text:
Q: remove background of any image using opencv I have been searching for a technique to remove the background of a any given image. The idea is to detect a face and remove the background of the detected face. I have finished the face part. Now removing the background part still exists.
I used this code.
import cv2
import numpy as np

#== Parameters
BLUR = 21
CANNY_THRESH_1 = 10
CANNY_THRESH_2 = 200
MASK_DILATE_ITER = 10
MASK_ERODE_ITER = 10
MASK_COLOR = (0.0,0.0,1.0) # In BGR format

#-- Read image
img = cv2.imread('SYxmp.jpg')
gray = cv2.cvtColor(img,cv2.COLOR_BGR2GRAY)

#-- Edge detection
edges = cv2.Canny(gray, CANNY_THRESH_1, CANNY_THRESH_2)
edges = cv2.dilate(edges, None)
edges = cv2.erode(edges, None)

#-- Find contours in edges, sort by area
contour_info = []
contours, _ = cv2.findContours(edges, cv2.RETR_LIST, cv2.CHAIN_APPROX_NONE)
for c in contours:
    contour_info.append((
        c,
        cv2.isContourConvex(c),
        cv2.contourArea(c),
    ))
contour_info = sorted(contour_info, key=lambda c: c[2], reverse=True)
max_contour = contour_info[0]

#-- Create empty mask, draw filled polygon on it corresponding to largest contour ----
# Mask is black, polygon is white
mask = np.zeros(edges.shape)
cv2.fillConvexPoly(mask, max_contour[0], (255))

#-- Smooth mask, then blur it
mask = cv2.dilate(mask, None, iterations=MASK_DILATE_ITER)
mask = cv2.erode(mask, None, iterations=MASK_ERODE_ITER)
mask = cv2.GaussianBlur(mask, (BLUR, BLUR), 0)
mask_stack = np.dstack([mask]*3)    # Create 3-channel alpha mask

#-- Blend masked img into MASK_COLOR background
mask_stack  = mask_stack.astype('float32') / 255.0
img         = img.astype('float32') / 255.0
masked = (mask_stack * img) + ((1-mask_stack) * MASK_COLOR)
masked = (masked * 255).astype('uint8')

cv2.imshow('img', masked)                                   # Display
cv2.waitKey()
cv2.imwrite("WTF.jpg",masked)

But this code only works for only this image

What should be changed in the code to make it to work for different images

A: Local Optimal Solution
# Original Code
CANNY_THRESH_2 = 200

# Change to
CANNY_THRESH_2 = 100

####### Change below worth to try but not necessary

# Original Code
mask = np.zeros(edges.shape)
cv2.fillConvexPoly(mask, max_contour[0], (255))

# Change to
for c in contour_info:
    cv2.fillConvexPoly(mask, c[0], (255))

Effects

*

*Test Image

*

*Similar color of background, hair and skin

*

*Original Output

*

*original output

*

*original edges

*

*Apply all contour rather than max contour with same edge threshold

*

*slightly better

*Canny Thresh 2 set as 100, apply all contour

*

*much better

*

*stronger edges

*

*Canny Thresh 2 set as 40, apply all contour

*

*edges starts to become not so sharp

Reasoning

*

*Program Behavior
The program searches edges and builds contours. Get the max contour and recognize as human face. Then apply mask.

*Problem
Not easy to deal with similar color between background and human face. Blond hair and skin color makes it's hard to find correct edges with the original threshold.
Max contour means when images have strong and big vertex like the scarf in test image, it's easy to lose track of some area. But it really depends on what kind of image it is after your human face recognition process.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


We didn't make up our foundational belief about a murdered Galilean rising from the dead. We didn't make up the stuff about His promise to return on a white horse, riding on a cloud. We also didn't make up the stuff about how we should live.
Joseph as an ordinary guy. Because he did the right thing, he was used by God to accomplish something extraordinary. We have the same opportunity be used by God.
The problem with power is that those who seek it are often the ones least qualified to wield it. This is no less true in the church than in society at large.


Click here to see the article on NetDoctor featuring my book and words from Maggies Cancer Specialists who helped me big time.
Click here to see me on Good Morning Britain on Tuesday 10th June 2014.
Click here to read all about my Diana Award in the local Edinburgh Evening News.
Click here to read all about the Young Scot of the Year Award's night. I won !!
It was the most amazing night of my life. I met so many lovely people and just had a Ball.
Here you can read all about the Awards - thanks to the Sunday Mail and Young Scot again for an amazing night.
Click here to read my own account of Lapland. A truly magical day.
Read all about the annual Fight Against Cancer Edinburgh's 20th trip to Lapland in which Emma was invited along for the day.
Emma's interview with the Edinburgh Evening News, 20 August 2013.
Read Rebecca Gordon's indepth interview with Emma on 7th December 2012.
Dafty News calls Emma a "Supergirl"!
Emma's interview, about "Eek! My Mummy has Breast Cancer", with Gina McKie on Forth One, 24 November 2012.
To listen, please click on the play button below.
Interview with Emma Sutherland about "Eek! My Mummy has Breast Cancer."


This was my introduction to the Lyric Hammersmith's Secret Theatre season which has come to Newcastle after a talked-about run in London.
It was borne of necessity, it seems. The London theatre is being refurbished so artistic director Sean Holmes, who directed this production, put together a young ensemble and rehearsed a raft of plays to perform away from the main stage.
In London the season was secret because ticket-holders didn't know which show they would see on a given night.
Here Tennessee Williams was signalled in advance although a latecomer might not have been aware given the apparent all-purpose nature of the set.
Resembling a sort of broken white box, it proved to be a bit of an ice cube in which to evoke the pressing heat of New Orleans and the crackling tension of a family under stress.
There's a cast of 10 but essentially the play's a three-hander. Newlyweds Stella and Stanley have a baby on the way and a rackety sort of lifestyle on what we might call a working class estate.
Then in comes Stella's mysterious sister Blanche with a suitcase-laden trolley, an ill-disguised drink problem and a head full of airs and graces.
The animosity between Blanche and Stanley is expressed in terms that hint at a deeper and more animal attraction.
But actors Sergo Vares and Nadia Albina rarely get within half a prop-littered stage of each other and Adelle Leonce's Stella seems unconcerned by all that swirls around her.
English accents, making the characters seem more like denizens of the 'smoke' than somewhere steamy across the 'pond', are perhaps meant to signal the universality of the story but 'Streetcar', to me, seems a very American tale.
Sad to confess, the thing that most had me on the edge of my seat was the precarious ladder which the actors had to negotiate at various points.
In particular I worried for Nadia Albina who was born with no right forearm. But of course, she proved to be as agile as a cat.
Streetcar is on again on June 7, 10, 12 and 14 and there's also a chance to see the same actors in three other plays, Woyzeck, Chamber Piece and Glitterland.


Dallas makes up a large segment of the Texan population primarily for being a business and cultural hub. The city also makes-up a huge chunk of the Dallas- Fort Worth Metroplex, connecting a wide network of small towns & cities.
According to researchers, Dallas is the second most dangerous city to drive in Texas. A staggering population approaching 1.4 million, with a massive number of vehicles visiting the city each day, there is bound to be collateral damage.
The state of Texas reports that Dallas experienced 32,056 car crashes in 2017 (data available up to April 2018). The US National Safety Council reported in a 2018 study that speeding the most common cause of accidents in the state of Texas. One third or 30% of car accidents, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), happen because of speeding.
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) claimed in a research study that there was a clear correlation between speeding and the severity of the car crash. Even with safety guidelines in place the Texas Highway Patrol reports that drivers speed up at some point during their journey on vast Texas highways. The safest drivers the report highlights are those who drive below the median avg. speed permitted by the state.
Driving with a damaged auto glass is the cause of almost 5% accidents in Dallas. Depending on the weather, road, and impact of an accident, a windshield can shatter. Even a scratched windshield or one with a crack in it is a severe safety hazard.
Although your windshields are designed to endure significant damage before it shatters, meeting an impact at the right speed can completely leave the glass without structural integrity. Always consider inspecting your auto glass after hail storms, after impacting with debris & foreign objects, and especially if it gets damaged around the frame.
At Glass Genie we are available 24/7 to assist you with auto glass replacement & repair throughout the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex. Once you are in our coverage area we cover a 15-mile radius around Dallas, and other cities falling within the Metroplex.
Glass Genie's mobile auto glass repair service is renowned for its 24 hour service. We reach you in Dallas within 45 minutes of your call, with the promise of same day service thanks to our workshop located in the heart of the city.
A Glass Genie we believe in genuine replacements, and only high quality repair work. Our certified & government licensed technicians are equipped with latest knowledge, best practices, and cutting edge equipment to handle all your car glass repairs.
Fill out our online form or give us a call today to book an appointment for auto glass repair and replacement in Dallas.


Please click on the link for the Registration Form and additional information regarding Vacation Bible School for 2018.
The dates for this years Vacation Bible School is Sunday, July 29 thru Thursday, August 2 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.
Please call Sandy @ (412-798-5596) or Irene @ (412) 977-2721, if you have any questions.


Date: March 29, 1927. Place: Daytona Beach, Florida. Car: the Sunbeam 1000HP Mystery, nicknamed the Slug. Driver: British Land Speed Record (LSR) breaker, Sir Henry Seagrave.
On this day 87 years ago, Seagrave comfortably smashed the 200 mph (320 km/h) barrier in the bright red Slug, running on special tyres designed to hold together at that speed for no more than 3.5 minutes, a pair of linked Sunbeam Matabele engines bellowing as the car flashed along the beach, next to the Atlantic Ocean.
Exciting, and dangerous, stuff, as all LSR attempts are - yet in the model world, it's a complete mystery to SMN why the mainstream model manufacturers have all but ignored these unique and attractive machines. It's certainly a shame, as a set of 1:72 or 1:43 LSR kits really ought to sell well.
But at least the diecast companies haven't let things slide, and we are particularly impressed by the LSR and other exotica produced by Bizarre Models, a sister company of well-known racing-car maker Spark Models. The Bizarre Sunbeam is to 1:43 scale and would make an excellent addition to an LSR collection.
The US toy company Schylling have also produced a handsome wind-up tinplate collectible Sunbeam 1000HP. At present it's not in the online catalog, but there are still some available at stockists.
1 Sunbeam 1000HP at the National Motor Museum, UK. Picture by David Hunt.
2 A postcard of the time, taken at Daytona Beach.
Touchwood Models stock Bizarre cars in the UK here.
Buy Schylling's tinplate Sunbeam 1000HP here.
Talking of LSR cars, there's also a tinplate Schylling Blue Bird Race Car available, and very attractive it is too.


History overwhelmingly suggests they will and the strategy of minimising the public backlash provides them with only a small window in which to move.
Here are the factors that go into their thinking on whether to move and when to do it.
Westpac's move has provided the other major banks with cover to follow - affording them some protection from being in the direct line of fire from government and community backlash.
Westpac was the first mover on Wednesday.
For its part Westpac chose its moment well - a week after the toppling of Malcolm Turnbull when most negative news was directed at the Canberra catastrophe - when a newly-installed prime minister and treasurer were busy getting their feet under different desks, getting new business cards printed and trying to hose down the blood in the parliament house corridors.
And why did Westpac choose a Wednesday to make its announcement?
It is typically a day when there is maximum other news around to dilute the impact of negative announcements. That's the reason why the quieter news day of Monday is strategically a no-no for these announcements.
A move on Tuesday or Wednesday gives the other banks the opportunity to follow the first mover lead within days, thus not leaving the leader left out to hang for too long.
If the first mover chose Friday, it would be hanging out alone for the whole weekend.
Unfortunately for Westpac, its big competitors, National Australia Bank, ANZ and the Commonwealth Bank held out.
It's a delicate balancing act for the three that have not yet moved. To follow too quickly can open them up to accusations of being 'lemming-like'.
But if they want the public relations cover that Westpac already provided last week they cannot wait too long.
Westpac had already ploughed the road for a rate increase having warned anyone who would listen over the past six months it was under pressure on higher funding costs and would eventually have to move.
The reasoning behind Westpac capitulating first on rates was simple enough - its borrowing costs had been stubbornly higher for six months and it wanted to pass those onto customers in order to protect its profits.
The wholesale funding costs of all the banks had risen but Westpac was feeling it the hardest so was under more pressure.
Indeed Westpac and the others big banks have held out longer than they normally would have.
But all have felt boxed in by negative feeling generated by the industry's atrocious behaviour towards customers - all of which has been laid bare during the royal commission financial services. It has made them targets.
This was a year all would have preferred to avoid of cycle interest rate rises.
I suspect it was no accident the fact that Westpac picked a moment when it had not been in the witness box in the previous round of royal commission interrogations and hasn't scheduled for the next session. In other words it's had a little bit of time to lay low and hide behind others that have been more heavily and recently beaten up - such as CBA and National Australia Bank.
If the other banks decide to wait a while, they may run out of opportunities.
Clearly the worst time for a bank to stick its head above the parapet would be during a royal commission hearings and they begin next week.
Parliament also starts sitting next week - another moment that banks need to lay low. By the end of September we will get an interim report from royal commission Kenneth Haynes - definitely a bad time to move.
At the end of October,start of November bank profit season muddies the waters and in mid October the bank bosses get another round of grilling before the House of Representatives.
Only a banker with a death wish wants to raise rates too close to Christmas.
I suspect Westpac is hoping like hell that the others move this week. It has already been stuck out there alone for five days.
With the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission watching the banks' behaviour closely they will want to be able to justify the size of any rate increasing - lest they be accused of gouging customers.
Tricky waters for the banks.


Over the past 6 months I have been volunteering at our local Ponsetti club foot clinic. The children seen at the clinic range from newborns with clubfeet (idiopathic and syndrome related) who are being treated with manipulation and casting to older infants, toddlers and young children who attend for regular checkups.
I have become very curious about the role of muscle imbalance in the long term outcomes and relapsed feet. It is well documented that the tibialis anterior and posterior are overactive, with weakness in the evertor muscles.
Reading the literature on muscle imbalance, I realized that I really did not know very much about the typical development of foot movements in infants, so have been on a mission to rectify this gap in my knowledge. To this end I have created a series of video clips honing in on foot movements of two infants: one full term with typical development, and one infant born 6 weeks preterm.
Below you can view a series of clips of lower limb movements at different ages. What I found fascinating is the tendency of infants aged 9-12 weeks to invert the forefoot with flexion of the toes. The inversion is associated with varying degrees of plantar and dorsiflexion with consistent flexion of the toes. At 18 weeks one starts to see independent movement of the toes.
Both Will and Max (born 6 weeks preterm) show distinct dorsiflexion with eversion and toe extension movements when flexing and extending the LEs.
Increasing differentiation of foot movements with exploration of toe movements.


January 29, 2019, Bengaluru: SPAG (A Strategic Partners Group enterprise), that has emerged as the most trusted and innovative healthcare communications firm in Asia, today, announced launch of its Bengaluru office. SPAG thrives on the working philosophy 'Be Real' led by insights, creativity and business impact.
According to Aman Gupta, Co-Founder and Managing Partner, "It is a start of a journey to provide integrated healthcare communications service to the healthcare, pharmaceuticals, health-tech, food & nutrition and development sector.
He further added, "We are quite excited to take our expertise to South India and mark the growth of our national foot-print. With an increasing number of companies in the healthcare, pharma, life sciences and technology domain in Bengaluru, we recognized the need to be present in the city and cater to the business requirements of this emerging market. There is huge potential to attract prospective businesses in these newer markets and make them a part of our award-winning journey."
Ritika Jauhari added, "I am happy to welcome Aishwarya to the team. Her proven track-record and strong understanding of the business will be essential for expanding our operations in the region. We have great start to our journey with two client signups and with multiple others in pipeline, we are looking at building a very strong presence in the next 12 months."
On this occasion, Aishwarya Kar commented, "It is a great opportunity for me, to work with such a focused & dynamic team and chart out the growth trajectory for SPAG in Bengaluru. It is good to be back in Bengaluru, where I've learned and grown through significant phases of my career. This city has tremendous opportunities and I am delighted to partner with businesses and make them a part of SPAG's growth story – consolidate SPAG's portfolio and presence in Southern India."
SPAG (A Strategic Partners Group enterprise) is an award-winning Public Relations and Advocacy firm operating across Asia with 'industry specialization' at its core. The firm is reputed for offering bespoke communication strategies to shape conversations, influence perceptions, cultivate constructive knowledge and to keep the dialogue going. In India, the firm has its owned offices in Gurgaon, Mumbai and Bengaluru.


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Q: WPF Explorer-like MVVM ListBox-in-ListBox (master-detail) binding expression One line summary of my situation: when I select a detail item, the master is still unselected, so I get wrong detail item.
Assume that two ViewModel MasterList and DetailList are ObservableCollection, and try to make Explorer-like GUI. Left panel has master-detail listboxes, and right panel will show one of the selected detail item. there is no need to show master information in right panel.
On my left panel, ListBox controls are coded as below.
<ListBox x:Name="listBoxMaster" ItemsSource="{Binding Path=MasterList}" SelectionMode="Extended"
            IsSynchronizedWithCurrentItem="True">
    <ListBox.ItemTemplate>
        <DataTemplate>
            <ListBox x:Name="listBoxDetail" ItemsSource="{Binding Path=DetailList}" IsSynchronizedWithCurrentItem="True" />
        </DataTemplate>
</ListBox.ItemTemplate>

Note that I set IsSynchronizedWithCurrentItem="True" to both ListBox controls.
and in right panel, the selected detail item information will be displayed with the Binding as below. Let's simplify the detail item class called DetailItemClass has Name and Number properties.
Trial 1
<WrapPanel Name="wrapPanel1" DataContext="{Binding ElementName=listBoxMaster, Path=SelectedItem}">
    <StackPanel DataContext="{Binding Path="DetailList/">
        <TextBox Text="{Binding Path=Name}" />
        <TextBox Text="{Binding Path=Number}" />
    </StackPanel>
</WrapPanel>

The weired GUI problem is happend.
if we have.

*

*Master1 has detail 1,2,3.

*Master2 has detail 4,5,6.

When I select M1-D2, it works.
after that, when I select detail M2-D4, it works.
BUT, after that, when I select M1-D2 again, it does NOT works! the pre-selected item may not update its master to be selected.
Moreover, sometimes M2-D5 selection gives M1-D2 in right panel. weired.
Trial 2
<WrapPanel Name="wrapPanel1" DataContext="{Binding Path=MasterList/DetailList/}">
    <StackPanel>
        <TextBox Text="{Binding Path=Name}" />
        <TextBox Text="{Binding Path=Number}" />
    </StackPanel>
</WrapPanel>

Just not works. AlThough I set IsSynchronizedWithCurrentItem to true, but failed. I don't know why.
Trial 3
I just get rid of DataContext XAML bindings and use event trigger at code-behind as below.
    private void listBoxMaster_SelectionChanged(object sender, SelectionChangedEventArgs e)
    {
        if (e.AddedItems.Count == 1)
        {
            if (e.AddedItems[0] is DetailItemClass)
            {
                var element = (DetailItemClass)e.AddedItems[0];
                wrapPanel1.DataContext = element;
            }
        }
    }

It works very well, but it does not use XAML Binding.
Could you teach me proper binding expression?

A: Did you try:
<WrapPanel Name="wrapPanel1" DataContext="{Binding ElementName=listBoxMaster, Path=SelectedItem}">
    <StackPanel>
        <TextBox Text="{Binding Path=DetailList.Name}" />
        <TextBox Text="{Binding Path=DetailList.Number}" />
    </StackPanel>
</WrapPanel>

or
<WrapPanel Name="wrapPanel1">
    <StackPanel>
        <TextBox Text="{Binding ElementName=listBoxMaster, Path=SelectedItem.DetailList.Name}" />
        <TextBox Text="{Binding ElementName=listBoxMaster, Path=SelectedItem.DetailList.Number}" />
    </StackPanel>
</WrapPanel>

These are to ensure whether the DataContext is actually cascading.

A: You shouldn't use multiple listboxes because there will be many issues related to the multiple selection. For example, you can select the first listbox, but the item from the second.

Replace the outer list box by the ItemsControl class so that it doesn't receive the selection and isn't focusable.
Also add the single property to the root model which contains the single selected item for all lists. I've reproduced your hierarchy by using very simple models and in this example this property is called SelectedDetailItem:
public class MasterListViewModel : INotifyPropertyChanged
{
    public ObservableCollection<DetailListViewModel> MasterList { get; set; }

    private ItemViewModel _selectedDetailItem;

    public ItemViewModel SelectedDetailItem
    {
        get { return _selectedDetailItem; }
        set
        {
            _selectedDetailItem = value;
            OnPropertyChanged("SelectedDetailItem");
        }
    }
}

public class DetailListViewModel
{
    public ObservableCollection<ItemViewModel> DetailList { get; set; }
}

public class ItemViewModel
{
    public string Title { get; set; }
}

And bind this property to both controls:
<ItemsControl x:Name="listBoxMaster" ItemsSource="{Binding Path=MasterList}">
    <ItemsControl.ItemTemplate>
        <DataTemplate>
            <ListBox x:Name="listBoxDetail" ItemsSource="{Binding Path=DetailList}" DisplayMemberPath="Title"
                        SelectedItem="{Binding DataContext.SelectedDetailItem, Mode=TwoWay, ElementName=listBoxMaster}"/>
        </DataTemplate>
    </ItemsControl.ItemTemplate>
</ItemsControl>

<WrapPanel Name="wrapPanel1" DataContext="{Binding SelectedDetailItem}" Grid.Column="1">
    <TextBox Text="{Binding Path=Title}" />
</WrapPanel>


Later this year Mazda will reveal a brand new MX5. At the moment little is known about this vital new model but here are a few things Sniff Petrol would like to see, and NOT like to see, in the Japanese company's fourth generation roadster.
YES! Keep the name as 'MX5' or 'Miata' depending on market.
NO! Change the name in all markets to 'the Mazda Twatstain'.
YES! Make the body even lighter for lively performance and agile handling.
NO! Accidentally fill the passenger compartment and boot with a simply enormous number of bowling balls.
YES! Offer a simple range of light, revvy four cylinder engines.
NO! Inexplicably fit a badly maintained, foul smelling and leaky single-cylinder diesel engine from a dumper truck.
YES! Retain a short, precise, mechanical gear shift action.
NO! Inadvertently wire the gear lever to an insanely high voltage electrical supply that actually gets even stronger as revs rise.
YES! Use clear, simple analogue instruments.
NO! Install a ventilation system that constantly tries to fire wasps at your face and body.
YES! Fit simple, comfortable sports seats.
NO! Needlessly cover all available interior surfaces with rotating knives and sticky things.
YES! Give the interior plenty of useful cubby spaces for phones, wallets etc.
NO! Fit a gun inside the glovebox that goes off every time the car hits a bump.
YES! Keep the starting price relatively affordable.
NO! Introduce a scheme in which signing dealer paperwork leads to six years of constant extortion from an endless stream of masked men visiting your house in the middle of the night.
YES! Offer bright, vivid paint options.
NO! Write the word PAEDOCAR down the sides in illuminated letters.


text:
Q: Curl to download all files from Smartling I want to write a simple-ish solution to backing up all the strings files we currently have on smarting. This includes any locale files.
I've got a number of other issues at the moment, but the main goal is to have all the files downloaded.
The current  curl for a single file is:
curl -d "apiKey=xxxxxxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxxxxxxxx
&fileUri=%2Fpath%2Fto%2Ffolder%2Fstrings.xml
&projectId=1234567890" "https://api.smartling.com/v1/file/get/"

This will get me a single strings.xml file. I can further define the locale with &locale=DE to get the same file with the translation.
Can I use a wildcard to download all the *.xml files?

A: Smartling has a shell script that interacts with the Smrtling API that can do this type of operation (and more). Lets say you want to download all files translated files along with the published translations, the command for that will look something like:
./download-smartling-files.sh -t published -a xxxxxxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxxxxxxxx -p 1234567890 -l "nl-NL ru-RU"

Be sure to update the locales -l param with the locales you have configured for your Smartling project.
If you would want to download all files including any and all pending translations as well as the published translations, then the command will look something like
./download-smartling-files.sh -t pending -a xxxxxxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxxxxxxxx -p 1234567890 -l "nl-NL ru-RU"

Both of these commands will interact with the Smartling API to get a list of all files currently uploaded to Smartling and then iterate through them, downloading the translated files to the translated/[locale] directory
There are many other operations you can do via the script, including downloading a TMX file of all your translations. To understand how to do that as well as other operations, just run
./download-smartling-files.sh

One other option would be to use the Smartling Maven Plugin. This is usually used when incorporating localization into your build process and you want to upload and/or download files during your build and deploy events.
Here is the download-smartling-files.sh script
#!/bin/bash
# author: Eric Negron (enegron@smartling.com)
# last updated February 20, 2014

shopt -s nullglob

function delete_files () {

    # print the files first to make damn sure they know what they are deleting
    COUNT=1
    for CURRENT_FILE in ${uris[@]}
    do
        echo $'\n'$COUNT" "$CURRENT_FILE
        ((COUNT++))
        done

    echo "Are you SURE you want to delete all "${#uris[@]}" files?"

    # confirm by getting the user to enter 'YES' to input, and if YES then delete these files
    COUNT=1
    read delete_confirmation
    if [ $delete_confirmation != "YES" ]; then
        echo "sorry, must answer YES to delete. exiting"
    exit

    else
        for CURRENT_FILE in ${uris[@]}
        do
            echo $'\n'$COUNT" "$CURRENT_FILE
            curl -sS -d "apiKey=$SL_APIKEY&projectId=$SL_PROJECT&fileUri=$CURRENT_FILE" "https://$SERVER_URL/v1/file/delete"
            ((COUNT++))
        done
    fi
}

function usage {
cat << EOF
    This script uses the Smartling API
    OPTIONS:
    -h      Show this message
    -t (REQUIRED) download type. Acceptable types: original | published | p100 | pseudo | pending | TMX | DELETE
    -a (REQUIRED) API key
    -p (REQUIRED) project ID
    -u (OPTIONAL) URI mask
    -l (OPTIONAL) locales list - a qouted array of Smartling Locales. E.G. "es-ES ja-JP"
    -x (OPTIONAL) TMX download type: full (default) | published - only valid with -t TMX
    -d (OPTIONAL) when downloading translations or TMX set this option to false to append filename with locale instead of creating locale folders. Not valid with -t original option.
    -E (OPTIONAL) DELETE files -E must be true and type = DELETE and must use -u MASK option
EOF
}

# hardcode to regular API, not sandbox
SERVER_URL=api.smartling.com

#opt t
DL_TYPE=

#opt a
SL_APIKEY=

#opt p
SL_PROJECT=

#opt u
URI_MASK=

#opt u
LOCALES=

#opt x
TMX_FLAG="full"

#opt d
USE_LOCALE_DIR="true"

#opt E
DELETE_CONFIRM="false"

while getopts "ht:a:p:u:l:x:d:E:" OPTION
do
    case $OPTION in
        h)
            usage
            exit 1
            ;;
        t)
            DL_TYPE=$OPTARG
            ;;
        a)
            SL_APIKEY=$OPTARG
            ;;
        p)
            SL_PROJECT=$OPTARG
            ;;
        u)
            URI_MASK=$OPTARG
            ;;
        l)
            LOCALES=($OPTARG)
            ;;
        x)
            TMX_FLAG=$OPTARG
            ;;
        d)
            USE_LOCALE_DIR=$OPTARG
            ;;
        E)
            DELETE_CONFIRM=$OPTARG
            ;;

    esac
done

# make sure the required paramaters are set to something
# TODO check if getops handles this natively in some way
if [ "$DL_TYPE" == "" ] || [ "$SL_APIKEY" == "" ] || [ "$SL_PROJECT" == "" ]; then
    usage
    exit
fi

# make sure download type is valid
if [ "$DL_TYPE" != "original" ]\
 && [ "$DL_TYPE" != "published" ]\
 && [ "$DL_TYPE" != "p100" ]\
 && [ "$DL_TYPE" != "pseudo" ]\
 && [ "$DL_TYPE" != "pending" ]\
 && [ "$DL_TYPE" != "TMX" ]\
 && [ "$DL_TYPE" != "DELETE" ]; then
echo "INVALID TYPE. Acceptable types: original | published | p100 | pseudo | pending | TMX.   Exiting."
exit
fi

# if user has specified mask confirm it - note mask means nothing to TMX
if [ "$URI_MASK" != "" ]; then
    if [ $DL_TYPE == "TMX" ]; then
        echo "Mask option has no effect when downloading TMX. Ignoring."
        URI_MASK=""
    else
        echo "mask was set!"$'\n'
    fi
fi

IFS=$'\n'

#make sure there are no API configuration errors by doing a file/list call just to check for error conditions
errors=($(curl -sS -d "apiKey=$SL_APIKEY&projectId=$SL_PROJECT&uriMask=$URI_MASK" "https://$SERVER_URL/v1/file/list" |  grep -Eo "ERROR"))
error_count=${#errors[@]}$'\n'
if [ $error_count -gt 0 ]; then
    echo "error with either the API key or Project ID - verify your values."
    exit
fi

# figure out how many total files there - because if more than standard 500 returned in list, then need to paginate to build the list of uris
# need to move this check since if downloading TMX it's possible there are no files.
total_files=($(curl -sS -d "apiKey=$SL_APIKEY&projectId=$SL_PROJECT&uriMask=$URI_MASK" "https://$SERVER_URL/v1/file/list" |  grep -Eo "fileCount\":[0-9]+" | sed -e 's/fileCount\"://g'))

# The /file/list API has a limit of 500 items, if the total needed is more, need to make multiple calls to build the full URI list

listLimit=500

# figure out how many passes in batches of 500 needed

let "passes=$total_files/$listLimit"

# if more than 1 batch needed, then make as many passes as needed to build the list

pass=0

while [ $pass -le $passes ]; do

let "passOffset=$pass*$listLimit"

    uris+=($(curl -sS -d "apiKey=$SL_APIKEY&projectId=$SL_PROJECT&uriMask=$URI_MASK&offset=$passOffset" "https://$SERVER_URL/v1/file/list" |  grep -Eo "fileUri\":\"[^\"]*" | sed -e 's/fileUri":"//g'))
    ((pass++))

done

# exit if requesting to download files, but nothing matched at all, otherwise show the count of files that matched and the names
# TODO: refactor since TMX handling is different with getopts

file_count=${#uris[@]}
if [ $file_count = "0" ] && [ $DL_TYPE != "TMX" ]; then echo "nothing to operate on, exiting!"; exit; fi

# if deleting check all the parameters set and if so pass of URI mask list to delete function
if [ "$DL_TYPE" == "DELETE" ]; then
    if [ "$DELETE_CONFIRM" == "true" ] && [ "$URI_MASK" != "" ]; then
        delete_files $uris
        exit
    else
        echo "Must set -u to a uri mask value and must set -E true to confirm deletion. Exiting"
        exit
    fi
fi

# if not downloading TMX - then list the files we found
echo "total files to download "$total_files$'\n'
if [ $DL_TYPE != "TMX" ]; then echo "URIs: "${uris[@]}$'\n'; fi

#BEGIN ORIGINALS
if [ "$DL_TYPE" == "original" ] ; then
    echo "downloading originals"
    echo "files to download: "$file_count$'\n'

# create the originals folder if it doesn't exist
    if [ ! -d "originals" ]; then
        echo "making originals folder"$'\n'
        mkdir originals
    fi

    COUNT=0
    # go through the list of files to download (in each language)
    for CURRENT_FILE in ${uris[@]}
    do
        echo $CURRENT_FILE
        ((COUNT++))
        echo $COUNT

        # since the URI includes full URI including default smartling prefix '/files/' or any other prefix specified - strip that and just use the last part after the last /
        # e.g. if the URI is /files/filename.ext then BF_NAME will be filename.ext - this what we use for the local file name (in the folder)
        BF_NAME=${CURRENT_FILE##*/}
        # This is curl call that downloads the originals. Since no LOCALE is set that is the behavior of /file/get

        # becuase we are flattening the URIs to basename it's possible filenames could be duplicated - so to avoid this check if the file already exist and if it does use count to append name to create unique
        # TODO USE COUNT
        if [ -e originals/$BF_NAME ]; then
            BF_NAME=$COUNT.$BF_NAME
            echo "Updated BF_NAME"
        fi

        curl -sS -d "apiKey=$SL_APIKEY&projectId=$SL_PROJECT&fileUri=$CURRENT_FILE" "https://$SERVER_URL/v1/file/get" > originals/$BF_NAME
        echo "downloaded URI: "$CURRENT_FILE" to: originals/"$BF_NAME$'\n'

    done
exit
fi
#end of originals

# if not getting originals - then getting translations OR TMX - so get locales and then use that to download all
# get the list of locales for this project.  Similar to above grep but the locale key value then sed for just the value

# if user has not set the locales array in the call, then get the full list via API
# TODO - validate the locales are good - otherwise user will just get empty files
if [ "$LOCALES" = "" ]; then
    LOCALES=($(curl -sS -d "apiKey=$SL_APIKEY&projectId=$SL_PROJECT" "https://$SERVER_URL/v1/project/locale/list" |  grep -Eo "locale\":\"[^\"]*" | sed -e 's/locale":"//g'))
fi

echo "locales: "${#LOCALES[@]}$'\n'
# count of the locales
echo ${LOCALES[@]}$'\n'

#script puts the translated' versions in 'translated folder' with sub-folders for locales
if [ ! -d "translated" ]; then
    echo "making translated folder"$'\n'
    mkdir translated
fi

if [ $USE_LOCALE_DIR == "true" ]; then
#if [ "$USE_LOCALE_DIR" == "true" ]; then
    # make the subfolders in the translated folder if they don't exist
    for CURRENT_LOCALE in ${LOCALES[@]}
        do
        if [ ! -d translated/$CURRENT_LOCALE ]; then
            echo "making "$CURRENT_LOCALE" folder" $'\n'
            mkdir translated/$CURRENT_LOCALE
        fi
    done
fi

#TODO need to refactor TMX / MASK / PUBLISHED / FULL
# Download TMX
# Downloading TMX uses a different API than downloading tranlated files
if [ "$DL_TYPE" == "TMX" ] ; then
    echo "downloading TMX "$TMX_FLAG
    for CURRENT_LOCALE in ${LOCALES[@]}
    do
        # if using folders - set the folder locale
        # else using file-names so set the filename locale
        if [ "$USE_LOCALE_DIR" == "true" ]; then
            LOCALE_DIR=$CURRENT_LOCALE"/"
            FILE_LOCALE="TMX-"
        else
            FILE_LOCALE=$CURRENT_LOCALE"-"
            LOCALE_DIR=""
        fi

        curl -sS -d "apiKey=$SL_APIKEY&projectId=$SL_PROJECT&locale=$CURRENT_LOCALE&format=TMX&dataSet=$TMX_FLAG" "https://$SERVER_URL/v1/translations/download" > translated/$LOCALE_DIR$FILE_LOCALE"TMX.xml"
        echo "downloaded " $CURRENT_LOCALE "TMX" $'\n'
    done

    exit
fi

# downloading translations of files
# by this point the file list has already been filtered and the and the locale list has been created
# go through the list of files to download (in each language)

COUNT=0
P100=0

# since I use DL_TYPE as actual parameter to API call need to set this back to actual "published" before entering loop to download
if [ $DL_TYPE == "p100" ]; then
    DL_TYPE="published"
    P100=1
fi

for CURRENT_FILE in ${uris[@]}
do
    echo $CURRENT_FILE
    ((COUNT++))
    echo $COUNT
    # loop through all the locales for each file

    for CURRENT_LOCALE in ${LOCALES[@]}
    do

    # if using folders - set the folder locale
    # else using file-names so set the filename locale
    if [ $USE_LOCALE_DIR == "true" ]; then
        LOCALE_DIR=$CURRENT_LOCALE"/"
        FILE_LOCALE=""
    else
        FILE_LOCALE=$CURRENT_LOCALE"-"
        LOCALE_DIR=""
    fi

        # since the URI includes full URI including default smartling prefix '/files/' or any other prefix specified - strip that and just use the last part after the last /
        # e.g. if the URI is /files/filename.ext then BF_NAME will be filename.ext - this what we use for the local file name (in the locale folder)
        BF_NAME=${CURRENT_FILE##*/}

        EXT=${BF_NAME##*.}
        # rename .pot files to .po - we really should be checking the header from the /file/get API call but this is just simpler
        if [ "$EXT" == "pot" ]; then
            filename=${BF_NAME%.*}
            BF_NAME=$filename".po"
        echo "renamed pot to po"
        fi

        # because we are flattening the URIs to basename it's possible filenames could be duplicated - so to avoid this check if the file already exist and if it does use COUNT to append name to create unique
        if [ -e translated/$LOCALE_DIR$FILE_LOCALE$BF_NAME ]; then
            BF_NAME=$COUNT.$BF_NAME
            echo "Updated BF_NAME"
        fi

# Here if user is doing 100% published need to test and if it's not then skip it
# probably should do this earlier in this loops to avoid other tests but thare not needed if we are just going to skip the file

if [ $P100 == 1 ]; then

#    echo "requested 100 percent only"

    # use api status call and pull out the part of the response that has the string count and completed string count
    completeStatus=($(curl -sS -d "apiKey=$SL_APIKEY&projectId=$SL_PROJECT&fileUri=$CURRENT_FILE&locale=$CURRENT_LOCALE" "https://$SERVER_URL/v1/file/status" | grep -Eo "stringCount\":[0-9]+.*\"completedStringCount\":[0-9]+" ))

    # strip those out as separate variables to test
    stringCount=($(echo $completeStatus | sed -E 's/stringCount\":([0-9]+).*/\1/g'))
    completedStringCount=($(echo $completeStatus | sed -E 's/.*completedStringCount\":([0-9]+).*/\1/g'))
#echo $stringCount","$completedStringCount

    # set download to 1 only if 100%
    if [ $stringCount == $completedStringCount ]; then
        download=1
        echo $CURRENT_FILE" in "$CURRENT_LOCALE" is 100% complete!"$'\n'

    else
        download=0
        echo "100% complete requested. Skipping URI: "$CURRENT_FILE" in "$CURRENT_LOCALE" total:"$stringCount", completed:"$completedStringCount$'\n'
    fi

else
    # didn't ask for 100% so always download
    download=1

fi

if [ $download == 1 ]; then
        # This is the actual curl command that downloads the given file for given locale, and state as specified when called
        curl -sS -d "apiKey=$SL_APIKEY&projectId=$SL_PROJECT&fileUri=$CURRENT_FILE&locale=$CURRENT_LOCALE&retrievalType=$DL_TYPE" "https://$SERVER_URL/v1/file/get" > translated/$LOCALE_DIR$FILE_LOCALE$BF_NAME
        echo "downloaded URI: "$CURRENT_FILE" to: translated/"$LOCALE_DIR$FILE_LOCALE$BF_NAME$'\n'
fi

    done

done

exit


text:
Diplecogaster is a genus of fish in the family Gobiesocidae found in Black Sea, Mediterranean Sea and Atlantic Ocean.

Species
There are currently 7 recognized species in this genus:
 Diplecogaster bimaculata (Bonnaterre, 1788) (Two-spotted clingfish)
 Diplecogaster ctenocrypta Briggs, 1955 (Eastern Atlantic deep-water clingfish)
 Diplecogaster euxinica Murgoci, 1964
 Diplecogaster megalops Briggs, 1955 (Big-eye clingfish)
 Diplecogaster pectoralis Briggs, 1955
 Diplecogaster tonstricula R. Fricke, Wirtz & Brito, 2015 (Eastern Atlantic cleaner clingfish)
 Diplecogaster umutturali Bilecenoğlu, Yokeş & Kovačić, 2017

References

Gobiesocidae
Taxa named by Alec Fraser-Brunner
Marine fish genera
Ray-finned fish genera

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
Individual - Taxes on personal income
The main income tax levied on individuals is the personal income tax (PIT), also known as the Imposta sui redditi delle persone fisiche (IRPEF).
In Italy, the individual is subject to the following income taxes:
National income tax.
Regional income tax.
Municipal income tax.
The tax liability shall be computed on a progressive rate, and the applicable tax rates are shown below (see National income tax).
The scope of taxation in Italy
The tax status of an individual is the starting point for applying the correct taxation in Italy. According to the Italian tax law, both Italian residents and non-resident individuals are subject to taxation in Italy, but on a different basis.
Tax resident individuals are liable to the Italian personal (or national) income taxes on their income wherever produced (under the so called 'worldwide principle'). Therefore, tax residents are also subject to taxation on foreign incomes (e.g. deriving from real estate owned outside of Italy, foreign dividends and interest, foreign compensation and director's fees, and other foreign income).
Tax resident individuals are also subject to 'wealth tax' on real estate and on financial investments owned outside of Italy (see the Other taxes section for more information).
Tax resident individuals are required to declare all their foreign investments (financial and not) for monitoring purposes through the Italian tax return.
Tax regime for neo-domiciled individuals
Individuals who transfer their tax residency (see the Residence section for more information) from abroad to Italymay elect for the application of a flat substitutive tax, at a fixed amount of 100,000 euros (EUR) (hereinafter the 'neo-domiciled tax regime').
The mentioned tax regime will also apply on:
the income tax on foreign investments (foreign interests, dividends, and capital gains) with the exception of capital gains on qualified participation earned in the first five years
the wealth tax on real estate and financial investments owned out of Italy, and
financial monitoring obligations through the Italian tax return (meaning that the individual is not required to declare one's foreign investments into the Italian tax return).
In addition to the taxpayer, each family member could be subject to a flat forfeiture substitutive tax on non-Italian sourced income at a lower fixed amount of EUR 25,000.
In order to be eligible for this tax regime it is necessary to carry out the option through the annual Italian tax return. In any case, it is advisable to apply for an advance ruling from the Italian tax authorities.
To elect such treatment, the individual must meet several requirements, including previous non-Italian tax residency for at least nine years over ten fiscal years preceding the transfer.
The mentioned tax regime is not cumulated with the tax regime for inbound workers (see New tax regime for inbound workers in the Income determination section).
Non-tax resident individuals
Tax non-resident individuals are subject to PIT (IRPEF) only on 'income produced' in Italy (i.e. employment income related to the work activity performed in Italy). Therefore, the foreign incomes are not relevant to the purposes of taxation in Italy.
National income tax
National income tax is levied at progressive tax rate on all income reported below.
Taxable income (EUR) Tax on excess (%)
Over Not over
0 15,000 23
15,001 28,000 25
Additional tax on variable compensation in the financial sector
Variable compensation (e.g. bonus/stock option/incentive plan) paid to an executive/manager in the financial sector (i.e. banks, financial institutions, and other companies whose business is exclusively or primarily to acquire 'holdings'; management companies, Società di Gestione del Risparmio [SGR] and Società di Intermediazione mobiliare [SIM]; financial intermediaries) is subject to an additional tax of 10% as described below.
In case the variable compensation is paid before 17 July 2011, the taxable base for the additional tax of 10% is the variable compensation (FY 'n') less three times the base salary (FY 'n').
In case the variable compensation is paid after 17 July 2011, the taxable base for the additional tax of 10% is the variable compensation (FY 'n') less the base salary (FY 'n')
In both cases, the comparison between variable/base compensation has to be applied between variable and base compensation in the same fiscal year (independently from the year of payment).
Flat tax on 'productivity' bonus
Productivity bonus consists of a variable remuneration paid to an employee in light of the improvement of the quality of production and/or of the company's productivity, as long as it is applied for the whole eligible workforce (or homogeneous category of them) grounded on objective, fair, predetermined and materially valuable performing criteria, generally named 'KPIs' (e.g. savings related to electricity, growth of revenue, profits increase, decrease of the production waste; improvement of the delivery time; implementation of the smart working scheme).
The productivity bonus cannot exceed EUR 3,000 per year.
Such bonus is subject to a substitutive taxation equal to 10% as personal income tax, regional and municipal withholding, but it is not exempt from social security withholding borne by the employer and employee. The Budget Law for FY 2023 has reduced the applicable tax rate to 5%.
With regard to eligibility, employees who have received an annual gross retribution during the previous year (including variable compensation scheme potentially provided) exceeding EUR 80,000 are not entitled to benefit from the aforesaid tax discount.
In order to allow for the application of the aforementioned measures, the employer shall mandatory sign a collective agreement with unions/work councils. In case of lack of unions/work councils, it is possible to apply a territorial collective agreement (if existing) signed by the most representative unions (if any) in the territory of reference.
Regional income tax
Regional income tax depends on the region of residence. The regional income tax rate ranges from 1.23% to 3.33%.
Municipal income tax
Municipal income tax depends on the municipality of residence. The municipal income tax rate ranges from 0% to 0.9%. Municipalities can establish progressive tax rates applicable to the national income bracket.
Individual - Significant developments
Individual - Residence
Italy contacts
Pasquale Salvatore
Tax Partner - Individual, PwC Italy
PwC Italy
Italy COVID-19 Updates
Navigate Italy's tax, legal, and economic measures in response to COVID-19
GlobalVATOnline
The most recent VAT/GST and duty news from around the world
Featured PwC Italy publications
Keep updated on key thought leadership at PwC (in Italian)
Italian Patent Box regime
A competitive advantage

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Kugira, the giant artisan
Discover Europe's biggest floating caisson-building dock, able to construct docks and quays of over 200 meters long within a month
Human history runs parallel to the development of maritime navigation. From the dawn of the first peoples born to sail – the Greeks, Phoenicians and Vikings – ancient civilizations expanded their nautical frontiers using natural refuges, like inlets, bays and large estuaries offered by rivers, to shelter from the inclement seas and oceans.
As naval exploration went on to demand havens of greater depth and size, technical innovation gradually allowed them to adapt and optimize strategic coastal enclaves more to man's taste: Roman port technology, which included vertical, mass concrete docks, or the stone ports of Tyre and Sidon, raised in 13 B.C. using such a magnificent procedure that their main sections still exist today, are good examples.
Later, commercial routes opened, run by the different Companies of the Indies following the discovery of America, steamships were introduced and expanded rapidly to the detriment of sailing vessels, and luxury passenger lines emerged. Today navigation continues to be a key transport mode for cargo and passengers.
As the centuries passed, Phoenicians, Greeks, conquistadores, businessmen and travellers alike always sought to dock in a safe port after weeks of crossing the ocean; and, as maritime services continued to increase, so did the needs of the anchoring points. Possessing a big capacity port, with easy access and safe shelter, is therefore a great asset of coastal cities worldwide where naval traffic represents an important economic driver; and building one quickly with the least possible environmental impact has become de rigueur for those who have made port engineering a work of art.
Craftwork on a large scale
Standing almost 60 meters high, over 74m long and 49m wide, Europe's biggest floating caisson-building vessel builds and extends ports, quays, inlets and docks the world over. This is Kugira – the name of which means whale in Japanese – ACCIONA's giant artisan that plies the responding to the call wherever there is a need for craftwork on a large scale.
The visual spectacle of Kugira is matched only by its extraordinary productivity: 200 people working around the clock every day to build the biggest reinforced concrete caissons on the planet in just ten days week: giant blocks of 14,000 tonnes, 66.5 meters long, 30m wide and 34m high. Put another way, in just one month the Kugira can build a 200-meter seawall or jetty from nothing.
Click here to view the Kugira 360º video.
The Kugira builds ports with up to 50% savings in raw material resources
The best option whatever the job
Why is the floating caisson-building dock owned by ACCIONA the best option when building or extending a port? The statistics speaks for it. First, the Herculean structure works from the sea, hardly interfering at all with the normal port traffic and thus without prejudicing economic activity during the work.
In addition, the impact on sea life is much less with Kugira than during works carried out using conventional methods. Similarly, consumption of raw materials is less and, depending on the nature of the work, this can mean savings of 50%, with the consequent environmental as well as economic benefit.
As for the usual disturbances that arise in this type of venture, noise, pollution and the possibility of on-site accidents are considerably reduced with the Kugira, which carries out the work up to four times quicker than that done conventionally.
Through craftsmanship on a large scale, the Kugira is transforming the world's ports into safer harbours for the navigators of our time.
Visit ACCIONA to discover more stories like this one.
This is really interesting, but you have a typo above when you say: "200 people working around the clock every day to build the biggest reinforced concrete caissons on the planet in just ten days week..." Which is it? Ten days? Or a week? Or?
531 YEAR AGO
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BBVA's new headquarters: Sustainable and innovative
Discover BBVA's new headquarters in Madrid, a flagship project for ACCIONA, constructed using principles of innovation and sustainability
Restoring the past
Legacy Way: the tunnel of time
The machine that even Jules Verne was unable to imagine
ACCIONA is a leader in providing sustainable solutions for infrastructure and renewable energy projects across the world.
https://experience.acciona.com
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Information on data protection
In compliance with Regulation (EU) 2016/679 on Data Protection and with other Data Protection regulations in force, you are hereby informed that your personal data shall be processed by Acciona, S.A. (hereinafter "ACCIONA"), whose identification data are as follows: Tax ID No. (NIF): A08001851, Address: Avenida de Europa, 18, Parque Empresarial de la Moraleja, 28108 in Alcobendas, Madrid, Tel. No.: +34 91 663 28 50, email: protecciondedatos@acciona.com, in order to address and manage your queries, requests, claims and suggestions, as well as to electronically send information regarding our products and services through the contact email address.
The consent given by users when they contact us comprises the legal grounds for processing the data.
The data shall be stored as long as the relationship is maintained and the elimination thereof is not requested, and in any case, never for more than twelve months.
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The interested party can exercise their rights of portability and to access, correct, eliminate, restrict and oppose the processing of their data before Acciona, S.A. by addressing ACCIONA in writing at the Department of Data Protection located at Avenida de Europa, 18, 28108, in Alcobendas, Madrid or by sending an email to the following address: protecciondedatos@acciona.com. In either case, the interested party must enclose or attach a copy of their National ID (DNI) or other ID. Furthermore, at any time the interested party may withdraw the granted consent by contacting the aforementioned address and file a claim before the Supervisory Authority (the Spanish Data Protection Agency www.aepd.es).
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Dickies - Men's Big & Tall Original Fit 874 Twill Pants Charcoal (Grey) 44x30 is new and hot today. Find Pants as you wish! The Original 874 work pant by Dickies. Our toughest and most popular pair of work pants is also one of our best looking with a classic flat-front that sits at the waist, a traditional fit through the seat and thigh, and a slightly tapered leg. The 874 is made with a crisp, wrinkle-resistant poly/cotton twill fabric blend, woven for durability and longevity, and has our signature tunnel belt loops providing enhanced support for belts. This pant has staying power with a 2-piece work pant waistband, sturdy lock-stitched hem, and a stain-release finish to prevent stains from setting in. This pant is made to work hard. Dickies, Quality Workwear since 1922. Size: 44x30. Color: Charcoal. Gender: Male. Age Group: Adult. Pattern: Solid. Material: Polyester.


text:
Staff Board History Statement of faith
Fundraising projects
Harvest For Kids Building For Kids
Summer Camp Registration Form Volunteer Interest Form Core Team Application Form Summer Volunteer Application Form Returning Volunteer Application Form
Good News! A Great Summer of Ministry
Posted on August 6, 2021 by Kenny Vasquez
It feels like an eye-blink ago when we started preparing for summer ministry and the goal of having as many camps as we can have this summer. The challenge was placed to reach out to the kids of the country with the good news of the gospel, despite the reality of the day *sigh- Covid restrictions and all. And while there were hurdles along the way, bumped and bruised and tired, we can finally say we made it to the end. We had new team members come in and together we pressed forward. Now, we get to unfold and tell it all about this incredible journey we have all been on together.
At the beginning of June, we jumped right into our first camp. We packed our van and we headed up north for a week of camps in Blue Creek in Orange Walk. We were met with rolling hills of pasture and lush green farmland. Much like the splendor of the community itself, the people were hospitable, welcoming us and providing for our meals and a place to lay our heads down to rest. We quickly got to work preparing for camps in the community park. We had around 80 kids attending camps that week. We got to work alongside the youth from the church to minister to the kids of their church. The afternoons were spent fellowshipping with the youth and kids of the community swimming, visiting farms, and other laid-back activities. The four days of camps quickly came to an end as we had a blast playing water games under the rain on the final day. Bidding our farewells to our newfound friends in Blue Creek, we moved on to the next challenge.
On our next route, we headed west to San Ignacio to do camps at my home church, Omega Ministry. This was a homecoming of sorts for me as I was excited to see two worlds in my ministry life come together as one. San Ignacio is known sometimes to be ridiculously hot from time to time. So this week God decided to throw this challenge our way too. Along with leading also 80 plus kids in camps, and a new area for the team at BCE. Despite the struggles, we did just that. The kids here were a bit rowdier- I've known them for a while- but we manage to wrangle them in as they enjoyed the five days of camp. Our afternoon was spent visiting the home of the children and volunteers we had the opportunity to meet at camps. It was a new experience for the team, one which I think they will cherish for a while to come. But a highlight for me and from what the team shared was meeting my spiritual mother, Pastor Eugenia Salazar. "Pastora"- as she was affectionately called by all the children, inspired many of our team members to keep doing the good work. She was grateful to have us and even threatened to kidnap us if we didn't return for camps next year. Filled with encouragement and our calling affirmed by Pastor, we headed on back to the city.
Our next camp was with Ms. Shannon at the New Beginnings Club in Belize City. She had been working with the children for some time. But having recently moved out of the city meant she had to wake up early to start traveling and to make it in time for camps. We were inspired by Ms. Shannon's passion to keep on reaching children as she faithfully made her way every day. We had a stellar week with the kids of that area playing football almost every day and getting to connect with the preteens of that area was a highlight for me.
For our next week of camps, we stayed in the city. One camp in Albert street with our long-time partner and friend of BCE Ms. Julie at Water Walkers Kids club. Ms. Julie shared how God had moved her heart to use what was first her business space, to convert it to an after-school club and also a feeding program after constantly being nagged by kids on their way home with nowhere to be or a plate of food waiting for them. This year, like many before, we joined forces to remind the kids of the good news. We also joined our partner, Ms. Shannon, from the June Usher area in southside Belize for the afternoons. Ms. Shannon at Shepherd sheep has a dedication and passion for reaching the youths and children of the area, despite the notoriety of that community. We were honored to come alongside her too. This was our first taste of two camps in a week and it was intense. With only an hour to have lunch and rest, our team quickly sprang up to afternoon camps. What was a bit strange is that we saw some of the same kids we saw in the morning at Water Walkers, return to camps in the afternoon at Shepherd Sheep. I kept thinking why are they going to two camps which is pretty much the same thing? The only conclusion I came up with was that they loved camps. And that's a good thing. With this testing week coming to an end, we were a little bit battered but still on our feet, anxious about the next challenge.
I headed out for a week of serving on a short-term missions trip, also doing camps with some of the same kids I met in the clubs but now with the help of international friends. The team headed for a week of ministry in the southside of Belize, partnering with one of our intern's home churches. Pastor Natalie at Kingdom Living Ministries was so grateful that she decided to have over for lunch for the next week to come. And we gladly obliged.
For the next week of ministry, we headed down to Ladyville and Hattieville villages in the same week. We Joined Ms. Debbie at Hattiville Faith Methodist. We had the opportunity to share the gospel with about 30 kids from that area. We also met our good friend and helper for the week Wilfred aka 'Willie'. We were inspired by Willie's willingness to serve the children and youth of his community. In the afternoon we headed over to Ladyville for afternoon camps with Ms. Tavia and her crew. Camps at Victory Assemblies looked a little different from the rest of our camps since all the elements were carried out in the sanctuary due to covid restrictions being a little stricter but we still manage to carry out an impactful week of camps. After almost a full month of honing our camp skills, we improved in every way and were able to call this a good week.
Our last and final camp saw us back in Ladyville for a week of camps at Fuente de Poder Ministries. Our friend and former intern- Esly Guerrero was ecstatic to see us back together serving. This week would come along with a hint of Spanish flavor and culture, as we worshipped and taught some of our lessons and other elements of camps partially in Spanish since many of the younger children only spoke Spanish. My favorite moment was dancing and worshipping to Spanish song the kids knew well and were excited to show us how it is done. A perfect way to end our summer of camps is being able to also share the good news in another language, one that for me hits closer to home for a Spanish boy like me.
Our summer is done, but our work is not quite finished. Even during the busyness of camps there was still work being done behind the scenes as our directors are preparing the way forward for another year of ministry fundraising through the various outlets and partners we have. Many things were up in the air as we started our summer ministry but we can safely say God was faithful to us in allowing us the opportunity to serve throughout the country and give the opportunity to serve our country. For a moment- that now seems fleeting- we were the hands and feet of Jesus in every community we had the privilege to minister to. We brought the Good news to these children we planted the seeds of hope and encouraged the leaders to keep up the good fight and keep being a light in their respective communities.
As we come to a close in this chapter of ministry, there is a lot still happening. The airing of our episodes on most major tv stations is currently underway. Another way to keep spreading the good news to the entire country. Our Interns and Missionaries are heading back to their homes for a time of rest and refocus, but also a time to minister in their own homes and churches. Pray for as things might look different as make our way back from the break, but yet we are tasked with continuing the spread of the good news everywhere we go and of course, being Belize changing Belize.
Apples for Kids 2021: Another Year of Favor
The Greatest Gift
Apples for Kids: Bringing hope one box at a time
Revival for Belize!
© Belize Camping Experience, All Right Reserved.


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Kyle Edward Junior
Kyle Edward Junior, age 36, of Sheffield Lake, passed away at his home after a long battle with diabetes. He was born on August 12, 1982 in Rochester, NY but grew up and lived most of his life in Lorain and surrounding cities. He was a 2000 graduate of Admiral King High School and enjoyed being on their soccer team. He was a machinist for the past 10 years and was currently employed by the Ridge Tool Company. Kyle prided himself on being a hard worker and sometimes would have three jobs all at the same time. His true passions in life were his kids and his entire family. It was no secret that he was a die-hard "Mama's Boy," and he was proud of it. Kyle was very intelligent and clever when it came to woodworking and restoring furniture back to beauty. It seemed as though he was always working and striving to be just like his maternal grandfather when it came to his craftiness and skills with working on things. Just like his mother, Kyle was a huge Ohio State fan and enjoyed coaching youth soccer and basketball. Saying that he will be missed is an understatement. He was such an immense part of an extremely close and loving family. Kyle is survived by his wife and the love of his life, Jessica Walsh; his beloved children, Kyle & Kaitlyn Gentry and Brad & Caden Walsh; his parents, Scott and Karen Hall (née Smithberger); his sister, Kylene Hall; his maternal grandfather, Dale Smithberger; and his paternal grandparents, Donald and Dora Brown. He is also survived by his aunts, uncles, cousins, his niece, Zoë, and everyone who was blessed to have him in their lives. Kyle was preceded in death by his father, Samuel Kyle Junior, maternal grandmother, M. Jean Smithberger, and paternal grandfather, Willie Arnold, Sr. The family will receive friends on Saturday, March 30, 2019 from 2 - 4 PM at St. John's United Church of Christ at 715 Reid Ave. Lorain, OH 44053. Should friends desire, contributions may be sent to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, Northeast Ohio Chapter, 6100 Rockside Woods Blvd., Suite 445, Independance, OH 44131, or go to www.jdrf.org.
Kyle Edward Junior, age 36, of Sheffield Lake, passed away at his home after a long battle with diabetes. He was born on August 12, 1982 in Rochester, NY but grew up and lived most of his life in Lorain and surrounding cities. He was a 2000... View Obituary & Service Information
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There is no repudiating of the fast paced changes which are taking place in the international arena. Without a doubt a multipolar order is on the horizon and has both benefits as well as visible vulnerabilities which must be taken into consideration by each state which could have stakes in it. Pakistan is in the middle of a quagmire concerning its policies regarding powerful states and stabalizing economies. In such a time for Pakistan perhaps CPEC has come as a blessing in disguise.
CPEC is perhaps the most awaited spectacle in the international arena at the moment. In this century it has the potential to be a deal breaker for not only international relations but also for regional dynamics. These new realities will then shape and re-shape global scenarios—not only for China or other states which might benefit—but massively for Pakistan. We see that at the same time it provides enough oppurtunities to Pakistan's otherwise crumbling economy. But it comes with a number of challenges that Pakistan will have to face.
For a better understanding of the concepts of CPEC and the implications it carries, lets divide them into two sets; internal and external impact for Pakistan. Overall it must be taken into account that the complete picture is a holistic one, where one factor is balanced with the other. This is exactly what makes CPEC something of a unique project for Pakistan, not just in its magnanimity but its overall shape.
At present, Pakistan's internal structure is at the juncture where it is not very stable that everything is under firm control politically, security wise and economically. This makes the time for initialising CPEC somewhat perfect as long as in the future course of action it furthers into a geo-economical win for both China and Pakistan. The current government of Pakistan has taken a great resourcefulness in securing this deal with China—its longstanding friend and ally.
Firstly, if the government manages to pull it through and all the provinces get equal representation in this mega-project then there is no doubt about the economic uplift Pakistani industry will get. More than anything the provinces which are currently lagging like Sindh and Balochistan will definitely start to develop more and more and as an offshoot, business ventures will perhaps go through a boom. There might be an increase in trading from these areas to international channels. In fact if CPEC is to be an ultimate success it largely depends on equal participation of all provinces.
Secondly, CPEC will create job oppurtinities inside Pakistan along with the imporvement of the infrastructure and communication services proving a step forward for the overall development of the country.
Thirdly, the overall security situation inside Pakistan is bound to improve, because it then singularly depends on the internal peace in order for CPEC to come through. This is one factor that is known to both the government as well as security agencies. It is a matter of great concern that even today Pakistan has this menace of terrorism which is somewhat hiding away and only comes out after long intervals of time. Terrorism will definitely lead to a complete annihilation of this project. To make sure this does not happen, there would be involuntary efforts by the state, military and the agencies to completely wipe this peril out ultimately leading towards a peaceful state of affairs.
Finally, the project is going to bridge the gap between the state and the military faction. Both parties are equally involved in the stakes for the implementation and safeguarding of this project. They would perhaps work together in safeguarding this venture in such a way that is beneficial on the whole for Pakistan. This will in turn make both institutions stronger in their own capacity. Additionally, this bridge might as well make the state and the government and the overall structure more favourable to the public which at the moment has trust issues regarding the system.
The importance of this project will be versatile in a multi-polar world order when Pakistan will overcome internal hindrances. In this regard Pakistan's international standing will also benefit. But it might open a new pattern in the international system. The entire strategic blueprint is now moving tacitly from geo-politics towards geo-economics. This means powerful states are also moving towards exploring as well as exploiting the resource of the lesser developed states. This is exactly where multipolarity comes into play as well.
Strategically some emerging powers like India and Iran surround Pakistan geographically, yet politically it has been at odds with them. Launching CPEC then should be seen as an opening for Pakistan to improve its foreign relations with all such states if it wishes CPEC to be a not only a success but survive and thrive. Pakistan must take this as an oppurtunity to improve its relations with Iran, US, UAE and Russia and in a far off way even India—lest these states become an alligned hinderence for Pakistan and CPEC. If it does not follow through this pattern then strained and complicated relations can easily be expected with the fore-mentioned states.
Ultimately the success of this venture and its implications on Pakistan largely depend on which way Pakistan is to go with it. This afterall is going to reshape the future of not only China, but other states as well and largely Pakistan might be the ultimate benefactor. But for that Pakistan needs to play its cards right. This venture is going to be a bottom-up approach but in a matter of time, if not played right can easily turn into a top-down one as well. It is going to be a strategic gamble, one which involves not one but all the major powers as in a way, all of them are to be stakeholders in this situation. If Pakistan is to have an international standing after all in a multi-polar world, CPEC might be the way to do so. But it could also be the other way around and to avoid that there must be strict measures taken by Pakistan and it must be shown in some way that Pakistan is ready to take this challenge head on. This can occur through the internal level—so that in the external level things can become stable.
Amna Javed is currently working with Islamabad Institute of Conflict Resolution (IICR) as a research fellow. She is also a visiting faculty at School of Politics and IR, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad.


When the world is joining the rat race to look fit, the e-commerce market is flooded with numerous oral steroids to provide assistance. Beginners should be careful with the selection of these products as a wrong choice may lead to various health hazards. If one is choosing these steroids by their own without the guide of a nutrition expert or physician, lot of research must be done until the best one is chosen.
There is nothing to worry as this article gives you the most trusted information about the best oral steroids that are in demand. The two names that clicks the minds first are anabol50 and dianabol. These two oral steroids are particularly bulking agents and understanding the difference between two can help[ you to decide the suitable one for you.
Anabol vs Dianabol- Does the difference matters?
Although both anadrol and Dianabol are rapid bulking agents, the difference exist in the fact that which maintains gain at the end of a circle. Though these two steroids are often compared head-to-head because of their many similarities in effects and results. As both of these steroids are highly androgenic, therefore can cause water retention. Many entrances reported by user say that Anadrol is more likely to cause bloating, headaches, and loss in appetite whereas in the case of Dianabol, this is arguable. Plenty of other users claim the opposite; Dianabol causes few side effects but provides massive gains.
Anadrol 50 is without a doubt one of the strongest among anabolic steroids. It is considered as one of the most powerful bulking steroids in existence due to many reasons. The nature of human being is to get best results without waiting for long. And for this particular reason Anadrol 50 vs Dianabol is the most sought steroid in the prescription market. It is a significant mass building steroid coupled with the strength boosting capabilities. The power of anadrol50 can lead to gain as much as 20-30lbs in as little as 4-6 weeks of total use. Some of this will undoubtedly be water weight. It is on of the few non-aromatic steroids that is highly estrogenic. Maintain a proper diet is always suggestive.
Dianabol is one of the most popular muscle building steroids used by athletes and bodybuilders across the globe. Its popularity rests on the fact that it is very easily administered and provides solid, long lasting effects. Dbol as it is commonly referred to contains powerful anabolic steroids with moderate anabolic properties One of the most important parameter of dianabol is that it helps in increasing protein synthesis. This rise in protein levels helps to balance out the nitrogen, which promotes the production of androgenic properties in muscles. It does not lead to the side effects like fatigue, depression as compared to the Anadrol50.
Although both the steriods are no less then each other, but there is always a point when one proves better than other. It also depends on individual immune system.
Steroids – What are Steroids Precisely?


FACTS AND FICTIONS about TANNING!
Summer has arrived and it's time for the perfect tan, however there are also some doubts that many of us have regarding tanning… "is it true that I won't tan if I use a high SPF??" Today we reveal some facts and fictions about tanning!


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Peter Blake
Butter vs. Butter: Medicaid vs. Schools
February 7, 2013 By Peter Blake
They seemed like sensible bills, designed to protect Colorado's public education from possible future funding cuts caused by Gov.John Hickenlooper's rash decision to greatly expand Medicaid coverage.
But one measure has already been killed and the other, we can safely assume, is going to die in committee Feb. 19.
The presumed beneficiaries, the K-12 and higher education lobbies, didn't lift a finger to try and help them.
Did I mention they were both Republican bills, thrown into the maw of the heavily Democratic legislature? Now that they're both dead or dying, perhaps some Democratic sponsors will come back next year with similar measures to do the same thing, but this time get the help of the education lobbyists. It happens.
A month ago Hickenlooper announced he plans to expand Medicaid coverage to 160,000 more low-income adults. The federal government will cover the full cost through 2016. After that the state will be expected to pick up 10 percent of the cost.
The governor claimed that even when federal funding is reduced, "not one dollar of general-fund money will be used to replace it." That's because there will be $280 million in "cost-control savings" over the next 10 years, he said.
Ah, the ever-popular cost-control savings dodge, always predicted, never found in major government programs. Indeed the Kaiser Family Foundation has estimated that expanding Medicaid will cost Colorado as much as $858 million over the next 10 years.
Hickenlooper didn't have to expand Medicaid. The one redeeming feature of the U.S. Supreme Court's decision on ObamaCare last June was that the majority found the law's Medicaid mandate on the states to be unconstitutional.
At last report, 20 states have chosen to expand, 10 have declined and 20 are still on the fence.
The expansion of Medicaid, in Colorado and elsewhere, will inevitably lead to "unexpected" increases in both enrollments and costs. That, plus the fact that the federal government can change its mind and scale back its share in order to cut the deficit is why you can't reasonably base future state budgets on so-called matching funds.
When the feds do cut Medicaid support, the state will be left with a huge new constituency accustomed to free medical care. They will storm the statehouse to demand that the program be continued — this time with much more state money. That money would have to come from other parts of the state budget.
That's the reason state Sen. David Balmer, R-Centennial, introduced Senate Bill 6, which would have prohibited cutting state money now going to K-12 education — 41 percent of the general fund budget — in order to finance the expanded Medicaid program.
It seems like a reasonable protective measure. It doesn't cut Medicaid; it simply ensures that its growth can't harm public school funding.
But it would have forced Democrats to choose between helping the schools and helping the poor — not a choice they welcome.
Three teachers from a school in Balmer's district testified for the bill — but the teachers' union, the Colorado Education Association, stayed silent.
Sen. Rollie Heath D-Denver, called it a "false choice," blamed a cut in the state income tax during Gov. Bill Owens' administration for today's problems and said the answer is "increasing the pie." But the pie hasn't been increasing as government spending has exploded.
There was of course some gamesmanship involved. The GOP minority wanted to get Democratic votes on record. That's why it was important for the Dems to kill the bill in the Education Committee, where only five Democrats had to take a stand, and not on the Senate floor, where all 20 would have to vote.
As expected, the five Democrats voted no, the four Republicans voted yes.
Over in the House, Rep. Brian DelGrosso, R-Loveland, has introduced H.B. 1175. It would prevent money being spent on the expanded Medicaid program until state funding for higher education is boosted back to $747 million a year. That's what it was in 2007, before repeated cuts took it down to the current $428 million.
"Colorado must satisfy its pre-existing obligations before we decide to expand a new program," DelGrosso said.
Democrats always say "we've got to make an education a priority," according to DelGrosso, but it keeps getting cut to expand other programs.
But he admits he's got no Democratic votes in committee so far and doesn't expect any.
The higher ed lobby is standing back as well. "We are interested in any attempt to put additional money into higher education," said Ken McConnellogue, vice president for communications at the University of Colorado, "but we're not taking a position on this bill."
CU is understandably divided; It owns a hospital, and all hospitals are behind Medicaid expansion since they think they'll profit from it,
Colorado's Medicaid bill is already expected to go up $175 million, or 9.5 percent, this year, said Senate Minority Leader Bill Cadman, R-Colorado Springs. And that doesn't include the planned expansion.
"I don't know how you provide more access to more people for more services for less money," he added.
Blake: Bonds that don't pay off create a TIF
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Lack of clarity in state's health care order leaves some dentists fearful of losing licenses
Gorman: Taxpayer's Bill of Rights helps keep Medicaid growth industry in check
Gorman: House Bill 1269 a blank check for mental health industry
Tags: Brian DelGrosso, David Blamer, Governor John Hickenlooper, Ken McConnellogue, Medicaid, Rollie Heath
Author: Peter Blake


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Netflix greenlit a new live-action spinoff of The Witcher
Netflix struck gold with The Witcher and it is now attempting to double down on the universe with the creation of spinoffs of the show.
by Tobi Oguntola published November 28, 2022 November 28, 2022
Netflix has reportedly given the go-ahead to another live-action spinoff of its highly popular series The Witcher.
Netflix is working on another spinoff of its highly successful The Witcher series.
According to Redanian Intelligence, the new spinoff is currently in development and will chronicle the adventure of a group of young Nilfgardians known as The Rats.
Similar to CD Projekt RED's games, Netflix's The Witcher is based on a series of books of the same name by Polish author Andrej Sapkowski. According to the books, The Rats are a group of misfits that take Ciri in after she is separated from Geralt in the books.
The group had six members: Giselher, Mistle, Reef, Iskra, Kayleigh, and Reef before they admitted Ciri into their ranks. They will be introduced in the series for the first time in episodes 7 and 8 of the upcoming third season, which will premiere next summer, before getting even more screen time in the fourth season. The spinoff series will drop somewhere between season 3 and season 4 of The Witcher.
At the moment, there's no info on the release date, plot, or title of the show. But, it's safe to assume that members of the gang are slated to appear in the third and fourth seasons of The Witcher will reprise their roles in the series. Christelle Elwin, of Netflix's Half Bad and Bloods fame, will star as Mistle, while Fabian McCallum, from Amazon's The Lord of The Rings: Rings of Power and Time of Contempt, will star as Kayleigh. Also, Juliette Alexandra will play Reef and there is a high probability that Aggy K. Adams will portray Iskra. Finally, Andrew Lee Potts, Ben Radcliffe, and Ash Rizi will also star in the upcoming third season although their roles are currently unknown.
The first spinoff of The Witcher titled Blood Origin is slated for release on December 25.
It is currently unknown what part of the gang's existence the spinoff will explore, whether it is before they meet Ciri or during their time together. Nevertheless, as time passes, we'll see more details come to light and fans will learn more about the planned spinoff series.
The still-untitled spinoff will be Netflix's second from the world of The Witcher. The first spinoff, titled Blood Origin, is a four-episode limited series dropping on the streaming platform on Christmas Day. A few weeks ago, Netflix dropped a teaser trailer for the series, which has since racked up over two million views, demonstrating fan interest.
By the way, Netflix's recent announcement that Liam Hemsworth will replace Henry Cavill as the titular character from the fourth season of The Witcher generated a lot of angst on the internet. Fan reactions to the announcement were largely negative with some going as far as to threaten a boycott of the entire series.
Henry Cavill, The Witcher, The Witcher 3, The Witcher: Blood Origin
Posted by Tobi Oguntola
Tobi is an avid reader with interest in everything entertainment. He also loves the big screen as it fuels his overactive imagination. When he is not reading a fantasy, sci-fi, or thriller novel, he is listening to music, watching TV, or surfing the internet. Tobi is on Steam as tobioguntola.


North Central Michigan College's Lecture Series will present a lecture on community awareness in the face of active shooter events. Dr. Mike Clumpner, a 25-year veteran of public safety and president and CEO of Threat Suppression, Inc., will speak on Thursday, March 3 at 7 p.m. in North Central's Iron Horse Café (cafeteria) in the Student and Community Resource Center gymnasium on the Petoskey campus.
The public is bombarded with media stories about active shooter events in schools, churches, malls, movie theaters and more. Dr. Clumpner will discuss civilian personal safety and how to prevent dangerous encounters using awareness and recognition.
Dr. Clumpner's experience also includes 24 years in the fire services, 21 years as a paramedic and seven years in law enforcement special operations.
Mike is the co-chair of the North Carolina Active Shooter/Active Assailant Work Group and he chairs the Fire Service Subcommittee with the Work Group.
He has his doctoral degree in homeland security leadership and policy.
Tickets are available in Petoskey at the North Central Michigan College Welcome Desk in the main administrative building, in the College Library and in the College Store in the Student and Community Resource Center.
They are also available at the College's Gaylord and Cheboygan offices.
For more information, call 231-439-6225.
Dr. Clumpner will be leading a workshop on joint public safety response to active shooter events on March 3 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at North Central.
This workshop is for active public safety members, city/county officials and public/private school administrators.
For information about this workshop, email Shawn atmarketing@ncmich.edu.


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Stimulus Checks 2: Does New Bipartisan COVID-19 Relief Plan Include $3,400 Checks?
By	Jessica McBride
Updated Dec 4, 2020 at 10:18am
Getty	A roll of stimulus checks being prepared.
There's a new bipartisan stimulus relief plan gaining momentum in Congress. However, does it include a second round of $1,200 COVID-19 stimulus relief checks (or $3,400 for a family of four)?
The answer is, no. The bipartisan plan, unlike other proposals previously on the table, does not contain direct payments to Americans – in any amount. The $1,200 for one person and $3,400 for a family of four were figures that made it into previous proposals.
The bipartisan plan does include $160 billion to help state, local, and tribal governments deal with the pandemic's costs. According to CNN, the bipartisan plan resulted from talks that included Republican Senators Lisa Murkowski, Susan Collins, Bill Cassidy and Mitt Romney alongside Democratic Senators Joe Manchin, Mark Warner and Jeanne Shaheen and an independent, Angus King.
"I don't have any prediction how the White House would react," Romney said, according to NBC. "Covid has created a crisis. And in the crisis the people expect Congress to act."
A Growing Number of Republican Senators Are Expressing Interest in the Bipartisan Plan
GettyChuck Grassley
The bipartisan plan comes as Republicans and Democrats in Congress have deadlocked for months over the pricetag of a second relief plan for the American people. That hardly changed after the presidential election. The president doesn't have authority to get it done on his own because the U.S. Constitution gave funding authority to Congress.
The bipartisan plan's $900 billion figure falls in between the $2.2 trillion desired by Nancy Pelosi and the Democrats and the $500 billion that Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell says his membership will support. Also a factor: Two Georgia Senate runoff elections that could determine control of the Senate. If the Senate falls into Democratic hands, it would be easier for Pelosi's approach to make it through.
In the midst of all of this, some Republican and some Democrats banded together to push the compromise bipartisan plan.
Republican Sens. Chuck Grassley and Joni Ernst of Iowa, Kevin Cramer of North Dakota and John Cornyn of Texas have now indicated that they may support the bipartisan plan, according to NJ.com.
A Senator Says Including Checks Would 'Break the Coalition'
GettyRepublican Senator Lindsay Graham of South Carolina.
Why aren't stimulus checks included in the bipartisan bill? U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., revealed that they would "break the coalition," meaning that the bipartisan agreement would fall apart.
However, Pelosi and McConnell are still talking, and McConnell sounded more optimistic the week of December 3 that something would pass.
"We had a good conversation," McConnell said after the meeting, according to pool reports cited by NJ.com. "I think we're both interested in getting an outcome."
However, the report says that McConnell has indicated he might want his own plan to go through instead of the bipartisan version. "I put forward a serious and highly targeted relief proposal including the elements which we know the president is ready and willing to sign into law," McConnell said, according to NJ.com. "Let's make law on all the subjects where we agree, on all the areas where President Trump is ready to sign bipartisan relief into law."
The plan does include $300 a week in extra unemployment benefits, according to CNBC. That network indicated that McConnell had rejected the plan, although the growing number of Republican senators expressing interest in it could change that calculation for the majority leader.
One economist told CNBC that he would prefer stimulus checks to unemployment benefits because the benefits got delayed in some states' processing procedures whereas stimulus checks end up more quickly in the hands of the American people.
Breaking News, Coronavirus, Politics
Does the new bipartisan plan include a second round of COVID-19 stimulus relief checks?