Al Jazeera's Hamish Macdonald is in Afghanistan during a critical period: The United States is shifting its focus from Iraq to Afghanistan, thousands more troops are being sent, and national elections are due within months.
Afghanistan is one of the biggest news stories in the world at the moment, but for ordinary Afghans life goes on as usual. People are shopping, going to school and trying to build their lives.
He is keeping a log of life in the war-torn nation, the hopes and aspirations of its people, and the stories they tell.
It was one of those excruciating moments that only happen when you are watching television.
You know the person being interviewed is being a bit liberal with the truth but you can't do anything to actually prove them wrong.
When Al Jazeera's David Foster was interviewing brigadier general Richard Blanchette, the spokesman for the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) on during the Newshour from Doha on Wednesday I actually wanted to run upstairs to the roof of our office where the live interview was being conducted to spin the camera around and reveal the truth.
The interview was focusing on security in Kabul following Wednesday's suicide attack on three government buildings, which killed more than two dozen people. The Taliban claimed responsibility.
Blanchette began his assessment of the situation in the capital by saying: "As I'm standing here and I look down at the street full of cars, Kabul is still a thriving city ... there's no doubt in my mind, the construction that you see around, the level of activity is certainly showing that the people of Afghanistan and the Kabulese certainly want to have progress and these savage attacks yesterday are not going to have that much of an impact on the people of Afghanistan because they have said very loudly that they want this to stop."
Foster thoroughly challenged the ISAF spokesman on those claims, because clearly the situation is Kabul is not good.
The war-weary people of this city are feeling intimidated as a result of these attacks and security measures seem to be intensifying on a daily basis.
Many of the public thoroughfares around the government precincts have been closed off completely to drivers, making this city's traffic nightmare even worse.
But what made this interview ultimately frustrating to watch was that while the brigadier general was claiming the capital is calm and secure, he was actually surrounded by armed security guards.
Unfortunately, you couldn't see this on camera. An advance party including at least one Nato soldier was despatched to our office before the spokesman arrived, presumably to ensure the location was secure.
He was heavily armed and waiting at the interview 'live position' until Blanchette arrived.
When he did arrive, just in time for the interview, two men accompanied the ISAF spokesman on the rooftop of Al Jazeera's office.
One was a westerner not wearing military fatigues, but wearing the type of outfit which easily identifies most foreign security contractors in Kabul.
The second man, who had the appearance of an Afghan, was armed and focused on casing the perimeter of our roof.
Clearly the brigadier general is well within his rights to come for an interview accompanied by a security attachment, in fact he is probably sensible to do so.
Foreign military leaders face a different security threat compared with the security issues faced by Kabul's residents.
But it seems to me to be slightly contradictory to then appear on international television talking about how safe the city is.
If the capital of Afghanistan is so secure, why do you need big guys with guns?
In the end, this is about message and spin.
The message being sent to the world about the situation in Afghanistan is often very different to the reality on the ground.
Richard Holbrooke, the new US special envoy to Afghanistan, is here at the moment listening to military and political leaders about their perceptions of the situation.
Maybe he will demand the message without all the spin?
We have just returned from one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen.
But it was a horrendous trip getting there, with two flat tyres in two days, hassles from border police and a nasty snowstorm, which added hours onto our journey.
Glimpsing a view of Northern Afghanistan's dramatic landscape, however, was well worth the effort.
We spent the past few days travelling along what will soon become the new supply route for US and Nato forces in Afghanistan.
They are in desperate need of safe passage for their military supplies because the route they use currently, which passes up the Jalalabad highway from Pakistan, has become far too dangerous as a result of frequent Taliban attacks.
The northern end of the country is the next best option, but you only need to look at the distance on the map and take a drive across the treacherous Salang Mountain pass to see that this isn't exactly going to be easy.
The mountains are covered in snow year round and the two-lane highway is frequently closed during winter because of heavy snowfall; we spent a good few hours in either direction waiting to get through.
The trucks laden with heavy cargo can barely make it up the hill, let alone do so in icy conditions.
This is not the kind of road you would want to be reliant upon for supplying your weekly shopping, let alone a war effort.
The road doesn't get much better in the low-lying valleys, either.
Here on the longer stretches, vehicles reach terrifying speeds and drivers barely flinch even when they come within metres of a head-on collision. It makes Formula 1 racing seem like the safe option!
At least these changes are making the long-suffering truck drivers happy – they ride rickety old Russian-built Kamaz trucks and they reckon that business is about to start booming for them.
They also seem to think local communities along the highway will benefit from the increased traffic.
It is an incredible sight seeing Afghan farmers ploughing the fields in their traditional dress, while convoys of trucks scream past, narrowly missing flocks of sheep. The sheep may not stand much of a chance when this road gets busier.
I'm posting some pictures from our journey with this dispatch, including shots of some of the people we met along the way.
It is hard to describe what it feels like being in a city where suicide bombers strike with almost habitual frequency.
Barely a week goes by in Kabul without a suicide attack of some description.
The people here have unfortunately learnt to live with these kinds of attacks. And in that context, it takes a lot to shock the people of Kabul.
But today's violent attacks on government buildings in the heart of the city have broken through that barrier and shocked the Kabul community.
My Afghan colleagues in the bureau here are always good barometers of public sentiment - and judging by the number of phone calls they've been receiving today from worried friends and relatives, these attacks have actually managed to frighten the war-weary people of this country.
Driving through the north of the city tonight, it was evident that Kabul is effectively in lock-down. There are always security checkpoints at night in Kabul, but I've never witnessed anything quite like this. We passed at least half a dozen police checks, but come Thursday morning there will no doubt be more.
It is comforting of course for the foreigners working here to see security out in force. But just imagine how much of an inconvenience this will be for ordinary people as they try to get to work, do the shopping and take the children to school.
We'll be covering the aftermath of these attacks on Al Jazeera over the coming days - and the impact on people's lives.
And an additional note: we've just returned from our trip to the north of Afghanistan. We made it to the border with Tajikistan, so we'll have some interesting stories and great pictures (as promised) in the coming days.
I reckon the last place in the world you would want to be when you have a flat tyre in your 4x4, in the dark, in the middle of a blizzard is Afghanistan. Agreed?
Well, that is exactly what happened to us last night as we travelled up the highway from Kabul, through the Salang Pass, to the country's north.
The snow was falling heavily and some friendly locals were trying desperately to help us mend the sizable puncture which had appeared in our rear tyre while we attempted to fit snow chains.
It was almost impossible to see out of the front window – I hate to imagine what it must be like for the thousands of truck drivers travelling along this route every day carrying hundreds of kilogrammes worth of goods in their cargo!
We are travelling along what will soon become the US and Nato's brand new military supply route. They have managed to negotiate a deal with Moscow which would allow supplies to come through Russian territory.
Basically, the US and Nato have had such problems with their current supply route, which comes along the Jalalabad highway from Pakistan, that they have had to find an alternative.
For sure, this new supply route is less prone to suicide bombings and roadside IED's (improvised explosive devices), and there have been very few incidents of violence in the north of the country.
But the dangers may come from elsewhere. These roads are not in good condition, they are treacherous at night and probably not well-equipped to cope with the added burden of countless more trucks passing through with military supplies.
The people who live in this region seem pretty fearful as well. They take pride in the fact that theirs is one of the safest parts of Afghanistan, but there is justified concern here that once the Americans and their Nato allies begin trucking tonnes and tonnes of equipment and supplies down these roads, this region too will become a target for attacks by the Taliban and al-Qaeda fighters.
The local police have already asked for reinforcements.
This has so far been a spectacular road trip, but the highway from Kabul through the Salang Pass toward Turkmenistan doesn't seem to be the fail-safe alternative the Western forces seem to think it is.
We've got our tyre fixed now and are about to continue on our journey.
Will keep you posted on our journey through one of the most beautiful parts of Afghanistan. Photos to come in the next few days.
I could not believe my eyes. We had arrived to interview Mullah Zaif, the Taliban's former ambassador to Pakistan who is now under virtual house-arrest on the outskirts of Kabul, when he walked into the room, sat down on the couch and pulled out an iPhone.
A former member of the Taliban! An iPhone! How times have changed.
During Taliban rule, which ended when the US and its allies rolled in and took control of Kabul in 2001, the leadership had banned just about anything associated with modern technology.
There were no televisions, no computers, no radios, no music and though iPhones were not around back then, they most certainly would not have been allowed.
I asked Zaif about his gadget. His response was pretty much the same as everyone who owns an iPhone.
"I'm addicted," he said, "the internet is great on this, very fast."
He proceeded to show myself and our film crew his favourite websites. I half expected him to log on and show us 'Taliban Twitter'.
But there is a very serious side to all of this of course.
The Taliban and other groups opposed to US military operations in Afghanistan and Iraq have been incredibly quick to latch on to new technology and methods of communication.
It has enabled them to wage their war in a sophisticated fashion, using not just guns and bombs, but messages and propaganda too.
When reporting from Afghanistan I am always amazed at how quickly we get information from all sides of the conflict with vastly different accounts of what happened.
It is fair to say that no single version is the truth, and that is why we always try to report what every side is saying.


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The following support solution provides strategies for migrating users to a custom activation group and preventing unauthorized use of a main site activation key.
Custom Activation Groups are a powerful tool for managing access to product licenses, especially for users with SELECT Open Access or an Enterprise License Subscription. An administrator can create a custom activation group with a subset of licenses applicable to a team or office, for example. Any workstations configured with the custom activation group will have access to this subset of licenses only, causing any authorized products to stop functioning after 30 days. Additionally, the custom activation group can be disabled or revoked at any time by an administrator without affecting the main site activation key provided by Bentley.
To benefit from custom activation groups, workstations must be configured to use one instead of the main site activation key. The following section provides methods for reconfiguring workstations.
Option 1: Provide instructions to users for reconfiguring workstations.
For small offices, an administrator can provide instructions to users with the following instructions.
Open the License Management Tool. This can be done from a Start menu shortcut or from within a Bentley product.
Change the value in the Site Activation Key field to the Custom Activation Group.
Close the License Management Tool.
Option 2: Use Active Directory Group Policy to reconfigure workstations.
For larger offices or for license setting enforcement, an administrator can specify the new custom activation group in a Group Policy Object (GPO) and deploy it to workstations. The following news article provides more information.
Option 3: Use LicenseToolCmd to reconfigure workstations.
For offices that do not utilize Active Directory Group Policy, a command-line licensing configuration utility included with Bentley products can be used to reconfigure workstations instead. The following batch file provides a template that can be modified as needed.
Visit the SELECTserver administration site. For most users, this will be on SELECTserver OnLine.
Enter the Bentley login for a SELECT site administrator.
Select Client Access Restrictions from the Site Configuration drop-down.
Select the Access Restrictions Enabled radio button if not already selected.
Click the Add a New Restriction button.
In the window that appears, specify an IP address that does not exist on your local network, and click the OK button.
A new listing will appear in the Client Access Restrictions list. To activate it, click the red circle.


text:
FORTUNATE 500
FORTUNATE 500 WORLD UNIVERSITY RANKINGS
Ensuring that our measurements are fair and unbiased means randomizing our results. The fully randomized scientific experiment has been held up as the holy grail of scientific experimentation. And at Fortunate 500, we like to think we've found several holy grails (we have a Doctor of Indiana Jones Studies on our staff). So all our results are fully randomized, but our real skill is in justifying them afterward. We don't just randomize our results; we've made a science of randomization. Some of our techniques include:
Tortoise racing: we write the names of our institutions on the back of tortoises and race them. With the exponential growth in some institutions, though, we are running out of tortoises.
Binary Growth Observation (also known as BINGO): We "borrowed" a BINGO machine from a local retirement center. We then wrote the names of academic institutions on the balls, and the order in which they come out is the order in which we rank them (the first out of the machine is the best, last is the worst).
Numerical Algorithm Generator: our most sophisticated of analytic tools, this is an app one of our interns had on their smartphone. We can enter any word, and this impressive app sorts it out into a random number ranking with the press of a button. It's as scientifically valid as any other system (and its made our intern very happy to have invested last month's entire paycheck in the latest smartphone).
Studies demonstrate luck is one of the most robust predictors of academic reputation and learning outcomes. In fact, luck is highly correlated with the listing of a university in one of the four most well-known ratings.
The Fortunate 500 University Rankings represents the first break-through study in the precise measurement of luck.
© 2020 FORTUNATE 500 University Rankings. Published every April 1 since 2016.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Google Opening Its First-ever Physical Retail Store in New York, US
Google G Desktop | Image credit: Niclas Illg/Unsplash
Google unveils Pixel Buds Pro in India for Rs 19,990, featuring 11 hours of ...
Google unveils Indo-Pacific Economic Framework in Tokyo to grow Asia contine...
Google released new features to help fact-checking informations
Google has announced to open of its first-ever physical retail store in New York, where customers can experience its hardware and services in a helpful way.
Just like an Apple Store, the Google Store in Chelsea will open its doors to the public in the summer of 2021.
Google unveils Pixel Buds Pro in India for Rs 19,990, featuring 11 hours of batt...
Back in M...
At the Google Store, customers will be able to browse and buy an extensive selection of products made by Google, ranging from Pixel phones to Nest products, Fitbit devices to Pixelbooks, and more.
"Or they can shop online at GoogleStore.com and pick up their orders in store. Throughout the store, visitors will be able to experience how our products and services work together in a variety of immersive ways, which we're excited to share more about when the doors open," said Jason Rosenthal, VP, Direct Channels and Membership at Google.
Since these are Covid times, masks, hand sanitation, and social distancing will be required in the Google Store, and the number of guests inside will be limited.
"We will continue to closely follow the guidance of the local and national authorities to adapt our health and safety procedures as needed," Rosenthal informed.
"Google has been in New York for the last 20 years, and we view the store as a natural extension of our longtime commitment to the city," he added.
How Google is using AI to keep search safe
Google is using its Artificial Intelligence systems to help people get access to critical information while avoiding potentially shocking or harmful content so...
Chrome version 100 arrives with refreshed logo in tow
Google's Chrome browser has been updated to version 100, almost 14 years after it introduced the world to its clean design and all-encompassing "Omnibox" in 20...
Google Pixel 6 Series Could Get Face-to-Unlock Support in Future Updates
Tech giant Google is reportedly working on a Face Unlock feature for Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro smartphones. According to a noted XDA Forum contributor, the ne...


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Holy Spirit vs. 'Undue Media Pressure'
By Robert Mickens
Never has a gathering of the Synod of Bishops in Rome created such interest around the world. And not just among Catholics.
Whether or not it was his intention, Pope Francis has involved the entire Christian community—and, in a sense, the whole human race—in an ongoing reflection, debate and conversation surrounding the "crisis" of marriage and the changing nature of the nuclear family.
Speaking at his weekly general audience on Wednesday, the third day of the Synod's three-week assembly, the pope asked the tens of thousands of people gathered in St. Peter's Square to "pray intensely" that the Holy Spirit might work through the bishops to bring about "a church that leaves behind its old nets and begins fishing anew by trusting in the word of its Lord."
This same desire, it would seem, is also shared by many Catholic communities, families (of various types), and individuals. And in unprecedented numbers they have expressed their concerns and offered their experiences to their bishops and the Synod's secretariat.
The Paulist Fathers are among these Catholics. This missionary society of apostolic life, which was founded in New York in 1858, has issued a twelve-page "reflection on the family" that it recently delivered to all the North American bishops and delegates attending the current Synod assembly.
The Catholic Church's moral tradition is one of the "great strengths" that "continues to provide a much-needed compass for our lives," says Paulist President, Fr. Eric Andrews, in a preface to the document.
"It has also been the tradition of the Church to hold in balance the guidelines of our moral understandings with lived realities," he says, noting that Pope Francis has encouraged everyone in the Church to "dialogue on these critical issues so we may discern where the Holy Spirit is leading us in this day and age".
The Paulists say they "feel called to speak on these issues from pastoral experience." And here are just a few of the suggestions they ask the Synod to consider adopting: a more inclusive notion of "family"; a more gentle approach to separated and divorced Catholics ("We urge the Synod to consider St. John XXIII's admonition that the 'medicine of mercy,' the Eucharist, is to be freely dispensed [to the divorced and remarried]"); and a greater openness towards "the personal needs, sexual experience, and covenant commitment of our LGBTQ sisters and brothers with the utmost pastoral care and sensitivity."
Some of the reform-minded members of the Synod, those who would agree with much found in the Paulists' reflections, were not exactly thrilled with the way a veteran Vatican official burst "out of the closet" last Saturday and announced he had a male partner.
The general concern was that the "clamorous" revelation by Msgr. Krzysztof Charamsa, a Polish priest and theologian who has worked at the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) since 2003, would only stiffen the resolve of those bishops who are vehemently opposed to even the slightest acceptance of homosexual couples or unions.
Naturally, the Vatican reacted swiftly to the "coming out" of Msgr. Charamsa who called the CDF the "heart of paranoid homophobia in the Church".
Papal spokesman Fr. Federico Lombardi, SJ said: "The decision to make such a pointed statement on the eve of the opening of the Synod appears very serious and irresponsible, since it aims to subject the Synod assembly to undue media pressure."
The spokesman stressed that his denunciation had nothing to do with the "respect" and "reflections" that the issue of homosexuality and gay people merit. Obviously, his point was that priests make a public promise to live a life of celibacy; when they break the promise their sexual orientation is immaterial.
And so Fr. Lombardi, whose statement was later published in L'Osservatore Romano, said Msgr. Charamsa would be sacked from his job at the CDF and his several teaching appointments at pontifical universities in Rome, as well has his position as adjunct secretary of the International Theological Commission. (This was no minor Vatican paper pusher!)
And yet some organizations and individuals that identify as Catholics, and should know better, reacted bitterly to the firing, something Msgr. Charamsa never contested. Others criticized the priest for waiting so long to finally come clean and stop the hypocrisy, which—in fairness—he readily acknowledged. In fact, he apologized for participating in what he sees as the Church's persecution of LGBT persons.
But it seems the Polish theologian is not done speaking. He has a book that will soon be out and it will likely have a much more disrupting impact on the Church, potentially at the highest levels of the hierarchy.
Apparently, the now former Vatican official will provide documented evidence of high-ranking Church officials—including current CDF prefect, Cardinal Gerhard Müller—working actively to thwart some of Pope Francis's reforms.
Evidently he will also offer proof of other unsavory activity by the doctrinal office during his thirteen years there.
Don't forget that Msgr. Charamsa worked under three CDF prefects and their respective administrations. If he tells all he knows, his book could be extremely explosive.
In hindsight it's clear that Pope Francis was prophetic by going to the island of Lampedusa on his first trip outside of Rome after becoming pope.
It was June 9, 2013, not quite four months after his election to the See of Peter, and the day when he should have set off on his summer holidays. But, instead, he went to the tiny island.
Lampedusa is the southernmost territory in Europe and first port of entry to the Old Continent for many migrants, refugees, and asylum seekers who risked life and limb by traversing the Mediterranean on dinghies and dilapidated fishing boats. Many of them perished at sea, while others only barely made it to the island.
The media had reported the horrific stories and fate of these "boat people," but most of Europe and most of the world pretended not to see or know. Pope Francis changed that by going to the island. And, in doing so, he was way before curve in addressing the global crisis of mass migration.
Christine Lagarde, managing director of the International Monetary Fund, recently said nearly 60 million people are on currently displaced from their homelands, principally because of the various wars and conflicts around the globe.
And in Europe this past summer, not even two years after the pope became perhaps the first world leader to speak out for the rights and dignity of migrants and refugees, there was a new crisis of immigrants arriving in record numbers mainly from the Middle East and North Africa.
One month ago, in a way almost as dramatic and prophetic as his visit to Lampedusa, Francis called on every Catholic parish, shrine, convent, and monastery in Europe to "take in" at least one migrant family. The appeal was met with mixed reactions.
The Vatican "adopted" two such families and, this past week, Rome's local Caritas office announced that more than 80 church entities—62 parishes, 13 religious institutes, two seminaries, two families and two pontifical institutes—had taken up the challenge in the pope's diocese.
"Migrants are our brothers and sisters in search of a better life, far away from poverty, hunger, exploitation and the unjust distribution of the planet's resources which are meant to be equitably shared by all," Francis says in his recently published message for the next World Day of Migrants and Refugees.
"Faced with these issues, how can the church fail to be inspired by the example and words of Jesus Christ? The answer of the Gospel is mercy," he says.
In light of the bad rap the City of Rome has been getting in the press recently for being a hotbed of corruption, institutional selfishness, and moral and environmental degradation, it's important to recognize that so many good people in the church here are opening up to those who, like Christ, stand and knock at their doors.
Robert Mickens is English-language editor of La Croix International.
Battered Souls
Letters | Anointing the Sick, a Callous Court, James Agee
Synod on the FamilyPope FrancisU.S. CatholicismBishopsEthicsForeign AffairsLetter from RomeSexualitySocial JusticeTheologyWar and PeaceWeb Exclusive
Doctrinal Authority in the Francis Era
By Richard R. Gaillardetz
Spoiling for a Fight
By Nathan O'Halloran
The 'Madness' of Mercy


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text:
After three decades at SHS, English teacher Cathy Head preps to retire
May 19, 2019 — by Marisa Kingsley
Cathy Head has taught almost every level of English class.
After teaching for 30 years at the school, English teacher Cathy Head has announced that she will retire at the end of this school year.
During her time here, Head has taught a wide variety of grade levels: the freshmen through English 9 MAP, English 9 and English 9 Balance (which seeks to emphasize the importance of maintaining a healthy balance between academic demands and life by minimizing homework). In addition to teaching freshmen, she has also taught other grade level courses: English, AP Lit and REPoRT, an elective based on research and writing and presenting.
Head began her teaching career fresh out of college in 1977 in the small town of Mountain Lakes, N.J., which she described as "much like Saratoga." When she moved to California in the '80s, she taught at James Logan High School in Union City for two years before coming to Saratoga High.
Prior to coming to Saratoga, Head taught a variety of courses: journalism, American Studies, a grammar elective and a "sad little course" called College Prep Vocabulary.
When Head started in the fall of 1989, the campus and student body were much smaller, and she said there were "extra rooms everywhere." She distinctly recalls a portable building in place of the library.
"It was really close to coming down. The roof leaked, and it smelled like moldy feet," Head said. "The room on the end was just empty except for our total discography of books."
Over the years, Head has seen many physical changes come about at the school, including ones to the 800 wing, which is now home to the student wellness center and was once the library before it changed to its current location 20 years ago. She also seen a large shift in ethnic diversity in the student body, saying that there were initially "a lot of blondes."
When it came to teaching the students here, compared to other schools she had taught at, Head felt as though she could really find a balance between teaching students life skills and the subject matter.
"I have taught at other schools like Logan where you're dealing with so many social ills that the ability to teach subject matter was seriously reduced," Head said. "And here, we can teach kids life skills and teach the subject matter at the same time, which is rare."
Head said that there has a been a huge change in the way she approaches teaching due the evolution of technology and social media's integration into daily life, and has employed more visual learning into her classroom.
"Literacy with the internet became an absolute necessity; the ability to read a visual than see it," Head said. "I had already started that, but that would be a major change [looking back on it now]."
Furthermore, Head believes that the concept of research has changed dramatically since when she started teaching, saying that it used to be based in finding the information and documenting the information, but with the internet, it evolved into teaching students about distinguishing between credible and non-credible websites and information.
Head said that aside from teaching the students, she has cherished the relationships that she was able to make with the staff, administration and students.
"There's a strong sense of collaboration here that has developed over those 30 years," Head said. "This really is where my friends and my family are."
The Saratoga community has also found this to be true.
Sophomore Grace Stuart, who had Head for English 9 MAP, said that she always wanted the best for her students.
"She was always in her room during tutorial to help with writing skills, and give them positive criticism to projects and papers," Stuart said. "I will always remember how happy she was to see her students do well in her class, even if they were struggling a bit with grades."
Additionally, fellow English teacher Meg Battey, who has known Head for 18 years, said that she considers Head to be not only a great colleague, but also a great friend who brings out the best in people.
"I think she has magical fairy dust; she brings out the best in her students," Battey said. "Even when students who might be having a bit of trouble and maybe lost their way, she is able to work with them in a gentle but firm manner to really make clear structure and expectations. I also think she brings out the best in her colleagues as well. All of us in the English department has had great collaborations with her."
Head also was Battey's mentor teacher when she first started after working at Mission Hill Middle School in Santa Cruz as a long-term substitute and really helped guide her through the ins and outs of the curriculum and course expectations. In recent years, she was offered a position to teach English 9 MAP with Head, which Battey said was one of her "best professional decisions."
Battey said that one of her favorite things to do is to sit down with Head and nominate freshman projects for SMASH'N, the annual MAP Oscars where all MAP students get the opportunity to share their projects and vote on which one they think are the best.
Similarly, Head said that some of the memories that she holds close have come from little moments.
"The most meaningful things to me are very small," Head said. "When somebody stops by to say hello, or when a student who was struggling makes a turnaround in light of the many hundreds of students I've taught, those are some of my fondest memories."
Although she is leaving, her impact won't be forgotten by those who knew her.
Assistant principal Kerry Mohnike, who has worked with Head for 28 years, said that Head was one of the "best collaborators I have ever worked with."
When Mohnike taught English, her and Head collaborated on countless efforts, including the creation of the integrated English 11/11 Honors MAP class and the Novel unit in English 9, hiring new staff and teaching classes on rubric development to colleagues in other departments.
Mohnike notes that Head's caring personality and strong sense of ethics have served her over her teaching career, and that Head has greatly influenced and supported her.
"For years she taught both English 9 and AP Literature, and worked exceptionally hard at making sure student are able to go to the next level whether it be English 10 or college," Mohnike said. "I will miss her camaraderie, her thoughtfulness and the acorns she brings me that remind me that students are the most wonderful seeds of possibility and every one of them deserves our attention and care."
After she retires, Head plans to volunteer at the local animal shelter or tutor at the library near her house in San Jose.
She said that she will miss the people here the most after she retires.
"When something happens and you think: 'Oh I want to tell someone about that.' I think about telling my colleagues or my students," Head said. "I'll hear something on the radio and think: 'I'll want to talk to my students about that because it's going on right now, and I will miss that.'"
Despite this, Head said that she's doesn't want to be a teacher who lingers around and that she desires to build a community outside of Saratoga High.
"It's impossible to replace such a stellar teacher," Mohnike said. "Our only hope is that her influence will come through in curriculum and her dedication to the craft of teaching that she has modeled here during her tenure."
Longtime English teacher set to retire
DECK: English teacher Cathy Head reflects on her 30 years of teaching at Saratoga High
By: Marisa Kingsley
Nikhil Maheshwari (not verified)
English 10 MAP, class 1
Congratulations Mrs. Head! You've been an inspiration! I'll always look back fondly on my time in your class, and your truly awesome bookshelf. Best, Nikhil
Ethan Gelfand (not verified)
May 25, 2019 - 9:32pm
Great teacher, better person.
Great teacher, better person. I rarely looked forward to going to English class, but Mrs. Head knew how to cultivate any student; she changed my perspective regarding literature and culture. I will always be grateful for having her as my teacher back in 2010-11. You will be missed, but not forgotten, happy retirement to you!


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Hercule (Hercules) est une mini-série américaine en 178 minutes réalisée par Roger Young et diffusée en deux parties à partir du  sur le réseau NBC. Elle est sortie sous forme de téléfilm en Europe.

Synopsis

Fiche technique
 Scénariste : Charles Edward Pogue
 Durée : 240 min / 178 min (version DVD)
 Pays :
 Langue : anglais
 Couleur
 Classification : Finlande : K-15 / Australie : MA

Distribution
 Paul Telfer : Hercule
 Sean Astin : Linos
 John Bach : Créon
 Robert Clotworthy : narrateur
 Kim Coates : Tirésias
 Jamie Croft : Hercule jeune
 Timothy Dalton : Amphitryon
 Luke Ford : Iphiclès
 Tyler Mane : Antée
 Leelee Sobieski : Déjanire
 Elizabeth Perkins : Alcmène
 Kristian Schmid : roi Eurysthée
 William Snow : roi Thésée
 Trent Sullivan : Hyllos
 Rose Tapper : Mégara à 4 ans
 Rachael Taylor : femme / lion de Némée
 Robert Taylor : Chiron
 Anita Torrance : Antiope
 Leeanna Walsman : Mégara
 Madeleine West : Hippolyte

Commentaires
 Mise en scène du héros Héraclès, autre nom d'Hercule, et de ses travaux.

Liens externes

Série télévisée créée en 2005
Série télévisée américaine des années 2000
Série télévisée de NBC
Mini-série américaine
Série télévisée de fantasy
Mythologie gréco-romaine à la télévision
Série télévisée se déroulant dans l'Antiquité
Œuvre inspirée par Hercule

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
Postcard From Malta
Loud music and sweat marked the start of the Malta Consolidation Period. After a relatively tiring first day establishing on the island, with the inevitable airport queues and Mediterranean traffic jams slowing our progress, the squad was quick to acclimatise to the no-frills hotel environment before getting down to the job in hand of consolidating the season's progress to date.
Malta has been specifically chosen as a base camp for this mid-season consolidation period, a new departure from our now standard training camp routine, predominantly because of the very deep rooted Naval links that are in place, the obvious no-nonsense style the islanders uphold and the warmth and camaraderie already being shown to the group as a whole. It's a friendly place and we are being made to feel very welcome – it provides the perfect backdrop to establish the deeper squad bonding, while providing exactly the facilities that we need to maintain momentum. No frills, but all the basics are in place with access to a well-fitted private gym, 'The Pit', with surprisingly enough floorspace to field the whole squad at once. The initial session was clearly a wake-up call for what is coming in the other half of the season, and the now downsized squad were left in no doubt as to the standard of output we now aspire to. Hard and physical.
Likewise the pitch training facilities at Marsa, kindly loaned to us by the Maltese RFU, have provided exactly what we have needed – a clubhouse, changing facilities and a well-proportioned pitch and training area (with enough grass to cushion the tired bodies!). All the facilities have contributed to making a firm base from which to focus our efforts. There are no complaints – we are close enough to the night life and to the beach to keep the management team busy marshalling the squad, while the facilities ensure we can achieve exactly what we need to do and when.
To date the Senior season progress has been steady, but as we move into the next phase of the training camp after consolidation, the intensity of the fixtures will now increase. The opposition will become bigger and faster, and the tempo of the game will no doubt match as we prepare for the key capped fixtures. During our time on the island, our plan is to review our styles of game play, analyse the major opposition more closely and really seek to achieve full squad buy-in and ownership of the final output as we deliberately target each fixture. This obviously requires a fair amount of classroom discussion and video analysis, and when the squad are not working hard in the gym or on the pitch, they are being asked to focus their thoughts in our bespoke classroom facility deep in the basement next to the indoor pool, on how we intend to overcome the planned opposition. The boys are tired but smiling – although a little less British drizzle and a little more Mediterranean sun would obviously help the tans finish off nicely!
Article by Mark Deller


Botten's Equipment Rental is a local, family owned business that is bringing customer service back to the rental industry in Yamhill County. We know that a good name doesn't just happen. It is earned. It starts with treating others as we would like to be treated and going the extra mile. This is the foundation that Botten's Equipment Rental is built upon.
Don't spend money on equipment that you will only use once. You can rent top name brand equipment from a family owned and operated company you can trust.
With our equipment rental service, you can get the equipment you need at a fraction of the cost.
In business since 2012, you can find a large selection of quality equipment at our shop. From jacks and pruners to drills and trailers, we have exactly what you need. Browse our catalog now.


The majority of static caravan holiday homes in the UK are purchase from the holiday park operator or park owner. It is however possible to buy directly from a private owner and many site including are own allow them to advertise their sale.
If you are considering this option we have compiled this article with some suggestions to ensure a smooth purchase. Static Caravans do not have a V5 style verification document as proof of ownership as there is with the DVLA for vehicle sales so it is important to verify that the seller owns the caravan!
1. Asking to see sales agreement form and or original purchase invoice and check details.
2. Ask to see pitch licence with the holiday park and check details. This document should state the legth of time that you have tenancy on the pitch.
3. Verify with Park Owner directly that documents are valid and they this is the current owner and they are aware of the sale. Also check that the vendor has adhered to all conditions of sale with the park, this may involve a commission payment to the park from the vendor.
As with all major purchases it is well worth sourcing independent legal advice on the purchase for peace of mind.
The current owner can be a great source of information and often have useful hints and tips. Make a list of questions you may have covering all elements of ownership such as running costs.


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Centre for Healthcare Education Research and Innovation
We are the largest and most prolific healthcare education research group in the UK, and our people are internationally-recognised for their scholarly activities.
Dr Anita Laidlaw
Anita is the Director of the Centre for Healthcare Education Research and Innovation (CHERI). She has been involved in healthcare education for many years including teaching medical students, dental nurses and health psychology students.
Dr Kim Walker
Dr Kim Walker is a Senior Lecturer. Her research interests are in recruitment and selection and career decision making. She also has role in the medical school in relation to faculty development.
Contact: kim.walker@abdn.ac.uk
Dr Isobel Cameron
Isobel is a Senior Lecturer. Her research interests focus on differential attainment and fairness in assessment.
Contact: i.m.cameron@abdn.ac.uk
Dr Lorraine Hawick
Lorraine is Senior Lecturer. Her research explores the influences of space and place on curriculum development. She graduated in 2018 with a PhD in Medical Education, for a thesis entitled: Understanding the Relationships between Curriculum Reform, Space and Place in Medical Education. Lorraine is co-programme coordinator for MSc Medical Education.
Contact: l.hawick@abdn.ac.uk
Dr Helen Vosper
Helen is Chartered ergonomist (Human Factors specialist) and is a Senior Lecturer and the lead for patient safety. Helen believes that Human Factors has much to offer healthcare curriculum content, facilitating learner development of practical competencies that can be applied in the workplace to optimise health and care system outcomes, including staff and patient safety.
Dr Amudha Poobalan
Amudha is a Senior Lecturer in Public Health based at the School of Medicine, Medical Sciences and Nutrition at the University of Aberdeen (UK) and a Senior Fellow of the UK Higher Education Academy. She leads the Master of Public Health (MPH) programme and teach on several undergraduate and postgraduate programmes
Dr Eve Brock
Eve is a Clinical Lecturer. She has recently graduated with a PhD in Medical Education. Her research explores professional identity development in medical students and newly-graduated doctors. Eve is co-programme coordinator for MSc Medical Education.
Contact: evangeline.brock@abdn.ac.uk
Dr Katie Gibson Smith
Katie is a Research Fellow. Her research focus is on widening access to medical education.
Contact: kathrine.gibson.smith@abdn.ac.uk
Dr Haci Yilmaz
Haci is a Lecturer in Psychometrics at the Centre for Healthcare Education Research and Innovation (CHERI). He is responsible for supporting the psychometric aspects of the summative and large-scale formative assessment of the MBChB programme, including the selection process. He also supports such approaches across other programmes in the School of Medicine, Medical Sciences & Nutrition. His research interests are primarily in programme evaluation, assessment and psychometrics with a special focus on multilevel modeling and scale development.
Contact: haci.yilmaz@abdn.ac.uk
Florin Nedelea
Florin joined CHERI in May of 2021 as a Faculty Development Support Officer. His work is to promote, to assist and to support the development of teaching and learning activities designed and delivered by faculty in the MBChB clinical curriculum. He is working on implementing the staff development strategy which encompasses provisions and training of University of Aberdeen and key NHS partners. Prior to joining CHERI, Florin was an eLearning Adviser within the Centre for Academic Development at the University of Aberdeen.
Contact: florin.nedelea@abdn.ac.uk
CHERI Administrator provides support to CHERI members in terms of internal processes and budgetary management, also point of contact for CHERI queries.
Contact: CHERI Administrator
Jane Smith
Jane Smith graduated from Glasgow University in 1998 with Commendation. She then spent eight years in Private and NHS dental practice. The next ten years she spent working with the Community and Public Dental Services in NHS Grampian, she is currently still doing this work part time. Four years ago, she came to Aberdeen Dental School where she is now a Clinical Lecturer.
She has recently become a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, and recently completed the Post Graduate Certificate in Clinical Education.
Contact: janesmith@abdn.ac.uk
https://www.abdn.ac.uk/people/janesmith
Dr Adarsh Shah
Adarsh is using a mixed methods approach to undertake a national evaluation of Scotland's Improving Surgical Training Programme pilot. The focus of his research is on curricular reform and educational change. It aims to utilise theories outside of medical education and medical humanities to provide new perspectives. This work has been supported by a grant from the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh.
Contact: a.shah.19@abdn.ac.uk
Prof Peter Johnston
Professor Peter Johnston is the Depute Postgraduate Dean (Scotland Deanery, North Region) and a Consultant Histopathologist (NHS Grampian), UK.
Dr Duncan Scrimgeour
Duncan is an Honorary Lecturer and Intercollegiate Research Fellow, Specialty Trainee in General Surgery. He graduated with a PhD in Medical Education from CHERI, for a thesis entitled 'Predicting performance in UK surgical training'.
Professor Jen Cleland
Professor Jennifer Cleland was the Director of CHERI until 2020 and the John Simpson Chair of Medical Education Research. She is an Honorary Professor at University of Aberdeen and continues to support CHERI. A clinical and occupational psychologist by training, for many years she split her time working in the UK National Health Service (latterly in Liaison Psychiatry), while holding university roles within the University of Aberdeen School of Medicine, Dentistry and Nutrition.
Contact: jen.cleland@abdn.ac.uk
PhD Graduates
Maeve Coyle
Maeve's research uses qualitative methods to explore widening access to medical education in both the UK and Australia. Her PhD programme is part of an alliance between the University of Aberdeen and Curtin University in Perth, Australia, where she will be spending a year of her studies.
Contact: r03mc18@abdn.ac.uk
Dr Fatemah Aldousari
Fatimah was awarded her PhD in 2020. Her mixed-methods programme of quality improvement research focused on prevalence, predictors of, and reasons for, discharges against medical advice in government hospitals in Kuwait. The ultimate aim of her research was to develop and evaluate a pilot intervention to reduce DAMA.
Contact: r02fasa@abdn.ac.uk
Dr Kirsty Alexander
Kirsty was awarded her PhD in 2018 for a thesis entitled 'Perceptions, discourses and values: exploring how key stakeholders construct, negotiate and enact widening access to medical school'.
Dr Waleed Alharbi
Waleed graduated with a PhD in 2019, for a thesis entitled 'A mixed-methods study identifying and exploring ways to address medication error in an adult oncology
Dr Hamad Alqattan
Hamad was awarded his PhD in 2020. His mixed-methods programme of quality improvement research focused on identifying patient safety culture predictors and outcomes in a tertiary-care medical department, Kuwait. The ultimate aim of his research was to develop and evaluate a pilot intervention to improve patient safety.
Contact: r01haha@abdn.ac.uk
Dr Vivienne Blackhall
Viv completed her PhD in February 2020. The titles of her MD projects were:
iView expert. Adapting a method from human space flight, civil and military aviation, to explicate medical expertise in complex tasks, for transfer to trainees.
Evaluating a take home laparoscopic deliberate practice programme for core surgical trainees.
Dr Ben Kumwenda
Ben recently completed his PhD. His research examined the relationships between socio-demographic variables and progression within medical education and training.
Dr Gillian Scanlan
Gillian graduated with a PhD in 2019, for a thesis entitled 'Understanding the Factors that Influence the Career Decision Making of UK Foundation Doctors'. Her research focused on medical careers decision making in Foundation Programme doctors.
Dr Sanne Schreurs
Sanne recently completed her PhD. Her research examined the relationships between socio-demographic variables and progression within medical education.


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& Mel Brimfield
Rebecca Moss, Pancake, 2021. Film still. Courtesy the artist
Join us for a relaxed conversation between Mel Brimfield and Rebecca Moss who has produced three new films for the SurveyII exhibition. Herd Mentality, Home Improvement and Pancake are a series of short videos which document absurdist scenarios performed to camera by the artist. These site-responsive gestures build on the artist's use of humour and anti-monumental interventions to reflect on the world around us.
Rebecca critically examines heroic narratives through absurdist gestures. Her videos speculate upon ecological instability, humanity's relationship to the natural world, and how a feminist perspective could transform our position on the planet. She is also interested in how slapstick performance can speak to power through humour.
It's always a pleasure to welcome back Mel Brimfield, who taught Rebecca at the RCA and is currently exhibiting From This World, to That Which Is to Come at The Tetley, Leeds. Her interdisciplinary and collaborative practice is rooted in scripted performance, incorporating live work, moving image, staged audio, installation and drawing. Operating at the intersection of theatre, live art and film, Brimfield's work aims to bring audiences for the arts together and erode historic distinctions between creative fields.
Both artists use differing formats and genres, humour and awkwardness to appraise and disrupt received cultural hierarchies. The talk will be informal and held on Zoom.


text:
Home / Obituaries / Lee Kalisch
Lee Kalisch
Wed, 03/01/2017 - 6:15pm admin1
Lee Kalisch, 82, of Staples passed away February 24, 2017, at the University of Minnesota Medical Center in Minneapolis.
Funeral services will be held Thursday, March 2, at 11 a.m., at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Staples, with Father Joe Korf and Deacon Jim Trout officiating. Visitation will be one hour prior to services at the church.
Arrangements are with the Brenny Funeral Home, Staples.
Lee Wesley Kalisch was born March 17, 1934 in Staples, to Adolph and LaRoe (Alden) Kalisch. He married RoseMarie Trout in Philbrook, in 1954. Lee worked as a chef on the railroad for 42 years. He enjoyed hunting, fishing, gardening, harvesting wild rice, going to auctions, selling pumpkins and especially spending time with his family.
Lee is survived by his wife; five daughters, Marie (Rick) Busch, Clarissa, Sharon (Dan) Hagenson, Staples, Shirley (Craig) Norwood, Riverside, CA, Darlene Weibye, Clarissa and Judy (Mike) Tichy, Henning; eight grandchildren; 10 great-grandchildren; four sisters, Grace Altringer, Lois Trick, Maryann VanHoever and Karen Nurnberger and two brothers, Charles and Raye.
He was preceded in death by his parents; one brother, Richard and one sister, Eleanor Steinmetz. w9c A00006B2017MA02


text:
Nation's gun debate flares anew amid reports of bump stock ban
WEBVTT DOWN THE PIKE, A NATIONWIDE BUMP STOCK BAN. LAST MAY, BUMP STOCKS WERE BANNED IN CINCINNATI BY A 7-2 COUNCIL VOTE AND, AS PREDICTED SUED. AS THAT LEGAL BATTLE CONTINUES, REPORTS NOW INDICATE PRESIDENT TRUMP INTENDS TO ISSUE A NATIONWIDE BAN. >> WE HAVE A PRESIDENT WHO IS WILLING TO TAKE ON THE NRA WHEN IT IS APPROPRIATE. JOHN: THE HEAD OF THE LOCAL GOP FORESEES SCANT POLITICAL DAMAGE BECAUSE OF TRUMP'S CREDIBILITY WITH HIS CONSERVATIVE BASE. >> LET US REMEMBER, THE PRESIDENT HAS BEEN STRONG ON THE SECOND AMENDMENT IN MANY OTHER RESPECTS. JOHN: BUMP STOCKS TOOK ON AN INFAMOUS QUALITY IN THE AFTERMATH OF THE LAS VEGAS MASSACRE FOURTEEN MONTHS AGO. A DEBATE STILL RAGES ABOUT WHETHER FITTING THEM ONTO SEMI-ATOMATIC WEAPONS CAUSES MORE RAPID FIRE. WHEN TARGET WORLD USED TO HAVE THEM AVAILABLE FOR SALE HERE YEARS AGO, BUMP STOCKS DIDN'T SELL ALL THAT WELL. >> I HAVE HAD MY CHANCE TO USE THEM AND IT TAKES A LOT OF TRAINING TO GET THEM TO WORK, QUOTE UNQUOTE, AS THEY SHOULD. JOHN: JON VILLING, A COMPETITIVE SHOOTER, SAYS MOST PEOPLE AREN'T VERY GOOD WITH THEM AND FROM A PRACTICAL STANDPOINT A BAN WON'T MAKE SOCIETY SAFER. LAWMAKER, P.G. SITTENFELD HAS STATED BUMP STOCKS HAVE NO PLACE HERE OR ANYWHERE. THEY TRIGGER PASSIONATE STANCES ON THE PART OF BOTH GUN CONTROL ADVOCATES, AND STAUNCH SECOND AMENDMENT SUPPORTERS. >> AT TALK TO A LOT OF PEOPLE, PEOPLE WHO WILL BE FIRED UP. JOHN: VILLING IS AMONG THEM. HE SAYS, SOMETHING IS USED IN ONE CRYING, AND ALL OF A SUDDEN, SOME FOLKS WANT IT AND. HE BELIEVES PRESIDENT TRUMP WOULD BE INFRINGING ON RIGHTS THAT'S BASICALLY A BONE THROWN IN THE DIRECTION OF THOSE CALLING FOR MORE GUN RESTRICTIONS. >> PEOPLE WHO OWNED THEM ARE UPSET THAT THEY HAVE WASTED MONEY BUYING THEM AND THEY WILL BE FORCED TO TURN THEM IN PERIODIC JOHN: THE PRACTICALITY OF ENFORCING A RETROACTIVE BAN HAS YET TO BE EXPLAINED, OR UNDERSTOOD. LIKE SOME MANY OTHER THINGS YOU SEE ON THE SHELVES, THERE'S REALLY NO WAY OF TELLING JUST HOW MANY ARE ALREADY OUT THERE
The nation's gun debate has flared anew as reports suggest the Trump administration will soon move to enact a nationwide ban on bump stocks.Inside Target World in Sharonville on Thursday, we were told that within the gun industry, there has been considerable talk about it.Last May, bump stocks were banned in Cincinnati by a 7-2 council vote.As predicted by Republican dissenters Amy Murray and Jeff Pastor, the city was sued.That litigation is pending, and the Buckeye Firearms Association chose to not jeopardize it in any way with a comment about the national ban proposal."You know, we got a president who is willing to take on the (National Rifle Association) when it's appropriate," said Alex Triantafilou, the head of the local GOP. He foresees scant political damage because of Trump's strong credibility with his conservative base."Let's remember that the president has been strong on the Second Amendment in many other respects," he stated.Bump stocks took on a rather infamous quality in the aftermath of the Las Vegas massacre 14 months ago.A debate still rages about whether fitting them onto semi-automatic weapons causes more rapid fire.When Target World used to have them available for sale years ago, bump stocks didn't sell all that well."I've had my chance to use them," explained Jon Villing, who is the purchasing and training manager at Target World. "It takes a lot of training to get them to work ... as they should."Villing leads a gun enthusiasts group on social media and is a competitive shooter.He maintained most people aren't very good at using bump stocks.He also said from a practical standpoint, a ban won't make society safer.Lawmaker P. G. Sittenfeld has stated bump stocks have no place in civil society."This is not something that you go hunting with grandpa with," said Sittenfeld several months ago. "It's not a device, it's not an instrument that has any place in the city of Cincinnati or frankly anywhere."Local NRA member and longtime Republican Party executive Jim Kiefer sent a statement saying he stands with the president when it comes to bump stocks."To me, it has no place and no need in today's world, even at out (next-)door firing ranges for 'fun.' The Vegas shooting brought this to the front, but (it) was in place for years behind the scenes ... I see no need for this product and have no issue backing him on this ban."Bump stocks have triggered passionate stances on the part of both gun control advocates and staunch Second Amendment supporters.Villing questions why something that is used in one crime should be subject to a ban that he said would be infringing on everyone's rights.Some contend President Donald Trump is basically throwing a bone in the direction of those calling for more gun restrictions."The people that own 'em are upset," said Villing. "They've wasted money buying these things, and now they're going to be forced to turn them in."The practicality of enforcing a retroactive ban has yet to be explained or understood.Bump stocks are accessories. There's no registry or list of purchases. There's really no way of telling just how many are already out there.
The nation's gun debate has flared anew as reports suggest the Trump administration will soon move to enact a nationwide ban on bump stocks.
Inside Target World in Sharonville on Thursday, we were told that within the gun industry, there has been considerable talk about it.
Last May, bump stocks were banned in Cincinnati by a 7-2 council vote.
As predicted by Republican dissenters Amy Murray and Jeff Pastor, the city was sued.
That litigation is pending, and the Buckeye Firearms Association chose to not jeopardize it in any way with a comment about the national ban proposal.
"You know, we got a president who is willing to take on the (National Rifle Association) when it's appropriate," said Alex Triantafilou, the head of the local GOP. He foresees scant political damage because of Trump's strong credibility with his conservative base.
"Let's remember that the president has been strong on the Second Amendment in many other respects," he stated.
Bump stocks took on a rather infamous quality in the aftermath of the Las Vegas massacre 14 months ago.
A debate still rages about whether fitting them onto semi-automatic weapons causes more rapid fire.
When Target World used to have them available for sale years ago, bump stocks didn't sell all that well.
"I've had my chance to use them," explained Jon Villing, who is the purchasing and training manager at Target World. "It takes a lot of training to get them to work ... as they should."
Villing leads a gun enthusiasts group on social media and is a competitive shooter.
He maintained most people aren't very good at using bump stocks.
He also said from a practical standpoint, a ban won't make society safer.
Lawmaker P. G. Sittenfeld has stated bump stocks have no place in civil society.
"This is not something that you go hunting with grandpa with," said Sittenfeld several months ago. "It's not a device, it's not an instrument that has any place in the city of Cincinnati or frankly anywhere."
Local NRA member and longtime Republican Party executive Jim Kiefer sent a statement saying he stands with the president when it comes to bump stocks.
"To me, it has no place and no need in today's world, even at out (next-)door firing ranges for 'fun.' The Vegas shooting brought this to the front, but (it) was in place for years behind the scenes ... I see no need for this product and have no issue backing him on this ban."
Bump stocks have triggered passionate stances on the part of both gun control advocates and staunch Second Amendment supporters.
Villing questions why something that is used in one crime should be subject to a ban that he said would be infringing on everyone's rights.
Some contend President Donald Trump is basically throwing a bone in the direction of those calling for more gun restrictions.
"The people that own 'em are upset," said Villing. "They've wasted money buying these things, and now they're going to be forced to turn them in."
The practicality of enforcing a retroactive ban has yet to be explained or understood.
Bump stocks are accessories. There's no registry or list of purchases. There's really no way of telling just how many are already out there.


We are Toronto's oldest pita bakery producing traditional pita products.
Established in 1967, our products pay tribute to our heritage and artisan baking style which has been passed down through generations.
Our products are all natural, free from additives and we never use any preservatives. Baked fresh everyday, and delivered within hours of production.
Established in 1967, Holyland Bakery is Toronto's original bakery producing "old style" Middle Eastern pita products referred to as pita-pockets. Holyland's products pay tribute to an all natural artisan style of baking that has been passed down through generations. Holyland's products are made using only all natural ingredients free from chemicals and preservatives. For that reason our products are baked fresh everyday and delivered throughout the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) within hours of production.
Founded on the principles of quality, integrity and respect, we are committed to building long-term relationships that enhance our customer's existing business by producing and delivering to Toronto's baked products.
Our Pitas are prepared with a special recipe and baking method which has been passed down through family generations. This recipe and baking method continue to be closely guarded secrets. In fact, considerable research was conducted to match the same quality and characteristics of ingredients used in our bakery in Israel. This has allowed us to recreate pita products which honor our 45 year old tradition. Even our production process has been imported from Israel to ensure we maintain the authentic taste, texture and quality our clients have come to expect and demand.
In addition to food retail, Holyland services the daily requirements of countless food service establishments throughout Ontario, Quebec and British Columbia. Furthermore, Holyland has reinvigorated its export program and now our products can be found in US cities such as Buffalo, NY, Syracuse, NY, Rochester, NY and Detroit, MI.
From our strategic location and utilizing our own delivery staff and fleet of vehicles Holyland efficiently services its clientele. For this reason we are able to upload our 7-day-week "Fresh Delivery Promise".
Since 1967 we have specialized in the production of pita pockets. Our pitas come in three different sizes small (5.5"), regular (6.0") and large (6.5") and are available in two different flour varieties, white and whole wheat. In addition to traditional pitas, Holyland produces white and whole wheat mini-pita pockets. All of our pitas are free from additives and preservatives.
Holyland maintains a strict quality control program and hold itself to the highest standards possible. Holyland's Director of Quality Control maintains a close eye over all processes during the production cycle. Supported by our experienced and regularly trained production staff, Holyland's continued commitment to surpassing food handling protocols remains a team effort.
Aspects of our quality control program include: On-going employee training and re-training; hygiene and sanitation; ingredient handling standards; proper and efficient equipment usage, and a comprehensive preventive maintenance schedule.
Holyland is a member in good standing of the Kashruth Council of Canada. COR is the kosher certification trademark used by the Kashruth Council of Canada, the largest kosher certification agency in Canada. ALL of Holyland's pita products are certified kosher, pareve and Pas Yisroel. In fact, Holyland is one of only a few pita bakeries producing Pas Yisroel pita products. Pas Yisroel products are grain-products baked with the participation of an observant Jew.
Branding is very important element of any food retail business. And what better way to build your brand, product line and enhance customer loyalty than with a private label program.
For that reason, Holyland is pleased to introduce its Premium Private Program. As your private label partner, we will provide freshly baked products packed in your own branded packaging. This includes assisting your team with recipe development and branded packaging design. Equally as important, all you products will be certified kosher, Pas Yisroel and Parve by the Kashruth Council of Canada.
for a complete list of private label baked products.


How Well Do You Know Your Baddies?
Can you identify all these wrongdoers?
This baddie is a king, but what type of king?
Oh no, it's... wait, what's this villain's name?
Booooo! It's her! It's... thingie. What's her name?
You wouldn't want to share a lift with this guy, but what is he?
Seeing this master of disguise usually means you're in for a series of unfortunate events, but what's his name?


text:
Mondadori Portfolio via Getty Images
George Orwell's Brilliant Guide to Writing Well
Most people who bother with the matter at all would admit that the English language is in a bad way, but it is generally assumed that we cannot by conscious action do anything about it. Our civilization is decadent, and our language—so the argument runs—must inevitably share in the general collapse. It follows that any struggle against the abuse of language is a sentimental archaism, like preferring candles to electric light or hansom cabs to airplanes. Underneath this lies the half-conscious belief that language is a natural growth and not an instrument which we shape for our own purposes.
Now, it is clear that the decline of a language must ultimately have political and economic causes: it is not due simply to the bad influence of this or that individual writer. But an effect can become a cause, reinforcing the original cause and producing the same effect in an intensified form, and so on indefinitely. The point is that the process is reversible. Modern English, especially written English, is full of bad habits which spread by imitation and which can be avoided if one is willing to take the necessary trouble. If one gets rid of these habits one can think more clearly, and to think clearly is a necessary first step toward political regeneration: so that the fight against bad English is not frivolous and is not the exclusive concern of professional writers. I will come back to this presently, and I hope that by that time the meaning of what I have said here will have become clearer. Meanwhile, here are four specimens of the English language as it is now habitually written.
These passages have not been picked out because they are especially bad—I could have quoted far worse if I had chosen—but because they illustrate various of the mental vices from which we now suffer. They are a little below the average, but are fairly representative samples. I number them so that I can refer back to them when necessary:
(1) I am not, indeed, sure whether it is not true to say that the Milton who once seemed not unlike a seventeenth-century Shelley had not become, out of an experience ever more bitter in each year, more alien (sic) to the founder of that Jesuit sect which nothing could induce him to tolerate.
—Professor Harold Laski (Essay in Freedom of Expression).
(2) Above all, we cannot play ducks and drakes with a native battery of idioms which prescribes such egregious collocations of vocables as the Basic put up with for tolerate or put at a loss for bewilder.
—Professor Lancelot Hogben (Interglossa).
(3) On the one side we have the free personality: by definition it is not neurotic, for it has neither conflict nor dream. Its desires, such as they are, are transparent, for they are just what institutional approval keeps in the forefront of consciousness; another institutional pattern would alter their number and intensity; there is little in them that is natural, irreducible, or culturally dangerous. But on the other side, the social bond itself is nothing but the mutual reflection of these self-secure integrities. Recall the definition of love. Is not this the very picture of a small academic? Where is there a place in this hall of mirrors for either personality or fraternity?
—Essay on psychology in Politics (New York).
(4) All the "best people" from the gentlemen's clubs, and all the frantic fascist captains, united in common hatred of socialism and bestial horror of the rising tide of the mass revolutionary movement, have turned to acts of provocation, to foul incendiarism, to medieval legends of poisoned wells, to legalize their own destruction of proletarian organizations, and rouse the agitated petty-bourgeoisie to chauvinistic fervor on behalf of the fight against the revolutionary way out of the crisis.
—Communist pamphlet
Each of these passages has faults of its own, but quite apart from avoidable ugliness, two qualities are common to all of them. The first is staleness of imagery; the other is lack of precision. The writer either has a meaning and cannot express it, or he inadvertently says something else, or he is almost indifferent as to whether his words mean anything or not. This mixture of vagueness and sheer incompetence is the most marked characteristic of modern English prose, and especially of any kind of political writing; as soon as certain topics are raised, the concrete melts into the abstract and no one seems able to think of turns of speech that are not hackneyed: prose consists less and less of words chosen for the sake of their meaning, and more and more of phrases tacked together like the sections of a prefabricated hen-house. I list below various of the tricks by means of which the work of prose-construction is habitually dodged:
Dying metaphors: A newly invented metaphor assists thought by evoking a visual image, while on the other hand a metaphor which is technically "dead" (e.g., iron resolution) has in effect reverted to being an ordinary word and can generally be used without loss of vividness. But in between these two classes there is a huge dump of worn-out metaphors which have lost all evocative power and are merely used because they save people the trouble of inventing phrases for themselves. Examples are: Ring the changes on, take up the cudgels for, toe the line, ride roughshod over, stand shoulder to shoulder with, play into the hands of, no axe to grind, grist to the mill, fishing in troubled waters, Achilles' heel, swan song, hotbed. Many of these are used without knowledge of their meaning (what is a "rift," for instance?), and incompatible metaphors are frequently mixed, a sure sign that the writer is not interested in what he is saying.
Operators, Or verbal false limbs: These save the trouble of picking out appropriate verbs and nouns, and at the same time pad each sentence with extra syllables which give it an appearance of symmetry. Characteristic phrases are: render inoperative, militate against, prove unacceptable, make contact with, be subjected to, give rise to, give grounds for, have the effect of, play a leading part (role) in, make itself felt, serve the purpose of, etc., etc. The keynote is the elimination of simple verbs. Instead of being a single word, such as break, stop, spoil, mend, kill, a verb becomes a phrase, made up of a noun or adjective tacked on to some general-purposes verb such as prove, serve, form, play, render. In addition, the passive voice is wherever possible used in preference to the active, and noun constructions are used instead of gerunds (by examination of instead of by examining). The range of verbs is further cut down by means of the -ize and de- formations, and banal statements are given an appearance of profundity by means of the not un- formation. Simple conjunctions and prepositions are replaced by such phrases as with respect to, the fact that, in view of, in the interests of, on the hypothesis that; and the ends of sentences are saved from anti-climax by such refunding commonplaces as greatly to be desired, cannot be left out of account, a development to be expected in the near future, deserving of serious consideration, brought to a satisfactory conclusion, etc.
Pretentious diction: Words like phenomenon, element, individual (as noun), objective, categorical, effective, virtual basic, primary, constitute, exhibit, exploit, utilize, eliminate, liquidate, are used to dress up simple statements and give an air of scientific impartiality to biased judgments. Adjectives like epoch-making, epic, historic, unforgettable, triumphant, inevitable, inexorable, veritable, are used to dignify the sordid processes of international politics, while writing that aims at glorifying war usually takes on anarchaic color, its characteristic words being: realm, throne, chariot, trident, sword, shield, banner, jackboot, clarion. Foreign words and expressions such as cul de sac, ancien regime, deus ex machina, status quo, gleichschaltung, Weltanschauung, are used to give an air of culture and elegance. Except for the useful abbreviations i.e., e.g. and etc., there is no real need for any of the hundreds of foreign phrases now current in English. Bad writers, and especially scientific, political and sociological writers, are nearly always haunted by the notion that Latin or Greek words are grander than Saxon ones, and unnecessary words like expedite, ameliorate, predict, extraneous, clandestine, subaqueous and hundreds of others constantly gain ground from their Anglo-Saxon opposite numbers. The jargon peculiar to Marxist writing (hyena, hangman, cannibal, petty bourgeois, lackeys, flunkey, mad dog. White Guard, etc.) consists largely of words and phrases translated from Russian, German or French; but the normal way of coining a new word is to use a Latin or Greek root with the appropriate affix and, where necessary, the -ize formation. It is often easier to make up words of this kind (deregionalize, impermissible, extramarital, non-fragmentatory) than to think up the English words that will cover one's meaning. The result, in general, is an increase in slovenliness and vagueness.
Meaningless words: In certain kinds of writing, particularly in art criticism and literary criticism, it is normal to come across long passages which are almost completely lacking in meaning. Words like romantic, plastic, values, human, dead, sentimental, natural, vitality, as used in art criticism, are strictly meaningless, in the sense that they not only do not point to any discoverable object, but are hardly even expected to do so by the reader. When one critic writes, "The outstanding feature of Mr. X's work is its living quality," while another writes, "The immediately striking thing about Mr. X's work is its peculiar deadness," the reader accepts this as a simple difference of opinion. If words like black and white were involved, instead of the jargon words dead and living, he would see at once that language was being used in an improper way. Many political words are similarly abused. The word fascism has now no meaning except in so far as it signifies "something not desirable." The words democracy, socialism, freedom, patriotic, realistic, justice, have each of them several different meanings which cannot be reconciled with one another. In the case of a word like democracy, not only is there no agreed definition, but the attempt to make one is resisted from all sides. It is almost universally felt that when we call a country democratic we are praising it: Consequently the defenders of every kind of regime claim that it is a democracy, and fear that they might have to stop using the word if it were tied down to any one meaning. Words of this kind are often used in a consciously dishonest way. That is, the person who uses them has his own private definition, but allows his hearer to think he means something quite different. Statements like Marshal Pétain was a true patriot. The Soviet Press is the freest in the world. The Catholic Church is opposed to persecution, are almost always made with the intent to deceive. Others words used in variable meanings, in most cases more or less dishonestly, are: class, totalitarian, science, progressive, reactionary, bourgeois, equality.
Now that I have made this catalogue of swindles and perversions, let me give another example of the kind of writing that they lead to. This time it must of its nature be an imaginary one. I am going to translate a passage of good English into modern English of the worst sort. Here is a well known verse from "Ecclesiastes":
I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favor to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all.
Here it is in modern English:
Objective consideration of contemporary phenomena compels the conclusion that success or failure in competitive activities exhibits no tendency to be commensurate with innate capacity, but that a considerable element of the unpredictable must invariably be taken into account.
This is a parody, but not a very gross one. Exhibit three, on page 872, for instance, contains several patches of the same kind of English. It will be seen that I have not made a full translation. The beginning and ending of the sentence follow the original meaning fairly closely, but in the middle the concrete illustrations—race, battle, bread—dissolve into the vague phrase "success or failure in competitive activities." This had to be so, because no modern writer of the kind I am discussing—no one capable of using phrases like "objective consideration of contemporary phenomena''—would ever tabulate his thoughts in that precise and detailed way. The whole tendency of modern prose is away from concreteness.
As I have tried to show, modern writing at its worst does not consist in picking out words for the sake of their meaning and inventing images in order to make the meaning clearer. It consists in gumming together long strips of words which have already been set in order by someone else, and making the results presentable by sheer humbug. The attraction of this way of writing is that it is easy. It is easier—even quicker, once you have the habit—to say In my opinion it is a not unjustifiable assumption that than to say/think. When you are composing in a hurry—when you are dictating to a stenographer, for instance, or making a public speech—it is natural to fall into a pretentious, Latinized style. Tags like a consideration which we should do well to bear in mind or a conclusion to which all of us would readily assent will save many a sentence from coming down with a bump. By using stale metaphors, similes and idioms, you save much mental effort, at the cost of leaving your meaning vague, not only for your reader but for yourself. This is the significance of mixed metaphors. The sole aim of a metaphor is to call up a visual image. When these images dash—as in The Fascist octopus has sung its swan song, the jackboot is thrown into the melting pot—it can be taken as certain that the writer is not seeing a mental image of the objects he is naming; in other words he is not really thinking.
Look again at the examples I gave at the beginning of this essay. Professor Laski (1) uses five negatives in 53 words. One of these is superfluous, making nonsense of the whole passage, and in addition there is the [printer's] slip alien for akin, making further nonsense, and several avoidable pieces of clumsiness which increase the general vagueness. Professor Hogben (2) plays ducks and drakes with a battery which is able to write prescriptions, and while disapproving of the everyday phrase put up with, is unwilling to look egregious up in the dictionary and see what it means. (3) if one takes an uncharitable attitude toward it, is simply meaningless: probably one could work out its intended meaning by reading the whole of the article in which it occurs. In (4), the writer knows more or less what he wants to say, but an accumulation of stale phrases chokes him like tea leaves blocking a sink. People who write in this manner usually have a general emotional meaning—they dislike one thing and want to express solidarity with another—but they are not interested in the detail of what they are saying. A scrupulous writer, in every sentence that he writes, will ask himself at least four questions, thus: What am I trying to say? What words will express it? What image or idiom will make it clearer. Is this image fresh enough to have an effect? And he will probably ask himself two more: Could I put it more shortly? Have I said anything that is avoidably ugly? But you are not obliged to go to all this trouble. You can shirk it by simply throwing your mind open and letting the ready made phrases come crowding in. They will construct your sentences for you—even think your thoughts for you, to certain extent—and at need they will perform the important service of partially concealing your meaning even yourself. It is at this point that the special connection between politics and the debasement of language becomes clear.
Books and Arts, Books, New York, 100 Years 100 Stories, The Soviet Press, Catholic Church, Culture, George Orwell


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Home Forex Executives SEC names Elizabeth McFadden Deputy General Counsel
SEC names Elizabeth McFadden Deputy General Counsel
Executives February 5, 2019 —by Valentina Kirilova 0
The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) announced that Elizabeth McFadden has been named Deputy General Counsel for General Law and Management of the agency.
McFadden has previously served as Deputy General Counsel at the U.S. Department. Prior to joining the Department of Education in 2003, McFadden practiced law at Dow Lohnes, first as an associate in 1991 and beginning in 2000 as a partner.
We are excited to have Elizabeth join us at the Commission," said General Counsel Robert Stebbins. "I am confident that given her extensive experience and legal expertise, the Commission and its employees will greatly benefit from her legal counsel.
I am grateful for the opportunity to join the dedicated team at the Commission," said Ms. McFadden. "I look forward to working with them toward advancing the SEC's mission for American investors and markets.
Elizabeth McFadden
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Managing Director of Group Marketing Simone Reinhold leaves Deutsche Börse AG…ExecutivesDeutsche Börse AG has just announced that its Managing Director of Group Marketing Simone Reinhold is leaving the company after 25 years. LeapRate …


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The Five Morons Revisited | Paul Craig Roberts
Paul Craig Roberts -- Information Clearing House
When the neocons launched the Bush administration's invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq and announced plans for invading Syria and Iran, I labeled Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, Wolfowitz, and Rice "the five Morons." With the passage of time I see that I over-estimated their mental capabilities.
The "cakewalk" war has now lasted longer than World War II with Nazi Germany, and no end is in sight. It has cost the U.S. taxpayers $310 billion in out-of-pocket costs with many additional hundreds of billions coming due in veterans' medical bills and other expenses yet to be paid.
To carry on the pointless war, which has achieved nothing but death, destruction, and hatred of America, Bush has had to call up inactive reserves who long ago completed their active duty service to their country and have managed to get on with their lives. It is well known that the older one gets the harder it is to find employment or the energy to restart a mothballed business. But Bush is too busy saving us from terrorism to care about people's lives.
Despite the lack of U.S. troops and Bush's inability to prevail in Afghanistan and Iraq, neocons in Bush's government are working around the clock to instigate war with Iran and Syria.
I thought that I had Rumsfeld pegged as the complete dolt, but I was stunned when I read Associated Press reporter Robert Burns account of what Rumsfeld told 200 Navy aviators in a question and answer session at Fallon Naval Air Station on Aug. 28. "The thing that keeps me up at night," said Rumsfeld, is the success of terrorist groups in "manipulating the media."
Rumsfeld told the pilots that terrorists "are actively manipulating the media in this country" by falsely blaming U.S. troops for civilian deaths in Iraq and Afghanistan. All that "collateral damage" we hear about, the tens of thousands of dead and maimed civilians, is just terrorist propaganda. "The enemy lies constantly . . . and with impunity. . . . The enemy is so much better at communicating." Rumsfeld made similar remarks to the Veterans of Foreign Wars convention in Reno, Nevada, where he was presented the Dwight D. Eisenhower Distinguished Service Award. Eisenhower must be rolling over in his grave.
Now I get it. When Fox News' Sean Hannity and Bill O'Reilley assured us that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction that would be used against us if we didn't strike first, they were being manipulated by Osama bin Laden, who used America to get rid of the secular Saddam Hussein and to create a new training and recruitment ground for al Qaeda and fundamentalist fanatics.
When the New York Times let Judith Miller serve as a propagandist for war with Iraq, the Times was being manipulated by Muslim terrorists, not by neocons.
When CNN, the networks and columnists like Ann Coulter and Michelle Malkin reassure us that we will win the war unless we pull out prematurely, they are being manipulated by terrorists. Finally I understand what the Weekly Standard, National Review, the Wall Street Journal editorial page, AEI, and the online site Frontpage are all about.
The terrorists are so clever at manipulation that Americans cannot perceive that we have been sucked deep into a war that is creating the Islamic fundamentalism that we so desperately fear.
Obviously, I misjudged Rumsfeld's intelligence. Anyone who can figure out the Muslim conspiracy is off the charts. What I can't figure is why Rumsfeld is willing for America to continue to be sucked in. Don't tell me that terrorists are manipulating Rumsfeld, too!
I keep waiting for the money appeal from AIPAC. I already know what it is going to say: "Although AIPAC is undisputedly the most powerful lobby in America and can determine with impunity the fate of every elected official, we cannot match the terrorists' ability to manipulate the media. Polls show that terrorists' manipulation of the U.S. media is causing American support for the war to dwindle away. Please send more millions to counter the terrorists' control of the American media. We are winning in the Middle East but losing at home."
One of the lessons one learns in life is that things are not always what they seem to be. Before I watched Stephen Walt and John Mearsheimer's National Press Club broadcast on C-Span (Aug, 28), I regarded AIPAC as Israel's friend and promoter. Now I realize that I was wrong. As the two distinguished professors made perfectly clear, anyone who cares about the survival of Israel should scorn the bribes, threats, and blandishments of AIPAC.
AIPAC led the Israeli government onto a path where diplomacy is no longer a tool that Israel can use. Instead, Israel relies on Mao's dictum that "power comes out of the barrel of a gun" or from a bulldozer that knocks down Palestinians' homes, uproots their olive groves, and enrages Muslims at Israel's inhumanity. Backed into a corner with no tool but violence, Israel faces hundreds of millions of increasingly angry Muslims.
If Bush were a true friend of Israel, he would never have let Israel again destroy Lebanon, this time under the pretext of striking at Hezbollah.
AIPAC and Bush have allowed, or caused, Israel to do itself so much damage in the eyes of Muslims and the wider world that a peaceful resolution in the MIddle East is no longer in people's thoughts. With the mighty U.S. military checked in Iraq by a handful of Sunnis, and the mighty Israeli army checked in Lebanon by a handful of Hezbollah, violence is unlikely to settle the matter in a way that neocons in the United States and Zionists in Israel would like.
The only hope is that Bush and Olmert miraculously turn into grown men, admit their mistakes, apologize, send reparations and commit to winning acceptance of Israel and America based on Israel's and America's good behavior. It would be nice to see in operation some of the superior morality that the two claim.
Considering the extraordinary hubris and self-righteousness of neocons and Zionists, nothing like this can possibly happen. Israel, the United States, and the Muslim world will continue to bleed.
Paul Craig Roberts, was Assistant Secretary of the Treasury in the Reagan Administration. He is the author of Supply-Side Revolution : An Insider's Account of Policymaking in Washington; Alienation and the Soviet Economy and Meltdown: Inside the Soviet Economy, and is the co-author with Lawrence M. Stratton of The Tyranny of Good Intentions : How Prosecutors and Bureaucrats Are Trampling the Constitution in the Name of Justice.
Wednesday, August 30 2006


The Chairman, Standing Cabinet Appointed Procurement Committee, Ministry of Transport & Civil Aviation will receive sealed bids from Eligible Battery Operated Electric Bus Manufactures for the supply and delivery of 15 nos. New Law Floor Battery Operated Electric Buses for SLTB up to 2.00 p.m. on 23.08.2018 with manufactures' authority, bids cab also be submitted by sole Nominated Local Representatives or Accredited Local Agents of Eligible Battery Operated Electric Bus Manufactures registered in Sri Lanka.
Bids should be submitted on the forms obtainable from the office of the Secretary, Procurement Committee, Sri Lanka Transport Board, 200, Kirula Road, Colombo 05, Sri Lanka on or before 2.00 p.m. (Sri Lanka Time) on 23rd August 2018 on payment of non refundable document fee of LKR 100,000/-(for Domestic Delivery) or USD 657/- (for Overseas Delivery).
More details on this Bid can also be obtained from the Commercial Section of the Embassy of Sri Lanka.


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A tablet-keyboard combo that's ergonomic to the core
Google's Pixel Slate can be teamed with a terrific keyboard for snappy work functionality
Google Pixel Slate with Intel Core, from £749, and Pixel Slate keyboard, £189 | Image: Hugh Threlfall
store.google.com
June 10 2019 / Jonathan Margolis
Once, while my MacBook was being repaired, I took an iPad Pro and associated Apple keyboard on a work trip to Gothenburg. En route I unexpectedly had to put together a text-heavy piece of work and suddenly the tablet-plus-wireless keyboard combo became a little irksome. Not having a keyboard trackpad and cursor was frustrating and having to rely on the Apple Pencil for marking out text and moving it around, while not impossible, was irritating and slow.
Google's new Pixel Slate with its optional keyboard is not the most glamorous of road-warrior kit: it's thicker and heavier than the latest iPad Pro and lacks the iPad's top-of-class processing speed. Yet as a workaday hybrid laptop equivalent (ultra-tablet as they are sometimes called), it's superior. Much of the advantage lies in the terrific keyboard, with a trackpad controlling a cursor and proper clicky keys that are lighted, which always makes me, er, delighted. There are also two USB-C ports, a fingerprint scanner and the benefit of Google Assistant, which is more agile than Siri. Non-Apple, non-Windows tablets normally suffer from having Android as the operating system, but the Pixel Slate has Chrome OS, which is more PC-like and supports Google Play, allowing you access to Android apps. The Pixel Slate is not a full PC, but it's still more flexible and serious-work-friendly than an iPad. Do opt for the Intel Core versions, though. Functionality is noticeably snappier.
Google's new laptop is a thing of brains and beauty
Zagg's super-svelte iPad keyboard


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Encryption Substitutes
By Andrew Keane Woods
Friday, July 21, 2017, 11:00 AM
Aegis: Security Policy in Depth
In a recently published piece for the Hoover Institution's Aegis Paper Series, I argue that the "going dark" debate ought to be considered in the context of the larger debate over government access to data. Encryption is not the only game in town: just as law enforcement can pursue a number of different alternatives to mandating encryption backdoors, so too can privacy advocates take steps beyond encrypting their data to ensure their privacy. Acknowledging these substitutes—both for law enforcement and for privacy seekers—generates a number of insights. For example, comprehensive reform may make more sense than serial reforms, since it would allow for issue linkage and deal-making.
Encryption Substitutes by Hoover Institution on Scribd
Aegis Paper Series,
going dark,
data privacy,
Backdoors
Andrew Keane Woods is an Associate Professor at the University of Arizona College of Law. Before that, he was a postdoctoral cybersecurity fellow at Stanford University. He holds a J.D. from Harvard Law School and a Ph.D. in Politics from the University of Cambridge, where he was a Gates Scholar.
@andrewkwoods
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