text:
Not too long ago, I woke up from a terrible, terrible nightmare.
It was simply awful. My friends were all suffering from some terrible wasting illness, and there was nothing I could do to help them. I tried to help, but I could really only watch.
Because it was a dream, it had no shortage of strange imagery, and my afflicted friends had these runners of brown fungus coming out of their ears and nose and mouth and even their eyes. I think by the end of the dream they looked like shaggy fungal beards that kind of moved and swayed to the sound of music.
(Like I said, dream imagery.)
I helped scrubbed them clean--the ones who would let me near them, that is--but it the fungus would just come back even worse each day. And I sat and watched the people suffering and felt a certain survivor's guilt that I seemed to be in good health. Eventually the people would become covered in the fungus completely.
And my heart was breaking for them.
This dream went on for what felt like weeks (in the dream). I went to bed and woke up many times. In fact, it was most often after I went to bed and woke up that I discovered a fresh patch of fungus on my loved ones. I tried every anti-fungal product the store had it but there was nothing I could do.
Eventually I went to bed for what would be, within the dream, the last time. I woke up. I shifted in my bed. My eyes opened to take stock of my room. I thought of the way things just seemed to suck, and I really just didn't want to get out of bed. Eventually I got up, feeling strangely visceral compared to the past few weeks.
I walked downstairs to get some breakfast. Everything seemed at once saturated with color, hyper-detailed and strangely dull. No one in my house had brown fungus though. At first I thought the people near me were just having a good day. But when I went outside the world seemed a little too bright, the sun shone a little too loudly, and no one out there had fungus either. That's when it started to dawn on me that I had awoken from some terrible nightmare. That's when I started to do "dream math" and realize that I couldn't remember how I got to several places in my dream and I didn't read a book during the entire time.
Like most powerful dreams, it stuck with me emotionally for hours, even after I realized intellectually that it wasn't real. I kept being relieved every time I saw people looking healthy. Waking up was a slow process of being reminded that the nightmare was finally over.
I have felt this way all day today. I kept thinking of that dream without being sure why. However, more than the dream itself, I kept feeling that I was waking up from some terrible, terrible nightmare. Things just beyond my perception kept triggered that feeling, but I wasn't sure why.
My friend Mike made me realize why.
Mike is a short guy, legally blind, and an awesome masseuse. He has the benefit (as do I, he added inconspicuously) of looking over a decade younger than he really is, and a crooked smile that is absolutely charming. When supportive girlfriend introduced him as an old friend from her home town who had happened to end up in the Bay Area as well, she also revealed that her sister had a huge crush on him. Mike entered my consciousness as "that guy your sister likes."
A few months later, Mike came out to his friends and family as gay.
I don't get to see Mike nearly as much as his awesomeness requires, but one of my defining moments with him that was a few years ago when I had hurt my back right before we were about to go to Burning Man. I got a massage from him and I commented on how many shoes he had.
"That's a lot of shoes."
"Well, I am gay," he said.
"Yeah, but that's like fifty pairs," I said.
"I'm really gay," he said. And I we both started laughing in that way that takes several minutes to wind down.
I grew up in a conservative suburb of Los Angeles. I remember a young man named John. I don't know if John was gay, but John was different, and John acted gay, and that was enough. He was bullied....mercilessly. I watched for five years as he took shit for being effeminate, for dressing differently.
But I think the worst of it was how they teased him. "You are so.....so.....GAY," they said. It was crystal clear from the way they spat it out that no further insult was required. That was, in and of itself, the worst epithet they could ever label him with.
The Muslims of my early twenties were no better. I remember one experience--shortly before my faith started to crumble against the higher edicts of my own values--when my friend Omar said "We absolutely should let gay people serve in the military--let's put them on the front line, preferably in high casualty situations." Later he pointed out hadith about burning sodomites alive.
There were exactly two moments, before I finally left Islam, where I felt distinctly, unequivocally like I had taken a wrong turn and not just like my faith was a little lax. One was reading the Quran Surah Four: An-Nisa (The Women). If you've read it, I don't need to explain it. If you haven't, nothing can really prepare you for just how codified misogyny is in Islam more than those 176 verses. The second was reading the punishment for homosexuality.
After that I moved to the bay area. "Fled" might be a more accurate term.
The Bay Area is not as wildly liberal as most people think. The city is, of course, and the general timber is red shifted to the liberal side of things, but it's not like you have to look far to find homophobia. Travel more than thirty minutes away from San Francisco in any direction (maybe an hour if you're going north) and you're going to find the vast majority of people think it's unusual for me to be a feminist and a guy or who haven't ever heard the concept of privilege. And of course you can find people who think homosexuality is wrong. It's not all under this uberprogressive bubble. So for years after I got here it was sort of something that I didn't notice because it didn't affect me.
But about ten years ago I began to realize that there was a struggle being waged for human rights. I had coworkers who call into work after equal marriage setbacks, unable to face the day, and they were not okay. I had friends who would descend into a funk. It wasn't just something other people were dealing with.
It was hurting people I loved. In a sense it was killing them. It was here I became an ally--in as much as I've tried to make that mean something more than wearing a big foam #1 glove
I have to be honest. I wish I could tell you that I felt it viscerally, but no matter how much of an ally I tried to be, it was always a bit of an abstraction to me. I always ended up pissing off people I cared deeply about because I was being over intellectual about something that was striking right at their hearts. It was something I couldn't quite do more than be supportive about. Except that about six years ago, for reasons I'll not get into here, I met a person I loved but couldn't marry. We can do hand fasting and make sure there's some legal paperwork in place in the event of one of our deaths, but we can't get married. Not legally. Not yet. Probably not in my lifetime. I'm a bit ashamed to say that's really what drove it home for me.
Because let me tell you, that just fucking sucks.
Of course for Californians who support marriage equality, it's been a pretty amazing week this week.
I was talking with Supportive Girlfriend today. I was talking about Mike and how she wanted to schedule a dual massage as one of our "date nights" in the not-to-distant future. And it just hit me like a flash and I blurted out: "Mike can get married!" I mean of course if you'd asked me, I would have known that, but it was that moment where I put the two connections together.
And it was like....there wasn't a moment where I started crying. Nothing welled up. The tears were just THERE in my eyes. Instantly. White hot and so very, very happy.
Mike could get married. Mike CAN get married.
And that's when I realized why I was feeling what I was feeling all day today. That's when I realized what it was triggering that feeling from the dream about evil death fungus. I had taken a long walk down to the store and back earlier in the day and the whole time I kept passing same sex couples holding hands. Unafraid. Unashamed. Unstigmatized. Bigotry is dying right in front of me--in the span of just my little life I've gone from "gay" being the worst insult imaginable to living in a place where bigots would be the ones who would have to worry about being attacked by a mob. And I didn't immediately, consciously realize how that was making me feel to see all those public displays of affection, but when I thought about Mike, it all hit me at once.
How painful progress is to stand in the middle of it, but how inspiring it can be to turn back once in a while and remark on how far we've come.
I know it wasn't "all a dream." I wish it were, but it wasn't. I know it isn't over.
But it sort of feels exactly like waking up from a terrible, terrible nightmare.
[© 2013 All Rights Reserved. If you enjoyed Falling from Orbit, please consider a small donation (in the tip jar on the left side of the screen) to continue to fund future offerings of fiction here at Writing About Writing.]
Posted by Chris Brecheen at 11:34 PM
Labels: Fiction


text:
Q: Theme customisation - how to store javascript externally when it utilises php variables? EDIT: Complete re-write
I have been developing a custom extension for my theme over the last few weeks.
This is my first time "developing" with Wordpress.  All works fine and I am happy with the resulting functionality, albeit it needs some tidying.
I wish to move my js functions out to an external file - custom.js.
Original format:
main-block.php
$custom1 = $custom_meta['custom1'];

<form name="customForm">
                Validation Code:

                <input type="password" name="inputcode" id="inputcode" maxlength="6" inputmode="numeric">
                <input type="text" name="message" id="message" style="display:none; background-color: #FFCCCC;">

                <input type="button" name="submitbutton" value="Submit" onClick="customfunction()">

                </form>

I really dislike having this javascript declared inline.
I have tried so many things, with the added complication that my function uses variables pulled from the php:
  const pidR = "<?php echo $postid ?>";
  const useridR = "<?php echo $userid ?>";
  const userInput = document.customForm.inputcode.value;

Currently in my child's functions.php I have written:
add_action('wp_head', function () {
// Register the script
wp_register_script( 'custom_script', get_stylesheet_directory_uri() . '/custom.js' );

// Localize the script with new data
$custom_api_vars = array(
    'pid' => get_the_id(),
    'uid' => get_current_user()
);
wp_localize_script( 'custom_script', 'custom_vars', $custom_api_vars );

// Enqueued script with localized data.
wp_enqueue_script( 'custom_script' , array('jquery'), '1.0', true);

});

and in my custom.js file:
function redeem() {
    const pidR = custom_vars.pid;
    const useridR = custom_vars.uid;
    fetch(`http://....../wp-json/api/v1/customquery?code=${userInput}&pid=${pidR}&userid=${useridR}`).then(r => r.json()).then(data => {
        .....do stuff.....
    })
};

The API compares the value of inputcode from the form and performs an add/update_user_meta process based on whether inputcode matches a value in the database stored against the post.
When I call the function from my page I get this error in console:

Uncaught (in promise) ReferenceError: JQuery is not defined

I also need to know how I can externally call the other variable (below) as I don't think this would make sense within functions.php because it is related to the form on my page.
const userInput = document.customForm.inputcode.value;

I would be very grateful if someone could walk me through this.
Thank you if you got this far.

A: Since it's a plugin, you should enqueue jQuery first.
Inside your add_action('wp_head', function () { before wp_register_script( 'custom_script', get_stylesheet_directory_uri() . '/custom.js' ); add :
if ( ! wp_script_is( 'jquery', 'enqueued' )) {
    //Enqueue jQuery
    wp_enqueue_script( 'jquery' );
}

This will check if jQuery is loaded and if not it will load it.
Then, in your custom.js file put the following :
(function ($) {
    const pidR = custom_vars.pid;
    const useridR = custom_vars.uid;
    // do stuff...
})(jQuery);

Hope this will help you get on the track ;)
SYA :)

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Tonight we have a very eclectic, witty, stylish and fun guest for you to get to know better.
I'd like to introduce you all to author Lucy Brazier aka PorterGirl, as she throws her hat into the ring to chat about taking her real life experiences and channeling them into her writing.
Hi there Lucy, thank you ever so much for agreeing to being a guest here today.
It is an absolute pleasure, thank you for having me!
Let's start with your latest release of "PorterGirl: First Lady Of The Keys", which was just released at the start of this month. This is a sequel to your debut novel "Secret Diary of PorterGirl: The Everyday Adventures of the Students and Staff of Old College". The setting and sensibilities are very British in nature. What sort of genre(s) would you classify your books as sitting in while politely sipping on a cup of tea? Tell us all about the infamous PorterGirl and your real life experiences that have brought these vivid, eclectic and fun stories to life in your books.
Firstly, the new book First Lady Of The Keys is not so much a sequel as a re-write of the first book, now reimagined to sit as the first in a series of at least three, but hopefully it will eventually evolve into something rather more epic. It's style is indeed very British and adopts a stiff-upper-lip at all times, although there are glimpses of pathos among the propriety and pomposity. It is a difficult book to define by genre – comedy / murder mystery seems to be the favourite, although the actual murders are more of a subplot.
The main focus is on Deputy Head Porter's journey into this strange new world and the unusual characters she finds herself involved with. Old College is one of the foremost educational establishments of the British academic elite and has not had a female Deputy Head Porter in its illustrious 400 year history. The arrival of our heroine certainly blows away the cobwebs, but she soon finds herself in mortal danger and very much out of her depth.
The real life tales and adventures are far too numerous to ramble on about here – hence the book! PorterGirl started innocuously enough as a series of social media posts, sharing with my friends and family the quirks of my new job as Deputy Head Porter at a prestigious College. A friend suggested that I start a blog and the rest, as they say, is history. But more than anything it was the people at the real Old College that struck me – an enthralling and endlessly eccentric bunch who filled my days with colour and fascination. It was almost impossible not to be inspired to take up a pen and, while at first the elitism grated somewhat, I soon realised why the legend of Oxbridge is so highly revered. It is easy to be distracted by the fancy dress and symbolism of academia, but the traditions and achievements really are quite remarkable.
Do you tend to answer the media or people across Social Media channels in character? Have you ever found yourself in humorous predicaments where without thinking PorterGirl provides the answer to a tricky problem or awkward situation? Give us a couple of examples, the more crazy or absurd, the better!
That is a tricky one to answer as PorterGirl is me – albeit a slightly sanitised version, of course. I always engage as myself – I struggle to be anyone else!
The writing itself is the easy part, it is simply a case of putting words on a page. Any writer will tell you that editing is akin to pulling teeth and it makes me very grumpy indeed – as frequent social media outbursts on this subject will attest. Marketing and promotion is a right bugger as well – it doesn't come naturally and I find myself often resorting to threats of violence to encourage people to buy the book. Although in the current financial climate, we all have less resources to splurge on literature, so I have advised readers to wait until the hard copies hit the shelves, then maybe shoplift them instead. I'm not sure that counts as a sale, but at least people get to read the book.
Terry Pratchett is probably the most influential on my style and way of looking at the world. He handled humour and tragedy as if they were the same thing and from a young age this struck me as not only very sensible, but also a perfect way to tackle life. Fantasy is not a genre I generally appreciate, but through his immaculately drawn characters and world, Pratchett had a wonderful way of making everything seem relative. His remarkable powers of observation and innate skill make him one of the most important writers of all time, in my eyes.
My other major influence – although I hardly feel worthy to make any kind of comparison – is Oscar Wilde. After studying The Importance of Being Earnest at school, I immediately demanded my mother brought me his complete works and I fell instantly and entirely in love. The absolute master of purple prose, language was both a device of reverence and also a plaything to him. His scintillating genius still burns as strongly with the re-reading of every page. Wilde taught me what it really meant to delight in the written word.
A lack of anything more sensible to do, I suppose. When my time as, quite literally, the worst Deputy Head Porter of all time came to an inauspicious end, I was at a bit of a loss as to what to do with my life. The blog was gaining some positive attention, so I thought I would try to become a writer. It turned out to be quite a good idea.
There is no such thing as writer's block – if a story has got stuck, it means that there is something about it that isn't right or doesn't work. I just retrace my steps through the work to find where things start to go awry and then rethink it from there. Some ideas come and the wrong time and you have to be wise enough to realise when that happens. Once you find the blockage, things soon start flowing nicely again. I am looking forward to a creative slump – I currently have a notebook filled with concepts that are patiently waiting for someone to invent more hours in a day, so that I might get around to them.
My other great passions are music, food and drink. If I am not writing or sleeping, I am usually found entertaining friends and family and making a lot of noise.
You have been given access to a time machine. What advice would you give to your younger self?
Make the most of your education – you are far brighter than you think. Be nicer to your mother, she turns out to be your very best friend.
I am currently working on a new blog series called Who Shot Tony Blair? Inspired by the recent political turmoil in the United Kingdom, it takes a sideways look at politics and makes tongue-in-cheek swipes at everyone from the rich and powerful to the man in the street. That will be online towards the end of September and will include both prose and video storytelling. It is something of a group effort and includes input and submissions from many of my fellow bloggers who appear as characters throughout the project.
My publisher is already making noises about the next PorterGirl book so I am doing a little work on that also, although it won't be my main focus until I have got First Lady safely out of the traps.
In the meantime, I shall be keeping my eyes peeled for anything that catches my interest or offers an opportunity to keep practicing my writing.
I am not really qualified to be handing out advice, but the biggest thing that has helped me in writing is to have observed and experienced many interesting things and found stories in the most unlikely of places. Pay attention to the overlooked things and talk to the people no one else does. A broad spectrum of perspective is invaluable. And, you know, just write. No excuses. It's only words on a page.
Thank you, this has been delightful!
Lucy Brazier is in her 30's and lives in the university city of Cambridge, England. She started writing from the age of ten when her primary school teachers were at a bit of a loss as to how to contain her effervescent personality. They tasked her with writing stories for the younger children in a bid to keep it from disrupting her peers. Lucy developed her skills throughout her teenage years, when she was inspired to read the words of Homer, Livy and Virgil. These formative years also saw her develop her other great passion of music, where she heartily threw herself into several years of misbehaving and playing bass guitar in unsuitable rock bands. Lucy developed a penchant for the unusual and the absurd, something which was exacerbated by her time serving in the Police where the many varied experiences and characters she met had a profound effect on her outlook on life.
After 7 years on the front line and driven by fascination with Inspector Morse, on a whim Lucy applied for the job of Deputy Head Porter at one of the foremost colleges of Cambridge University. To her great surprise, and that of many others at the time, she landed a role as the first female to don the iconic bowler hat in the college's six hundred year history. Having left formal education at the tender age of sixteen with little to show for it, being thrown in among the academic elite was something of an eye opener. Documenting the quirks and fables of College life on social media, Lucy was soon persuaded to start a blog – Secret Diary Of PorterGirl. Acutely aware of the dim view taken by College officials of any slight upon their reputation, she wrote anonymously and in such a way as to disguise the true identity of the now notorious Old College. However, being quite possibly the worst Deputy Head Porter of all time made her decide to hang up her bowler hat and peruse her dream of becoming a writer. Lucy considers this is the best decision she has ever made.
In December 2015 Lucy signed with Kensington Gore Publishing and Secret Diary Of PorterGirl was rewritten and republished in the summer of 2016 as "PorterGirl: The First Lady Of The Keys". KGHH Publishing see this book and others to follow a great glimpse into the unique world of college life. A world that never seems to change, more evolve into a world of its own.
14. Poetic Synchronicity – Oh, border!
21. Success Inspirers' World – Youth the future!
29. Sound Mind Journey – It takes a very long time to become young.
46. Lost Property Repository – More innocence of youth.
62. Christine's Collection – Is It True?
68. kindergartenknowledge.com – Listen…Young Me…Listen!!
85. Lakeland Musings by Irwin – What a Ride!
100. Michael J. Fite – How Can You Empower And Inform The Youth Of Tomorrow To Change The World?
108. What I Gotta Say About It – Is Youth Wasted On The Young?
122. Musings and My Two Cents – Embrace the Hoary Head?
167. Michael J. Fite – What Can Adults Learn From Children?
172. I Dunno About that Youth Thing – Where's the Windmill?
191. Do Not Annoy The Writer – Youth!
206. Designer Sophisticate – Call me Methuselah.
211. Alienora Standing up for Alienora: Youth onwards! – Chronicles of an Orange-Haired Woman!
oh… keys… I thought you played the piano… HA!
A great author interview with Lucy Brazier – The Porter girl.
I hope you guys are all great, I've not got much time to blog right now – but I'm still about and hope to get things on track a bit soon.
Lucy's writing is very Terry Pratchetty – which is why I love it!


text:
Privatizing Workers Compensation
by Dan McCormick | Apr 5, 2015 | Workers' Compensation | 0 comments
Privatizing workers compensation is the goal of an employer trade organization according to an article in Mother Jones by Molly Redden. The lobbying group is behind drafting laws to privatize workers compensation process by allowing employers to "opt out" of the state administered system. The employer and employee would write their own rules (wonder who hires the fancy attorneys to pick the rules) and then handle it themselves with no government interference. Nearly two dozen major corporations are bankrolling a quiet, multistate lobbying effort to pass laws making it harder for workers hurt on the job to access lost wages and medical care — the benefits collectively known as workers' compensation.
The companies have financed a lobbying group, the Association for Responsible Alternatives to Workers' Compensation (ARAWC), that has already helped write legislation in one state, Tennessee. Richard Evans, the group's executive director, told an insurance journal in November that the corporations ultimately want to change workers' comp laws in all 50 states.
Laws mandating workers' comp arose at the turn of the 20th century as a bargain between employees and employers: If a worker suffered an injury on the job, the employer would pay his medical bills and partial wages while he recovered. In exchange, the worker gave up his right to sue for negligence. Workers compensation benefits are less than civil damages, but the employee does not have to prove any fault or negligence, just causation – that the injury happened at work. Fair deal for both.
ARAWC's mission is to pass laws privatizing workers compensation by allowing employers to opt out of the traditional workers' compensation plans that almost every state requires businesses to carry. Employers opting out would still be compelled to purchase workers' comp plans. But they would be allowed to write their own rules governing when, for how long, and for which reasons an injured employee can access medical benefits and wages. Privatization would not provide consistent, affordable or caring workers compensation benefits.
[nap_names id="FIRM-NAME-1″] in Milwaukee, Wisconsin represents employees hurt at work, especially workers with serious cervical or lumbar disc injuries resulting in neck or back surgery. Our firm is one of several in Wisconsin that is trying to defeat Wisconsin assembly bill 21 that is the first step down the road of taking away injured employee protections in our high quality workers compensation laws passed over one hundred years ago. If they want to take away worker's rights, they should do it in an open and honest manner. Run for election and respect the people by telling us what you have planned; instead they hid their intentions and then snuck the demolition of worker's compensation deep inside he regular budget bill.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Coaching: Are Kids Today Pushed Too Hard in Sports?
Are kids today pushed too much in sports? I hear that question tossed around at times, but not as much as I would hope it would be. I have a 12 year old son and a typical year in sports for him is as follows. Baseball for him starts with indoor practices twice a week February 1st until games start the third week of April. The season will end the second week of July after playing 45 games. He will continue to have one practice a week during the season on top of his games.
He will get 3 weeks off (his only break of the year) and then start football practice the second week of August. He will have practice 5 days a week for 3 weeks and then drop down to 3 practices a week for 7 weeks when the games get started. His season will be a six game schedule with a bye week lasting until October 15th. Basketball practice will start during football season around September 15th, having two practices a week for a month and then games will start. The basketball season will last until the middle of March playing approximately 35 games. He will continue to have 1 to 2 practices a week on top of his games.
So a recap of a normal year for him would be 45 baseball games, 40 baseball practices, 6 football games, 30 football practices, 35 basketball games, and 40 basketball practices. The scary thing about this is we are a smaller school district for our area, the bigger school districts around us tend to have more games and practices than we do!
Now I will compare that to a normal year for me when I was a kid. I had 16 baseball games, 20 baseball practices, 6 flag football games, 6 flag football practices, 10 basketball games, and 10 basketball practices. That is quite a bit different! When I was a kid I don't remember hearing the words "he/she quit when he/she got to high school because they were just burned out from playing so much as a kid". Unfortunately I hear these words quite a bit now.


text:
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Eugene Feinberg is an internationally recognized expert in the study of Markov decision processes, which provide a mathematical framework for modeling decision-making in situations where outcomes are partly random and partly under the control of a decision maker. He is also an expert on industrial applications of Operations Research and Statistics. He is currently working on the development of control algorithms for a new generation of electric power systems called smart grids, and was the principle investigator of the Long Island Smart Energy Corridor.
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Q: ufunc 'isnat' is only defined for datetime and timedelta Considering the below example in df I have ts as datetime.
df.dtypes

parts_produced             int64
event                     object
c                         object
ts                datetime64[ns]
dtype: object

Now, I am trying to check if ts is empty because it is when I do a
shift(-1) on a column ts for the last record.

If I check np.isnat(ts), I get :
TypeError: ufunc 'isnat' is only defined for datetime and timedelta.

Debugging step:
p ts
Timestamp('2020-09-10 00:10:00')

np.isnat(ts)
*** TypeError: ufunc 'isnat' is only defined for datetime and timedelta.


text:
Astoria kept a smile rigidly fixed on her face as Daphne broke into a fit of ear-splitting squeals for what must have been the fiftieth time since breakfast. In this case, they were squeals of delight, but cries of woe had been an equally common occurrence. The dress fitting for Daphne's bridesmaids had been dragging on for nearly two hours. Astoria was becoming concerned about the way that her sister seemed to careen back and forth between the heights of elation and the depths of despair, fueled by frilly dreams of perfection, too much champagne and some sort of wedding-related hormones. Astoria dearly hoped that those hormones did not run in the family. It was enough to make her seriously consider the merits of eloping.
Daphne elbowed Madame Pinking, the matronly old witch who was fitting Astoria's dress, out of the way, spilling champagne on the floor from the flute cradled precariously in her hand. She fluffed the bustle that weighed uncomfortably on Astoria's bottom with her free hand and trembled with excitement before gushing with a detectable slur.
"Isn't her dress just gorgeous! Pansy, Ingrid, look. You are all going to look so elegant. Can you see, Astoria?"
Astoria twisted her head and shoulders as much as she dared, feeling the patchwork of pins and clips that held the dress tightly around her body strain as she moved. In the mirror to her left, she could just make out the absurdly enlarged shape of her backside with Daphne's hand resting on top of it. The muscles in her face were starting to hurt from the effort of maintaining her fake cheer. Astoria was certain that she looked like a hippogriff wrapped in a peach chiffon tent. She racked her brain, trying to think of something -- anything -- nice to say to Daphne about the fit of the dress, but her sister was already flouncing across their mother's dressing room toward the latest in a series of champagne bottles that rested half-empty in a silver bucket of ice.
Astoria sighed and let her mask fall off for a moment. The corseted, Victorian-style dress squeezed her in all the wrong places and for the first time in her life she felt like she could relate to the long-dead witches in the old family portraits that lined the halls of the manor. No wonder they never seemed to have the energy to do anything more than fan themselves and gossip. A short stroll in the monstrosity she was wearing would leave her winded.
"I have everything I need for the alterations, dear. If you like, I can help you to get out of this now."
Astoria broke into her first genuine smile of the day as the elderly witch helped her to step down from the stool she'd been standing on. She headed for the door and caught a jealous glare out of the corner of her eye. Pansy Parkinson was being practically groped by a stout, blond witch who was attempting to fit her dress in such a way as to maximize her cleavage. As soon as the blond witch pulled her hands away, Daphne let out another jubilant shriek and Astoria decided that quickening her pace was well worth the risk of passing out from lack of oxygen.
Once they reached the safety of Astoria's bedroom, Madame Pinking started the laborious process of extracting her from the cumbersome dress. Astoria was more than a little frightened to move. She felt sure that if a single pin or clip fell out of place, they'd have to repeat the entire fitting exercise. Running away to live with Isadore's spinster aunt and her horde of cats didn't seem like such a bad choice compared to that.
"The dress isn't too tight, is it dear? You're hardly breathing."
Astoria gave the old witch a tired smile and shook her head mutely. Madame Pinking studied her for a moment and then smiled as she went back to her work.
"Weddings make you think, don't they? I remember when I was your age. I always used to imagine that I was the one walking down the aisle. It's only natural to feel a bit envious."
Astoria could only nod in response, not trusting herself to open her mouth. Truthfully, she had been thinking quite a bit about her clandestine relationship with Draco, even though she didn't dare breathe a word of it to anyone. She'd been careful to avoid any mention of him since stepping off of the Hogwarts Express to meet her father. Thankfully, her father hadn't brought him up either. The whole family seemed content to leave the subject alone, and that was just fine with her. If they chose to believe that Draco Malfoy was simply a bad choice that she'd since thought better of, Astoria wasn't about to give them any reason to think otherwise.
Maybe after Daphne's wedding she'd be able to broach the topic again. Her sister was getting married on the thirtieth of May and Astoria's seventeenth birthday was one week later. And then it won't matter what anyone else thinks.
Astoria felt a blush creep across her cheeks. Of course it mattered what her mother and father thought! They were her parents. When the time was right, she would make sure that they realized what a good person Draco was on the inside. But until then, she didn't want to do anything that might ruin Daphne's wedding. It wouldn't be fair of her. Daphne made a point of explaining how unfair it would be to anyone who disagreed with her about anything, no matter how small. So Astoria filed away her mutinous thoughts just as she felt the fabric of her dress slip away from her body.
With a slight yelp, she covered her bare chest with her arms and hurried into her closet, pulling the door closed behind her. She selected a warm sweater and a comfortable skirt and made herself presentable before stepping back out into her room. Madame Pinking had gathered up the long folds of the dress over her arm while she was waiting.
"It was a pleasure fitting your dress, Miss Greengrass. Young ladies these days are rarely so cooperative. I'm going to make my way back to the dressing room and see whether the other ladies can use any help."
Astoria smiled brightly and offered her thanks. As soon as the door closed behind the old witch, she collapsed onto her bed and closed her eyes. After the long trip home from Scotland, she'd stayed up far too late writing a letter to Draco. Although the two of them had agreed not to exchange any owls while she was home for the Easter holiday, she still enjoyed writing down her thoughts and recollections of the day's events to share with him. A week felt like such a long time to go without any contact. She resolved that as soon as the Hogwarts Express was safely out of London and steaming northward, she would gather up all the letters she'd written over the break and send her owl to deliver them. A smile spread across her face as she imagined him reading through her letters one by one, and it grew even larger at the thought that there might be a similar bundle waiting for her when she arrived back at Hogwarts.
A knock at her bedroom door roused Astoria from her thoughts and she reluctantly pulled herself to a sitting position before inviting her visitor to enter. Her mother stepped inside and quietly closed the door. It was obvious to Astoria that she wasn't the only one who'd been losing sleep. The fine lines of her mother's face stood out more than normal and a slight droop of her shoulders spoiled her perfect posture. Astoria smiled warmly at her mother and patted the bed next to her.
"I'll try to be a little less demanding when it's my turn, Mother."
Her mother smiled in spite of herself and crossed the room to sit next to Astoria on the bed.
"You've always been easier to please, sweetheart, but your sister deserves to have her perfect day. You only get married once. If anything, I'll probably be more nervous when it's your turn. It will be the last wedding I'll ever get to plan."
Astoria laid her hand on top of her mother's and gave it a gentle squeeze.
"You'll be so good at this by then that you'll barely have to try."
The two women sat quietly for a few seconds, letting the warmth of the moment linger. Astoria had always enjoyed her mother's company, but in the depths of her bones, she could feel her bed calling out to her. If she could sleep for an hour or so, she'd feel like a new person. Realizing that her mother was lost in reverie, Astoria finally broke the silence.
"Was there anything else you wanted to talk about, Mother?"
The older woman blinked a couple of times, as though she was trying to recapture her train of thought. Then she sat up a bit straighter and turned to face Astoria.
"Yes, Astoria. As a matter of fact, there was. Your father and I saw Blackburn Montague and his wife at the Gamps' dinner party last week. They inquired as to whether their son Emery might have the honor of escorting you to Daphne's wedding. Since Jeremy's Best Man is already married and you don't have any other prospects at the moment, we were only too pleased to agree."
Astoria couldn't help it. Her eyebrows shot up, her mouth fell open and she probably would have stormed off to her room and slammed the door behind her if not for the fact that they were already there. A dozen angry rebuttals flashed through her mind, ranging from highly articulate to shamefully juvenile. When she finally opened her mouth, Astoria was less than thrilled with what came out.
"What do you mean, I don't have any prospects?"
Her mother placed her hands gently on Astoria's shoulders.
"Darling, you're sixteen years old. You need to begin seriously thinking about finding a husband. You don't want to end up like your friend Isadore's aunt, do you?"
Astoria could feel the anger and resentment buzzing in her chest as she fought back the urge to lash out at her mother. She was not going to wind up like Isadore's aunt. Her mother was mental if that's what she thought. But it was a pointless argument to have because Astoria couldn't tell her mother just how good her prospects were looking at the moment. Even though she knew that it sounded petulant, she indulged herself in a much less dignified rebuttal.
"So you think I should settle for Emery Montague? Mother, he's barely able to hold a conversation that doesn't involve Quidditch, and he isn't even any good at the sport! He gets terrible marks at school, his brows are far too thick and quite frankly he smells."
Her mother tilted her head slightly and sighed in response.
"I thought that your father and I taught you better than to engage in such childish insults."
"It isn't an insult, mother. Ask anyone who knows him. He doesn't bathe regularly!"
Astoria turned her eyes toward the window in a huff. Out of every boy at Hogwarts, her parents had to go and set her up with Emery Montague. She wondered whether this had anything to do with the adventure that she and Draco had shared in Hogsmeade. Had her father decided to ruin her life as a punishment? Astoria felt like she was drowning in the inequity of it all when her mother cleared her throat and continued.
"What would you have us do, Astoria? Go back on the arrangement we've made with the Montagues? What's done is done. Young Mr. Montague will be escorting you to Daphne's wedding and that is final. That doesn't mean that the two of you are betrothed, but I do expect that you will be polite and give him fair consideration. As far as his hygiene... well, I'm certain his mother will see to that."
The older woman stood up to leave, plainly considering the conversation over. Astoria tried to slow her pounding heartbeat as she struggled for a response. Her mother had a weakness for romance. Astoria knew this from the trashy novels that she'd found hidden among her things when they traveled. Perhaps she could exploit it.
"Mother, is this really what you want for me? To marry me off to some boy that I barely know just because he comes from a wealthy, old family?"
Astoria suppressed a triumphant smile when she saw the slightly stricken look on the older woman's face. But her mother recovered quickly, and a wistful smile settled onto her lips, replacing the pained expression.
"Your father and I barely knew one another before we were betrothed, Astoria. Sometimes you have to trust your family to do what's right for you."
It wasn't the response Astoria had expected. Completely wrong-footed, the best she could do was stammer out an honest response.
"But that was different. You and father are perfect for one another. You love each other."
Her mother's smile deepened and she beamed at Astoria's words.
"You're right. I love your father with all my heart. But it wasn't always that way, sweetheart. We had to learn to love one another. It was a long, gradual process."
Her mother swept back across the room and gently cradled Astoria's face between her hands.
"But it was worth it."
Astoria was racked by conflicting emotions. There was no mistaking the fact that her parents loved one another deeply, and for as long as she could remember, Astoria had wanted nothing less for herself. When she looked at her husband, she wanted to see the same passion burning in his eyes. She wanted to exude the same glow that her mother did whenever her father walked into the room. The thought of being trapped in a loveless formality of a marriage was repugnant. It terrified her. And the longer she thought about it, the more that fear and revulsion twisted into anger.
Her mother's loving gaze had never seemed so fake, and part of her wanted to lash out and release all of the balled-up frustration that tore at her insides. This was her life they were discussing. What was so horribly improper about letting her follow her heart? She fixed her mother with a burning glare and her voice fell to a strangled hiss.
"What if it hadn't worked out that way? What if father hadn't turned out to be the man that you love? What would you have done then?"
Her mother's fingers stiffened, and Astoria waited as she took a long, deep breath. When she spoke, a tremor in her voice betrayed her attempt to be firm.
"You have to trust us, Astoria. Your father and I love you more than anything, and we only want what's best for you. It may not always be obvious why we make certain choices for you, but when you're older and have children of your own, you'll understand."
She lingered for a moment, caressing Astoria's cheeks with her fingers. When Astoria refused to speak, she quietly left the room. As soon as the door closed behind her, Astoria threw herself back onto the bed and allowed her pillows to absorb the howl of frustration that tore from her lips. As her breathing slowly returned to normal, she tried to tell herself that she was overreacting. That she should just go along with her parents and as soon as they got a whiff of Emery Montague, the matter would be resolved. It didn't work. This wasn't about Emery Montague. It was about whether she was ever going to be able to make her own decisions. It was about control.
Astoria rolled off of her bed and tore open the drawer of her writing desk. All thoughts of a nap were gone. She had to let Draco know about her parents' plans for the wedding. She wasn't sure how he would respond. Perhaps there wasn't anything that he could do. But she wanted him to know, to realize that none of this was because of her.
Astoria tapped the point of her quill against the polished wood surface, trying to calm down enough to compose proper sentences. She found that her mind was flooded with angry, mutinous thoughts. One week after Daphne's wedding, she would be an adult. At that point, if she chose to run away with Draco, there was nothing that her parents could do to stop her. The idea lingered in the forefront of her mind and in that moment she rather enjoyed the way it made her feel. Her parents would certainly disown her, and she'd be shunned by "polite" pure blood society. To hell with them all. If Draco wasn't good enough for them, their opinions didn't matter anyway.
She focused on the empty sheet of parchment. She wanted to tell him so many things, but there wasn't time to compose a lengthy, detailed letter. Her family was caught up in the chaos of Daphne's dress fitting, so she reasoned that it wouldn't be too difficult to slip a letter to a departing post owl as long as she hurried. She took a deep breath and started to write. When she was finished, there were five sentences on the page.
Dear Draco,
My mother has just informed me that she and my father have arranged with the Montague family to have their son Emery escort me to Daphne's wedding. I wanted to make sure that you found out directly from me, and that you know that none of this was my idea. I've only been home for a day and already I miss receiving your owls. I hate the fact that my parents can't put the past behind them and give you a chance. If they refuse to change their minds, maybe we should consider a less traditional courtship.
With My Love,
Astoria stared at the last sentence for a long time. She couldn't even imagine how her parents would react if they saw her letter. But the longer she thought about it, the more she realized that she meant every word of it. She had never considered the possibility that her parents' strong, loving marriage could be merely a happy accident, one of those improbable events that was bound to happen once or twice in each generation. Astoria wanted a husband that she could love and admire with the same passion that her parents felt for one another. There was no way she was going to leave that to chance.
"Don't forget, Zabini, you owe me a favor."
Draco took a sip of firewhiskey and fixed his former schoolmate with a meaningful look. Blaise Zabini seemed nonplussed, casually swirling the liquid in his own glass. He studied the deep, amber color before downing the drink in a single gulp. Draco's stomach clenched at the thought of pounding down liquor so casually. It felt like ages had passed since the days when he spent most of his time drinking away his misery with Zabini and the others. Lately, he had been trying to reintroduce alcohol into his life. It was nearly unavoidable at pure blood social functions, so he tried -- mostly successfully -- to drink in moderation. Spending time with his old friends from Hogwarts, however, was a challenge to his self-control.
Draco sighed and refilled Zabini's glass from the bottle he had brought along. It was one of the pricier ones he'd found in the cellar of Malfoy Manor, aged thirty years and bottled in leaded crystal. His father would be infuriated when he found out that Draco had taken it. But at the moment, Draco couldn't bring himself to care what the old man thought about much of anything.
Zabini contemplated his drink for a moment longer before meeting Draco's stare.
"Why are you coming to me? He's my mother's second husband's grandson. I don't know what that makes us. You're the one who knows his family history forward and back. Are we even related?"
"I wouldn't know. My family tree has fewer grafts."
Zabini glared at him for a moment before hoisting his drink to his lips. Draco silently cursed his sharp tongue. Ever since the row with his father, he'd found his temper more difficult to control. After a long, slow sip, Zabini gave him a hard stare.
"You're asking a lot, Draco. I can't even stand to be around Montague. He's thick as a Mountain Troll and he smells like the inside of Hagrid's boot. What do I care if he goes to some bloody wedding? Maybe he'll find some pathetic, single cow who's desperate enough to take a fancy to him. Someone who'll bathe him occasionally and teach him to chew with his mouth closed."
Draco sighed and lowered his voice. Zabini's mother was somewhere inside their sprawling home, no doubt plotting the death of her current husband. He sincerely doubted that she cared about her deceased ex-husband's grandchildren now that she had emptied his vault, but she was known to be an inveterate gossip. Draco was already taking enough of a risk by seeking Zabini's help.
"Come off it, Zabini, we both know that Emery Montague is playing Chaser for the other squad."
Zabini tried to keep a straight face, but Draco didn't miss the hint of mirth in his eyes
"That's better than playing Beater, yeah?"
"I don't care what position he plays! I am offering to spare him from an entire day that he's sure to find impossibly tedious and awkward. You know how things are at weddings. He'll be surrounded by hormonal, single witches full of champagne and fairytale endings. He won't be able to get them off of him with a severing charm."
Zabini raised his eyebrows as a thin smile crossed his lips.
"Maybe I should volunteer to take his place, instead."
A dark cloud swept over Draco's grey eyes. Zabini seemed to sense the change in Draco's mood and he raised his open hands slightly.
"Lighten up, Malfoy, I was only joking. You act like your life depends on crashing this bloody wedding. What's so important about it, anyway."
A wide assortment of lies flashed through Draco's mind, each carrying its own benefits and risks. Tell Zabini too much and it was possible, however unlikely, that somebody might uncover the truth. Tell him too little and his interest might be piqued to the point that he would keep tabs on how "Emery Montague" spent his evening. Draco went for something plausible, yet foreboding enough that he hoped that Zabini would see the advantages of not asking too many questions.
"I have unfinished business with someone I expect to be in attendance. The wedding should give me an opportunity to discuss that business in a neutral setting, where the conversation won't look out of place. Perhaps I'll even be able to resolve the matter in a more... permanent fashion. I assume that you wouldn't want to know anything about that."
Zabini fixed him with a probing stare, then nodded knowingly. A grin slowly spread across his handsome face.
"I told the others that you hadn't gone soft, Malfoy. Gamp, Flint... even Nott swore that you'd turned your back on the old ways for good. I knew it wasn't true. All this nonsense about going back to Hogwarts and cozying up to the blood traitors and mudbloods, it had to be an act."
Draco allowed a thin smile to cross his lips. As long as he managed to take Emery Montague's place at Gamp's wedding, the others could believe what they liked. Zabini downed the rest of his glass with a flourish before continuing.
"Alright, I'll help you, Draco. On one condition."
The smile abruptly faded from Draco's face. The eager look in Zabini's eyes didn't bode well. Draco nodded stiffly, encouraging his former schoolmate to go on.
"You have to agree to sit down over a drink with Gamp, Flint and myself and hear us out. Really listen to what we have to say and give it fair consideration. Things are getting worse, you know. Somebody has to stand up and put a stop to all of these so-called reforms, before there's nothing left of wizarding society that's worth saving!"
Draco fought back the urge to roll his eyes as he finished the rest of his drink. Zabini reached for the bottle, seeming eager to pour another round, but Draco caught his hand.
"You know very well that I don't approve of Shacklebolt's reforms any more than you do. But what are you going to do about it? You remember what happened at that bloody coffee shop. People haven't forgotten who supported which side, even those of you who weren't involved in the fighting. If you set one toe out of line, there's a cell waiting in Azkaban with your name on it, Zabini. Don't be a fool."
Zabini shook his head dismissively before pulling his hand free of Draco's grasp and hoisting the bottle over his glass.
"Shacklebolt and the rest of the traitors will never know what hit them. We've been gathering allies for months, Draco. Quietly making inroads with the few remaining families that still value the old ways. But we need people with first-hand experience. People who know how to avoid the mistakes that cost us the war. We need you on our side, Draco. Your family's name may be tarnished, but it still carries weight with witches and wizards who want to go back to the way things used to be, even if they won't admit it in polite company."
Draco felt his shoulders sag. He was trapped and he knew it. The wedding was still two months away and there was no possibility that he could avoid Zabini, Gamp and the others for that long. He lowered his voice to a whisper and leaned closer to his former schoolmate.
"I'll hear you out, but we have to gather here. And this is solely between the four of us, you understand? My act, as you put it, needs to continue at least until the wedding. I'm involved in a number of very delicate situations and suffice it to say that if certain people were to learn that I was talking to you, I would be in no position to help anybody."
Zabini smiled broadly and took another big sip of firewhiskey. He coughed raggedly into the sleeve of his robes before continuing.
"You won't regret it, Malfoy. This is bigger than just the four of us. There are powerful wizards quietly backing our cause. Men of influence who have the gold to back it up. We're at the forefront of a revolution."
It was all Draco could do to contain the bitter laughter that he felt. The men at the "forefront" were the ones who caught the most curses. And on the slim chance that they did succeed in toppling the Ministry, the powerful wizards with the gold would use their influence to fill the vacuum left behind. No matter what, Blaise Zabini and his friends were cannon fodder. It was a position Draco had been quite familiar with, and he silently promised himself that he would never be there again.
Hello! This chapter took ages to finish, so I apologize for the long delay. I knew what I wanted to happen, but getting that to manifest itself in words seemed more difficult than normal. At any rate, I hope you like it. Please leave a review and let me know if you do!


I am a student trying to learn how to program FPGA's with VHDl. my design has many areas which I thought shold infer FSM's, however when I synthesized the entire project, only one inferred a FSM. Could this just be optimization sincethey are simple or am I doing something wrong?
Related source file is "C:/Users/Adam/Documents/sumFPGA/fpga programming/fridge_controller/reset_cont.vhd".
Using one-hot encoding for signal <ss>.
Found 3-bit register for signal <ss>.
Found 3-bit register for signal <xs>.
Thank You for any comments or suggestions!
Check out Chapter 3 in the XST User Guide. It describes coding techniques for creating a variety of common digital logic circuits including FSMs with one, two, or three processes.
From just glancing at your code, it probably has something to do with sn being treated as a clock due to the rising_edge keyword. Most likely you want the whole if statement to be level sensitive and entirely combinatorial so that the only registers in the FSM are the state registers. There may be other things I didn't catch, though, so check out Chapter 3 and follow the coding examples.
I think I understand what your saying about making the whole if statement level sensitive, however since I only want one state change everytime the sn signal goes high (from a debounced input). I geuss either would have to makea pulse or rewrite it as what follows. Is there a better way to do this?
DO NOT use the two-process state machine paradigm. That sort of process might be fine for the veteran who knows what he's doing, but they are an endless source of agita for the newbie.
Just use a single process that is sensitive to the global clock.
It looks like you're just doing a rising edge detect on sn, which is perfectly legitimate. Generating a single cycle pulse based off of the edge detect is also valid, but adds an extra cycle of latency on that input. Either method will work. Just like most circuits, it comes down to whether you need lower latency (use the edge detect method) or a higher clock frequency (use the pulse method). I'm guessing here, but I doubt you're trying to squeeze every last bit of speed out of the circuit and I doubt latency is a particularly big concern since the input is debounced, so really it just comes down to personal preference.
The subject of FSM design methodology can often become a religious discussion akin to whether VHDL or Verilog is the better language. So, I'll just say that there are pros and cons to each methodology and that it's important to understand those pros & cons as well as the design requirements before selecting a methodology.


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O Campeonato Paulista de Rugby da Série A de 2003 foi disputado por quatro clubes. O Bandeirantes Rugby Club
sagrou-se campeão.

As equipes que participaram do torneio foram essas:

 Bandeirantes Rugby Club - São Paulo
 Rio Branco Rugby Clube - São Paulo
 São José Rugby Clube - São José dos Campos
 São Paulo Athletic Club - São Paulo

Jogos

A competição contou com jogos em turno e returno. Os resultados foram os seguintes:

2003
Rugby de 2003 no Brasil

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Recently, we had the opportunity to photograph the USAFA Men's Soccer Team as they faced off against San Jose State, their Western Athletic Conference rival. Air Force came out with an impressive victory of 4-0!
To read game highlights please visit the link below!
To view the rest of the photos go to Galleries > Public Gallery (photos start on page 177). Or click the link below.


Due to the extensive visual nature of the internet, the look of a project page has become tantamount to the offering of the product itself. Now, like old good days, people don't just "hear" about your product, but they can actually see your product in all possible angles before the actual buying. Thus, product page visuals have become an indispensable component of modern commerce.
It boils down to the fact that how you show is as important as what you show.
We're going to throw a glimpse into the merchandising art that's been perfected by trendsetters–how they actually make their pages aesthetically supreme and how it is helping them in developing their market share.
Each and every company from the above list saw visible growth in 2014 and 2015. Target's growth was thinnest, with a 1.9 percent increase in U.S. retail sales from 2013 to 2014. Amazon grew the most, heightening U.S. retail sales 22.6 percent for the same period.
The important thing to note here is that, apart from Amazon, almost all these retailers have online as well as physical presence. So, it is essentially a list of retailers who know how to execute brilliant merchandising across all channels.
In terms of retailers from all countries, these are the NRF's top 10, with their online sales totals listed. These include online-only operations like Amazon and JD.com, as well as multi-channel retailers like Apple and Tesco.
A clear call to action and focus image on Tesco's homepage.
One common thing which all larger retailers are doing is putting a single large offer right up front on their home pages. Similarly, there is a hero image at the top of the home page. It grabs attention, which is like oxygen to sites like these.
You will find a list of products or product categories lower down on the home pages of all 10 retailers on the first list. Similarly, you can see clear cut personalization of the products based on the visitor's shopping and viewing history. Naturally, it reduces user's time, as what he wants is in front of him without having to search a lot. It is mighty useful in cutting down the bounce rate.
Walmart's simplistic product pages let shoppers focus on the product.
Though e-commerce is a fast paced world, certain things still hold sway. It is particularly true for category pages, as people expect basic information like product images, product names, prices, and a means of either getting more information or adding the product to the cart. Almost all 10 retailers have these basic functionalities.
An example of categorisation on JD.com.
Except Apple, all other sites have layering and filtering on the category page. These techniques simplify the user's task of finding products which he actually wants to buy. Apple's apprehension with this convention is understandable as it has much fewer products.
Target offers multiple views of even its simpler products, like headphones, making for compelling product page visuals.
As an online retailer, you have to understand that people cannot hold and touch your product. That benefit lies with brick-and-mortar stores. Thus, it is imperative to have a system in place where the user can see your product in all possible angles and directions. It will allow users to get acquainted with the minute details of the product. And believe it or not, but it can significantly affect the purchase decisions of users. Remember, at the end of the day, it's all about showing off your products.
Visual Commerce enables companies to show off user-generated images of their products, thus giving browsers a deeper understanding of every facet of a certain item.
Visual Commerce on CB2, a business owned by the Otto Group.
You can also work Visual Commerce into your product page visuals, so users don't have to go to a separate gallery to view it.
Bed Bath and Beyond puts user generated content on its individual product pages.
Indeed, this is just a tip of the iceberg. Upcoming times will see much radical and path-breaking ways to enhance product page visuals. The boundary of the aesthetic limit will be stretched. We are already witnessing videos of the products on pages. But without a doubt, all these efforts deserve a chance. The truth is, we are living in an era where all it takes to create a lasting image of the product in the mind of your potential customer is a mere glance at that product.
This post was written by Prasad Dhamdhere.


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Vince Staples Drops Yet Another Excellent Project
FM! aims to carry out the unique concept of a fun 20 minute car ride, bumping along to the FM radio, and having a good time doing it, and Vince executes this to perfection.
Vince Staples is a rapper from North Long Beach, California. He gained notoriety in the hip-hop community with a series of four mixtape releases between 2011-2014. After the success of his last mixtape, Shyne Coldchain II, he was picked up by Def Jam Records and dropped Summertime '06 in 2015 to universal critical acclaim and reasonably impressive commercial performance, thanks to the record's lead single, "Norf Norf," and the infamous reaction video made by a young mother, upset that her children had heard the lyrics. From here, Staples dropped Big Fish Theory in 2017, which was widely considered one of the best projects of the year.
His musical style is quite unique, sporting a chaotic flow which often emphasizes strange rhyme schemes, and a hectic delivery on virtually every track. All this performed over traditional boom-bap instrumentals with distinctly industrial and psychedelic slants. In recent years, Vince has shown himself to be very lyrically talented and incredibly articulate in interviews and public appearances. Coming off of two hits in a row, the question begged itself: Could Vince Staples go a perfect three for three with FM! The short answer? Yes.
To begin the long answer, we'll start with Vince's flow, which reaches new heights on this LP. His performance on tracks like the opener, "Feels Like Summer," and "Don't Get Chipped," is expected as he delivers bar after bar over a driving beat, but songs like the title track or the closer and best track on the record, "Tweakin'," see Staples taking on a new tone, playing with a strange accent on the former and dancing triplets over a slower, spacier instrumental on the latter. He's beginning to come into his own aesthetically, and this shows through his ability to apply his touch anywhere.
Above this, the beats on this album are fantastic. "Outside's" eerie guitar lead, the strange, epic tone of "Relay," and even what sounds like a xylophone on "No Bleedin'." Each and every song features a broad instrument pallet, responsive drum work, and an interesting tone. Vince's fantastic performances are elevated indefinitely by such powerful instrumentals.
And, of course, the skits and sound bites here are especially enjoyable on this album. Working to develop the concept of this entire project as a 20 minute slice of an FM radio station, "New Earl Sweatshirt," "Brand New Tyga," and "(562)-453-9382" each run under a minute. The third is absolutely hilarious as a man calls into a radio station to compete for concert tickets. He is asked to name seven celebrities who's names start with the letter "v" and is only able to muster "Venessa Williams" before his time is up, failing to consider Staples at all.
These interludes are excellent, as is the overall concept of the album. With a runtime of only about 20 minutes, the concept keeps the project to a perfect pace, meaning it never drags or overstays its welcome. As with about 20 minutes of an FM radio show, FM! can easily be taken in over a short, morning drive, and it would seem that that is it's purpose.
In the end, I'm left with very little to complain about. Of course, the album won't change the course of music history, but it's a blast to listen to. Vince Staples set out to make a quick record to play as a soundtrack to a short drive around town, and he succeeded perfectly.
FM! aims to carry out the unique concept of a fun 20 minute car ride, bumping along to the radio, and having a good time doing it, and Vince executes this to perfection.
HEAR FM!: https://open.spotify.com/album/1XGGeqLZxjOMdCJhmamIn8
Author brendonsbeatsPosted on November 11, 2018 February 1, 2019 Categories Rap ReviewsTags album, FM, hip-hop, music, rap, Review, Staples, Vince, Vince Staples
One thought on "Vince Staples Drops Yet Another Excellent Project"
Andrea Cudworth says:
I envy your work, thanks for all the useful posts.
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Home > Nation > Harsh Vardhan meets Delhi fire victims at LNJP Hospital
Harsh Vardhan meets Delhi fire victims at LNJP Hospital
An intense political blame game erupted after the Anaj Mandi fire tragedy that killed 43 people with all the major political parties beginning to blame each other
Team MP8 Dec 2019 6:15 PM GMT
New Delhi: Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan on Sunday visited the LNJP Hospital and met the victims, who suffered injuries after a massive fire broke out at a factory in Anaj Mandi area here earlier in the day that claimed 43 lives. The Union Minister interacted with the injured and wished them a speedy recovery.
Earlier in the day, Harsh Vardhan visited the site where the fire had broken out. "What has happened today is very painful. I convey my condolences to the families of the deceased. I am now going to meet the injured at LNJP Hospital. We are trying that the best possible care is provided to the injured," he told reporters earlier.
As many as 43 people died and 16 others were injured after the fire broke out in the factory at Anaj Mandi on Rani Jhansi Road in the wee hours on Sunday. The Delhi Police has arrested Rehan, the owner of the building, in which the blaze broke out. A case has been registered under Section 304 (punishment for culpable homicide not amounting to murder) of the Indian Penal Code against Rehan, who absconded after the incident.
Meanwhile, an intense political blame game erupted after with the BJP holding the Kejriwal government responsible for the incident and the AAP alleging that the saffron party was doing politics over dead bodies.
The Congress has accused both the BJP, which is power in all three municipal corporations here, and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) for the worst fire tragedy in the city after the 1997 Uphaar Cinema incident that claimed 59 lives and left over 100 people injured.
Officials suspect that the fire, which was reported at 5:22 am from the congested north Delhi area, was triggered by a short-circuit due to "internal system" trouble. Overhead wires were dangling in the area and despite repeated complaints in this regard, government agencies did not take any action, claimed Delhi BJP president Manoj Tiwari.
Tiwari along with Union Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Hardeep Singh Puri visited Anaj Mandi and the hospitals where the injured are admitted. The Congress blamed the AAP government and the BJP-led municipal corporations for the incident.
"The (Arvind) Kejriwal government is responsible for this. The MCDs come under the BJP. They are also equally responsible for it," Delhi Congress Committee president Shubhash Chopra said.
Tiwari, on behalf of the BJP, announced Rs 5 lakh to the families of each of the deceased and Rs 25,000 for treatment of the injured. The BJP has also cancelled its programmes for the day in view of the tragedy.
"This settlement should not be here, they have been given alternative places but the Delhi government has not shifted them," Union Minister Puri alleged.
Senior AAP leader and Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Singh said it was "shameful" that BJP was indulging in politics over dead bodies.
"It is the BJP which is responsible for issuing licences for running manufacturing units in residential areas. Instead of accepting its responsibility, the BJP has started doing politics over the dead bodies of the victims," Singh charged.
Senior BJP functionary and Leader of Opposition in the Delhi assembly Vijender Gupta demanded that the Kejriwal government call an emergency session of the House to discuss ways to prevent such incidents.
"Such incidents have become a regular feature, which is very painful. The Kejriwal government should call a special session of the assembly to stop recurrence of such incidents," Gupta said.
Senior BJP leader and former Union minister Vijay Goel said it was the Delhi government's responsibility to take action against illegal factories running in residential areas and prevent incidents of fire .
"It has become a common thing now. Such incidents happen, inquiry is conducted but the government does not do anything. Factories running in residential areas are to be provided plots at alternative places but the government did not do it," he said.
BJP MLA Manjinder Singh Sirsa demanded the resignation of Chief Minister Kejriwal on "moral grounds" and alleged that the factory was being run "illegally" for which he should "sack" Industry Minister Satyendar Jain.
Bihar's Water Resources Minister Sanjay Jha blamed Delhi's power department for the tragedy.
"I went to the spot, saw a mesh of overhanging wires. It was bound to happen. The power department is responsible for it. The Bihar CM is monitoring the situation and I believe the death toll will cross 43," he said.
The Bihar government is trying to identify those injured in the incident and will give Rs 1 lakh ex gratia to the families of the deceased, he added.
The injured included a minor. However, it was not confirmed whether the injured worked in the units but most of the labourers were migrants.
The Delhi government has ordered a probe into the incident and sought a detailed report within seven days.
Kejriwal has announced Rs 1 lakh for the injured and said his government will bear the cost of their treatment. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved Rs 50,000 each for those seriously injured. The amount will be paid from the Prime Minister National Relief Fund, the PMO said in a tweet.
Team MP
Siddhant Chaturvedi has dodged the odds and shot at the top...


Phonophani, the project of multi-instrumentist and digital artist Espen Sommer Eide, is back with a fourth serving of expressionist electro-acoustic experimentations, and this time, Sommer Eide has turned his attention to Norwegian folklore, using traditional instruments as sound sources and building them into the fabric of his record.
Sommer Eide is, amongst other things, one half of the excellent Alog, a project he founded with Dag-Are Haugan in 1997 and with who he has released five albums, four of which published on Rune Grammofon, and a number of EPs. Running in parallel, Phonophani has had for main objective to bring together acoustic and electronic instrumentation and explore the strange world that is brought to life as they meet. This has led to three radically different records, from the hypnotic orchestral textures of his self-titled debut, originally released in 1998 on Geir Jenssen's Biophon imprint and re-released on Rune Grammofon four years ago, to the much more fragmented abstraction of Genetic Engineering (2001) and the often abrasive and angular Oak Or Rock (2004).
Kreken is much more melodic and rustic, and, while stemming from a similar intense processing to its predecessors, demonstrates a much more open approach. With each piece named after a particular place in Norway, Kreken is perhaps Sommer Eide's most personal record to date. It is also his richest and most complex. The acoustic nature of his sound sources is apparent throughout, and tints the record with beautiful tonal nuances, from the earthy drones of a violin or the stern thuds of a drum to the spritely élans of a flute, but these are submitted to intense processing, often distorting them or warping them beyond recognition. Layered into fragile formations, these take on an infinite number of shapes, from the spellbinding jig of Kvaale II or the wonderful textures of the title track to the warm accordion motif of closing piece Ilka, and contribute greatly to make Kreken an extremely colourful and pastoral work.
Like on Genetic Engineering and Oak Or Rock before it, Sommer Eide occasionally incorporates the human voice into this record. Providing contributions here are Jenny Hval, a Norwegian singer-songwriter who usually performs as Rockettothesky, on Mendel and Blåflat, Japanese sound artist Haco, on Gubijinso, and classically-trained Swedish mezzosoprano Agnethe Christensen, a singer equally at ease with modern classical, early vocal music or folk, on Neverdal. Hval's two appearances are almost at opposite ends. On Mendel, the voice is left almost untouched and is, in the later part, layered into ethereal harmonies, but is processed quite heavily on Blåflat, and buried much deeper into the mix to appear more at once with the soundscape. Haco's syncopated performance is much more intriguing, but there is on Gubijinso a flavour of sugar-coated pop which is quite unique in Sommer Eide's work, while Neverdal draws on much more visceral feelings and proves to be one of the most emotionally rich and intense moments of the record. Other contributors to the record include multi-instrumentist David Grubbs, who provides sombre stabs of electric guitar on Morki, while Sigbjørn Apeland's soft harmonium brushes, placed over light distortions, give Nold a somewhat nocturnal touch.
A true original and an inspired artist, Espen Sommer Eide has once again created with Kreken a work that is like no other, and while he in essence sticks to a formula which has until now proven extremely successful, his approach is totally different, and pushes into territories he has never ventured in before. He has, with every new Phonophani record, become more confident in his method. This record is the work of a visionary musician at his creative peak.
Kreken is the most beautiful album I've heard this year!


Happy Monday everyone! Today I am finally ready to talk about my skin care routine, so this has been my go to for the last 6 months and I can honestly say I am obsessed with these items! So to start off I have a few different products listed here so I will try to go in order of what I use from day to night.
So for my day time routine I try to keep it short with out skipping on the important products I need to better my skin. So for those who don't know I have combination skin I get very oily in my T-zone, but I am dry on my chin and cheeks, which is very frustrating in the Summer and Winter months.
So my go to products to combat this during the day is the Santias Skincare brand. I freaking love this brand lol I started using them when a Youtuber I follow mentioned it in her video I started with their 30 day Combination skin trial kit in preparation for my wedding day, since I was getting married in the fall I wanted my skin to have a better moisture balance and evenness in my skin tone as well, so with just those six little products my skin looked so much better in the first 2 weeks of using it, now I know for some that can be hard to believe but I can truly say there was a huge difference in the texture and the softness of my skin when I applied my makeup and I couldn't believe it.
So I normally add one or two treatments to my daily routine so I will list them all for you guys.
So I hope this was helpful to you guys that are looking to change up your skincare or are looking for something new to try, I can say I have enjoyed all of these products I have listed and haven't had any issue with any of them.


Jordanne Whiley has been beaten in the semi-finals of the end-of-season Singles Masters in California.
The 21-year-old world number seven was defeated 6-2 6-0 by defending champion Jiske Griffioen in the last four.
Whiley had become the first British female wheelchair tennis player to make the semi-finals of the tournament.
A Briton will play in the doubles final with Whiley and her Japanese partner Yui Kamiji facing Lucy Shuker and Dutch player Marjolein Buis in the last four.
In the men's singles, Britain's Andy Lapthorne beat America's Nick Taylor 6-4 6-4 to win the third-place playoff.


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U.S. Department of State Imposes Visa Restrictions on Guyanese Individuals Undermining Democracy
On March 2 the Co-Operative Republic of Guyana held national elections, but it has still not declared a winner. All international observers of the vote count agreed that the manner in which votes were tabulated departed from established procedures. They unanimously agreed that a result based on these procedures would not be credible. The Organization of American States and Caribbean Community concluded that the recount of votes, which concluded on June 7 and showed a victory for the opposition, reflected the will of the Guyanese people. Unfortunately, Guyana's leaders have refused to accept this result.
Today, I am announcing visa restrictions on individuals who have been responsible for, or complicit in, undermining democracy in Guyana. Immediate family members of such persons may also be subject to these restrictions.
In my public statements since the election I have been very clear that the United States stands with the Guyanese people and that there would be consequences for individuals who seek to undermine democracy. The events following the March 2 elections indicate that there are forces that have repeatedly refused to accept the will of the people at the ballot box. Guyana's non-democratic trajectory is dangerous for its citizens and for the hemisphere as a whole. I hope that Guyana's leaders understand what is at stake if they continue down this path.
This action is not about interference. It is to send a clear message of the consequences of subverting democracy and the rule of law, which poses a danger to us and our hemispheric partners. We have long said that we have no preference for a winning party, as long as it is selected through a free and fair electoral process that is credible.
Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs Democracy Guyana Office of the Spokesperson The Secretary of State Visas
The Ortega Regime's New Authoritarian Law Undermines Democracy
The United States Takes Actions Against Supporters of the Illegitimate Maduro Regime's Fraudulent Elections
The United States Supports the Voices of the Venezuelan People


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How is Depression in Children Diagnosed?
Depression was formerly thought to occur only in adults, because children were felt to lack the necessary cognitive and emotional make-up that could give rise to this disorder. However, the use of standardized criteria shows that not only do children suffer from depression, but the rates of both depression and suicide in this group is showing a rise with each new generation. Even in preschoolers, one of every hundred may be diagnosed as depressive, two of every hundred school-age children, and 5-8 per hundred adolescent children. The spectrum of disease ranges from sad reactions to normal stress and ultimately to clinical depression.
Depression affects both young boys and girls equally, but shifts to twice as high in adolescent females compared to males in the same age group.
Factors which increase the risk of depression in childhood include:
History of depression in the family
Previous history of depression
Presence of strife in the family
Poor performance at school
Dysthymia (persistent mild depression)
Anxiety and anxiety disorders
Depression in preschool children
In very young children who cannot express their feelings or thoughts in words, depression is diagnosed mainly on the basis of the child's behavior. Clues to depressive mood may include:
Withdrawal from those who care for the child
Delay or regression in the normal milestones of development
Failure to grow normally in the absence of any physical cause.
This information is derived from the history supplied by the child's caregivers, coupled with observation of the parent-child relationship by trained observers, and play interviews by professionals familiar with dealing with this age group.
Depression in school age children
In slightly older children who can think and speak about their feelings and stressors, the main symptoms include:
Physical complaints such as non-organic headaches and stomach pain
Anxiety shown as extreme reluctance to attend school and to be separated from the parents
A change in mood, for example frequent quarrelsomeness, irritability or tantrums. These actually reflect a poor self-image and feelings of guilt
A tendency to overachieve and gain acceptance by compliance.
Stress in this age group arises from quarrels within the family, criticism of the child or a poor academic performance and consequent lack of acceptance. Information about these children may be derived not only from the parents and the children, but from the child's teachers.
Depression in adolescents
Adolescent children are the most capable of forming and expressing feelings of separation, hopelessness, and despair. As a group, they show symptoms such as
Loss of enjoyment of former interests
Weight change
Substance abuse to a far greater extent than young children.
Adolescents also have the capability to plan and execute an attempt at suicide, which creates significantly more urgency about their diagnosis and treatment.
Symptoms of childhood depression
In general, symptoms of childhood depression overlap with those of adults. Very anxious children often develop mood disorders in later life.
The symptoms of depression are present almost every day for two weeks or longer, for most of the hours of the day. The most important ones are:
Irritability and anger
Chronic feelings of sadness and/or hopelessness or
These must be coupled with four or more of symptoms of the following to arrive at a diagnosis of depression in children:
Guilt and self-blame or feelings of worthlessness
Somatic symptoms such as stomach pain or headaches without organic cause
Suicidal thoughts and attempts
Screening for childhood mood disorders
Screening of a general childhood population for depressive symptoms may involve the use of questionnaires such as the Pediatric Symptom Checklist by the parents and caregivers of children between 6 and 12 years of age. Its advantages include the little time needed to fill it out, its wide acceptability, and relatively good sensitivity and specificity.
Outside of such screening, parents may raise their concerns about their children's psychological wellbeing, and these concerns should be taken seriously by evaluating the child at the first opportunity. Research shows that less than a third of parents ever discuss such issues with the children's healthcare providers, and even in such circumstances, only about 40% of the pediatricians address these concerns.
A third source of referral may arise from the provider's own observation and assessment of the child and/or the family.
The first step in diagnosis involves a thorough medical examination and evaluation of the mental and cognitive processes. If required, laboratory tests may be ordered to rule out certain medical disorders which can mimic psychological conditions. These could include liver or kidney disorders, anemia or seizure disorders.
The psychiatric history will explore the child's symptoms as well as the developmental history. The family and social history, including any mental illness, and the school environment, all or any of which may produce chronic or overwhelming stress, should be elicited.
Direct interviews with the child may occur in a variety of formats, including open-ended questions in young children, observation of play and parent-child interactions in infants and very young children, to questions requiring more detailed answers in teenagers. In addition to the information on the child's symptoms, the healthcare provider must rule out learning or neurologic disabilities which could affect the child's normal development and learning abilities.
http://www.aafp.org/afp/2000/1115/p2297.html
https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/depression/index.shtml
http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/statistics/prevalence/major-depression-among-adolescents.shtml
http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/depression-what-you-need-to-know-12-2015/index.shtml


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Shifting Gears in Digital Signage
By AVNetwork Staff (Digital Signage Magazine) 2010-04-15T12:16:31Z Business
By David Keene
Wrapping up my visit to NAB this week, I headed not to the airport, but across town to Mandalay Bay, to check out the Kioskcom/Digital Signage Show. NAB and Kioskcom could not be more different. NAB this year did see a good deal of digital signage activity–albeit more of the content routing/workflow side than on the hardware or purely content management software side. NAB is still mainly about broadcast TV, and radio–even as digital signage and DOOH rises on its radar. But over at Mandalay Bay this week, the much smaller show, a more focused show, brought good attendance.
Despite the fact that show organizers like to equally emphasize the "Digital Signage Show" aspect of the event, most attendees and even show staff still referred to the show as "Kioskcom"– which is why I suppose the show's name has been changed, starting with the show in New York this coming November, to "Customer Engagement Technology World." This according to JD Events, the show organizer, is to "focus on the expanding role of customer engagement in business success and improved ROI, addressing topics that are more reflective of what the industry has become and where it is going."
At Kioskcom/Digital Signage Show, I could see on this show floor, this shift. In previous years, the show, starting out as really a Kiosk show, year by year brought more purely digital signage exhibitors. Last year's show, it seemed like about half and half, kiosk and digital signage. But also last year, everyone exhibitor at the show was calling themselves a digital signage provider.
What I see this year, is that as digital signage moves more to a customer engagement model, and away from the model of just pushing out static content, digital signage–the better digital signage– is starting to act more kiosk-like.
Of course, any trade show, is as much about the conference and educational sessions as it is about the show floor. And JD Events has done a good job of producing some very relevant conference sessions and presentations by top industry players. The "Cooking Up Content" demos were good, and the best part of those: it's not a one-off at one trade event… It's a series that goes on, through several cycle of shows (nice concept).
Also good was the opening Keynote by Bill Ratcliffe, SVP North America at BrainJuicer. In the Keynote, "Creating Outstanding Experiences and Content: Engage Customers by Winning Their Hearts," Ratcliffe addressed the idea of appealing to customers' emotions as much as their rational shopping decision-making. "Win the hearts of people, not their minds," said Ratcliffe. This may sound vague and touchy-feely, but what's important about what Brainjuicer is doing is the fact that they are conducting research in this method. They are not just preachy vague feel-good content. They are out in the field conducting real research into how consumers react to different kinds of messaging. More research, and less automatic carry-over of content from other media, is that this industry needs.
More from Digital Signage Magazine
Next-Generation Digital Signage Displays: Emerging Technologies Influencing How New Displays are Manufactured
Digital Signage Magazine Names Best of Show Winners at InfoComm 2019
Shooting Hoops
Fred Meyer Engages Converge Retail
Shoppers' Paradise


Recently I had a need to determine how to implement change data capture against an existing MariaDB database running with Amazon RDS. The applications that were using this database were written in a variety of languages (Perl, PHP, Node, Java) and were spread across several different environments, so it really wanted to be something done via the database itself. Amazon RDS gives us fantastic operational benefits, but also some limitations which we feared would hamper our ability to do this. We have been making great use of Pivotal Web Services (PWS), which is an implementation of Cloud Foundry and there was big appetite to have this solution run within our PWS space.
…reads MySQL binlogs and writes row updates to Kafka as JSON. Maxwell has a low operational bar and produces a consistent, easy to ingest stream of updates. It allows you to easily "bolt on" some of the benefits of stream processing systems without going through your entire code base to add (unreliable) instrumentation points.
This sounded like exactly what we were looking for!! The only question was would it work in Amazon RDS and could it run in Cloud Foundry?
set binlog_format to "ROW". Do this in the "parameter groups" section. For a Mysql-RDS instance this parameter will be in a "DB Parameter Group", for Aurora it will be in a "DB Cluster Parameter Group".
setup RDS binlog retention as described here. call mysql.rds_set_configuration('binlog retention hours', 24) on the server.
This also was pretty straight forward, one additional requirement we had was to use Amazon SQS instead of either Kafka or Kinesis. Maxwell allows for STDOUT output of changes in JSON, so we just wrapped the whole thing in perl and send the CDC items to an SQS queue for other workers within Cloud Foundry to work with. The only tricky item to find was an ENV variable to tell the buildpack that we were smarter than it.
Here you will find the simple perl program that starts maxwell (again with sensitive information removed and note that the perl program ignores all tables that are not either named "events" or "users" for this proof of concept and also bundles with it the addition of the SQS module for Perl.
Hopefully this helps someone who is looking to seamlessly replicate the constantly modifying data from an existing MySQL/MariaDB system.


Fabricated from heavy gauge stainless steel which is show polished to a beautiful finish.
Designed to mount on left side thru a 3/4" axle or thru a custom fabricated tab with a 3/4" Bolt.
Made to be fitted with any standard cateye taillight. Can also use our Maltese Cross taillight which has the same bolt pattern.


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Q: app store issue with sales and trends Right now in application on itunesconnect I have a lot of data in Sales And Trends section (about downloads and payments).
But I need to transfer my application to another itunesconnect account (I need to change the company for the application. So in the details of the application I choose More->Transfer).
Will I have all that data in the other itunesconnect account after transferring the application or will I loose all that data about downloading and payments and so on?

A: No.

Because you won't be able to view the app information after the
  transfer, make a catalog report (see Requesting Catalog Reports), note
  dates the app was available on the store (see Viewing Status History),
  and save sales and download information (see Viewing Sales and
  Trends).

Apple Documentation Source


FAAC are best known as a world leader in access control automation, but they also supply a range of high quality manual products and, due to recent additions to their manual revolving door range, are experiencing an upturn in sales.
A revolving door is an excellent solution for providing an aesthetic entrance to a building combined with optimal energy savings. All FAAC manual revolving doors are fitted with a 30mm rubber buffer on both entry sides of the drum wall and a 30mm horse hair brush strip is mounted within the nose of the door to seal the door leaf against the drum wall. Not only does this prevent hands being trapped between the door leaf and drum, but it also creates a total draft seal in any position throughout its rotation.
With more than 40 year's experience, FAAC is a world leader in access control automation. The company has manufacturing and development facilities in Italy and Ireland and distributes its products in more than 90 countries. FAAC (UK), based in Basingstoke, is the market leader in residential and commercial markets which it serves through a national network of 800 approved installers, all trained to FAAC's high standards.


I have a product called "donation", only when that is in the basket I want to display a field that asks about gift aid.
I would also like to hide the notes field when the donation product is in the cart.
Would you be able to assist me with that?
Presumably I need some sort of and statement here to hide the notes field.
Right, undefined (null) is not false, strictly speaking.