=3$, it is automatically true for the next natural number $n=4$, but wait... You've just proved that the inequality is true for $n=4$, so you can apply the same reasoning and state that it is true for the next natural number $n=5$... et cetera.)
Thus, we know for sure that for $n=k\quad$ $8^k>(2k-1)^2$ and we have to demonstrate that $8^{k+1}>(2(k+1)-1)^2$. In order to tackle this demonstration, you have to use the inequality for $k$ that you hold for true. The approach will be , therefore, to reconduct the inequality for $k+1$ to a form similar to the inequality for $k$. After some algebraic passages we obtain  $8^{k}>\frac{(2k+1)^2}{8}$. So you have to demonstrate that $8^k$ is strictly bigger than $\frac{(2k+1)^2}{8}$, but you already know for sure that $8^k$ is stricly bigger than $(2k-1)^2$. So if you demonstrate that $(2k-1)^2\ge\frac{(2k+1)^2}{8}$, you've proved your thesis.
(Note that if $\frac{(2k+1)^2}{8}$ is bigger than $\frac{(2k+1)^2}{8}$, $8^k$ could still be bigger than $\frac{(2k+1)^2}{8}$, so you would still have to demonstrate the thesis in another way.)
If you solve $(2k-1)^2\ge\frac{(2k+1)^2}{8}$ you obtain that it is true for all k.
So, here you are, you've demonstrated the inequality by induction for all $n>3$.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


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Flash Flash Click July 2, 2017 Fiction, Flash, UNREAL
The Scream Queen Is Bored by Michelle Ross
Out on the cabin's porch, the morning after their first night of filming sequel number four. Hot out, only a fitful, feeble breeze like the hopeless breaths of the slain. The scream queen focuses her binoculars on a mangy squirrel scrambling up a pine tree, but then the squirrel disappears, and there's nothing to see.
Frank and the others are drinking coffee in their underwear. Faded boxer shorts, matching bra and panty sets, bed-wrinkled flesh. A cigarette in Frank's lips. Someone suggests a swim in the lake.
Frank says, "Too early," but soon they're running toward the water. Frank doesn't call out to her, but one of the other girls does. "You coming, Carly?"
The scream queen shakes her head. She watches Frank's boxers fall from his pale ass like a raggedy Band-Aid from a wound.
Then there's a series of splashes. Heads bob up, marring the lake's smooth surface. The heads laugh and screech.
If they were filming right now and she were the killer, what would be her strategy? Would she sneak up from below and pull them under one by one? Or play shy, refuse to shed her own clothes upon entering the dark water, a weapon secreted in her pocket? When her first victim screams and blood gurgles to the lake's surface, the others would suspect something bestial, an alligator perhaps. Certainly not the scream queen.
She is always a victim. Because she's female. Because her legs look great in cut-off shorts. Because Frank says that when she opens her throat, every cock within earshot throbs.
Frank is their director. He's also the killer: Victor. Because chasing the scream queen and the other girls, machete in hand, gets him off. Frank isn't ashamed to admit this. The machete is obviously a penis, he says. The girl's screaming mouth is obviously a pussy. He says a monster terrorizing a pretty girl is the oldest fetish there is.
The scream queen used to think Frank was onto something. He'd be pursuing her through brambles, and she'd be running and screaming, and yeah, she'd get hot thinking about what he was going to do to her later in their shared bedroom in the cabin. She'd think words like ravage and plunder. She'd throb too.
But lately it all seems kind of pathetic. Ravage and plunder mean to destroy or to ruin, but last night when Frank chased her through the woods with that machete and that grin, she just felt tired. Like anything else you do again and again, running from a psycho killer gets monotonous.
Watching again and again gets old too, which is why the last sequel didn't get nearly as many views on YouTube.
She told Frank that he ought to change things up. "Maybe I could be the killer," she said.
Frank shook his head. "That works in a rape revenge film, but those don't have good sequel potential. And anyway, not really my thing."
"Then at the very least you could swap out the machete for scissors or an axe or, hell, a sharpened pencil."
Frank wouldn't have it, though. He said, "Victor is a machete man."
The scream queen rolled her eyes, but only after Frank turned away. He's a sensitive guy, Frank. Earlier this morning from their cabin bedroom window, heart pounding, the scream queen watched a hawk pluck a rabbit from the earth like a fat tuber. Fifteen minutes later, that rabbit was a bloodied scrap of fluff beneath the hawk's talons. Frank called to her from the shower, "When I get out, I'm going to rip you wide open, Baby. You should see how huge my cock is just thinking about it." She said, "A hawk doesn't need its prey to tell it what great big talons it has."
The shower ran for several more minutes, but Frank didn't make another sound. She'd taken him by surprise. Slaughtered him so quick, he didn't have a chance to scream.
Michelle Ross's debut story collection, There's So Much They Haven't Told You, won the 2016 Moon City Press Fiction Award and is forthcoming in February 2017. She serves as fiction editor for Atticus Review.
This piece was originally published on Flash Flash Click. We are honored to host it here in partnership and collaboration.
Image: "Scream Queen" by faisal khan
Posted in Fiction, Flash, UNREAL. Bookmark the permalink.
Girls by D. A. Hosek
Sacrifice by Wendy Fontaine


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Tag: endlave
Guilty Crown – 13
After the "Second Lost Christmas" that killed Gai, the city center district known as Loop 7 is quarantined by GHQ, now led by former Major, now Chief Segai. Ayase and Tsugami join Shu and Inori as classmates. After two weeks separated from the rest of the city, nerves are starting to fray, so the school council led by Kuhouin decide to organize a cultural festival. It is crashed by rioters who were supplied with military equipment by Segai in disguise, but before they can hurt anyone, Shu uses his new power – drawing out a void so its owner can use it – on Ayase. Her void is a set of prosthetic legs which, combined with his Inori sword, take care of the baddies. But when the TV feed is restored, the other shoe drops: the GHQ is closing off Loop 7 for ten years, in hopes of eradicating the alleged apocalypse breakout there.
We were a bit weary when we heard the words "cultural festival", but this turned out to be a very good aftermath episode, with lots of good Ayase characterization. There isn't any way around it, practically speaking: Ayase needs technology in order to prove to herself and others that she's useful. She blames herself for Gai's death, and is lost without him or her endlave. Fortunately for her, she's got a friend who can draw out her very convenient – but still poetic – void that enables her to move as she would within an endlave, only with her own body. Which, any way you look at it, must be an absolute thrill. The final action piece with her and Shu kicking ass and taking names was awesome.
Of course, this was just the eye of the storm. Shu, all his friends, and perhaps tens of thousands of people are now trapped within the confines of a few city blocks. Things were already starting to get chippy, what with bands of the strong starting to prey on the weak. That shit's only going to get worse from here, unless Shu & Co. can either stop it or break down the walls that surround them. There's also this interesting dynamic with Segai treating Loop 7 like some kind of zoo or lab; no doubt he isn't just going to leave Shu and his powers alone. Things may have gone from bad to okay to bad again in a jiffy, but the good guys aren't without means…or guts.
Author rabujoistaffPosted on Fri, 20 Jan 2012 Fri, 20 Jan 2012 Categories Anime Reviews, Fall 2011, Guilty CrownTags ayase, cultural festival, endlave, ghq, inori, ouma shu, paralyzed, tsugami, void genome
With the apocalypse virus running rampant across the city and the Undertakers pinned at GHQ headquarters, Shu is racked with guilt, but Hare and Tsugumi snap him out of it. He gathers his classmates together and gives them the skinny on how he can draw out voids, how he drew theirs out before, and how he needs their help to save the Undertakers, who gave him the chance to be "someone who matters." They storm GHQ while Inori sings a song that cures the city, but when Shu reunites with her, a pocket in space opens and a mysterious person draws out her void and nearly kills him, but Gai takes the blow.
The finale to Guilty Crown's first half pulls out all the stops, and we mean all of them: we were reminded of such epicness as Macross Frontier (the last series we watched in which a songstress played a vital role) and Evangelion (what with all the apocalyptic sky-scorching, big bad government officials, and mythic superweapons). All this goes to show that when push comes to shove, we've seen most everything that's in this series; it's shounen with a slick futuristic sheen. But just because it reminds us of stuff doesn't mean we haven't enjoyed just about every minute of it and are eager to see how the good ol' cliffhanger is resolved.
Like any good stopping place, this week gave everyone some time, including all of Shu's friends, and hell, he even confessed what he is and what he's done to them. They took it well, and it was cool to involve them, although we somewhat doubt they'd survive being tossed around in that Humvee as much as they were. Shu's grand to-the-rescue entrance, making use of all his friends' voids, was particularly rousing, and even his mom lends a hand with the hacking! Shu has had a crown all this time, but he's felt guilty about using it. But it looks like someone's taking that crown, and he'll have to stop that guy and save Inori.
Guilty Crown will conclude in mid-January 2012.
Author rabujoistaffPosted on Thu, 22 Dec 2011 Tue, 27 Mar 2012 Categories Anime Reviews, Fall 2011, Guilty CrownTags apocalypse, classmates, endlave, inori, ouma shu, void genome
Before Shu can become a member of Funeral Parlor, he must undergo basic training in order to keep up with everyone. Gai puts Ayase in charge of training him. Despite being wheelchair-bound, Ayase is tough and strong, and initially finds Shu hopeless, like everyone else. He proves himself to them in a mock battle in which he gets past Ayase's endlave Steiner by drawing a void from Argo, one of the members in the audience. She gives him back his pen, and he becomes a full-fledged member. But Gai's next big operation hasn't started well.
This week, Shu meets more of the gang, as do we. We see a lot more of Ayase in particular and we have to say we like her proud, spunky character (voiced by Kana Hanazawa). Shu, meanwhile, is still pretty wimpy and unconfident – when he's not drawing out voids, that is. Inori, so lovey-dovey up to this point, is much chillier to him, telling him not to get too close, then dropping a bomb on him: Gai told her to act like that, no doubt hoping the pretty girl would be successful in recruiting him. Part of us doubts this is how Inori really feels, but it's what she's told Shu, so that's what he believes.
The twist of the knife comes when he sees Inori go into a bedroom with Gai, then hearing from Ayase that they do it two to three times a month. He gets the idea they're a couple, when…it's actually more complicated than that (perhaps she just has to sit by the bed and protect him from vamps or something?). His heartbreak aside, this episode efficiently dealt with Shu's training and initiation. His void genome powers are crucial to Gai's plans, and next week, Shu will likely need to put them to use in a life-or-death situation. And then there's that dang pen he still has…
Author rabujoistaffPosted on Thu, 10 Nov 2011 Tue, 27 Mar 2012 Categories Anime Reviews, Fall 2011, Guilty CrownTags ayase, endlave, funeral parlor, inori, ouma shu
Ouma Shu contracted with Inori with the Void Genome that was meant for Gai, the leader of the resistance group called Undertaker. He's pressed into service to deliver the coup-de-grace in an intricately planned operation to save a hundred citizens from the Anti Bodies, among them the sadistic Lt. Daryl Yan, son of the Bureau's leader. The operation is successful, but Shu turns down the offer to join Undertaker. He believes he's put it behind him and returned to his normal life when Inori shows up at school, having transferred to his class.
This episode was another feast for eye and ear; home to some pretty fantastic action and combat sequences, with some nice gamble suspense mixed in for good measure. Ouma Shu may not like it, but he has the powers of a god now, and a girl who isn't shy about calling herself his. He stuck his neck out for her last week, and the reward was being thrust into a world he probably hadn't even known about. It's a world where government-sanctioned genocide in the name of eradicating disease is commonplace, and where the weak have to be protected from jack-booted thugs.
It's only a matter of time before Shu and that little germophobic bastard Yan square off. There's a lot to like here: you have your etherially beautiful songstress/muse, you've got old-fashioned and newfangled mecha (called "endlaves" here), your diverse crew of freedom fighters who have a very serious mission, but trying to keep it nice and casual between one another (contrast that with the cold military style of the Anti Bodies), and the concrete jungle of Tokyo to play in (the vistas continue to impress). Ouma Shu may still be a little on the dull side, but so far he hasn't shied away from his duty when called upon.
Author rabujoistaffPosted on Thu, 20 Oct 2011 Tue, 27 Mar 2012 Categories Anime Reviews, Fall 2011, Guilty CrownTags 02, daryl yan, endlave, gai, guilty crown, jackbooted thugs, ouma shu, resistance, selected, terrorists, transfer student, undertaker, void genome


You can't watch TV or browse the internet without being attacked by their ads. "Bad credit? No credit? NO PROBLEM!" It seems that everyone is offering car financing and car loan deals nowadays. But many of these places might as well be called "Shady High Interest Loans, Inc.," so how do you find a reputable car financing company without loosing your shirt in the process? Here's a guide to some of the best and most respected car finance companies on the net, as well as some very informative pages on how to get the most out of your loan.
Capital One's credit card commercials always ask 'What's in your wallet?" But when their auto finance department asks that question, they aren't joking (and the person asking probably isn't a Viking working fast food.) One of the most reputable car loan and financing companies on the web, Capital One offers different financing plans for used and new cars, as well as motorcycles. The entire process can be done online as well.
One of the most respected names in their field, Wells Fargo's auto financing and loan website is one of the best financing resources on the internet. They have separate pages for if you're buying from a private party or a car dealership (something most sites do not offer) and also have areas set up for RV financing and car re-financing. They also offer lease plans and can even help you find a good car insurance quote.
Carsdirect.com is a great place to find cars online, and they also offer their own financing and leasing services. In addition to the basic services found at most car finance sites, they have a special section for bad credit car loans, and an online car financing calculator.
Another reputable loan and financing site, E-Loan also has loan and lease calculators and other tools. At E-loan you can get your credit report for free, which will help you determine whether or not you'll be picking up a new Bentley or a used Buick. E-Loan also has separate sections for car re-financing and lease buy outs.
They have incredibly annoying commercials ("When banks compete, you win!" Yeah, right. More like "When banks compete, the winner bends you over and takes you from behind!") but they are also one of the more respected online-based financing and loan companies. Lending Tree takes your information and gives it to competing banks so you can see more than one offer at once. It's convenient and a lot easier than going from bank to bank.
This online calculator asks you to put in the information and it does the rest. It can even compare loan costs vs. the cost of leasing. There's no registration and no personal information required, making it one of the easiest and most user-friendly resources for car financing on the web.
It might be easier for some of us to discover cold fusion than it would be able to figure out exactly how car financing works. Thankfully the guys at Howstuffworks.com penned this informative article on the hows and whys of car financing. Learn how to get the best rates, what determines your interest rates, and how to avoid scams by using this great guide. It even comes with a crib sheet you can take with you to when you go shopping for that new car.
If you'll be doing a lot of car financing calculations then this page is for you. Carbuyingtips.com has a very impressive collection of Excel files that can help you figure out your potential interest rates and much more. There are forms here for car loans and leases, and one amazing spreadsheet that will allow you to compare four car financing plans at the same time. They even have a spreadsheet that you can download to you PDA.
This in-depth how-to guide on car financing is a good starting point for anyone looking to finance a new car or lease. Learn how to get your credit report before applying for a lease, where to go for bad credit leasing and much more. They also have a list of car lease sites they recommend, and a quick guide to avoiding scams and bad deals.
Auto refinance is a great way of paying off your car loans if you are unable to keep up with the monthly payments.


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Generation Project
Why are people thirsty for 'raw water'?
What's really behind the interest in untreated water? Tim Smedley investigates.
By Tim Smedley
"Anybody here drink water, but wish you could pay more for it?" In January 2018, the "raw water" movement was doing the rounds on the US TV comedy circuit, and it was Stephen Colbert's turn on The Late Show. "Well, good news," continued Colbert, "because the next big start-up craze in Silicon Valley is 'raw water'… water that's unfiltered, untreated and unsterilised. Wow, drinking that sounds unsane!"
This followed a New York Times article mocking a new craze in San Francisco's tech heartland for bottles of untreated spring water sold by companies such as Live Water for $36.99. These start-ups extolled the benefits of drinking "real water… within one lunar cycle of delivery".
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However, not everyone was laughing. Some were taking notes. Drinking water is typically highly regulated, and the market for buying and selling untreated water remains small and anecdotal. But the website Findaspring.com shows that "raw water" has since become a global movement of people seeking out their own wild water sources. Eager users list and map thousands of natural wells and springs across the world for people to drink from.
While the site's disclaimer urges people to test all spring water before drinking it, its explainer video Why Spring Water by site founder Daniel Vitalis makes bold claims such as "we're biologically adapted to [raw water] as an animal" and "we're not any more adapted to refined H2O than we are to refined carbohydrates".
View image of (Credit: @OptimizingMe)
You don't have to dig very deep to find the downsides, however. A user comment left directly below Vitalis' video reads: "Remember, some springs can be contaminated with E-Coli, for example. We used a spring out of Millersburg OH for years and then a barnyard was put in up high on the hill... Three of us got really sick."
Val Curtis, professor of hygiene and director of the Environmental Health Group at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, has grave concerns about the 'raw water' movement. "This seems to me a really backward step," she says. "We've gone to such great lengths in society to actually solve the problem of the contamination of drinking water by purifying it and supplying it in good condition. And we've even improved it by putting chlorine and fluorine in it to kill all the bugs and improve your teeth… these arguments were won years and years ago."
Curtis asks, presumably rhetorically: "Do we really want to go back to the Stone Age?" But Live Water's homepage (which prominently links to Findaspring.com) suggests that is precisely the aim, claiming that humans "have drank unprocessed spring water for 99% of our existence".
View image of Galen Zink (Credit: @OptimizingMe)
BBC Capital approached both Live Water and Daniel Vitalis for an interview, but they were unavailable for comment. Vitalis however clearly practises what he preaches. His Instagram account (with over 29,000 followers) is full of hunting and foraging pictures, and his online show WildFed champions the "emerging modern subsistence culture" and "foraging right here in our local food-shed". In his view, natural is therefore always best and returning to our ancestral roots is the desired objective.
While there is some science supporting the "paleo diet", says Curtis, a line must be drawn at clean water. Our ancestors "also died in vast rates from typhoid, cholera, giardia, diarrhoeal disease," says Curtis. Life expectancy for our real Palaeolithic ancestors was decidedly low. As for "probiotic" claims that "raw water" contains many of the good bacteria we need for gut health, Curtis argues that while it may do, it may also include all the bad ones too.
Vitalis' video claim that "tap water is contaminated with antibiotic substances… [and] chlorine and fluoride which we know is neurotoxic" is also rejected by Curtis. Fluoride and chlorine "are not known to do any harm to us in the amount that you have in water," she says. "There is absolutely no evidence that residues of drugs like antibiotics do any harm to human health, even if they are detectable in tiny parts per million. It's the same old thing – people don't seem to get the idea that if something is present in very, very tiny amounts, it's not dangerous!"
View image of Wild water sources (Credit: Alamy)
In 2018, Galen Zink moved from a tech job in Silicon Valley to pursue self-sufficiency and "nutritional self-optimisation" on a remote island in Southern Alaska. Despite being aware of the concerns raised by Curtis, he drinks almost exclusively from his local stream. "It's so common here," says Zink, who believes there are health benefits. "It's got probiotic bacteria in there… Drinking raw water improves microbiome health." He's also observed that "drinking raw water as your primary hydration for a few days yields noticeably smoother skin".
One thing both Zink and Curtis can agree on, however, is that pristine rural environments with sparse human habitation are the most likely to have safe wild water sources. "I had to come to this insanely remote island to find what really feels like clean air and water," says Zink of Prince of Wales Island, Alaska. Its population is just 3,000 spread across 2,230 square miles (5,776 km squared), with little in the way of agriculture, let alone industry. "If you're anywhere near anything civilised, odds are surface water will be contaminated," admits Zink. "Trying to cut corners and drink from springs you find online is probably not the right choice for most people. It's all too easy to feel a benefit at first but then slowly poison yourself on herbicides."
When I click "locate a spring" on Findaspring.com, however, I find 56 located in England, where I'm based. Many of these are in urban areas, including five in London. The only way to test the water quality, says Curtis, is to send "samples of water off for microbiological assays, at some expense… and you would need to sample it in different seasons to be sure".
Gail Teitzel, editor of the journal Trends in Microbiology, says: "You'd need to test the water every single time for microbial and chemical contaminants. Municipal and bottled water has already been tested and proven safe… It's like a raw egg – by cooking the egg, or by treating the water, you kill whatever pathogens might have been in it." When I suggest that many bottled mineral water brands are taken directly from natural springs, she says that "bottled water is regulated so that it doesn't contain dangerous microbes or chemicals".
You'd need to test the water every single time for microbial and chemical contaminants - Teitzel
Recent studies have found that 90% of bottled water brands and 83% of tap water samples across 12 countries contain tiny particles of plastic known as microplastics (the US had the highest tap water contamination rate, at 94%). While seeking out "raw water" seems extreme, isn't this a response to genuine concerns about modern water quality? "I worry that because of that, raw water enthusiasts might be underestimating the danger of untreated water," says Teitzel. "Microplastic contamination of drinking water definitely needs further study but we know that areas that lack treated drinking water have higher rates of infant mortality, in large part from water-borne diarrheal diseases."
Ultimately, if people want to drink untreated water, isn't that their choice in a free society? Here, Curtis draws parallels to the anti-vaccination movement. "One of the reasons why I don't get sick very often is because you don't go around drinking dirty water. But if you did and you got sick, you'd be a risk to me or your colleagues." One example: the drinker gets E. coli, uses a communal bathroom or handles food in the staff cafeteria, and so passes it on. "If you do [drink raw water], you have to take some responsibility that you might be a source of risk to others as well, not just yourself."
Colbert's skit on The Late Show wryly concluded that "there could be a downside to drinking out of puddles". That would seem harsh on people like Zink, who have sought out remote regions and based their choices on local knowledge. Or in Iceland, where 98% of tap water remains chemically untreated glacial water. But Alaska and Iceland are literally the outliers. For urbanites, tap water remains the safer, healthier option.
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Q: Android: Encode & Decode base64 How to encode and decode any image from base64 format.
I donno anything about base64, just now I came to know that it saves image in String format. Please explain about base64 and how to use it in android coding.
Will it reduce the size of an image?
Thanks in advance...

A: To encode any file:
private String encodeFileToBase64(String filePath)
{
    InputStream inputStream = new FileInputStream(filePath);//You can get an inputStream using any IO API
    byte[] bytes;
    byte[] buffer = new byte[8192];
    int bytesRead;
    ByteArrayOutputStream output = new ByteArrayOutputStream();
    try {
        while ((bytesRead = inputStream.read(buffer)) != -1) {
        output.write(buffer, 0, bytesRead);
    }
    } catch (IOException e) {
    e.printStackTrace();
    }
    bytes = output.toByteArray();
    return Base64.encodeToString(bytes, Base64.DEFAULT);
}

Decode:
byte[] data = Base64.decode(base64, Base64.DEFAULT);

A: Base64 allows you to represent binary data in ASCII format, You can use it for send/receive images to an endpoint
To encode/decode check this two methods:
public static String getBase64(Bitmap bitmap)
{
    try{
        ByteArrayOutputStream byteArrayOutputStream = new ByteArrayOutputStream();
        bitmap.compress(Bitmap.CompressFormat.JPEG, 90, byteArrayOutputStream);
        byte[] byteArray = byteArrayOutputStream.toByteArray();

        return Base64.encodeToString(byteArray, Base64.NO_WRAP);
    }
    catch(Exception e)
    {
        return null;
    }
}

public static Bitmap getBitmap(String base64){
    byte[] decodedString = Base64.decode(base64, Base64.NO_WRAP);
    return BitmapFactory.decodeByteArray(decodedString, 0, decodedString.length);
}


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September 2000 Archives
Track By Track - U2's "All That You Can't Leave Behind"
By Jonathan on September 30, 2000 4:53 AM | No Comments
Continue reading Track By Track - U2's "All That You Can't Leave Behind".
U2 Rocks Dublin Downtown From Hotel Rooftop
By Jonathan on September 28, 2000 11:50 PM | No Comments
Continue reading U2 Rocks Dublin Downtown From Hotel Rooftop.
Top of the Pops, Clarence Hotel, Dublin (September 27, 2000)
By Jonathan on September 27, 2000 6:16 AM | No Comments | No TrackBacks
Sightings of Bono
By Jonathan on September 13, 2000 11:52 PM | 1 Comment
Continue reading Sightings of Bono.
U2 To Mount Indoor U.S. Tour After Releasing New LP
Continue reading U2 To Mount Indoor U.S. Tour After Releasing New LP.
U2's Bono Asks for Debt Relief
By Jonathan on September 8, 2000 11:55 PM | No Comments
Continue reading U2's Bono Asks for Debt Relief.
« August 2000 | Main Index | Archives | October 2000 »
This page is an archive of entries from September 2000 listed from newest to oldest.
August 2000 is the previous archive.
October 2000 is the next archive.
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Album News (172)
"'Pride' is the best song we've ever written. We've done very few songs... normally we just make music. 'I Will Follow' was a song, but then the next one wasn't until 'Sunday Bloody Sunday'. It's very different from the rest of the album though - there's nothing on there as straight as this." - Bono, November 1984


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Lebanon's Christmas parade is bigger than ever
Partly cloudy skies. Low 7F. Winds NNW at 10 to 20 mph.
Meridian Street nears full capacity ahead of a previous Christmas Parade in downtown Lebanon.
File photos
Several variations of Christmas staples, such as this snowman on the Lebanon Little League float, appeared in Lebanon's 2019 Christmas parade.
Crowds gather in front of the tree on the courthouse square during a past Christmas on the Square.
John Flora The Lebanon Reporter
Santa Claus is coming to town on Saturday and he's bringing Mrs. Claus with him.
The annual Christmas parade and downtown festivities mark the official beginning of the Christmas season in Lebanon.
Parks Director John Messenger said a record number of floats and marching units – 41 at last count – have registered for the big parade that begins at 6 p.m. at Memorial Park, circles the park, and proceeds down Meridian Street to downtown.
That's more than double the number of units in last year's parade and the number may continue to grow.
"We'll have a good 1,000 or 2,000 people watching the parade from porches down the route and in downtown," Messenger said.
When Santa arrives at the courthouse square, he will choose a child at random from the crowd to flip the switch, lighting the big Christmas tree on the east side of the Boone County Courthouse square.
Activities begin at 9 a.m. with Christmas at the Cabin in the park. Herr Cabin will feature visits with Santa and Mrs. Claus, crafts and face painting. Admission is $5 per child and the event runs until 12:30 p.m.
Missy Krulik, director of The Heart of Lebanon, said there will be plenty to see and do downtown.
Kappa Delta Phi's Lebanon Chapter will crown the 2021 Snowflake Princess for raising money for the Boone County Cancer Society in ceremonies in the courthouse rotunda at 4 p.m.
She said the Black Box Theater Bozo Brigade will perform and sing during a night full of musical performances including The Talent Factory dancers, the Lebanon High School madrigals, Pixie Playhouse, Fiddlesticks and the Boone County Youth and Adult Orchestra.
City Market, a summer Main Street staple, returns from 4 to 7 p.m. with sweet treats and holiday gifts, she said.
Once the tree is lighted, Santa and Mrs. Claus will adjourn to the courthouse rotunda to meet with children, hear their Christmas wish lists and pose for photos.
"It's neat to see the kids' faces light up," Messenger said.
The parade will resume its trek, proceeding east on Main Street to East Street and back north to the park where marchers will disperse.
Messenger said the Lebanon Police, Fire and Street departments will be on hand to assure the event comes off safely.
John Messenger