To support the implementation of the 2030 Agenda at the country level, in 2017 the UNSDG took steps to improve the way it pools expertise to deliver integrated policy support through UN Development Assistance Frameworks (UNDAFs), and to mainstream the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) into reconfigured national development plans.
It strengthened its rights-based approach and focus on "leaving no-one behind," grounded in human rights and gender equality.
The UNSDG helped to enhance national capacities to collect, analyse and share data, and to strengthen the partnerships needed to leverage resources, funding and finance for the SDGs.
Laying the foundations for the future UN development system, we continued to promote increased coherence in UN business operations and funding, while exploring the power of innovation to help us work more efficiently, to harness collective ideas for sustainable development, and to test new avenues for innovative financing.
In 2017, work by the UNSDG at country, regional and global levels initiated the design of a new generation of UN Development Assistance Frameworks (UNDAFs) in support of national development plans, focused on the 2030 Agenda.
In most countries, the UNSDG responded to the changing nature of demands from governments and partners to mainstream the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) into national development plans, and to begin to establish baseline data to assess progress towards these ambitious and inter-sectoral goals.
In complex country situations, UN teams also made advances towards better-coordinated humanitarian and development action, primarily through needs analysis, monitoring and evaluation undertaken by development and humanitarian experts together.
Moving forward, the UNSDG will take steps to accelerate progress towards the 2030 Agenda, including by ensuring enhanced capacities and skillsets to support comprehensive responses across all dimensions of sustainable development.
A focus on implementing SDG "accelerators" will also be key to unleashing rapid progress across inter-related SDG goals and targets at the same time. A key challenge lies in decisions about how to sequence the implementation of actions across the 2030 Agenda in order to achieve synergies between different goals where possible. Prioritization within the constraints of national financial and human-resources will require strong evidence-based policy analysis and data.
Reflections on SDG acceleration and how to achieve policy integration for the economic, social and environmental pillars of the 2030 Agenda are part of the UNSDG's Mainstreaming, Acceleration, and Policy Support common approach, which helps countries operationalize a cross-thematic approach to SDG implementation at the country level.
In 2017, more UNCT partner governments requested SDG support from the UN: 120 UNCTs received government requests for support on the 2030 Agenda (compared with 114 in 2016). In the majority of cases, UNCTs provided the requested support. Good health and well-being, and quality education are the SDG areas where governments are most likely to request support.
This figure shows the number of UNCT partner governments requesting targeted support for each SDG in 2017.
This figure shows the UN agencies, funds and programmes that currently co-chair inter-agency groups. In 2017, there were 1,050 such groups in 130 UN Country Teams. Inter-agency groups support joint action and drive greater coherence and results. The main areas of focus of these teams were driving programme results and providing integrated policy advice to national partners on gender equality, reducing inequalities, and peace, justice and strong institutions.
In 2017, UNCTs continued — and in some cases amplified — their work to strengthen UN support to national partners to implement international norms and standards including human rights, and their efforts to ensure that the UN's programmes mainstream human rights and gender equality.
Eighty-four percent of UNCTs supported national governments in integrating human rights into their development policies. This critical work at country level was also underpinned by Regional UNSDG Teams. For example, in Latin America a joint regional initiative was developed to help address and reduce the levels of street violence in northern Central America, where extremely high levels of endemic violence have not received a sufficient response or resources.
At the global level, the UNSDG issued guidance to help UNCTs strengthen their support to national partners' engagement with international human rights mechanisms.
The UNSDG also ensured the delivery of Member State mandates for more effective and coherent mainstreaming of gender equality standards. While progress is evident in some areas, much work remains to be done, as the assessment of gender equality standards in the UN's work is not yet consistently applied by UNCTs.
To address this, the UNSDG strategy to improve take-up of the gender equality scorecard includes: outreach to UNCTs that are preparing new UNDAFs; capacity building to support implementation of the scorecards; and accountability through a reporting mechanism established in the Secretary-General's 2018 annual report, 'Mainstreaming a Gender Perspective into all Policies and Programmes in the United Nations System'.
This figure shows the percentage of UNCTs which engaged with human rights mechanisms and facilitated follow up by governments of the recommendations of human rights mechanisms in 2017. Western and Central Africa and Latin America and the Caribbean show the highest percentage of UN Country Team engagement with the various mechanisms.
Comprehensive, disaggregated and timely data is essential for tracking progress towards the SDGs. In 2017 virtually all UNCTs (98 percent) supported the capacity of national institutions to collect, analyse and increase the availability of reliable, disaggregated data and statistics.
Investments in data capacities across the UN are designed to create an evidence base for joint advocacy and programming to reach the furthest behind first. This work is increasingly undertaken collaboratively by UN entities, with support from Regional UNSDG Teams. In Asia and the Pacific, the Regional UNSDG Team provided catalytic funding to drive innovation in the use of data.
At the global level, the UNSDG supported UNCTs in assisting countries in their voluntary national review processes by developing a set of guidelines to support the work of UNCTs in the preparation of country-led national SDG reports. These reports support accountability and can also inform the identification of SDG "accelerators" – key policy changes with the potential to trigger improvements across multiple SDGs at once.
Increasingly, the UN is engaging with national statistical capacity collectively at country level, however improvements are needed in terms of disaggregated statistics and tapping into real-time information.
While gender-disaggregated data is available in most countries where the UN has development operations, data disaggregated by age, income and ethnicity needs much more attention in order for development interventions to focus more clearly on "leaving no-one behind".
UN-wide data groups have been put in place in less than half of UNCTs. While data innovation is evolving in exciting ways in a core set of UNCTs across UN entities, many country teams are not yet working in fully joined-up ways, which means they may be missing opportunities to fill diagnostic gaps with new sources of data, such as mobile data, financial transaction data, or micro-surveys.
This figure shows UN agencies participating in joint efforts to support national statistical capacities across UNCTs. These cross-UN efforts combine expertise to support the collection, availability and analysis of reliable, disaggregated data and statistics to assess progress towards the SDGs. The top three agencies leading these efforts are UNDP, UNFPA, and UNICEF.
Effective partnerships will be essential to the achievement of the SDGs, and the UN development system increasingly recognizes the need for a large network of public and private partnerships to support this work.
In 2017, UNCTs pursued and convened diverse partnerships to drive progress towards the SDGs and to facilitate the transfer of know-how and resources between countries and regions – including through South-South cooperation. According to the available data, joint-UN partnerships at country level concentrated on advancing SDGs 5, 13, and 16, although individual UN agencies used partnerships to advance a wider range of goals.
Regional UNSDGs also convened new partnerships, focusing on bringing stakeholders together to create regional opportunities to advance sustainable development. In Europe and Central Asia, for example, the Regional UNSDG team and the Regional Coordination Mechanism jointly convened a series of issue-based coalitions with a diverse array of partners. These coalitions focus on issues including gender equality, women's empowerment and the role of youth in conflict prevention in Central Asia, helping to raise awareness of a shared agenda and develop UN-wide responses to these issues.
At the global level, the UN Secretary-General and the World Bank Group President updated the UN-World Bank Partnership Framework for Crisis-Affected Situations, with a focus on prevention, protracted crises, post-conflict recovery and forced displacement.
More than three quarters of UNCTs convened partnerships in 2017, primarily with civil society, local government and parliaments. While this is positive, UNCTs need to do more to explore the potential for partnerships with multi-national and local businesses, research organizations and faith-based organizations among others.
This figure shows the thematic areas of UNCT partnerships and UNCT support for South-South cooperation. The data shows the percentage of UNCTs that said they had at least one partnership or South-South cooperation initiative in each thematic area.
This figure shows the types of partnerships that UNCTs engaged with in 2017. The majority of partnerships were with civil society, local government, and parliamentarians. Most of these partnerships were through in-kind contributions and UN facilitated investments in the achievement of the SDGs.
Pooled funding and joint resource mobilization saw modest advances in 2017.
Over half of UNCTs undertook resource mobilization efforts together, either through the UNDAF or – most often – related to a specific joint programme. UN-administered pooled funds for development also increased between 2016 and 2017. Efforts to link the country level with the massive resources needed for the 2030 Agenda were a priority for UNSDG Regional Teams as well.
In Latin America and the Caribbean, the Regional UNSDG Team supported the move to pooled funding mechanisms to promote violence reduction in the region's middle-income countries, while in Asia and the Pacific the Regional UNSDG Team created a fund to support implementation of the 2030 Agenda.
At the global level, a Joint Fund was developed to start to catalyse the financing required for the 2030 Agenda. Joint public private financing strategies will be key to attracting the investments needed for the SDGs. However, by the end of 2017, only four percent of UNCTs had developed an outward-looking investment-oriented strategy to help national partners close the SDG financing gap, currently estimated at trillions of dollars per year. Supporting UNCTs to address this gap will be a focus for the UN development system, working with international financial institutions and private investment.
The 2015 Addis Ababa Action Agenda enshrined the need for integrated national financing frameworks to support national sustainable development plans. Only 15 UNCT partner governments have these frameworks in place. And only 10 of them include a review of the full financing landscape. These reviews are helpful for identifying the financing flows needed for the achievement of the 2030 agenda.
The RC system underpins the UN's results in every area; a well-functioning country team is central to enhancing the UN's achievements at country level.
In 2017, the UNSDG continued its work to put measures in place that will improve the ability of the RC system to deliver results while the transformational proposals by the Secretary-General were being considered by Member States. This will help ensure a strong foundation on which to build the transition to a reinvigorated RC system.
To enhance leadership accountability, for example, the UNSDG introduced a major revision of the RC performance appraisal process. To align leadership more closely with the transformative nature of the 2030 agenda, the UNSDG leadership model was elaborated into a UN System Leadership Framework that was endorsed by the Chief Executives Board.
Laying the groundwork for enhanced operational efficiencies and cost savings, the UNSDG increased the number of country-level Business Operations Strategies (BOS). Actions by the UNSDG at country, regional and global levels advanced common services and harmonized business practices, including in Africa, where Regional UNSDG Teams supported the increased implementation of the BOS.
Joint communications and advocacy by UNCTs became more strategic and digitally focused. More UNCTs are using communication to advance the accountability and delivery of programme objectives in the UNDAF. Trends include the increased use of digital channels as strategic communications tools to increase transparency about the UN's activities at country level.
UNCTs reported progress in implementing the critical elements of the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for Delivering as One. The SOPs were established in 2014 to help drive the programmes and operations which make up the UN's shared contribution to national development priorities, while ensuring flexibility and adaptation to specific contexts.
Looking forward, alignment of systems and procedures at headquarters will be undertaken to ensure that the UN at country level is able to achieve full implementation of the SOPs, a key mandate of the 2016 Quadrennial Comprehensive Policy Review.
This figure shows the percentage of male and female of Resident Coordinators over the past decade.
This figure shows the main area of responsibilities of coordination staff at country level, based on the core coordination functions mapped to the functions of the 2016 QCPR, as captured in the System-Wide Strategic Document. The graph represents data about staff from 130 UN Resident Coordinator Offices whose roles are funded by the UNSDG cost-sharing mechanism.
This figure shows the percentage of Business Operations Strategies (BOS) adopted in each region. While some regions are making steady progress, others are lagging behind. The regions which show a higher implementation of the BOS are also those where regional UNSDG leadership has made joint business operations a priority.
This figure shows which services are most likely to be included in Business Operations Strategies (BOS), for each of the six possible service BOS lines. The services included in a BOS represent the areas that are estimated to have high efficiency gains for UNCTs. The percentages reflect the share of Business Operations Strategies that include a given service.
This figure shows the digital channels used to send coherent messaging about the work of the UN through UN Country Team websites, Facebook and Twitter accounts.
This figure shows the percentage of UNCTs in each region that have fully achieved each of the six pillars of the SOPs for Delivering as One. The dotted black line indicates the global average for each pillar. Operating as One and the Common Budgetary Framework remain the two pillars where most UNCTs are still lagging behind. Eastern and Southern Africa is the region where the UN has made the most progress on these minimum coordination standards, while more effort is needed in Arab States, Middle East and Northern Africa.
The results featured in this report have been catalyzed by the Resident Coordinator system, through funding provided by the UNSDG cost-sharing agreement and the Delivering Together Facility.
In 2017, the UNSDG Cost-Sharing Agreement in support of the Resident Coordinator (RC) system entered its fourth year. The financial report shows that the UNSDG continued to experience a significant funding gap in 2017. A number of UN agencies did not pay their full contribution as determined in the Cost-Sharing Agreement, either because they indicated that the funds were not available, or because they were concerned about the annual adjustment for the costs of staff posts. As a result of this $10 million funding gap, the UNSDG was forced to scale back its support for coordination work, putting at risk the minimum core coordination capacity required to support 165 countries and territories as they implement the 2030 Agenda.
The funds provided through the UNSDG cost-sharing mechanism were delivered at very high rates at the country, regional, and global levels. Expenditure across all levels reached 94 percent in 2017. Expenditure at country level was 99 percent and at regional level was 96 percent.
The financial report provides disaggregated financial information for UNSDG's 2017 expenditures at country, regional, and global levels. Personnel costs accounted for 75 percent of total expenditure. At the country and regional levels, the personnel expenditure line includes all personnel regardless of the type of contract being used. The non-staff expenditure lines for the country and regional levels include costs such as travel, vendor contracts, supplies and equipment. At the global level, the staff expenditure line refers to UNDOCO staff, and the non-staff expenditure line includes all expenditures for UNSDG programme activities.
This figure shows the distribution of contributions received from participating UNSDG members for 2017. It shows the percentage share provided by each UNSDG member. Non-payments resulted in a $9.3 million shortfall in 2017. Launched in 2014, UNSDG cost-sharing funding complements the core or "backbone" support which UNDP provides to the RC system over and above its contribution to the cost-sharing. These resources fund specific capacity at the global, regional and country levels. The UNDP backbone, which is funded from UNDP regular resources, includes costs at the country, regional and global levels. There is no duplication between the functions funded by the UNDP backbone and the UNSDG cost-shared resources.
This figure shows the contribution required from each UNSDG entity, alongside the contribution which was actually received for 2017. The required contribution is based on a formula which is captured in the UNSDG cost-sharing agreement for the Resident Coordinator (RC) System — a shared funding arrangement that came into effect in 2014. This joint funding mechanism provides shared and predictable funding for the RC system, which is the central structure for UN coordination at country level. In the figure, the size of each piggy bank reflects the relative size of the required contribution for each UNSDG entity.
ii This includes the UNDP share of cost-sharing ($5.1 million).
iii This includes $915,509 previously provided by UNDP backbone, here covered by UNSDG cost-sharing funds ($345,862) and XB resources ($569,647).
iv Excludes salaries of Resident Coordinators as funded directly by UNDP through the UNDP backbone.
v Excludes six P4 staff funded directly by UNDP through the UNDP backbone.
vi Reduced delivery against budget due to staffing gaps/movements.
vii The footnotes for Table 5 apply throughout Table 6.
viii Includes 24 countries with 90 percent of a crisis country allocation (equivalent to 21 full allocations), and four countries with 50 percent of a crisis country allocation (equivalent to two full allocations), which equals the equivalent of 23 full crisis country allocations.
The Delivering Together Facility (DTF) was launched in 2017. It supports UNCTs to implement integrated and innovative solutions to development challenges, in support of the 2030 Agenda.
The DTF has enabled UNCTs to experiment with innovative approaches and creative solutions that can inform development policy. In 2017, the number of UNCTs implementing innovations within their programme activities increased by 20 percent, from 68 UNCTs in 2016 to 81. Several of these projects have been funded through the innovation funding "window" of the DTF. In Uganda, DTF funds supported the development of technology to transform public radio discussions into text for analysis. In Egypt an interactive dashboard and an SDG observatory allow the public to obtain and follow SDG data. In Honduras, DTF funds supported the testing of new tools to map finance flows to assist the government in planning SDG financing. More information about these and other innovations can be found at the UNSDG Silofighters blog.
TThe DTF Human Rights funding window underpins inter-agency human rights mainstreaming efforts. In 2017, DTF funds were provided to ensure continuity of the services of four Human Rights Advisers in Jamaica, Nigeria, Dominican Republic and Malawi.
The DTF enabled the design and launch of a Leadership Exchange (LEADX) series. This is designed to use innovation and new ideas to support RC system leadership capabilities. DTF funds enabled the design of the LEADX approach, and testing of the SDG Leadership Lab concept of collaborative leadership. LEADX was introduced as an advanced leadership learning methodology with 15 newly-appointed Resident Coordinators in 2017.
Six donors continued to provide the essential investments in 2017 that made these results possible – Switzerland, Norway, Sweden, the United Kingdom, Finland and Luxembourg. These funds have laid the groundwork for a new generation of UNDAFs, joint programmes, shared business innovations, improved leadership capabilities, and better integrated normative support and advisory services by the UN.
This figure shows the number of UNCTs implementing various types of innovations within their programming activities. A total of 81 UNCTs reported testing new forms of innovation in 2017, an increase of 20 percent compared to 2016.
This figure shows the distribution of contributions received for the Delivering Together Facility. By the end of 2017, the cumulative total was $5,653,789.


text:
Married At First Sight puts all relationships in the crosshairs
By 9NEWS
5:37pm May 15, 2015
The Married At First Sight relationship experts, John Aiken, Sabina Read and Trisha Stratford. (Nine Network)
A TV program which aims to match and marry couples has attracted controversy before the first episode has even aired, but a show psychologist says it is aming to bust the "simplistic" myths about what makes a successful relationship.
The six-part series, which premieres on Monday at 8.40pm on Channel Nine will follow four couples who meet for the first time as they tie the knot.
Melbourne-based psychologist Sabina Read is one of the members of the three-person team that assigns each participant their new partner - for better or for worse.
She said the series took a deep look at the barriers people put in place with their partners - and that it had something to say about any relationship.
"Relationships are complex and marriages are difficult," she said.
"This is about the human experience in a relationship."
The usual dynamic explored in relationships is whether it is better to find somebody who is similar, or complementary.
Would-be newlywed Zoe tests out her gown. (Nine Network) (9NEWS)
'The show will go on': Smiling Wiggle gives thumbs up from hospital bed
'I didn't go to the concert to do that': Nurse saved Wiggle's life
Man dead after drag queens protest
However, Ms Read said both of these dynamics were "too simplistic".
"I was particularly interested in belief systems and values," she said.
"Everything from libido to how we like to holiday."
She said the show aimed to put people's "expectations" of what made a successful relationship to one side.
"My primary hope is that it creates a conversation during and after the show," she said.
"When I got involved that was absolutely my hope."
Participant Michelle tries on her wedding dress. (Nine Network) (9NEWS)
Ms Read said she and her fellow relationship experts, John Aiken and Trisha Stratford, had winnowed the final participants from more than 1000 people - taking special care to prune regular reality TV applicants.
The trio spend time in the family homes of each of the participants, meeting their parents and other relatives.
"It was interesting to see which of the families were open and supportive," Ms Read said.
"Just being in their house, people start to share the narrative of their life."
Although the show's central hook has been criticised, Ms Read said the newlyweds themselves were never less than sincere.
"What came up for me loudest was how genuine they were in wanting to find a partner," she said.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Archive for the 'anafiotika' Category
Anafiotika "The Island" beneath Acropolis
Posted: December 1, 2014 in anafiotika, D3200, digital, PHOTOGRAPHY, travel
The neighborhood Of King Otto's Palace Builders.
In the northeastern side of Acropolis lies the graphic neighborhood of ANAFIOTIKA. It's a tiny neighborhood of Athens, part of old historical neighborhood called Plaka. First houses were built in the era of Otto of Greece when workers from the island of Anafi came to Athens in order to work as constructor workers in the refurbishment of King Othon's Palace.
The first two inhabitants were G. Damigos, carpenter and M. Sigalas, construction worker. Soon, workers from other Cycladic islands also started to arrive there, to work as carpenters or even stone and marble workers, in a further buildings reconstruction period in Athens, but also in the following era after the end of the reign of King Otto.
In 1922, immigrants from Minor East also established here, altering the population that was up to that time only from Cycladic islands. In 1950, part of this neighborhood was destroyed for archeological research and in 1970 the state started to buy the houses. Nowadays there are only 45 houses remaining,while the little streets from Stratonos to the Acropolis rock are still unnamed and the houses are referred to as "Anafiotika 1", "Anafiotika 2" etc.
The neighborhood was built according to Cycladic architecture and even nowadays gives to visitors the feel of Greek islands in the heart of the city, with white walls and small spaces, usually with the presence of Bougainvillea flowers. Houses are small and mostly cubic, small streets that often end up to ladders or even deadends at terraces, where one can sit and enjoy the night view of the city.
"In this oasis of tranquility, nestled beneath the walls of the Acropolis, the intensity of Athens seems miles away…


text:
Q: Toggling Class Correctly I am trying to build a small website that displays failures. Here is a jsfiddle as an example: http://jsfiddle.net/hnQN7/2/
When you click a checkbox, it indicates a failure with that computer. In this example, computer A causes B, C, and D to fail - while the rest of the computers only fail on their own. Currently, I'm toggling classes to show failures. Unfortunately, this method has some issues. In particular, when I click checkbox A it displays that B, C and D have failed. But if I click checkbox B, while checkbox A is checked, it toggles B back to green. This isn't correct, as a failure with computer A should keep B red whether it's checked or not. At the same time, if A is not checked, B should only revert back to green if it's not checked.
What is the best way to accomplish this?
Here is the script I currently have:
$('#computerA').click(function(){
    $('#computerA2').toggleClass('green failure');
    $('#computerB2').toggleClass('green failure');
    $('#computerC2').toggleClass('green failure');
    $('#computerD2').toggleClass('green failure');
})

$('#computerB').click(function(){
    $('#computerB2').toggleClass('green failure');

})

$('#computerC').click(function(){
    $('#computerC2').toggleClass('green failure');

})

$('#computerD').click(function(){
    $('#computerD2').toggleClass('green failure');

I apologize if this is a bit confusing. Thanks in advance for your help!

A: Try
$('#computerA').click(function(){
    var state = this.checked;
    $('#computerA2, #computerB2, #computerC2, #computerD2').toggleClass('green', !state).toggleClass('failure', state);
})

$('#computerB, #computerC, #computerD').click(function(){
    var state = this.checked || $('#computerA').is(':checked');
    $(this).prev().toggleClass('green', !state).toggleClass('failure', state);
})

Demo: Fiddle

A: $('#computerB').click(function(){
    !$('#computerA2').hasClass('failure') ? $('#computerB2').toggleClass('green failure') : '';
});

Check to see if computer A does not have the fail class, and if it doesn't, execute toggle, else do nothing.

A: Maybe just add this line in your click handlers for the other items:
          $('#computerB').click(function(){
              validateComputerA($('#computerB2'))

and add function to handle it all and then just call it and pass in your particular computer.
   function validateComputerA($comp){
      if(!$('#computerA2').hasClass('failure')){
         $comp.toggleClass('green failure');
       }
   }

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Major developments from around the country.
Fresh rainfall on Wednesday raised fears of further flooding in Jammu and Kashmir, said officials. "The next 36 hours are very crucial," said Sonam Lotus, the supervisor of the Meteorological Department in Srinagar. Weather conditions are expected to improve by Friday evening. However, an official of the Flood Control department said that the water level in the river Jhelum was expected to rise due to the new spell of rain. Anticipating floods, 42 rescue and relief operation camps have been established across Srinagar. Authorities have also prepared an evacuation plan for flood-prone areas in the city.
The new capital of Andhra Pradesh will be called Amaravati, state Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu said on Wednesday. To be built between Vijayawada and Guntur, the final draft of the master plan for the city is expected to be ready in two to three weeks, he added. The state government has estimated that it will cost Rs 20,000 crore to build the new city. But so far, the Centre has allocated only Rs 1,500 crore for it. Meanwhile, opposition parties in the state are planning agitations against the takeover of fertile land to build the capital, even as Naidu maintains that farmers have voluntarily donated 33,000 acres for the purpose.
Vishwa Hindu Parishad leader Praveen Togadia was banned from entering West Bengal by the state government on Wednesday. Togadia's presence in the state would lead to communal tension and the disturbance of public tranquillity, said a press note issued by the state's Home department. The ban was implemented keeping in mind the state's upcoming civic polls. "All district magistrates have been asked to execute the notification in their respective jurisdictions," said state Home Secretary Basudeb Banerjee.
Indian Administrative Service officer Ashok Khemka, who had red-flagged the land deal between DLF and Robert Vadra, was transferred for the 45th time in 23 years. Khemka was removed as Haryana Transport Commissioner and was given the post of Secretary, Archaeology and Museums Department. Officials said that Khemka was transferred for penalising overloaded vehicles while state Transport Minister Ram Bilas Sharma had moved to relax norms on the issue.
The Kerala Congress (M) on Wednesday demanded the registration of vigilance cases against three Congress ministers for allegedly having taken bribes from bar owners. The ally of the state's ruling United Democratic Front, which is led by the Indian National Congress, said that the party could not accept the government's double-standard as a similar case had already been registered against Finance Minister KM Mani. Antony Raju, a senior leader of the KC(M) demanded a response from Home Minister Chennithala on the issue, asking why rules applying to Mani were not being applied to others.


'Sirius B' is the final installment of the three vinyl-only EPs released in conjunction with The Heliocentrics debut album 'Out There'. Featuring ex-Cannibal Ox MC Vast Aire on a new rendition of the title track - a remix of the version appearing on 'Out There' - and a new psychedelic-funk jam session "Vibration Of The Fallen Angels," this release follows DOOM and Percee P's "Distant Star" and Guilty Simpson's "Before I Die." This album collects the exclusive tracks from these three EPs. Three vocal tracks and five original instrumentals complete the collection.
Note : All tracks written, arranged & performed by the Heliocentrics except * written, arranged & performed by The Heliocentrics & Vast Aire.
Produced by Malcolm Catto, Mike Burnham & Jake Ferguson.
"Sirius B (remix)" featuring Cannibal Ox's Vast-Aire is paired with an instrumental and a new direction for the band: the dark, psychedelic "Vibrations Of The Fallen Angels." All tracks previously unreleased. Recorded and mixed at Quatermass and Tardis studios, UK and Australia. Mastered by Kelly Hibbert for Elysian Masters, Barcelona, Spain. Art direction by Matthew Boyd.
Sirius B is the final installment of the three vinyl-only EPs released in conjunction with The Heliocentrics debut album Out There. Featuring ex-Cannibal Ox MC Vast Aire on a new rendition of the title track - a remix of the version appearing on Out There - and a new psychedelic-funk jam session "Vibration Of The Fallen Angels," this release follows DOOM and Percee P's "Distant Star" and Guilty Simpson's "Before I Die." This album collects the exclusive tracks from these three EPs. Three vocal tracks and five original instrumentals complete the collection.


Tallent led the Panthers to a Mountain Six Conference title and a deep run in the NCHSAA 2A postseason that ended in the state championship series with a two-game sweep at the hands of South Granville. Franklin finished 24-3 overall and 10-0 in conference play.
Jennings was named the North Carolina high school female athlete of the year and the Western Conference female athlete of the year. She averaged .561 from the plate, adding 10 stolen bases and 20 RBIs. On the mound, Jennings was 11-0 and named the conference pitcher of the year, finishing with 120 strikeouts on 70 innings pitched with an ERA of .70. Madison finished 21-1 overall and 15-0 in conference play.
Caitlin Griffin, North Buncombe, Jr.
Griffin was named the Western Mountain Athletic Conference player of the year after leading North Buncombe to an undefeated conference title run. Griffin finished 17-3 on the mound, striking out 118 batters while adding 33 hits and 34 RBIs with a batting average of .465.
Kielson registered 207 strikeouts and a 14-6 overall record, which included five complete game shutouts on her way to being named the Western Mountain Athletic Conference pitcher of the year. The senior finished with an ERA of 1.21 and completed 18 of her 20 starts during the 2018 season.
Bryson led Franklin to the NCHSAA 2A state championship series with her abilities at the mound. She finished the season with an 18-3 record, which included a perfect regular season and a .46 ERA before the postseason. She was named the Mountain Six player of the year and added 175 strikeouts. At the plate, Bryson batted .507 with 24 RBIs and four home runs, striking out only twice all year.
Gilbert went 18-4 as a starting pitcher for Brevard, striking out 152 batters while posting a 1.27 ERA. She was named the Mountain Six pitcher of the year while also leading her team in batting average, RBIs and home runs.
Cantrell finished her junior season with no errors at the second base position and was named to the WHC All-Conference team after averaging a .420 batting average with 29 hits and 25 RBIs. She also had 39 putouts and 19 assists defensively.
As a freshman, Knight helped lead Robbinsville to a conference title and 21-2 overall record with a .603 batting average, adding 44 hits, 46 RBIs and four home runs. She was named the Smoky Mountain Conference player of the year.
The Virginia Tech commit, finished her junior season with a batting average of .455 with 35 hits, 23 RBIs and 44 runs, adding two home runs. She struck out only once this season.
Nelson batted .581 in 2018, stealing a conference-best 21 bases and batting in 22 runs with seven doubles, three triples and 36 hits. In the infield, Nelson had a .889 fielding percentage and an all-conference selection in the SMC.
Annie Kate Dalton, Murphy, Fresh.
Dalton set a school-record with 12 home runs this season, batting in 45 runs with 15 doubles, 18 walks – which led the conference – and 11 stolen bases. Her fielding percentage was .926 as a freshman catcher for Murphy.
Redoutey finished the season with a .562 batting average for the state runner-up Panthers, adding eight home runs and 31 RBIs. She had a perfect defensive fielding percentage as a center fielder and was named to the Mountain 6 All-Conference team.
Pinner had five home runs and 16 RBIs for the Rockets while finishing the season with a .373 batting average and earning all-conference honors. She had a .857 fielding percentage from centerfield.
Ansley Lynch, Polk County, Jr.
Lynch was selected to the N.C. Coaches 1A All-State Team after finishing with a .391 batting average and 25 hits, 20 of which were RBIs. Lynch finished with a .950 fielding percentage from the outfield.
Rice, the Western Highlands Conference player of the year was a force at the plate, batting .592 with 45 hits, 12 doubles, 49 RBIs, three triples and a 1.105 slugging percentage. As a pitcher, the junior went 10-1 overall, pitching 58 innings with 119 strikeouts and an ERA of 1.45.
Haley Penland, Mountain Heritage, Sr.
Brooke Nanney , Brevard, Sr.
Kenzie Eagleman, Swain County, Soph.
Kayla Biddix, Mountain Heritage, Sr.
Brooklyn Ensley, Smoky Mountain, Jr.


On Friday, November 13th, the Alliance Community Hospital Auxiliary Gift Shop will be holding its annual Holiday Open House from 9:00 a.m. until 7:00 p.m.
"We are very excited about this event, particularly with the many changes we have made in the shop. Not only have we opened up the shopping area, but we are also able to include many more special display areas,†shares Charlotte Furbee, gift shop supervisor.
Throughout the day, customers will receive a 25% discount on all items, excluding fresh flowers, cards and candy. Hourly door prizes will also be awarded.
"We invite the community to stop in to experience what a hidden treasure our gift shop is. Our product line is not one to be found in department stores, and our prices are very competitive,†invites Furbee.
More information on the holiday open house can be obtained by contacting Furbee at 330-596-7826 or 330-596-7827.


text:
"Ziemia Żywiecka" – amatorski zespół folklorystyczny działający na terenie Żywiecczyzny pod patronatem Miejskiego Centrum Kultury w Żywcu. Kierownikiem Zespołu jest mgr Jan Brodka, a choreografem mgr inż. Krystyna Kwaśniewska.

Historia zespołu
Reprezentacyjny Zespół Pieśni i Tańca miasta Żywca "Ziemia Żywiecka" powstał w 1971 roku przy Żywieckiej Fabryce Sprzętu Szpitalnego "FAMED". Przez dwa lata działalności nosił nazwę rodzimej fabryki. W 1973 roku zmienił opiekuna, a wraz z tym faktem nazwę na "SĘDZIOŁY".

Bogaty repertuar na wysokim poziomie artystycznym otworzył zespołowi drogę do występów nie tylko w rodzinnym mieście, ale także na terenie całego kraju i za granicą – w Czechosłowacji, NRD, Bułgarii i Francji. W 1982 roku patronat nad Zespołem objął Żywiecki Ośrodek Kultury, z czym wiąże się kolejna zmiana nazwy. Od tego czasu do chwili obecnej Zespół nosi zobowiązującą, ale w pełni zasłużoną nazwę "Ziemia Żywiecka".

Zespół zyskał sobie ogromną sympatię mieszkańców Żywca i regionu, a koncerty stały się nieodzownym elementem ważnych uroczystości lokalnych, nierozerwalnym atrybutem życia kulturalnego.

Programy "Ziemi Żywieckiej" i ich fragmenty były wielokrotnie emitowane na falach licznych rozgłośni radiowych oraz w programach wielu stacji i ośrodków telewizyjnych.
W repertuarze Zespołu z biegiem lat znalazły się, oprócz szeroko opracowanych programów opartych na zwyczajach i tradycjach górali i mieszczan żywieckich, także programy z innych regionów Polski: z okolic Lublina, Rzeszowa, Krakowa, Łowicza oraz tańce narodowe z mazurem z opery "Straszny Dwór " St.Moniuszki na czele.
W ciągu 40 lat działalności choreografami "Ziemi Żywieckiej" byli kolejno:
Jan Gąsiorek,
Władysław Koźbiał
mgr Marek Koźlik
Adam Adamowski
mgr.inż Krystyna Kwaśniewska

Nagrody
Przez cały okres swojej działalności "Ziemia Żywiecka" znaczona była nagrodami najwyższych stopni na różnorodnych festiwalach krajowych i zagranicznych, m.in.:

 Nagroda im. Oskara Kolberga – 1993r.
 2 x "Złote Serce"     – na Festiwalu Górali Polskich w Żywcu – 1980 r.  i 1986r.
 3 x "Srebrne Serce" – na Festiwalu Górali Polskich w Żywcu – 1981r., 2003r., 2008r.
 2 x "Złota Ciupaga" – na Międzynarodowym Festiwalu Folkloru Ziem Górskich w Zakopanem – 1981 r.  i 1995r.
 2 x "Srebrna Ciupaga" – na Międzynarodowym Festiwalu Folkloru Ziem Górskich w Zakopanem – 1980 r. i 1984r.
 "Grand Prix"      – Polskiej Sekcji C.I.O.F.F. w Stalowej Woli – 2003r.
 "Grand Prix"   – 41 Tygodnia Kultury Beskidzkiej w Szczyrku – 2004r.
 "Grand Prix", I nagroda i II nagroda – Polskiej Sekcji C.I.O.F.F. – Puławy 2008r.
 "Grand Prix"  – na Międzynarodowym Festiwalu Folklorystycznym w Zielonej Górze – 2008r.
 "Grand Prix – Łowicki Pasiak"- na Ogólnopolskim Festiwalu Folklorystycznym w Łowiczu-2009r.
 "Główna Nagroda" – na XI Festiwalu Obrzędów Weselnych w Węgrowie – 2008r.

Bibliografia
 "Ziemia Żywiecka" – informator o Zespole

Żywiecka
Laureaci Nagrody Kolberga

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
/* This file is part of uwt, released under the MIT license. See LICENSE.md for
   details, or visit https://github.com/fdopen/uwt/blob/master/LICENSE.md. */

#ifndef __UWT_STUBS_PIPE_H
#define __UWT_STUBS_PIPE_H

#include "uwt_stubs_handle.h"

#ifdef __cplusplus
extern "C" {
#endif

UWT_EXTERN3(uwt_pipe_open);
UWT_EXTERN2(uwt_pipe_init);
UWT_EXTERN2(uwt_pipe_bind_na);
UWT_EXTERN1(uwt_pipe_getsockname);
UWT_EXTERN1(uwt_pipe_getpeername);
UWT_EXTERN2(uwt_pipe_pending_instances_na);
UWT_EXTERN1(uwt_pipe_pending_count_na);
UWT_EXTERN1(uwt_pipe_pending_type_na);
UWT_EXTERN3(uwt_pipe_connect);
UWT_EXTERN2(uwt_pipe_chmod);

#ifdef __cplusplus
}
#endif

#endif /* __UWT_STUBS_PIPE_H */

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Previous Story Camera Deals of the Day: Canon 5D Mark III $2,869; Nikon D4 $5,399; Olympus E-M5 $799; Panasonic GH3 $978 and more!
Fujifilm has put up a teaser site for a new X-series camera, which will be unveiled in full on January 28, just more than a week away. While not showing off the new model in all its glory, it certainly has enough to whet our appetites, and revealed a handful of features about the camera.
The obvious changes worth pointing out here is the inclusion of shutter speed and ISO dials, which gained Nikon much acclaim when similar features were unveiled with the Nikon Df. The rest of Fujifilm's X-series ILCs have either a mode dial or the shutter speed dial, but none the ISO version, and none have three dials on the camera's top. Also new is the viewfinder hump — again something not found on the other X-series cameras (barring the very different X-S1). We can also make out a front control dial in front of the shutter. All told, it looks a lot more SLR-like than Fujifilm's other offerings.
The most interesting detail though? There's a ring around the shutter button with a characteristic ribbing that matches the on/off switch of the X100S and other recent Fujifilm models. No big deal. But check out the details under the shutter speed and ISO dials. These have the exact same ribbing as surrounds the shutter release and differ in appearance from any previous top-deck dials from Fujifilm. Might the new model give us some sort of switches or dials underneath the shutter speed and ISO dials?
Obviously, there's still a lot that we can't make out in the dim photo — so we'll hand the floor over to our commentors. What do you think this new camera will have? And what do you wish it would?


text:
Struggling with something?

Start Coding has everything that I encountered in my carreer as a developer! All the info, code, ideas and everything is put up here, free to download. No strings attached!

                Get Started!


Are you still trying to find a method to make money in the stock market? One of the most important factor is the Timeframe, successful trader always know what timeframe they are trading, and unsuccessful trader usually just want to try their way out. The mid term we define here is between 2weeks to 12week or even longer if the trend continue. Here is why mid term trade is good for you.
You can save more time looking for a "better" trade, once you are in the position, you intend to keep it for a while until it hit your exit criteria. Take your profit slow, cut your losses fast!
It is possible to have a Much bigger win if you run on daily chart than minutes chart.
It is easier to plan for a trade before the price move, if you are not fast enough to estimate you stoploss and calculate your position size. Mid term trade is less Risky for you!
You can save a lot of commission by trading a longer timeframe.
What are the singapore stocks to BUY and SHORT in this November market?
Fast Fact on STI, Stock near Support?
Are you getting the Stock Market Auntie Syndrome?
Are you Catching the Commodities Run?


text:
Let's Do Lunch!
Following on from the Full English breakfast and the Tiempo de Fiesta, the Management Team have now served a hot buffet lunch to mark the next milestone in recognising the staff's commitment to our Core Values – this time for Stay Sharp.
The role of MasterChef was taken on this time by Andy Bayley who spent the previous night slaving away to cook a huge vat of chilli to his own fiery recipe. Andy was ably abetted by his camarera, Debs, and camareros, Jonathan and Steve.
Margaritas and cerveza were first served up with tortillas, salsa and sour cream before the main chilli course accompanied by jacket potatoes, rice and a cheese topping to the sound of a traditional Mexican soundtrack.
Everybody agreed that Andy's chilli was as good as they had tasted, although nobody opted for 'seconds' which meant there was plenty over for the Management Team once they had cleared the table and washed all the dishes.
The next reward comes in the form of an early flyer on a Friday afternoon which is already in the diary.
If you want to know more about life at Poole Dick go to the home page and download the document entitled 'Discovering the Poole Dick Way'.


These craft cocktails by Bendistillery are made with Crater Lake Sweet Ginger Vodka and Crater Lake Gin. The brand's artisanal spirits are the perfect ingredients for a refreshing summer beverage and are used to create its four signature recipes of the season.
If you're looking to indulge in something tropical, try Bendistillery's 'Ruby Works' or 'Ginger Sunrise' cocktails. While 'Ruby Works' features a blend of ginger vodka, red grapefruit juice and lemon, 'Ginger Sunrise' is made with orange and lemon juice, raspberries and honey.
For a cocktail that's more herb-focused, try Bendistillery's 'Just in Thyme' recipe that features ginger vodka, pineapple juice and a garnish of thyme sprigs. For spice fans, the distillery's 'Dash of Sun' drink features a tasty blend of gin, vodka and tonic water that is infused with sweet and sour spices.


Seven females and three males were born in this litter, 4 solids and 7 patchworks. Three of the boys, are quite looking alike ;) Nearly all colours are represented in this litter, Chocolate Brown, black, black and tan and even blue and red patchworks with not much white on their bodies. We are really thrilled.
All of the little ones are really healthy and happy creatures and are going to start their new lifes in their new families in a few weeks. We are so happy that five of the little ones will find a new home with friends and colleagues of us, not even 300km away from us. Familygatherings will be on top of the list from now on, we are really excited to see all of them grow up.
It will be a great pleasure to see all of them grow into adults and we are very glad that their dad really let an imprint on this litter, bodywise and hopefully also personalitywise.
Over all a very good second litter and we are really happy about it! The next litter is planned for 2016 and we are already excited to see the outcome of the next "box of surprises".


text:
Q: Pick elements from list of sets to cover all sets with exactly one element I am looking for the idiomatic and fast python solution for the following problem.
Input is a list of sets. For example, 3 sets of strings.
[
{a, b, c, d, e},
{a, c, e, f, g},
{e, f, a, d, l}
]

I would like to find all choices of string combinations so that there is only one element in combination per set.
For example, these are "mappings" that show at what list positions these strings occur:
a -> 0, 1, 2
b -> 0
c -> 0, 1
d -> 0, 2
e -> 0, 1, 2
f -> 1, 2
g -> 1
l -> 2

So the correct solution is the following list of sets
a
b, g, l
b, f
e
c, l
d, g

Here are some examples of incorrect solutions:
a, b # incorrect because more than one element (2) from set 0 are used
b, l # incorrect because less than one element (0) from set 1 is used

I tried naive recurrent solution that adds one element at a time from the row and then checks remaining rows if they met requirements or not. It was extremely slow (probably because I overused list concatenations, copies, etc). I am looking for the solution that will work relatively fast (less than 10 s) for 100 rows of sets where each of them has 50 elements in average.
As noted in the comments this problem may not be solvable in finite time with these constraints. In that case I am still interested in the python solution that will work with weaker constraints (e.g. alphabet size 30, average set size 10, number of sets 50).

A: I would use a SAT solver like z3 for this.
import z3

sets = [
    {"a", "b", "c", "d", "e"},
    {"a", "c", "e", "f", "g"},
    {"e", "f", "a", "d", "l"}
]

alphabet = set.union(*sets)
zvars = {w: z3.Bool(w) for w in alphabet}

sol = z3.Solver()
for s in sets:
    # Exactly one in each set.
    sol.add(z3.PbEq([(zvars[w], True) for w in s], 1))

# Iterate over all solutions.
while sol.check() == z3.sat:
    model = sol.model()
    print({w for w, v in zvars.items() if bool(model[v])})

    # Prevent same solution being returned.
    trues = [v for v in zvars.values() if bool(model[v])]
    falses = [z3.Not(v) for v in zvars.values() if not bool(model[v])]
    sol.add(z3.Not(z3.And(trues + falses)))

Solution:
{'e'}
{'g', 'd'}
{'g', 'b', 'l'}
{'b', 'f'}
{'c', 'l'}
{'a'}


text:
Venture Capital Fund Yolo Invests in Digital Marketing Specialists eCartic
Distribution: Breakthrough Press Release
Bitcoin Press Release: Tallinn-based venture capital fund Yolo Investments has announced a new investment in digital marketing company eCartic.
18th February 2021, Tallinn, Estonia – Venture capital fund Yolo Investments has made a significant investment into digital marketing specialists and venture hub eCartic.The Estonian-based investment is a global B2B partner for disruptive companies within the eCommerce value-chain. It successfully scales across a number of verticals, turning ideas into products by using its expertise in digital marketing and branding. It also builds and markets B2C products and services.
One such product, BlufVPN®, is fast establishing itself as an innovative leader within the competitive virtual private network (VPN) market and is fast-tracked to become the number one online security product in Europe by 2025.
Tim Heath, GP at Yolo Investments, stated:
"We were hugely impressed by the level of digital marketing know-how in the eCartic team. This type of expertise is all-too-often the difference between success and failure when it comes to launching new products. Teaming up with eCartic via this strategic startup investment will not only help supercharge the company's growth, but also adds great value to the Yolo ecosystem."
Miko Salo, CEO at eCartic, said:
"We knew that Yolo Investments would be the catalyst our ambitious plans needed from the very first conversation we had. The seven figure investment allows us to expedite the parallel scaling of multiple ventures, all of which provide synergies not only to each other but also support the existing Yolo ecosystem with clear added value. We look forward to creating a universe of opportunities together as eCartic and Yolo Investments."
About Yolo Investments
Yolo Investments is a venture capital fund that invests in truly outstanding people with bright ideas, who are focused on innovating and disrupting the norm in all manner of tech startups. Led by Tim Heath, Yolo's 40+ investments span the gaming and fintech industries.
About eCartic
eCartic is a global B2B partner for ambitious companies in eCommerce. As well as owning its own brands, eCartic partners with customers to add value via its marketing platform and other technologies. With the entire value-chain from idea to execution connected, eCartic has all the bases covered when it comes to eCommerce and digital marketing solutions.
Learn more about Yolo Investments – https://yolo.io
Yolo Investments is the source of this content. This Press Release is for informational purposes only. Virtual currency is not legal tender, is not backed by the government, and accounts and value balances are not subject to consumer protections. Cryptocurrencies and tokens are extremely volatile. There is no guarantee of a stable value, or of any value at all.


text:
Q: Why doesn't @Model... print data to index.cshtml but bring it to the view from a DB? I have a solution with 2 project
1. Web Service
2. ASP.NET (MVC)
In the view I have an input type="date" where I choose a date and through communication with the WS it has to search in a DB for the records that in their date column their data matches that date that I entered in the view.
HomeController
[HttpPost]
public async Task<ActionResult> Index(string date)//Get the date from the input type date
{
    SearchDate lst = new SearchDate();
    SearchDateResponse lstR = new SearchDateResponse();

    lst.StartDate = date;

    var r = await _servicio_api.Lista(lst.StartDate);

    lstR.factura = r;

    lst.lstR = lstR;

    return View(lst);
}

SERVICIO_API e interfaz IServicio_API
//Services ASP.NET Folder
    public async Task<List<Factura>> Lista(string date)//Receive the date from the "HomeController" controller var r = await _api_service.List(lst.StartDate);
            {
                List<Factura> facturaList = new List<Factura>();
                GetFacturaRequest req = new GetFacturaRequest();
                req.fecha = date;

                var content = new StringContent(JsonConvert.SerializeObject(req), Encoding.UTF8, "application/json");

                var client = new HttpClient();
                client.BaseAddress = new Uri(_baseUrl);

                var response = await client.PostAsync("/api/Factura", content);

                if (response.IsSuccessStatusCode)
                {
                    var json_respuesta = await response.Content.ReadAsStringAsync();
                    List<Factura> resultado = JsonConvert.DeserializeObject<List<Factura>>(json_respuesta);
                    facturaList.AddRange(resultado);
                }
                return facturaList;
            }

    public interface IServicio_API
    {
        Task<List<Factura>> Lista(string date);
    }

FacturaController en el WS
[HttpPost]
    public IActionResult Index(GetFacturaRequest date)//Receives the date (date) from Service_API
    {
        return Ok(facturaService.Get(date));//Sends the date to the Get method of FacturaService
    }

FactureServices.cs (Services ASP.NET Folder)
 public IEnumerable<Factura> Get(GetFacturaRequest datos)//Receives the date from "api/Factura" in FacturaController.cs
        {
            return context.Facturas.Where(x => x.fechaEmision == DateTime.Parse(datos.fecha));
            //Find how many records in the database exist with the date entered in the input

        }
    }
    public interface IFactura
    {
        IEnumerable<Factura> Get(GetFacturaRequest datos);
    }

Then from here it returns to the if of the second piece of code that I uploaded, that is, this:
if (response.IsSuccessStatusCode)
{
   var json_respuesta = await response.Content.ReadAsStringAsync();
   List<Factura> resultado = JsonConvert.DeserializeObject<List<Factura>>(json_respuesta);
   facturaList.AddRange(resultado);
}
return facturaList;

What it does here is that it evaluates if the request to the service was true, it returns the records if it found it or not. (If there are connection problems with the WS, the if is skipped and the execution ends)
Example Image
And to finish, it returns to the beginning and returns the date that I entered and the records that it found with that date.
Example Image
Then when I try to print in this case the date that the ViewModel brings to the view it seems as if it brought it but it is not shown, that is, in the following image it is seen that the date is in the @Model... in the label but when the execution finishes the data is not shown in the view.
Example Image
In the end I try to do 2 things:

*

*In the last image the date (StarDate) I want to print it in the view.

*If it is possible Count = 2 print it also since it has been the
number of records that were found in the DB with that date.

ViewModel in the view
@model PORTAL.ViewModels.SearchDate //ViewModel

Image of the view (HTML) where the data should appear.
The red line is where the date should appear, to the right you can see the empty  and to the right of it another image of  but in the index.cshtml
The date should appear as the numbers 310/400 that are on the other label (static data)
HTML view


Guitarist Charlie Parr's finger-picking skills mesmerize audiences. His songs tug deep at listeners' heartstrings. His deft storytelling skills can make people roar with laughter, then strike them silent with his honesty.
One thing he's begun doing only recently is talking about his lifelong struggles with depression. It's a central theme of Parr's new album, "Dog."
"Dog" is an engaging collection of songs, ranging from quiet melancholy ballads to foot-stomping rags. It's an enjoyable listen. Yet he says every one of the songs is about depression.
"Yes, without a doubt," he said emphatically.
Parr lives in Duluth, but as often as not he's on the road. Driving from town to town is hard, lonely and austere. He uses the old trucker's trick of cooking meals on his van engine to save money. Yet life on the road is worth it to him.
"I still like it, because I still get to sit down for at least 45 minutes and play the guitar," he said.
"Ain't somebody going to tell me what I am doing here?" he sings in "HoBo," the album's opening song. "Ain't somebody going to tell me where I'm going?"
Parr is a wiry guy with a long beard and hair that sometimes takes off in unconventional directions. He wears flannels and round glasses, but makes gently disparaging comments about hippies. You might not notice him as he walks into a room, but he's played before big crowds in huge halls. That said, he prefers more intimate performances.
"At the end of the day I am a folksinger, you know," he said. "And the places that I feel the most comfortable at are the places where that line, that distance between you and the audience, is no longer there. Some of the places I like the best don't even have stages. They are just like rooms, with people and music. That's comfortable for me."
Parr makes it look easy as he hunches over his beaten-up but mellow-sounding 12-string, or the scruffy splendor of his metal-bodied resonator guitar.
He's been playing guitar since he was young, wrestling with depression for much of that time. His father's death devastated him, but it also gave him an outlet that had eluded him.
"Songwriting itself didn't occur to me," he said. "And when my dad died, suddenly there they were. And they were about Dad at first. And they were about grief. And they were about me being unable to deal with the grief and finding a way to grieve because he was a huge part of my life."
He's now able to write songs about other things, but they aren't necessarily happy.
"Now, you know, when I sit down to write a song, it's not because I had a really great day and I want to write a song about this like wonderful day and the sunshine," Parr said. "I can't, and I don't know why. I'd like to, because those are great songs too, but I don't have those songs. So I write songs about more depressing things. The songwriting tends to be cathartic and therapeutic to me, but because of that, it turns out to be about things that aren't that great, generally."
"Dog" almost didn't get made. First, he wanted to do it as a solo album — "a horrible idea," he said.
Then he decided to do it as ambient music. He called various friends and booked studio time. "And then two days later I wake up to the realization of this is a bad idea," he said.
So he called them all back and canceled everything. He thought about doing it as a rock album. He briefly considered quitting music. Then he played a few gigs and decided to just record the songs as they were.
"At the very morning of the recording I thought, 'Ach, you know I can't do this. Let's just call this off,'" he said. "And I forced myself to go, and I was glad I did. We just sat down and played. And the record took about a day to record, and most of it is first take. It's just what it is."
Parr said he had not listened to the album since he finished making it, and "I think the songs are different now."
"At the very next show some of these songs started changing," he said. "Because they are not done. They won't be done. When they are done I'll get bored and put them away and never play them again."
He'll perform them at his two sold-out concerts at the Cedar Cultural Center Friday and Saturday nights. Friday's show is acoustic; Saturday's is an experiment. He's been learning electric guitar and will retool the songs for that instrument.
"I am excited about that," he said. "And in another sense, I am worried that it will really fail and the people who come on that night will be sad."
Parr will tour the West Coast in December. In January he'll do weekly residencies on Sunday nights at the Turf Club in St. Paul and on Wednesdays at the Cedar Lounge in Superior, Wis. After that, he's off to Europe.
"I have been super lucky," he said. "I haven't had a job in 15 years. I have just been trolling around getting to play songs."
He's always just wanted to play guitar. That's what he does, and he wants to enjoy it as long as he can.